Chapter 478: The Nostalgic Alessa

「I can see it! It's Alessa」

「woof woof!」

『Well, it felt strangely nostalgic』

Was it because this was the first town I visited after coming to this world? This town felt special to me.

There were not many people lined up in front of the gate. This is a normal sight in Alessa, which isn't that big of a town, but after seeing the royal capital, I felt quite lonely.

But as usual, there were no signs of war. There was no sign of the usual soldiers coming and going, no sign of the troop merchants who were looking to take advantage of the special wartime demand.

It was perfectly normal. They looked the same as they did when we were there.

『If we suddenly descend in front of the gate, there might be confusion』

「Nn」

So, we descended to a somewhat remote area and walked to Alessa. The merchants and adventurers who were waiting for their turn, of which there were several, were looking at us with horrified faces.

They were surprised to see Urushi.

However, the reaction of the soldiers guarding the gate was different from that of the merchants.

「Oya? You're Fran-chan right?」

「Nn?」

「You've come back to Alessa?」

「Delt」

It was Delt, the gatekeeper we had gotten to know best when we were in Alessa.

Apparently, Fran remembered his name too. I had forgotten about Cruz too until we met again at the martial arts tournament. Does she remember Delt?

In Fran's case, it seems she never forgets a strong opponent. It's almost certain, if they had crossed swords before.

The other important thing is whether they are friendly to her or not. If they are friendly from the start, like Delt, and she have been in contact with them for a reasonable length of time, she probably won't forget them.

In Cruz's case, he wasn't that strong, and he didn't make much of an impression because he was neutral rather than favorable. Well, he was good-looking, but he was so plain.

「Well. Welcome back」

「Thanks」

For Fran, this town, where she registered as an adventurer, must be very special. She nodded happily at Delt, who greeted her with a smile.

「Well, then, show me your ID cards」

「Nn」

「Yes, thankyou―Oooohhh? Eh? Fran-chan, this is……!」

「Nn?」

Delt's eyes widen as he looks at the guild card. He also alternates between the card and Fran's face, and reads the names on it again.

「Th-this is without a doubt, is Fran's card! H-how did you get to B rank in such a short period of time?」

「Nn. Ranked up in the royal capital」

「The royal capital……! I heard, there's a big uproar and it inflicted quite a lot of damage to the royal capital……There are rumors flying around that the royal castle has been destroyed, that the royal capital has been obliterated, and so on」

Apparently, the details of the damage are not being conveyed. No, it seems that the information is so mixed up that they don't know which one is correct.

「A lot of people died……」

「Aah, so it's true there's a terrible mess there huh. But I'm glad that Fran-chan is okay. Well then, Welcome back to Alessa」

「Nn. Thanks」

We came back to Alessa, it was still the same as before, even from the inside. I don't see any effects from the battle with Raidos at all.

『For the time being, let's go to the guild』

「Understood」

「Woof!」

That's how we arrived at the adventurer's guild, and it was just like before. No, it's rather lively, isn't it? the number of adventurers seemed to have increased a bit. Well, I guess it depends on the time of day.

「Pardonー」 (1)

『I've said this to you every time. Isn't that wrong?』

When she entered the Adventurer's Guild, all eyes turned to Fran. Some were cautious, some were surprised. But half of them seemed to know Fran from before, and there was a sense of surprise and respect.

Some of them even tried to make a trouble with Fran, but they were stopped by the adventurers around them.

「Ulmut'sーー」

「Martial arts tournament's winnerーー」

Apparently, they don't know that she had been promoted to Rank B yet. It's a bit far from the capital, and I guess they don't bother to announce information about adventurers in other cities. It would be a different story if she were ranked A or higher, though.

However, it seems that she is known to have won a prize in the martial arts tournament. Hearing the story, the man who had stepped forward was turning back in a hurry.

「Welcome. Ummm, is young miss an adventurer too?」

I didn't recognize the receptionist. Perhaps she was a newcomer hired after Fran had left. I could see that she was confused when she saw the Fran appearance.

「Nn」

「What can I do for you today?」

「I want to enter the Plains of the Demon Wolf. What do I need to do to apply?」

「Huh? The Plains of the Demon Wolf? You see, it's a grade A magical area and normally only adventurers of Rank B or higher can enter」

「I know」

「Eh? Then young miss should know you can't enter it, right?」

Half of the adventurers around her are laughing at Fran's words, aren't they? When she was in Alessa before, she was a D ranker, so it can't be helped.

「This」

「Guild Card? Eeeeeh? Eeeh?」

She had a similar reaction to Delt. This girl was more intense, though.

「No way, this child is a B ranker?」

The moment the receptionist muttered, the adventurers around her made a commotion. Then, all at once, they became noisy. I guess they couldn't believe it. Well, of course they are. After all, it means, she's stronger than them.

This is not going to go away for a while, is it? That's what I was thinking, but then someone appeared from the back of the guild and clapped his hands lightly, and the whole place went quiet.

「Hai hai, stop making a commotion」

「Aah, Nell-senpai」

The person who showed up was Nell, the receptionist who had taken care of us before.

「Long time no see huh, Fran-chan」

「Nn」

「We welcome you, Fran, the Black Lightning Princess. Or, would you prefer the Black Cat Saintess instead?」

「The Black Lightning Princess is cooler」

When Fran replied with a sullen expression, Nell chuckled.

「Well then. Fran, the Black Lightning Princess, please come this way. The guild master wants to see you」

「Okay」

Hmmm, I guess guild master already heard about our arrival. Well, it's convenient that we'll have to talk to guild master in order to enter the magical area anyway.

Nell's admission must have made them realize that she wasn't lying. The adventurers were staring at Fran with shocked faces. Well, no matter how you look at it, she doesn't look any stronger than they are, so it can't be helped. With the quiet astonishment of the adventurers at our back, she starts walking behind Nell.

「I heard, you play a great role in the royal capital」

「……That's not true」

Hearing Nell's words, Fran shook her head with a reluctant expression. Well, it was a battle that gave me a lot to think about in terms of combat.

Seeing Fran's reaction, Nell quickly changes the subject. As expected of a receptionist who is skilled at reading people's expressions.

「And before that, you were awesome at the Ulmut martial arts tournament! Congratulations on your win」

「I didn't win」

But this wasn't the best result for Fran either. She experienced a good fight, but she was outclassed by Amanda. She showed her an overwhelming difference.

Nell looks at Fran with dismay, who is more disappointed that she lost than that she did well.

「Fran. Before I know it, you're just like Amanda huh………」

Does that mean she's a battle junkie too? Well, it's recently been discovered that most high ranked adventurers are combat enthusiasts. In fact, if they doesn't like combat, they won't get any stronger.

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