Chapter 303: Speculating the Reasons for Action
For breakfast, I had thick slices of toast, coarse-ground sausage, a sunny-side-up egg, grilled tomatoes, a Caesar salad, and an orange. There was also cottage cheese with berry jam.
I want everyone to get used to soft-boiled eggs, but the most important thing is that they enjoy their meal, so I won’t force anything they’re resistant to. Instead, I’ll suggest it when we’re on the island.
Salmonella bacteria can multiply quite rapidly at temperatures like 17°C or 43°C, which are definitely within room temperature. Under good conditions, they can reach a level that causes illness in just a day. Conversely, if they’re freshly laid, even if they’re present, they haven’t multiplied enough to be a concern.
I ignored the curious glances from everyone directed at my soft-boiled egg. I placed it on a buttered slice of bread, drizzled a bit of soy sauce on top, and took a big bite.
“It looks delicious when you eat it, Gene, but I still feel a bit resistant to it,” one of them said.
“It’s hard to shake off years of habit and aversion,” Dinozzo added.
Hmm, should I push a little more?
After breakfast, I sipped the tea the butler had brewed before heading to the Adventurer’s Guild. I was a bit out of sync with the time, entering the guild a little later than everyone else. Even if I walked alongside them, I wouldn’t leave a lasting impression on those around us, but entering together felt a bit too much.
In the room I was guided to, of course, were Dinozzo and the others, along with Dean and Chris. The group gathered this time was all familiar faces, as we were here for the glasses-wearing guy’s request.
On the guild side were Iskal, the White Snake Nefer, and a rather curvy woman who seemed to be an assistant. The assistant’s presence had a noticeable effect on Dean!
Nefer peeked over the glasses-wearing guy’s shoulder with a grin, looking like she was enjoying herself. Is that magical power from the glasses tasty? It seems she’s quite attached to him, which is nice to see.
“Well, there were various happenings at the temple, and the guild has been busy. Some of the temple’s past falsehoods have come to light due to this incident. We’re feeling the repercussions,” the glasses-wearing guy said, and the final negotiations for our rewards began.
What could the temple’s falsehoods be? I wonder what happened to the robed Divine Child? Well, it doesn’t really matter.
Since most of the negotiations were already wrapped up, it was just a matter of confirming my intentions, as I had no particular conditions to attach. I accepted the payment and that was that.
Dean and Chris were receiving mission completion certificates and recommendation letters for their Gold Rank promotion. They could get promoted in the Fortress City, but they wanted to process it through Kanum.
It seemed others had come individually for negotiations as well, as they received separate bags along with their letters and gold.
“Did the Hero return via the Spirit Path?” Dinozzo asked while accepting his reward. Straight to the point, just as expected.
“It seems he retraced his steps,” the glasses-wearing guy nodded.
“And what about Amedeo and the others?”
“It appears Amedeo and his group had their Spirit Sword stolen. They’ll be staying in the Fortress City for a while to assist the guild,” he said with an oddly cheerful demeanor.
“I’ve heard rumors that a significant number of Light Spirits have vanished, but is it confirmed that the Hero who came here is a Changeling?”
“—Yes, both the guild and your Lord have come to that conclusion,” the glasses-wearing guy confirmed. What had been mere suspicion until now was now official. This probably means we’re confirmed enemies.
“It’s believed that the entrance on our side was destroyed to avoid being pursued. Unfortunately, the Hero’s Changeling consumes Spirits, and it’s clear they’re going mad. For those who want to defeat them before they gain strength or go insane, that path is quite useful.”
I have a feeling that this was just a way to eliminate any discussion about how to move with my sister before it even started. They’ve obtained the Spirit Sword they were after, and I suspect they’ve reported that the Spirit Path was taken care of on the Fortress City side.
After asking about the temple’s situation and a few other things, I left the guild.
“It seems the one who entered the Fairy Path was a spy from Shulm. From the Vice Guild Master’s demeanor, it looks like Rosa and the others were either taken advantage of or forced to work for free,” Dinozzo said as we walked away from the guild.
“I heard at the brothel that Amedeo’s been having a rough time lately. Also, there were some nasty comments directed at one of the party members,” Dean added, corroborating the information.
“If they were mixed in with an Adventurer Party, the Lord in the Fortress City would definitely be on high alert, and the guild’s reputation is at stake. If they were infiltrated, it would be a mark of shame unless they realized it themselves. I doubt they want to make it public,” Dinozzo said, sounding annoyed.
“Is that really the case?”
“The talk about Shulm’s spies isn’t just in the Fortress City; I’ve been hearing bits and pieces from various places. When you connect the Vice Guild Master’s behavior with the town’s rumors, it seems like something is definitely going on,” Dinozzo replied, though I still didn’t quite grasp it.
“It makes more sense to think that the False Hero helped them escape after they disguised themselves as Adventurers to steal some information or items from the Fortress City,” Retze explained.
“Rosa and her group were probably used quite well,” he added. “Their actions seemed thoughtless, and it was hard to understand what they were trying to achieve. It looks like they were just led around by the nose.”
Retze shrugged at the butler’s words.
Ah, so that’s why they’re working at the guild! They probably didn’t know they were being used as a cover for spies and ended up getting caught.
“I asked Meikel, the Guardian, to gather rumors just in case, so when he comes back next time, we might have a clearer picture. Well, as long as they don’t get involved with us, that’s fine,” Retze said.
Meikel is the Guardian, huh? He might not be as sharp as Retze, but he seems like he could pick up on things. Though he was put to sleep by the butler.
“The False Hero probably thought they could use the Fairy Path for a while,” Karn muttered.
“Yeah, if they were planning to destroy it, they should have consumed more Spirits. —I guess they don’t know that Gene gave it a final push…” Dinozzo said, looking distant with a sympathetic expression.