Heading South to the Central Region
The absorption of the elixir went smoothly. After all, I'd used the absorption chamber equipped with the latest facilities and technology, so failure was never an option.
"Huu."
A short exhale carried out the residual mana. It was the dregs, essentially, so I spat it out without a second thought and opened the door to the absorption chamber. Beyond it stood Anel and Adela, who had been waiting for me to emerge.
"I'm back."
"You already finished absorbing it?"
"Mostly, yeah."
Roughly 97 percent, by my estimate. Anel looked startled when I appeared and immediately checked the usage timer on the absorption chamber. Exactly thirty-seven minutes.
"It usually takes one to two hours. You wrapped it up fast."
"Guess the elixir suited me well."
"Could be."
Maybe it was because I'd absorbed such a precious elixir, but even though all that had happened was an increase in my mana, the world looked different. The sound of adventurers laughing and chatting on the first floor settled over everything like background music, giving the place a peaceful atmosphere. It made sense. After clearing out the War Ant nest and excavating the Edenberg ruins, things were bound to stay quiet for a while. Usually, after a big fight, the whole area went still. If people and monsters fought nonstop, one side would've vanished long ago.
"Speaking of the nest, how's that going? We only did a quick field investigation before leaving, but I doubt the scholars were satisfied with that."
"They're in the middle of a full investigation. Just like you said, the scholars scattered related quests everywhere and hired a ton of people. It's chaos."
Anel shook her head as if she didn't even want to imagine it. Scholars' curiosity was a great help to the North, but getting caught between them meant more than just annoyance. She'd probably spent the whole day dealing with those energetic old scholars, processing paperwork, sending cooperation notices to neighboring powers, and drafting budgets. Her eyes dripped with envy as she stared at the absorption chamber. She'd escaped the screaming of her colleagues under the excuse of looking after me, the assigned adventurer, and was now legally resting. No wonder she felt bitter. But without a proper reason, she couldn't slack off. Just as she sighed, thinking she'd have to head back—
"Um... is Mr. Argo here?"
A staff member with a delicate, timid face entered the hallway and looked around like a curious animal. I'd never seen her before. A new hire? She must have been recruited after I became an adventurer. Anel seemed to know her and waved with a bright smile.
"Coco! What brings you here?"
"Ah, Senior! Lady Luna asked me to come get Mr. Argo!"
Coco's face lit up when she spotted Anel, and she trotted over. Her curly brown hair bounced as she leaped into Anel's arms, only to freeze stiff the moment she noticed me standing beside her.
"Ah. U-um... So you're... Mr. Argo, right?"
"That's me. Did you say Luna Nunim called for me?"
"Y-yes! It's work-related!"
She must still be new. Watching her tense up while dealing with an adventurer made me chuckle. I nodded.
"Perfect timing. I've been curious how much stronger I've gotten."
If Luna Nunim was specifically summoning me, it wouldn't be anything easy. I felt a little embarrassed thinking it, but I was currently the rising star among adventurers—the one they called a rookie with the steepest growth curve. Growing this fast made me genuinely excited to see what kind of difficult request was waiting for me. Full of confidence, I headed toward her office.
Accompanied by Anel, who was clearly trying to extend her legitimate break time, and Coco, who followed along without knowing why, I stepped into the office. The clean space and familiar scent of coffee greeted me warmly.
"Nunim, I'm here."
"You came?"
Luna Nunim had been leisurely sipping coffee while reviewing documents. When I appeared, she smiled softly and gestured for us to take seats. It was an impressively delicate manipulation of mana, but we simply sat down like it was nothing. My eyes then landed on Neon, who was sitting rigidly at attention beside us.
"Nunim, why is he here?"
"He's the escort target for this request."
"Escort target?"
I mulled over her words. Having worked as an elite guild employee in the North, I was already well-versed in adventurer-related matters. With my past-life memories on top of that, piecing together the situation wasn't difficult.
"So he finally proved his innocence."
"That's right. One of the captured black mages had some rather valuable information."
If Luna Nunim called it valuable, it must have been extremely important. I looked at Neon with renewed interest, but he didn't even glance my way. His eyes were fixed solely on Luna Nunim.
"It is an honor! From now on, I shall pour out my very soul for the Northern Adventurers Guild and deliver judgment upon the evils of this world!"
His behavior didn't seem like he was just smitten with her. Noticing the cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck, I quietly looked away. Sometimes it was better not to know certain things. Whatever the situation was, it didn't seem like something I absolutely needed to understand. Maybe Neon was just putting on a one-man show, banging his own drum and playing his own flute.
"The destination is the Holy Kingdom in the Central region. Head to the Pantheon in the capital, Kordia, and receive official recognition as a black mage."
"But why am I going? Don't priests usually handle this sort of thing themselves?"
"The information the black mage uncovered has thrown them into chaos."
"Hmm... It's probably better if I don't know the details, right?"
"Here's a hint: the inquisitors are moving frantically. A few judges from other regions have mobilized as well."
