Opportunity
Opportunity
Thankfully, the carriage really didn't follow us anymore.
I couldn't tell if that was genuine goodwill or something else, but since the outcome was satisfactory, it didn't much matter either way. There was no need to be self-conscious about walking into Zikmel's shop.
Still, even if it's just a front, it was technically an information broker's cover shop. I'd feel bad if it got exposed because of me, wouldn't I?
"Welcome, valued customer! The item you ordered last time came in, so the manager has been waiting for you!"
The moment I stepped into the guy's shop, an employee greeted me, rattling off a story I'd never heard before as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"...Ah, it's ready already?"
To think he'd even set up this much of a script just to naturally give me an excuse to meet and have his staff alert him the second I arrived. Was this really the same Zikmel I knew from the past? My chest swelled with pride.
I played along and went inside, where Zikmel greeted me amidst a taller pile of documents than usual.
"I've felt this for a while, but Eldmia, you really do possess an abnormal level of proactiveness."
"I came to say thanks anyway, and I was also curious about your reaction."
"I can understand the former, but the latter just makes me think you're being way too harsh."
Contrary to his words, his circumstances didn't seem too bad, as the guy wore a relaxed smile.
"Well, thanks to you, my work has gotten a bit easier, so I am grateful."
"Did you have some kind of bad entanglement with Envelde?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Zikmel tapped the piles of documents and answered.
"It seems one of my competitors had a good entanglement with Count Bosha. I was wavering on who it was at first, but one of them vanished completely."
That was a result I hadn't even considered. But then again, since the bastard ran a slave trade, it wouldn't be strange for him to have at least one information broker in his pocket... or would it? Since I'd found Zikmel by sheer coincidence, I wasn't quite sure.
"Trying to scavenge all of it would give you indigestion, so even after filtering out a ton, it's still this much of a mess. I can't help but be grateful. Anyway, so everything's wrapped up now?"
"Who knows? I sure don't."
"...Excuse me?"
"How the hell would I know? I just kicked away a spark that landed in front of me. Whether the fire's out or just spread somewhere else... time will probably tell, won't it?"
It was true that Envelde's death had untied knots that had been tangled for years, known and unknown, and it was also true that I'd gotten a load off my mind because of it. But I didn't believe it was completely 'wrapped up.' Envelde might have done someone a favor, and that someone might decide to come after me for revenge, just like I did.
"Still, it does feel like I've cleared one obstacle out of my life."
"...Eldmia, for someone who acts like they're going to live just one day, you have an awfully long-term view on life, don't you?"
"What, punk?"
It wasn't exactly wrong, so I just laughed it off. In fact, it probably did look that way to other people.
"Anyway, I just stopped by to say hello. If things stay quiet from here on, I doubt I'll have any particular requests for you."
"Excuse me? Wouldn't we see each other more often now? Even if you did cause a big scene this time, once things calm down, the royal court's going to kick up a fuss about giving you a title."
"What title?"
"...Eldmia, did you charge at Count Bosha not even knowing what kind of man he was?"
"Of course I know what kind of man he was. A motherfucker who touched me."
"...Huh. How did you come out of that alive...? Or is it not that? Should I be questioning just how strong you are instead?"
Zikmel started muttering to himself, tilting his head like he couldn't comprehend it, so I debated whether to thump him on the head. But then I recalled what Envelde had said.
"You mean that thing about earning a count's title through blade-work?"
"What a way to phrase it, but yes. Except that blade-work was done against Demonfolk, not people."
"He said something along those lines with his own mouth, too..."
"His subordinates were the same; he was a knight with some renown on the battlefield. The war sped up his promotion, but he also built up his achievements that much, apparently. Officially, they said he withdrew due to injuries sustained during the war, but that's obviously a lie. Since he's been preparing treason all this time, assuming his skills back then haven't rusted, he'd likely rank among the top even among Expert-level knights, wouldn't he?"
No wonder his swordplay was impressive.
His ability to mix feints into his counterattacks was anything but ordinary. My swordsmanship was pushed back purely because of that, you could say.
"He was stronger than the current Hero."
I was just stating a fact, but Zikmel shook his head with a fed-up expression.
"What on earth do you eat to get that strong?"
"Resentment...?"
"...Not like, rage or something?"
"From what I heard secondhand, that's what it was, but for me it was resentment more than rage."
He cracked a flippant joke, saying, 'You only seem accustomed to making people resentful...' so I thumped him on the head this time.
"So what you're saying is, because a 15-year-old brat killed a man with that level of ability, the nobles will try to groom me however they can, and once that happens, I'll naturally be entangled a lot with you, the info expert, right?"
