Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: A Favor for a Favor
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“You came here instead of the autonomous district. On vacation already? It's not the right time for that.”
It was an unexpected encounter, but Sophia didn't seem very flustered.
After all, she knew I lived in the new villa district.
She just hadn't expected to run into me at the territorial office.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
“Hmm... Alright. My inspection just finished, anyway.”
Sophia readily accepted my proposal.
She then nodded at the knights standing behind her.
It was a signal that she wanted some private time.
“Things are tense these days. It would be best if we accompanied you.”
But her escort knights seemed to think otherwise.
“It's alright. He was on our side during the civil war.”
“Ah, I see.”
Once she revealed that I was one of Ellington's people, they finally relented and stepped back.
*'Oh? It seems something is happening within the Empire.'*
I sensed something odd from the conversation between Sophia and her knight.
But I didn't let on.
I was here for something else today, and I planned to shed this identity soon anyway.
We strolled near the pond behind the territorial office.
A distance where we were within the knights' sight, but they couldn't hear our conversation.
It was the perfect spot.
“After you vanished like that, I thought I'd never see you again.”
“I had my personal reasons. I figured my presence would only give you unnecessary courage.”
“What? Unnecessary courage?”
“If I were there, you'd feel confident you could win. It would have indirectly influenced the third prince's decision.”
“Ha!”
Sophia let out a loud, incredulous scoff.
But she didn't argue.
Recalling that time, she knew I was right.
Of course, that was just speaking in hindsight.
“Fine. Since you lost your justification anyway, I won't say anything about you running away.”
“Hey, 'running away'? Ever heard of a strategic maneuver? Anyway, what do you mean, lost justification?”
“The Crown Prince returned. The very pretext for the civil war is gone. The Empire's political scene is in chaos these days with purges and whatnot.”
“Right. A bloodbath must have swept through Troven.”
I had already expected as much.
I just wasn't interested enough to look into it.
Besides, I was dragged off to Everfilt for a mission as soon as I returned.
“Anyway, you didn't call me over just to talk politics. What is it?”
“Ah, we got sidetracked. It's nothing big. I just need you to write a letter of recommendation.”
“What, all of a sudden...?”
“A friend of mine wants to buy some land, but he needs a noble title. He's trying to get one, even a minor one.”
“Ha! And you're asking me for that?”
“You're the only person I know in Marquis Pennant's domain. In return, I'll do one thing you want.”
I said, tapping the Black Dragon Sword at my waist.
At that, Sophia's indifferent gaze changed strangely.
It seemed offering a suitable price had finally piqued her interest.
She gave a meaningful smile and nodded readily.
“Deal. Just give me the name.”
“My friend's name is...”
I had acted so impulsively that I hadn't decided on a new name yet.
This time, he needed a noble title, so a surname was necessary.
*'Ah, what should it be? Cain is obviously out of the question.'*
Though quite common, I felt an instinctual aversion to my past life's name.
If this identity were to be exposed, Rantzverger would...
*'No, wait. They wouldn't be able to find out anyway, right?'*
Besides, there probably weren't many people left who remembered it.
Having decided on a name, I looked at Sophia and declared confidently.
“The name is Cain Wanderer. He who wanders for eternity.”
“Just say 'wanderer.' Why make it sound so grand...?”
“Isn't it cool? He said he came up with it himself.”
“It's making me cringe. It sounds like a name straight out of some hero novel.”
“Not a bad review. It's not my name anyway, so just go with that.”
“Alright. I'll write the letter after the job is done. That'll motivate you to do it properly, won't it?”
“Fine. An easy condition to accept. What do I need to do?”
“Hmm. It's a bit complicated. We need to hit... no, we need to strike first.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Her slip of the tongue piqued my curiosity even more.
To hear words like 'hit a place' from the mouth of a marquis's daughter!
This girl really has her head on straight.
“What are we hitting, and who do we need to beat there?”
“The location is near the northern border. Naturally, that's...”
She trailed off, but I already knew what she was going to say.
The north of Marquis Pennant's domain?
There's only one power firmly established there.
“Everfilt.”
“Correct.”
Looks like I'll have to put my heart and soul into this mission.
* * *
I immediately prepared to leave with Sophia.
The job required absolute secrecy, so we couldn't take many people.
Just the two of us, plus Diego, the old bachelor knight who was with us at the Tomb of the Bronze Tyrant.
Our party consisted of just three people.
“The destination is in a rather peculiar location.”
“Peculiar? Because it's a border region?”
“Yes.”
“And here I thought it was something serious.”
“It's not that simple. It's on the border of three nations.”
“Wait. So it's not due north, but a bit to the west?”
“It's also close to Kraus. What's more, the dungeon is called the Holy Ground of Railton, a heritage of the Theocracy.”
“Wow...”
An incredulous exclamation escaped my lips.
The Holy Ground of Railton was clearly on Imperial land, but it was Kraus's property.
About two hundred years ago, that area was part of the Theocracy's territory.
The Kraus Theocracy would try to explore it, no matter the cost.
