"We're nearly on the ground... Looks like the horses are starting to wake up" Said Ariel
After they were only a few miles away from the city, they began lowering the carriage. John would be the down to propel it downwards while Ariel kept it balanced.
***
A few Other carriages could be seen approaching the city gates, all on the same road. John and his party's carriage were also on that road
"Next." The gate guard said
John's carriage moved forward in response
"Identification?" He asked
John handed him his adventurers card while Serena and Ariel handed theirs, luckily for them, their id cards didn't display where they're originally from.
"Good, what about the lady?" He asked
Master Sylvia showed him a document. When he saw it, he gave her a bow before opening the gate. John wondered what sort of document it was, but wasn't sure if it would be rude to ask.
As the gates opened, the carriage entered. Now that they were on the ground, everything looked different, and more lively.
As the carriage passed by the roads, they noticed that it was just like the other city they'd been to. People could be seen using magic to do their things.
There were also some amazing food stalls
"Cooked Octopus, fresh cooked!"
"Nice fresh drinks! Adults only"
John could tell that those last words caught her attention
"Come over to our bakery, there's a lot of sweets!"
Both Serena and Ariel's attention were now grabbed
"No matter how you look at it, that sounded suspicious." John muttered
[There's a lot of sweets? Are they trying to kidnap kids?]
"Hey, master, do you mind if we make a few stops around?" John asked
Master nodded and said
"Tomorrow, we'll be heading into the dungeon."
"Wait, master... 3 days. Give us 3 days of holidays" Said john
Master remained silent
"Master, surely you'd like to rest to right? We've been stuck on this never ending cycle of travelling, we've come to the beach, master, the beach... Who here has ever been to the beach before?" John asked
No one raised their hands
"Does a desert count?" Serena asked
Hearing her words, a tear was formed on john's eyes.
"Serena, it's okay... There'll be plenty of opportunities in the future..."
"Huh? Why does it look like you're pitying me?" Serena asked with a confused expression
"Master, do you mind if we leave the carriage and inn to you? You can find us when you're done, or I'll find you"
Master nodded
"Sorry for making you do all this work, and thank you" John Said with a smile as he jumped off
Ariel nodded and said "Sorry and thank you" before jumping off
Master who heard the words of these kids, made a small smile while thinking that her decision was a good one
"Where will we go first?" John asked
"Hm, the delicious sea food sounds nice" Said serena
"We can go there after having cake" Said Ariel
"But cake is a desert, we need to eat first" Said Serena
"Hm then, let's go to a restaurant and take the cake and sea food there"
Both of their eyes began to sparkle so john took that as a good choice.
***
"Ariel, don't eat your cake yet" Said john as he looked at her
Ariel suddenly froze and nodded. She was trying to open the cake box but before she could john noticed.
"Serena the same goes for you..." John said as he quickly turned to her
"How could you even see- nevermind" Said Serena
She wanted to retort, but no words came to mind. John felt like he had gotten better at dealing with her, and he felt proud.
[Beating Serena *cough* An adult in an argument, feels great." Said john
"Looks like we've arrived"
The overall area was rather simple to move around, the shops were side by side beside the road, food stalls were scattered around the area. The roads were cleaned and you couldn't see any broken down houses
They stood in front of a big restaurant, which definitely looked top class and expensive
A good thing about this city is that there was no noble or commoner district, or walls which separated the commoners from the nobles like halfaust. Here everyone felt equal, except for those who lived in their mansions and areas
But no one was allowed in the palace. Although he didn't care he was curious. In xoleria, the highest person in status was the king and crown prince, however john never got a chance to meet him, as he was a 2nd year in the academy.
John's practically a 2nd year too now, people tell him he should be more interested and knowledgeable about things like politics and power, but he doesn't believe it's important as he doesn't pick fights
And most of the 1st years know john, so much that none would dare to fight him. He even gained a nickname. The double-edged sword, there are times when he'll be fighting on a whole new levels while there are also times his fighting power is average.
In reality, it's just John changing between actual chant magic to a fake chant magic.
"But it's fine... My chants are above average at this point... I think" John mumbled
"John? Who are you talking to?" Ariel asked
"He does this from time to time, let's just ignore it like usual" Serena whispered
"I heard that! And don't worry, I'm just talking to myself" John casually said
"Yeah, maybe we should stop by the doctors later, any objections?" Serena asked
Ariel shook her head
"Oi... *Sigh* Let's just go inside, we've been standing out here for long enough"
As they walked into the restaurant, what grabbed john's attention was the shiny concrete floors and bright white light which came from the ceiling
"Holy... It's a five-star restaurant..." John muttered as he looked around