These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 71

“...I’ll explain again. The city is large. The Golden City is far away, on the opposite side of where I lived. I’ve never had any reason to go there, so this is my first time. Don’t you get it?”

“Is that so? But isn’t it true that everyone with some skill has visited the Golden City at least once?”

The reason Ray was so smug and acting all high and mighty was simple.

I hadn’t been there, but he had.

“Hey, Roman. Did you know? The Golden City only accepts blondes. I have this intelligence in my hair, you know? The blonde hair is like a mix of golden intelligence coming out, you could say?”

“Shut up.”

He had only gone once with Viola during training.

Then what, is Viola’s bluish hair a sign of a dead intelligence?

“Oh! Correct!”

He was talking nonsense that sounded correct.

I’ll be sure to tell Viola every word without omitting anything later.

“Aha... but it’s true that the Golden City prefers blondes.”

“Really?”

I had heard of discrimination based on race, but this was the first time I was hearing about discrimination based on whether you’re blonde or not.

“The founder of the Golden City, Cordelia Ulstancraft, was blonde. So it seems they feel some sort of legitimacy attached to blondes.”

“If that’s the case, I can understand a bit. Ray, this is how you explain things, got it?”

We bantered as we arrived at the Golden City.

The Golden City was, indeed, another castle.

A separate castle located within the sprawling metropolis of Les Lemen.

The towering structure with protruding branches resembled a design that somehow managed to maintain balance.

The castle of intelligence.

Golden branches.

It was clear why those names were attached simultaneously.

“It’s huge.”

The largest single building I had seen until now was the Tamyun Federation, but that changed this time.

“I’m a bit intimidated.”

This massive building was not just imposing; the Golden City seemed to flaunt its wealth, adorning its exterior with magical alloys or gold.

Perhaps the design looked like it was haphazardly constructed without consideration for balance, yet it stood firmly because those exterior materials were incredibly durable.

It was big and glamorous.

It reminded me of the first time I went to a department store with my mother as a child.

I felt that same overwhelming pressure, holding my mother’s hand tightly.

“Want me to hold your hand?”

Ray grinned as he reached out his hand.

Don’t ruin my memories, you little brat.

“I’m fine.”

It felt a bit rude to push him away.

Ray was just trying to be considerate, after all.

Gently brushing Ray’s hand aside, I asked Lief, “What do we do now?”

“You’ll know once we go inside.”

Lief walked ahead with a spring in her step, as if she were used to visiting the Golden City.

'They must be quite close.'

Well, that explains why she asked for the training.

Ray and I followed closely behind Lief as we entered the Golden City.

Inside was like a paradise.

The high ceilings boasted a variety of jewels, each one of unknown origin, set in a celestial map.

Below hung dazzling chandeliers made of sparkling crystals and various magical circles drawn on the floor.

These weren’t just simple decorations.

The stuffy outside air disappeared, replaced by a refreshing and clear atmosphere that swept over my skin.

Temperature control.

Light adjustment.

Air purification.

Noise dispersion.

There were countless magical measures that I couldn’t even begin to understand composing this space.

Booths lined the pathways, designed with the internal flow in mind, where what appeared to be alchemists were engaged in trade.

They were likely selling the items they created.

“This is where apprentices sell their goods. The deeper you go, the higher the quality.”

“For reference, I went to the third floor.”

Ray shrugged, trying to gauge my reaction, looking like a kid hoping for praise.

Such innocence is nice, really.

“The third floor is custom-made.”

“So, if the first floor is normal, the second is rare, and the third is unique?”

“...? I don’t know for sure, but it seems similar!”

For now, Lief just nodded along.

“So where are we going?”

“Oh, we’re going to the seventh floor.”

“Sev... seventh floor?”

Ray’s face fell in shock as he stammered.

He had only been to the third floor, and now he was overwhelmed by the mention of a floor twice as high.

“Are you stupid? This is a mixed-use complex. If the third floor is custom-made, the sales area is effectively up to the third floor, and above that would be research labs or living spaces for the Golden City folks. If you made it to the third floor, you’ve reached the end.”

