A Marquis Walks Into Our Shabby Guild
When I laid eyes on the heavyweight who visited our guild the next day, my pupils trembled.
"Marquis Heindel came to our guild as a client?"
"Yes! He's waiting in the room right now!"
As Susanna said this, I found myself somewhat dumbfounded. The guild master wasn't even here—what on earth was I supposed to do about this?
"Assistant Manager Audrette, if it's Marquis Heindel, he must be one of the most powerful nobles out there, right?"
"That's right…."
I answered while recalling the Marquis Heindel described in the original story. He was no ordinary noble. He'd had a fairly substantial role as a supporting character in the original, too…. Hmm, though since I only knew him through the novel, I honestly had no idea what image the people of this world had of Marquis Heindel.
"Temple Employee Cedric, do you know about Marquis Heindel?"
The moment I asked, hoping to gauge general public opinion, Cedric's gaze wavered.
"Ah, no, I don't. A marquis… what's a marquis again?"
What is this? What's with that awkward tone?
"You don't know what a marquis is…?"
"A marquis, a marquis, let me think…."
Had his judgment suddenly deteriorated?
Well, I couldn't exactly keep the Marquis Heindel waiting, so I supposed I'd better hurry.
"Manager Susanna, I'll take this one—"
Mid-sentence, I glanced at Cedric. He'd become a contract employee specifically because he wanted to work at an information guild and learn the trade, but had I been giving him nothing but errands for the guild master this whole time? It seemed I really ought to teach him some actual work. Hmm, after all, I am a good senior.
"Temple Employee Cedric, would you like to come with me?"
"Y-you mean me?"
"Yes, you said you wanted to learn the information guild business, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did say that. Yes…."
He hesitated for a moment before rising from his seat. And so Cedric and I headed for the guest reception room together.
When I opened the door and stepped inside, the man called Marquis Heindel was glancing around with a somewhat awkward look in his eyes. It made sense, really—this shabby drawing room didn't suit a Marquis Heindel in the slightest.
"Hello."
"…Yes."
He answered in a stiff tone. He had the air of a male lead straight out of any romance fantasy novel.
But even against a marquis who looked like a male lead, Cedric didn't fall behind one bit. For a mere extra in this world, Cedric really did have a remarkable face.
"You introduced yourself as Marquis Heindel—is that correct?"
"It is. I am Frederick Heindel of the Heindel Marquisate. I only just arrived in the capital recently."
As if to prove his identity, he produced a card. Unfortunately, with my limited knowledge of this world and my distance from aristocratic society, I couldn't verify it at a glance.
While I stood there hesitating, Cedric, seated beside me, gave a nod.
"Identity confirmed."
Feeling my gaze on him, he added:
"I learned noble family crests at my previous company."
"Ah, the family-like company."
What on earth did that company teach its employees?
Anyway, I began my conversation with the Marquis Heindel.
"Thank you for visiting our guild, Lord Marquis. How did you come to learn of us?"
Hoping to break the ice, I spoke, and the Marquis Heindel answered in his blunt tone.
"When I arrived in the capital, I asked my aide whether there was a decent information guild around, and he brought back a poster, saying he'd seen it in a restroom. But looking at it more closely, the penmanship was no ordinary thing."
"The penmanship… you say?"
"Yes. It was of such quality that it seemed learned from Mondrian, the master artisan famous throughout the Empire for the most beautiful writing."
"I see…."
Cedric's handwriting had been pretty remarkable, that was true.
"I thought that a guild with this level of refinement might have good intelligence on aristocratic society as well. That's why I came."
"Yes, thank you for seeking us out. What business brings you to our guild?"
After a moment's hesitation, he began his story.
"Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course, Lord Marquis. That's the foremost duty of an information guild."
I answered with a confident smile.
"You may call me Assistant Manager Audrette, and this is Temple Employee Cedric. We will help you with anything you need."
"Temple Employee Cedric? No wonder his face looks somehow familiar…. In any case, I've come to make a request concerning my wife."
Something about the Marchioness, then… following the romance fantasy clichés, I could more or less guess where this was going.
"My wife and I were married for political reasons. She was born to the House of Melaunde in the capital, and I met her for the first time when she came north for our marriage. Because the North is such a harsh and perilous place, the nobles were reluctant to marry me, but she came willingly for the wedding. At first, I assumed she'd run off before long like everyone else, so I paid her no mind."
Oh, here it comes. This is exactly—
"But the longer we lived together, the more affection I came to hold for her. And by the time I'd finally recognized my love for her, I learned that her family in the capital had been abusing her. That was why she had willingly chosen marriage to escape her house."
"I see…."
"There was a conflict with the House of Melaunde afterward, but everything was resolved safely, and I thought the only thing left was to live well with my wife. She and I had both confirmed our love for each other. And yet, some time ago, my wife left home."
"She ran away? Do you know where she is now?"
"I do. She's staying at the house of a friend she made back in the North. But the important thing isn't dragging her back by force—it's figuring out why she left."
Now's my chance! The thing I'd thought about when I first possessed this body!
Using romance fantasy clichés to show off my skills as an information guild!
"My wife had been avoiding conversation with me for some time before she left. She seemed to be hiding something, but I don't know what…."
"Did you check whether there was another man?"
When Cedric asked this, the Marquis Heindel glared at him with clear displeasure.
"I already checked that. There was no other man whatsoever."
"Temple Employee Cedric, that's not how you approach this."
Determined to demonstrate my abilities as his senior, I spoke up.
"Have you checked the Marchioness's health? Could it be that she's suffering from a serious illness somewhere, and she fled rather than let you find out about it?"
"I don't believe that's it. If it were, her physician would have reported it to me. My wife collapsed ill once before, so her physician hides nothing from me—and he's a very capable man."
So that ruled out a terminal illness.
"Then might the House of Melaunde have reached out to her again? Threatened her, perhaps…?"
"That was the first thing I checked. But they've been utterly ruined and are incapable of doing anything."
Not that either.
The most obvious reasons had been eliminated one by one, but there was still plenty of room for speculation. Whatever direction it took, the Marchioness must have decided to shoulder the burden herself, believing it would bring harm to the Marquis.
"I brought every document related to my wife, just in case it helps."
I accepted the bundle of papers from him. The sheer volume was such that reviewing it all would take some time.
"Understood. If you return in four days, we will present you with the results of our investigation."
"Can you truly find out anything?"
"Yes, of course. Please trust us. If the matter goes unresolved, you may hold us accountable afterward—it won't be too late."
"…Very well. Then I shall return."
The Marquis Heindel said this and rose from his seat—then, as if something had occurred to him, he asked:
"You ought to replace this sofa. A spring is poking out."
"Ahh, yes…."
At that, Cedric muttered under his breath.
"So that's what an elite noble is like…."
No, why was this kid picking a fight with a marquis? I was praying with all my heart that the Marquis Heindel hadn't heard him, but of course the marquis stared straight at Cedric and asked:
"By the way, haven't we met before?"
"…No, sir."
"Your face looks somehow familiar."
"This is truly our first meeting."
"I see."
Fortunately, the Marquis Heindel lost interest after that and left the guild as he was.
"Seriously, Temple Employee Cedric, why on earth were you picking a fight with the marquis?"
"Lately, I find the elite mindset distasteful."
What is he even saying? What is with this radical statement?