Chapter 85
Chapter 85
Translator: “Ashita” Editor: “Weasalopes”
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It takes several days by a 「fixed schedule」 golem coach from the Holy City to arrive at the Royal Capital, Capital of the Kingdom.
At its center lies a public square.
The land facing this public square is without a doubt the Kingdom’s best residential district.
The Adventurers’ Guild headquarters has been built here since days long past, making its influence known to its surroundings.
In one of the rooms on the highest floor of this building, a while has passed since employees whose faces had turned pale and were flying about.
The expression of the Guild master of the Adventurers’ Guild changed after receiving a disjointed report.
「A group of Heavy Lancers (Heavy Cavalry) you say?!」
The Guild master, whose back was leaning on the back of the chair, suddenly shot up.
Though his face was ghastly, his gaze sharpened.
「……It has been confirmed by multiple adventurers in the northwest. there is no mistaking it」
The subordinate managed to squeeze out even as he was overpowered by an air so intimidating that it could have even taken a physical form.
「Their numbers, and what direction are they headed?」
「It’s definitely more than forty. They are slowly heading south」
The Guild master slammed the table after hearing that.
「Alert the Kingdom! Immediately!」
With a force enough to draw a reaction from the table, the throaty and loud voice caused not only the room’s atmosphere but the appliances and the door in the room to shake.
The employees flew out of the room, running at full sprint.
The Guild master left the room too, running down the stairs to the office below.
(Why did we not notice?)
The Guild master clenched his fist.
Heavy Lancers are four-legged large-sized magical beasts.
Their size up to their shoulders is about 16 meters. Even though they are called horses, they have short necks and they have gigantic horns like that of Hercules Large Beetles.
The important parts on the surface of their body are covered with scale-like skin making weak magic and physical attacks useless against them.
Mobility, defense and a charge with enough power to destroy castle walls.
Even so, the threat that one of them poses does not even compare to that of a Heavy Stone Golem. However, there are a large number of them this time.
If they are headed for a provincial city, it will be a life or death crisis, a matter enough to dispatch the whole Knights Order.
(What a huge failure!)
A groan leaks out unknowingly.
Tracking the movements of large-sized magical beasts is one of the jobs of the Adventurers’ Guild.
of course, that does not apply to all of them. It is only limited to those who pose high levels of threat.
Any movements are reported early and the relevant parties are pressed to respond.
This is an organization capable of that and is also widely appreciated
However, it was too slow this time.
Some kind of penalty will no doubt be imposed.
「Assemble an investigation group! Assign three teams to this!」
「Investigate the reason we missed them! Hurry!」
After bursting into the office, he shot out instructions like that of a storm.
The reason for the delayed detection of the Heavy Lancers. The employee tasked with investigating this asked if this could be left for later.
The employee probably thought of the personnel and priority.
「Are you an idiot?! Are you telling me to go to the Royal Palace without an investigation of the cause and measures against a relapse of this incident?!」
The Guild master exploded.
After his roar, which literally blew the employee away, he lumbered around in circles.
The office is already in an uproar much like a battlefield.
While watching this, the Guild master turned his attention to another matter.
(Where are the Heavy Lancers heading for?)
Suddenly appearing in the Royal Kingdom, moving albeit slowly.
Such a thing has never happened before. It is more natural to see it as them having some kind of motive.
(Is there any opportunity to come back from this?)
There is no helping it since it has already happened.
In that case, all that is left is to minimize the damages as much as possible. Then, if possible, I would want to change this crisis into an opportunity.
The Guild master, who was trained up as an adventurer, wielded his fortuitous mentality and tenaciously thought deeply.
While the Guild master of the Adventurers’ Guild was receiving the report, over at the Merchant’s Guild, Herbivorous Mechanic was also received a certain report.
「Huh? The former pilot is coming?」
Near the east gate of the Royal Capital lies Old Lady’s hanger.
This is Herbivorous Mechanic’s workplace.
Old Lady is currently on the move to the Holy City and is not here, Therefore, there are not many things to do. But Herbivorous Mechanic was jam-packed from morning to night as usual.
「Seems like he wanted to retrieve his personal belongings」
The chief of security said.
A Knight’s hanger is an important facility. Security here goes on for twenty-four hours a day.
(I think it has already been a few months since he has been fired)
「So troublesome」 He thought.
It was possible to ignore him but he will definitely cause a scene. The former pilot he knew was such a person.
「I will search for it here so ask him what is it」
After receiving this instruction, the chief of security left only to return a short while later.
「It’s my personal belongings so there’s no way I can say it. I will search for it myself so let me in or so he says」
He let out an unhappy expression.
Seeing this, Herbivorous Mechanic was able to picture the situation with ease.
He probably yelled angrily at the chief of security
(There is no way a stranger would be allowed to pass)
It is an obvious thing that was already decided. There is no way the former pilot, who was employed before, does not know this.
He thought irritatedly but he had a sudden realization.
(He always thought he was special)
Even if he sees the mistakes of others, he never sees his own mistakes. He most likely thought he could have gotten into here easily.
「In any case, do not allow him to enter. And please ask the guild for instructions」
The head in the Knight’s hanger is Herbivorous Mechanic. But he pushed the decision to the guild.
