Chapter 19: The One Who Rules the Kin of Twilight – 08
After parting ways with the caravan, we arrived at the capital of Falcrum Territory the following morning.
The Polar Drake was hired as additional guards for the previous caravan and is expected to arrive later.
The capital, being the stronghold of the martial Falcrum Marquis family and located near the Garden of Twilight, was a fortified city with imposing castle walls. We passed through the city gates without any particular incident.
The city itself exuded an air of rugged practicality, with many sturdy stone buildings. However, news of the Marquis family’s recent troubles had likely reached the populace, and I couldn’t help but notice a hint of anxiety etched on their faces.
Naturally, the preparations for the invasion by the Kin of Twilight had led to a significant presence of soldiers, further heightening the people’s unease.
The streets were bustling with adventurers, many of whom were expected to be the main force against the Kin of Twilight, and it seemed that more than half of them were C-Rank or higher. Given the ratio of ranks, this was an unusual situation.
We managed to secure a room at a luxurious inn recommended by the Grand Master.
Normally, we would all head to the Adventurers’ Guild together, but since many adventurers had gathered in the capital, the guild was likely crowded.
Thus, only Mariane and I decided to make our way to the guild, while the others explored the city. Larni and Shizuna quickly dashed off to check out the street stalls.
“Is this your first time in this city, Mariane?” I asked as we walked down the main street toward the guild, noticing her usual composed expression.
“Yes, it’s my first time coming north of the Imperial Capital. I’m a bit surprised at how cold it is,” she replied.
“Winter here is completely covered in snow, so it makes sense that the Kin of Twilight would want to avoid marching through it at this time of year.”
“That might be true. Geshura mentioned that even for the Kin of Twilight, winter isn’t exactly easy.”
“By the way, where are you from, Mariane? Is it from the Empire?”
“I’m from a town in the southern part of the Empire, near the Kingdom.”
“I see. I wish I had stopped by before coming to the Imperial Capital.”
“At that time, we were in a hurry. Besides, my parents have been asking about my marriage prospects…”
“Oh…”
It was somewhat comforting to know that such matters remained unchanged in this world, even as an adventurer.
Though, with Mariane glancing at me from time to time, I couldn’t feel entirely at ease.
“Once this matter is settled, we’ll likely head back to the Vermilian Kingdom, Oz, and Mecalinan. I should visit when I can. If your parents are still around, I need to speak with them as the leader… no, as myself.”
At this, Mariane looked a bit surprised, then narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“…I would appreciate that.”
As we engaged in this delicate conversation, we arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.
While it couldn’t compare to the Imperial Capital, it was still a sizable guild. Inside, over a hundred adventurers were gathered, either checking the bulletin board or exchanging information.
Mariane headed deeper into the guild for information gathering.
I glanced at the bulletin board but found no requests for A-Rank exclusive quests. Well, it would be troublesome if dragons decided to show up at this timing.
“Soushi, is that you? It’s reassuring to see you here!”
I turned at the sound of a man’s voice to find a rugged, middle-aged warrior standing before me. It was Yozam, the great axe wielder I had faced in the first round of the Martial Arts Tournament. His party was called Tyrfing, if I recalled correctly.
“Ah, thank you for that. You seem to have arrived quickly as well, Yozam.”
“Those of us participating in the tournament were personally requested by His Imperial Majesty to come here. But I must say, you seem quite different inside the arena compared to outside.”
“I was putting on a brave face in the arena.”
“Is that how it is? I honestly didn’t think you would win. It makes me proud, even though I couldn’t lay a finger on you.”
“No, your axe was incredibly powerful. I was just… a bit out of sorts.”
“Haha, that’s for sure. Especially that moment when you smashed that huge demon at the end. I think everyone present was left speechless.”
“Hey, Yozam, is that guy…?”
It seemed that while we were talking, another adventurer had noticed me. There was no escaping it now. The guild suddenly buzzed with excitement, most of them relieved that the Martial Arts Tournament champion had come to their city.
As I exchanged information with the adventurers, Mariane emerged from a back room and quietly whispered to me.
“The Guild Master has already received information about the Kin of Twilight through the guild. Also, they would like you to visit the Marquis’s residence.”
“It seems I have no choice but to pay my respects.”
“It appears there’s more to it than that. I was also told to bring Freinir along.”
“They want us to investigate something. Understood, we’ll head there tomorrow morning.”
We still hadn’t fully discussed the existence of the Candlestick of the Netherworld. It would certainly be wise to have Freinir use her Skill to scout the area around the Marquis’s residence.