39 - Clara Bloomer
"...I see. That sounds like it was quite difficult."
I was alone with Clara in a room in the library.
Perhaps because it was a secluded room, few people visited.
Part of it was likely because the books kept here were for children, and children themselves didn't come to the library very often, making it unpopular.
As expected of a city called the academic city, Alamsars had plenty of books for sale. Picture books were among the easier categories to obtain.
After coming to this room and finishing dozens of picture books, I tried talking to Clara.
I told her about living in an acquaintance's mansion, the frequent troubles, and how I'd ended up fighting with one of my companions.
One reason I came to the room with the picture books was because Clara was there. At the same time, I was curious about picture books I had never read.
There were some that caught my interest, and some stories I already knew.
I reached for the pile of picture books stacked on the desk.
I continued the conversation while reading.
"That's how it is. Aria was the one who laughed out loud first, but somehow it flowed into me being the bad guy... and our coordination has gotten worse than before, too."
As I complained while reading, Clara answered me in the same manner, reading a book herself.
"From what I hear, could it be that the other person is conscious of you? I have no experience with romance, but I know there are similar cases in books like that."
"Aren't books and reality different?"
"Some are written based on facts, and more than anything, from what I hear, it doesn't seem like you're hated? If they truly hated you, they would take an overtly unpleasant attitude. They would treat you as if you weren't there, or act as if you were physically repulsive. That's what the books said."
I felt she relied far too much on book knowledge, but since I couldn't really talk, I decided to accept it.
"Maybe it was before I came to Alamsars? Around then, I stopped being able to grasp the sense of distance. I was treated like this before, but lately, she gets angry immediately."
I put down the book I'd finished and picked up the next one.
"...Could there have been a trigger? Did you do anything to attract the other person's attention?"
"Nothing in particular..."
While I was struggling to remember, a voice mixed with a sigh echoed from the Jewel Orb.
The Fourth Generation spoke a single sentence.
'The moon is shining, he said.'
Being told that, I remembered. Come to think of it, Aria was acting a bit strange back then.
"...The moon is shining. I did say that. A beautiful moon had come out. When I muttered that after seeing it, Aria's behavior became strange."
Then, Clara looked at me with sleepy eyes.
Noticing her gaze, I looked back at Clara.
"What?"
Clara glanced once at the picture book I was reading, then looked back at my face.
"...There is a bias in the books you are reading. Have you ever read any romance novels?"
I tried to recall after being asked, but I had no memory of reading any.
When I was at the mansion, I think I read adventure novels for children.
They were books about adventurers rising in status, or heroes facing powerful enemies. All of them ended with a happy ending with a princess or a lover.
Romance wasn't the main focus.
"I don't think so. Well, I'm a guy, so those things are hard to reach for."
The one who agreed with my words was the Third Generation.
'Ah~, I kind of get it. There are people who say it's weird for guys to read that stuff. Personally, I wanted to read all kinds of books so I ignored them. I see, Riel had that kind of consciousness too... but surprisingly many people read them.'
Many, huh...
Just as I was thinking that maybe it was okay for men to read them, Clara spoke.
"Among the romance novels that have existed since long ago, there is one that compares the moon to a woman. The end of that story... it would be rude to tell you the conclusion. I will tell you the title, so please read it."
"Eh? Now that you've said that much, I'm curious... if it's an old book, is it a bit hard to read?"
"No. There are versions rewritten in a modern style, so they are easy to read. Or rather, it's a title that most girls have read."
Hearing that, I remembered something the Fourth Generation had said before. He had shouted something like 'This guy actually did it!'—could it have been about this?
Which means, the Fourth Generation also read romance novels?
I imagined the Fourth Generation—who wore glasses, was fussy about money, and acted as the coordinator for the ancestors—reading romance novels.
( ...It doesn't quite suit him, or rather, it's funny.)
However, considering his attitude toward women, it didn't seem strange that he would be knowledgeable about such things.
"...Did I confess?"
When I muttered, Clara returned her gaze to her book.
"You did."
"I did, huh..."
Clara and I continued reading our books.
