141 -) The Capital (2)
Sarya sat opposite me inside the carriage and stared right into my eyes. I acted like I didn't notice until the carriage moved from the crowd and entered the main road. When it was just the two of us, with no one else around, I decided to explain the situation.
“... Hahaha! You will pierce me with your glare!” I laughed when I saw she was still staring at me without yielding and said. “Don’t frown so much, that doesn’t suit your pretty face,” I said to lighten the mood.
Well, she was not a top-model beauty, and since I kept two top-notch and one cute girl beside me all the time, it was hard for me to be much affected by a woman. However, it did not mean she was not even okay. She was damn fine, even if she was a few years older… Maybe it was better? Depending on mood? Never mind.
“Uhm, uhm!” She looked flustered when I sweet-talked her, so her frown was eased a little, and I could see the corner of her mouth was resetting to rise as she cleared her throat to distract herself or me. “Don’t try to deceive me with your cunning words. I am not as stupid as that guard.” She said, her expression growing serious. “I could not believe that we could get here from Yargan in an instant. How was that possible?”
“Ahem!” I also cleared my throat when she became so serious and said, “You also saw it, right? My job was the Truth Seeker.”
“That doesn’t explain anything.” She retorted. “I am aware that Truth Seekers can travel farther places and they are better at handling themselves, but that is it. I did not hear of anyone who can travel such a distance in one go.” She started to count her doubts about the job and said with a sigh, “ If you used the Advent multiple times while consuming mana potions, I would understand it to some extent, but that is…”
“...” I didn't say anything for a few seconds, just looking at her as I waited for her to collect herself, gaining time to organize my thoughts.
I could outright say that I have multiple jobs, as it is the truth, but it is out of the question. I trust her now, but not to that extent. Aside from that, she would not even believe me at all. I could also say that I am special, which would also somewhat explain it, but that would create more questions, and I am sure Sarya would perceive it as if I don’t want to reveal it and that I have no trust in her. So I have to fabricate something she would at least not pursue much.
“I have much more mana than normal people. I can use Advent to go farther places than expected.” I said as I drew her attention back to me again.
“You have more mana?” She turned to me again and asked with a skeptical expression. “I know that some people can have more mana, and they would also become mages more easily than others, but…” She expressed her knowledge as it fit with my sentence, but she paused a moment as she turned serious again. “There is no way it would be enough. Are you claiming that you have several times the mana compared to a normal person?.. Do you think I am dumb?” She glared at me as if I had insulted her.
“Of course, you are not.” I shook my hands to dismiss the idea. “I said it, but it was just part of it.” Before continuing, I wanted to cool her down. “I have a method that a high mage taught me as a payment for an item I delivered to him.” I started to count the fabricated story I had made up beforehand as I saw her complexion ease. “You should also know that over time, the mana you used would restore. This method is a bit complex and requires being accustomed to the skill that is used on, so he only taught me to use it with the Advent. The method makes it possible for you to inject more mana than you have into the skill you want. So I can use the Advent to go farther places than others.” Even though it was a lie, I explained it without faltering. Maybe I was a good liar at heart.
“Really?” She was surprised a bit, but I could see that she was not fully convinced. “Does such a convenient method exist?” She naturally questioned it.
“You are absolutely right to suspect it.” I showed understanding of her suspicion to seek her understanding in return before continuing, “It might sound like such a method is completely broken, but it also has its own serious drawbacks.”
“Drawback?” She looked a bit worried when she heard about the side effects. “Is it something serious? You should have told me beforehand.”
“It is all right,” I reassured her. “I used it many times, so I got used to it. Although it can be serious considering the situation, I can prevent myself from being in an absolutely disabled situation. So you don’t have to worry so much.” I explained, appearing slightly upset on the surface, but with a pang of conscience deep inside.
“Is it really okay?” She completely left the idea of questioning me, but looked genuinely worried.
“Yeah, it's okay. Trust me,” I said, cringing internally.
She tried to pursue the matter a bit more, but I just dodged her or said it was okay a few more times. While we were on it, we managed to come close to the city, and the caravan stopped in line to enter the city.
The line was long, and it seemed like we would be waiting until the evening. Fortunately, it looked like the carriages and pedestrians had different lines, and the line of carriages wasn't that long. Thanks to that, I believed we would be able to enter the city much sooner, despite the caravans needing to be checked for much longer.
While waiting for our turn, we had the chance to inspect the outer town between the stone wall and the wooden walls. It looked like several towns were placed side by side; only a few big or tall buildings would be occasionally seen. They were either military buildings or belonged to some influential figures.
The long wait served as sightseeing. We did not go out of the carriage, but we inspected the general layout of the outer city and talked over the possible opportunities of the city. Since the outer city looked less developed, it could be assumed that people living here were being used in crude work, such as laboring. The best possible job for them would be a low-ranking soldier if they don’t have any talent to put them in a better spot.
Our turn finally came, just as the sun started to set. It had taken so long that we were forced to have lunch inside the carriage, and we were already getting hungry again. Thankfully, I have more than enough food stored in my inventory already.
There were not many inspections as our carriage was not carrying any goods. However, I was asked to show the items in my inventory after they learned that I am a Truth Seeker. I obediently took the 15 pebbles they gave me to put inside my inventory to show its limit. Then I took out all the items, including the pebbles I had put before. In total, I spit out 110 items.
That was another precaution against the jobs that can jump between spaces and carry items inside hidden spaces, like adventurers and truth seekers. Since there is a limit on how many items a person can hold, it is a method to check whether the other party is showing the whole inventory or hiding something.
This does not prevent the deception completely, as they can not know the exact level of the target. However, it is clear that I would have at least 101 item slots. So checking that much is more than enough.
I also did not hide anything and pulled out 95 items and 10 pebbles that I stored. There was equipment I brought for auction, a few pouches of coins, a few days' worth of provisions, and the goods I brought to sell and get to know other merchants in the city.
After checking and asking a few other questions, the guards finally let us in. I also gave five silver coins to each of the three guards, saying it was for today's drinks. Their faces instantly lit up as soon as they saw the shining silver. It would not be bad to get along with the city guards when you are in the said city.
“You are becoming better and better at acting like a merchant,” Sarya said with a smile after the carriage started to move to enter the city.
I only laughed lightly at her remark before turning my head toward the exterior of the carriage to see around. There, I saw us passing the gate and thick walls. I could only see the interior of the city after a minute of slow driving. Even after entering the city, both sides were closed off by the military buildings after all. But when the view became clear, the big, prosperous, and bustling city was laid before us.