Chapter 304: Rainwales (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 304: Rainwales (2)
After I jumped up and cursed as if she'd just said my trigger word, a short, awkward silence followed. It didn't last long though.
"Did you... just say 'fuck' to me?" Amelia asked, almost as if to double-check, and I hurriedly began damage control.
Of course, I didn't blindly apologize. This issue was important to me. "Ahem-hem, my name is Hansu. Not Hans."
"So?"
"I want you to be careful about the pronunciation. You know. This is a very sensitive matter for me..." Even as I said that, I worried this incident would further diminish her goodwill toward me, but Amelia was surprisingly generous and understanding.
"...All right. I'll be careful from now on." It seemed she acknowledged she'd crossed a line even if she didn't know why I was reacting like this over something like pronunciation.
Okay, then that settled that. Since she started the conversation, I decided to ask her a question on my mind too. "Um, Amelia?"
"Speak."
"What did you mean earlier? That the palace could have knowingly kept quiet about the fact that I'm an evil spirit." This was a question that I'd been forced to hold back before my coming out, even though I had been dying to ask it.
"It's still just a possibility." Amelia offered a disclaimer and gave me her rationale for it. "To start, if the palace figured out you were an evil spirit, your identity would have been exposed long ago."
Hmm, that was true. If they just used one Numbers Item like the one Amelia used today, there would be nothing I could do. "I get that, but how does that turn into them willingly keeping quiet? In that case, wouldn't it make more sense to take the fact that they haven't said anything to mean that the palace must completely trust me instead?"
"That could be the case. But you were the most famous hero in the city at the time. I thought there was a possibility the palace just felt it couldn't touch you."
Uh, I still don't get it. No matter how famous I get, I'm still only a small fry from the palace's point of view.
"Explain."
"Hmm, I guess you're not the type who's good at politics."
Please stop with the analysis of Hansu Lee.
When I stared at her without responding, Amelia smirked and continued. "Think about it. There's a hero who sacrificed his life to save his comrades and fought a bloody battle to bring back thousands of adventurers from certain death, and then it comes out that that hero is actually an evil spirit? What kind of problems do you think will arise from that?"
"Uh... confusion?"
"Yes, there will be confusion. Because the palace, along with the city's three religious sects, has described evil spirits as evil beings and designated them as targets for extermination."
Only then did I understand why this woman thought the palace might have kept quiet about my identity despite figuring it out.
"Because evil spirits must always be evil..."
"Luckily, you're quick."
I was different from the other evil spirits. I helped uplift my barbarian compatriots despite our race's weak influence and even went as far as fighting at the forefront of a major battle, risking my life. That was why the palace had to be cautious. The moment they executed me for being an evil spirit, the citizens would start to think, But he saved thousands of people? Yet he is being killed for being an evil spirit?
"Of course, even if they reveal you are an evil spirit and put you on the execution scaffold, there won't be any riots or anything like that. As always, things will be noisy for a while for a bit before getting quiet again. But..."
"The palace won't want to leave even the slightest precedent suggesting evil spirits might perhaps be useful."
"Again, this is all just speculation," Amelia finished, but her 'speculation' left me very uncomfortable. Her reasoning wasn't outlandish. It had a basis. And the problem was that said basis sounded plausible to me.
Huh, what if this is really true? Will I need to create a whole new identity and live in hiding as soon as I return?
All kinds of thoughts jumbling up my mind, I asked, "Amelia, are you sleeping?"
"No. And from now on, call me Emily even if we're alone. I will call you by your pseudonym as well."
"Uh, all of a sudden?"
"We could make another mistake in front of other people." She was probably referring to the time we beat up Beck's gang. "So it would be good to make it a habit to avoid doing it again. If everything goes according to plan, we will soon come into contact with the castellan."
With that, I wiped all other thoughts from my mind. Yeah, it doesn't matter how much I mull over my whole situation with the palace—I wouldn't be able to find a proper solution in this era anyway. I should focus on our work here first.
***
The next morning, a visitor came to the inn we were staying at.
Knock, knock.
"I'm Rick Omanus. Are you Emily and Bjon, son of Thor?"
Surprisingly, he was a knight. Not an adventurer who just used a sword as a weapon and wore plated armor, but a real, genuine knight under the castellan's purview.
I guess there's an order of knights here too.
Now that I thought about it, that was probably why Amelia could use an aura. It would have been difficult to build up the mastery needed to achieve a natural awakening at such a young age alone. I was sure she learned from someone.
"What's your business with us?"
"The castellan thinks highly of your capabilities and has decided to provide you support."
