"Chirp~! Chirp~!"

  The morning birdsong roused Hulim from her sleep.

  She changed clothes, washed up in the bathroom, then pushed open the window.

  In an instant, the golden morning sun burst into the room, bathing most of it in light.

  Hulim leaned against the window, staring quietly at the street where several figures were already moving about.

  It was her first time in a metropolis.

  Compared to the small Mentor Town that could be seen in its entirety at a glance, the city of Duper was infinitely larger.

  Beneath the slanting morning sun, row upon row of rooftops glistened gold, like layers of ripples spreading far into the distance until the details blurred.

  At the center of the city, the majestic Seven Days Cathedral stood towering. The melodious morning bells from the giant bell atop the cathedral echoed throughout the entire city.

  "......I should go get breakfast."

  She straightened her clothes, grabbed her wand, and slung her Mithril Sword over her back before stepping out of the room.

  Descending to the second floor.

  The innkeeper was already hard at work.

  "Good morning, guest! Did you sleep well last night?"

  "Yes, thank you. Could I have breakfast? Do you have Bobom Porridge?"

  "Oh, I’m sorry, guest—we don’t have that today. But we do have Bobom Jelly Cake. Would you like some?"

  "That’ll do! And a cup of hot milk, please."

  "Right away~!"

  Hulim nodded, then found a table in the lobby and sat down.

  The inn where Hulim was staying was located in the Middle District. Most of its guests were merchants and travelers, so the price was much higher than the inns in the Lower District favored by adventurers. However, the facilities here were more complete, and the entire inn looked quite neat—even the tables and chairs were of the same style!

  The only downside was that the chairs were a bit too tall for Hulim. When she sat, her legs dangled in the air, unable to reach the floor.

  And since all the chairs were identical, there was no way to switch to a shorter one.

  What an awkward oversight.

  "Your breakfast, guest! Enjoy your meal!"

  "Thank you!"

  Hulim thanked her politely. Once the clerk turned to leave.

  She picked up the knife and fork in front of her, cut into the Bobom Jelly Cake, speared a small piece, and put it in her mouth.

  "Mmm~!"

  A bright, delighted look spread across her face.

  "So delicious~!"

  After finishing that bite, Hulim picked up the large cup of hot milk in front of her.

  "Gulp~!"

  Taking a sip, she set the cup down, stuck out her little tongue, and licked the "white beard" of milk around her mouth.

  "What kind of milk is this?"

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  Hulim stared at the steaming white liquid, her small face filled with confusion.

  "Miboru? No, that’s not it...... Mocbul? Doesn’t feel like it either......"

  "Hmm...... Oh well, it’s tasty anyway."

  "Gulp~! Gulp~!"

  Hulim didn’t dwell on it. She drank the unknown hot milk while cutting the Bobom Jelly Cake. As the food in front of her diminished visibly, other guests in the inn gradually woke up—some ordered breakfast like her, while others left directly.

  The inn, which had been quiet just a short while ago, suddenly became lively.

  After finishing breakfast, Hulim wiped her mouth, picked up her wand, stood up, and walked toward the inn’s entrance.

  "Did you enjoy your meal, guest? Was the breakfast to your liking?"

  The innkeeper at the door asked with a smile.

  "Yes, it was wonderful. But what exactly was that hot milk? I don’t think I’ve ever tasted it before."

  "Oh, that~! It’s Salamander Milk!"

  "???"

  "Salamander Milk? What’s that?"

  It was the first time Hulim had heard of such a thing.

  "It’s understandable that you don’t know, guest! It’s milk produced by Lore Salamanders. Lore Salamanders are quite rare, so it’s normal you haven’t heard of them. It’s sort of our specialty here."

  "I see...... That’s interesting. Thank you!"

  "You’re welcome~!"

  Leaving the inn, Hulim looked at the street in front of her, glancing left and right.

  "First, I’ll go to the city station to see if there’s a caravan to the Royal Capital in the next few days. Then I can explore the city......"

  She made a simple plan.

  Then Hulim headed toward the station in the Lower District.

  ......

  "Little miss, there’s a spot on the caravan to Langard the day after tomorrow. Would you like to book it?"

  The station clerk flipped through the schedule and replied.

  Hulim thought for a moment. Mr. Chander should finish handling the bandit bounty tomorrow. If she could get the money tomorrow, leaving the day after would be perfect.

  "Yes, please book me a spot."

  "Very well, little miss. One moment."

  The clerk took out a book of tickets, tore one off, and handed it to Hulim.

  "It has the departure time and your number—be sure to check it. It’s 20,000 Kerl total. You can get a refund anytime before tomorrow, but no refunds after that."

  "I’ll remember."

  Hulim nodded, took out two gold coins and handed them to the clerk, then put the ticket away and left the station.

  She still had plenty of time during the day.

  Since the opportunity was rare, Hulim began her sightseeing tour of Duper.

  Duper was divided into three districts: Lower, Middle, and Upper. Thanks to Count Leicester’s power within the empire, even the Lower District had good public security. It was hard to find poor or backward areas, and almost every street was lined with all kinds of street snacks.

  Thanks to that, her small stomach—still not fully digesting breakfast—soon felt full again.

  She ate her way to the Middle District. The streets here were much wider and brighter. While there were no more street snacks, there were many exquisitely decorated pastry shops.

  Hulim even spotted a branch of a world-famous dessert shop among them, so she immediately turned in......

  "I probably won’t be able to eat lunch today......"

  Hulim patted her small stomach as she walked out of the dessert shop, holding an additional gift from the store in her hand.

  "I shouldn’t eat anything else for a while."

  She continued her sightseeing.

  Hulim soon reached the Upper District.

  Many prominent figures lived in the Upper District, so ordinary people were not allowed in many places. Although Hulim could enter, she had no interest in visiting those areas.

  Compared to the Middle District, the Upper District had far fewer shops and pedestrians. However, almost everyone passing by was dressed elegantly. The roads here were very wide, with many scenic spots—she even saw parks.

  ......

  "Boom~! Boom~! Boom......"

  The noon bell rang. Hulim looked up at the cathedral, which was practically a landmark of Duper, and couldn’t help but exclaim.

  "It’s so big——is this one of the Four Great Cathedrals of the Empire?"

  "Can I go in and visit now?"

  Hulim thought for a moment and decided to try, but was told by the clergyman that it wasn’t opening hours. To enter at this time, an advance reservation was required.

  Hulim felt a little disappointed, but she wasn’t going to make a reservation just to visit.

  Not only was there no guarantee she could get a reservation, but even if she did, it would probably be days later—by then, she would have already left Duper......

  A light breeze blew across the lake. Hulim sat on the pure white stone steps by the man-made lake not far from the cathedral, staring quietly at the water’s surface.

  "What a peaceful lake."

  She glanced left and right, wanting to find a pebble to skip, but the area was cleaned so thoroughly that there wasn’t even a single pebble—or even a fallen leaf—in sight.

  "Hmm——"

  Unable to find a pebble, Hulim just propped her chin with both hands and continued to gaze at the lake.

  "Semiris...... is she watching me from the sky right now......"

  "......"

  After a long while.

  "——I should head back."

  ......

  ......