"So, this is a medieval city…"

Who would have thought I’d see something like this in my life?

Well, maybe not in life, but after death...

Anyway.

From a distance, the city walls had seemed quite imposing, but seeing them up close, their sheer magnitude and the powerful aura they exuded were overwhelming. It wasn’t just a barrier; it was a fortress. The crude fences around the villages I had passed on my way here were nothing compared to this.

To be honest, I had thought those village fences were rather impressive. Now, after seeing this, the village fences seemed like nothing more than children’s playthings.

I lifted my gaze high.

Above the towering stone wall, I could see guards stationed at various points, their vigilant eyes scanning every direction.

Even though this wasn’t a border city, perhaps they were on the lookout for beasts or wary of roaming bandits. Or maybe discipline was particularly strict here. Whatever the reason, their tension was palpable.

This city must be safe.

"..."

Or, at least, I hoped it was. But why did it feel like all those vigilant gazes were fixed directly on me?

Every other guard seemed to be staring at me, and counting those who quickly averted their eyes, it felt like almost every soldier was watching.

Maybe they're wary because I'm a foreigner.

Back in ancient Korea, foreigners were rare, and people would stare at them as if they were monsters. It must be the same here.

Even in modern times, when I saw a Westerner at a convenience store, I remember feeling somewhat nervous. And that was just once.

Yeah, they were definitely staring because I was foreign. Even in modern Earth, where flights could get you to another country in hours, foreigners were uncommon. Here, they must be even more so. Seeing someone of a different race might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Regardless, these walls were magnificent.

As I muttered words of admiration, I moved towards the massive city gate. To enter, there seemed to be some kind of inspection, as people had formed a line before the gate.

"Hmm... I have nothing on me."

I wasn't sure if they had anything like ID cards in this world, but I definitely didn’t have one. Neither my mother nor my father had ever mentioned anything like that, so it probably wasn't necessary. Then again, my parents hadn’t warned me about entire villages turning into bandit dens either.

It was possible they didn't know, but it felt more like they knew and hadn’t said anything. Maybe they considered it a minor detail.

If bandits were a trivial concern to them, then surely a travel pass or the like wouldn't be a big deal either.

Feeling a bit uneasy, I watched the front of the line.

A man, who looked like a merchant, was getting his belongings checked by the guards. When the inspection was done, he paid the gatekeeper a fee and entered through the gate.

It seemed that, in this time period, as long as you paid a toll, you could enter the city without proof of identity.

"Phew."

I was relieved I had some money on me. Without it, what would I have done?

Under the watchful eyes of the guards atop the wall, I took my place at the back of the line.

There were not only people in line but also carts, wagons, and livestock. Of course, the road was littered with manure and other unidentifiable waste from the animals. But no one seemed to mind. There were even women with dresses long enough to drag along the ground, walking nonchalantly over the filth.

"..."

I wondered if this city was really as great as it seemed.

Was it plagued by some kind of infectious disease?

It made me uneasy. I briefly considered bypassing this city for another, but it felt like every place in this world would be more or less the same.

"Sigh. I guess I have no choice."

There’s a saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Not that this is the kind of situation it was meant for.

I let out a small sigh.

The line moved forward a bit, so I shuffled ahead. A while later, it moved again.

"..."

At first, I thought people were entering through the gate, but when I looked more closely, I realized that wasn’t it. The people ahead of me were just inching forward, trying to keep as much distance from me as possible.

Are they afraid of me?

My shoulders slumped slightly, and I overheard whispers from the people around me.

"A barbarian."

"Goodness... Haven’t seen one in ages."

"Did they come from the Demon Forest?"

"Look at those arms."

"Wow, they’re massive."

"Be careful. Handsome young men like you could easily get kidnapped. If even that noble was taken, you’d be nothing."

"But that person seems to be a man too, no?"

"Hey, you never know until you strip them down. I heard Helga looked like a man at first too."

The "barbarians" they were talking about were probably people from my mother’s country, the Great Autonomous Territory of Enorthos. Given that they mentioned my mother's name, it was clear enough.

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There was some kind of kidnapping incident?

A surge of anger started to boil inside me.

