Chapter 137.
The morning of my business trip to the ruin arrived. I had to get on the 9 a.m. train to get to the ruins. Therefore, I had to stop by the Adventurers" Guild thirty minutes earlier than usual to get a pistol and a rapier for officer use.
I had double-checked the business trip luggage the previous day and gone through information about the ruins that Milpia gave me.
The ruins, discovered about 500 years ago, were believed to have been from the late era of the Holy Kingdom to the early empire period. The process of excavating the ruins was still underway, so the reason why the ruin was made was unknown.
However, based on the style, the prevailing opinion was that it seemed to be someone"s tomb. If it really was a tomb on a scale of ruins, it was sure to be overflowing with tomb raiders. It seems they weren’t sending us off with a pistol for no reason.
If the ruins were indeed a tomb, it was speculated that the most likely owner was Arietta Remedia von Horizon, the last queen of the prosperous nation and the last of the Holy Tribe. Then this was the tomb of the person that my ancestor, the Traitorous Knight, killed. It was a distant past, but it felt strange that it was a tomb of a person who was a.s.sociated with my family.
Of course, they were just saying that the style of the ruins was similar to a tomb. There was a possibility that it was not a tomb. Moreover, if it was the early days of the empire, the style wouldn’t have been that different from the era of the Holy Kingdom, so there was a possibility that it was a relic of the empire period, not the era of the Holy Kingdom.
If so, the value of the ruins would decrease, but I wouldn’t have to worry about any tomb raiders, so the work would be easier. If these large-scale ruins were the remains of the empire, they would have been created by the imperial family or n.o.bility of that time.
It meant that there was a possibility that it was the imperial family"s ruins. In other words, the moment you sought after it, the beheading of your entire family for treason without a trial would be confirmed.
How dare you go after the property of the emperor, the absolute power of the feudal state! Unless it was someone like me, no matter how daring of a tomb raider, he wouldn’t even dare pee in the direction of the ruins.
"You can come in," I said before I even heard the knock.
Milpia opened the door and came in, feeling awkward at my words. She looked like her pride was hurt as she asked, "How did you know?"
Why are you asking something obvious?
"Isn"t it natural that it would be more noticeable if you completely erased your presence before approaching me?"
I wouldn"t have known that she had come if she had approached normally. There were so many presences around in order to protect Mrs. Arscilla that I made a habit of ignoring ordinary presences. If not, it felt like I was sleeping or changing clothes in the middle of a tourist attraction. It was also tiring to have such good senses.
I was used to it now and ignored it unconsciously, so there were no inconveniences, but when I had just left my hometown, I had to deliberately practice ignoring it.
"So what brings you here?" I asked
Milpia crossed her arms with a sullen face. "I"m not exactly here for you. I"m here to match the cla.s.s schedule for the next semester."
It seemed that the start of the magic school was already approaching. Well, it was February today, so there was a need to make the schedule.
"Is that so? Then go ahead."
I kept checking the luggage that was just for show. Pocket s.p.a.ce was convenient, but it was still important for civil servants to show it.
Good. I think I got everything.
I was quickly putting the items I took out to check back in the luggage when something came flying towards the back of my head. When I unconsciously grabbed it and checked, it was a wooden plate with a strange pattern carved onto it.
"The last time we met, Yuria and Alice came too fast, so I couldn’t give it to you."
"What is this?"
"It’s a proof card that Big Mama’s Information Agency distributes to VIP customers. With that, you can buy most information without being ha.s.sled for your customer rating."
There was no magic cast on it in particular, but the patterns were complicated and did not look easy to forge. Let"s just stow it in the pocket s.p.a.ce for now.
"It"s really only given to VIPs. Normally, you wouldn"t have been able to even see it." Milpia spoke as if she were trying to be generous.
"Ayy, at my level, I should be a VIP. Remember all the money I spent on the information agency."
I had spent too much money not to be given VIP status. I was an important customer who bought enough information to pay with a platinum coin at Granwell. Considering the amount of money I had spent, it wouldn’t have been strange to receive it on the first day. Of course, the information I bought at that time was still being used well.
Milpia looked at me in displeasure. "It’s not given just for buying a lot of information.”
I put on my bag and told Milpia as I left my room, "I"ll use the information about the ruins well. There was a lot of interesting stuff on it."
Milpia snorted at my thanks. "Anyone can say thanks with just words.”
"If you want me to provide information, because I’ve been given information, then I recommend you to be more affectionate towards my aunt in the future. You being so stiff and rigid towards my aunt is making her also be stiff back to you."
Milpia raised her eyes sharply and growled. "Why don’t you just hurry up and go."
"Yes, yes."
I was going down to the first floor when I heard some murmuring from behind.
"Who doesn"t know that...."
The mother and daughter were the same. I shook my head and left the boarding house
-o-
Arriving at the Adventurers" Guild, I went straight to Demuir, who was on night duty.
He was in his uniform and getting ready for the morning roll call.
"What about Flam?" I asked.
"He’s not here yet. Why did you come so early?"
