I’ve Been Reincarnated as a Tentacle Slime~ I Want to Live a Comfortable, Secure Life and Do Whatever I Want~ - Chapter 86

After taking off from the village and flying about 75 km west, a large fortress city came into view. I landed in a grassy plain about 1 km before it, returning to human form while Rafa and the others turned back into slimes.

“From here on, we’ll walk. We’d be in trouble if we changed forms too close to the city and drew attention.”

“Father-sama, if slimes are widely recognized, wouldn’t it be all right to transform into something like a wolf instead?”

Rafa transformed into a wolf and wagged her tail, prompting me to get on.

“You’re right. Since wolves have been seen in the forest, it shouldn’t be a problem to transform into one.”

When I got on Rafa’s back, she dashed off toward the city.

To keep a low profile in the city, we decided on a backstory that we’ve never entered a dungeon.

Since if you say you’ve been in a dungeon, people would ask which dungeon we’d been in, and we’d slip up if we didn’t know the common knowledge.

If we claim to be new, people might help us out, or we might be able to purchase the knowledge with silver coins.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

After galloping through the plains on Rafa, we reached the road in no time and shortly thereafter arrived at the gates of Spada.

Since a few people were waiting in line, I got off Rafa and lined up at the end.

“That’s a massive wall…”

Looking up, the wall was about 10 meters high, and glancing left and right, it stretched far into the distance.

“Hahaha. First time in Spada, kid?”

The middle-aged gate guard spoke with a chuckle. Somehow, my turn had come up without me noticing.

“Yes, this wall is amazing. Inside something like this, I imagine you could live with quite the peace of mind.”

“Not every part of the city is safe, though. More importantly, why are you here? A wolf— wait, are those slimes!? And two of them!? That means you’re here to become an adventurer, aren’t you?”

(An adventurer? That sounds like a combat-related job, so it’s probably dungeon-related, right? If I’m wrong, I’ll ask again later. Surprised by two slimes, huh? I heard slimes are popular from Legos… Maybe I should keep the fact that there are actually three a secret.)

“Yes. I felt that being with these slimes must be some kind of fate. So I thought, might as well aim to become an adventurer.”

“Is that so? There’s only one slime tamer in this city, you know. I bet you’ll be in high demand.”

(Only one in a city this big? No wonder he was shocked to see two slimes. I wasn’t even planning on teaming up with anyone… but I’ve already got a feeling I’m going to stand out…)

“R-Really…? I just hope I don’t get taken advantage of by bad people…”

“You might get taken under the wing of some powerful folks, but that means bad guys won’t be able to get near you.”

(Looks like a peaceful life is already out of the question…)

“Ahaha! No need to be so tense! This city welcomes you!”

He slapped my back a few times as he tried to reassure me.

“Whoops, got so caught up in seeing something rare I almost forgot my job. I’d love to let you through for free, but rules are rules… The toll is 10 copper coins. Can you pay? You can pay later too, but folks who can’t cover even 10 copper usually end up in the slums…”

I had exchanged 100 copper coins from the village’s reserves for one silver coin, so I brought the copper coins with me.

“It’s fine. I’ll pay now.”

I handed the copper coins to the soldier, and he seemed relieved.

“That’s good to hear. I mean, you’re a slime tamer ending up in the slums wouldn’t make sense! Go on through. Welcome to Spada! The Adventurer’s Guild is right in the center of town. You’ll know it when you see it. Just look for a big sign with a sword, shield, and wand.”

“Thank you very much. Also I’d like to drop by the Royal Kingdom Merchant Guild. Could you tell me where it is?”

I want to exchange one certificate into gold. It’s always better to have cash on hand.

“Huh? Got business with the Kingdom Merchant Guild? Well, whatever. That one’s also in the central district. Just don’t mix it up with the Royal Merchant Guild or the Kingdom Commercial Guild. They hate being mistaken for each other.”

“Got it. Thanks a lot.”

[Kingdom Merchant, Royal Merchant, Kingdom Commerce… This is confusing… They should just combine them.]

With a sigh of frustration, Uri looked clearly annoyed.

[Well, it can’t be helped. Each of them probably thinks they’re the legitimate one. And people like that are touchy about mistakes.]

“The folks at the Adventurer’s Guild will teach you about the city. Good luck out there!”

“Alright. Until next time.”

The older soldier waved me off, I returned the wave and headed through the gate.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Upon entering the city, I saw rows of three-story stone buildings lined up along the main road.

Most of the buildings are simple, with little in the way of decoration.

The wooden windows, doors, and red-toned roofs stand out nicely against the light gray, nearly white, walls.

(A uniform townscape really has impact. It may lack individuality, but the town itself feels like one big personality. I like it. I wish my village could look like this.)

The streets are bustling with people and carriages going back and forth.

What stands out among the crowd is that, alongside humans, there are demon-like beings with non-human faces, and bipedal lizardfolk walking around casually, entering buildings.

No one seems to think anything of it, as if it’s perfectly normal, and you can even see humans and reptilian people chatting together.

(There are definitely fewer non-human types, but it’s still a sight to see… Also, people in this town are really attractive. Wasn’t that village unique? Is beauty just the norm here?)

While thinking how envious it all was, I walked toward the town center, glancing around in curiosity and fascination.

Rafa remained in wolf form, while Uri and Kouga hid in the gaps of the leather armor I wore, so as not to draw attention.

–

When I reached the town center, a massive black gate used for dungeon travel sat imposingly in the middle of the plaza.

Soldiers stood around the gate, seemingly managing those who entered.

Glancing sideways at that scene, I turned my attention to finding the Kingdom Merchant Guild.

Luckily, it didn’t take long to find, but the three merchant guilds were built next to each other, and each had a scale engraved on its sign.

(Are they best friends or something?!)

I couldn’t help but make that mental jab.

–

After exchanging 10 silver coins at the Kingdom Merchant Guild, I now have 19 silver coins and 90 copper coins on hand. I also have certificates worth 60 silver coins.

(Now then, just how long can I stay with this amount of money?)

Anyway, I’ll need to hunt monsters like crazy and earn more than just my living expenses.

(No, no—that’s wrong. I came to find information on how to defeat the Snow Woman… A new place really makes it feel like a fresh start.)

Near the black gate, I spotted a large sign engraved with a sword, shield, and wand.

This must be the Adventurer’s Guild.

I could hear a lively clamor from inside, making it clear how full of energy the place was.

(I wonder if I can gather the info I need to enter the dungeon here?)

I pushed open the double wooden doors and stepped inside.

Chapter length 2941 characters.

TL Note: I think I mentioned this before, but if you guys would like Snow Woman to be Yuki-onna or something else let me know.