38. Pyneton (2)
38. Pyneton (2)
Yuma's group crossed the border into the barbarian nation of Pyneton. They passed through the border guards without any issues.
Yuma, having entered the barbarian nation Pyneton without a problem, stuffed his red cloak into his subspace pouch. Though Pyneton's identity was that of a barbarian nation, its foundation was still that of a nation-state.
There was no way ordinary citizens unconnected to the war would know anything about Yuma.
He slipped the lion-patterned bronze plate, which had helped them pass the border guards without trouble, into the inner pocket of his black coat.
Hestia and Cloné, clad in robes, looked around with wide eyes at Pyneton's scenery, which was clearly different from the Empire's.
Unlike the imperial buildings, which were dominated by refined designs, here the natural look of straw, leather, and similar materials still stood out.
"Let's eat first."
As soon as Yuma finished speaking, Cloné and Hestia, who had been inwardly hungry, nodded their heads furiously.
"Sm...smells. A delicious smell."
Sniff sniff.
Hestia, as if tracking a scent, lifted her head and shook it this way and that.
"Risotto... the smell of risotto. It's cream risotto!"
It was an utterly ridiculous world.
There was no law saying a world with red bean bread couldn't also have risotto.
"Alright, let's go there."
Yuma decided to head straight into the restaurant Hestia had identified using her innate Cat Tribe sense of smell.
Restaurant <Russo>.
"Welcome!"
A bright, young boy's voice rang out.
The shop was quite full of customers.
"Cream risotto!"
Hestia chose from the menu without a moment's hesitation.
Cloné ordered tomato pasta. Yuma chose pasta as well.
'It's good.'
Yuma, twirling tomato pasta onto his fork and taking a bite, felt his mind start to move more quickly, perhaps because it was the first proper meal he'd had in a while.
Cloné watched Yuma as he slowly ate the same tomato pasta she had ordered.
"Yuma-nim."
Cloné's golden eyes captured Yuma's still-aristocratic face.
"Is there, nearby, someone like me?"
Cloné knew very clearly what kind of significance her existence held for the 1st Princess Brigitte.
A being appointed by the oracle.
<Daughter of the Witch Who Fell into the Hell of the Black Flame Cave>.
<Blue-haired Sword Saint>.
When two such designated beings gathered, the 1st Princess Brigitte would awaken the fate-line to become the hero who would save the world and the emperor of the Empire.
That was the content of the oracle.
Yuma nodded slowly at Cloné's question.
"We'll pass through a forest. The person is expected to be from a tribe-like group beyond that forest."
"The 1st Princess once said... that when beings appointed by the oracle meet, there might be a Resonance."
"She did."
She had definitely said that.
"I should try to concentrate so that I can feel this Resonance."
"We'll pass through one forest, and the tribe should be there, so you can start paying a bit more attention from that point on."
"Yes, understood."
"We'll get a guide and then head into the forest. If you're done eating, shall we get up soon?"
The three of them, now full, rose from their seats.
'The Information Guild.'
The two methods the Great Warrior Martes had mentioned for obtaining a guide.
Either hire one from a mercenary corps, or from an information guild.
Anyway, they only needed to get to the front of the Gelpiel Forest. It wasn't a situation requiring reinforcements in terms of military power. Literally, just finding someone who knew the geography well was enough.
Yuma was able to conclude that finding someone from the information guild was more suitable.
The location of the information guild was openly displayed on the map.
It seemed to disprove the idea that they operated in the shadows.
He took money from the coin purse he'd received from Martes, paid for the meal, and stepped outside.
There was no worry about finances, as he had received plenty of the kingdom's currency, the 'Kurp'.
The information guild's location was three blocks away.
Step. Step.
Yuma decided to walk there leisurely.
"Heeeh."
Hestia's green eyes sparkled.
Hestia and Cloné observed the unusual architectural style and the kingdom's residents, who wore mostly fur outerwear, with faces full of wonder.
Yuma stopped walking two blocks later.
He saw a weapon shop with arms openly displayed on a stand.
Was this the barbarian nation's method of display?
Yuma's gaze was stolen by two items hanging on the stand.
One was a silver gauntlet.
The other appeared to be a small shield that balanced its weight over the wrist and the back of the hand.
'When dealing with martial artists or bare-handed fighters, it'll be more convenient to parry with these.'
He could easily parry attacks from martial artists who clad their fists in battle aura using [Black Dragon Bernak's Fang], just as he had until now.
That was because the aura itself could be used as a Parry Point for a close combat attack where energy was infused. However, for bare-handed attacks, meeting the parry condition with a bladed weapon was quite tricky.
He wasn't without confidence in the so-called <Bare-Handed Parrying> technique, parrying a bare fist with his bare hands, but there was no need to leave a risk he could easily minimize.
'Since I no longer know what kind of enemies might appear.'
