Chapter 237 – Quest

000

“Scary man, are you gone?”

After Merca and Ascaron left the house, it was Lilim who opened the door carefully.

When she heard that Cleon had returned, she hurried out to the porch, but when she saw Merca standing behind him, she immediately turned 180 degrees and ran into the room.

Merca himself only showed a brief interest in her, but he didn’t seem to care much about her.

When she saw that Lilim, who became a character who had nothing to be afraid of as a child, was scared, Cleon thought that even Merca herself might not be an ordinary person.

“Haaaaa…”

And Lila beside her, putting her hand on her forehead and letting out a sigh.

“If you sigh that loudly, your life span will be shortened.”

When Cleon talks like that in a joke to lighten the mood, he looks at him with a tingle.

“Is this something to sigh? The Alban escaped, when did Setos figure out that he was his son? I’m sure I told Gray to keep track of the man…”

Laila complained about her request her not being done properly, but if there was one thing that she felt a bit unfair about as Gray, she was having a crazy day as things constantly broke out.

“…As expected, Albain must continue to resent us, right?”

“You know best that that guy doesn’t have a personality worth reflecting on, right?”

At Quon’s words her, Lila crossed her arms and kicked the ground with her toes, seemingly thinking about her.

In such a gloomy atmosphere, Sasha quietly raises her hand.

“…Caliburn, is it alright? Mr. Alvein… First of all, you were a former contractor of Caliburn, right?”

At her words her, Cleon glanced at the Caliburn that had been erected on the wall.

Then Caliburn shone softly, then changed its appearance to a human form and landed on the ground.

“Ha-am.”

“You’re at peace. If Alvein finds out you’re fine, he’ll definitely try to get you back.”

When Carly Byrne rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned, Layla spoke in a slightly bewildered tone.

But Caliburn opens her eyes and smiles.

“Don’t worry. He won’t lay a finger on me.”

“…”

And she spoke in her confident voice.

“My contract with Alvein has already been terminated. There is no possibility that he will interfere with me.”

After saying that, Caliburn goes to Cleon and takes his hand.

“Because Cleon won’t let it go, won’t he?”

“Of course.”

As if satisfied with Cleon’s hesitant answer, Caliburn nodded and drew a V.

“Besides… Compared to back then, you guys have overcome countless trials and become stronger.

“…”

When Caliburn said that, Quon scratched his head with a mysterious look on his face.

She, too, was now a full-fledged holy sword-user-herald, and her Galatine’s power her was powerful enough to send back the predators of this world.

“…That’s right. Yes. It’s just as Caliburn said. No matter how Alvein he is, he can’t do anything to each other right now. At best, he’ll stick to Setos and do something. None at all .”

Perhaps feeling better after hearing Carly Burn’s story, Lila untied her arms her and stretched her.

“But a man driven into a corner doesn’t know what to do. So we should catch him as soon as possible and return him to a labor facility in the north.”

Aruru still speaks with a worried expression. She may have something about Albein, but she will also care about Setos.

“Are you talking to Sir Percy?”

When Cleon said that to Aruru, she shut her mouth for a moment.

“Father is not in the capital right now. He left the capital two days ago to build a new fortress in the southern part of the continent. I heard that the person who promoted the project was Lord Setos-“

“As expected, the master of trickery. The preparations in advance are perfect. Right now, except for the king, the ones who can hold him down as authority in the kingdom are only his own brother.

Lyla stuck her tongue out at Setos’ thoroughness and shook her head.

From the time he was born, he belonged to the aristocratic world and was like a man who fought and won.

“Anyway- while thinking of a way with Merca-“

While Cleon said that, it was the moment he tried to gather the opinions of the party first.

Smart. When you think you heard a knock on the front door, everyone’s eyes turn to that direction.

Lila grabbed her wrist her as Sasha was about to run away with a quick gait.

Cleon makes his way to the front door.

By any chance, it could have been a slightly sensitive reaction to Albain who came impatiently.

Because there was nothing wrong with being careful.

So Cleon stands in front of the front door and raises her voice.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, Cleon. You’re back. It’s me, Rampart.”

Then, at the familiar voice from the other side, Cleon sighed and opened the front door.

Others were also letting go of the tension.

Of course, as soon as the door opened, Rampart said after seeing the party sighing.

“What? Did I come at the wrong time?”

“No. What happened?”

To Cleon’s question, Rampart said “Ah” And exclaimed, talking about the purpose of visiting Cleon.

001

“Aristocrat’s… Kidnapping case?”

“Yeah… It’s not a publicized case.”

After hearing Rampart’s words, Cleon naturally lowered his voice, seeing his serious expression.

The incident he was referring to was that a few days ago, the young son of a noble family was kidnapped by unknown assailants.

Although self-reliant, thanks to not being that wealthy aristocrat, both the head of the family and the hostess are working in the royal castle.

