Chapter 20: “Dragon Cradle,” and to the Beastmen Village 17
After that, Marianne returned with an unconcerned expression.
The dishes that came out afterward were quite high-class, and I was able to enjoy a very satisfying meal. When I asked, it seemed they hadn’t prepared anything special just because we came. The chef was Marianne’s older brother, and he seemed to be a very skilled cook.
We decided to split up into smaller groups for the afternoon’s activities.
“Shall we divide into a group to greet the Viscount’s family, a group to go to the Guild, and a group to stroll around the Town?”
“Roger that! I’m in the Town strolling group!”
“Then I guess I’ll join too.”
“Me too.”
Lani, Karma, and Shizuna were reliably focused on food.
“I shall accompany you as well. It is good to put delicious things in the ‘Item Box’.”
It seemed Sakurahime had also decided to join. It would be good to have her buy a large amount of street food. Although, we just had lunch… well, I guess it can’t be helped since they’re young Adventurers.
Naturally, Mariel and Freynil and I were in the Viscount’s family greeting group, and Marianne and Dorozitte were in the Guild group.
That left Sphenia and Geshura, but,
“We’ll be resting at the Inn,”
they said, and then each group started their activities.
The greeting to the Viscount’s family ended smoothly in a formal manner. Viscount Leggston was a gentleman of about my age, and he didn’t look down on me as a newly-made Marquis at all, giving off the air of a model lord.
I was surprised by how unusually detailed he was about the battle with the ‘Twilight Kin’ and the activities of the ‘Guidance of Sol.’ It really made me realize how advanced information transmission was in the Empire.
On the way back to the Inn from the Viscount’s mansion, we passed by the Adventurers Guild, so we decided to stop by. I also tried to hide my mouth like Mariel, but when Freynil saw it, she said, “You look wonderful, Soushi-sama,” so Mariel gave me a warm look.
The Adventurers Guild seemed no different from any other Town. I looked through the bulletin board, but there were no particularly noticeable requests or information.
“Soushi-san, you’re here?”
Marianne came out from the back room and walked towards me.
“I thought I’d stop by since we were here. There doesn’t seem to be any particularly unusual information.”
“There have been several reports of ‘Demons’ appearing, but they weren’t large ones, and there was hardly any damage. Also, there are reports that the number of monsters appearing on the surface has increased compared to before. There have been such reports before, but Guilds south of the Kingdom have reported larger fluctuations.”
“That’s quite concerning information. Dorozitte already knows about the ‘King of Monsters’ story I heard from His Holiness, right?”
It was quite a while ago, but when I got caught up in trouble involving the Ashram Church in the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Vermilion, I had the opportunity to speak with Pope Modorl. At that time, as information related to the ‘Wandering Labyrinth,’ I heard that the current Saint of the Church had received a divine revelation that ‘the King of Monsters will descend.’ At that time, we put it on the back burner because there was the more immediate threat of the ‘Twilight Kin,’ but it seems that story will come up again.
“Yes, that story has been conveyed to the Grand Master, and it should have been conveyed to His Imperial Majesty through the Grand Master. The Grand Master also sees this information as highly important. We are now contacting all Guild branches to start collecting information.”
Marianne said, glancing towards the back room. Dorozitte was probably using the ‘Telecommunication Magic Tool’ there to actively gather information.
“You’re waiting for Dorozitte’s information. More importantly—”
“Huh? Could it be Marianne? You’ve come back here!”
Just as I was about to say something, one of the Adventurer party members who entered the Guild, a woman of about 20 years old, suddenly raised her voice and approached us.
Marianne looked at her and subtly relaxed her expression. It must be an old friend.
“Yuan, it’s been a while. I just came to Ruarl today. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Well, yeah. We’re just doing D-rank quests with plenty of leeway, so we don’t have any problems. I heard that Marianne became a Guild employee?”
“Yes, I saw my limits as an Adventurer, and the party disbanded, and that’s when I was scouted.”
“Hmm. I think there were plenty of parties that would have taken Marianne in, though?”
“I myself didn’t feel like continuing as an Adventurer. But I came back a while ago, and now I’m Rank A as an Adventurer.”
“Eh~!? That’s amazing. Ah, so you came to report to your family?”
At that question, Marianne glanced at me.
“That’s right. There are other things I want to report.”
“Hmm. By the way, who are these people? I don’t recognize them…”
“They’re members of the party I’m currently in. This is the leader, Soushi-san. Of course, everyone is Rank A.”
When we nodded lightly, the woman called Yuan looked a little surprised.
“I’ve hardly ever seen an A-rank party, but, how should I put it… you look really strong. Ah, I’m Yuan. I’m Marianne’s childhood friend.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Soushi. I’m in Marianne-san’s care.”
“Soushi-san, A-rank Soushi-san… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere…?”
As Miss Yuan made a gesture as if trying to remember, Marianne hastily added, as if flustered.
“By the way, Yuan, are Rapia and the others doing well?”
“Ah, of course. Although everyone is already married and has children, so we can’t meet often. What about Marianne, do you have any such plans?”
“Ah, yes, well, it’s not like there aren’t any such plans.”
Marianne glanced at me again.
Then Miss Yuan seemed to understand something, smiled, and patted Marianne on the shoulder.
“I see, so that’s how it is. Then you’ll come back here, right? Ah, but I heard that the young master of the merchant guild hasn’t given up yet, so it might be a little tough, but do your best. And if you have time, let’s go out for a meal sometime.”
“Yes, I want to talk after a long time.”
Miss Yuan seemed satisfied with Marianne’s reply, waved her hand, and returned to her party.
Marianne turned to me with a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“I’m sorry, she’s my childhood friend, but she’s always been a restless girl.”
“No, it’s fun to see what Marianne was like in the past. So, Marianne, you’re going home to your family after this, right?”
“Yes, I would appreciate it if you would allow me to do so.”
“It’s not that I’m allowing you, it’s normal, so there’s nothing to worry about. So, I was thinking of going to greet them too, but when would be a good time? Tonight would be too rushed, right?”
“About that, I actually told them at noon that Soushi-san would be coming tonight. I’m sorry, I was late in telling you.”
“Ah, no, if your parents are okay with that, I have no problem. But, well, I should bring a souvenir—”
Then, Marianne chuckled.
“No, Soushi-san, it would be a lot of trouble for commoners to receive something from His Excellency the Marquis, so it’s okay for today. Please just make it a greeting this time. Otherwise, my father and mother will be flustered.”
“Is that so?”
Without thinking too much about it, if a hero, Marquis, and Governor-General, all rolled into one incomprehensible person, suddenly came, ordinary people would be overwhelmed.
I have no intention of boasting about such things, but I have to avoid interacting with others without being aware of it.