Chapter 382: Chapter 380 – Uninvited Guest

Uninvited Guest

It tastes exactly the same, Hikaru thought as he ate his kounatsu. The fruit looked like a hyuganatsu. There was a variety of hyuganatsu called konatsu, so even the name was similar.

Perhaps some people from a different world was behind this too, but it could also just be a coincidence, so Hikaru decided not to dwell on it too much.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

「Kounatsu is delicious. It’s justice.」

Lavia seemed to like the kounatsu, buying some whenever she saw someone selling them.

Hikaru asked Alice to buy more kounatsu, but Alice wrinkled her nose and flatly refused. The look on her face was so amusing that whenever he saw kounatsu for sale, he would ask her to buy some, and every time she would give him a funny look and say “No.”

She probably has her reasons for refusing.

It wasn’t as if Alice disliked the kounatsu themselves. Hikaru guessed that she had other reasons to not buy them.

「Alice, buy me some kounatsu.」

「No.」

But every time he saw the fruit, he kept asking Alice, and their routine continued. Simply because Alice made a funny face every time.

After a while, the carriage finally arrived at G. Quinbland, the capital of the Quinbland Empire.

Hikaru had been here twice. The first time was to deliver a letter to Emperor Kaglai at Unken’s request, who had prepared for his inevitable death. The second time was when Kaglai called Silver Face upon the discovery of the new continent. Kaglai summoned him by hanging a silver mask on the castle gate. It was both absurd and novel, that it took some time for Hikaru to realize its meaning.

「I was always in a hurry before, but I hope we can actually do some sightseeing now.」Hikaru mumbled.

「It usually gets busy when you say that, though.」Paula said.

「His Majesty has a guest?」said a middle-aged man glumly.

He was bald on top on his head, with a hooked nose that looked rough and red. He blew his nose onto a handkerchief.

「Who is it?」he asked.

「I tried looking them up, but they seem to be secretive. I couldn’t find any information on them. What do we do?」

「Hmm…」

Count Zepetta stroked his chin. His dazzling aristocratic attire didn’t suit him very well. The furnishings in his room were gaudy, but not the typical gaudiness from the nobility. Vases and picture frames were gilded with gold.

「This warrants an investigation. We might be able to find a reason to destroy the conservatives.」

「Yes, sir.」The butler bowed and left.

Count Zepetta returned to his desk, where reports and contracts were piled up. He took a deep breath, then went to work. Kounatsu sat on the big plate on his desk.

Contrary to Paula’s expectations, after checking in at the hotel, they immediately went on tour around the Imperial capital. Alice volunteered to be the guide. Judging by her spy colleague’s surprised reaction—Hikaru assumed the trembling girl was a spy—Alice was supposed to report to her boss, but she instead dumped the work to her friend.

「Let’s go, Silsil!」

Alice walked out in high spirits, leaving the dejected girl behind.

「Are you sure about this?」Hikaru asked.

「About what?」

「Uh… Well, whatever.」Hikaru decided to forget about it. He had no interest in the spies of the Empire.「So, where are you taking us?」

「Somewhere close by. Really close!」

The imperial capital was beautiful. Quaint stone-made buildings lined its streets neatly paved with cobblestones. A statue of the first emperor stood in the central square, holding a sword in his right hand and a thick book in his left. Trimmed flowerbeds lay around it, and there were carriages, merchants pulling luggage, and passersby going about.

「Hmm…」

Five-man patrols occasionally passed by. People walking down the streets greeted the officers casually, an indication of the city’s good law and order and Emperor Kaglai’s peaceful reign.

Peace is nice.

Alice chose a stagecoach, which apparently served like a community bus that went around the imperial capital. The fare was cheap, several copper coins, about 100 yen in Japan.

The fact that it wasn’t full, however, suggested that not everyone in the capital lived luxurious lives.

「Over here.」

They disembarked from the vehicle and found themselves in front of a five-story building. The outer walls were painted gray, making it look like a reinforced concrete. However, the ceiling on the first floor was extremely high, and the entrance was always open—something you wouldn’t find in a reinforced concrete building.

「It’s pretty big.」Hikaru said.「It’s the Adventurers Guild, right?」

「Yup! Great guess!」

「I mean, anyone would think that if they saw armed ruffians coming and going.」

「A new, large Adventurers Guild looms.」Lavia said.「It is here that the novices are subjected to rough initiations by the veteran adventurers.」

「S-Scary!」Paula was freaked out.

There’s no such thing, Hikaru thought. Although that would be pretty interesting. Silently, he followed Alice inside.

「Oh, so modern.」

The counters and the waiting area were separated, and the commission bulletin board was in the back. There was a lobby of sorts for adventurers to hang out in, brightly lit by magic lamps. There was none of the certain seedy atmosphere characteristic of other guilds.

「This is Quinbland Empire’s Adventurers Guild. Get this! We boast the highest average speed in completing commissions, highest number of completed commissions, and success rate in the whole continent!」

「Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Adventurers Guild is an independent organization. And you work for the empire, not the guild. I don’t see why you should feel proud.」

「I-It’s fine! What matters is it’s located in the capital!」

「That so.」

All of a sudden, Hikaru sensed an extraordinary presence on the stairs leading to the second floor.

「Wow. You’re so lucky, Silsil! You get to see them!」

Alice’s words passed right through his ears. Hikaru found his eyes glued to the woman coming down the stairs slowly. There were a few other adventurers staring at her too. Perhaps they possessed the same Instinct as him.

「That person belongs to the Imperial Capital Guild. It’s safe to say she’s the best among the best!」As though backing up Hikaru’s Instinct, Alice said,「After all, she’s one of the only two S-ranked adventurers in the continent.」