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　We finally arrived at the royal capital. Well, actually we were still outside the walls. There was a long line at the gate, and it had been about an hour after we got in line.

　We had traveled along a road between wheat fields and over a small hill, then came to a place where the royal capital could be seen from afar. But what I saw was a heavily fortified city with the royal castle at its center.

　What surprised me first was the wall. But what surprised me even more than its size was the number. There were several layers of walls built around the royal castle which was perched on the summit of a small mountain. Apparently, the areas were divided by social class.

　The first wall surrounded the royal castle, and the next created a zone where upper-class nobles and people related to the royal family lived. The zone was referred to as the first division. Another wall then surrounded it and was called the second wall. Entrance wasn’t allowed without proper identification or a letter of introduction.

　This section was composed of lower-class nobles, wealthy commoners, and luxurious shops for nobles. The second division. Lily’s parents’ house was located there.

　Various guilds were also located there. At a later date, I would check out the Adventurer’s Guild a bit, but there were many people there who looked strong so I was honestly a bit scared at that time. Everyone looked quite scary.

　The outer third wall surrounding the wealthier sections was the commoner section. The third division. It was the largest area. The stores located there were reasonably priced and accessible to everyone. There weren’t any particular restrictions on passing through the wall that separated the commoner section from the wealthy section. The guild was also located in the wealthy section, so it was only natural.

　Additionally, there were branch offices of various guilds in the commoner section. There weren’t many adventurers who lived in the wealthy section, and since it took time to travel to the guild, numerous branch offices were built in the commoner section.

　The outermost wall was the wall that separated the commoner section from the outside. People who couldn’t live within the walls apparently lived around the outside of the wall. Essentially the slums. But it was probably better having it outside than inside the wall since inspections would be less severe.

　The class difference was clear, and it was something an orphan adventurer could understand a bit. The medieval world was tough.

　I couldn’t help but wonder how the walls were even built. But since there was magic in this world, the construction process was likely a lot easier compared to the medieval ages back on Earth. Although, it probably still took quite a bit of effort.

　Additionally, the name of the royal capital was Ascalon. Haven’t I heard this name somewhere before? Oh, right. The name of this country was called Georgius Kingdom. Apparently, it was founded by some dragon killing hero. …….That person is definitely a reincarnator, right?

　……But it was from a long time ago so it’s not like I’m going to see him anyways, so it should be fine?

　Lily was explaining all this to me as we waited in line to kill some time, but even so, the line was still very slow. Additionally, we were now on foot. I stored the carriage away when we got to the hill overlooking the royal capital, and we walked from there.

　Well, even then, us three girls walking along still attracted some attention. Moreover, there are wolves following us, two of them no less. One of them was very large so it was inevitable we stood out.

　Even after we lined up, the surrounding gaze gathered on us and it was strangely quiet, I was already getting quite fed up. It was almost time for lunch and I was getting hungry. Furthermore, I was also tired of standing.

“Is it always this crowded?”
“Yes, the south gate is the main gate so it always looks like this.”
“Since there is a market on the west side, some merchants go through there, but it seems that in the end it still doesn’t change much~”
“The east side also has a crafting district, so some merchants also go there to buy weapons, but the situation is the same.
“And the north gate is for nobles only~”

　I think it would be better to expand the gate size and increase the number of lines for inspections…….from what I could see, the gate has about two or three lines?

“It looks like we’re in the third line at the gate……?
“One is for the general public, one is for merchants, and the other is for adventurers.”
“Since it takes longer for merchants to get their cargo checked~”
“The line for the general public also takes very long since it has the most people.”
“The line for adventurers is only a simple check if you’re just going out for a request and coming back, so it can be done relatively quick~”
“But if you went out for something other than guild work, you will be transferred to the line for the general public, the one that takes the longest……”

　 So in the end, everyone except adventurers who lived in the royal capital would be waiting a long time.

“Since the nobles have a dedicated gate on the north side, it’s also easy for them to enter.”

　I see, how enviable. But there were also various troublesome things in regards to being a noble.

“It’s the privilege of those who have power, but since they also have various responsibilities, it’s not really possible to not give them preferential treatment.”
“…….So Ren understands the noble’s side too.”
“People usually just complain without actually thinking more about it~”

　Rather than understanding them, it was closer to me just feeling that it was a troublesome position. As we were idly chatting, it was finally our turn, but…….

