kscans

Chapter 160 - A Request from the Guild

The next day, we woke up at the inn and finished a breakfast of bread and soup.

After we left, Bardos stretched. "Alright, business is done. Headin’ back to the city?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied wearily. "We don’t have anything urgent to do, but we should probably stop by the Guild. They’ve been asking us to show our faces."

Ever since I became A-rank, I’d been getting nagged by both guilds. ‘If you’re in town, please come to the Guild,’ they’d say. The reason was that they needed to keep track of the whereabouts of an adventurer recognized by two different nations.

"That so?" Bardos said. "Well, guess we’ll go too, then."

Leona nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure?" Tina asked. "We wouldn’t want to interrupt your time together."

Leona responded to her teasing. "Even when it’s just me and Bardos, all we ever talk about is fighting. It’s probably better if we go together." She sounded a little exasperated.

I could practically see their daily life. We all headed for the Guild.

When we arrived, we saw the Guild Master from Alum and the elderly woman who was the Guild Master of the royal capital standing in front of the gate, deep in conversation.

We tried to slip inside without disturbing them, but the Alum Guild Master turned to us.

"Oh! Shinsuke! Perfect timing. I need to talk to you and Tina. Come to my office. Bardos and Leona, sorry, but could you two wait inside?"

He had a serious look on his face.

"I don’t mind," I said, "but why not Bardos and Leona? They’re A-rank too."

"Ah, well, you see…" he stammered. "It’s about the Empire."

"I understand," I said. "Sorry, Bardos, Leona. Let’s split up here for now."

Tina wore a similar expression.

The two of them exchanged a glance and nodded. Tina and I followed the two Guild Masters to the office.

The Guild Master’s office was simple, with two sofas and a long coffee table in the center. A large desk sat in the back, and a ten-monji yari was displayed on the wall.

It wasn’t overly decorated, but its simplicity was calming. The four of us sat on the sofas, facing each other.

After a moment of silence, the elderly Guild Master spoke. "Now then. We’ve called you here for a specific reason. A letter arrived for Her Majesty the Queen from the Empire. It seems a fierce battle is taking place at the border. For that reason, they are requesting the aid of Red Lightning."

"The border?" Tina asked. "There was no sign of anything like this when we were last there. Has something changed?"

"That’s the thing, we don’t really know," the Alum Guild Master chimed in. "The letter only said that monster activity has increased. I only found out about this myself this morning, when a Guild messenger came to the lord’s mansion. Since you two are from my Guild, I get looped in on anything involving you. I tried to ask for more details just now, but she doesn’t know anything either."

"Hmph. The old geezer talks big," the elderly Guild Master huffed. "Just because you had a few successes, you get invited to the coronation ceremony. What about my reputation?" She had a deep frown on her face.

"Like I care," the Alum Guild Master shot back. "I worked my tail off since I was young. That hard work got me this position, and I earned the royal family’s trust. Unlike you, who just sat back and rested on your laurels as the capital’s Guild Master." He smirked triumphantly.

"Hmph. You just got lucky," she retorted. "I was quite accomplished in the capital myself, I’ll have you know. And I rushed over to help with that mess at your branch, didn’t I? What would have happened if I hadn’t been there?"

"Hmph. Don’t act so high and mighty," he scoffed. "The result would have been the same whether you came or not, old hag. Besides, you didn’t even show up until it was almost over."

The old woman’s frown deepened. "What was that? It’s a fact that I came, whether it was almost over or not. And you were exhausted at the time, weren’t you? How dare you say the result would have been the same."

"So what if I was tired?" he countered. "It’s not like I was fighting alone."

The bickering had begun.

I probably should have waited for it to end, but I was concerned about the Empire.

"Could we please get back to the topic at hand?" I said, my voice laced with exasperation.

They both jumped, startled, and straightened their posture.

After a brief silence, the elderly Guild Master cleared her throat. "Ahem. Well, as I was saying, we’d like the two of you to go to the Empire. A ship has already been arranged. Once you’re ready, please head to the port. The crew knows who you are, so they’ll let you board immediately."

The order had been given.

