Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Treasure Hunter (1)

Three days after the community closed.

As I was spending my days looking for a ship to use on the 6th floor and a navigator to sail it, I received good news from Amelia.

“Schuitz, you don’t have to worry about the guild anymore.”

“Don’t worry?”

“I found a suitable target and took care of it.”

“…What?”

I asked for details, and it was a typical Amelia-style solution.

She had found a guild executive who had committed embezzlement and tax evasion.

And she had used that information to blackmail him into erasing all guild records related to ‘Lihen Schuitz’.

“It would have been safer to modify the records instead of erasing them, but that was too difficult.”

“Is there a chance that the erased records will cause a problem?”

“Not usually. It’s more common than you think for administrative records to be lost or damaged.”

Hmm, I see…

Amelia added that she hadn’t erased everything, and that the record of Lihen Schuitz being a 5th-grade explorer remained.

In other words, my 5th-grade identity was safe.

“You don’t seem convinced.”

“It’s just that… it’s a bit suspicious for my records to suddenly disappear, even if it’s a common occurrence.”

“It’s still better than leaving your old records behind, isn’t it?”

Well, she was right.

Even if I couldn’t erase all traces, at least I wouldn’t be giving them physical evidence.

“Good work… no, thank you, Amelia.”

“…It’s only natural for a capable person to do their job.”

“Because it’s efficient?”

Amelia nodded and then changed the subject.

“So how’s your side of things going? Did you read the documents I gave you?”

Ah, the list of ships.

It was a document that neatly summarized the specs and prices of the ships on the market.

“Tell me if you didn’t like any of them, I’ll have to find more.”

“No, there’s no need for that. There was a suitable one, as long as the actual ship matches the description in the document.”

Amelia asked me why I chose that ship, and I explained excitedly.

“It’s the most expensive one, but it’s actually a bargain considering its performance.”

“Hmm.”

“And it can sail to the 7th floor in its current state, as long as we avoid special areas. And we can just upgrade it later to sail through those areas, so we won’t need to buy a new ship.”

“I see.”

Amelia’s response was lukewarm.

I wondered why she even asked if she wasn’t interested…

“Well, I’m sure you’re right. You’re the expert when it comes to this.”

I stuttered at her words.

“Uh… i-is that so?”

“We’re already on the same boat. And you’re the captain.”

It was a bit embarrassing.

But I also had another thought.

Was she trying to boost my confidence?

Well, I had been stuck at home lately, relying on them for everything.

Maybe it was her way of being considerate—

“Then I’ll be going now that the ship is decided. I should be able to make an offer before the exchange closes if I hurry.”

I wanted to ask if she really said that because of me, but Amelia had already put on her coat and left.

Well, it wasn’t important.

‘Anyway, that takes care of the ship…’

I could have gotten a better ship if I had more money, but I wasn’t disappointed.

The one I chose was good enough.

‘The problem is the navigator…’

People are always more troublesome than things.

____________________

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock as I was reading the books I borrowed from the library, lying in bed.

Hmm, is it dinner time already?

“Come in.”

The door opened as soon as I gave permission.

As expected, it was Erwen.

Amelia was probably negotiating with the seller.

“What is it?”

I put down my book and asked, and Erwen answered in a slightly dissatisfied tone.

“We have a visitor.”

“Visitor?”

I tilted my head, and a woman appeared at the door.

Flowing platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

“It’s me.”

It was Raven.

Unlike the last time I saw her, she wasn’t wearing her Magic Corps uniform, but casual clothes, and her hair was down.

Damn, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“Can I come in?”

“Ah, uh…”

Raven sat down before I could even answer, and Erwen followed her, taking a seat far away from her.

“Why are you here?”

“I can’t come?”

No, I wasn’t saying you couldn’t… I was just asking why…

Well, whatever.

She wouldn’t bother us, judging by how far away she was sitting.

“It’s been a while, Raven.”

“Yes. How have you been?”

“I’m doing okay. But is it okay for you to be here?”

“Don’t worry, I came here discreetly.”

“Ah, is that why you’re dressed like that and have your hair down?”

“…Why else would I be?”

Damn it, why is she so prickly?

I was just asking, did something happen?

‘I should be careful with my words today.’

As I was thinking that, Raven spoke first.

“Books.”

“…?”

“You’re reading. Did you buy them?”

“No, it seems like they allow rentals now.”

“Ah… I heard about that. They allow people with verified identities to borrow books now, right?”

“Officially, yes. But in reality, you have to pay a deposit unless you’re a noble or a high-ranking official.”

“Mister didn’t have to.”

Erwen suddenly interjected, but Raven just nodded.

“Well, that makes sense, considering your status.”

“So why did you come all the way here in disguise? Did something happen?”

Raven finally got to the point before the topic could go astray.

