On the streets of Axel, the setting sun stretched the shadows of the passersby long across the ground.
With their newly acquired fortune in hand, Kōichi and the other two were on their way to find a place to stay.
That harmonious mood, however, lasted all of five minutes.
"Stop! This is the place! I'm staying here!"
Aqua suddenly clung to a lamppost like a child refusing to leave a toy shop window, while pointing across the street at a lavish building decked out in gold and splendor, complete with a red carpet and even a doorman at the entrance.
The Royal Axel Grand Hotel.
"Huh?" Kazuma stopped and looked at her like she was insane. "Has the water in your head finally overflowed? Look at the sign out front. A standard room is 15,000 Eris a night. Even if you sold yourself, you couldn't afford one night there!"
"I don't care, I don't care!" Aqua immediately brought out her signature move, throwing a tantrum and rolling on the ground.
She plopped down right there in the street and kicked her legs wildly. "I'm a Goddess! I'm Aqua-sama, the Goddess of Water! How could I possibly stay in some commoner inn that doesn't even have a bathtub? My skin is delicate! If I sleep on a hard bed, I'll break out in hives!"
Kōichi watched this shameless woman make a scene in the middle of a crowded street with cold detachment. He walked over, glanced at the hotel's rates, then turned to Kazuma.
"Kazuma, ignore this crazy woman. There's an Adventurer's House up ahead in that alley. It's only 500 Eris a night, and breakfast is included."
"Oh! That one sounds good! Then we can use the rest of the money to buy a decent sword!"
Kazuma immediately agreed, and the two of them turned and walked off in perfect sync.
"Hey! Wait! You two cold-blooded monsters!"
When she saw they were actually leaving, Aqua instantly sprang up off the ground and chased after them, tears and snot flying, grabbing tightly onto the hem of Kōichi's clothes.
"At least... at least it has to have a private bathroom! I don't want to share a bathhouse with a bunch of smelly old men! And the mattress has to be soft! It absolutely has to have a feather pillow!"
"Rejected." Kōichi cut her off mercilessly. "Your current status is bottom-tier adventurer who just barely paid off her debts, not Goddess. Besides, didn't you seem pretty comfortable inside that frog's stomach this morning? That was soft, wasn't it?"
"Waaaaah! Kōichi, you devil! Don't bring that up!"
In the end, by an overwhelming two-to-one vote, Aqua's protest was thoroughly crushed.
The two of them dragged along a Goddess who looked utterly dead inside and entered a mid-range inn called Sweet Dreams Inn.
Though calling it mid-range was generous. It really just meant it had walls and a roof compared to the stable, plus beds that looked reasonably clean.
"Welcome. A three-person room is 1,500 Eris for the night."
The landlady looked like a kind middle-aged woman.
"1,500..." Kazuma did the math. "That's 500 each. Totally acceptable."
"Ugh... my luxurious king-size bed... my room service..." Aqua draped herself over the counter like a salted fish that had lost all hope in life, still muttering to herself.
Kōichi ignored her completely, pulled out the money, and slapped it onto the counter. "We'll take it. By the way, ma'am, is there anywhere nearby that repairs staves or sells secondhand equipment?"
"There is. If you turn left after going out, there's a place called Tough Guy Smithy. Their prices are very fair."
The landlady smiled and handed over a key.
After getting the key, the three of them headed up to their room on the second floor.
The room was not large. It had three single beds and a tiny bathroom in the corner. There was no bathtub, but at least there was a shower.
Outside the window was the bustling street, and the soundproofing was basically nonexistent.
"Sigh..." Aqua flopped spread-eagle onto one of the beds, making the bedframe creak in protest. "So this is what life in the mortal world is like. Full of poverty and sour smells."
"Be grateful." Kazuma threw himself onto another bed and let out a comfortable groan. "This is ten thousand times better than sleeping on a pile of straw. And we won't have to worry about getting licked awake by a horse in the middle of the night."
Kōichi sat on the third bed and examined the wooden staff in his hand.
The cracks in the shaft were already obvious. It would probably completely split apart after one more Fire spell.
"All right, now that we're settled in, Kazuma and I are going to buy equipment. Aqua, are you going to lie here like a corpse, or are you coming with us?"
Kōichi stood and asked.
Aqua rolled over on the bed, showing them the back of her trademark blue head. "I'm not going! I'm staying here to mourn the dignity I've lost as a Goddess! Unless you bring me back a bottle of premium red wine, I am absolutely not stepping outside this room!"
"Perfect. That saves us from having to pay for anything you touch and break in the shop."
Kazuma shrugged.
Kōichi and Kazuma exchanged a look and smiled the smile of a plan going exactly right.
Without that trouble-making machine tagging along, the equipment shopping should go much more smoothly.