"Understood," Tina said. "We’ll head there at once."

With that, we excused ourselves.

The two left behind would probably resume their argument, but I wanted no part in a fight between elders.

When we got down to the first floor, Leona approached us.

"How did it go?"

"There’s trouble in the Empire," Tina answered succinctly. "We’re leaving immediately."

"I see," Leona said. "I have a bad feeling about this, so I’d like to help, but…"

"It’s alright," Tina assured her. "This is our job. Considering your situation, Leona, we can’t ask you to come along."

It was true. Normally, A-rank adventurers couldn’t travel to other countries. But Tina and I were an exception.

"Then I have nothing more to say," Leona replied. "Be careful."

She returned to Bardos’s side.

We thought about saying goodbye to Bardos as well, but we didn’t know what to say. We decided to leave the rest to Leona and headed for the port.

Upon arriving, we went straight to the docks. We had some supplies stored at our base in the Empire. The only things we were bringing from here were the portable meals and field rations I’d bought on Earth.

A sailor saw us as we approached the ship.

"We’ve been expecting you. Please, come aboard."

He led us onto the vessel.

Once we were in our cabin, I said, "The Imperial border, huh? You think a Minotaur showed up?"

"It’s a possibility," Tina mused, "but Minotaurs don’t usually appear in the open. I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard they only show themselves when a stronger enemy appears. Of course, I have no idea how reliable that information is." She sounded uncertain.

So they were a relatively unknown quantity.

But that guy… Danmes, was it? He knew I was an otherworlder. He’d said he’d answer my questions if I won, but then he just retreated. Then again, he was pretty badly injured, so I guess that couldn’t be helped. But Sidoor was definitely involved. Was he involved this time, too? Maybe this battle would help me grasp that ‘something’ I’m missing.

Lost in thought, I stared out at the sea from the departing ship.

Meanwhile, in the Republic.

Lustolfo, the new king, was sorting through documents. Beside him, at her own desk, sat a woman with short blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in a blue lady’s suit. Her name was Melisa, Lustolfo’s wife and queen.

Three maids stood at attention before them.

"You there," Melisa said. "I’m thirsty. Please prepare some drinks and tea snacks. What will you have?"

"Ah, yes, I’ll have the same," Lustolfo replied.

Hearing this, two of the maids left the room.

"You," Lustolfo said to the remaining one. "Fetch me some books from the library. Here is the list."

He handed her the list of required books.

The maid curtsied and left the room.

Once they were alone, the queen let out a long sigh. "Ugh, this is so tiring. I absolutely hate this kind of work. You feel the same, don’t you, Lustolfo-sama?"

"I couldn’t agree more," Lustolfo replied, his formal tone gone. "And you’re just as the rumors said you were. When we first met three days ago, you were so serious, I thought, ‘Who is this person?’" He stretched his back as he spoke.

It was clear now that she had been playing the part of a serious and well-mannered woman, a far cry from the rumors about her.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Melisa pouted. "About three years ago, my father told me my marriage to a royal had been decided. I’d been living as I pleased until then. You’ve heard the reason, haven’t you?"

Lustolfo had indeed heard it from the previous king.

‘Melisa’s father is a friend of mine. Originally, his second daughter was supposed to become the queen, but she eloped with some adventurer. So it was hastily decided that Melisa would take her place.’

Lustolfo hadn’t known how to react when he heard that.

He’d discovered Melisa’s true personality on their wedding night, in the privacy of their bedchamber.

"Well, whatever," Lustolfo said. "We’re both at the top now, so let’s just get it done. By the way, about that letter from the Empire… what do you think?"

"It means something has changed," Melisa replied, her expression suddenly serious. "I heard a Minotaur and a Centaur went on a rampage a year ago. It’s possible the power dynamics among the monsters have shifted."

Lustolfo agreed. It wasn’t normal for monsters to become so active unless something major had happened. Things could get turbulent. When he was a prince, he would have been excited to go to the Empire and see what was happening, but now that he was king, he couldn’t just leave.

Melisa felt the same, but her position made it impossible.

The two of them began to consider how they should handle their future dealings with the Empire.