Subsequently, Malty led Naofumi, Kazuma, and Makoto's group away from the royal palace.
"The best way to get stronger is certainly through real combat." Malty walked at the front of the group, her pace neither fast nor slow. "But you can't go in these outfits. Come with me first."
She led the group into a narrow alley. At the end of the alley was a weapon shop.
A wooden sign read [Erhard Weapon Shop]. A few sample swords were displayed in the window. The thickness of the dust on the blades showed they hadn't been moved in a long time.
Standing at the shop entrance, Kazuma couldn't help but complain: "The weapon shop and the healing house... these are also mandatory stops in a game's starting village."
Malty pushed open the shop door. The hinges creaked slightly. Then Malty waved to the bald shopkeeper behind the counter.
"Mr. Erhard, long time no see."
The shopkeeper stood up from behind the counter, his bald head appearing first in everyone's view.
"Long time no see, Your Highness the Princess!"
He wore a leather apron stretched tight, the muscles in his arms bulging the sleeves. His gaze swept over the people behind Malty.
"I heard the royal family summoned four Heroes at once this time. That's a first in history."
Malty stepped aside and made a 'please' gesture toward Naofumi and Kazuma.
"Please, choose the armor you like first. I'll cover the cost for everyone."
Kazuma's eyes grew moist.
"Such a kind princess..."
Although Naofumi didn't speak, the way he looked at Malty was already full of infatuation.
'Poor virgins, toyed with by the princess.'
The Teddy Devil squatted at the weapon shop entrance, maintaining the appearance of a pet dog, curled his lip. "These two kids have definitely never been with a woman."
Ace stood beside the Teddy Devil, blinking in confusion. "Huh? Why?"
"When a beautiful woman is nice to you for no reason, you have to watch out for her emptying your coffers."
Ace was even more confused.
He looked at Makoto, thinking, 'Doesn't the Commander often encounter this kind of woman too?'
The Teddy Devil saw what Ace was thinking and looked even more disdainful.
'In the end, he's still the son of the Suppressed King... both equally stupid...'
"How is that the same?"
The Teddy Devil said disdainfully: "Boss is already accomplished. There are plenty of women wanting to get close to him."
Even setting aside the benefits, just looking at that face, most women would feel they weren't losing out by sleeping with him.
With that, the Teddy Devil raised one paw and pointed at Kazuma and Naofumi, who were trying on armor in the weapon shop.
"These two? What about that weakling in track shorts is worth a woman making the first move?"
"The one with the shield is barely better looking, but the pathetic vibe is too strong. Maybe he could attract a streetwalker, but a princess throwing herself at him? Dream on."
Ace fell silent.
'Good grief, there was so much nuance to interacting with women?'
At this time, Ace no longer wanted to find a woman.
Inside the weapon shop, Malty noticed that Makoto's group was standing at the entrance without moving.
"Huh? Won't you guests choose any?" Her tone carried a hint of curiosity.
Makoto shook his head, a smile on his face like someone watching a good show. "No need."
Malty's inner interest grew a little stronger.
'Not even wanting armor... was he that confident in himself, or had he given up because he wasn't chosen by a legendary weapon?'
She had brought Makoto and his group along because the more toys, the more fun.
And the calmness of these people completely exceeded her expectations.
Naofumi and Kazuma had both chosen their armor. Kazuma had also picked out an extra short blade by the counter, weighed it in his hand, and finally tucked it into his belt.
As an archer, once an enemy closed in, he would be at a disadvantage.
He was clearly smarter than Naofumi.
From the moment he got the shield, Naofumi seemed intent on only using the shield, not even considering picking a new weapon.
Malty didn't try to persuade him. In her eyes, these people were finished anyway.
"Then, I will take everyone to the Adventurer's Guild to register."
The Adventurer's Guild was not far from the weapon shop. After all, adventurers generally came to the weapon shop to upgrade their gear before setting out on quests.
Anyone who had played Monster Hunter knew that.
The building was much more imposing than the weapon shop.
A three-story stone structure, with two pillars standing at the entrance, and the emblem of the Adventurer's Guild carved on the lintel.
People flowed in and out of the entrance endlessly. The sound of armor and leather boots hitting the stone mixed with conversations in various accents.
Malty led the group inside.
The hall fell silent for half a second.
Adventurers who were accepting quests, turning in quests, drinking, and bragging all looked toward the entrance at the same time.
Not because of Malty... it wasn't uncommon for royalty to come here.
And Melromarc was just a small kingdom... its royalty wasn't that noble.
The main reason was the weapons in Kazuma and Naofumi's hands.
Many could recognize them as the legendary weapons passed down through Melromarc for generations.
"So those are the summoned Heroes?"
"The Bow Hero and the Shield Hero? What about the other two?"
"Idiot, did you forget the weapons' property? Heroes can't act together."
Malty walked to the front desk and greeted the female receptionist behind the counter.
The female receptionist's eyes lit up when she saw the weapons in Kazuma and Naofumi's hands.
"Hello, I've brought people to register."
The receptionist bowed respectfully to the princess, then pulled out a thick registration book from under the counter and opened it to a blank page.
She dipped her pen tip in ink, her gaze shifting between Kazuma and Naofumi.
"Please tell me your names and combat preferences, Heroes."
Kazuma stepped forward first, cleared his throat, straightened his back, and tried hard to look more like a Hero. "Satou Kazuma, skilled with the bow."
The receptionist wrote his name and weapon type in the registration book.
"Done."
She opened the drawer on the right side of the counter and took out a small copper badge, handing it to Kazuma.
This thing was hardly bigger than a thumb. On the front of the badge was engraved the emblem of the Adventurer's Guild, and on the back, a string of numbers.
"What's this?" Kazuma turned the copper badge over and over.
"Adventurer's badge."
The receptionist pushed up her glasses. "The Adventurer's Guild divides adventurers into different ranks. Only higher-ranked adventurers can accept more difficult quests. This is also to reduce the adventurer mortality rate."
Naofumi walked up from behind. "What rank is this badge?"
The receptionist's pen tip paused, her smile becoming somewhat forced. "I'm very sorry, but according to guild regulations, we can only give the Heroes the lowest rank, copper, for now. There's nothing we can do."
Kazuma didn't really care about such things, but asked purely out of curiosity: "Then what's the highest rank badge? Gold?"
Malty shook her head and spoke first. "No, it's Adamantite Rank."
Hearing this, the expressions of Makoto and Yu changed slightly.