Rosetta-sama, You're Overdoing It! - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Rosetta Couldn’t Stand the Smell of the Commoner’s District

We arrived at the marketplace.

It seems more like a flea market than a proper city market.

People spread out their goods on blankets and sit, while passersby stop to make purchases.

There doesn’t seem to be a place to park the carriage here.

It might be nice to ask them to stop somewhere suitable, but for now, I’ll just observe from atop the carriage to get a sense of what it’s like.

The commoners glance over at us. Oh my, I’m the one who’s standing out.

It feels like being observed by animals at a zoo. I’m the one being treated like an animal. How embarrassing.

After a brief explanation of the market from atop the carriage, we head towards the Commercial Guild.

Since we’re not walking around the market, this is where our exploration ends.

I’ll remember that it’s quite bustling here.

In some ways, it’s similar to markets in the modern world outside Japan. Women carrying clothes in their hands or on their heads, and old men playing flutes to make cobras dance in baskets.

I should probably build up some resistance to poison before coming back here.

The marketplace is like a den of demons for nobles. It’s frightening.

The Commercial Guild is a quite sizable establishment. It’s clear they’re making a profit.

It’s truly a complex commercial facility. It reminds me of those big shopping centers back home.

The area for carriages is vast, but it’s also filled with horses, so it smells terrible. Ugh, I can’t stand it here. But the Commercial Guild… I’ll come back another day. I’ll make sure to steer clear of the carriage stop…

This is ridiculous. The biggest obstacle to moving around the commoner’s district is the stench of dung and urine.

I wonder if I can even go to the commoner’s district?

Well, this time, it turns out I couldn’t even bring myself to step outside.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I felt an immediate urge to bid farewell.

The Commercial Guild is busier than the Adventurer’s Guild.

There are more carriages here, likely because there are many traveling merchants.

There are also many people cleaning up horse manure. It seems to be a specialized profession associated with the Commercial Guild, as they clean more diligently than those who do casual cleaning at the Adventurer’s Guild or other facilities. There’s probably a profession specifically for this—dedicated horse manure cleaners, with a sense of pride distinct from adventurers.

Cleaning up horse manure every day? Absolutely not something I’d want to do. It seems like a surefire way to get sick.

Rubber gloves or something would be helpful, but it seems they don’t exist in this world, and everyone is cleaning without protection. Yeah, I’m definitely going to get sick from this.

From the Commercial Guild to the waiting area.

It’s still smelly here, thanks to the horses.

This is the carriage stop for traveling to other countries or villages.

It’s not for private use; it’s managed by the country for shared carriage rides.

Apparently, carriages depart every other day for travelers coming from various villages or for those returning home with shattered dreams.

There are routes that take several days to circle through villages and return, as well as routes that lead directly to other countries.

Since there are no cars or anything like that, traveling is done by carriage. Naturally, it takes time to cover the distance equivalent to traveling across a prefecture.

That’s why it often takes several days to travel.

Travelers are responsible for their own food and lodging. Those without money simply sleep in the carriages as they pass through each village.

Life in another world is tough. I miss the convenience of transportation in Japan.

Trains, cars, planes, ships—even day trips abroad were possible. Japan was indeed very convenient.

By the way, there are occasional encounters with wild monsters or bandits, so adventurers dispatched from the Adventurer’s Guild are constantly assigned to guard the carriages at this waiting area.

Now there’s a burly guy with a long, rugged sword slung over his shoulder, laughing heartily.

The other members include a dashing archer and what seems to be a mage? There’s a stern-looking woman with a disdainful expression, maybe she’s looking down on the burly guy for laughing at something vulgar?

Then there’s a girl blushing and looking down—probably a healer. She’s wearing clothes reminiscent of a priestess.

“Can this group handle it if they encounter bandits?”

Honestly, I doubt a single party could handle it.

If it’s a large bandit group, it could be around a hundred people or so. If they all attack at once, it could be a real problem.

Can those guys protect the girls?

Apparently, there’s an unspoken rule with bandits. If adventurers think they’re outmatched, they can surrender by dropping their weapons.

In that case, the bandits will just take the carriage’s cargo and leave.

Even if there are girls with the adventurers, they’re left alone.

Why? Well, if bandits were to kill, assault, or harm surrendered adventurers, it would be considered hostile action against the nation or guild. That would prompt a joint force of soldiers and adventurers from the country to start hunting down the surrounding bandits.

Even though the knights and adventurers are usually at odds, they cooperate in situations like this, so no matter how many bandits there are, they’re in for a world of hurt.

That’s why there’s an implicit understanding that if adventurers surrender, their lives and honor will be protected.

Still, some ruthless bandit groups might just attack without question.

However, no matter how ruthless the bandits are, they never lay a hand on the healing girls.

The reason is simple. These girls belong to a religious order, not to the adventurer guilds or the nation.

Once they pick a fight with the church, it’s game over. The blasphemy against the world’s gods would result in zealots from all over the country swarming in for a holy purge.

“Those who don’t comply are executed as apostles of the evil gods. The execution methods are said to be so gruesome that even the bandits dare not oppose the church. The zealots are scary.”

“Around here, there are relatively few bandits. Unless monsters stray from the wilderness onto the roads, there aren’t many dangerous creatures. With our numbers, we can provide adequate protection. Since the carriages run on a regular schedule, if someone doesn’t return, the knights will immediately take action. So, there’s not much danger.”

“Huh. Is this like the starting town in a game?”

“But even if the knights take action, they’re from this country. They might end up being repelled by the bandits instead, right?”

“These bandits could bring down a kingdom. It’s serious.”

“The king should really bolster the country’s defenses as soon as possible.”