Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Chapter 3. Flag Competition
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Judah gazed down from the window on the second floor of the village inn. So many people had gathered that the village felt even narrower than usual. Mages from Calypso, adventurers teamed up with priests, mercenary bands—as time passed, more and more visitors flooded in. In the end, there weren't enough places to stay, so plenty turned back.
This was probably the first time so many outsiders had gathered here since the village was founded.
Judah idly watched the mages scatter about, investigating something as they visited villagers' homes. He savored this rare moment of leisure, sipping a glass of water while reclining in the rocking chair in his room. Then came a knock at the door.
"Are you awake?"
It was the innkeeper. Judah, eyes closed, let out a sigh and cracked one eye open toward the closed door. Should he pretend to be asleep and not answer? But she kept knocking insistently, calling his name in an urgent tone, so he had no choice but to get up.
"Hey!"
"Yes! I'm up."
With an annoyed smack of his lips, Judah opened the door. The innkeeper looked relieved.
"Sorry, did I wake you while you were sleeping?"
"No, it's fine. What is it?"
"Um, some people from the magic tower—the administrator and the adventurer guild branch chief—came looking for you. They asked me to send you down."
"The administrator and branch chief?"
"Yes."
Why are they here? At the words that they were waiting downstairs, Judah closed the door with a creak from the wooden floorboards and headed down.
He expected the first floor to be bustling with all the people outside, but only two men sat there. His eyes met one of theirs.
"Ah, looks like he's finally coming down. You're the adventurer who protected this village from the wraiths, right? Have a seat here."
A stern-looking man rose from his chair, addressing Judah with a reasonably polite tone. Unsure of the reason for their visit, Judah sat down anyway.
He couldn't tell which was the branch chief and which the administrator, but both looked equally strict. He'd hoped for a bit more rest, but here came some hassle. Holding back a sigh, Judah forced a smile.
"What brings you here? Or, well, before that—mind introducing yourselves?"
"I'm Foga, branch chief of the Kaora Castle Adventurer Guild. This is Jerian Andria, dispatched from the Langritsa Magic Tower. We have a few things to confirm about this incident. If you don't mind, the villagers call you an adventurer—could you tell me your name and rank?"
"Judah Arsher, Bronze rank."
The branch chief didn't know? Ah, right—there's no guild here. That explains the lack of records. His face twisted in confusion at "Bronze," then he let out a hollow laugh.
"Bronze? Hm. Must be some mistake. Maybe the village chief lied."
The administrator shot him a sharp look, as if to say what nonsense.
"The chief wouldn't dare lie so boldly. And you saw it yourself when we went to the mansion—the body of Count Jinmu. That man did something insane. If someone hadn't stopped him at the critical moment, we wouldn't even be standing on this land right now."
Ah, now Judah understood why they were here. They were looking for Count Jinmu's killer.
The administrator crossed his arms in a haughty pose, staring at Judah with a serious expression.
"I have a few things I'd like to confirm, adventurer."
"Go ahead."
"I hope you'll tell the truth. This is very important. They say you dealt with the wraiths that appeared in this village? Was there really any need to come here specifically on a stormy night like that?"
There was. He'd taken a request from Aslan, heard the target was here from the Kaora Castle guild, and on the way, rescued a hunter chased by wraiths.
Judah explained it all smoothly.
"As far as I know, Bronze adventurers are pretty incompetent. You took down wraiths? I heard there were no priests—did you have silver-plated weapons at least?"
"No, it's not just holy power from priests or silver weapons that can damage wraiths. You know that, right? Ways to hit incorporeal things directly."
The administrator's eyes widened with interest.
"You can wield mana?"
"Yes, of course. But you're not here to interrogate me, are you? It feels like you're questioning a criminal."
"Of course not. Just verifying. Whether you're really the one who killed Count Jinmu, the war hero of Baekje."
"I did kill him, but do we need all this hassle? I could just show you proof."
The administrator snorted.
"Maybe you didn't bring him down—someone else did. There's a saying for that: 'The bear does the work, but the fool takes the credit.'"
"You seem to think that because I'm Bronze. I'd appreciate it if you didn't lump me in with other Bronzes."
"That confident in your skills?"
"Yes."
The administrator muttered "Bold one" while glaring into Judah's eyes. Then footsteps came from upstairs as someone descended. Turning, Judah saw Jeanne. She wore loose clothes and came down the stairs noisily.
