Chapter 170: Pursuit of Nil
“What on earth… happened here…?”
Rio gasped as she surveyed the room, but the chances of the two appearing here were zero. She activated her Presence Detection to search the surroundings.
“I don’t know, but damn it, even with Presence Detection at full power, I can’t find anything.”
“What if Phonia-chan and the others were captured by pursuers…?”
“Then they wouldn’t be in Reburos, but rather at the House of Marquis Ragloi in the Imperial Capital.”
Ivan had mentioned escaping from the Imperial Capital to Reburos. If they were captured and taken somewhere, the Imperial Capital was the only place that made sense.
“Alright, let’s hurry to the Imperial Capital.”
“Yeah.”
“Nil, let’s go!”
“Woof-woof!”
I called out to Nil, who was sniffing around the room, and we left the hideout, heading toward the Imperial Capital. Speaking of which, I heard at the Adventurer’s Guild in Reburos that there was a request from a D Rank Adventurer to capture a Fugitive Slave. What if that request was still active and the targets were Ivan and Phonia? No, it seemed unlikely that they would leave a request open like that…
“Wait a moment, Shuu!”
Just as I was considering flying straight to the Imperial Capital at top speed, Rio called out to me.
“What if we pass by Phonia-chan and the others?”
“Ah…”
That was a good point. If we charged straight into the Marquis’s residence, it would be a wasted effort. Not to mention, our plan to rescue Ivan and Phonia amidst the chaos caused by the Sea Emperor Turtle could easily fail. Considering the possibility that they were captured today, flying at full speed didn’t seem like a good idea.
“Woof-woof!”
“What is it, Nil?”
As I pondered whether to take a more grounded approach through the forest while keeping my focus on Presence Detection, Nil suddenly barked and began to run, sniffing the ground.
“Oh, could it be that she’s following a scent?”
“Let’s chase after her!”
We sprinted through the forest, following Nil as she tracked the scent. I managed to catch up to her, maintaining my position behind her. However, we ultimately emerged onto the main road without catching up to Ivan and the others.
“Let’s keep following Nil and see where the scent leads us.”
“Right. We should consider the possibility that they might have strayed off the main road and not headed to the Imperial Capital…”
Better safe than sorry. It might inconvenience the travelers on the road, but we needed to maintain our speed. Some of the passersby, likely sharp-eyed guards, were on high alert as we sped past them, but we had no intention of slowing down.
After about an hour, we finally arrived at the Imperial Capital. It took longer than flying, but at least we confirmed that the scent continued all the way to the Imperial Capital. The entrance to the city was still bustling with people forming long lines. Perhaps because Reburos had been under serious attack from the Sea Emperor Turtle, there were hardly any people fleeing to the Imperial Capital, so it wasn’t overly crowded.
However, we had the privilege of being S Rank Adventurers. According to Lowell, we could use the entrance designated for nobles. It was quite convenient when we were in a hurry. But I was sure we would be stopped at least once. I should probably keep my Adventurer’s Certificate ready.
“Oh, wait! You’re in the wrong line!”
I exchanged a wry smile with Rio as we realized our mistake. It seemed we were still not quite ready for this.
“I heard that S Rank Adventurers can use this gate.”
“Yes, I am also S Rank.”
We both displayed our Adventurer’s Certificates prominently. The two gatekeepers began to whisper among themselves.
“Faking an S Rank Adventurer’s Certificate is a serious crime, you know?”
“True, but would someone do something so obvious?”
“…They still look like kids; maybe they don’t understand that.”
What was wrong with these guys? We were here on a request from the country itself. I decided to pull out the request document from the Dimensional Box to show them.
“I have a request from the Imperial Army to bring back the head of the Sea Emperor Turtle. Can you let us through?”
“Huh?”
Before they could comment on how we appeared empty-handed, Rio opened the entrance to the Dimensional Box.
“AHHHHHHH!!!”
The people waiting at the general entrance couldn’t see inside, but the two gatekeepers screamed and fell back in shock.
“We’re transporting this. So, can we go through?”
I pressed on, gesturing toward the city, and they nodded in unison.
“Thank you very much.”
Rio smiled brightly, causing the gatekeepers to turn pale. Her smile was supposed to be incredibly cute, so I couldn’t understand their reaction.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
With a slight bow, we passed through the gate, drawing the attention of those waiting at the general entrance, and entered the Imperial Capital.
When we visited the Imperial Capital before heading to Reburos, we had ignored it, but this city also gave off a mixed impression. It seemed that Ivan and Phonia had indeed passed through the general entrance, as Nil continued to track their scent.
“We’ve made it to the Imperial Capital…”
“Yeah. It would be troublesome if they had already been handed over to the client.”
Prioritizing Ivan and Phonia, I pondered our next move. It might be best to assume they had already been handed over to the client.
“If we mention the designated request for capturing slaves, it could give us a reason to visit the House of Marquis Ragloi.”
“But then what do we do from there…?”
“Exactly… I’m not too keen on it, but using our last resort might be an option.”
“Last resort?”
“Well, since they’re slaves, the worst-case scenario is that we could buy them back ourselves.”
As I discussed this with Rio while following Nil, we found ourselves entering a more upscale district. And it seemed our bad premonition had come true, as Nil suddenly stopped in front of a particular mansion.