It was said that the servant had hired only one maid and left his son her in his care.

The kidnappers proudly break into the mansion, kill the maid, and escape with her son her.

It was said that he had left a letter to pay a considerable amount as a ransom.

“…How can I say it. It doesn’t sound like something an adventurer would do.”

If it was normal to commit a crime against the nobility, it was the ‘Knights’ or ‘Guards’ that had to be moved.

“Of course, but… Of course, the guards and knights show traces when they move. It’s a large group.”

Cleon nodded as if agreeing with Rampart’s words.

“Of course, the kidnappers also wrote that they would kill the child if the guards or knights moved.”

“Dastardly…!”

When Aruru hears his story of her, she is enraged and she unknowingly leaks her voice of her.

Rampart then looks at her for a moment and then whispers to her Cleon her.

“…You really were acquainted with the lady of the Tromeia family. Cleon.”

“Is that important now… ?”

“No. Well, I’m glad it seems to be the same.”

After Cleon and Rampart chatted like that, they kept their distance from each other again and shut their mouths as if in agony.

“So. It’s not the knights or the guards… You’ve found an adventurer who can move without leaving a trace.”

“Yes. I was going to talk to the detective or you who returned first.”

“…Are you talking about Gray?”

When Cleon asked that, Rampart nodded.

“Yeah. I’ve been hiding for several days, leaving the office empty. Where did it disappear to?”

“…No way-“

Layla, feeling a little uneasy, meets her eyes with Cleon.

“What, do you know anything?”

“No. We’re just worried about Gray.”

Whether or not her disappearance her was related to Setos was still unknown, so it was a story she could not easily bring up even to Rampart.

“Hey, there’s one part I don’t understand… Can you ask for a ransom from a noble who isn’t wealthy and get it?”

When Sasha asked Rampart a question like that, Rampart nodded and answered her question.

“Nobles can get loans from banks that are incomparably larger than commoners, just by having that status. Unlike commoners, nobles have a lot of corners to make money.”

When Sasha nodded her head in agreement with Rampart’s answer her, “Aha”, Kuon opened her mouth.

“First of all, for the sake of the child’s safety, wouldn’t it be better to prepare a ransom for her?”

“It seems like the noble couple and the elders want to do the same, but it seems that the couple has already borrowed a considerable amount from the bank. The reason is unknown, but… “

“What is that? No way, to maintain dignity as a noble, you’re spending more than necessary. Isn’t that kind of stupid?”

Lila shook her head as if she didn’t understand, but Rampart only shrugged her shoulders and lifted her up too.

“Well. That part is your private life, so I couldn’t ask too deeply.”

After saying that with a sigh, Rampart continued talking while looking at Cleon.

“…As you know, the adventurer’s guild has only a small number of people who can move, and everyone is passively in carrying out requests. It’s only natural that my colleagues keep disappearing, but…”

Cleon nodded her head as if he understood that part.

After that, she was contemplating whether to tell him that there were male adventurers who had already become women beyond recovery.

“But even so, ignoring those in trouble is against the rules of the Adventurer’s Guild. So… I beg you, Cleon. I want you to help us.”

Cleon saw Rampart bowing his head to him and immediately grabbed his hand her.

“Rampart. I was helped by you many times when I was young. You are like a mentor to me as an adventurer… If you are in trouble, of course I will help.”

In response to Cleon’s answer, Rampart looked at Cleon for a moment and then bowed his head again as if to thank him.

“And… You’re lucky. You’re the perfect person to catch bastards who are kidnapping children or something. You’re just here in the capital.”

“… Wait, Cleon.”

Aruru hears Cleon’s words and looks at him with a surprised expression.

Cleon, who saw her ‘I can’t believe’ expression, nodded his head.

“It’s because the kingdom’s special investigator is in the capital.”

…

After that, after telling Rampart that he would take on the request first and send him back, Cleon looked back at his party her.

“Whoa… I can’t let it rest. This city.”

“There are so many people… So many problems.”

Lila also lets her shoulders hang down in exhaustion.

“Don’t overdo it, Cleon.”

Quon, too, looks worried at Cleon, who can’t find the timing to take a break and starts working on the next one right away.

“Of course. Both of them. But, it’s not just me that shouldn’t overdo it.

“I’m sorry…”

“Ah, haha…”

At Cleon’s words her, Leila turned her head away as her face her turned red.

And Kuon, who also blushes and scratches her cheek in embarrassment.

Seeing the reaction of the two, Aruru and Sasha narrowed their eyes.

Perhaps noticing the gazes of Sasha and Aruru, Cleon cleared his throat and stood up.

Then, she took out the triangular earring that Merka had given her, which she kept in her pocket her, and held it up.

“Her earrings her she received from her earlier… Is it like a ring of her convenience her?”

