Kazuma woke up to the sound of knocking on the door.

"Kazumaaaa? Are you awake yet?" He heard Lily call from behind the door.

"I just woke up... What's wrong?" He asked.

"Today we're going around the city, remember? I wanted us to leave early, so get ready!" Lily said before she walked off.

Kazuma sighed before he got up and started getting dressed.

He stared at the green mantle that he had with him. It was definitely worn from the journey coming here, some tears were present so he thought about getting them fixed.

He finished getting dressed in his usual clothes, minus the mantle, and strapped on his satchel, putting away the mantle in it.

After making sure he had everything, he exited the room and headed downstairs to meet Lily. He found her sitting in the living room reading a book. She heard his footsteps and looked up towards him.

"There you are! I was wondering if you would ever be able to get up." She said as she closed the book she was reading.

"So, is there any reason why you wanted to leave so early?" He asked her, looking out the window to see the sun not too high up, indicating is was early in the morning.

"Well the market is filled with all kinds of delicious treats! Perfect for breakfast, and it's even better when it's early, meaning they'll be fresh!" She explained.

"I see... Well I guess we should get going then."

"Of course! Let's go!" Lily exclaimed as she got up from the couch.

The two exited the house, allowing Kazuma to take in the sight of the city he was in while Lily locked the door.

It was a big city, but surprisingly the air still had a similar smell as Axel. While it was somewhat larger than Axel. There were hills in the city, causing for some buildings to be elevated, but it didn't subtract from the view.

"Come on!" Lily said as she started walking down the road.

"Coming!" Kazuma shouted as he went to catch up with her.

The first place Lily took him was to the open markets. Just getting near the market he could already smell the sweet foods being made.

"Oh! Over here! They make the best pancakes!" Lily said, pulling him towards a stall.

"Hey there! Can I interest you two in some of these? They're fresh from the heat." The man at the stall said.

"Of course! Two please!" Lily said before handing over some Eris for the food.

"Enjoy!" The man said, handing them two pancakes with some paper to hold them.

Over on the side was the toppings. Kazuma opted for simply just drizzling syrup on his while Lily drizzled some chocolate syrup and topped it with whipped cream.

They took a bite out of their food, making them exclaim at the taste.

"This is so good!" Kazuma exclaimed, surprised at how light and fluffy the pancake was, and how simple yet sweet it was.

"Right?! I told you early morning was the best time to get some breakfast!" Lily said, putting a hand on her hip, striking a proud pose.

"Yes, yes. Oh, you have some cream on your face." Kazuma pointed out, which got Lily to wipe her face with her thumb before eating the cream.

"Thank you, but there's still more to see, so I hope you're ready!" Lily said as she finished off her pancake.

'So energetic, I wonder if I'll be able to keep up.' Kazuma thought to himself before finishing off his.

They spent about an hour going around the market, eating different kinds of foods that were being offered in the morning.

By this time the streets were starting to fill up more, so the two decided to stop at a bench to relax for a moment while eating a doughnut and a warm mug of hot chocolate.

"It's so cool how the wife of the guy selling these was making hot chocolate!" Lily exclaimed.

"It's amazing, and this hot chocolate isn't burning hot, it's just right." Kazuma said before taking a sip of it.

"So that was just the general market, we still have more ground to cover, so is there anywhere specific you want to go?" Lily asked as she finished her food and drink.

Kazuma finished his food before responding. "Hmmm, well I guess for starters a weapon shop, I lost my sword back in the forest so I need a new one. Also perhaps a place that can repair my mantle." Kazuma said as he took it out of his satchel.

"Well then we can visit the local weapons smith in the east market, he's real famous around here for making formidable weapons. Dale goes there often for repairs on his gear. As for that, perhaps a tailor in the south." Lily suggested.

"Sounds good!" Kazuma said before they both got up.

Lily lead Kazuma through the big paths of the eastern side. There were many shops that seemed geared towards adventurers. From shops of beginning smiths to shops run by Arc-Wizards with powerful magical gear. He also saw a few groups of geared up adventurers walking by.

'I wonder if I should try to make another party here...' Kazuma thought to himself.

"We're here!" Lily said, snapping him from his thoughts.

Kazuma looked at the shop, the sign read "Smith's Forge". It was a decently sized shop, about the size of a house, but more purposely designed for the shops needs.

They entered the shop and were greeted by a burly, bald man with a beard. "Hey there! Welcome to my shop!"

The walls were lined with an array of weapons. From daggers to long swords, spears and maces, and a bunch of shields and armour on stands.

"Hello John!" Lily waved.

"Lily! Nice to see ya again! How's Dale liking the repairs I made on his sword?" John asked her.