(I cannot stand seeing him. I don’t want to have any involvement with him)
「I did well to be tolerant back then」 He thought to himself.
No one probably knew aside from the former pilot.
However, it is impossible now. After the experiences of working together with Tauro, though not absolutely, he still could not stand him.
Watching as the chief of security left the room, Herbivorous Mechanic began looking through the past maintenance records for Old Lady.
When a security personnel came from a certain Royal Capital east gate Knight’s warehouse with a notice, the Vice-Guild master was in the reception room.
The person he was meeting was the chief of the Assassins’ Guild.
Though they are called the Assassins’ Guild, their primary job is to guard VIPs. The merchant Guild had requested for them to guard Tauro without his knowledge from a while back.
「Then I guess there are no signs of him being targeted?」
The Vice-Guild master, who looked exactly like Santa Claus, stroked his long white beard and said in a seemingly satisfied tone. It is best that the guarding did not come to fruition.
「However, the name Assassins’ Guild does have a dangerous vibe to it. Do you have any intentions to change the name?」
As the reporting was done and they moved on to idle talk, Santa asked the thought that has always been occurring in his mind.
The chief of the Assassins’ guild had probably been asked about this topic many times before, he answered as if he was used to it.
「This name is good. 「Assassins’ Guild」 has been assigned as bodyguards, the vibe from this puts an overwhelming amount of pressure on our opponents」
To make an enemy out of the organization with a name such as 「Assassins’ Guild」 would require quite the amount of resolve.
He understood that but he disliked the vibe that the word 「Assassin」 had.
Seeing that Santa was not convinced, the chief continued.
‘It is impossible for us to call ourselves by our now disbanded parent organization the 「Thieves’ Guild」 right? It’s 「Thieves’ Guild’ you know?」
The chief probably meant that as a joke, he was laughing after all.
For the sake of courtesy, Santa laughed back.
Indeed, when requesting for the guarding a VIP, the vibe that 「Thieves’ Guild」 has is worse than 「Assassins’ Guild」. It had an air like they will betray the client and sell the VIP off instead.
Just then, there was a knock and Santa was informed that a security personnel from the hanger had come.
「Let him through」
It seems like there is some trouble with security.
In that case, though it is contradictory, it would be wise to ask the person-in-charge of the Assassins’ Guild.
Santa decided as such.
「Please excuse me」
The security personnel entered the room and reported.
The situation was that the former pilot had appeared at the Knight’s hanger and asked to be let through.
After hearing the report, Santa tilted his head.
Why would he bother to take his personal belongings now? No, there is nothing that would seem like his personal belongings in the first place.
The chief of the Assassins’ Guild called out to Santa who had an expression suggesting that he did not understand.
「Smells like a lie」
As Santa raised one of his eyebrows, he continued speaking.
「When things do not make sense, there is a lie. You should like at it as such」
「So you are saying?」
Santa urged for him to continue.
「The retrieving of his personal belongings is a lie and I think he probably wants to
The security personnel’s face became stiff after he heard the words of the chief of the Assassins’ Guild.
「Destruction, stealing, wiretapping, everything comes to mind」
Santa scrutinized the opinion of the chief of the Assassins’ Guild. At the same time, the former pilot appeared in his mind.
The possibility exists, no, these reasons are the ones that are the most probable.
He immediately gave out instructions to the security personnel.
「Do not let him pass no matter what. Say that we will search for his personal belongings so write down the search request on paper」
Being instructed to drive him off if he makes a fuss over this, the security personnel returned to the Knight’s hanger.
Turning back he gave his thanks to the chief of the Assassins’ Guild.
「I had not thought that far, your opinion helped a lot」
「Don’t be, we were originally the Thieves’ Guild after all so our point of view is close to that of the former pilot」
His laughing face was either one from a joke or from self-deprecation.
「Hmm」 The Chief of the assassins’ Guild made a doubtful face.
「Even so, I feel that he is quite childish」
That is because the former pilot took a direct approach – taking the belongings he had forgotten about.
If he was in the former pilot’s shoes, he would have feigned an injury or a spasm and probably shouted, 「The medicine is inside」.
Feeding on the kindness of another and leaving no time for decisions were the basics of basics.
「Well, in a sense he had a sheltered upbringing」
Santa answered.
The former pilot had no experience aside from being a Knight pilot.
Due to his high social status, he has led a life where he was recommended to a high ranking position shortly after his graduation.
(Pilot School huh)
He sighed as he thought of the 「School」 portion.
The graduates from the Pilot School are soft on their juniors. Santa saw it that way.
They show no mercy on people like Tauro who have a different set of values from them. They totally deny such people. On the other hand, leeway is given to incompetent people.
Though the former pilot did not have the skills to be employed by the Knight Order, his values are closest to that of a true Knight pilot.
(I may have someone with personal connections with the Pilot School speak about this)
In reality, the Merchant’s Guild employing him was only due to the pressure exerted by the Knight Order.
(Even though he is usually reluctant to take action, he would plot such plans to cause trouble. Such a passionate individual.)
Taking the small white cup with his hand, he lifted it to his mouth.
It was like he was trying to blame the coffee for letting out his hateful expression
(What should I do to reject this without making matters worse?)
Santa deeply thought about that.