Chapter 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Friends Aren't Eternal. (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few days had passed since Scarlett had forcibly dragged me out of the library. The time I could spend there had shrunk considerably.
"You need to get some sunlight and bond with people a bit."
That was because Scarlett kept dragging me out.
I'm busy, I told her.
"This involves your little sister too."
I even argued that point.
"It's not something you can solve right away anyway. Hiding in the library reading books all day won't get you anywhere."
"......"
She was right. It wasn't something I could resolve immediately, and reading books alone wouldn't uncover a solution either.
In truth, the solution to the hypothesis was simple.
Assuming it was the Demon King's curse, there had to be some medium sustaining it for hundreds of years.
If it were just a curse scattered and left behind lasting three centuries, the Demon King's power would surpass even the gods.
And if they cast such a curse and returned to the demon realm, the backlash would have easily snuffed out their life.
So, only one possibility remained.
There was a medium maintaining the curse.
That made it straightforward.
Someone just needed to destroy that medium.
Of course, the problem was we didn't even know where it was.
Not to mention, we hadn't secured any solid proof confirming the Demon King even cast the curse.
Everything was unclear.
Sigh... Yeah, if I could figure this out so quickly on my own, the people who'd been investigating for ages would have already done it.
"There's a limit to what I can do alone."
I inevitably hit a wall trying to unravel it solo.
The materials I could access were too limited.
And even if I found useful records, analyzing them alone lacked the manpower.
"Isn't there someone who can help?"
Viscount Strau... He was enthusiastic, but as Hassler's lord, he had his own duties.
I couldn't expect more than him digging up the materials I requested.
The Adventurer's Guild folks? No need to even mention them.
Rin or Jenny?
They seemed swamped just with adventuring. I couldn't ask them to help with this too.
Someone exceptional at research like this.
Above all, someone who fully believed in the Demon King's curse hypothesis and would support it.
Was there anyone like that?
"...Ah, there is."
Come to think of it, there was.
Someone who'd sought out materials to prove the hypothesis even before me.
Someone who believed in the Demon King's curse hypothesis more than I did!
"The hypothesis's author."
In the book The Hero's Short Life, the person who'd proposed the idea of a curse from the Demon King and devoted their life to proving it!
The one who'd written the paper on that hypothesis!
Author: 'Red Lowrin'
"They were a university researcher affiliated with the Mera Federation, right?"
Plus, the paper was written about three years ago.
Unless they were over eighty, the odds were high they were still alive.
"Alright, let's go meet them and ask for help. Why didn't I think of that sooner?"
They undoubtedly possessed far more knowledge than I did, skimming the surface.
As the proponent of the hypothesis themselves, they'd surely help.
"...Hmm."
But the issue was they were with the 'Mera Federation'.
The Mera Federation lay to the east of the continent.
Geographically, it was quite a distance from the Karr Empire, which controlled the center and south.
Crossing the border alone would take at least two weeks.
It was on a whole different level from commuting between Hassler and Carmen.
Hmm... What to do.
Round trip would take one to two months.
With the imperial library issue fresh, I couldn't even broach asking for more leave.
Hell, who would grant two months' vacation in the first place?
As I pondered that,
"Whoa! I got a designated request!"
Rin suddenly shouted in excitement.
Hm? A designated request.
Yeah, getting one meant her name had spread as an adventurer, so it was worth celebrating.
The Bastia one was designated too, but it felt like an extension of Jenny's.
This was probably the first direct designated request for Rin herself.
"Oh, what's it about?"
Curiosity piqued, I asked.
"Um... It's from the Mera Federation's council. They want me to wipe out a criminal group operating in the Federation's city of 'Shasen'."
A criminal group?
Why go external for that...?
"Seems the group has ties to local councilors in the Federation, making it hard to handle internally. They're looking for someone reliable from outside."
As if reading my mind, Rin added the explanation.
I see.
Yeah, if they had connections to local nobles—or councilors, in the Federation's case?—it'd be tough to nab them.
Stirring things up internally could lead to backlash from other councilors if a string of arrests followed.
So, they secretly commissioned someone trustworthy.
Rin seemed perfect for it.
