kscans

Chapter 156 - A Request from the Thieves' Guild

Hayato contacted Relic.

Relic was currently organizing documents at the Butler Guild and apologized to Hayato repeatedly, saying he would be there in a little while.

Relic had helped Hayato countless times. Hayato told him there was no problem and to take his time, then decided to entertain Sonia.

He didn't know the details of their relationship. From what he had heard before, she was his former partner. In other words, from when Relic was a thief. It was probably a backstory within the virtual reality, but even if it was just a backstory, they were undoubtedly friends.

"Is coffee alright to drink? I have a variety of other things as well."

"Ah, I'll have coffee. I've heard from Relic that it's delicious."

If this were the real world, those would be very pleasing words, but this was a virtual reality. Everything was determined by the quality of the item, and the gap between this and reality was quite saddening.

Still, hospitality was hospitality. Vowing to himself that he would work hard to be told the same in reality one day, he served the coffee.

Sonia drank the coffee she was served. After one sip, she immediately smiled.

"I see. This is delicious. It's no wonder the picky Relic said it was good. The tea and coffee my youngsters serve him just make him look sour."

"Thank you... Your youngsters?"

"The members of the Thieves' Guild. Relic sometimes comes over to play chess. Ah, speaking of which, I'm sorry about before."

"Um...?"

"My youngsters came here to harass you, didn't they? After that, Relic came to the guild. He was smiling, but he was seriously mad. Well, since it was a clan Relic was on good terms with, we pulled back immediately, so Relic saved my face and backed down too."

"Ah, something like that did happen, didn't it."

During the Clan War, a clan called the "Blood Knights" had hired NPCs from the Thieves' Guild to harass this base.

Many members of the Thieves' Guild had been loitering around, but as soon as they found out Relic was on good terms with the clan at this base, they abandoned their job and left.

At the time, he had been surprised at just how much influence Relic had, but Hayato remembered that it all made sense when he heard the Guild Master was his former partner.

"I'm sorry about that time. You must have been in the middle of a job."

Sonia froze at Hayato's words. She looked surprised, but then her shoulders began to shake as if she were trying to hold back laughter.

"I'm the one who's apologizing. Why are you apologizing?"

"Well, the Thieves' Guild was on a job, after all."

In the first place, they hadn't suffered any significant damage from the Thieves' Guild. And the members had had a kind of endearing back-and-forth. The one at fault was Gardel, the leader of the "Blood Knights." The members of the Thieves' Guild were just doing a job. He didn't hate them or resent them.

In fact, he still felt anger when he remembered the harassment carried out by the clans under the "Blood Knights" after that.

"You're interesting. No wonder Relic likes you."

"Uh, you think so?"

"I do. Basically, Relic doesn't hang out with anyone. I've known him for a long time, but we've only worked together a few times. He calls me his partner, but it's more of an obligation."

"But Relic-san was in the Hero's clan before, right? And now he's at the Butler Guild. I don't think you can say he doesn't hang out with people."

"That's true. It feels strange knowing the younger Relic, but he must have changed his way of thinking as he got older. Still, he wouldn't hang out with anyone unless he took a liking to them for some reason."

Hayato thought, I suppose that's how it is, but then a slight sense of dissonance crept in.

(Relic-san's younger days...?)

He had heard from Esha that Relic was over seventy. And Sonia, who was right in front of him, while her exact age was unknown, looked to be in her early thirties from Hayato's perspective. Judging by the firmness of her skin, he could even believe she was in her late twenties.

Although this was a virtual reality, basic appearances were all reflected realistically. Scars and such were also reflected, and there was no difference whether one was an NPC or not.

Due to these circumstances, he found it strange that Sonia, who probably hadn't lived even half as long as Relic, would know about Relic's past.

If they had a relationship in the real world and she had learned about the old Relic through some means, then the story would be simple. Or if she simply said it was part of the game's lore, that would be the end of it, but the sense of dissonance Hayato felt towards the Sonia in front of him grew too large to ignore.

It was just curiosity, but Hayato decided to try and confirm it.

"Um, Sonia-san. Excuse my rudeness, but you don't look old enough to know about Relic-san's younger days...?"

"Oh my, you say the nicest things. But, despite my appearance, I'm in my late sixties. I've lived nearly three times as long as you, Hayato."

"Late sixties...?"

Hayato couldn't understand what Sonia was saying. The next moment, he thought she must be joking, but although Sonia's face was smiling, it wasn't the face of someone telling a joke.

"No, no, half of sixty would be about right... You're joking, right?"

