"So, this is the Elvean city?" Nathan raised his head, looking around after coming out of the teleportation circle.
Since they were departing at dusk, they could still feel the bustling atmosphere around the city as they were beginning to go back to their houses.
"It's rather lively." Sera squinted her eyes.
"Yep. It's really lively, not as one would expect from a city terrorized by bandits," said Nathan in a low voice so that no one would hear them.
Serafina pointed to the left while saying, "Anyway, I have asked the guard. The inn is that way and the baron's mansion is in the opposite direction."
"Alright." Nathan nodded. "Let's go to the inn first."
"Mhmm…" Sera agreed. While walking, she couldn't help but ask, "By the way, Nathan. Why are we wearing this?"
She was tugging her coat with a confused expression.
"It is covering our uniform."
"I will tell you once we check in. I bet you're going to ask another question if I answer it now."
Sera didn't understand, but she still followed him to the inn.
The inn was indeed quite lively as people were drinking booze while the bards were singing. A lot of waitresses were moving around with mugs on their hands.
Because they covered their uniforms, no one really noticed Nathan and Sera. Considering how beautiful Sera was, Nathan even asked her to cover her head with the hood.
As soon as they arrived at the counter, the receptionist asked with a big smile. "Welcome to Axia Inn. How can I help you?"
"I want two—!" Nathan raised two fingers, only to find Sera suddenly grabbing his hands.
Sera pouted while glaring at him. "One room is enough."
The receptionist had a wry smile, not knowing what happened. Sera and Nathan looked like a couple, so she just didn't ask and let them decide it themselves.
Nathan chuckled. "Alright, alright. "We'll have one room, please."
"I understand." The receptionist nodded. "That will be three silvers for a night. Do you need a meal?"
"Yes, please. And can you deliver it to our room? We will take your best menu."
"In that case, it will be a total of 3 silver and 50 copper coins."
Nathan paid for it and received the key.
"Your room is on the third floor. It's the second room to your right."
Sera was confused by the interaction. She was slightly embarrassed when Nathan wanted a single bed, but it was quite surprising that Nathan actually paid for the room.
"Nathan. When are you going to explain to me about all this? Why do we have to cover ourselves? Why do we have to pay for our rooms? Everything can be solved with the badge, right?"
Nathan just wrapped his arm around her neck while saying, "Hahaha. What? You're so eager? I can't wait. Let's go to our room!"
"Wha—!" Sera was completely taken aback and her shock only stopped when they entered the room.
In that instant, Nathan put his finger on his lips as if telling her to shut up.
After that, he summoned Fenrir and Anubis. The two shook their heads, showing that no one was listening.
"Ha…" Nathan let out a sigh of relief. "That's good then."
"Eh?" Sera scratched the back of her head. She was completely confused.
"Don't worry. I'm going to explain it to you." Nathan raised a finger. "First of all, why do I want to cover ourselves? The reason is pretty simple. The city is already weird. The fact that the bandits are running rampant and the city is still lively like that, it means the situation itself is either getting covered up or not big of a deal.
"However, when you think about the enemy, there's no way it's not a big deal."
"Are you suspecting the baron is covering it up? Or is he working together with the bandit?"
"If he is working with the bandit, he will be foolish. First of all, the one giving the mission is him. If he thinks he can trap us and send us to the bandits, then he's wrong.
"After all, this is a joint mission. It means he needs some assurance that both academies aren't doing anything, which is impossible. By covering ourselves and revealing our identities later on, the count will have less time to think about a plan, which will end up with him abandoning his plan altogether.
"Of course, it's better if the baron has no involvement. In that case, the bandits are acting independently. In that case, since the bandits are so strong, it means some of their members must have slipped into the cities.
"Even an idiot will know where they should gather the information, right?"
Sera thought for a moment and said, "The inn?"
"Yes. The biggest threat to them right now is none other than a summoner. A strong summoner won't bother to cover themselves. The students are more inclined to show themselves as well."
"As a result, the enemies will notice." Sera squinted her eyes.
"Exactly. That's why we have to cover ourselves. If we use our badge and get into the room for free, it will also be noticed by the bandits."
"Are they that powerful?"
"Having 6-7 summoners and more than two hundred members, what do you think?"
Sera fell silent. "The summoners alone are more than the sand bandits. So they're going to give that information to their summoners."
"Yep. If the enemies are too hard to handle, they'll hide. If the enemies are weak, they will ambush them and defeat them properly.
"By hiding our identities, the enemies will definitely think that only the three people from the 3rd Academy, Duxia Academy, will be the ones subjugating them. If they still know it's a joint operation, it means the baron is involved.
"If not, we will be able to suddenly change the balance of the battle. That's why for today, eat and rest early. We'll head to the mansion while it's still dark tomorrow."
Sera couldn't help but glance at the bed. "So, are we going—!"
"Oh! It seems the food is ready." Nathan stood up and headed to the door.
Sera pouted. "It's weird. Why is he avoiding me?"