I was worried that if I came out late, Alphonso would cling on to me, so I left early instead.
"Since you’re going to have to do the accounting alone for the next few days, I thought I would help you a little bit before I go."
Demuir was moved and held my hand at something I said out of politeness.
"Keuu! You"re the only one I have! Did you eat breakfast? You should eat a hearty breakfast."
Saying so, he offered me his breakfast. Demuir"s meal was a sandwich sold at the bakery just out front.
No, if you do this, I’ll really feel like I need to help you.
I took out the sandwich and asked as I ate, "Thank you for the meal. But is it okay if you don"t eat?"
"It"s okay, there"s more here." He took out more sandwiches.
Then let"s eat without hesitation.
Demuir then went upstairs with a list for the morning roll call. As I ate a sandwich, I took out the accounting doc.u.ments from his drawer and started organizing the books.
"Oh! You came early. Where is Demuir?"
While I was organizing my account for a while, Flam opened the door and came in.
"He went up for the morning roll call. Would you like some sandwiches?"
"Thanks."
Flam ate the sandwich I handed him and I quickly finished organizing the books.
At this point, I don"t think the night duty Demuir would be working until the late afternoon. The cost of the sandwich was expensive.
"Come to think of it, one of the adventurers is supposed to be coming with us as an escort. Did you hear who it is?"
I shook my head at Flam.
"Well? I am not sure, but it will probably be someone around a silver plate?”
If possible, it would have been nice if it was someone who I knew and got along with well like Rosellis. But there would be no greater waste than to attach a platinum plate adventurer as an escort for civil servants. Bronze plate adventurers were too weak to escort two people alone, and the gold plates seemed a little too much like the platinum plates.
"Hmm, I see."
Behind Flam, who was nodding convinced, Roseland and Fiona opened the door and came in.
"Oh my, you guys came early.”
Even though it was not time to be at work yet, the fact that the two of them were here showed the amount of gap that was created from the two of us being gone.
Roseland handed us a public train ticket as soon as he saw me and Flam. "Good luck on your business trip."
The ruins were quite far away, so even with the train ride, it was necessary to change wagons twice. The train ticket was for four people in the second cla.s.s.
"The adventurer who will escort you will join you at the East Capital Station around 9 o"clock."
"Who is that adventurer?” asked Flam.
Roseland smiled and just said to ask and hear the introduction from the adventurer when we met.
"He"s a little eccentric, but he"s a good guy. So don’t be rude."
Roseland seemed to know that person well since he was calling the person eccentric. In addition, since he said we should hear the introduction ourselves, that meant we had never met the person before.
However, I was told not to be rude even when dealing with a probationary adventurer, so I couldn"t guess whether this person was a high or low rank. Well, I guess I’ll find out in person.
Flam and I went to the armory, filled the dispensing ledger for the trip, and wore the pistol and rapier on our waist.
Flam, wearing a rapier and pistol, looked as if he was a retired veteran going to the reserve. As expected, he looked like an old man.
“We’re off.”
“We are leaving now.”
After Roseland and Fiona’s sendoff, the two of us headed straight away to the East Capital Station with a train ticket issued for public use.
"Don"t go! Den!"
I heard Demuir"s wailing from afar, but since I could also hear Roseland’s scolding, I thought it was fine to ignore it.
Arriving at the station, we immediately entered the station office, presented official identification cards and official doc.u.ments for the business trip, and entrusted them with the pistols and rapiers.
The pistol and rapier would move together by train in the cargo compartment. Under imperial law, people were allowed to board a train with weapons only during wartime and only if they were in a direct line to the front lines. With the exception of escorting the emperor or crown prince, others would have to be granted permission by the railroad director. Therefore, most adventurers and mercenaries used wagons rather than trains, even though they were more uncomfortable.
When one had to take their weapons like me, you left it with the station staff and received a relevant certificate. It was a troublesome procedure, but it was necessary to prevent train hijacking or terrorism.
Of course, if anyone knew how to make a pocket s.p.a.ce, it would be a disaster. Most people, of course, the magicians who could create a pocket s.p.a.ce were rare, so it was okay not to worry about it too much.
If it was a magician who could create a pocket s.p.a.ce, he could just attack from outside without having to do it from inside the train anyway. So, there was no reason to go through the ha.s.sle of paying and taking the train.
After leaving the station, Flam looked around. "But how are we supposed to meet the adventurer at the East Capital Station?"
"Since we are wearing uniforms, wouldn’t the adventurer find us?”
Uniforms looked different for each department, so the adventurer should be able to recognize us.
"Well, in the worst case, we have reserved seats anyway, so if we just go sit down, I’m sure he’ll come to us on his own.”
Flam nodded with a look of understanding. "Mmm, I see."
Just in time, I heard the broadcast that the train was arriving.
- The train is entering the east capital station now. Everyone, please take a step back for your safety.
The tone of the voice was the same as what I heard when I first came to the capital. It was likely a recorded broadcast.
At that time, someone put their arms around Flam and my shoulder and spoke.
"Hi, newcomer friends."