In Search of the Swordsman
"So I'm alone now."
Thanks to following the highway, Elsid reached the trading city of Nao without much delay. Once there, Rain and the rest of the adventurer party had to head to the guild to report their completed request. After promising to meet again, they parted ways. Left by himself, Elsid stood in the central square and took in the surrounding scenery.
"It's changed so much."
The last time he'd come here was to sell the hide of a beast his grandfather had slain and butchered—more than eleven years ago. As expected, the trading city of Nao was far larger and more developed than Ragna Castle. Well-maintained roads built for easy carriage travel, pristine white buildings that gleamed in the sunlight, and small merchants in the square loudly hawking their wares to passersby.
Yet as Elsid scanned the crowd, his expression darkened for some reason.
"Hah… so how exactly am I supposed to find this swordsman from the Eastern Continent?"
There was a reason for the frown. He had to locate one specific person among all these people.
'If Uncle Tom's words are true, that person should have one of Vandel's swords.'
Whoever they were, they might know something about Vandel. But trying to single out one individual from the countless strangers in this city made an old proverb surface in his mind.
'Finding Mr. Kim in Hanyang.'
A saying from the land where Sim Cheong once lived, describing the act of searching for someone with no clues about their appearance or whereabouts. It fit his situation perfectly.
While mulling it over, Elsid recalled a place where people gathered and information constantly flowed. He turned and headed straight there.
The Wanderer's Rest
The place Elsid arrived at was a tavern marked by a weathered brown wooden sign. A spot where people gathered and information changed hands.
"Might as well go in."
Elsid opened the door and stepped inside.
"Huh? What the—kid swordsman, what are you doing here?"
But the person waiting inside was someone he hadn't expected at all.
"Robin, what are you doing here?"
They had parted less than ten minutes ago, yet the most irritating member of the adventurer party was sitting right there. He had claimed he was going to the Adventurer Guild to report the orc subjugation request.
"Ah, reporting that kind of thing doesn't require the whole group to swarm in. Besides, a considerate adult knows when to step aside for the young lovebirds."
"..."
If the man hadn't been holding a wooden mug brimming with golden liquid, or if several empty mugs hadn't already been lined up on the table, Elsid might have taken the words at face value. He might even have been impressed by the unexpected tact. Instead, all he saw was a washed-up drunk making excuses to skip work.
"I see. Is that so."
Elsid fixed Robin with an unwavering, indifferent gaze.
"More importantly, what about you? Got a craving for booze like me?"
Robin took a sip from his mug as he asked.
"I'm looking for someone. There's a person in this city who might have a clue about them. Taverns are where information gathers, so here I am."
Elsid answered honestly, without any real expectation. He doubted Robin would have anything useful.
"A clue that happens to be another person… that's tricky. Do you know anything at all about the person holding that clue?"
Robin listened seriously instead of brushing the story off.
"A swordsman from the Eastern Continent. That's all I have."
"Eastern Continent, huh… Ah, maybe it's that guy?"
"You know something?"
Robin muttered as if he actually recognized the description.
"Hey, one large Red Boar over here!"
"Make that extra-large, please."
Robin had casually ordered an expensive dish, but Elsid, who had already caught on, upgraded the size himself.
"You've got guts, kid."
A brief transaction passed between them.
"So who exactly are you talking about?"
"Ah, you're impatient. Wait until the food comes out."
"..."
Elsid asked immediately, but Robin told him to wait. Elsid simply stared at him with the same blank eyes.
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you."
Unable to withstand the stare, Robin cleared his throat and began recounting what he knew.
"Seven… no, eight years ago. Back when I was still adventuring solo. That guy suddenly showed up at the Adventurer Guild."
At last, Elsid was hearing something concrete.
"He wore a black hakama—the traditional Eastern Continent attire—and carried no weapons at all. He told the receptionist he wanted to become an adventurer."
Elsid listened intently, unsure what key details might emerge.