Definitely information that would become incredibly annoying if I learned more. I abandoned my curiosity without regret. It probably had something to do with the church's corruption. Since the Northern judges were leading inquisitors on the move, it clearly wasn't a trivial matter.
"I'll quietly deliver Neon and come right back."
"Good. If you get curious and end up finding out, you'll be the only one who suffers."
"It already looks like a headache."
Luna rubbed her throbbing temples and sighed at my attitude, then glanced at the clock and set down the documents she'd been holding.
"It's time. You should head out soon."
"Right away?"
"The judges asked for you to come as quickly as possible, so we should accommodate them."
"Then we absolutely should."
"Exactly. Of course, you and your party will receive appropriate compensation for all the trouble."
I nodded at Luna's words. If a judge had used the word "request," it meant they'd owe us one. Being able to put the judges in our debt in exchange for a bit of effort was definitely a gain. Besides, the North's proactive nature was already famous. Even without her saying anything, I'd planned to leave in the afternoon anyway.
"The escort team consists of you, Adela, Arash, Goro, Grid, and Owen. They're all waiting on the first floor, so head down quickly."
"Are we conquering some territory? Why is the lineup so terrifying?"
"Oh, and Anel and Coco will be going with you. You'll need staff to coordinate with the adventurer guilds in the Central region."
"Kyaaa! Luna Unni is the best!"
At Luna Nunim's words, I made a horrified face upon hearing the adventurer lineup, while Anel let out a joyful scream at being legally freed from her mountain of paperwork. Even if the team only consisted of Bronze-rank members, it would have been enough, but adding Grid and Owen on top of that? If the Central region heard about this, they'd be foaming at the mouth in shock. She knew that fact very well, yet her expression remained relaxed.
"Don't worry. We're sending you for the official recognition of a certified black mage, so they won't be able to complain."
"Well... the guild must have handled it properly. All I have to do is complete the escort, right?"
"While you're there, you might as well do some sightseeing. It'd be even better if you checked on how Baron Hornst is moving these days."
When Luna gave a chilling smile, Neon, who was standing beside me, began to tremble. It seemed he'd finally realized a fragment of the power Luna possessed. I, however, maintained a calm face and continued thinking. If Luna Nunim was saying this so openly, there had to be a reason.
"Is the Central region in an uproar lately because of Baron Hornst?"
"That's right. There have been several clashes because of him. Grid and Owen going along is a bit of a show of force."
That would definitely work. I could already picture the Central nobles, who were extremely sensitive about their safety, panicking. But what could they do? If they had a problem with it, they should've been stronger than us. When the difference in power was this obvious, picking a fight meant preparing to get beaten. Even in my previous life, when the power gap between nations was clear, things always flowed one-sidedly. In a medieval fantasy world, it would be even more so.
"I have some friends from my hometown at Orbis Academy in the Central region. I'll stop by and see them while I'm there."
"That's an excellent idea. I'll give you some extra travel funds."
Luna smiled brightly at my suggestion and pulled a heavy pouch from her drawer.
"Take this and get going. I'm giving it to you separately, so don't hold back and spend it freely."
"I love you, Nunim! For the sake of your kindness, I'll make sure to spend every last coin!"
"My, how refreshingly honest."
I snatched the pouch and headed down to the first floor. On the way down the stairs, Neon finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"Phew! I was so nervous I couldn't even breathe!"
"You were completely intimidated by Nunim, huh."
"Of course I was! That delicate mana control casually manipulating the chair! The ocean-like mana condensed within her! The moment I saw her, my mage instincts screamed at me! The person before me is an archmage!"
He must have been incredibly tense. He kept wiping away the cold sweat that kept pouring down as he whispered. He was probably lowering his voice so Luna wouldn't hear. Not that it would make any difference to her ears.
"This place is completely insane. Why is someone with tower master-level skill working as a receptionist?"
"She retired and is doing this as a side job."
"Are all Gold-class adventurers as strong as her?"
"There are differences in skill, but from our perspective, they'd all seem similar. Like how ants can't perceive the height differences between humans."
"Wow. This is seriously crazy."
Looked like he'd gotten a proper initiation today. When he'd met Owen, their professions were different, and Owen's mana control was so advanced that he probably hadn't noticed at all. But today was different. As a fellow mage, he'd clearly felt the gap in their realms, and his face looked utterly drained. Seeing that, I was wondering if I should feed him something before we departed when—
The party waiting on the first floor spotted us and waved casually.
"Everyone's gathered."
"Did you all hear the details from Nunim?"
"Let's just think of it as a sightseeing trip and get moving!"
I smiled at the familiar faces. Owen, acting as the representative, smiled softly and spoke.
"It's been a while since we've gone down to the Central region. There's a lot to do, so shall we depart right away?"
"Understood! I will do my utmost!"
At Owen's words, Neon—who had just realized the power gap—answered energetically and dashed out of the branch. Owen looked momentarily bewildered. He seemed surprised by Neon's sudden burst of enthusiasm.
"Uh... he must be happy about becoming an official black mage. Let's get going as well."
If the escort target was motivated, there was nothing bad about it for adventurers. We took Neon and left Edenberg behind.