Chapter 85 – [Lubera Side Story (Part 1)] Freedom

000

The royal road ‘El Cerdo’.

Literally, it is the capital of the kingdom that currently controls most of the continent.

Reflecting on the past that allowed invasion to the royal palace in the fight against the empire decades ago.

Currently, it has been transformed into the strongest fortress with a solid defense by enclosing the city with a huge white wall that is several tens of meters high.

A large number of nobles reside in the capital, and that’s why the entry and exit screening is strict.

Each of the eight gateways built on a huge plain had checkpoints to thoroughly prevent illegal entry into the walls.

In order to pass through the checkpoint, you need an ‘ID’ or ‘Adventurer’s Registration Card’.

Among them, the adventurer was nervous about planting seeds of unrest in the capital, to the point of needing a letter of introduction from the guild.

Originally an attendant of an aristocratic family, Lubera never had to pass through a checkpoint alone, and was with Eustes, the damned youngster, almost all of the time.

It wasn’t until I arrived at the checkpoint that I realized that I didn’t even have an ID card or even an adventurer’s registration card.

“…It’s a waste.”

Ruba stood slightly blankly, watching the long line to get through the checkpoint.

If he knew this would happen, he would have asked Luti Sions to write a letter of introduction to the guild so that he could pass through the castle, he regretted.

“What are you doing? Are you homeless today?”

The little girl in a servant’s suit standing next to Rubera, whose true identity is Rubera’s demonic sword, ‘Barisada’.

It’s a bit strange to call her in front of other people, so she’s usually called ‘Lisa’.

Both Barisada and himself seemed to like the name very much.

It’s been a while since I woke up, thanks to the personality that matches the child-like appearance.

Although her curiosity towards her surroundings her is strong and she does not express her dissatisfaction in most things.

There’s only one thing I don’t like: camping and staying up all night on the road.

In other words, he hated homelessness terribly.

Barisada, whose face is crushed like a child who has inhaled her bitter pills, looks up at Rubera.

Rubera, too, arrived at the royal capital after taking a month, but it was troublesome for her to go back to Ellesia to get a letter of introduction.

“…I can’t help it, Lisa. Let’s jump over the wall. Tell me with distortion that I’m inside the wall.”

“Huh!? But entering the capital without passing through the checkpoint is a crime, isn’t it?!”

“You don’t want to be homeless either. Neither do I.”

The moment she stepped out to take Barisada, who had a voice like ‘Ha, but ~’, to get close to the unnoticed castle wall.

A wagon with a luxurious design passing by the side of the procession for inspection passes by Rubera and Barisada.

As you can see, since it was a wagon with nobles riding on it, it would be possible to pass the checkpoint without having to line up one by one.

Ruba looked at the carriage a little disapprovingly, then tried to turn her body around.

At that time-

“Lubera?”

And if you look up at the sound of calling your own voice.

Shortly before, the carriage that had passed Rubera and Barisada stopped, and she saw a woman getting off there.

As Ruba makes eye contact with the woman, her slightly surprised face becomes her.

The woman seemed to be a woman of noble class.

The mistress of the highest rank among the nobility, the duke.

Amidst her understated splendor her, her outfit her, which pursued her functional beauty her, felt a bit plain compared to her status her.

Her nobility of her is emphasized by the inconceivable elegance of her gait and demeanor of her.

Blonde hair in braided buns, neatly tied back. And the transparent blue eyes that appear on the smiley face of her.

Ruba lifts her skirt slightly and bows her head to greet her.

“…Mrs. Tromeia.”

She was the mistress of the Tromeia family, who was responsible for the defense of the vast territory of the kingdom, including the royal capital.

Why is Rubera familiar with her?

Previously, at the aristocratic society, Eustes was flirting with the tromeia family attendant.

Rubera hit her on the back of the head, stopped and apologized to Mrs. Tromeia, who was there.

Perhaps that act was to the liking of her Mrs. Tromeia, and she had invited her to her tea parties held by her on several occasions after that.

At the time, though, Marquis Hughes did not personally like Rubera to attend such a tea party.

No matter how much money she poured into her, she thought that she, who had been unable to build a bridge for her connection to her, could be the first step in friendship with the Duke of Tromeia.

She had taken her to her tea party her a few times.

Of course, Ruba also knew the intentions of the Marquis, so he disposed of all the messages and gifts he had to convey without any problems.

Mrs. Tromeia got off her carriage and came closer to Rubera, who smiled wryly as if she was choosing her words her for a moment.

Then she opened her mouth again and voiced her regret.

“I’ve heard stories about the Woodnocker family. It’s a pity that those who served them have fallen like that.”

“… It’s okay. Marquis Hughes was a son of a bitch who deserved such an end.”

But Ruba, as if she didn’t think so at all, she replied numbly.

There was no exaggeration or lies in her words.

Then, Mrs. Tromeia’s face became slightly surprised at such an outspoken statement, and then she covered her mouth and smiled discreetly.

“Looks like you didn’t need words of consolation. You’ve already heard what evil he did. So, you’re free now, right? What about this girl?”

At Mrs. Tromeia’s question, Ruba looked down at her barisada her.

And she answers without blinking an eye.

“This is Lisa. This is my sister.”

“Lubera’s younger sister… But why are you wearing a maid outfit?”

“This is the only one I own that fits my size.”

[Wow, you said you didn’t buy it]

[Quietly]

Lisa expresses dissatisfaction on the inside, but on the outside she shows a smile that looks like she is smiling.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Tromeia! I’m Lisa! I’ve been away from you for a long time, but now I’m living with you!”

“Whoa, you’re a smart kid.”

As the two exchanged greetings, Rubera’s eyes were fixed on the carriage she was riding in.

