Before Ithil got to the western gate, he pulled out his adventurer’s card. Among the things he’d learned during his time as an adventurer was that it could be used as identification in order to get into bigger cities.

At the gate, four guards were positioned. They wore heavy armor and looked well-trained. Next to the big gate was a smaller wooden door seemingly leading to smaller guard barracks for those on watch duty overnight.

There was a small line leading to the gate. Had Ithil come at a busier time, the line would have been much bigger.

Ithil walked to the back of the line. In front of him stood many different kinds of people, and none batted him an eye. Lizard-type humanoids were uncommon, especially with colors other than red or green, but far more uncommon things could be seen daily in such a big city.

After a little under an hour, Ithil was first in line. He handed over his adventurer’s card to the closest guard, who was some bird-type humanoid. Ithil couldn’t see more since the guard was wearing armor completely covering her.

The guard seemingly scanned the card with some magic device before handing it back.

“Welcome to the capital of the Voucan Kingdom, Cliff Dagger.”

Ithil still didn’t like the name he had thought up on the spot, but he was getting used to it. He walked through the big, wooden entrance gate and entered the city.

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‘I should finish here as quickly as possible.’

The streets were filled with all kinds of being. Ithil spotted several powerful among them. None were at his level, but those of a higher level could usually hide their true power with magic. Once again Ithil wished he had been given magic.

‘How powerful could I be with my current body and soul, plus magic…?’

Ithil didn’t like how crowded the place was, but he wanted to find out more about potential threats. His lack of magic could definitely become dangerous when fighting an unexpected opponent.

All kinds of buildings went by as Ithil explored the capital. Some residential, some shops, and even a few mansions here and there. Now and then a larger open area would show up where kids played and smaller stands were selling mostly food.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ithil looked for a suitable place to gather information. Something like an inn where people would get drunk. It was generally easier to get information from someone drunk than from someone sober.

He spent the rest of the day searching before picking out an inn he had spotted. He planned to spend the evening, and maybe night, there to hopefully find something. The inn was called the Inn of Crows.

It seemed quite popular, and later in the evening, it became very crowded. Ithil switched tables every now and then in hopes of finding someone talkative. Eventually, he found a quite drunk human sitting mostly by himself seemingly staring out into the distance.

“Oh hello, I haven’t seen you around this inn before,” the man said without looking at Ithil.

“I’m just passing through, the name’s Cliff.”

“Greg. I’m guessing you’re looking for some kind of information? Many do that around here.”

Ithil was a bit shocked, but it was still within his expectations.

“I am, mind talking about dragon hunters?”

Ithil didn’t bother trying to hide his intentions, since he guessed it would only make the man more suspicious. He had a feeling the man was someone experienced, both from the way he moved and the way he spoke.

“Dragon hunters? I never see them anymore. They all seem to have moved from this part of the continent.”

‘What could be the cause of that? Is there maybe something pulling them somewhere else? Perhaps dragon activity here is low for the time being, so they’re hunting somewhere else.’

“Hm… Is there anyone here even capable of hunting dragons?”

“Is there maybe a dragon you want to be killed? The strong people around here usually stay hidden. I can think of three people definitely capable of taking down dragons, at least younger ones. If you want to know more, then I gotta have something in return.”

Ithil had enough money to spare, so he threw the man 20 silver coins.

“Tell me what you can for this amount.”

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Ithil left the inn in the middle of the night having gained a bit of valuable information. The man had known a surprising amount about the more powerful beings in the Voucan Kingdom.

‘Is there anything else I should do while I’m in such a big city?’

If the man’s information was correct, then no one in the Voucan Kingdom was a threat to Ithil. Unless multiple powerful beings attacked him, there was no danger. He still planned to lay low since other more powerful countries could, though unlikely, attack him.

‘I think I’m done here. I’d prefer some solitude for a while. Living a year as an adventurer has certainly developed my soul, but it’s quite tiring.’

He decided to leave through the northern gate since his next destination was that way. Due to a dragon’s advanced memory, he had memorized the layout of the whole city and had no problems finding his way out.

There were 4 guards just like the western gate. Ithil had to show his adventurer’s card again before leaving. He constantly checked for people following him.

Luckily, none did and he got to a small and dense forest easily. He morphed into his dragon form before shooting up into the air.

‘It’s so much better to be in this form. It seems that the more I grow, the more uncomfortable my humanoid form becomes. It must be because I’m having to shrink more. I hope it doesn’t become a problem later on…’

He flapped his abnormally large wings, causing the trees below to sway and crack, and headed north.