"In the meantime, Beiger, I'll leave reporting to the higher-ups about the orcs to you."

"I understand, but... is it alright to leave Elaina scared like this?"

Beiger looked at the trembling Elaina with pity in his eyes.

"Ah, ahh... ahhh!!"

Oh, I saw it! Amy's terrifying face!? And the person in question is currently talking to Beiger with a nonchalant expression. Scary. Amy is scaryyyyyy!!?

"Come on, I just asked Elaina about that thing! So I haven't done anything to scare her at all!"

No no no no!? It was scary! It was really scary!! I thought I'd be killed the moment I lied!?

"Oh, by the way, Elaina."

"Yi, Yiesh!?"

I intended to say "Yes," but my voice failed me.

"I'll inform Duke Valdeck that you've arrived in the Royal Capital. You are going to the General Guild from here, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"In that case, please report to the General Guild about the possibility of special orc specimens."

"U-understood!"

"Then, please get on that vehicle. We'll guide you to the gate on horseback to ensure you can enter quickly."

Certainly, it seems like it will take a while to enter the capital with this queue... Well, at this point, it's too late, so I'll just stow away the Humvee, even if Amy finds out my true identity.

"Amy, you don't have to do that. I'll make it disappear now."

After saying that, I stored the Humvee 1152 in the hangar.

"Eh? Eeeeeeeeeeh!?"

"Ms. Amy, please let me ride with you... huh?"

When I looked at Amy, she was holding her head in her hands, looking down, and muttering something under her breath.

"Even though she shouldn't have any skills, she's able to use the item box..."

"M-Ms. Amy?... Are you okay?"

"I'm not okay at all!! It feels like everything I learned at the academy has been turned upside down!!"

Amy's getting angry again!!

Uwaaaah!? Please stop, it's scaryyyyy!!

"Um, Amy-senpai, let's enter the capital quickly. If you get mad at El-chan, won't it delay the report to Captain Guell?"

Oh! It's nice that Lizlina is backing me up! A true friend is indeed a treasure!!

"That's true. Now, Elaina-chan, please ride behind me. You four, give Beiger's group a ride. And when you return to the barracks, continue your training."

After saying "Understood!" to Amy, the four who just got assigned gather around Beiger and the others.

"Beiger, I'm counting on you."

"Got it, leave the report to me."

Beiger then turned to me.

"I'm indebted to you. Thank you."

"El-chan, let's meet again sometime."

"Today, you really helped me out. I'll thank you properly later."

"Ms. Elaina, if we meet again, I'd like to ride in that vehicle again."

"U-uh, sure!!"

After shaking hands with me, who was blushing, Beiger and the others mounted their horses.

"You too, get on."

"Yes!"

I got on the back of Amy's horse.

"Then I'll go ahead, Amy."

"Yes, please do."

"Let's go."

Beiger instructed the rider holding the reins, who then responded with a sharp "Yes!" and started the horse towards the Royal Capital. Lizlina and the others' horses followed suit.

"Huh? Ms. Amy, shouldn't Mr. Beiger and the others come with us?"

"It's fine. We'll part ways as soon as we enter the capital anyway, so it's okay for them to go ahead. Besides, in your case, you'll have to go through the checkpoint."

Huh? I have to go through a checkpoint?

"Knights don't have to go through the checkpoint?"

"....Huh?"

Amy looked at me with a blank expression. Did I mess up?

"Umm... Ms. Amy, I don't know how things work here, could you please explain?"

"R-right. Um... You see, at the entrance gate, there's a special magic applied, and through a card, it can determine if the person is a soldier or a rider of this country, or if it's their own possession. If someone who's not the owner tries to enter with a rider card, the bell at the gate will ring. If you do that, it's considered a serious crime, so be careful."

Just imagining a serious crime is scary in itself. Is that just human nature?

Amy took out a rider card from her pocket and showed it to me.

"This is a rider card."

When I looked at the rider card, some kind of characters seemed to emerge and faintly glow.

"If the owner has it, this emblem will appear. We knights and soldiers just need to show the rider card when passing through."

It's just that easy, huh? I'm kind of jealous.

"This magic was created and popularized by the hero of old times."

The hero made the magic and spread it, huh? Huh? If they created such excellent things, did they make something else for the sake of this world too?

"Wow, the ancestors of Captain Guell were amazing... huh? If they could create such excellent things, why don't they spread the abilities of these cards to citizen cards?"

"You have to write special magic on the card, so it costs money. So there's no room to spread it to citizens."

