I approached the robed guy and sparked a conversation.
"Hello, aren't you the guy who beat up the drunken adventurer?" I asked him curiously.
"You saw that? Well, that's embarrassing," he told me with a wry smile while scratching his head.
Looks like he is somwhat embrassed by that, any way let's continue to gather more information about him, for some reason I am curious about him.
"My name is Dokuta Doyama. You can call me DoDo," I introduced myself to him.
"DoDo huh, that's a unique name, and your full name is also quite unique. It's almost like you are not from here," he asked me with suspicious eyes and a sly smile, even though his eyes were hidden behind his hair.
Look at this guy, did he find out that I am a hero just from my name? Well, let's not jump the gun and wait for his response.
"My Name is Henshiro Taito, but my close friends call me Hentai," the robed guy introduced himself.
Did he really say what I thought he just said? Hentai really? But instead of dwelling on his name, I countered his claim about my name.
"Well, your name is just as unique as mine, if not more unique. And what's up with your nickname? Do people really call you that?" I asked him with suspicious eyes.
"Well, as I said, only close friends call me by that name. Anyway, since you are also using the guild dorm instead of staying at an Inn, are you also an Aluminum-ranked adventurer?" It looks like he wants to change the subject regarding our names and places of origin. Well, I guess that's fine with me. Let's play along with him for now.
"No, actually, I am an Iron-Ranked adventurer who just arrived at the Capital city today," I answered his question.
"An Iron-Ranked adventurer, really? I thought you were an Aluminum-ranked adventurer like me. Guess I was wrong. From what I heard from the receptionist, Iron, and Silver-ranked adventurers are considered veterans. I guess you have been an adventurer for quite some time, huh?" Hentai, no I am not calling him that, Henshiro asked me with a confused look on his face.
I guess that's to be expected. He was trying to figure out about me, that's why he used the adventurer rank as bait to get more information about me, just as he mentioned. You need at least a few months to one year of experience to become an Iron-ranked adventurer, that's why he used the adventurer rank card to bait me.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that I was a special case and got promoted to an Iron-Ranked Adventurer within a few days after joining the adventurer guild. What we are doing right now is psychological warfare; we are basically trying to gather as much information as possible about each other without revealing much information about ourselves. And it looks like I have the upper hand now.
I thought about these things and looked at Henshiro. It looked like he was also deep in thought. Alright, let's try to gather more information while he is still confused.
"I saw that you use a staff, and you are also quite good at it. Are you trained using staff?" I asked him with curious eyes.
"Yes, I have been training since I was young. I trained in martial arts like kendo and boju-" He was about to say something but he interrupted himself and said something else.
"I mean what I meant to say was I am trained in swordsmanship and staff arts," he said this with a slightly panicked expression.
He was definitely about to mention Bojutsu, which means he knew about Kendo and Bojutsu. Now, I am almost certain he's from the same world as me, either an other worlder or a hero like myself. However, I can't directly inquire about that, as I'm not sure if Kendo or Bojutsu exist in this world, and he might not be aware of them either. Let's try to gather more information subtly.
"Kendo huh? I have never heard of a martial art like that. Where are you from?" I asked him with suspicious eyes.
"I mean, well, um... actually..." He struggled to find the right words, and his hesitation confirmed my suspicions. I was now almost certain that he wasn't from this world and, judging by the timing of his arrival in the capital today, likely another one of the summoned heroes. However, I had to be cautious; I couldn't directly ask him about these matters.
"Right, what about your axe? It looks unique as well. If you are an Iron Ranked adventurer, then you should have a party with you. Why are you alone?" He asked me this suddenly when I was thinking about some things.
I couldn't help but appreciate Henshiro's skill in changing the topic and subtly gathering information about me. He wasn't half bad at this.
"Well, I got this axe as a gift from someone I knew before becoming an adventurer. As for my party, I don't actually have one because I am a summoner, and I use my summons instead of forming a party with others," I told him with a sly grin.
Too bad, Henshiro, unlike you, I have answers for most of the questions, and I don't want to mention Truck-Kun to him because if he really was someone from my world, then he would easily recognize what it means. So, let's just keep the information about Truck-Kun hidden for now.
"I-Is that so? Anyway, look at the time, it's so late now, and I am tired from doing my quests. It was nice meeting you, but I guess I am going to sleep now," Henshiro said this and went to sleep, or at least he was pretending to because he just lay down on the bed and started to snore.
Well, I guess that's a good choice on his part since if we kept talking, he would end up giving me more information while he would not get anything in return.
Well, I am also tired from all the traveling, so let's just take some rest. I decided that and went and lay down on the other bed. I was very tired, and because of that, I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed.
.....
The sun started to rise, its morning light sneaked through my room's window and landed on my face.
*Agggh*
I groaned as I woke up. I woke up and sat down on the bed while still half asleep. The first thing I noticed was that Henshiro was nowhere to be seen. Did he leave before I woke up? Oh well, if he was really a hero, then he would also have the same quest that I got, so I am pretty sure that we will meet again.
So I refreshed myself and looked at the time on my pocket watch, Lucid. It was around seven. I guess today I will try going to the castle. I decided that and went downstairs. The guild was bustling with people even though it was just seven in the morning. Well, I guess that's to be expected from the capital city.
Anyway, let's go to the castle and meet the King. I am pretty sure the other heroes will also eventually gather at the castle because of the quest.
I decided that and went outside the guild. The castle could be seen from where I was standing because it was so big and elevated compared to other structures in the city.
I don't really know the direction to the castle, but if I just follow the castle from here, I will eventually reach it. I decided that and started walking towards the castle.
As I approached the magnificent castle, it became clear that it was truly a sight to behold. Elevated above all other structures, it appeared as though it was located on a small mountain, giving it an imposing presence that commanded respect and awe.
Drawing nearer, I found myself greeted by massive gates that stood tall and imposing, serving as the castle's first line of defense. Two guards, steadfast and vigilant, stood at attention, their halberds held firmly in their hands. Their armor gleamed in the sunlight, giving them an air of authority and strength.
I approached the gate to enter the castle, but the two guards crossed their halberds and stopped me.
"Halt! Who do you think you are? Not anyone can enter the castle. State your business or get lost," one of the guards said to me in an irritated voice.
Well, I guess that's understandable. I just went straight without even saying anything. Well, let's try that again.
"Good morning. My name is Dokuta Doyama. I am one of the heroes who were summoned to this world to fight the Demon Lord. I came to the castle to meet the king and the other heroes," I told them in a polite tone.
They both looked at each other with confused faces and started laughing for some reason.