"You're a companion of Judah Arsher, correct? Sorry, but could you join us for a moment?"
The branch chief spoke up from his seat. Hearing that, Jeanne, halfway down the stairs, turned to see Judah, nodded, and approached.
The administrator's eyes flickered as he stared piercingly at Jeanne—specifically, the pendant around her neck. The silver pendant shaped like a lance made even the branch chief's jaw drop.
"Hm. Blue Lance Knight...?"
"I'm still an apprentice, but yes. Jeanne Atluar."
She pulled out a chair next to Judah and sat, replying with a look that said what does it matter. But the administrator's attitude shifted. He uncrossed his arms, nodded repeatedly, and grew serious.
Judah nearly laughed at the sudden change. Did the Blue Lance Knights have such influence even in Calypso, not Byron Empire? No, probably not. After all, Count Jinmu was a hero in Baekje.
And as Judah suspected, the reason for the administrator's change wasn't her Blue Lance Knight status from the empire.
"Sorry to ask, but could you summon the silver lance just once?"
Jeanne tilted her head quizzically and glanced at Judah, as if seeking permission. He nodded.
Jeanne extended her left arm, silver particles gathering in her hand to form the lance. She'd polished it recently—it gleamed brightly. The branch chief let out an "Ah" and widened his eyes upon seeing it.
"Administrator Andria. The marks from the blunt weapon that felled the ghoul..."
"Yes, it was this knight. That explains a lot."
The administrator frowned, half-convinced yet puzzled, tilting his head.
"But Count Jinmu was a famous war hero. Defeated by Bronze adventurers? Hard to believe. Was he just getting old?"
He stroked his chin.
"I'd like a full explanation. This won't be a waste of time. If I'm convinced you took down Count Jinmu, I'll express the Langritsa Magic Tower's thanks on their behalf."
Is this how you get rewards the dungeon didn't provide? Judah explained in detail from the start.
The request from Aslan, the circumstances leading here, meeting the hunter, finding the mansion, talking to Count Jinmu, discovering he'd lost his body to wraiths for some experiment.
Of course, he couldn't mention using the fragment, so he wove in a suitable lie. Struggled down to the basement, fought him, thought he was done for at the end—but Jinmu regained consciousness, halted the wraiths, and begged Judah to kill him. That's how he wrapped it up.
"Huh. Even a praised war hero was just human. What a pathetic end."
Bitten by his own dog, the administrator muttered sympathetically, nodding. Finally, he asked Judah and Jeanne to show the items they'd taken from him.
They were stored in <Bag>, but not wanting to reveal it, Judah claimed he'd left them upstairs and went up and down. Seeing the wraith-cursed items, he frowned. Confirming Jinmu's ring from Jeanne was genuine, they nodded.
"Can't argue with this."
He opened his backpack and handed Judah a heavy pouch.
"Take it. It was meant as a reward for Jinmu's killer and compensation for the injured or dead, but since it's you, it fits. The mercenaries might complain, so we'll say we hired you—as advance scouts."
Judah nodded readily and peeked inside. Gold coins sparkled, their weight matching the heft. Wondering if that was all, the man pulled out another pouch.
"And this—if you cede everything left in the mansion, including the grimoires you didn't take."
Even after stashing the useful grimoires in <Bag> and leaving the junk, they offered this much gold. Judah couldn't hide his surprise. Grimoires must be valuable on their own.
'Or maybe the magic circles and lab equipment are worth that much.'
"Unexpected. A powerless adventurer would be thrilled with just this."
"We could, but we can't treat lightly the one who killed a war hero who nearly doomed Calypso. You seem like you'll do big things—consider it preemptive debt."
The administrator, who hadn't smiled once, now grinned slyly.
"Deal. I won't claim ownership of anything left in the mansion."
"Then sign here."
He rummaged in his bag, pulling out paper and pen for Judah. Not just a verbal promise? Impressed by the thoroughness, Judah checked for odd clauses before signing.
And the rewards didn't end there.
The branch chief had nothing extra, but for preventing disaster in multiple ruined villages, he'd exceptionally use his authority to promote Judah from Bronze to Silver, handing over a certificate. Take it to the nearest guild, and they'd upgrade him.
A satisfying deal. The branch chief hadn't really bargained anyway.
They thanked him for his efforts, rose, and decided to leave a small team while the rest withdrew.