Layla took the earring from Cleon, and she looked inside for a moment with the spellcaster in her eye her.

The composition of the magic formula, the engraved incantation. And information about her material flowed into her.

Soon, Layla, having finished her feelings her, sighs and tells Cleon.

“I think so. However, it’s a unique structure that I’ve seen somewhere… But the connected target isn’t the same item, but it seems to be ‘Merka’ himself.”

“Can we pursue it from this side?”

At Cleon’s question, Layla nods her head and touches her earring her with magic in her hand.

“If you take care of it a little bit. Now, this is it.”

“Is it fast?”

“This is it.”

Cleon then held her earring her in his hand her, channeled her mana into it, and looked in the direction the tip of the triangle was pointing.

“Okay. With this, we can go to Merca too.”

As she said that, when she put her earring on her ear her according to its purpose her, a vision of the direction she was going to go mysteriously flowed right in front of her eyes her.

“Okay. I’ll be back, Sasha. I’m sorry, but I’ll ask for a little more Lilim.”

“Ah, yes! It’s okay! I’ve become quite calm after coming to the capital.”

After looking at Lilim, who nodded, Cleon turned around to leave the inn.

And Aruru, who had followed Cleon, spoke to Cleon in front of the entrance.

“…Cleon. Let me cooperate.”

As if she had decided on something, Cleon stared at her eyes as she clenched her fists.

“Are you worried about Merca?”

“To be honest…Yes. She hasn’t changed at all from when I saw her 10 years ago… I’m sure- even after such a big deal.”

“…A big deal?”

At Cleon’s words her, Aruru slowly nodded her head, and she closed her eyes for a moment as if recalling the past, then opened them.

“Yes. Merca was the previous head of Arcadios 10 years ago … So, her father Arrested and executed. Because she’s the same age as me—she was nine at the time.”

Aruru had a very sad face, and she clenched her fists as she said that.

“…”

Cleon shut her mouth for a moment because what she heard was more shocking than she thought, but Aruru continued to speak about her past her.

“The Marquis Arcadios’ crime is… ‘Rebellion’. It’s the same crime as Princess Amelia’s uncle who passed away. No, to be precise, the two of them were from the same camp. He was a person who participated in the rebellion, claiming that he made people’s lives difficult. Originally, he was a special investigator like Merca, who relieved many people’s injustice and caught many criminals…”

When Cleon heard the story, he had no choice but to hold his breath for a moment.

“The rebellion was suppressed by Lord Setos. Merca’s father fled. As usual, the Marquis family had to be annihilated… But as soon as his father started the rebellion, Merca took over the position of head of the family. I made a contract to keep the marquis family on the condition that I usurpate him and expel him from the family, and… Cut his head and bring it to the king as an offering.”

The story behind that could be understood by looking at Merca now.

She really In pursuit of her own father her, another aristocrat who was the ringleader of her rebellion her-on her first assignment her as her investigator her.

She brought her father’s head to the king as an offering.

That’s why Cleon couldn’t stand it and had no choice but to open his mouth her.

“But that rebellion… There was an intervention by demons behind the scenes. Then, Merca’s father also-“

“…Honestly- I don’t know about that part. I’ll have to ask that devil again… But knowing the answer doesn’t change the past…”

After hearing Aruru’s words, Cleon nodded her head, thinking that there was a point in her words, but it still seemed like it would take a little more time to understand.

“So… That’s what bothers me. She’s definitely, somehow similar to me… But… She’s a fundamentally different type of person from me. And… I want to help her if it’s okay… I think.”

After Cleon listened to Aruru, she slowly nodded her head.

“Okay. And… I’d rather not talk about the rebellion or Princess Amelia in front of her.”

“…Yes.”

Aruru agreed with Cleon’s opinion her and left the inn with Cleon to visit Merca.

002

Inside the dark mansion.

Men with strong physiques were sitting around, killing time by gambling with cards.

A small boy was sitting in the corner of the room they were in, passed out.

“I didn’t know that things would go so easily. Just as the aristocrat said.”

“Geuk… It means that the status of the thieves’ guild has risen that much. To ask such a big thing from us. He’s the second person of the kingdom’s vassal. The second person.”

They are all members of the Thieves Guild, and while away, their base was attacked and suffered massive losses.

Unable to give up the temptation of a big agenda that rolled in by itself, he succeeded in kidnapping the son of an aristocrat.

Killing the maid in the process… Wasn’t in the plan.

“If you get paid, let’s have a big party in the back alley of the royal road. It seems that there are a lot of good girls there these days.”

“Ha ha! That’s good! I haven’t been able to do it lately, so my dick has swelled up!”

“It’s dirty! Seriously! Hey! Change the lookout!”

The shouts of men who share vulgar words. And, laughter.

Watching it all – ‘Tin Gray Eyes’ lurking in the corner.

They had no idea.