I Have a Task Log

In times of war, Thousand Masts City’s navy falls under the command of the Navy Governor, while the city’s standing forces—the City Watchers and the nobles’ private soldiers—are assembled into an army commanded by the wartime posts of the "Hand of the City Lord" and the "Eye of the City Lord."

So, if a full-scale war were to break out, Thousand Masts City would have three generals.

A triumph parade is an award for these generals. Only those who achieve a great victory are granted such a reward, and it is the highest military honor in Thousand Masts City.

In truth, this system was modeled after the Ancient Empire of Ora Kaim. That empire was fond of holding such triumph parades.

Colin asked curiously, "Whose triumph parade is it?"

"It’s for our Navy Governor, Laine Deville."

"Alright, if we have time, we’ll go check it out," Colin said.

The group then ate and chatted at the counter. After they finished, Colin and the others headed toward the dormitory where they were staying.

Perhaps because they were all headed to the same apartment building and didn’t have to part ways just yet, the atmosphere within the group was quite cheerful.

Also, perhaps because Old Black Heart had just mentioned it, Colin suddenly noticed many pedestrians on the streets discussing the triumph parade. It seemed that many citizens in Thousand Masts City were looking forward to it.

Colin had actually heard of the Navy Governor, Laine, before.

Back then, however, he hadn’t paid it much mind. He’d been too busy worrying about making a living to care about such things.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked to the intersection.

Just then, Dorn pointed to the main road leading out of the city. "I have to head back. You guys go on ahead."

"Alright, see you."

"So, Colin, how many days off are we getting? I’m itching to go for a drink, anyway. The beer they have over in the Elven lands is terrible."

Just as Colin finished speaking, Kase’s voice came from the other side, pulling him into a new conversation.

"Really? I think it all tastes pretty much the same."

After replying, Colin glanced back on a strange impulse.

Dorn’s short, broad figure moved through the crowd, bathed in the flickering orange glow of the streetlights. Because of his appearance, most passersby instinctively made way for the Dwarf.

In a way, the Dwarf didn’t quite belong in Thousand Masts City either.

"Pretty much the same? That beer tastes like grass."

Kase’s voice piped up again, pulling Colin’s attention back to the group.

The group entered the small courtyard of their apartment building and went to their respective rooms.

Perhaps from being inactive for so long, Colin felt a little tired after walking so much. He didn’t bother with anything else and went straight to the bathroom, intending to shower and go to bed.

After a refreshing shower, Colin stood silently before the mirror, examining his physique.

His once sallow, scrawny frame had grown taller. His atrophied muscles were now full, strong, and well-coordinated. Like a rock climber’s, no single muscle group was overly exaggerated, giving him a balanced and graceful build.

’I must be almost six feet tall now.’

Colin slowly toweled himself dry.

After his recent adventures, both his Constitution and Strength Attributes had reached about fifteen. He didn’t know how many times stronger that made him than an ordinary person, but it was certainly far beyond normal.

Once dry, Colin stretched and flopped onto the soft bed, quickly drifting off to sleep.

-----------------

「The next morning.」

After washing up, Colin went downstairs to pick up his free breakfast and newspaper. He began to eat leisurely while reading the morning paper.

The front-page headline was about the triumph parade. The paper detailed the planned route, the number of participants, and other such information.

Colin glanced at it briefly before moving on to the second story.

[DRAGON SLAYER WARRIORS SIGHTED IN SILVER STAR COURT—A FOREIGNER SQUAD!]

Below the headline was a crude, black-and-white sketch of Colin, Kase, and the others standing together. Their faces were basically unrecognizable in the drawing; only their general features were discernible.

He couldn’t tell if it was intentional, but the artwork seemed to deliberately emphasize the fact that Kase and the others were from Alien Races.

Colin quickly scanned the article.

The description of events was mostly accurate, though it omitted the part where he and the others had gotten separated. It only said they had been providing cover from the periphery while Colin took down the Evil Dragon by himself.

The rest of the content was about various political speeches and rallies.

After all, the previous City Lord of Thousand Masts City had passed away, making this a critical period for the election. Politicians of all stripes were giving speeches across the city to present their ideas and policies.

In truth, the new City Lord would be chosen by the Masked Lords. However, if their decision went against the will of the common people, it could cause problems. He figured the speeches were a way for candidates to pressure their political rivals and the Masked Lords themselves.

Colin continued reading and, just as he expected, saw the name of Navy Governor Laine Deville.

It made perfect sense.

As the Navy Governor, his prestige would be at its peak upon his triumphant return from a great victory. It just so happened to coincide with the critical time for selecting a new City Lord...

’Sometimes fate just seems to smile on certain people,’ Colin thought.

Still, he was curious why Laine didn’t just back a proxy candidate in the election, as other prominent noble families did.

He read on, quickly finishing the paper.

Colin took a sip of goat’s milk, and a familiar name he had just seen in the paper suddenly came to mind.

He set his cup down with a CLATTER and flipped through the paper again, searching for that familiar name: Percival Aragonda.

’Isn’t that the fat man from Silver Star Court?’

Colin silently lowered the paper and sat back in his chair.

’So, he plans to compete for the position of City Lord, too? Then does that mean Asvir and his group...’

Too many thoughts flooded his mind at once for him to sort through.

In the end, he decided to put it out of his mind for now. There was no point in overthinking it.

After another glance at the newspaper on the table, Colin donned his Armor and opened his door. At that exact moment, Ale emerged from the room opposite his.

"Where are you off to today, Colin?" the Half-Elf asked.

"First, I’m going to the Dock District for some meat wraps, then to the library to read. This afternoon, I’ll look for Donkexes and see if I can learn some Low-tier Magic, like Feather Fall," Colin answered honestly.

"Reading is good." Ale nodded and fell into step behind him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

’I guess I really am back to an ordinary life,’ Colin thought.

The two of them then headed toward the wrap stand in the Dock District.

As they reached the street corner, they could see several Plate Armor Knights in full plate, holding Great Swords, standing in front of the wrap stand from a distance.

Although many Dock District citizens were still there for meat wraps, the crowd wasn’t as confident as those in other parts of the city. Most people seemed timid and hesitant.

Just as Colin was about to get in the back of the line, he heard Albert’s voice. "Hey, Colin! You here for a meat wrap, too?"