His arrogant choice of words brought to mind some high-ranking people in Rafdonia. I guessed he just couldn't imagine we'd ever say no. Well, not that we were going to.
"What kind of support are you talking about?" Amelia asked, pretending to be oblivious.
Rick Omanus held out a piece of paper instead of answering. "The details are all written here, so will you give me your answer after you read it?"
The contract listed what support we could obtain from the castle and, conversely, what we would have to give up in exchange for taking the recruitment offer. The conditions alone weren't bad. Members of the team received support, a right to go up to Rafdonia as a reward for accomplishments, and many opportunities to receive benefits with the castellan's seal of approval. In exchange, we had to follow his orders in the case of emergencies.
"This is recruitment, not support I see."
"I told you. The castellan thinks highly of your capabilities."
"I need time to think."
"I will wait out here. But I hope you won't take too long."
This was what we had been waiting for, but since responding too quickly could arouse suspicion, we dragged out our 'deliberation' for a long while.
"Of course, even if they reveal you are an evil spirit and put you on the execution scaffold, there won't be any riots or anything like that. As always, things will be noisy for a while for a bit before getting quiet again. But..."
"The palace won't want to leave even the slightest precedent suggesting evil spirits might perhaps be useful."
"Again, this is all just speculation," Amelia finished, but her 'speculation' left me very uncomfortable. Her reasoning wasn't outlandish. It had a basis. And the problem was that said basis sounded plausible to me.
Huh, what if this is really true? Will I need to create a whole new identity and live in hiding as soon as I return?
All kinds of thoughts jumbling up my mind, I asked, "Amelia, are you sleeping?"
"No. And from now on, call me Emily even if we're alone. I will call you by your pseudonym as well."
"Uh, all of a sudden?"
"We could make another mistake in front of other people." She was probably referring to the time we beat up Beck's gang. "So it would be good to make it a habit to avoid doing it again. If everything goes according to plan, we will soon come into contact with the castellan."
With that, I wiped all other thoughts from my mind. Yeah, it doesn't matter how much I mull over my whole situation with the palace—I wouldn't be able to find a proper solution in this era anyway. I should focus on our work here first.
***
The next morning, a visitor came to the inn we were staying at.
Knock, knock.
"I'm Rick Omanus. Are you Emily and Bjon, son of Thor?"
Surprisingly, he was a knight. Not an adventurer who just used a sword as a weapon and wore plated armor, but a real, genuine knight under the castellan's purview.
I guess there's an order of knights here too.
Now that I thought about it, that was probably why Amelia could use an aura. It would have been difficult to build up the mastery needed to achieve a natural awakening at such a young age alone. I was sure she learned from someone.
"What's your business with us?"
"The castellan thinks highly of your capabilities and has decided to provide you support."
His arrogant choice of words brought to mind some high-ranking people in Rafdonia. I guessed he just couldn't imagine we'd ever say no. Well, not that we were going to.
"What kind of support are you talking about?" Amelia asked, pretending to be oblivious.
Rick Omanus held out a piece of paper instead of answering. "The details are all written here, so will you give me your answer after you read it?"
The contract listed what support we could obtain from the castle and, conversely, what we would have to give up in exchange for taking the recruitment offer. The conditions alone weren't bad. Members of the team received support, a right to go up to Rafdonia as a reward for accomplishments, and many opportunities to receive benefits with the castellan's seal of approval. In exchange, we had to follow his orders in the case of emergencies.
"This is recruitment, not support I see."
"I told you. The castellan thinks highly of your capabilities."
"I need time to think."
"I will wait out here. But I hope you won't take too long."
This was what we had been waiting for, but since responding too quickly could arouse suspicion, we dragged out our 'deliberation' for a long while.
When we opened the door again, I asked, "...Have you been in that position the whole time?"
"Since I'm on official duty, naturally."
Still, I didn't think he'd be doing that for over two hours. "Here, take it."
Afterward, we handed the knight the signed contract and he told us to come visit the castle any time, as everything had already been arranged. I guessed he really didn't think we'd refuse.
"But does a signature even mean anything?"
"It's a mere formality. After all, if you defy him, living a normal life in this city becomes impossible."
Trying to intimidate the newbie, huh? There was also always the option of moving to the eastern part of the city and teaming up with Orcules.
"Then see you later." The knight, having finished his business, left without looking back. It was our turn to start our day.
"Emily, what's your plan now? We've attracted his attention, but not enough for him to want to meet us in person."
"That's not a problem. We just have to keep attracting his attention in the future."