"He said he came from the Eastern Continent and had served for a long time under someone in a role similar to a knight. Other than that, he was a complete unknown."
A man with no verifiable identity. Yet that didn't surprise Elsid much.
"Well, the adventurer profession doesn't really care about origins. As long as you haven't committed any crimes on the continent of Carnea, anyone can join after proving their skills. Nothing strange about it."
Just as Robin said, anyone could become an adventurer if they met the basic requirements.
"To become an adventurer in Nao, you have to take a test: the Magic Tower provides dummy dolls modeled after monsters, complete with their traits, appearance, and combat ability. You have to destroy as many as possible within the time limit."
Robin shrugged and took another sip from his mug before continuing.
"But that guy finished the test in just one minute—faster than the allotted time—and smashed over a dozen dummies to pieces."
Elsid recalled that the man had entered without any visible weapons.
"Without any weapons?"
"No, he used a weapon. To this day, not a single adventurer in Nao's guild—including me—has ever seen what it was. But…"
When Elsid voiced his doubt, Robin shook his head.
"When he took down the dummies and when he killed monsters during requests, the wounds were clean cuts from something long and sharp. That's why everyone assumes he uses a sword."
Robin was certain the man had used a weapon, even if no one had seen it.
"What's his name?"
Elsid asked about the identity of this formidable swordsman from the Eastern Continent.
"No idea."
"..."
The answer was not what he had hoped for. He nearly threw a punch without thinking.
"He's famous as an A-rank adventurer, so I've heard plenty of stories. Never actually talked to him myself."
Robin had never met the man in person. He had only repeated rumors. Despite telling the story as if he'd witnessed it, he didn't even know the name.
"Besides him, the notable Eastern Continent figures I know are the SS-rank adventurer 'Murashima Taro' affiliated with the guild, the oni instructor 'Fujin Kaido' scouted by the empire, and the silent assassin 'Doromaru.'"
Robin went on to list several impressive-sounding individuals and their anecdotes, but none of them matched the level of interest the first story had sparked. It all sounded like a drunk showing off his knowledge. Elsid had zero interest.
In fact, he was seriously considering whether to smack the man across the face.
"Leaving all the work to others while drinking alone in broad daylight—very responsible of you, Robin."
"Well, I figured something like this would happen. And don't lie. You said that guy is the one you want to find, and Robin here knows him best—"
Just then, someone else approached their table.
It was none other than the priestess Arke and Rain.
"Haha, we meet again."
"We do."
They had said they'd meet again, but neither had expected it to happen within an hour. Rain looked equally awkward as he took a seat at the table.
"Can't be helped. Once is enough for cleaning up after two brats who haven't even had their coming-of-age ceremony yet—thirteen and twelve years old—while drinking."
"Grr!"
"Haha…"
At Robin's words, Arke shot him a furious glare while Rain laughed awkwardly, his face turning red. There seemed to be a story between them that Elsid didn't know.
"By the way, Elsid, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but you're looking for someone from the Eastern Continent?"
Rain turned to him with a bright expression and asked.
"That's right, but…"
"Perfect timing. Want to take on a request with us?"
The next moment, Rain pulled out a piece of parchment covered in writing and placed it on the table.
"The client's name is Yu Jin-gwang. He's the A-rank adventurer from the Eastern Continent that Robin pretended not to know. The request is…"
Rain took a short breath before continuing.
"To clear a newly discovered dungeon."
"A new dungeon?"
"Yes. It was found by an adventurer a week ago."
Rain nodded at Elsid's question.
"Elsid, if you're willing, would you like to join us on this request?"
"..."
Rain extended his hand with the offer. It felt exactly like the first time they had met after defeating the orcs and he had suggested they travel together.
"…I'll be counting on you as well."
The timing was almost too convenient. After a brief moment of thought, Elsid clasped the offered hand and accepted. Refusing would have been difficult—the reward listed on the parchment was far too intriguing.
Quest Reward: Everything the client can provide, except the client's own life.
Client: A-rank Adventurer Yu Jin-gwang