"Let's go, Kōichi. I can't wait to replace this fruit-peeling short sword."
The two left the inn, leaving that useless Goddess behind in the room.
It was dusk in Axel. The shops lining the streets were lighting their lamps one after another, and the adventurers' nightlife was only just beginning.
The moment they pushed open the door to Tough Guy Smithy, a wave of heat mixed with the smell of burning coal and hammered metal rushed over them.
The shop was packed with all kinds of weapons, from massive two-handed swords to delicate daggers, all gleaming coldly enough to dazzle the eye.
"Oooh! Now this is another world!" Kazuma, acting like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time, threw himself toward the counter and drooled at a longsword hanging in the center that gave off a faint blue glow. "Boss! How much is this sword? Is it some legendary magic blade? If I pull it out, do I become the Hero?"
The bald shopkeeper, with a face full of muscle and menace, glanced at Kazuma, then at the obvious beginner gear the two of them were wearing, and coldly spat out a number.
"That's a mithril magic sword with ice enchantment. Price, 1.2 million Eris. No credit."
"1... 1.2 million?!"
Kazuma's jaw nearly hit the floor.
He felt the pitiful few thousand Eris in his pocket, instantly woke up from his Hero fantasy, and slunk miserably over to the bargain section in the corner.
"Tch, what kind of scam shop is this... Don't you have one of those cheap-looking weapons that turn out to be divine artifacts?"
He muttered to himself while rummaging through a dusty wooden bin.
Kōichi ignored Kazuma's clowning and walked straight to the staff section.
His goal was clear. A staff that could handle magical output without blowing up. Whether it looked cool was something to worry about after he had money.
"Got any beginner staffs? Budget is under 3,000 Eris."
Kōichi got straight to the point.
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, apparently fairly pleased with that practical attitude.
He pulled out a dark brown staff from beneath the counter and tossed it onto the table.
"Red Oak Staff. It's not made from anything rare, but it's been treated for hardness, so its magic conductivity is five times better than the fire poker you're holding. And the head has a shard of a low-grade fire magic stone set into it, so it gives a small boost to fire spells. 2,800 Eris."
Kōichi picked up the staff and tested the feel.
It had a nice weight to it, solid and sturdy. If he swung it hard enough, he could probably use it as a blunt weapon too.
For Kōichi right now, it was the perfect weapon.
"I'll take it." He paid without hesitation.
On the other side, Kazuma finally dug out a weapon from the junk pile that looked barely acceptable.
"Kōichi! Look at this!" Kazuma held up a short sword barely longer than a dagger and said excitedly, "Refined Steel Short Sword! It's a little short, but this is real steel! And it's only 2,500 Eris! With my Luck, I'm definitely going to land crits with this thing!"
"Yeah, yeah. As long as it doesn't snap." Kōichi waved him off.
Just as the two were about to leave, the bald shopkeeper suddenly called out to them.
"Hey, you two."
A faintly... sleazy grin suddenly appeared on that terrifying face.
"Looks like you bought yourselves some gear, so I'm guessing you're planning to go do something big. But as men, sometimes you need to relax a little too, not just fight all the time."
As he spoke, he mysteriously handed them a wrinkled pink flyer.
"This is...?" Kazuma took it and, after one glance, his eyes instantly widened like bronze bells, and his breathing turned rapid.
Kōichi leaned over and took a look too.
On the flyer was the silhouette of a succubus with a bombshell figure, and beneath it was a line of deeply tempting small text.
Succubus Shop. Providing ultimate dream services for weary male adventurers. Just fill out a wish list, and tonight, in your dreams... hehehe.
Address. End of the back alley in Axel, red door.
"Is... is this real?!" Kazuma's hand trembled, and he lowered his voice so much it sounded like he was discussing classified state secrets. "In this other world, there's actually a legal... place like that?!"
"Shh." The shopkeeper made a silencing gesture. "This is a secret only veteran adventurers know. I'm only telling you because the two of you seem all right."
After leaving the smithy, Kōichi and Kazuma stood beneath the setting sun and looked at each other.
They had only meant to buy equipment, yet somehow they had ended up with a ticket to heaven.
"Kōichi..." Kazuma solemnly tucked the flyer into his inner pocket, close to his body. "Even though we don't have much money left, I think some expenses are absolutely necessary. This is for... relieving combat stress. Yeah. For mental health."
Kōichi looked at the brand-new staff in his hand, then at Kazuma's expression of grim resolve, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"True. In a world this dangerous, keeping yourself in good mental condition is part of your strength."
But their remaining funds did not allow for that kind of luxury right now.
After buying the equipment, Kōichi only had 1,033 Eris left in his pocket.
And judging from the hint on the flyer, although that kind of service did not require much money, since it mainly drained vitality, there would definitely still be some sort of entrance fee or processing charge.