"Oh he's happy with it, he'd prefer to use his own sword than the ones the ones they give you from the armoury there." Lily said.

"Aye, I hear you. Anywho, did you bring me a new customer?" He asked, pointng at Kazuma.

"Yes! This is Kazuma. He's in need of a new weapon after he lost his previous one." Lily said as Kazuma just waved.

"Well pleased to meet ya! Name's John Smith! I run this fine shop here!"

'Are you for real?! John Smith?! That sounds like a name someone uses as a fake name!' Kazuma screamed internally.

"P-Pleased to meet you." Kazuma stuttered, trying not to laugh.

"So, what're you in the market for?"

"Like Lily said, I lost my last sword due to an incident, so I need a new one."

"I see, well I have many swords available, or if you'd like I can make one to order. It'll cost ya more but sometimes they can be more suitable to the user."

"How much would a custom short sword cost me?"

"A well done one will cost ya around eighty thousand eris."

Kazuma paled 'Eighty thousand! That's a majority of the money that I have on me... But I do need a reliable weapon...'

"I-I'll take that option then." Kazuma said as he rummaged through his satchel to take out the eris.

"Excellent! Now come around the back and we can discuss the specifications." John said as he opened the door to the back room.

They entered the backroom where it contained all the necessities for a smith. A forge to heat up metal, a large anvil for metal forming, a stone wheel for sharpening and a whole bunch of other advanced tools.

They spent several hours in the room, deciding on materials, pommel styles, colours and more. After they finally had a plan in mind, the two exited the store.

"That took quite some time." Lily said as she stretched.

"Yeah, it did. But at least now I'll soon have a sword again. Just have to wait a few days before it's ready." Kazuma said with a smile.

"Now then, how about we go visit the tailor?" Lily said.

"Wait! There was another place I wanted to check out, and it might be in this area." Kazuma quickly said.

"Oh? Where might that be?"

"Is there any sort of adventurers' guild here? I need another card after the guards took my adventurer's card and left it with my old party." Kazuma explained.

"Of course! That's a bit further down east so we should go there first!"

"Okay!"

The two walked down the path where a large building stood. It looked like a large house rather than the one back at Axel, but it was significantly tal. At the front was immediately a woman with long brown hair behind a counter with a quill and paper. On the upper floor the could see people sitting at tables being served food and drinks.

The two approached the counter which took the woman's attention from what she was doing.

"Hello! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild, how may I help you today?"

"I was wondering if I can make a new Adventurer Card? I lost mine a while back and I need it to update my skills."

"Understood. Just so you know, once you create this one, your old one will automatically be wiped of its information of you, meaning it will be a blank card again. You will still retain your skills, points, levels and stats. It's just simply a safety precaution that happens when more than one card is made for a person. Also it will cost you the same amount as the registration fee." The woman explained.

"Understood, I'm glad at least then, no one can tamper with my old card."

"Yes! Now then, let's get you a new card."

After a few moments, Kazuma got a new card created for him. He was glad to see that everything was as he remembered. If anything a few points in his stats went up a bit from the monsters he killed before.

Kazuma and Lily left the building while Kazuma was admiring his new card.

"I'm glad everything worked out well for you." Lily said with a laugh at how Kazuma was looking at his card.

"Me too!" He exclaimed.

"Now then, let's head to the tailor now!" Lily said as she dragged him off.

As the two headed down the southern section, the shops slowly transitioned from adventurer related stuff to goods for the everyday kind of life. Food, groceries, general shops, clothing, accessories.

There were many children running up and down the roads, housewives talking about and men at some bars drinking together.

Kazuma had to admit, because of his travels, he quite missed this kind of atmosphere. Where he wasn't on the run, worried that if he revealed his identity anywhere he would be arrested. Just enjoying a day out in the town with a friend.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Lily tapped him on the shoulder.

"We're here!"

"Oh, sorry, I've just been doing a lot of thinking."

"It's alright, but let's go inside."

"Right."

The two entered the shop where they saw the owner dealing with three other customers.

The owner had a darker blonde hair with eyes the same colour as her hair, wore glasses and had her hair tied up. Though she had dark bags under her eyes and her hair was slightly messy, indicating a lack of sleep.

The three customers she had were a male and two girls. The male having black hair and green eyes, wearing a green cape of sorts, and had a look that seemed very stern. The weird thing about him was the small shield on his arm, yet no other weapon was on him, despite one of the girls having a sword on her hip. The girl with the sword was a redhead with long hair, her eyes matching her hair. The smaller girl, who was currently hanging off the male's neck, seemed much younger than the two, even younger than Megumin, had golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and wore a blue dress that seemed to be brand new, perhaps the owner made it.