Among humans, anyone foolish enough to fight bare-handed without covering their fists in battle aura was rare, but the day might come when he had to face monsters like ogres or orcs.
It was better to prepare for every eventuality.
With that thought, Yuma went into the weapon shop.
"Let's make a quick stop in here."
"Yes!"
"Okay!"
Cloné and Hestia didn't know why Yuma suddenly wanted to visit a weapon shop, but since he said to go in, they simply nodded.
As they entered the shop, a man who appeared to be the owner approached Yuma.
For some reason, he was a bald man who inspired immediate trust.
"Are you looking for something specific?"
"A gauntlet with good durability. Just one that's fist-sized. And a one-handed shield with a not-too-large surface area."
His request was so specific that a quick response was provided.
The owner was holding exactly what Yuma had in mind: a silver gauntlet and a dark-hued small shield.
The silver gauntlet, [Storm].
The small shield, [Cold Buckler].
They were items markedly inferior to the numerous masterpieces in Sword God Kronos's subspace pouch, like [Axion], or the first weapon he'd received, [Black Dragon Bernak's Fang], but they still ranked as A-grade weaponry.
"Good, I'll take these."
"Thank you."
Yuma, having immediately put the purchased items into his subspace pouch, stared at Hestia and Cloné, who were gazing at an accessory display stand.
At the end of their gaze was a necklace containing a purple gemstone.
"That's our shop's only accessory. It's crafted from Seltrel, a mineral found only in Pyneton. It's very beautiful, isn't it?"
Seeing the two, who normally had little interest in such trinkets, so absorbed, it seemed they'd taken quite a liking to it.
"I'll take two."
At Yuma's words, a bright smile spread across the owner's face.
"An excellent choice."
The two, having each received a gemstone necklace as a gift from Yuma, stared blankly, mouths agape, at the necklaces and their central gemstones for a long while.
"Unni, let me help you."
"Ooh-ooh, I'll put yours on too!"
They took turns putting the necklaces on each other.
And then they smiled, satisfied.
"Thank you, Yuma-nim."
Cloné, as always, gave a polite greeting.
"As expected, a strong person must know how to take care of those around them like this...."
Scribble, scribble.
Yuma tilted his head, watching Hestia jot something down in a small notebook.
"What are you writing?"
The moment Yuma's shadow loomed over the notebook she was scribbling in—
"Heeek!"
She made a strange sound and slammed the notebook shut in a hurry.
But, in that instant, Yuma saw the words written in the notebook.
-A strong person must concede the first strike with a generous heart toward the weak.
-A strong person must know how to take care of their subordinates, sometimes even using their own...
With what intention. For what purpose is she writing that kind of crap?
Yuma decided to pretend he didn't know about the Cat Tribe swordswoman's shady side.
Yuma walked one more block and stared at a grey building that came into view. On the grey building, the Continental Common Language was written in a quite luxurious style.
<Lantern>.
The name of the information guild was Lantern.
Yuma entered the Lantern.
The building's exterior, and its interior as well, felt like a cocktail bar.
A man in a shirt stood at what looked like a counter.
"Welcome, customer. I am Hans, the manager of the information guild, Lantern."
The man with a very common name offered a polite greeting.
"I need a guide."
"Do you have something to verify your identity?"
Ttuk—
Yuma pulled out the lion-patterned bronze plate he'd received from Martes and placed it on the table.
"Oh...."
A sound of admiration escaped from Hans's lips.
"The most famous person on the continent has arrived, I see."
"You seem to know who I am."
The most famous being on the continent.
Yuma was indeed currently more famous than anyone on the continent.
The Empire's storytellers, who loved to gossip, had already spread the rumors across the whole continent.
Hans said in a low voice,
"Ah, you needn't worry. I am the only one in this Lantern who knows the customer. Only the heads of the four information guilds in Pyneton know. Great Warrior Martes has issued an order to cooperate to the fullest extent with whatever request you might make."
Hans revealed everything candidly.
Yuma nodded slowly.
"I need a guide to the front of the Gelpiel Forest. The grasslands of the barbarian nation seem quite vast for a first-time traveler."
"That is correct. The grasslands of the barbarian nation are vast. So vast that even looking at a map closely, you can't distinguish one forest from the next. We usually use the trees to tell them apart, but...."
There was no way a first-timer could employ such a method.
"Please wait just a moment."
Hans, who had bowed deeply, moved away from the counter and soon returned with someone else.
It was a man with brown hair.
"This is a friend who has been to the Gelpiel Forest countless times."
"...I, I'm Masek. Hello. Sir Employer."
Masek, who had been told by Hans that he couldn't share the details but that Yuma was a very high-ranking person, greeted Yuma while breaking out in a cold sweat.
"We only need to go to the front of the Gelpiel Forest."
"Let's depart immediately."
Since there was no need to drag things out, he intended to leave right away.