Chapter 257 - Clan (1)

After the royal army returned, people learned that the army really did exist, and that the reason it hadn't appeared in the Dimensional Plaza was because it had gone underground to raid an empty city.

However...

'What happened down there?'

No one knew how it had turned out.

Naturally, all kinds of speculation began flying around, from whether they'd won or lost to baseless conspiracy theories that the royal family was only pretending to fight the underground city. Every morning, the gossipmongers came up with new theories. A few days later, the royal family finally put up official notices throughout the city.

To briefly summarize their contents:

We're fucking awesome, we won, and we even conquered Noark. So stop worrying.

I had no way of knowing how much of that was true. But assuming the notices were based on at least some truth, I could fill in a few missing pieces...

'One thing's certain. There wasn't a battle.'

It was hard to find any signs of combat on the knights returning to the palace.

'The Noark bastards probably ran away.'

Then where had they fled? This world was hemmed in by walls on all sides. It didn't make sense for them to have slipped aboveground, either. That many people coming up to the surface would have left traces, one way or another.

'Then they must still be somewhere down below...'

"Bjorn! Stop slacking off and come help carry this!"

Right. Time to move some furniture. Would thinking about it all day get me any answers? The smart thing to do was wait for the Round Table to open, since Clown was a member. So I put an end to my musings and got moving.

"Oh, could you put the bed over here?"

I was currently at an orphanage under the Order of Leatlas, playing mover as I hauled belongings out of a building scheduled for demolition. It was about time I started building up my merit score. Whenever the order posted a manageable commission, whoever had time to spare would go take care of it.

"Aynar! Did you think I wouldn't catch you sneaking a break, nyah?!"

"I-I wasn't taking a break! I was playing with the little ones!"

"Waaaaah! She broke my doll!! You doll-killing murderer!!"

"That was... I was trying to teach you where a person's vital points were, and I couldn't help...!"

There were a few mishaps today, too, but after an hour or two, we'd finished moving everything. That wrapped up today's commission. Afterward, we had a quick meal at a restaurant near the order's premises, where Misha told me something interesting.

"Did you know the orphanage we went to today was that place, nyah?"

"What place?"

"You know, the one Dwalki said he stayed at for a while as a child, nyah. That old building they're demolishing tomorrow was the place, nyah."

"... I see."

"Anyway, just thought I'd mention it, nyah! I'm off, nyah! Oh, and I'll be late today, so you're on your own for dinner, nyah."

We split up right after the meal. Misha left, saying she had plans with a former companion, while Aynar headed for the sanctuary.

And...

"Hehe, now it's just the two of us, isn't it?"

"I've got somewhere to stop by, too. Go home ahead of me."

"... Huh?"

After sending Erwin home, since she had no particular plans, I went to the Guild alone. The knight escorts who'd once followed me around every day were gone. They'd all left at the end of last month. Apparently, their superiors had decided that was enough and ordered them back.

'I didn't think much of it then, but they probably called them back for the attack on Noark.'

If all the Noark bastards had escaped unharmed and were somewhere underground, perhaps they'd send the knights back... But I decided not to get my hopes up.

We'd grown somewhat close after spending a month together, and hadn't one of the knights told me before leaving?

["Please take care of yourself. Our superiors believe that if assassins come for you again, they will most likely be sent by the major clans rather than Noark."]

Apparently, Stag Horns, who'd assigned me the escorts, had concluded that the "assassination" Clown mentioned referred to the major clans' attempt. After all, nearly a month had already passed, which hardly qualified as assassins coming "soon."

["But doesn't that mean you should keep protecting me? The major clans are targeting the royal family, aren't they?"]

["... You needn't worry about that."]

Besides, judging by his tone, the royal family seemed fully prepared to stop the major clans without suffering any damage if they tried to wage another public opinion campaign. So they no longer needed to protect me.

'Well, in some ways, it's easier for me without them.'

