Chapter 16: Turmoil in the Royal Capital – 02
Now, with eight members, “Soul’s Guidance” set its sights on the Elf Village of Marulo.
We quickly grew accustomed to Geshura’s serpentine movements as she slithered along, but the elves we passed couldn’t help but stare in wide-eyed astonishment.
It seemed that Sir Sarandol had already sent word ahead to Marulo, allowing us to enter without any issues.
The elves of the village and the adventurers alike were taken aback by Geshura’s presence, but since we were treated almost like “heroes” in Marulo, no one dared to voice their thoughts openly. This really drove home the importance of titles in this world.
Incidentally, some adventurers were also eyeing the armor we had obtained from the Dark Flare Dragon.
After greeting the village chief, Goslit, we were shown to an inn where Geshura could stay without any problems, and we spent the night there. The next day, we set off towards Euron.
The journey to Euron took three days, and while we were still subjected to curious glances from passing travelers, we arrived without incident. Naturally, our first order of business was to report to Viscount Barius.
In the familiar reception room of the viscount’s residence, we faced Barius, along with Rodan, the young household head, and Anatoria the Crimson, a former A-Rank adventurer.
“Soushi always brings the most interesting stories, but this one is truly exceptional. Though, the matter with Mecalinan was quite astonishing in its own right,” Viscount Barius remarked, his demeanor relaxed as he addressed me.
He had completely dropped any formalities, treating me more like a fellow former adventurer than anything else.
“However, to include the Kin of Twilight as party members for protection is quite the move. If the tale Geshura brought is true, it could shake the very foundations of the kingdom. Honestly, how am I supposed to relay this to the count?” he continued, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
“I suppose we can only convey it as it is…” I replied.
“Ha! Soushi, you’re so serious. Well, considering we’re walking together, there’s no way to hide it. But perhaps it’s better than sneaking around. Especially since the rumors of ‘Soul’s Guidance’ are circulating, even the duke’s class might hesitate to act.”
“I certainly hope so.”
“The real question is how His Majesty the King will respond. If the Kin of Twilight are indeed on the move, the Aldebaron Empire to the north will likely intervene, and that makes the future unpredictable.”
“Personally, I would prefer to avoid Geshura being used as a political tool, but that seems unlikely.”
“That’s a tall order. Regardless, if you want to avoid trouble, raising the profile of ‘Soul’s Guidance’ is your best bet. It’s already quite high, but still.”
Barius grinned, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was simply enjoying the chaos.
“Oh, and on a different note, it seems the House of Duke Armand has begun to investigate Lady Freinir. Make sure to keep that magic of hers under wraps.”
“The magic in question refers to Divine Attribute Magic. Moreover, Freinir has already mastered the higher-level Divine Spirit Magic. If either were to be revealed, it would certainly lead to complications.”
As I acknowledged this, Freinir turned to me and said, “I believe if Soushi becomes a legendary adventurer, everything will be resolved. I will use my power for that purpose, so please do not worry about me.”
“Well, it’s not something you can just aim for and achieve…”
“Ha ha, a legendary adventurer, huh? If that were to happen, both Freinir’s situation and Geshura’s would be resolved. With the Kin of Twilight, demons, and the Candlestick of the Netherworld involved, things are getting quite murky. I, for one, am looking forward to the emergence of a legendary adventurer.”
I emphasized that I had no intention of becoming a legendary adventurer, despite Barius’s gleeful expression.
At the Adventurers’ Guild in Euron, Freinir, Larni, Sfenia, Mariane, Karma, and I finally achieved A-Rank status. Shizuna was promoted to a conditional B-Rank.
Of course, Geshura also registered as an adventurer, but it seemed the Grand Master had issued some rather forceful instructions, resulting in her being classified as a conditional B-Rank.
While it was said that the combat prowess of the Kin of Twilight exceeded A-Rank, this was still an unreasonable classification.
It was likely a consideration to allow us, “Soul’s Guidance,” access to A-Class Dungeons, but there must be some ulterior motive behind it.
Afterward, we ventured into a potential D-Class Dungeon known as the Elixir Dungeon. Since my “Vessel of the Commander” skill had leveled up without me realizing it, we ended up bringing Geshura along.
