kscans

Chapter 297 - The Imperial Tamer

The dragon sitting obediently at the entrance of the base meant its master, the clown, was likely inside.

He didn't know why. In the first place, Hayato had no acquaintance with that clown. Maris had been furious, calling her a vicious tamer, but he had never heard what happened after that.

Hayato looked at Maris.

Her expression wasn't particularly angry, but she didn't seem pleased either.

"What kind of history do you have with that clown, Maris?"

"There’s no history between us. I just don’t like her way of thinking about pets, that’s all."

For the usually gentle and smiling Maris to say she disliked someone, it must be something significant.

"It looks like she’s in the base. What do you want to do, Maris? Will you come with me?"

"I will. I’m a member of ‘Daedalus’ too. If anyone should feel hesitant, it’s her."

He had to agree she was right, but he was a little worried about having someone she disliked so much in their base.

Perhaps his concern showed on his face, because Maris opened her mouth with her usual smile.

"Don’t worry. I won’t do anything like start a rampage in the base. I had a chance to talk with her a bit after that, and we just don’t see eye to eye. Besides, her dragon didn’t seem to dislike Surya, so I won’t be the one to pick a fight."

"Well, if you say so. Is Surya the clown’s name?"

"That’s right. She’s affiliated with the Imperial Capital’s Tamer Guild. Her full name is Surya White. She’s an ace-level tamer and a person who contributed greatly to dismantling the organization that was involved in illegal trafficking and poaching."

"Even though you called her a vicious tamer, she’s part of the Tamer Guild?"

"I called her a vicious tamer because I thought her treatment of her pets was cruel. When I heard her story later, I understood she had her reasons. But I still don’t like it!"

"Please don’t say that with a smile."

If she could say she disliked someone with a smile, maybe it would be alright. He headed to the base with her.

The dragon sitting so properly seemed to notice them, but it didn't do anything. Even sitting, its poised figure was reminiscent of a soldier.

They walked past it and entered the base.

As expected, Surya was in the dining hall. The maid, Rose, was attending to her.

She was dressed as a clown in blue and white, with short blue hair. The right half of her face was hidden by a clown mask, but she looked to be in her early twenties.

When Rose noticed Hayato and the others, she bowed her head.

"Welcome back, Hayato-sama. We have a visitor. She said she has something to discuss with you."

Surya bowed her head, then looked at Hayato.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Surya White. I’m affiliated with the Imperial Capital’s Tamer Guild, and I came to consult with Hayato-san… Maris?"

"It’s been a while. Do you have business with our clan?"

Surya’s eyes widened for a moment, but in the next instant, she said, "Ah."

"Right, I remember now. ‘Daedalus’ was the opponent we fought in the final match of the Clan War. I knew I’d heard the name somewhere, but so this was that clan?"

From her words, he gathered that she hadn't come because Maris was affiliated with the clan, or because they had fought in the Clan War. If that was the case, then it raised the question of why she was here.

"Nice to meet you. I’m the clan leader of ‘Daedalus,’ Hayato. Please, have a seat. Rose-san, sorry to bother you, but could you prepare some drinks?"

"As you wish."

Rose began the preparations with graceful movements.

In no time, drinks were placed before Hayato, Maris, Surya, and Siegfried. The three of them had coffee, but Siegfried only had a saucer of water.

Maris sat to Hayato’s left, and Surya sat across the table from him. Siegfried sat on the table, and Rose stood by, waiting behind Hayato’s right.

"Please."

"Thank you. I’ll have some."

At Hayato’s prompting, Surya brought the coffee cup to her lips. She smiled and said only, "It’s delicious."

It was just a small exchange, but Hayato thought Surya seemed like a decent person.

Given that she was an ace at the Tamer Guild, he had expected her to be more arrogant, but that wasn't the case.

Hayato smiled, ready to listen seriously.

"You said you came for a consultation. What might it be about?"

"About that. Maris, is it alright? For me to consult with Hayato-san."

"Me? Why?"

"Well, you know, you dislike me, don’t you, Maris?"

"I don’t dislike you. I just don’t like your way of thinking."

"Being told you’re disliked is still pretty hurtful. But I guess it’s mutual. Anyway, if you have a problem, just say so. Now then, Hayato-san, I actually have a favor to ask."

He listened, concerned about the delicate relationship between Maris and Surya.

The story was simple.

The Monster Sealing Encyclopedia created by the Tamer Guild. She wanted to borrow Hayato’s power to seal as many monsters as possible. By "power," she didn't mean Hayato’s personal combat strength, but his connections and means of transportation.

He was on good terms with the Hero and the Demon Lord, and he also had a ship and an airship, allowing him to travel to various places. For this event, there was no better person.

He understood the request, but there was something he found strange.

"How do you know all that information? I keep some of it under wraps, so I’m surprised it’s so well known."

Whether he was on good terms with Ivan the Hero and Lunaria the Demon Lord was one thing, but it was true that he was in a position to ask them for favors. The same went for owning an airship.

Why did Surya, whom he had never met, know about it?

As he wondered, Surya seemed surprised by his words for some reason.

"You mean, you haven’t heard about me?"

"I only just heard about you from Maris a moment ago."

Surya held her head in her hands.

"That idiot, she didn’t pass on the message… Ah, I’m sorry. Um, I live in the Imperial Capital, and I’m quite friendly with Cecil, so we talk about a lot of things. I consulted with Cecil about this matter, and she introduced me to Hayato-san, saying you were the perfect person for the job."

"Cecil? Ah, so that’s the connection."

Cecil was a member of the clan "Blackjack," which Esha, Relic, and the Hero Ivan had belonged to. She was a woman with the nickname "Collector." A collector of swords and katanas, she was a bit of a handful, greeting him every time they met with "Gimme some weapons."

She was now part of the Empire's special forces, the "Dragon Busters," and led the members of Ash’s disbanded mercenary group, "Crescent Moon Beast."

Previously, she had been on a long trip to the floating island, which had angered the higher-ups in the Empire, and she had been under disciplinary confinement. He didn’t know what happened after that.

Upon asking for details, he learned that Surya undertook training for the Empire's dragon rider unit through the Tamer Guild, and in that capacity, she often met with Cecil.

"We’re having all sorts of people collect monster information this time, but Cecil said that when it comes to rare monsters, you have a knack for attracting them, Hayato-san. So I was hoping you would cooperate."

"I have a mountain of things I’d like to say to Cecil, but I understand the situation."

Hayato glanced at Maris.

She said nothing, but Hayato had just told Maris he would help her. For Maris's sake, he couldn't just accept this.

It didn't seem like she hated Surya, but she disliked her way of thinking enough to say it out loud. Hayato himself had no issue with Surya, but doing something Maris would dislike wouldn't be right.

"I’m sorry. I’ve already promised to help Maris. So, Surya-san’s request is…"

"If you’d like, Surya, how about you join us?"

He had been about to say he couldn’t accept, but Maris cut him off. Her face was serious, not smiling.

As Hayato and Surya stared in surprise, Siegfried, indifferent to it all, lapped at the water in his saucer.