"Perfectly accurate."
"Well, I'm factoring that in, but that'll take at least a few years. Next year, I'm getting my wandering knight investiture and heading to the front lines."
'After raising all this hell, can I really receive a knighthood?' Of course I could.
Why would they block a chance to kill a mad dog that bites anyone, all without spilling a drop of blood on their own hands? They'd welcome it with open arms, calling it a perfect plan for me to learn true chivalry and walk the right path. They'd probably want to send me even if I said I didn't want to go.
Those with a neutral stance would see it as time and an excuse to dampen the negative public opinion about me, while also being a chance to verify my abilities, so they wouldn't exactly refuse. And well, the only people I could call favorably disposed towards me were Ragnis and Lord Ekaf, so there's nothing more to say on that front.
"So if it stays quiet until then, we'll just go our separate ways for a while. Who knows about later, though."
Zikmel's expression looked like he had a lot to say, but instead of opening his mouth, he just nodded and wrapped up the conversation.
Since I already owed him, and I planned to show my face one more time before leaving anyway, I gave my usual farewells, walked out of the shop, and wandered for another ten or so minutes.
"Oh? Ega?"
"Oh?"
On the way to the guild, I ran into Rellie, who'd apparently been buying all sorts of things. So this was one of those 'when it rains, it pours' days!
I was marveling at the eerily perfect timing, to the point where you'd suspect The Truman Show, when Rellie walked over with a smile and broached the topic first.
"I see the capital isn't as big as you'd think. Did you get everything wrapped up from last time?"
"Yes. I think it'll be wrapped up quite nicely. Seems Rellie also made it back safely after that."
"Man, it was absolutely insane, I tell you. That damned guild master and a few of the city managers had really done the deed, so I got dragged around giving statements and only barely made it back recently."
Rellie shook her head, saying her wallet had gotten considerably fatter because of it, but it had been a pain in the ass in many ways.
"Actually, the extra profit we got from that was all thanks to Ega, so I was going to suggest we all get together for a company dinner. How about it? I'd like to invite Asilie, too."
"I'm good with it, but I think I'll have to ask my sister about it. Do you know where the inn you're staying at is? I'll come find you once things are settled."
"Do you know the inn called the Drunken Squirrel? We're all staying there right now."
I had absolutely no idea. And this was after spending almost two years in the capital. I thought I'd gotten around a fair bit, but here I was.
"Let's do this. You look like you've got a lot of bags, so let me help you carry some."
"Haha! What's with that? That's a very polite way of asking for directions."
But she didn't seem interested in refusing, as Rellie entrusted the basket she'd been hugging to me. Even after that, both her hands were still full of baskets, making me wonder what on earth she'd bought so much of.
"Are you doing your own cooking at the inn? That's an incredible amount of stuff."
"Ah, these are ingredients for making reagents. Since they need aging time, I have to produce a lot all at once to resupply on time."
"You know alchemy, too?"
"Enough to save on potion costs."
Rellie answered lightly as if it was nothing, but I couldn't hide my surprise. Emergency treatment with herbs was on a whole different level from actually crafting reagents—like comparing a quack to a professional. One wrong mixture and you'd go through hell from the side effects.
"Impressive. Were you self-taught?"
"Nah, I couldn't risk my life like that. I learned it in Ravil."
"Ravil, that's..."
"Right. It's Yekaterina's hometown. That's where I got a connection and ended up traveling with her."
To get to Ravil, you had to cross Itisel, cross the Empire, cross the Split Plains, and reach the Northern Great Mountain Range... This seemed like quite a long-standing connection.
"Ah. Rellie? I heard there's a group called the Dragon Blood Clan in Ravil? Have you ever heard of them?"
Come to think of it, Gish had told that story. I didn't know if Rellie was actually born in Ravil, but since she'd learned alchemy there, I figured she might know something. I asked, and Rellie's eyes darted left and right as if sifting through memories before she slowly opened her mouth.
"Vaguely? Weren't they a house related to Ravil's founding legend?"
"Founding legend?"
"You know, the common creation myth. Mixed blood with a dragon. Inherited the dragon's blood, hence Dragon Blood. Their house spread, hence Clan. So, Dragon Blood Clan. Why the sudden question?"
"A few days ago, I mentioned Yekaterina, and the guy asked me the moment he heard it whether I'd met someone from the Dragon Blood Clan."
"Huh. Why didn't you ask her?"
"I was curious too, so I tried to ask back, but he swung his sword and I didn't have time to ask."
"...???"
Rellie looked at me like she couldn't believe her ears, collecting question marks.