NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24
The young noble, Rey Castiano, descended upon the street stall, buying up everything in sight. The result was my first experience in business ending in a complete sellout, with nothing left to offer.
“It was the right decision to hide the books, just in case.”
Under the table at the front of the stall, hidden from view by a cloth, were the manga and other items I had set aside for Camille and Ryuca. It turns out that not displaying them was a fortunate choice.
However, everything else—the chocolates, sweets, trading cards, and everything else I had prepared—was bought up by that single boy, leaving the stall looking rather bare.
“And he even gave me these strange medals. What am I supposed to do with them?”
I flicked one of the medals, about the size of a 500-yen coin, with my thumb. The gold medal caught the sunlight and sparkled. Ray had handed it to me as he was leaving, along with a silver one of the same size.
“You can come to see me anytime with these. If you find the time, please do.”
Rey, looking quite satisfied with his purchases, handed me the medals before disappearing from Area 13, skipping all the other stalls. After he left, onlookers quickly gathered around my stall.
“Well, from the way everyone reacted, these medals must be something pretty significant…”
Since Rey had bought everything, there was nothing left to sell to the customers or fellow merchants who came by afterward. Still, everyone who visited the stall was visibly shocked when they saw the gold and silver medals I was holding.
When I tried asking about them, nobody would come near the medals, and those I asked would conspicuously change the subject. This made it clear that these were no ordinary items.
The gold medal was marked with a symbol resembling a set of scales, which I vaguely remembered as being the emblem on the flag of the Kingdom of Kainriese. Engraved along the edge of the medal was the name “Castiano.”
The silver medal bore a symbol that looked somewhat like an inverted force. I didn’t recognize this symbol, but since Rey had given it to me alongside the gold medal, I assumed it had a similar purpose.
“Ah! Everything’s sold out!?”
As I pondered the purpose of the two medals, a young woman’s voice pierced through the noise of the crowd.
“Camille? Ryuca? Welcome!”
“Welcome? Everything’s already gone!!”
Camille, who had hurried ahead of Ryuca to the stall, was scanning the now-empty shelves with a look of disbelief.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I saved the things I promised you.”
Camille seemed to have thought that I’d sold out of the next volume of *Yume Koi* as well, the one she was planning to buy today. Not wanting to tease her too much, I handed over the latest volume of the manga.
“Here you go, *Yume Koi* volume three.”
“Yay!”
Of course, I also made sure to let her know that I had Ryuca’s share ready as well.
As soon as the book exchange was done, the last of the items I had prepared for the stall were sold out. Since there was nothing left to sell, I decided to close the stall earlier than planned. Although the festivities were only going to get livelier as night approached, I didn’t see any reason to stay without anything to offer. So, I opted to explore the festival with Camille and Ryuca instead.
While I was packing up the stall, both Camille and Luca helped out. Unlike me, still new to setting up stalls, they were seasoned adventurers. They worked quickly and efficiently, breaking down the stall and sorting the materials by type, making the return process much easier.
It was during this process that Camille noticed the mysterious medals I’d been given. Her expression was one of surprise as she began to explain their significance to me.
“These are Promica Medals. They’re needed to enter restricted areas within towns or cities. Adventurers have similar items.”
Apparently, the Promica Medal is something like a permit in this world. In modern terms, it’s akin to a ticket or a license. Possessing one allows entry into areas that are normally off-limits.
“For adventurers, the guild issues them to access restricted dungeons. Of course, only those recognized by the guild can obtain one, since those dungeons are dangerous.”
As Camille spoke, she pulled out her own Promica Medal, issued by the Adventurer’s Guild.
Camille’s medal was much smaller than the ones I had. It was about the size of a coin and looked quite worn from use.
“This is a Promica Medal that allows you to challenge up to Rank II dungeons. Everyone in our brigade, except for Allen, probably has one.”
I didn’t know exactly how challenging a Rank II dungeon was, but it was clear that it was dangerous enough to require special permission.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder…
“So, what do these Promica Medals of mine permit me to do?”
“The gold Promica Medal has the Castiano family’s name engraved on it, so it probably grants access to the Central District. The silver one is from the academic district; it’s from the Einfabe Magic Academy.”
“I see.”
The gold Promica Medal had the name “Castiano” engraved on it, which made some sense. The silver Promica Medal, however, bore the emblem of a school within the capital’s academic district.
“By the way, didn’t you attend a school in the capital, Camille?”
“Yeah, I’m a mage, so of course I went there. The mark is different, but I also have a Promica Medal from the academic district, just like Allen. See?”
Camille pulled out another Promica Medal from her chest pocket.
This Promica Medal was almost identical in size and color to the silver medal I had received, differing only in the school crest it bore.
“With a Promica Medal from the academic district, you can enter the Northern District of the capital. You can also enter the school whose crest is on your medal, but not other schools, so be careful.”
“Got it.”
It seemed that holding the silver Promica Medal would allow me to freely enter the academic district in the northern part of the capital. Additionally, I could access the Einfibe Magic Academy, although I’d need different medals for other schools.
“That’s amazing, though. I only have one because I graduated from the academy, but most people don’t have either a gold or silver Promica Medal. Even some of the most influential people in the capital don’t have them.”
Camille looked at me in amazement as she asked how I had come into possession of these medals. When I explained that a customer had just handed them to me, she didn’t seem to believe me at all.
“Allen, when do you think the next volume of *Yume Koi* will be ready?”
While Camille and I discussed the Promica Medals, Ryuca had finished his work and was already engrossed in reading the latest volume of *Yume Koi* that he had just bought.