Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Your Name Is.
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Here, I had to cut it off!
If I stretched just one step further and asked the question, it would spell big trouble.
The moment the words left my mouth, Eclair was the first to sense something was off.
"?"
"?"
The instant their eyes met from those warped perspectives, it felt like time itself had frozen.
Roman bravely opened his mouth, pushing through the atmosphere that rapidly cooled, making it hard to speak.
"...Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, forget it—I think I misspoke just now..."
An excruciatingly awkward air began to creep through the boxy room. To escape the sensation of swimming in completely different worlds,
Eclair pressed hard on her eyelids and brought up the topic of the commission.
"Perfect timing, so... let me explain about the traitor we're pursuing."
It didn't feel like perfect timing no matter how you looked at it, but he decided to let it slide for now.
"I'm all ears."
Eclair took a deep breath and recited the information in the businesslike tone she'd use in a guild reception room.
That shifted the mood back to work.
"The traitor's name is Cutler Dyer. The Dyer family name itself has been erased from the Harun Empire, but he might still be using it. Or he could have changed it to something similar."
"Cutler Dyer...? Keeping the family name as an example instead of wiping it out means he must've been a pretty influential noble."
Just seeing the emperor flip out enough to send Eclair gave a sense of the guy's danger level and scale.
"He was one of the leaders of the old noble faction, with a solid power base and supposedly exceptional swordsmanship. They say he was rivals with the head of the Floyd family—the fourth of the Empire's Five Knights—back in their academy days."
If he'd gone through those times with the oldest of the Five Knights at the fourth seat, that meant he'd piled on plenty of years.
Not welcome news.
Wasn't an experienced old fox scarier than a knight in his prime?
"What was his level back then?"
"Records say he wielded a fierce blue aura during the incident. Hard to think he was holding back at that point... but since over a decade has passed, better assume the worst."
I was the guy who'd recently read Eclair's detailed character bible.
I knew key info like the incident's outcome and where the conflict started, but not the minutiae, so I picked out only what mattered.
"Does he look his age? If he's been living it up in Limno, throwing money around, maybe he's even rejuvenated."
"...The informants finished the sketch and drew up a composite."
Eclair lifted the edge of her concealing cloak, opened a pouch on her belt,
and handed me one of the rolled-up bundles of paper.
As I took the document, I gave her new outfit a quick once-over.
"...!"
The shock of an outfit that the heavenly knight Eclair would never wear.
It felt like the game devs had dropped an Eclair adventurer outfit DLC for her Dreitna fans.
A bulky knee guard on one leg, rugged fabrics unfit for one of the Five Knights.
Tight pants that hugged her form, black half-gloves exposing only her fingers.
Her top was a crop style that wouldn't look out of place named as such, subtly baring her pristine pale skin and straight abs.
"That's the textbook female adventurer getup. They selling fashion mags in the palace or what?"
"I'm just wearing what they gave me..."
Wasn't there some supporter's personal taste mixed into that outfit for Eclair?
She seemed self-conscious in clothes she'd probably never worn before, tugging her loose cloak to cover her upper body and wrapping her arms around her stomach again.
"If it's bothering you that much, we can buy new ones once we arrive..."
I trailed off awkwardly and unrolled the paper.
Shrak—
"Oh ho."
Traitors really were on another level. This was leagues beyond the wanted posters plastered in every imperial alley.
Not rough black-ink lines in monochrome—it was a full-color composite with paints and dyes, down to detailed hair and eye color.
At the bottom were informant notes describing his appearance.
'Says "I'm a total bastard" right on his face.'
Golden blond hair pulled back into a ponytail tied with cloth hanging past his shoulders, neatly trimmed beard the same color.
Dull green eyes, forehead broader than before with deep creases like furrows.
Wearing what looked like a magical monocle, weapons the same as back in the empire—always two.
Carrying two longswords of different lengths.
Height and build estimated by comparing to nearby objects from afar.
Info on his group too, but the key bit was the last line.
[He sometimes leaves his weapons with his group when entering shops, but there are shops he enters without disarming.]
"No joke... the imperial informants get it done."
"I think the same—they're the true guardians of the empire."
These folks risked their lives on pure patriotism for peanuts pay, yet dug up top-tier intel like this.
Put it all together, and you get the character bible I read outside.
...
...
-Hiiing!! Purrrr—
The muscled warhorse had even downed a potion during the rest stop. Yet it galloped nonstop, foaming at the mouth white.
We scarfed lunch in the moving carriage and pushed on, but we didn't hit Limno until pretty late evening.
The carriage dropped us on the road as soon as the city came into view and coolly vanished into the dark without so much as a goodbye.
With every step closer, the entertainment city's vibe hit hard.
"Whoa—it's crazy bright."
"And noisy as hell."
Those two words captured Limno perfectly.
Dazzling lights spilling beyond the walls, eye-searing brilliance and clamor.
From joyous laughter shaking the world,
to shrieks and rage-filled yells blending into bizarre noise.
Like an artistic expression of wealth gaps and social inequality.
"...Hold up."
At my voice, Eclair's feet stopped.
"What is it?"
"We should hide our looks at least, but change our names to aliases before going in, right? Roman's common enough, but Eclair? Not so much."
Maybe in some nameless village, lazy parents just went "All boys born this year are Romans!"
Roman was that common.
I'd run into three or four name-alikes as an adventurer, and even the neighbor kid who almost got swapped with me as a baby was a Roman.
Once in Limno, I could use my real name no problem, but for a noble like "Eclair," no dice.
As a named NPC with game weight, her presence screamed importance... and that fancy name made duplicates unlikely.
A woman with murderous red-glowing eyes named Eclair?
Even imperial tourists on vacation would notice, and bad luck might run into worldly federation types who'd get suspicious.
Eclair crossed her arms and nodded at my words.
"Very sound advice. So, what name should I use?"
"Pick one you like. The more common, the better."
She let out a heavy sigh and spun in place.
Tapping the ground with her boot, she looked up at me.
"Even familiar names are mostly nobles, so it's hard. You pick."
"You? Yoooou? Flaunt words like that, and eyes'll be on us in seconds."
"R-Roman... you decide."
A week wasn't even up on this temp alias gig, but naming a person—not a pet—drained serious brainpower.
Especially a woman's name, and she wasn't even that.
I squatted, scratching the dirt with a stick, pondering carefully.
"If I pick one and you think my sense is old-man lame or cheap, it'll hurt my feelings."
"This isn't the time for jokes... It's just a week. I won't be picky, so name a female adventurer that comes to mind."
Female adventurer...
I tallied commoner women's names from memory.
'Morgana? Yor? Yuria? Makima? Blona? Nah... need something to tone down that stiff aura subtly...'
Snap!
I flicked my fingers, and Eclair, who'd been watching bustling Limno, looked down.
"Finally thought of one?"
"Hit me with the perfect name. Common enough to drop people's guards instantly, rolls right off the tongue."
"Really... Impressive."
My long buildup tanked her expectations; she gave me bored, uninterested eyes.
I straightened my cracking knees and took the lead.
"Shall we head in, then? Kitty."
In that instant, her eyes—freshly switched from "Eclair" to "Kitty"—shook mercilessly.