Internally, I was desperately thinking about how to interact with Aria from now on, and the content of the book wouldn't enter my head.
The Seventh Generation spoke.
'What kind of conversation are you having in the picture book corner, Riel...'
After leaving the library, I decided to take a peek at the academy famous in the academic city.
The academy, which could be called the center of the city, attracted many young people from elsewhere.
To acquire knowledge, to acquire skills, for research...
The difference from other cities was likely the emphasis placed on learning. Normally, territorial management wouldn't go well, but because there were many students, money flowed in from the outside.
The academic city survived by generating enormous profits from research results.
Though it seemed that research costs also required enormous expenses.
Since I wasn't a student of the academy, I could only peek from the outside, but I was slightly surprised when I saw the buildings.
In a city that felt miscellaneous, only the academy was built with a strong emphasis on style.
I could see young men and women in uniforms chatting and reading books.
"So this is the academy... it's different from what I thought."
Since it was just for learning, I had imagined a narrower place. Because based on the atmosphere of the city, I thought it would only pursue functionality.
A similar opinion echoed from the Jewel Orb.
The Second Generation—
'It's more splendid than the mansion I lived in, hey!'
The Third Generation too.
'I predicted the scale based on what I heard, but it's beyond my imagination. Or rather, I feel like they place a huge importance on the academy. The atmosphere here alone is different.'
The Fourth Generation's opinion was different from the others.
'Just how much did they spend to build this? I feel like it's a waste.'
The Fifth Generation said.
'Education is certainly important. Or rather, since that's the main focus of the academic city, I suppose they can spend this much money... what is the current state of the Vice territory?'
The Sixth Generation remembered his own era.
'The scale grew larger than in the Fifth Generation's time, but something of this level is truly...'
The Seventh Generation spoke last—
'There is no point in competing with the academic city. If those who had learned to a certain extent had the ambition, it was common to aim for this place.'
It seemed my ancestors also placed a fair amount of importance on education.
However, the degree of it in the academic city was different.
(Come to think of it, I don't know much about the Vice territory.)
I knew the scale from the numbers I saw in documents.
However, despite it being my birthplace, I knew far too little about the Vice territory.
Part of it was being in a state of house arrest, but because I dashed out immediately after being kicked out, thinking back now, I feel I did something a bit wasteful.
(I wanted to show the current Vice territory to the First Generation too.)
I gained a small opportunity to know with what feelings my ancestors had grown it.
That felt like a very precious experience.
As I was vaguely looking at the academy, an acquaintance appeared from the gate.
Girls wearing the same uniforms were walking with Miranda-san at the center.
"Isn't that Riel? What's up?"
Then, the two girls walking with her looked at me and spoke.
"Miranda's acquaintance? Could it be her boyfriend?"
"Lucky~"
Miranda-san hurriedly denied it.
"No, he's someone who lives in the mansion together, and he's an acquaintance of a friend!"
Then, hearing the part about living together, her friends began to make a fuss.
While thinking that Miranda-san had it rough, I called out.
"I thought I'd try looking at the academy today. I guess it's sightseeing of the academic city."
When I said that, Miranda-san looked a bit exhausted.
She was probably tired from persuading her friends.
"Is that so? I wonder if it's a good place for sightseeing... but certainly, many people do come to see it."
As expected, the academy must be a rarity for people visiting the academic city.
(Given this scale, for my part, I think it's good that people come to see it.)
Miranda-san asked about my plans.
"Right. Riel, are you free after this?"
"...I'm free. Basically, today is a holiday."
After performing work, I always plan to rest. Even if a sudden "growth" begins for someone, which is scary, there is physical fatigue and equipment maintenance.
The scariest thing is when someone has grown and is in high spirits.
In those times, there is a tendency to overdo it.
(Well, I don't grow that frequently, though.)
As I complained in my heart, Miranda-san looked up at me.
"Then, I have a small favor, would that be alright?"
"A favor? Well, if it's a request from the landlord, then within the range of what I can grant."
I emphasized the part about "landlord" so that Miranda-san's friends nearby wouldn't misunderstand.
