CHAPTER 30: BARAN TOWER CITY

Baran Tower City.

The heat vanished as they crossed the threshold.

It didn’t fade nor weaken.

It died.

One step past the colossal stone archway of the tower city and the crushing furnace of the Red Desert was filtered into something mild and breathable.

The rotten sulfur-stench dissolved into clean air.

Even the light shifted... no longer blinding red, but a muted copper glow that reflected off polished stone roads and ivory-white towers stacked endlessly upward like a ladder to the sky.

Nero blinked.

Once. Twice.

"Huh...?"

Merlin lifted her hat slightly in surprise.

"It’s... cool?"

Lancelot stretched both arms overhead.

"Oh, finally— I thought my skin was about to peel."

Thorin stomped the ground with his boot.

"Aye. Proper city barrier. Expensive craft."

Vivianne spoke calmly.

"[Barrier Magic]. It filters heat, toxins, mana radiation, and foreign contaminants. All tower cities in the Red Desert are protected by layered ancient arrays."

Nero slowly exhaled.

『Ooo, cheeky. That explains why the people here aren’t roasted alive...』

And that’s when he noticed them.

People who actually lived here.

Not struggling.

Not drenched in sweat.

And certainly not wearing survival gear.

Merchants walked calmly through the streets in thin but fashionable silk robes.

Children ran between tall legs, laughing.

Adventurers leaned against stone railings as they casually sipped cold drinks.

The contrast was unreal.

They had gone from hell straight into civilization.

The marketplace stretched out in a massive circular plaza branching into dozens of spiral streets that climbed upward with the tower’s interior.

Floating lantern-crystals drifted overhead.

Hundreds of stalls were packed so tightly together that it felt like the entire city was one enormous shop.

Weapons first.

Swords with magma-veins glowing in their edges.

Spears tipped with crystallized wyvern bone.

Bows strung with alchemically hardened sinew.

Daggers that released soft mana tones just from being unsheathed a finger’s width.

Armor next.

Scale-mail forged from desert beasts.

Red dragonhide breastplates.

Robes threaded with spell-reinforcing gold sigils.

Heavy shields bearing layered enchantments that shimmered like heat haze.

Then came the weird things.

Vials with living smoke inside.

Collars for binding dungeon beasts.

Crystal cages containing shrieking fire-spirits.

Chained monstrosities slumped in reinforced pens.

"THIS IS AWESOME!"

Nero looked like a wide-eyed child in a toy store.

Adventurers swarmed everywhere.

High-rankers.

Nero slowly turned his head as he walked.

『Yeah... it’s pretty obvious now. This place definitely sells to dungeon-crawlers only.』

He tucked his magic staff under his armpit and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

『So many unexplored dungeons in this desert...』

He nodded slowly.

『No wonder this is a premium hunting ground.』

His gaze hardened slightly.

『Low-rank adventurers wouldn’t even survive the journey here. Which means...』

He clicked his tongue quietly.

『...Everything is going to be stupidly expensive.』

He glanced sideways at Merlin.

She was already staring at literally everything with sparkling eyes.

『I really have to manage our money properly.』

Nero watched Merlin squeal with delight, bouncing on the spot like an overexcited puppy as she pointed at the glowing magic staff in the shop window.

『And Merlin... hrmm...』

Her little hops were barely more than a wiggle, but that was all it took... her short robe fluttered just enough to make her round, perky buttocks jiggle enticingly with every bounce.

It was not news that Merlin had a large behind and curves desired by many men.

But sometimes she was too clueless to realize that.

Nero blinked, glanced around, and quickly scowled.

Half the male adventurers in the square had stopped dead in their tracks as they stared at her ass with the same dumb, drooling grins you’d see on goblins who’d just spotted an unguarded maiden.

A couple of them were practically leaning forward with their slobbering tongues out.

Nero’s throat tightened.

『These men...』

Then he noticed the ring of adventurers pretending to browse nearby gear.

A scarred sellsword licked his lips.

"She’s a beaut..."

Blissfully unaware, Merlin placed both hands on her chest and smiled with a smug cat face.

"Right?"

She thought the sellsword was talking about the staff.

Then she blinked up at the sky, head tilted.

"I wonder where Nero is..."

"It’s probably a fake!"

Nero shouted as he rushed to her.

He stepped forward to place himself between her and the rest of the market.

His cloak settled heavily over her slender shoulders without asking and it draped long enough to hide what every other bastard in the square had been staring at.

Merlin pouted, tugging at the too-large garment.

"Hey, I can’t see now!"

"Good."

He stopped walking near a quieter stall corner, pulled out his thick notebook, and flipped it open.

『We’re way outside Camelot... so the exchange rates won’t be one-to-one.』

He quickly began scribbling.

[Camelot Currency]

‣ 1 Gold Crown = 100 Silver Crests

‣ 1 Silver Crest = 100 Copper Marks

[Red Desert Currency]

‣ 1 Sun Coin = 10 Ember Coins

‣ 1 Ember Coin = 50 Ash Shards

But of course...

Sun Coins weren’t pure gold. They were heat-resistant solar alloys infused with condensed mana.

So, that meant their value was nearly triple Camelot gold by weight alone.

Nero’s pencil moved faster.

『So if... 1 Sun Coin ≈ 3 Gold Crowns...』

His brow furrowed.

『Which means... everything here is basically priced for rich lunatics.』

Just as he was about to finalize the budget—

His sleeve got violently yanked.

"Nero—NERO—COME—COME—COME—!"