Oh, I see, even though it's convenient, it has its drawbacks.

"And when we return to the barracks, we also have to show that we have no criminal record, so there's a somewhat inconvenient aspect to it."

"Is that so? Thank you very much for explaining, Ms. Amy."

"Hehe, that's right. Well then, now that the explanation is done, shall we go?"

"Yes!"

Hearing my response, Amy took the reins and guided the horse towards the capital.

"Alright, we're done. Here's your card back."

I received back the General Guild card I handed to the gatekeeper.

"Ms. Amy, I'm done."

"Done, huh? Then, let's get on the horse."

"Yes."

After I responded, I got on Amy's horse once again.

"You're on. Let's go then."

Saying so, Amy started leading the horse towards the General Guild.

So this is the Royal Capital, huh? It's livelier than Gozes... Oh! Is that a clothing store over there?! I didn't see any shops with display windows like that in Gozes! Could that shop be a high-end one?

Oh! Over there, the armor displayed in the armor shop looks cool! It's like armor you'd see in a game... Wait, I'm in a world that's like a game.

"...Hey, Elaina-chan."

"Yes, what is it?"

As I enjoyed the scenery of the Royal Capital, Amy suddenly spoke to me.

"Are you still not interested in joining the Knights? Having you with us would be reassuring for me personally, and I think Guell and the others would like that too."

Although Amy was inviting me, I had no intention of joining the Knights.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Amy. I can't join the Knights."

"...I guess I couldn't convince you after all. But, if we fight together, I'll rely on you."

"Yes, I understand."

It seems that Amy knew from the beginning that I would refuse her invitation, but from the military's perspective, I wonder if I have a valuable value like a precious gem... But why do I feel strangely guilty when I look into Amy's eyes? Is it because I couldn't meet her expectations? Or maybe...

"Alright, we've arrived. Elaina-chan, I'll leave the rest to you."

As I pondered this, we arrived in front of the General Guild.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Amy."

After expressing my gratitude, I dismounted from the horse.

"Actually, I should be the one thanking you... Well, never mind. Since we're just standing here talking, let's meet later. I'll bring Guell and Keith with me then. They also wanted to see you."

"I understand! I'm looking forward to it, Ms. Amy!"

"Hehe, then please give my regards to him at the General Guild. See you later, Elaina-chan!"

Huh!? Who's "him"? Hey, Ms. Amy, don't just leave like that!!

"Ms. Amy!! Who's 'hiiim'!?"

I tried asking Amy, but she just waved her hand and left without looking back.

"She's gone... Well, I guess I'll report in."

While thinking about who Amy was referring to, I entered the General Guild.

"Woooow!!"

As expected of the General Guild in the Royal Capital! Just like outside, the interior design is impressive, and there are so many people! It's exactly as Bozes described before!

"Um, let's see... the Adventurer Division counter is... over there!"

I stood at the end of the line for the Adventurer Division counter.

But still, the counters here are amazing. In Gozes, there were only ten counters in total: four for the Adventurer Division, four for the Commercial Division, and two for the Industrial Division. In the capital, there are ten counters for all three divisions.

This shows how important the General Guild is to this world, or maybe it's just the king showing off by investing in it.

"Next, please!"

"Oh, yes!"

I've already been called. Having more counters makes things fast, huh?

"Good morning! How can I help you today?"

The receptionist spoke to me with a business smile.

"I've come to sell materials and report."

"Then, may I see your Adventurer Division card first?"

When I handed my Adventurer Division card to the receptionist, her expression changed upon seeing my name.

"Lady Elaina, is it? I'm sorry, but there are various matters to discuss, so let us handle it in the meeting room rather than here."

A meeting room... I have a bad feeling about this!!

"I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Oh no, that's not it! In your case, we need to discuss your rank-up examination, and it'll take a while, so let's talk in the meeting room. That's all!"

What's that supposed to mean?

"I understand. But I think it would be better for me to report first."

"Hmm... Reporting, is it?"

"Yes, that's right. On the way from Gozes to the Royal Capital, we encountered some orcs. I also brought evidence."

"O-Orcs!?"

The receptionist leaned forward from the counter.

Ms. Receptionist, I understand that you're surprised, but you're too close! Your face is too close!!

"P-please calm down. Let's discuss the details in the meeting room."

I said this, and the receptionist stopped leaning forward, straightened herself up, cleared her throat, and then looked at me.

"I see. Then, let me guide you. Please follow me."

"Yes."

I followed the receptionist as she headed towards the meeting room.