As I walked, sorting out my thoughts, I soon arrived at the Explorer Guild. Unlike before, I didn't need to take a number and wait. There weren't many explorers around to begin with, and...

"Baronet Bjorn Jandel, your identity has been verified. Allow me to escort you to the branch manager's office."

Right. I'd gone to all that trouble to get a noble title; I might as well enjoy its perks this way.

"Not the branch manager's. The district manager's office."

The employee asked if I had an appointment, but I crushed such trivial concerns beneath my noble authority.

"Are you traitors?"

A barbarian who couldn't be reasoned with, combined with a noble who had no intention of listening to reason.

I called it Barbarian Noblesse Mode.

"... I'll take you there immediately."

Once we reached the fourth floor, the employee knocked and announced my arrival. Before long, a heavy sigh came from inside, and the door opened. I immediately went in and sat on the sofa. Then I propped my feet on the table and spoke haughtily.

"Your greeting."

"..."

"Aren't you going to give me one?"

No sooner had I finished speaking than the district manager, who must have been working at his desk, rose to greet me.

"Baronet... Jandel... welcome..."

Shouldn't he be used to this by now?

"Good. Sit."

Only after I gave him permission did the district manager sit across from me. This had happened several times already, but it was still a thrill. Was this the true taste of power?

"... What brings you here today, sir?"

Nile Urbans, the Explorer Guild's District 7 manager. This bastard, with whom I'd had more than a few unpleasant encounters, now addressed me politely, unlike in the past. Of course, he hadn't been this way from the start. At first, he'd tried to speak to me as an equal, but after I flew into a rage and demanded to know whether he was insulting a noble, he'd finally adopted this tone.

"I came to see if any explorers have responded to my recruitment notice."

"The branch manager's office downstairs could easily handle that..."

What was this guy going on about now? He was the whole reason I went out of my way to visit District 7's main branch.

"Talking back... to a noble?"

"... I'll check immediately."

"Do it yourself. Don't send someone else. We wouldn't want another mistake like last time."

"Yes, sir..."

The district manager went downstairs to carry out my instructions, while I waited, munching on the snacks set out on the table. How much time passed?

"Here you are."

He came back up with a few sheets of paper.

I snatched them up without a word of thanks and read through them. Not much had changed since my visit two days ago.

"Only one new applicant, and even that one's nothing special."

"My apologies."

"It's not something you need to apologize for."

Showing the occasional magnanimity befitting a superior, I read through the papers again. As of today, exactly thirty-one explorers had applied to the companion recruitment notice I'd posted a few days earlier. Fewer than I'd expected. With things as they were, not many explorers wanted to enter the Labyrinth.

'Still, with the clans so thoroughly wrecked, I thought more people would apply.'

I set aside my disappointment and put the papers down. Granted, I was only judging them on paper, but none of these explorers warranted an interview. There was still no sign of the "specialized classes" I was looking for, either. In the end, was all I could do wait indefinitely?

"Um, if I may..."

"Don't drag it out. Speak."

"Is there a particular class you're looking for?"

"Not particularly. They just need to be capable. Why?"

"I noticed a well-known name among the applicants."

The district manager went on to tell me how skilled, trustworthy, and promising that explorer was. Apparently, he wanted to find me a companion quickly so I'd stop visiting him.

However...

"Enough!!"

I flung the papers onto the floor and stormed out of his office. No matter how impressive the qualifications...

"Just do what I tell you!"

Was he insane, telling me to put a Hans on my team?

* * *

Nearly two weeks had passed since the fire. What I'd done during that time could be summed up in a few main activities.

Grinding temple merit score.

Visiting the sanctuary to spar with the chieftain.

Touring the commercial city of Commelby to check prices.

And visiting the Guild every three days to relieve stress by harassing the district manager.

I'd kept reasonably productive, but none of it had yielded any notable results yet. The value of currency looked set to keep rising for a while, so I was holding on to my money for now.