He barely had time to choke.

"H—hey—wait—I’m in the middle of calculating—!"

Merlin excitedly dragged him through the crowd like a runaway disaster.

She skidded to a stop in front of an elegant elven stall draped in pale blue silk and crystal charms.

"THIS!"

She pointed.

A book floated inside a glass mana-field.

Its cover was ancient silver, etched with layered circular runes that rotated slowly on their own.

Her eyes shone.

"Th—this is an S-rank spellbook on [Barrier Magic]! It was written by the ancient mage of Serathen! Augustus himself! Nero, this is insane... this kind of thing doesn’t even appear in royal vault auctions!"

She turned to him, hands clasped together.

"Can we get this one?! Please—!" (˶˃ᆺ˂˶)

She was practically bouncing.

Nero swallowed and slowly turned to the merchant.

A tall wood elf woman with icy green eyes and perfectly styled silver hair.

"...How much?"

The elf didn’t hesitate.

"Eight Sun Coins."

Nero’s brain froze.

His pencil slipped from his fingers.

『Eight...』

His brain auto-calculated.

『8 Sun Coins = 24 Gold Crowns...』

His soul nearly left his body.

"THAT’S—WAY—TOO—HIGH!"

The elf shrugged gracefully.

"You’re on the higher floors of Baran Tower City. If you want cheap trinkets, try the lower districts. Or perhaps a poor tower city."

Her smile sharpened.

"Assuming you survive the trip."

Nero’s jaw tightened.

Behind him, other adventurers murmured.

"Damn... she’s right though."

"Upper floors always bleed you dry."

Merlin looked at his clenched expression and quickly waved her hands.

"I—It’s fine! If we can’t afford it, it’s okay! Really, I don’t even use [Barrier Magic] that much—!"

Nero gently brushed her hair to the side.

She stiffened.

Her ears reddened faintly.

"Don’t worry about it. Heh."

His eyes darkened with calm confidence.

『When I was ugly and overweight... the only way to survive was learning how to bargain. Because nobody wanted to sell to people like me.』

He placed a hand flat on the merchant’s display table.

"So that means... an elven merchant shouldn’t dare be that difficult."

He turned his head slightly.

"Hmm, if you say so. Maybe I’ll just take my money to the next tower city instead."

The adventurers behind them lit up instantly.

"YO—IF HE’S NOT BUYING—THEN CAN I CHECK THOSE POTIONS—?"

"HEY—WHAT ABOUT THE FIRESTEEL BLADES—?!"

"MOVE OUT THE WAY ALREADY!"

The elf merchant smirked and gently pushed Nero’s hand away.

"The next tower city is a poor one."

Her eyes glinted.

"You should pray your party doesn’t get robbed on the way there."

She chuckled elegantly.

Nero exhaled through his nose.

『Yeah... I lost that one.』

He glanced at Merlin.

She noticed the disappointment immediately and placed a hand on his chest.

"It’s really fine, okay? I promise. I don’t need it that badly, okay?"

She smiled warmly.

A soft one.

[Merlin is touched by your concern.]

[Affection +2]

[Merlin feels guilty about the price.]

Nero sighed.

"But—"

She placed one finger on his lips.

"It’s really fine."

Vivianne’s quiet voice cut in unexpectedly.

"...I can get it for you."

Merlin blinked. "Eh?"

Vivianne opened her Item Box.

A heavy sack dropped onto the table. THUD!

She untied it.

Inside it was a massive crystal rock shimmered with layered internal light.

The Eye of a Great Crystal Hydra.

The entire marketplace went silent.

"...No way."

"...That’s—"

"...That alone could buy half a fortress..."

Vivianne gazed at the elf with dull crimson eyes.

"This is worth more than the book. Give it to her."

Her voice was flat and dead serious.

Even if her dull, half-lidded eyes made her look like she’d murder someone.

The adventurers behind them exploded.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"THAT’S EIGHTY SUN COINS WORTH—AT LEAST—!"

"A THIRD CENTURY SPELLBOOK ISN’T EVEN CLOSE TO THAT—!"

Nero’s eyes widened.

『Vivianne... she really wants to get this for Merlin...』

The elven merchant stared at the crystal.

Then slowly...

She reached out.

And pinched Vivianne’s cheek.

"...How adorable."

Then she began packing up her items.

"I’m not selling you anything."

The plaza erupted.

"WHAT?!"

"YOU’RE CRAZY—!"

"THAT’S A FORTUNE—!"

"She’s just being racist—dark elves and wood elves never get along—!"

"You’d seriously throw away that deal—?!"

The elf ignored all of it.

She closed her stall.

Locked it.

And walked away.

Vivianne stood there quietly.

"...I’m sorry, Merlin..."

She stared down at the purple rock.

"I ruined your chance to get the book."

Merlin immediately hugged her.

"It’s okay! It’s really okay! I didn’t want it!"

Vivianne hesitated.

"Still sorry..."

"It’s fine."

Nero scratched his cheek.

"Well. That’s just completely unfortunate."

[Merlin feels conflicted.]

[Merlin is relieved.]

[Merlin is grateful to both you and Vivianne.]

[Affection +1]

[Merlin wouldn’t have let Vivianne buy the spellbook for her since she wants it as a gift from you. She’s too shy to ask you to buy her a gift.]

[Merlin has a gift in mind for you. You’re a horrible student and love interest!]

Nero stared at the closed stall.

『This game is brutal...』 (ー_ー゛)