"Really? Great! Actually, I want to go to the guild, but that place is scary. So, could you come with me?"
"To the guild? Are you going to put out a request or something?"
When ordinary people go to the guild, it's mostly to put out requests. Rarely, they go to buy monster materials.
"I'm for a request, but these girls are for buying materials. They're registered as adventurers, for now. Academy students often complete requests using knowledge or skills."
I suppose that's a feeling unique to the academic city.
"Then, aren't you used to the guild?"
"How cold. We don't go as frequently as Riel and the others. Some girls only go when they want money, or to gather materials for an assignment. They register as adventurers when they enter the academy, and some people who aren't involved just go to the guild to have their registration deleted."
It depends on the person, I suppose.
Certainly, with only girls, the atmosphere of the guild might be anxiety-inducing.
(But the appearance and manners here are relatively good.)
Perhaps because it's the academic city, there were few rough-looking adventurers.
Not that there were none at all.
"I understand. I'll go with you."
"Yes! Thank you~"
Miranda-san clung to my arm and thanked me.
While wishing someone would do something about the two friends who were smirking while watching, I guided the three of them to the guild.
Upon arriving at the guild, Miranda-san, who had to go through procedures to put out a request, finished her business first.
The two friends who came to buy monster materials seemed to intend to leave the luggage-carrying to me after that.
I thought I'd made a slight mistake, but I felt it would be bad to refuse and disrupt Miranda-san's friendships, so I intended to accept.
(Well, I can just think of it as part of the rent.)
When I headed to the second floor of the guild for the procedures, Clara was there.
"Isn't that Clara. We meet often. Is it adventurer work this time?"
When I called out, Clara looked toward me.
"Yes, I heard an interesting request was posted... it seems you are a related party, Riel-san."
Being called a related party, I tilted my head.
While I was unable to understand, Miranda-san headed toward the reception.
The surrounding adventurers were watching that sight.
Miranda-san was certainly a striking beauty, but those casting glances weren't just men, but women as well.
I listened to the whispers of the surrounding adventurers.
"What kind of request is it this time?"
"If it's a request from one of the Seven Sages, the reward must be good, but..."
"It's best not to get involved. We have to be careful."
"I heard recently that he finds it bothersome to come to the guild himself and uses students as proxies, and it seems that's true."
"No matter how good the reward is, it's always requests that aren't worth the effort."
As a result of synthesizing the surrounding gazes and words—it seemed Miranda-san had come to the guild to apply for a request from one of the Seven Sages, Damian Barre.
The reception staff was flustered, as if their usual composure were a lie.
The Second Generation spoke.
'It becomes a rumor before the request is even posted? I wonder what kind of guy that pervert is.'
(A person I don't really want to think about, or rather, a person I don't want to be involved with, is an acquaintance of Miranda-san. I see, that's why she was so knowledgeable.)
I had heard the rumors about Damian from Miranda-san.
Since he was an academy professor and Miranda-san was a student, it wouldn't be strange for them to have a connection.
I finally understood what Clara meant by "related party."
And the "interesting request" was likely Damian Barre's request.
Clara spoke to me.
"Requests from the Seven Sages, for better or worse, affect other requests. Because large sums of money move, adventurers fight over requests, or even obstruct each other. I came to check so that I wouldn't get involved in requests that seem likely to have such effects."
"They even go as far as obstruction?"
"Not just obstruction, but various things. ...For example, if they are requested to transport a precious item, the adventurer who accepts it becomes known because the requester is famous. If there are bad people, there have been cases in the past where they targeted those people and stole the item. They are famous, for better or worse."
At times, it seemed there were cases where a request was put out for a large amount of monster materials, and adventurers who unknowingly possessed those materials were attacked.
It was a nuisance.
For Clara, who worked as an adventurer alone, this was likely part of her information gathering.
As this was happening, a staff member walked over to post the request sheet on the bulletin board.
(I wonder if it's a nuisance for the guild too when trouble arises.)
Looking at the staff member's reluctant face, I thought such a thing.
