("Can you believe it? Badler and his group of psycho warlocks thought that we were mercenaries! I mean, seriously, how could they mistake me, a cute and loveable guy, and Rumia, a busty elf, for mercenaries? That's just total weak sauce. It's pretty clear that they need to get their eyes checked. But hey, at least we can have a good laugh about it now... As if.")
They approached the city of Falmuth.
Badler had introduced himself and his team of Magi as a faction designed to protect the city.
They were known as the | Red Crest Magi |.
"Woah! That's a pretty sick name!"
Archibald uttered as he held the leash of land crawler-kun.
"I know right?! It wasn't easy to get the name, it took us a long time to decide over one, but naturally my excellent naming skills surpassed that of my subordinates.."
While Badler walked and talked, he'd occasionally adjust his robe.
Given his slightly chubby physique, his robe was a bit tight on him. But its dark blue colour matched his pitch black hair.
"Ugh... Men," Rumia rolled her eyes prior to directing her gaze straight ahead.
Before them stood the entrance into the city.
An elevated aisle above the red sand.
This aisle was not created for aesthetics, but rather for protection from the dangers of the Red Desert.
Surrounding the city were circular walls, standing at a height of fifteen meters.
These walls were not only taller, but also thicker than the walls of Pantoran.
They too were designed with intent, to protect the city from red serpents and other wild animals.
"Welcome to Falmuth.." Badler dramatically presented the city.
Badler, recognizing the magical capabilities of his subordinates, entrusted them with safeguarding the city while he welcomed Archibald and Rumia into Falmuth as a means of apologizing.
The people of Falmuth were known for their kindness, particularly towards humans, but had a less favorable view of elves.
However, Badler was unaware of Rumia's elven heritage as she wore her hood, which she did not do intentionally to conceal her pointed ears, but rather out of habit.
In the city of Falmuth.
The city was of a small size, with buildings that were predominantly only one story tall.
The buildings were brownish-red in color and most were round in shape, with some resembling pillars.
The scale of the streets was not large, however, the central square bustled with a variety of shops including workshops, weapon and armor vendors, material vendors, food vendors, wine vendors and many other types of shops.
"Woah, this place is nice!"
Archibald strained the pronunciation of "nice" to emphasize.
"I mean, I guess it's okay for a desert city.." Rumia stated as she walked with her magic stave.
"Our water supply has dulled due to the sudden increase in monster activity, so I don't think you'd enjoy much here for some weeks.." the chubby Magus articulated.
Anent his words, Rumia stated "Oh, we don't plan on staying too long.."
Which then brought the question Badler should've asked since:
"I'm still confused why kids are traveling through the Red Desert.."
To answer his question, they both flashed their Adventurer IDs.
"Oh, so you're both Adventurers.." he didn't bother to check their ranks. To him it wasn't important.
"Certified." said Archibald proudly folding his arms.
"So what are you guys here for?"
Badler inquired, he wasn't only surprised by their strength but also how his paled in theirs.
("I obviously can't tell him about our main objective... If I did... Rumia would hit me again, heheh but maybe that's not such a bad thing.")
He fantasized himself nude and getting flogged by Rumia who used a whip.
"We're just passing by.."
Rumia decided to answer in place of Archibald who seemed to be lost in his imagination.
"Is that so?" a quick response from the chubby fellow; Badler.
"You betcha! You see my girlfriend and I.."
Archibald ponderously stretched his right hand to make contact with Rumiaʼs rump.
Unfortunately, he was dealt a slap that threw him off his feet.
"Worth it.."
He anemically said.
Although he hadn't made contact with her rump, he'd come to enjoy the occasional hits he received from Rumia.
--------Some minutes later.
Archibald had a palm-print on his face which was by appearance painful.
It felt like a burning sensation was on his cheek.
"Ow, that hurt... A lot." he articulated.
"Then you shouldn't attempt touching a lady so casually."
Badler immediately admonished him for his actions.
"Try that again and I'll cut you in half," it was clear the elven girl meant what she said.
Obviously, Archibald wasn't so foolish that he'd try to touch her again. To him Rumia was like the weather, sometimes hot and other times cold.
He preferred both nonetheless.