And yet, in the midst of all this, Everfilt was trying to secretly claim the holy dungeon for themselves.
“This is a real headache. What does the Empire say? There must be someone who gave you this information.”
“The source is the Blue Tower. But right now, the Empire's political circles can't afford to worry about the frontiers.”
“Because of the purges, I assume.”
“So I received a secret order to carry out the mission separately.”
From the Blue Tower's perspective, it made sense.
Hadn't Sophia successfully explored the Tomb of the Bronze Tyrant and raised her reputation?
Of course, I was the one who did everything.
In any case, with her experience, it seems they entrusted the job to her.
“Anything to watch out for?”
“First, our identities can't be exposed.”
“That's a given.”
“It would be best to get out without any conflict, if possible. We're short on manpower, after all.”
“That seems unlikely, considering you said Everfilt has already begun their exploration.”
“The Blue Tower told me about a shortcut to the center of the holy dungeon. We might be able to claim the reward before Everfilt.”
“Oh! You surprisingly have a solid plan.”
“Did you think I would just set out without any preparation?”
“In the past...”
I stopped myself and gave an awkward shrug.
I wanted to ask why she was so clumsy at the Tomb of the Bronze Tyrant, but I couldn't.
Mercenary Ray and merchant Ray Carter were strictly different people.
“In the past?”
“No, I just meant you didn't have such a meticulous image.”
“What do you mean? My grades were pretty good.”
“Were they? I never paid attention to anyone behind me, so I wouldn't know.”
“Ha! So you're saying you were number one?”
I covered up my minor slip of the tongue by boasting.
Sophia just kept snorting in response.
It was a familiar sight from our days in Venderford, so she didn't seem to suspect a thing.
*'I need to be careful what I say. This is different from the situation with Camil, but I could still get exposed if I'm not careful.'*
It seemed best to lay as low as possible until I got my new identity.
As we traveled, discussing the Holy Ground of Railton, Diego suddenly stopped.
“My lady, I believe this is the place.”
“Is it?”
It seemed they had finally arrived at the location marked on the map.
Sophia's face brightened as she carefully examined the map Diego held out.
But while the terrain was similar, she couldn't find the entrance to the holy dungeon.
Then again, if it were easy to find, it wouldn't be a secret passage.
I walked past the two of them and scanned the surroundings.
*'As expected, search magic doesn't work.'*
I hadn't expected to find it easily with magic in the first place.
If that were the case, Everfilt would have found the shortcut long ago.
I slowly walked around the area marked on the map and began to expand my senses.
I awakened my Demonic Soul and released my aura into the air.
I wandered around like that for a while, but with no results.
“At this point, I'm starting to doubt the intel from the Blue Tower.”
It was right at that moment, as I was about to question the map's authenticity.
—There's something foul nearby. What is this?
Alkheim's curt voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
Hearing his voice, an interesting idea began to bubble up.
*'Alkheim is the Dark Spirit King; he must be sensitive to light and holy power. What if I use him for the search?'*
I might be able to find the entrance surprisingly easily.
Of course, that was on the condition that Alk would willingly cooperate with my plan.
But that was nothing a little persuasion couldn't fix.
“What are you talking about?”
—It seems what you're looking for is nearby. If you want that holy dungeon or whatever, draw Calipe. Then I'll tell you.
As expected, the cunning bastard had been eavesdropping on our conversation.
And it seemed he had no intention of telling me from the start.
If I'd known, I would have made my conversation with Sophia more private.
I should have used written notes or something.
“Is that all? I can't let you into my body for something so trivial. Finding the entrance is just a matter of time anyway.”
—Aren't you short on that 'time' thing? You need to get the reward before Everfilt.
“Stop playing games. I have plenty of time.”
—Hmph! Do as you please. Do you think it'll be easy to find when it's hidden so well? With your skills, you don't stand a chance.
Realizing it was a lost cause from the beginning, I cursed inwardly.
But Alkheim's last words kept ringing in my ears.
*'He said I can't do it with my skills? Doesn't that mean it's not far?'*
A hint gleaned from his casual remark.
How do you find something you can't see?
There's only one way to flush a badger out of the bushes.
“You beat it out.”
*Shing!*
After confirming Sophia and Diego's positions, I drew the Black Dragon Sword.
And immediately began to unleash hundreds, thousands of grayish-white orbs.
I had suddenly unleashed the Heaven-Severing Myriad Spirits into the empty air.
And it produced a surprising result.
*T-t-ting! Craaack!*
Something that collided repeatedly with the sword spirits suddenly revealed itself.
A cave appeared on a rock face where there had been nothing before.
I looked down at Calipe with a triumphant expression.
“Easy, wasn't it?”
—You annoying bastard.
“Handsome guys are always annoying. In that sense, I'm the biggest jerk on the continent.”
—...Look in a mirror before you run your mouth.
“Based on my original face, of course.”
I casually ignored the indignant Alkheim and turned around.
Sophia, having sensed the commotion, had already approached.
She looked at me with renewed appreciation and nodded.
“I suppose your skills are undeniable, if nothing else.”
For some reason, that doesn't sound like a compliment.