LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 137.2
137.2. A Woman’s Past is Filled with Mysteries, Isn’t It?
I woke up in a room at an inn I had never seen before.
The moment I received that cryptic word, I suddenly felt sleepy, and when I lost consciousness… I found myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
“…Now I can’t even go back, even if I wanted to.”
No, that’s not it.
If I have the power to obtain this world’s secret, I should be able to find the village and return on my own.
Just what is this secret, anyway?
I wasn’t told to actively seek it out, though. The nuance was more like, “If you happen to find it…”
The more I think about it, the less I understand what the garden was about, but I feel like the Hermit has a clear purpose he can’t tell anyone.
The secret of the world.
I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I exist solely to learn it.
…
Anyway, back on topic, after that, we became adventurers, and within a year, we were a well-known party.
Recently, we were working in the Margrave’s domain, but lately, the stares from men have been getting annoying.
Ugh, isn’t there a man out there who’s stronger than me, doesn’t ogle women, and doesn’t waste money?
At twenty-four, I’m considered past my prime by most standards.
Though as an adventurer, you could say I’m at a prime age.
It’s not like I have zero interest in men, but the ones that gather around me are worse than flies. I’ve never once thought about dating anyone.
By the time more and more familiar adventurers started acting overly familiar, I heard the rumor.
The adventurer’s paradise, Golden Dawn.
In the vast frontier that stretches northwest of the kingdom, the word “death” is synonymous with human existence.
Yet, there’s said to be a city at the far end of that northwest frontier.
Even for a typical golden city legend, this one is absurd.
Or so I thought at first.
So did the adventurers around me.
But things changed drastically within a few months when these items started circulating on the market.
“Craft-branded potions by the alchemist of Golden Dawn!”
Stamina potions, healing potions, and mana potions, all bearing this label, began appearing in adventurers’ shops.
I didn’t understand why the merchants’ guild wasn’t involved, and it was instead the production guild, but you couldn’t deny that large amounts of goods were flowing in from the edge of the world.
Soon after, adventurers guarding the caravans delivering these goods started showing up in the taverns, and the rumors became near-certain information.
“Man! Golden Dawn is the best city! Even though it’s built of stone, it has inns that are ten stories high! And as long as you keep paying, you can stay there for months!”
That alone is impressive, but the escort adventurer had more to say.
“The adventurers’ guild is looked after by Kyle-sama, the local magistrate, not the lord. We’re given all sorts of perks. Sometimes we even get patrol jobs in the city. Only the most well-behaved parties get selected for those, though.”
Usually, the local authority and the adventurers’ guild don’t get along.
I find it hard to believe there’s that much trust.
“In Golden Dawn, you can buy legendary-level stamina and healing potions at regular prices. Because of that, local adventurers are improving by leaps and bounds. Did you know? The city’s overflowing with D-rank adventurers!”
That’s hard to believe.
In the adventurers’ guild, D-rank is the most trusted rank.
It’s a huge leap to go beyond C-rank.
There are many reasons for this, but I’ll skip the details.
“And Kyle-sama really cares about the citizens. Even though the city’s huge, crime is shockingly low.”
That’s when I asked something important.
“How many cases of sexual assault have there been? You can answer based on your experience.”
A guard might not know the full picture, but a local would at least get a sense of the atmosphere when a woman walks alone at night.
“Huh? Never heard of any.”
“What? Not a single one?”
That can’t be true.
Maybe this adventurer just hadn’t been in Golden Dawn long enough?
But he shrugged casually, like it was common sense.
“Yeah. Think about it. If someone committed a crime in that city, they’d be caught in no time by skilled adventurers and guards. Then they’d face a harsh punishment, fines, and compensation. After forced labor and prison time, they wouldn’t be allowed back in the city. Just thinking about it gives me chills.”
I found it hard to believe there was no crime at all, but the adventurer said that while petty thefts and brawls were frequent, he’d never heard of any serious crimes.
Shoplifters are caught quickly, and the guild steps in to mediate fights, so he never feels the city was unsafe.
It all sounded too good to be true.
But this wasn’t just one or two people saying it. Many adventurers and merchants had the same story.
As if to prove the point, the caravans of the merchant company were getting larger by the day, and even the horses pulling their carts were being replaced with high-quality ones.
Seeing the adventurers’ equipment steadily improving, it was hard to dismiss it as mere talk.
So, my sisters and I made a decision.
We would head to Golden Dawn to escape the men.
◆
In that golden city, I would meet the man I thought was my ideal.
Raidoc-sama…
◆
And now, here I am, at a clothing store.
I’m panicking.
If it were Raidoc-sama, I’d understand.
But my two younger sisters wouldn’t let me off the hook.
That plain alchemist, in front of the entire party, practically invited me out for a date when he asked me to dinner!
Yes, I told him he should treat me.
But I meant for him to treat my sisters and the whole party to a hearty adventurer’s meal!
And yet, he somehow thought it was appropriate to make a response that was completely inappropriate for asking a girl out!
The next morning, I was dragged to this clothing store by Camille and Marilyn.
I’m panicking for all sorts of reasons.
Because last night wasn’t enough to clear up the misunderstanding.
Oh, someone, please help me!