"I mean, sure, she looks cute..." The red head said pouting slightly.

"Doesn't she?!" The owner shouted, sliding behind them

"I did my very best to bring out every last bit of her angelic charm!" The owner said putting her hands on her hips, admiring her work.

'The hell did we just walk into?' Kazuma thought to himself as he watch the group.

Eventually the customers left, leaving the two with the owner.

"Oh, Welcome! Sorry about that. They requested a dress to be made for the young one and I couldn't help but go all out... Anyways, my name's Bonnie, how can I help you?"

"Right, I was wondering if you could repair this for me." Kazuma said, pulling out his mantle, showing the tear that had formed.

"Of course! Though that will have to wait, I worked myself ragged so I need some rest." Bonnie said, letting out a yawn.

"That's no problem, I'll come by in a few days to pick it up then."

"Thank you for understanding." Bonnie said, bowing.

They quickly discussed the cost before he paid her.

Kazuma and Lily exited the store to allow Bonnie to put out the closed sign.

They saw the sun was starting to go down, with the sky changing from blue to orange.

"It's gotten so late so fast, how about we grab some dinner before we go home?" Lily suggested.

"Sounds great!"

The two went to a nearby restraint that had seats on the roof, which the two opted for.

Kazuma had ordered some fried frog legs and fried potatoes, while Lily ordered for a pork stew with some bread on the side.

As the two waited for they food, Lily decided to strike up a conversation.

"Hey Kazuma?"

"Hmm? Yes, what is it?"

"Can you tell me more about your party, back in Axel?" Lily asked, which got Kazuma to smile a bit.

"Well, where do I start? First, there's Aqua, the useless Arch-Priest. She's honestly the biggest troublemaker there is, constantly raising our debt and doing nothing but drinking and spending her skill points on party tricks like "Nature's Beauty".

Next there's Megumin, a one trick pony of an Arch-Wizard who can only use one spell before she runs herself completely empty of mana, forcing me to have to carry her.

And finally there's Darkness, the perverted masochist Crusader who can't hit anything worth a damn but has such a strong defence that it almost makes up for it."

"They sound like quite a group..." Lily was amazed to hear what kind of group Kazuma had to deal with.

"They were, but..." Kazuma looked off towards the sunset.

"They also had their good points.

Without Aqua, I wouldn't even be here, in fact she resurrected me twice now (technically one is a reincarnation but let's not deal with that), and with her strong holy power she was able to purify a Demon King General and even single handedly take down the Destroyer's barrier.

Megumin may only know one attack, but it's a damn powerful attack. She's weakened the same General that Aqua took down with it, and with the help of another Arch Wizard their explosion magic is what grounded the Destroyer, and it was her who was able to finish it off. Not to mention the daily explosions we would go on.

Lastly, Darkness may not be able to hit a damn thing, but her high defence has kept us safe in the past. Things that would most certainly knock us down or even kill us doesn't phase her. She held her own somewhat against the General, and was the bravest among all of us against the Destroyer, standing far ahead than the rest of us, even if she felt she had to do it out of pride or duty."

"Wow... They sound kinda amazing now."

"Yeah, we were quite the party. Sometimes the Adventurer's Guild would call us specifically for a job because despite our unorthodox methods, we get the job done."

There was a moment of silence before their food arrived.

The two ate, chatting a bit more about Kazuma's life in Axel, while also a bit of Lily herself

After the two had finished eating they left the restaurant and were making their way back to Lily's house.

"Hey, Kazuma?"

"Yes?"

"Do you miss your party?"

"Hmm... Honestly, I do." Kazuma said with a smile.

"May I ask why? Not to be rude or anything but they did ditch you when you were being arrested. Shouldn't you be absolutely furious?"

"Perhaps I should be mad. But... at the same time I can't. They're basically my family here in this world. The closest people I have. We've been through so much together it's hard. Though I am kinda mad about how they threw me under the bus. But at the same time, wouldn't you hesitate to help if you were told that trying to defend me would GUARANTEE that you would be arrested?"

"W-Well I guess..."

"And so would I. Perhaps they should've done more, and who knows, maybe they would've tried something if I had stayed, maybe not something very effective, but they would've tried." Kazuma said, smiling knowing exactly how they would try to save him only to fall slightly short.

"I see. I was just curious, but now I understand where you're coming from. And it sounds like you care quite a lot about your friends." Lily said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I do, though if I ever see them again I'm probably gonna smack them over their heads for leaving me hanging in the first place."

"Well hopefully you can see them again one day."

"Hopefully."


Welp, long chapter again.Also did anyone get the reference I threw in?