Enorthos was a loose federation of tribes, not ruled by any singular monarch, as I’d heard. Each tribe had its own name and laws, and they occasionally fought among themselves. But to outsiders, they were all simply Enorthos, and the people there thought of each other as fellow countrymen, as brothers and sisters—even if they went to war against each other.

I grew up hearing my mother tell stories of their simplicity and the bravery of their warriors, and so I considered myself part of Enorthos and was proud of that heritage. I was half from Arenon, but my father rarely spoke of himself, and I knew little about this country.

So I hardly felt any connection to it.

Maybe that was why, when I heard people speaking ill of Enorthos, I felt such anger.

One bad apple spoils the barrel. Because of some unknown person, the entirety of Enorthos seemed to be smeared with a bad reputation.

We might be called barbarians, but we were simple and honorable warriors.

It was infuriating.

Anger at the unseen kidnapper bubbled up, and without realizing it, I clenched my fists.

"Gasp!"

"He heard us."

"Quiet, now!"

"You be quiet, he’s looking over here."

There were stifled cries around me, and suddenly everything fell silent. More people had joined the line behind me, but the space directly in front and behind me remained empty.

What was this?

Was I some kind of virus?

I hadn’t even done anything.

All of this was because of that kidnapper in this country—whoever it was.

Once again, anger began to swell inside me.

Another round of small screams rose around me.

Someone started muttering something that sounded like a prayer.

"..."

Did my mother experience this kind of treatment as well?

Given that we had the same face, it was likely.

Back in my past life, I was just an ordinary person, and even in this life, I had grown up as an ordinary son.

This was the first time I was experiencing something like this.

It made me feel a bit sad.

It seemed that Rella, who had been quiet for some time, had woken up. Suddenly, she began chirping loudly, flapping her wings.

I lifted my hand, curious, and she quickly perched on it.

Meeting Rella's gaze as she sat on my palm, she opened her beak wide, chirping incessantly.

"Hungry already?"

I had fed her just before we spotted the city, but now, just after waking up, she was hungry again?

She sure ate a lot.

Despite everything, I couldn’t help but smile.

With all the wary stares, I’d been feeling a bit down, but Rella had lifted my spirits just a little.

As I took out some jerky from the small pouch I carried for Rella, and fed her, the line continued to inch forward.

How much does this little bird eat?

Her belly was already full, but she kept opening her beak for more. I was worried she might burst at this rate. Just as I was about to take another piece, I noticed something at the gate.

"…"

Something was strange.

It looked like the number of guards had increased. People had been talking about barbarian kidnappings earlier—was that why?

Did they think I looked like one?

"Sigh… I really hope I won’t get kicked out before I even make it inside, or worse, get into a fight."

All of this because of one rotten apple.

An innocent warrior from Enorthos was being treated like a criminal.

Whoever that bastard is, I hope I find him. I’ll break his legs.

I hoped I was just being paranoid, but it seemed the additional guards really were here because of me.

As the line moved again, and I got a bit closer to the gate, I saw someone approaching.

The guards surrounded this newcomer, creating a commotion, and soon about a dozen of them started moving towards me.

The person approaching appeared to be a woman, probably in her forties.

The guards followed closely behind her, all holding their weapons tightly.

Well, they were guards, so it was natural for them to carry weapons, but all of them had their weapons pointed at me.

Sigh, this is really troublesome.

The atmosphere felt tense—it was still gray, but it could turn black any moment.

But then I wondered something.

Mother, are we really supposed to kill all the “black” ones?

If these guards tried to kill me and I fought back, wouldn't that make me a fugitive?

Mother always said to kill the “black” ones, but she hadn’t told me how to deal with official forces.

Does Mother’s color theory apply rigidly to those who maintain law and order too?

Wow, that’s a terrifying thought.

Could it be that my mother was on some wanted list for killing every “black” she’d encountered?

As I continued to watch, the guards approached me.

Of course.

I knew it, but still, I had hoped.

The woman spoke, her face tense.

“Ah, hello. I am Jenny. Welcome. Your name is?”

Her pronunciation was a bit off, but she was speaking in the language of Enorthos.