“Right? Hmm. Sure. Viola is a bit different, but she’s a pioneer.”

It suddenly occurred to me that Ray might feel a bit psychologically overwhelmed in the environment of the Golden City.

He usually acted a bit foolish, but every now and then, he showed a cold sharpness that struck to the core, yet now it seemed like his judgment was almost paralyzed.

'When you think about it, Ray is also from the countryside.'

The beastfolk’s territory is somewhat distanced from civilization, after all.

Anyway, Ray and I followed closely behind Lief like ducklings trailing their mother, glancing around.

“Hey, Roman. Doesn’t that look good?”

“That?”

Ray pointed at a gauntlet.

Isn’t this a building for alchemists?

Why are they selling weapons?

“Maybe alchemy includes metallurgy?”

“...That makes sense.”

Until now, Ray had fought with bare hands.

I had thought he preferred it that way, but now that he was showing interest, I began to wonder if it was because he didn’t have any money.

'Maybe I should buy him one.'

I have plenty of money.

But Ray probably wouldn’t want that.

He probably knew I was wealthy since I left the training camp.

And he might have received support from the Frontier Guild during his training.

He must have wanted to save up to buy something himself to avoid incurring debt.

Feeling a bit proud, I patted Ray on the head.

“Let’s take a look when we leave later.”

“...Okay. But can you not touch my head?”

As Ray grumbled, I couldn’t resist and ruffled his hair playfully, messing it up.

Ray squawked from behind, but soon had to stifle his voice as the surrounding eyes turned toward him.

He still threw a punch, though.

“...My back hurts.”

“Hmph.”

“Ahaha, calm down, both of you. Look, we’re here.”

“Oh!”

At Lief’s announcement, Ray hurriedly dashed forward and stood with his hands on his hips.

“Hey, Roman! You’ve probably never seen this before! What this is…”

“It’s an elevator, right?”

“Yeah! Elev...ator... You know it?”

Ray looked at me with a somewhat dazed expression.

Ah, this is what they call an ‘elevator’... it moves people up and down, right? But sadly, I had the wrong target.

I’m not some nomadic elf from another world who doesn’t even know what ‘delicious’ means.

“Ray, not that side! This side!”

Ray even mistook the elevator’s selection.

The place Ray stood was a passenger elevator that only went up to the third floor, while the side where Lief was was a visitor elevator that went all the way to the tenth floor.

“Cough, cough.”

As Ray approached awkwardly, hiding his embarrassment, we got into the elevator Lief had summoned.

How long has it been since I last rode an elevator?

Today, I feel quite nostalgic.

However, this wasn’t in my memories.

Inside the elevator stood a neatly uniformed woman.

No, a female golem.

The elevator attendant had been replaced by an elevator golem.

“Please present your visitor permit.”

“Oh, here you go.”

Lief immediately thrust her staff forward at the golem’s dry voice.

Is that the visitor permit...?

But the elevator golem confirmed it as valid with a mechanical voice saying, “Authenticated.”

Clank—whoosh—

“Oooh.”

The elevator activated without us even having to input a floor number, as if the visitor permit had already set the destination.

The strange sensation of ascending.

The long-forgotten vibration of the elevator stirred my heart.

“Pfft, Roman, is this your first time?”

It must have seemed like Ray was experiencing an elevator for the first time.

As I was about to say something, the golem announced our arrival.

“Here.”

And at the door stood a woman wearing glasses.

It wasn’t strange.

The golem might have sent a signal indicating that a guest with a visitor permit had arrived.

But what was surprising was...

“Welcome.”

What was on her head and back.

Those were horns and wings.

The moment I recalled the familiar shapes of Seir and Lerajie, the two major demons whispered to me.

[Contractor, she is different from a demon. Look closely.]

Upon verifying with Seir’s words, I noticed that she didn’t emit the sticky aura of power I had felt from the two demons.

Lerajie, who was likely sharing my senses, confirmed that I had recognized the difference.

[She’s a dragonkin.]