Clara explained to me, who wasn't familiar with Alamsars.
"The academy's power is stronger than the guild's here, so the guild cannot refuse even if they know trouble will occur. Since it's the adventurers who suffer, they gather information like this to avoid crises."
I thought she lived in her own world, but it seemed she was reasonably shrewd in order to survive.
(Well, I guess you can't get by alone if you aren't.)
As adventurers swarmed the posted request, I confirmed the contents of the request from Miranda-san, who had approached me.
Clara, perhaps thinking it would be faster to hear it from Miranda-san than to look at the request sheet, stayed by my side.
"It seems to be a very popular request."
When I spoke sarcastically, Miranda-san gave a wry smile.
"He intends to put out the request seriously. But, as expected, given the content, right? More importantly, how did you know I was putting out the professor's request as a proxy?"
To the puzzled Miranda-san, Clara said.
"There are those who act as adventurers while being students, so information likely leaked from there. You apply for a budget from the academy to put out a request, right? It spread among the adventurers during that time."
"Clara-san? You're surprisingly on good terms."
As Miranda-san looked at me and smirked, I cleared my throat and asked about the request contents.
The contents were as follows.
—Requesting materials from the boss of the fortieth underground floor in the labyrinth managed by the academic city—
—Period— one month—
—Reward— one thousand gold coins, or an equivalent item—
—Permission to challenge the labyrinth is granted only when accepting this request—
"...One thousand gold coins is impressive."
Previously, even hearing one thousand gold coins, I didn't be surprised due to my position.
However, now that I was living as an adventurer, my values regarding money were changing slightly.
"As expected of one of the Seven Sages. I'm amazed the academy put together such a budget."
Miranda-san was also exasperated.
However, Clara had a slightly ambiguous expression.
The Fourth Generation said to me.
'Don't be fooled, Riel. This doesn't say they will pay one thousand gold coins. It says one thousand gold coins "or" an equivalent item. Look at the expressions of the other adventurers.'
When I checked as told, everyone had ambiguous faces.
'I bet they have no intention of paying one thousand gold coins for this request. Besides, the equivalent item isn't clearly written. It's full of suspicion.'
I confirmed with Clara.
"Speaking of the boss of the fortieth underground floor, what kind of thing is it?"
"...The lowest floor was confirmed five years ago. At that stage, it was said to be the fiftieth underground floor. In the Alamsars labyrinth, where bosses are placed every ten floors, the area where adventurers most often deal with monsters is around the twentieth underground floor. The structure is such that the labyrinth expands the deeper you go."
"In other words?"
"I think it's an extremely severe request. Many of the adventurers in Alamsars are excellent, but they prioritize efficiency. There are few who challenge deep places, unlike other guilds."
Aren't there adventurers who went to the lowest floor five years ago?
I thought so, but based on the current conversation, I could imagine various things if it was as long as five years ago.
(Either retirement, or they changed their home...)
It seemed it was as I imagined. Clara sensed my question and explained.
"The party that discovered the lowest floor has disbanded. They should be running a private school in this city now."
Hearing that, Miranda-san looked troubled.
"Eh, does that mean it's difficult to achieve? If so, the professor might be irritable for a while..."
I wonder if that's a student-like worry? Well, even if it has nothing to do with me, there was a point in the current conversation that caught my interest.
"An adventurer who reached the lowest floor is running a private school... do you know the location?"
"Ah, Riel is being cold!"
Since Miranda-san was pestering me, I avoided her and confirmed with Clara.
Clara nodded and took out a memo to write it down.
The Sixth Generation spoke from the Jewel Orb.
'An adventurer that excellent running a private school, huh... it's a good thing to be interested, Riel.'
It seemed I was praised.
After receiving the memo, I got some advice from Clara.
"Also, regarding the Seven Sages' request, it might be fine just to accept it."
"Just to accept it?"
"Yes. Because permission to challenge the labyrinth will be granted, adventurers who couldn't challenge it until now can enter just by accepting the request. I'm sure the labyrinth will become noisy."
Saying that, Clara left the guild.