As Hayato asked this, the door leading from the dining hall to the outside opened.

Relic was standing in the open doorway.

"Hayato-sama. Thank you for waiting."

"Ah, Relic-san, sorry to bother you while you were working at the guild."

"No, the apology should come from me. I am truly sorry to have troubled you with a private matter, Hayato-sama."

Relic bowed his head politely to Hayato, then sent a sharp glance towards Sonia, who was still sitting in her chair, smirking.

"Sonia, I told you not to contact the members of this clan."

"I know it's bad, but this is an urgent matter. Besides, it's your fault for muting my voice chats."

"...Understood. Then let's move somewhere else."

Relic urged Sonia to go outside.

However, Sonia placed her right hand on her chin and looked at Hayato with a contemplative expression, saying "Hmm."

"Hey, Hayato. Would you mind listening in on what I'm about to say?"

"Eh?"

"What are you saying. Do not involve Hayato-sama in the affairs of the Thieves' Guild."

"Oh, come on. Besides, this requires production skills. Whether he actually helps or not is another matter, but I'd like him to at least hear me out, you know? I originally wanted you to find someone who could do this, Relic, but I've taken a liking to Hayato myself, and I'd like to ask him if possible."

Hayato was interested.

He was drawn in by the reason that production skills would be necessary.

"No, get out now. If you want to talk, we'll do it at the Thieves' Guild."

"Relic-san, if you don't mind, could I hear the story as well? I'd like to know for what reason production skills are needed."

"No, but... Hayato-sama, it may not be my place to say this, but the Thieves' Guild does not have a good reputation. Being associated with them could lead to others looking at you coldly."

"Don't worry. The Thieves' Guild is planning to work hard to become a proper guild from now on. That said, right now we only have a bad image, so we want your help to shake it off. Of course, we'll pay you for your trouble."

Relic furrowed his brow and hesitated for a long time, but then he nodded.

"I'm telling you, I won't let you do anything dangerous to Hayato-sama or the clan members."

"I said it requires production skills, didn't I? There's nothing dangerous about it."

Since this was a virtual reality, there was no real danger, but it was purely heartwarming to be worried about.

Hayato prompted Relic to take a seat, then made a fresh cup of coffee and placed it in front of him. He also placed a new cup of coffee in front of Sonia.

He missed his chance to ask about Sonia's age, but he decided to switch gears and ask Relic later. First, he prepared himself to listen intently to Sonia's story.

Sonia took a sip of her coffee, then glanced at Hayato and Relic in turn.

"I have two things to ask of you. First, I want you to make some practice treasure chests for my guild members to raise their thief skills. Thanks to the event, the number of people hiring my members or bringing in chests has increased. That said, my youngsters are still lacking in skill. This is our chance to make some money, so I want to improve their skills even just a little."

Hayato thought, I see.

The skill increase check for Lockpicking and Trap Disarm occurs when opening a treasure chest. But searching for chests with an Ancient Scroll or salvaging them was difficult and dangerous.

That's where treasure chests made with production skills came in handy. Chests could be made with Woodworking or Blacksmithing skills depending on the material. And it was possible to add locks and traps to those chests with the Crafting skill. Disarming them would raise one's skill level.

"That much is no problem. I will expect compensation, of course."

"Ah, of course. I'd like you to handle the procurement of materials as well, so could you add that to the bill?"

"Understood. And the other thing is?"

"This."

Sonia spread a single sheet of paper on the table. It looked like some kind of blueprint.

"Is this... a blueprint for a ship?"

"You can tell, I see? But you know, it's not just any ship. Could you take a closer look?"

At her words, Hayato and Relic looked at the blueprint again.

Relic seemed to have noticed something, his face a picture of surprise.

"You, where did you get something like this..."

"Hey now, it's a rule not to talk about the source of a treasure, right? That said, it's not an illegal item. This is something I found in some ruins a long time ago. When I thought of Treasure Hunting, I remembered this and pulled it out. What do you think? Worth building, isn't it?"

"No, but... you can't possibly be telling Hayato-sama to build this? You, you planned to involve Hayato-sama from the very beginning, didn't you..."

Relic and Sonia were talking about various things, but Hayato still didn't understand what was so amazing about this. To his eyes, it looked like nothing more than a blueprint for a large ship.

(What are they so surprised about? It's not just a blueprint for a large ship...? Huh?)

Looking at a part of the blueprint, Hayato rubbed his eyes. Then he looked again.

Written there was "Airship Angra Mainyu."