Isekai Dungeon Architect

The public carriage rattled to a halt with a screech of metal on stone.

-Clank! Chreek!

I braced myself as the long wooden frame shuddered, its three massive draft horses snorting steam into the crisp morning air.

"Miiiiihehehe!"

The whole thing ran on steel tracks that laced through the city like veins, creaking and groaning as passengers climbed down in waves.

Not quite a train, not quite a carriage, this structure of magical engineering was more like someone smashed the two together and powered it with horse stamina instead of electricity.

"Efficient… ish," I muttered, hopping off the step onto the cobblestones. "But hey, at least I didn't have to sprint across half the city in heels."

The public transport of the city was amazing, so I sought the experience firsthand.

The plaza where the carriage dropped us was unlike the cozy residential district where my inn was. The air here felt brighter, heavier, buzzing with a kind of pressure that clung to the skin. And the view before me… was immaculate.

"Holy hell."

The Adventurer Association.

The building wasn't just large; it was monumental.

The white-stone fortress carved like a cathedral, its towers spearing the sky as if daring the dungeon at the center of the city to compete.

Sunlight glinted off polished marble, and banners hung proudly from the ramparts, each stitched with the sigil of Westford. Its design was halfway between castle and temple, with wide staircases leading to arched gates tall enough to let a dragon stroll in without ducking.

No civilian houses cluttered the surroundings. The wide plaza around the Association was bare of the usual chatter of families and children.

Instead, stalls hugged the periphery: lean-tos selling bundles of rope, chalk-dusted potions, whetstones, spare boots, even pre-packed rations that smelled suspiciously like jerky.

Not a glamorous shopping mall. More like "Oh crap, I forgot a torch" supermarket shopping.

"Last-minute Amazon," I smirked, weaving past a stall stacked with dungeon maps. "Convenient but overpriced."

The crowd here was different, too.

Leather, steel, and monster hide dominated the street, not linen and lace.

These weren't citizens— they were adventurers. Men, women, and beings with scarred faces, glowing weapons, and strange familiars padding at their heels. Their voices carried a strange rhythm: grim reports mixed with cocky boasts, tempered by exhaustion, friendly moans, and chatters of power couples.

This scenery was quite fun, so I looked around as I walked towards the main castle, but then I spotted her…

'My darling pretty girl.'

Riddle stood at the foot of the grand staircase, sunlight catching on her uniform. She looked… different.

Not in appearance— she still carried herself with the crisp posture of the city's guard captain— but there was no squad trailing her, no clipboard of duties clutched in her hand. Just her this time. Waiting just like she did last night.

And when her eyes found mine, her serious expression cracked for just a moment.

"Aria." She mouthed, a smile clinging to those lips.

I didn't walk up to her. I jogged.

"Reddy!"

As I jumped the last step between us, landing with the same reckless energy I always carried, I threw my hands up in mock ceremony. "Ta-da! Behold: your freshly scrubbed, properly dressed Otherworldly companion has arrived~!"

Her lips parted, her composure faltered, and just like last night, her heartbeat betrayed her before she could hide it.

"You…" She sighed, cheeks coloring faintly. "You're just incorrigible."

"And you're blushing again." I grinned again, leaning in just enough to make her fluster worse. "Seriously, Captain, if you keep reacting like this, people will think we're—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she hissed, but her ears were red, and that was victory enough for me.

A few adventurers passing by chuckled. One elderly Lady even called out, "Careful, Captain, she'll steal you away," which only deepened her flush.

I smirked at her again. The Aura farming was successful.

We lingered at the base of the white stairs, the Association looming above us like a fortress that had eaten too much marble for breakfast. I tilted my head toward the massive gates just to gauge their actual scale.

'Walls layered for strength like firewalls, each column a pillar of support systems, the symmetry so captivating it was burning in my iris.'

The place was a marvel on its own.

"So… the Guard Captain herself takes a day off just to guide me around?" My eyes were being strained just looking at this building, so I pulled them away and looked beside me once again. "What a scandal. Won't your admirers riot?"

Riddle exhaled through her nose, half amusement, half exasperation. I know I was being too forward, but hey, it's not like I'm being roundabout about my interest in her.

"Let them." She suggested with a look of confidence, guiding my attention to what we had before us. "The Association is not a place you can just walk into unprepared. If guiding you prevents… an incident, then it's worth my leave."

"Aww," I clutched my chest dramatically. "Sacrificing PTO for me? I'm honored."

She gave me a look that could have cut stone, but the corner of her lips twitched. Just a little.

Most of my terminologies went above her head, but she had already adapted to these weird things I say, probably taking them as a cultural difference we had between us.

"Come," she asked instead, motioning toward the gate. "Let's not waste time."

I nodded, now seriously, as we climbed the stairs together, and with each step the sounds of the plaza faded: the hawkers yelling about half-price rations, the clatter of weapons being repaired, the grumble of carriages leaving the tracks.

All that noise dimmed until only the quiet hum of magic pressed in from the gates themselves.

The doors of the Adventurer Association loomed above us, their white stone surface carved with scenes of monsters and heroes locked in eternal battle.

A griffon's wings spread across the archway, while below, tiny runes glowed faintly— wards to repel violence within the hall, according to Reddy.

Even I felt like walking into an office with badge scanners that doubled as lie detectors.

I touched the nearest carving, half-expecting it to start glowing. "So… this is it. The firewall to the association's security system." There was no unexpected reaction, thankfully.

But Riddle immediately gave me a sharp glance. "Firewall? The spell?"

"Just a… metaphor." I waved it off. "Means no one's supposed to break the rules inside."

Her lips quivered at that. "Correct."

We stepped inside… And holy. Actual. Crap!

"The party quests are posted on that side."

"The prices of the red rank cores have been going down recently. What's happening?"

"Please don't crowd the area in front of the receptions!"

"And that's how we cleared the floor. Amazing, isn't it?"

-Shrrrrrr…

It was like stepping into a different world altogether.