“What is with that big wolf? A familiar? Yours? A small child like you having a big wolf like that as a familiar? Is this a joke?”

　Woah, this person is annoying~ You could find out immediately if you just confirm it with the magic tool~ So hurry up and check already~ In the end, I passed the inspection but I was exhausted by the time I entered through the gate.

“I get that person is just doing his job and all but~”
“He always says stuff like that, to be honest he is kinda……”
“Eh, Always? To everyone?”
“Yes…….”

　………Is he that careful about his job? A workaholic? No, he might actually just be a S.

“……I’m hungry, do you want to just head straight to my house?”
“Sure, I’m fine with looking around tomorrow instead.”

　I didn’t really mind what the plan was so in the end we went straight to Lily’s house. But…… Huge. The house was huge. The garden was also very wide. What?

“Oh right, I forgot to mention…….”

　……Lily’s family were quasi-barons.¹ Ah, so she’s not a noble? The quasi-baron rank was hereditary, but the rank itself was still considered commoner-level. But I think it would be the highest rank among the commoner class?

　I was told that their ancestors were awarded the rank for their success in the war, and the family has also been court mages for the castle for generations. Apparently, the rank wasn’t hereditary, it was awarded due to the generations of loyal service the family provided. The family brought in a lot of income too, and weren’t like most other useless and lazy barons. I heard this from the maid at a later date. But the house really was quite large.

　Additionally, Arisa’s family were also quasi-barons and her house was right next to Lily’s. It seems that their ancestors had fought hard alongside each other in the war, and since then the two families have been in good relations with each other. Hence why the two were such good friends.

　As for the reason why the daughters of quasi-barons were working as waitresses at an inn located in a small town, it seems the two were looking for future employment opportunities.

　Both Lily and Arisa already had male successors to their house, so the two of them would have to leave the house in the future to look for jobs or marriage partners.

　Lily’s older sister, Salena, already found a job at the Adventurer’s Guild, and she was apparently also a candidate for an executive position at the royal capital guild. But it seems she was sent out to Halura since there wasn’t enough personnel. Apparently, Lily ended up tagging along so she could gain more social experience, and Arisa also took advantage of the opportunity.

　Incidentally, Lily’s family was being succeeded by her younger brother and Arisa’s family was being succeeded by her older brother. Both of them were also attending schools exclusive to nobles. The two of them were also living at the dormitories at their schools.

　Eh? So only nobles could attend? It seems that there wasn’t anything about commoners being able to attend if they had enough money. But since the two brothers were from families of quasi-barons and would be striving towards their own noble ranks, the school had allowed them to attend as long as tuition was paid.

　But since Lily and Arisa were females, they weren’t allowed to attend and instead private tutors were hired for them. Anyways, moving on. We parted with Arisa at the front gate and Lily and I went inside the large house.

“Oh, my, my, my! Lily has come home with such a lovely bride! What should we do? Should we celebrate tonight?”² “Mother, Ren and I aren’t like that! Calm down!”
“Ren? So your name is Ren? What a cute little name! Can I call you Ren too? Is it okay? Then Ren, I hope you will remain with Lily for a very long time!”
“Mother, you’re troubling our guest. Please calm down.”
“Oh? Am I? Is that so? What should I do?”

　This slightly airheaded person was the mother of Lily, she appeared to be in her late 20s and her name was Miriam. As you could see, she was quite the airhead and a very straightforward person. But I like her……for some reason. However, I was rather troubled and didn’t know how to respond back.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry! I’m so sorry about my mother!”

　Ah, right. I guess I shouldn’t worry about it too much……?

“Lily, when will the ceremony be held!”³

　Sorry, but never mind, please do something about this.

1. Silva: quasi-barons? Uhm… why not just call it… uh, what was the term again? Honorary?
2. Silva: Pffft!!! Mommy supports yuri!! Hahaha, now her name (Lily) makes sense!
   Robinxen: You know….this site has so many characters named Lily I’m starting to think the translators are picking them for that reason alone.
3. Silva: Haha Yeah, I like her too!