“Yandel… I mean, sorry, it’s hard to break the habit.”

“It’s fine.”

“Anyway, I came here to tell you something.”

Right, so she wasn’t just here to see me.

I had a hunch, considering how long the introduction was.

“Tell me.”

I lowered my voice, sensing it was something serious.

“The royal family has started an unofficial investigation on Schuitz.”

“Unofficial investigation?”

“It’s a common practice when new faces appear. They can’t officially investigate without a reason, it would seem like they’re targeting explorers.”

Hmm, like spying on civilians?

It’s a dictatorship, why are they even concerned about that?

“Anyway, so?”

“They also investigated me, so I told them what I could. The things that couldn’t be hidden, like the abilities he showed us back then.”

“So they don’t suspect his identity, even though it’s an unofficial investigation.”

“No, you would have been arrested by now if they did. Even unofficial investigations can be handled gently or harshly.”

The rumors about the royal family secretly training a special forces unit weren’t just rumors.

The Rose Knight Order or whatever was a prime example.

“So what about you? You omitted information from your report.”

“I’m fine. I made an excuse, saying I was delayed because the 3rd Corps Commander position was vacant. And I said I had already reported to Captain Febrosk, my direct superior.”

“But won’t they find out you’re lying?”

“It’s not a lie. I really did report to the Captain as soon as I returned to the city. Well, I embellished the story a bit.”

“I see…”

I felt both reassured and guilty.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Raven.”

“…Didn’t we already talk about that? I’m just repaying a debt.”

“I’ll definitely repay this debt.”

“Yes, you should. Otherwise, I’ll be at a loss.”

The atmosphere, which could have easily turned heavy, softened a bit as Raven joked.

It was time to move on.

“Raven, have you heard about the integration proposal?”

“Integration proposal? What’s that?”

“It’s a proposal to accept evil spirits as citizens instead of treating them as enemies. It was proposed 150 years ago, but it was rejected for various reasons.”

“Ah, I remember learning about that. But why?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I heard it was brought up at the royal council meeting.”

Raven was surprised when I explained why I brought it up.

“This is the first time I’m hearing about it. You were practically stuck at home, how did you… Ah, it was the 15th a few days ago!”

Raven’s ability to quickly grasp the situation was one of her strengths.

I didn’t answer and just continued,

“Can you look into it? Who brought it up at the meeting, and…”

“And…?”

“…if there’s really no chance that the royal family will accept it.”

Maybe this was the key.

_____________________

The days after Raven’s visit were busy.

Well, not for me, who was stuck at home, but for Amelia.

We had bought the ship I chose after using almost all our money, but we couldn’t find a navigator.

There was a serious shortage of navigators.

Everyone was heading to the Dark Continent on warships, so I thought there would be plenty of them available…

“It was too difficult to find one in a month…”

“Be specific. It’s difficult to find someone who meets your standards.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Honestly, it wasn’t like there were no navigators at all.

The problem was that they were all mediocre.

Navigation skills were crucial for reaching the Submerged Island, our destination.

“You have to either lower your standards or give up. Skilled navigators are quickly snatched up by other teams, and they won’t join a team like ours that’s only offering a short-term contract.”

“Really? Then I’ll just give up.”

“That easily…?”

“What can I do? The labyrinth opens in two days. I’ll just find one next month.”

“So you’re removing the Submerged Island from our exploration plan?”

“No, we’ll just try it ourselves. I don’t know if it will work, but there’s nothing else to do on the lower floors anyway.”

I hadn’t been able to gain much experience on the lower floors of the 6th floor, so it wouldn’t be a big loss even if we couldn’t reach the Submerged Island.

But could it be that she was annoyed by my words?

“…You’re not wrong, but it’s frustrating. I wouldn’t have wasted my time running around if you had told me sooner.”

“I… apologize.”

I apologized to Amelia and then called Erwen to the room to discuss our next exploration plan.

But it didn’t take long.

I had already prepared a Plan B in case we couldn’t find a navigator.

“You’re entering a rift…?”

“Not for long, just briefly. It’s not like the world will end if we arrive on the 6th floor a few days late. We’re not joining the expedition force this time. And you two haven’t absorbed much rift experience, have you?”

“Well, you can’t just enter a rift whenever you want…”

That’s true.

That’s why I couldn’t easily share my rift opening method with my previous teams.

‘It’s definitely convenient to be open about being an evil spirit in this aspect.’

“Anyway, I think that’s enough about the plan.”

We each spent some time preparing, and then two days passed—

「Entered the 1st-floor Crystal Cave.」

…and it was time to enter the labyrinth.

“Mister, why are you smiling?”

“Just… I’m excited. Let’s go to the 2nd floor.”

It’s been a while since I felt like I was going on an adventure.