Chapter 74: Ironburgh Town

After half a day of travel, we arrived in the city of Ironburgh without much trouble, not even having to fight monsters along the way.

Before we reached the city limits, Erina called out to me.

“Rick, would you mind looking for clothes for me and Justine? I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to walk around drawing attention in our Silver Fang uniforms.”

“Of course. Alicia, can you come with me?” I asked the blond-haired woman beside me, and she responded with a nod.

We briefly said goodbye to Erina and Justine and headed toward the gate, which was only a few meters away.

“I hope we can find Sarah and Diane soon,” Alicia said to me as we walked.

“I hope so too,” I replied to Alicia, looking at the city entrance.

The city was surrounded by a wooden fence that appeared to be no more than 1 meter tall (approximately 3’3″). The entrance was a 4-meter-high wooden gate (13’1.5’’) with the city’s name carved at the top for everyone to see.

I looked at Alicia once more before stepping through the gate. Her identity had to be kept secret, and now that the story had changed, I had no idea what we might encounter in this city.

This time would be different from what happened in Valleria, when Erina and Justine showed up and I ran away. I was stronger and more prepared than before. Of course, I had no intention of starting an unnecessary fight, but having power gave me the option to fight if needed. This time, I could protect Alicia.

I offered my hand to the blonde girl standing beside me. “Let’s go, Alicia.”

“Yes, let’s, Rick,” she said with a smile and an excited voice. Her hand clasped mine, and together we finally entered Ironburgh Town.

…

Ironburgh Town was a little larger than Valleria. It was known as a city that had grown thanks to the iron mine discovered in the region. It was also said to be a town with warm and welcoming people, but I didn’t see much warmth in the streets.

There were only a few people on the streets, and those present wore sad, hopeless expressions. I remembered this part of the story, and I could imagine why the atmosphere felt like a funeral. The city was dying.

As Freya had said, a dungeon had appeared in this city some time ago—more precisely, two weeks ago. This dungeon was different from the others that usually manifested with their own structure. Instead, it had taken over a structure that already existed.

That’s right—the dungeon had possessed the mine, with its core deep within it. And as if that weren’t enough, the creatures now haunting the tunnels were Ghosts—ethereal beings born from the souls of the dead, most likely miners who had lost their lives in accidents underground.

Needless to say, this made it impossible for the miners to continue working. Since the economy of this small city depended entirely on the mine, once the foundation collapsed, the rest of the structure followed.

At the end of the day, people have to bring bread to the table. And when it becomes difficult to secure supplies and income in a place like this, sooner or later they will leave in search of a better life elsewhere.

They requested help from a guild, but no adventurer was willing to take on the mission due to the dungeon’s level of difficulty. The mayor also asked the army for assistance in dealing with the problem, but so far there had been no response. In other words, the city had been left to fend for itself.

We walked through the city but couldn’t find any clothing shops. After speaking with an elderly woman, we learned that the owner of the town’s clothing store had closed the shop and left the city.

“I’m sorry, young visitors, but there isn’t much to do in this town anymore. I fear it will soon become a ghost town,” the old woman said, looking down at the ground with a desolate expression. “It pains my heart to say this, but if I were you, I wouldn’t stay here for long.”

An uneasy silence hung between the three of us after the old woman spoke those words, until—

“Gruuuuh!” A guttural sound from Alicia’s stomach broke the silence. The blonde girl quickly covered her tummy with her hands, embarrassed that it had growled so loudly.

But I couldn’t blame her. The last time we had eaten was shortly after we woke up, and it hadn’t been a hearty breakfast. Whatever nutrients we had taken in had long since been devoured by our stomachs, and now they were demanding more.

’Give me food!! And quickly!’ I could almost imagine Alicia’s stomach shouting that.

“Hahaha, you must all be hungry.” She pointed in the opposite direction from where we had come, toward an establishment we hadn’t visited yet. “There’s a tavern over there. They still have food, and the owner’s wife cooks very well. They also offer rooms for the night if you need to rest from your journey.”

“Thank you very much for the advice,” Alicia replied to the old lady with a deep bow.

I was about to tell Alicia that people usually don’t need to be overly polite, but the elderly woman simply laughed at her unusual courtesy. “What a well-mannered young lady. You’re very welcome. And you, young man, take good care of this lady.”

“R-Right…” I barely managed to say, still flustered.

We said goodbye to the old lady, and once we were far enough away, I spoke to Alicia. “Alicia, try to be a little less formal next time.”

“Eh? Did I do something wrong?” she asked in surprise.

“Not exactly, but outside noble circles, most people aren’t very familiar with formal etiquette. A simple thank you without too much flourish is enough when you’re acting as a commoner. Whether you mean to or not, you end up standing out too much.”

“I see…” she said as we stopped right in front of the inn’s door.

“Well, it was only this once, so I don’t think it’s a problem. Just be more careful next time. The ideal thing is not to draw attention to us—”

My voice was abruptly cut off when the door slammed straight into my face.

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