As expected, we found an Elixir in the treasure chest of the mid-boss, but Freinir, Larni, Sfenia, and Shizuna showed no reaction. Mariane mentioned that reports to the guild had increased, while Karma let out a deep sigh.
What caught my attention the most was Geshura’s remark, “I might have created something similar in the past,” but it goes without saying that I imposed a strict silence on everyone.
Since Geshura is not an Awakened One, she did not gain any skills from defeating the boss on the lowest floor.
According to her, the Kin of Twilight do not undergo an Awakening. Instead, they possess power that surpasses adventurers in their natural state, maintaining a balance somehow. Who maintains that balance, I couldn’t say.
After departing from Euron, we headed north, passing through Bartran and arriving in Barbadoza, governed by Count Lautrec.
“It feels more bustling than when we visited before,” I noted.
“Indeed. The atmosphere among the people seems unusually hurried. I wonder if something has happened,” Sizen and Sfenia remarked.
As they said, the main street of Barbadoza appeared to have about fifty percent more people than usual. I initially thought it might be a festival due to the number of travelers, but the faces of the crowd lacked any sense of ease. In fact, there were few who even seemed to notice Geshura.
Before greeting the count, we made our way to the Adventurers’ Guild. It was just past noon, a time when there should have been fewer adventurers, yet nearly a hundred were gathered in the guild.
When Mariane went to gather information in the back room, a bald giant approached us. It was Gahren, the leader of the B-Rank party “Dawn’s Thunder,” with whom I had previously guarded the count.
“Hey, Soushi! Are you all heading to support the royal capital?” he asked.
“Support for the royal capital? I’m sorry, but we just arrived and haven’t gathered any information. What’s going on?”
“Oh, I see. Actually, it seems that the ‘Demon’ has been appearing repeatedly around the royal capital these past few days. The guild there is summoning high-ranking adventurers. However, there’s a possibility that demons might flow into Barbadoza as well, so we locals are a bit stuck.”
“Is that so…? So that’s why there are so many people in the city?”
“Yeah, merchants heading to the royal capital are being held up. You can’t find a room in Barbadoza right now.”
“That’s quite the predicament. If it comes to it, we can manage with camping out.”
“Your group seems to have camping down to a science. By the way, it looks like your party has grown. Is Karma joining you as well?”
At that moment, the tiger beastman Karma approached.
“Gahren, it’s been a while. Actually, the ‘Drunken Tiger’ disbanded, and I was invited by Soushi to join ‘Soul’s Guidance.'”
“The ‘Drunken Tiger’ disbanded? Did something happen?”
“No, it seems everyone got worried about their hometowns because of the ‘Demon.’ The others decided to serve local nobles instead.”
“I see, that makes sense. But your party has become quite the spectacle. Hmm? That member over there is a race I’ve never seen before…”
Gahren squinted at Geshura, and I noticed several adventurers whispering and glancing in her direction.
“She is Geshura, indeed a member of our party. A rare race, but please don’t mind her.”
“Ah, well, if she’s an adventurer, I won’t concern myself too much…”
For now, we were passing off Geshura as a “rare race.” Depending on who looked at her, they might recognize her as a member of the Kin of Twilight, but fortunately, this kingdom had seen very few of them, so there were no clear identifiers.
“By the way, regarding what we discussed earlier, we have business in the royal capital, so we intend to head there directly.”
“In that case, you should take on some requests. There are merchants looking for escorts.”
“Oh, I see. So there’s a demand for that.”
I replied, but considering Geshura’s situation, I had no intention of accepting any escort requests.
After waiting for a while, Mariane returned.
“Soushi, have you heard about the ‘Demon’ appearing around the royal capital?”
“Yes, I just heard from Gahren. Still, we plan to head to the royal capital as scheduled. Did you gather any pertinent information?”
“Not particularly. However, there are several escort requests to the royal capital, and among them, one specifically requested ‘Soul’s Guidance.'”
“Requested? Who is the client?”
“It’s Mr. Toronto, the head of the Toronto Trading Company. It seems he has been waiting for our arrival.”