Chapter 40: Information Gathering
“Looks like he’s definitely gone now.”
After that, I followed through on my words and knocked the man in the black robe unconscious again. I stuck a note on his forehead that read, “I am the thug who attacked the guests,” and then I wrapped him up in ropes and tossed him at the entrance of the inn. By the time I checked the next morning, there was no sign of him.
“What a shame. It would have been amusing if he had been surrounded by onlookers and mocked.”
If it had turned out that way, it would have been the best.
“Ahaha, he seemed like he could use magic, so maybe he escaped on his own.”
I had knocked him out, but I wasn’t sure how long the effects of the electric shock would last. I hadn’t bothered to experiment with the monsters in the Forest of Enchantment, nor was there any need to. Well, considering the differences in physiology between monsters and humans, it might not have been useful information anyway.
“Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?”
As I descended the stairs, the elderly woman at the counter greeted me with a smile. It seemed she hadn’t noticed the commotion from the previous day, which was a relief.
“Yes, I slept soundly.”
“That’s great to hear! Breakfast is ready, so feel free to head to the dining room whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay!”
With a cheerful response, Rio moved to the back of the inn to wash her face before heading straight to the dining room.
“Shall we head to the castle today? The guards might be a bit lax right now.”
As she dipped her bread into the soup, Rio tilted her head in thought. As she mentioned, the Royal Capital is home to the castle where the royal family resides. The Noble District lies to the northeast of the city, beyond which is the castle.
“No, no, we’re not sneaking in or anything.”
“Oh, really?”
“We’re going to march right in and slam the brooch down on the table.”
“Ahaha! Yeah, that sounds right.”
With my declaration, Rio nodded with a serious expression. I didn’t know what the purpose of the summoning was, but I wasn’t going to let them have the upper hand forever.
“First, we need to gather some information.”
“Eh…? We’re not storming the castle today…?”
After finishing the last of her soup, she took a breath.
“Charging in without any information would be reckless, don’t you think?”
“That’s true, but…”
Rio’s face momentarily showed dissatisfaction. When I poked her cheek, she grabbed my finger.
“So, are we just going to observe for now?”
“That seems to be the case. It would be good to see how the guards are positioned.”
“Can you really tell from the outside?”
“That’s exactly why we’re going to take a look.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, but Rio’s puzzled expression was too cute to resist.
“Y-Yeah, I guess you’re right…”
“Let’s head to the castle gate first and think about our next steps.”
“How casual!”
“Well, it seems likely that we’ll end up storming it eventually, so being casual is fine, right? Now that we’ve decided, let’s head to the Guild for some information gathering.”
“Got it!”
Since the identity of the man in the black robe had already been exposed, I decided to stop using a fake name. Both of our outfits had returned to normal. Additionally, I decided to ease up on my restraint. They should have realized that I could incapacitate someone in a special forces-like black robe in an instant. So, I figured it was okay to show a bit of my strength.
“What can I help you with today?”
As soon as we entered the Guild, the receptionist greeted us with the same response as yesterday. It was completely businesslike and utterly uninteresting.
“I want to go to the castle. How far can regular adventurers go?”
“Huh…? Are you here for sightseeing?”
The receptionist looked puzzled, but I guessed that such questions weren’t common. Adventurers probably charged in without asking first.
“Something like that.”
I didn’t intend to answer honestly, so I kept it vague.
“Normally, you can go as far as the castle gate. Occasionally, requests for tasks within the castle come through the Guild, and in those cases, you can enter the castle. How far you can go depends on the request, though…”
“Really? That’s interesting.”
I had learned something quite useful. In that case…
“Are there any requests like that currently available?”
“Unfortunately, there are none at the moment.”
“I see.”
I had hoped to find a quick and legal way to get inside. What a disappointment. However, I was informed that if I reached B Rank as an adventurer, I would be allowed inside the castle. It seemed that B Rank adventurers were treated similarly to nobles, meaning they wouldn’t be stopped by the royal guards even if they had no specific business there.
“Thank you.”
That didn’t mean I could become a B Rank adventurer right away, so it wasn’t a usable option for now. Conversely, it meant that ordinary citizens still couldn’t enter… Now, what should I do?
“Also, I’d like to request a purchase of some monsters. Where’s the buying counter?”
“Yes, it’s over there.”
For now, let’s take care of what we can do here. I should wrap up the main reason for stopping by the Guild.
“Welcome! What do you have for me today, young man?”
As I approached the buying counter, I was greeted by a voluptuous and alluring woman. It seemed that unlike Zain, who was a grumpy old man, the Royal Capital had a much more appealing staff.
“Is it okay if it’s a bit large?”
“Hmm? Large? …Oh, could it be that you have a rare storage bag? Show me what you’ve got!”
The woman stared at the leather bag I was carrying and began tapping the counter excitedly. This bag wasn’t a storage bag, but if she was mistaken, I might as well let it be.
I set down my backpack and reached inside, pulling out a large creature I had once hunted from the Dimensional Box.
“Ah… Kyaaaaaaaah!”
The scream that escaped the buying counter woman was due to the four-meter-long Murder Raptor I had just revealed.