Scarlet

Just like with the guards stationed at the first city I visited on the Southwestern continent, the guards here try to charge me extra for the tax to enter the city. And also just like those guards, I ignore them and pay them the correct amount instead before stepping inside.

Unlike those guards though, the guard in charge of my line tries to stop me while stating, “That is not the right amount. If you try to-” he stops, his mouth dropping open when I just grab his reaching arm and twist it, snapping the thing before I continue walking. And I don’t hear anything from him again after that. Although I do hear absolute silence from everyone in the line when there was previously some chatter.

An interesting fact I’ve learned about undead through my time going through that line and killing a few of them.

They don’t feel pain.

Although while my pain is reduced significantly through my magic with Pain Diffusion, they seem to just have some sort of biological factor making them not feel pain. Probably has something to do with them being sort of dead. I mean, they don’t have any blood after all, so not having nerves makes sense too.

It’s rather hard to tell though, strictly because of all the armor the undead here seem to be wearing. Something I still can’t figure out the reason for.

“I can’t help but wonder what the other demons as seeing when they identify you,” Tar mutters, and I nod my head in agreement. “It’s like they all seem to think you’re a much lower lever than you really are or something.”

Yeah. I was targeted a lot despite killing quite a few thieves. And they all seemed to be absolutely shocked both by me catching them and me killing them. Even some of the people in the line seemed to have been surprised by my killing them.

Makes me wonder if Black and Purple somehow made my level look lower than it really is.

“That could get annoying if it’s the case,” Tar says, but I just shake my head as I continue walking inside of the city through the gate with the slack jawed guard still staring after me.

No, it could be beneficial for me. Maybe.

Would mean the demons won’t just run away if we get into a fight, and I won’t attract as much attention as I would if I were a higher level. Although killing them with ease at a lower level would attract attention.

It’s a good thing that there’s no such thing as an item that can conceal someone’s level, so no one would assume that I have something doing so. They’d probably just assume that I am extremely powerful for my level. And likely that I’m the daughter of a Noble, considering my redacted name and species.

Well, regardless of what happens, I’m just here to look around and figure out where I am.

So with that in mind, I lightly pull my cowl down a bit further and continue walking into the city.

The GateA few moments ago

Bjorn looks at the next person in line, a draugr just like him, but unlike him the draugr is only a Class III. So when the draugr steps up to him, Bjorn declares, “Ten coppers or work off your debt.”

The draugr instantly brings out ten coppers, paying right away instead of taking the suicidal choice of working off the debt of trying to enter the city. Because while it would only normally be five coppers – ten in this case – the Viscount lord of the city doesn’t like letting poor folks inside and is very willing to work them to death even for a measly five coppers.

Something everyone trying to enter the city should know if they aren’t suicidal.

After handing over the ten coppers, Bjorn lets the draugr pass by unharmed before he narrows his gaze on the next newcomer to arrive at the front of the line. Someone wearing a cloak covering their entire body making it impossible to tell anything about them other than that their figure is female.

But hiding one’s appearance is a common practice in the Northeastern continent, so that doesn’t make him suspicious in the slightest.

What does make him suspicious is the sight of her identify.

|[REDACTED] – [REDACTED] – Level 310*|

The hell? That’s not something I see every day…

Bjorn watches the woman approach for a few seconds before deciding that the redaction on her name and species is most likely due to her cloak, if he had to guess. And since he’s never seen her before, he decides to charge her his newbie rate.

“Ten coppers or work off your debt,” Bjorn says, not changing anything up in his usual manner of speech for the woman. But to his surprise, she just stuffs five coppers into his hand and walks away, making a mild wave of anger fill him. So he reaches for her arm while saying, “That is not the right amount. If you try to-” but he stops when the woman simply grabs his arm faster than he can react and twists it, snapping his arm to the point that his bone ends up sticking out of his armor. And that act alone leaves him staring dumbfounded at his arm as the woman walks away.

Several seconds pass before he snaps out of his stupor and looks up at the slowly departing woman.

What… just happened?

He stares almost till she leaves his sight into the throng of people walking through the interior of the city. That is, until his fellow guard shouts, “Snap out of it and do your job!”

So he turns back to the line and says, “Next.”

But he can’t get his mind off of the woman despite returning to work.

Just… who is she? What is she?

A metaphorical shiver runs down his spine as the thought that she might’ve been the daughter of a Noble comes to mind. And he had tried to cheat her.