"Rumors about the festival?"

"That's right," Greta discreetly approached Zack and began to whisper.

"It turns out that someone very important is coming to town. The mayor wants that person to be the guest of honor at the festival."

Zack's puzzled expression faded as he listened. Hearing rumors was much more interesting than the tormenting question.

"Is this common, for people from outside to come to the festival?" he asked as he led Greta to a place to sit.

Greta sat down happily and got comfortable. Her friends had already started ordering drinks. It seemed like this wasn't their first time doing this.

"No. Our festival may be important to the town, but nobody else cares. As much as our mayor wants to believe, the truth is that outside of here, we're an insignificant town that doesn't even show up on maps," she said with some resentment towards the mayor. Zack wondered if the two had a common history.

"And why do they come here?"

"Truth is, we're not sure." Greta leaned in, making sure no one was nearby, and whispered.

"Officially, the mayor has announced this visit as an inspection of the dungeon. The message said that a new passage had been discovered inside the dungeon. Monsters not seen before have started to appear, and a specialized team was coming to examine the problem and conduct an evaluation."

(A new passage) Zack had read about that. Sometimes, in explored dungeons, new paths and rooms appear that weren't there before. It's usually caused by the opening of secret mechanisms or fulfilling a series of conditions. The monsters within these new spaces have never been killed, so they have a higher level of strength than those already encountered. It's strange, but it can happen.

What doesn't make sense is that an expedition is being carried out to observe the changes in the dungeon unless it's a B-grade or higher. A C-rank dungeon would never receive the necessary attention for evaluation.

He heard the keyword "Officially?"

"I see you've noticed," Greta let out a small laugh. "There are rumors that the reason people from the city are coming here is for another reason."

"And what is that reason?" Zack asked. Beside him, Greta had a drink that he hadn't noticed before. Shortly after taking a sip, she continued with her version of events.

"It's said that the person coming to our town is not an inspector but the son of an important noble. That's why the mayor is so excited about the festival."

"A noble? Why would a noble come to this town?" Hearing that a noble was coming to the town changed his attitude toward the matter radically.

It had been several months since he arrived, and he could confidently say that this place was perfectly normal. There's no reason for a noble to come here.

Most people look at nobles from a distance and are filled with admiration for them, often because of the stories they've been told since childhood about princes and princesses. Zack, who has seen them firsthand, couldn't wish for anything more than to be away from them.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

This might be the worst news he's received since he got here.

"The person coming to our town is the son of a somewhat important noble. Despite his rank, he has a dubious reputation among the city's residents. From what I understand, the noble's family thought it was important to keep him away from the city where he lives."

"Is that all?" Zack's face turned strange. Of all the things he imagined, he didn't think it would be a scandal. Nobles in this world have more power than people can imagine. He can't imagine how serious the matter must be for rumors to reach here.

"Have you heard about the turmoil in the north?" Greta asked, ignoring Zack's question.

"About the troop mobilization?" A few months ago, Lorent, one of the lumberjacks, mentioned something similar. Apparently, the army troops were making unusual movements. To be honest, he didn't remember much. This information didn't concern him in any way, so he forgot.

"Some mercenaries say there have been conflicts in some cities." Greta's voice was almost inaudible at this point.

"Conflicts. With whom?"

"I'm not sure, but it's become very dangerous in some major cities. It's reached the point where some people are migrating to other places."

Greta showed concern about the matter. Migrating in this world is not as simple as in Zack's world.

Moving to another city not only meant leaving behind everything you knew but there was also the possibility of not being able to find work again and starving in the streets. Only people with no other option migrate.

It's not like in his world where the state gives you a minimum of support; leaving means a real possibility of losing everything.

"What does that have to do with our guest?" He didn't want the conversation to end here, so he tried to bring the subject back.

Fortunately, Greta didn't want to focus on migration either, so she continued talking.

"Most people think he's visiting the town to put an end to the rumors, but there are those who think it's for another reason."

"Is it really that bad?" Zack asked in amazement. If it has reached the point where nobles have to take refuge outside the cities, the situation must be much worse than he thinks.

Greta shook her head. "I don't know. They're just rumors. He indeed has a bad reputation, so nobody knows for sure." She, too, wasn't very convinced that a noble would come to escape the cities with high walls and guards in every corner. If things had come to this point, she would be the first to know, but aside from hearing that there are disturbances in some northern areas, she hasn't heard anything.

"Oh. Look how late it's gotten. We have to go home. Thank you very much for the conversation; it's been very pleasant."

Greta and her group got up and left for home. It was late, and it wasn't appropriate to be out at these hours.

Watching the group of women leave quickly, Zack began to think about his situation. The news about the noble is not good for him.

Although he doesn't know his rank, it's most likely that this guy will bring an entourage with him. It would be nice if he just came here to escape the rumors, but if the alternative is true, maybe he'll bring people with high-tier classes.

(Whatever the case, it's better that he doesn't come to the town for the festival. Getting involved with nobles leads to nothing good) Zack thought as he got up from his seat.

(I also have to check if those conflicts are as serious as Greta suggested. The last thing I want is for something to happen in the town, and I don't—"Ahem")

His thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. In front of him, a waiter blocked his way while looking at him with a smile.

"Sarah? What are you doing here?"

Sarah looked at him funnily. Then he realized that the place where they came to chat was Harry's inn.

"Dear sir, here's the bill for the consumptions made." Sarah ignored his question and told him about the danger which was chatting with her aunt. There was a slight mirth in her tone.

(Consumptions?) he wondered. At that moment, he remembered that Greta had a drink with her during their conversation.

"How much is it?" In exchange for hearing these rumors, he didn't care about paying for a small snack.

"Here's the bill, sir." It was at that moment she began to recite a series of not-so-cheap alcoholic beverages one after another. Apparently, Zack wasn't just paying for Greta's drink but for the drinks of her entire group, and most of them ordered two or three drinks.

When the total amount he had to pay came out, his eyes rolled back.

It seems Titan will have to settle for his usual meals. Neither of them will be able to afford luxuries for a month.

"Woof?"