'It'll probably take another two or three months to reach the minimum merit score for a priest, too... '

Recruiting companions was much the same. There was no sign of the specialized classes essential for the sixth floor, and I hadn't found suitable people for the two other spots needed to bring us up to ten.

'If the Labyrinth opens before then, I guess the six of us will just have to head up on our own.'

That was a little disappointing. Normally, when splitting into two or more teams, people arranged to meet on the fifth floor. Having more than five people cost a considerable amount of time getting through the fourth floor—a painful loss for explorers, whose time was money.

'... Still, there are too many risks in splitting into groups of three. We should just meet on the second floor and head up safely.'

Of course, I was getting ahead of myself. If our entry into the Labyrinth was delayed another few months, all of this would be meaningless anyway. What mattered was when the situation would stabilize again.

'If I'm lucky, I might find out today.'

The fifteenth, when Ghost Busters opened. I headed for the sanctuary that morning, making preparations to enter the community. This time, I couldn't simply log in.

'GM.'

GM himself suspected I was an evil spirit. Chances were high that he'd make his move today. I certainly would have in his shoes.

Twelve hours spent in the community. In other words, twelve seconds in reality. I'd always thought this, but that brief interval was an enormous vulnerability for community users. You were cut off from reality for twelve seconds. You wouldn't wake up even if someone stabbed you in the neck, so by taking advantage of that interval, someone could determine whether you were a Player.

However...

'Staying out is still the worst option.'

I decided to enter the community. With such a major incident between the royal family and Noark, I figured there would be plenty of information to hear.

Besides, hadn't GM's right-hand woman, SoulQueen, joined the Round Table last time? If Mr. Lion failed to attend, they might even connect him to me later.

'... Or is that a bit of a stretch?'

Anyway, the point was this: in life, it paid to be prepared. I didn't know whether GM would exploit those twelve seconds to test me, but there was no reason not to take precautions.

"Bjorn, you called for me?"

"Ah, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?"

"Would you put this on your face?"

After arriving at the sanctuary, I called Karon over and handed him the Golden Mask, the hidden item I'd obtained in the Blood-Tinted Castle some time ago.

"What's this? I like how shiny it is, but..."

"It's a magic tool that changes your face for thirty days."

"Huh? Why give that to me?"

"Because your build is the closest to mine."

I then asked Karon to go drinking in the city wearing my face until tomorrow morning.

"It's not a difficult favor, but why go to all that trouble?"

"There's somewhere I need to go tonight without my companions knowing."

"... That Therianthrope must not understand you very well."

Huh? Why bring up a Therianthrope all of a sudden? I wondered what he meant, but his next words immediately cleared it up.

"Wanting offspring is a warrior's instinct. Is that why you've come to the sanctuary today?"

After a moment's thought, I nodded. On reflection, this seemed far more likely to keep him quiet than the excuse I'd prepared.

"Anyway, leave this to me! Even if that Therianthrope woman comes, I'll make sure she doesn't suspect a thing!"

No, if she showed up, he'd definitely get caught. That was why I'd told him to just stay out drinking all night.

"I'm counting on you. You're the wisest warrior after me."

"S-so you thought that about me, too?! I'm glad!"

After explaining the precautions and the route he should take, I dressed Karon—now transformed into me—in my equipment and sent him into the city.

Then...

「The character has used 'Golden Mask.'」

「The character's appearance changes for 30 days.」

I, too, put the mask on and took it off, changing my face to Karon's. I'd stand out if I stayed in the sanctuary with my own face. If people reported seeing me in two different places, everything I'd done today would be pointless.

'I should head back into the city for now, too.'

If I stayed in the sanctuary, Karon's acquaintances might discover who I really was. I quickly put on his equipment, emerged from the bushes, and headed into the city. Then I picked an inn at random and shut myself in a room.

How much time passed?

「The character's soul resonates and is drawn into a particular world.」

Phew. Please, just don't get into any weird trouble wearing my face.