Was she brought in as some kind of interpreter?

At least I wasn’t going to be kicked out immediately.

Trying to look as harmless as possible, I gave her my best smile and spoke.

“Hello, Jenny. My name is Rafa. I am a warrior of Enorthos.”

I spoke in the language of the Kingdom of Arenon, not Enorthos.

Jenny’s face brightened as she turned to the guards.

“It’s alright! He’s not Helga! He’s Rafa!”

Well, since I spoke in Arenon, the guards would’ve understood anyway.

“You can rest easy. The people of Enorthos might lie about anything else, but they never lie about their names. They would rather say nothing at all than give a false name.”

Oh, really?

That was news to me.

But Mother—she was famous, wasn’t she?

It wasn’t just ordinary people; even this interpreter and the guards knew about her.

But judging by the atmosphere, she wasn’t famous for good reasons.

Mother, just what kind of trouble did you cause in this country?

Could it be that your color theory really doesn’t apply here?

A sense of unease crept over me.

At that moment, I heard a shout from behind, towards the back of the line.

“Helgaaaaaaa!”

Turning, I saw a man dressed like an adventurer straight out of a movie or comic, running straight towards me.

He must have been waiting in line.

But once he saw me, he seemed to lose all sense, charging forward.

While running, he drew the sword on his back.

Behind him, others who looked like his companions were chasing after him.

“No, stop it! Get back here!”

“Are you crazy?”

“You’re going after a barbarian? That’s Helga we’re talking about!”

They seemed to be trying to stop him.

Since the guards were around, I thought I’d wait and see.

It had just been clarified that I wasn’t Helga, and surely the guards would restrain someone wielding a weapon like that.

At least, that’s what I thought, but the guards seemed only slightly flustered.

“Hey, what are you doing? Calm down!”

One of the guards shouted, but nothing more was done.

No one moved to stop the man brandishing a sword.

The man approached me, his strides getting longer.

"..."

What now?

If I waited any longer, I was sure I’d die.

I hesitated for a moment, but... sigh, I had no choice.

I placed Rella, who was still perched on my palm, back on my head and reached for the axe on my back.

Jenny shouted in a panic.

“P-Please wait!”

Sorry, but I can’t.

Not if I want to live.

I drew my axe, striding forward.

Three or four steps, and I swung the axe hard.

The man’s sword flew out of his grip, and then his head followed soon after.

Screams erupted all around me—those in line, front and back, screamed as if in a chorus, and in an instant, everyone around me had vanished.

It seemed the line had completely disbanded.

I turned my head towards the guards, and there were small gasps among them.

“It was self-defense. That man attacked first. If I hadn’t defended myself, I’d be dead now.”

I tried to make it clear that I hadn’t done anything wrong.

The guards stood still, their faces pale, saying nothing.

Jenny, her face equally pale, stepped forward.

“Mr. Rafa, I am Jenny from the Adventurers’ Guild. At our guild, we provide various services to adventurers, including introducing them to local laws and customs.”

“...”

“You’ll be registering with our guild, right?”

“Ah... Yes.”

Of course, if you’ll have me.

I’ve always wanted to do something like that—after all, I’m in this kind of world now, and if there’s an adventurer’s guild, I’d love to give it a shot.

Jenny nodded, her face still stiff, and spoke again.

“Then, I’ll consider you temporarily registered and give you your first piece of advice.”

“...”

“When conflicts arise, or if someone tries to kill you, always try to reason with them first. Talk before drawing your weapon.”

"..."

Even in situations like the one just now?

It hadn’t seemed like talking would do much good.

Seeing the doubt on my face, Jenny spoke earnestly.

“Yes, even in situations like that. Mr. Rafa, you drew your axe without saying a word. You must not do that. This is not Enorthos.”

I’m not even from Enorthos, but...

It was sound advice.

At the very least, I should try to show that I made an effort to talk. People are watching, after all.

I added a new line to Mother’s color theory.

Kill the black ones, but say something to them first.

“Understood. Thank you for the advice.”

The ones who visibly sighed in relief were the guards.

It seemed that self-defense was indeed acceptable in this world.

Thank goodness.