"Yes ma'am.." he replied.
It was about time he took his leave, "I have to go make a report... You both should enjoy your in the city."
Having said this, Badler decided to take his leave. At least he was able to get on their good side. This meant he wouldn't be in trouble with authorities for attacking visitors.
"Ah, it hurts so bad.."
The red-haired lad bid farewell to Badler and rubbed his cheek, which was still stinging from Rumia's slap.
Despite the pain, he could still force a smile.
'He may be a scumbag, but that doesn't make him any less of a warrior..'
Rumia, who observed him rubbing his cheek, was impressed by his bravery.
In their battle against the | Red Crest Magi | he showed determination by choosing to fight instead of fleeing.
She acknowledged that he may have a questionable character, but his actions proved he was a warrior.
Although she had insulted and hit him, she still held him in high regard.
----------
In the Fal Inn.
Archibald and Rumia convened their meeting in the quiet afternoon hours at the inn where they were lodging.
"Alright, we need to discuss our funds.."
Seated across from one another at a table, Rumia called the meeting to order and promptly directed the conversation towards the matter of their funds.
It was imperative that they discuss their financial situation in order to properly plan for their upcoming journey through the Rabastines.
"So how are we gonna do that?"
In his past life, Archibald didn't have to worry about money. He was usually gaining money through feet pics and his MeTube gaming channel.
"Well, first we'd need to know how much we have collectively.."
"You took thirty silver pieces from me, so I'm left with one hundred and twenty-eight silver pieces.."
"Like that matters now (rolls eyes~)... If you add my two hundred silver pieces we have about three gold pieces and twenty-eight silver pieces."
"(sighs~) Okay, so doesn't that mean we're set for our journey?"
That would be the case normally, but Rumia made an observation. She proceeded to share this with him:
"While it would be ideal to spend freely, it's important to consider the economic reality of our current location. (sips tea~) As a city in a deserted region, the currency value is diminished while goods hold greater worth. Due to the scarcity of goods in this area, it's better we exercise caution and conservatism in our spending habits. (catches breath~) Therefore, I recommend we prioritize necessary expenses and avoid unnecessary purchases."
There was nothing there Archibald didn't understand, it was fairly easy to grasp.
He had read numerous books by the time he was 10, this enabled him to flow with Rumiaʼs deductions.
"The Rabastines is pretty cold, so I'm guessing we'll be needing thicker coats for travel." said Archibald.
The Rabastines was a mountain range located south of the mainland of Eses.
It spanned approximately 2,100 km through northern Beldris and boasted three of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Oscasis.
Due to the region's low temperatures, Archibald and Rumia required more than thick coats to stay warm.
Cold-resistant charms were also necessary, but they came at a high cost.
"For now, we should focus on getting some rest. The inn costs ten silver pieces per night, so we're going to have to share a room.."
After Rumia said this, it immediately caused Archibaldʼs eyes to sparkle like gems.
"Really?!"
He said excitedly.
"Hm? Is there a problem?" Rumia raised an eyebrow.
In order not to miss this opportunity, Archibald tried his best to remain calm, "Uh, (gulps~) no not really.."
His face was so serious.
("Thank the Gods! Iʼm stuck sharing a room with Rumia. Can you imagine? Sharing a bathroom and a bed with a girl? It's crazy! But honestly, I'm pretty stoked about it. I mean, it's gonna be awesome, right? I just hope Archie Jr. doesn't get too excited during the night, if you know what I mean. I definitely don't want to risk getting a boner while sharing a bed with a girl. That would be so lame. Ugh, I can't believe I'm even in this situation...")
----------
When night fell, Archibald's hopes of sharing a bed with Rumia were dashed.
Despite his fantasies, he found himself sleeping on the floor while Rumia rested comfortably on the bed.
It was clear that she had no intention of sharing a bed with a man, especially one she deemed a pervert.
"I hope you weren't expecting we'd be sharing a bed."
When she asked if he had expected to share the bed, Archibald meekly replied in the negative:
"N-No (clearly disappointed~) Definitely not.."
His disappointment was so great that he shed tears and mucus from his nose.
"Totally (sniffles~) didn't expect anything.."