"Well, that's true."
Not to brag, but I was pretty good at drawing attention. With this barbarian body of mine, I got caught up in all kinds of stuff even if I stayed put.
"Now, let's go out."
After that, we packed up all our equipment and headed to the castle. Last time we were here, we only took care of administrative work in the outer bailey, but this time we were able to enter the inner walls, which required permission.
"Ms. Emily and Mr. Iron Mask. I received word from Sir Omanus that you would be coming. My name is Mel. From now on, it is my job to assist the two of you whenever you visit the inner bailey." The administrator who greeted us with a bright smile welcomed us to the family and briefly explained the structure of the inner bailey, along with its layout. None of what was said was of much interest to me because I'd already heard all of it from Amelia. "Since this is your first day, registration will come first. Ah, what are your plans for the future, if I may ask? Most people end up in their original parties—"
"We have no intention of joining an established team."
"I see. Then I will guide you through the process of creating a new team in your name."
We followed him to the Labyrinth Administrative Center in the inner bailey, which was only accessible to adventurers who worked directly under the castellan. We registered ourselves as a two-person duo named Iron Mask. More so than Emily and Bjon, apparently nicknames like that were memorable.
"What will you do with the three available slots for additional comrades? If you tell me the roles that you want—"
"Pause."
"Sorry?"
"Until we find someone we like, we will work as a duo. So I don't want you to allow any membership applications."
"Yes, I will do as you wish."
Amelia finished adjusting our team's settings like the local she was and then confirmed one piece of information with the labyrinth management's staff. "How many herders can we choose from?" A herder was a child in a position like Jencia's, someone who entered the labyrinth at a young age and took on all kinds of dangerous tasks.
"There are currently thirteen available."
"What if you include those who are already affiliated too?"
"One hundred seventy-three."
"I want to see them all."
Amelia carefully read through the information provided by the staff, taking care not to miss a single detail. Then she found the names she was looking for. "I want to take these two children."
"If you're talking about the Rainwales sisters, they are already associated with a team, so that will be impossible..."
"You can at least contact the team they belong to. Tell them they will be generously compensated if they are handed over."
"...All right."
That ended our official business for today. Before we returned to our inn, Amelia took me to a place located in the inner bailey. That place was a tavern.
"A tavern? There's a place like this in the castle?"
"It is one of the benefits available for those who have gained access to the inner bailey."
"But why did you...?"
I had never seen Amelia take a sip of alcohol before, so I couldn't understand why she would bring me here until I saw the sign for the tavern: Rainwales. It couldn't be a coincidence that the tavern's name was the same as Amelia's last name.
"Aren't you coming in?"
"A-ah. Uh..."
The interior was relatively clean, and there were not many people inside, probably because it was daytime. We took a seat in the corner, ordered drinks and appetizers, and sat quietly without saying a word to each other.
Why did you bring me here, then? It's clearly a historical site...
"Are you curious?"
I thought it over for a moment before nodding.
"It won't be a very interesting story."
"Life can't just be all interesting things." I tossed the drink down my throat in one go. Ugh, it was strong. And it tasted so bad. I guessed Noark was a city of real men after all.
"...Weirdo."
"Huh?"
"I didn't say anything." Amelia then gulped down her drink too.
Oh, what's gotten into her? Throwing it down the hatch? Is this too hard to talk about sober?
The moment Amelia brought the glass she had finished down on the table, I heard a bang.
Jeez, that scared me.
I hurriedly turned my head in the direction of the sound and heard the deep shout of a man from the kitchen. "You ungrateful bitches!" The man's voice was full of anger, and before long, the sound of something breaking was heard, along with a distinctly female scream.
Smack! Smack!
Even a blind man could tell violence was taking place in that kitchen, but the few customers inside the tavern seemed used to it.
"The owner is going after his daughter again."
"Hehe, I feel sorry for those kids. Having to call a man like that their father."
What, owner? Daughter? Then is the person getting beaten over there...?
Whip.
The moment I realized, I quickly turned my head to check on Amelia. The hand she had curled around her glass was shaking, and she looked too small and pitiable for me to write it off as a sign of timeworn anger.
When we opened the door again, I asked, "...Have you been in that position the whole time?"
"Since I'm on official duty, naturally."
Still, I didn't think he'd be doing that for over two hours. "Here, take it."
Afterward, we handed the knight the signed contract and he told us to come visit the castle any time, as everything had already been arranged. I guessed he really didn't think we'd refuse.
"But does a signature even mean anything?"