Her A-rank hero aptitude had fully awakened.
Now, she might even match or surpass Mersenne without mana overload.
Plus, while the Bastia incident raised her profile, she didn't draw as much attention as Jenny, making her ideal for discreet work.
"Impressive. A designated request right after hitting A-rank adventurer."
"Hehe."
Her bashful look was pretty cute.
She didn't seem like it, but she was genuinely thrilled.
From someone who'd completely lost the will to live, seeing her bounce back and smile brightly like this...
It felt oddly rewarding.
"By the way, the Mera Federation. That's pretty far aw—"
Huh? Wait.
Where?
"The Mera Federation?!"
"Eek?! Y-Yes! The Mera Federation."
I unintentionally grabbed her shoulders and yanked her close, shouting.
She flinched, her face flushing red.
"Ah, sorry."
I hastily apologized and let go.
Anyway, a designated request from the Mera Federation.
This... might let me go without taking leave, if I play it right?
"Ah, u-um... Coming on so suddenly like that... I-I need time to prepare my heart too..."
Rin mumbled something softly, but it was too quiet to catch.
No, that's not important right now!
"Miss Rin. Don't you... need on-site instruction, by any chance?"
"...Pardon?"
"Come on, come on! This street stall doesn't pop up every day!"
"Hey, big bro! Check this out!"
"Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs here! So tasty!"
Trason Free State.
True to its name, this nation embraced pure libertarianism—no overarching ruler, no rigid class divides.
The only thing that mattered was 'money'.
No rulers, but those who controlled the flow of funds held sway.
No classes, yet invisible hierarchies born from wealth gaps.
But precisely because of that, it was a place where anyone could become rich.
A land of opportunity for the top spot.
Naturally, merchants from afar, former slaves, and commoners flocked here to make their fortunes.
This sparked fierce competition among traders, flooding the market with better, cheaper goods.
You'd think some would go bust and leave, but with buyers pouring in, supply and demand just kept growing.
The city was always buzzing with sellers and shoppers.
"...By the way, how'd that matter turn out?"
"Hm? What?"
In Trason's noisy square, amid the hustling crowds, two men strolled leisurely.
"Didn't you say you went to Bastia and met Jenny Harkur?"
One wore refined, luxurious clothes made from Trason's finest blended fabrics.
Blue pants paired with a slightly loose white shirt.
The height of current Trason fashion.
His name was 'Jeki'.
Vice Chairman of the 'Liberty Council'—the gathering of Trason's wealthiest, nominal rulers of the state.
In other words, the second-richest man in the Trason Free State.
"Eh, I reported it to the council."
The man giving the perfunctory reply to this powerhouse wore baggy gray silk robes and had neatly trimmed navy hair.
He was 'Jin', the hero who'd gone to Bastia with Jenny's group during the incident.
"Come on! I know you reported to the council! What happened after?"
Irritated by Jin's laid-back response, Jeki pressed him.
He was always like this.
The Mera Federation, Trason, and Wu had allied for some purpose, with Jin dispatched from Wu to Trason.
As proof of the alliance.
In that position, he handled various alliance tasks, but he never shared details with Trason.
'...We joined hands with those two nations for the gains, but they never told us exactly what they were after.'
Truth be told, they'd never properly revealed their ultimate goal to Trason either.
It left Jeki often wondering if they were true allies or mere subcontractors.
That was why he was snapping at Jin now.
"Well, Jenny Harkur's too strong to touch right now. Problematic."
Noting Jeki's frustration, Jin shrugged helplessly and continued.
"So, we're targeting elsewhere instead."
"Elsewhere?"
The trip to Bastia was to evaluate its heroes.
But running into Jenny Harkur and Rin had shifted plans entirely their way.
"Lin Pacific. That woman's... more dangerous than expected."
Jin gave a thin smile as he said it.
He always wore a smile, but this one felt oddly chilling and sinister.
"The Federation council decided to pull her in first."
"...I see."
Jeki, grasping the gist, looked hesitant and troubled.
Jin, unconcerned, kept walking and added,
"The council's already made moves. To bring her... to the Federation."
With that, he hummed a tune, weaving effortlessly through the teeming crowds.