"It's a mere formality. After all, if you defy him, living a normal life in this city becomes impossible."
Trying to intimidate the newbie, huh? There was also always the option of moving to the eastern part of the city and teaming up with Orcules.
"Then see you later." The knight, having finished his business, left without looking back. It was our turn to start our day.
"Emily, what's your plan now? We've attracted his attention, but not enough for him to want to meet us in person."
"That's not a problem. We just have to keep attracting his attention in the future."
"Well, that's true."
Not to brag, but I was pretty good at drawing attention. With this barbarian body of mine, I got caught up in all kinds of stuff even if I stayed put.
"Now, let's go out."
After that, we packed up all our equipment and headed to the castle. Last time we were here, we only took care of administrative work in the outer bailey, but this time we were able to enter the inner walls, which required permission.
"Ms. Emily and Mr. Iron Mask. I received word from Sir Omanus that you would be coming. My name is Mel. From now on, it is my job to assist the two of you whenever you visit the inner bailey." The administrator who greeted us with a bright smile welcomed us to the family and briefly explained the structure of the inner bailey, along with its layout. None of what was said was of much interest to me because I'd already heard all of it from Amelia. "Since this is your first day, registration will come first. Ah, what are your plans for the future, if I may ask? Most people end up in their original parties—"
"We have no intention of joining an established team."
"I see. Then I will guide you through the process of creating a new team in your name."
We followed him to the Labyrinth Administrative Center in the inner bailey, which was only accessible to adventurers who worked directly under the castellan. We registered ourselves as a two-person duo named Iron Mask. More so than Emily and Bjon, apparently nicknames like that were memorable.
"What will you do with the three available slots for additional comrades? If you tell me the roles that you want—"
"Pause."
"Sorry?"
"Until we find someone we like, we will work as a duo. So I don't want you to allow any membership applications."
"Yes, I will do as you wish."
Amelia finished adjusting our team's settings like the local she was and then confirmed one piece of information with the labyrinth management's staff. "How many herders can we choose from?" A herder was a child in a position like Jencia's, someone who entered the labyrinth at a young age and took on all kinds of dangerous tasks.
"There are currently thirteen available."
"What if you include those who are already affiliated too?"
"One hundred seventy-three."
"I want to see them all."
Amelia carefully read through the information provided by the staff, taking care not to miss a single detail. Then she found the names she was looking for. "I want to take these two children."
"If you're talking about the Rainwales sisters, they are already associated with a team, so that will be impossible..."
"You can at least contact the team they belong to. Tell them they will be generously compensated if they are handed over."
"...All right."
That ended our official business for today. Before we returned to our inn, Amelia took me to a place located in the inner bailey. That place was a tavern.
"A tavern? There's a place like this in the castle?"
"It is one of the benefits available for those who have gained access to the inner bailey."
"But why did you...?"
I had never seen Amelia take a sip of alcohol before, so I couldn't understand why she would bring me here until I saw the sign for the tavern: Rainwales. It couldn't be a coincidence that the tavern's name was the same as Amelia's last name.
"Aren't you coming in?"
"A-ah. Uh..."
The interior was relatively clean, and there were not many people inside, probably because it was daytime. We took a seat in the corner, ordered drinks and appetizers, and sat quietly without saying a word to each other.
Why did you bring me here, then? It's clearly a historical site...
"Are you curious?"
I thought it over for a moment before nodding.
"It won't be a very interesting story."
"Life can't just be all interesting things." I tossed the drink down my throat in one go. Ugh, it was strong. And it tasted so bad. I guessed Noark was a city of real men after all.
"...Weirdo."
"Huh?"
"I didn't say anything." Amelia then gulped down her drink too.
Oh, what's gotten into her? Throwing it down the hatch? Is this too hard to talk about sober?
The moment Amelia brought the glass she had finished down on the table, I heard a bang.
Jeez, that scared me.
I hurriedly turned my head in the direction of the sound and heard the deep shout of a man from the kitchen. "You ungrateful bitches!" The man's voice was full of anger, and before long, the sound of something breaking was heard, along with a distinctly female scream.
Smack! Smack!
Even a blind man could tell violence was taking place in that kitchen, but the few customers inside the tavern seemed used to it.
"The owner is going after his daughter again."
"Hehe, I feel sorry for those kids. Having to call a man like that their father."
What, owner? Daughter? Then is the person getting beaten over there...?
Whip.
The moment I realized, I quickly turned my head to check on Amelia. The hand she had curled around her glass was shaking, and she looked too small and pitiable for me to write it off as a sign of timeworn anger.