“Mrs. Tromeia, I have a sudden request for you.”

“Oh my. What is it?”

At Rubera’s words, her really sudden, Mrs. Tromeia looked at her.

“I was about to enter the royal capital, but I have no means of proving my identity.

It was a bit rude for a request made to the mistress of a ducal family who was not an ordinary nobleman but the heart of the kingdom.

Mrs. Tromeia’s eyes of her were still smiling, but the sharp insight hidden in them instantly scanned Rubera’s body of her.

“That’s a request. Of course it’s fine. Come on, get in the carriage.”

But soon, as if she didn’t care about her her, with her human-looking smile on her face her, she was leading her to her carriage.

After Lubera bows to her to show her gratitude to her her, she climbs into her carriage.

Then – contrary to expectations.

I could see another person already riding inside the carriage.

A figure wearing a cheap gray-brown robe and not saying anything.

He was too unsuitable to be riding in the duke’s carriage.

Ruba feels a little embarrassed, but she doesn’t show it and she sits down first.

After this, when her barisada she sits next to herself, the structure of the carriage, which seats four.

It was natural for her to sit facing the person.

Suddenly, the smell of her scented oil her wafted from her sitting across from her.

Maybe Ruba is a luxurious item that she couldn’t even dream of.

When Mrs. Tromeia gets into the carriage, the door closes and the carriage starts moving again.

Was it a mistake to ride in her carriage? Although the same question echoes inside Rubera.

Actually, the Duchess was talking to Ruba as if nothing was wrong.

“So, are you going to be living with her sister in the royal capital now?”

“…Yes. I guess so.”

Ruba replies that she does, somehow keeping her composure.

“Then I guess I’ll have to find a place to work again. Do you have a place set somewhere?”

“Oh, no…”

What is it, the Duchess’s question, as if exploring herself.

No matter how many times she’d met before, she’d never taken her barrage of questions like this.

“That’s great. My house was looking for a new attendant, and if Lubera applies, can I hire you with a simple interview?”

What came out of her mouth was, surprisingly, a scouting proposal for Ruba.

Ruba thinks, there’s no way she could be rescuing an attendant from the duke’s family at the right time.

Her purpose is to put herself by her side of her. Perhaps, it was because she saw an opportunity that she had shown interest in herself before, and that she put herself into her persona.

Rubera’s was not a wild guess.

Rumors like that had been heard from before among the servants of noble families.

Female adventurers with brilliant careers and women with unknown military power are being recruited as servants of the Tromeia family one after another.

There were even rumors in the daily that the attendants were the Duchess’ private army.

Ruba had no intention of filling her place her as a nobleman’s sword again.

Besides, she had other things to do.

“Thank you, but first I’ll try to find it on my own. I’m sorry to others for being hired using personal connections.”

“I think networking is one of my great skills, but… I can’t help it. If you ever change your mind, please feel free to tell me.”

She speaks kindly to Ruba, still not erasing the smile from her face.

However, Ruba could not help but feel a sense of rejection at the insidiousness unique to her aristocrats.

The carriage passed through the checkpoint at the gate without stopping.

Thinking whether this is the majesty of the duke’s family, the carriage proceeds along the main road inside the royal capital.

It’s the royal capital that returned after a month, but there are still so many people coming and going that it’s incomparable to Elesia.

Merchants, soldiers, adventurers, priests, and various human groups were forming a group.

After the story about the scout was over, a casual, casual conversation went back and forth between the two.

Even so, the woman in front of Rubera (her face and body her were covered with robes, but her gender her was guessed from the atmosphere and enjoyment she felt) seemed to be invisible.

She said nothing, and didn’t respond to any words.

Rubera, too, felt that asking her questions her was a kind of taboo for her, and talking to her wife her was careful not to direct her gaze her, even if it was her mistake her.

“…Ah, this is fine.”

In the meantime, as the carriage passed in front of the inn that Ruba was heading to, Ruba talked to her wife.

“Oh, are you going to stay at the inn? It must be quite expensive…”

“It’s okay. I made some money on the way here.”

In fact, while moving to the royal road on foot with Ruba and Barisada.

Over and over again, they fought off bandits and thieves who belittled them and attacked them, and lived off their bounties.

Literally, even if you walk quietly, money rolls in.

Recently, Barisada has been calling those who dared to attack fearlessly by names like the legendary ‘Golden Goblins’.

Eventually, when the carriage stops slowly, the door opens and Barisada gets out first.

And the moment Rubera was about to get off, following behind him.

“Lubera.”

Her head is turned by the voice of the Duchess calling her.

“There were only me, you, and your little sister in this carriage, okay?”

“…”

The tone of his voice was still kind. That’s why this warning felt even more heavy.

Ruba nods slowly and gets off her wagon. As she landed on the ground, she adjusted her slightly crooked fedora, turned her body around, and once again she greeted the Duchess.

The wagon quietly closes the door and proceeds as it is.

“Whoa… You’re a scary person.”

“… Except for the royal family, she is the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom. She must have the charisma to match that. More than that, let’s get a room and wash up.”

Saying so, she took her gym bag and moved her feet to the inn in front of her.

001

That night, she had a pleasant dream, perhaps because she slept in bed for the first time in a while.

In her dream her, she was looking up at the sky with a boy named Ruba.

Although she felt strange about herself in her childhood, like her barisada her.

The open sky where neither the gruesome wyvern aiming for their lives nor the cliffs in the valley that obscured the view with their shadows could be seen.

The countless lights embroidering her night sky were a group of free stars that she longed for.

The star called Ruba was good.

They were shining high up so that no one could reach them.

I couldn’t help but wish that one day I would be free like them.

“—“

When she turns her head to the boy’s voice calling her name her.

There sat the young man who had given her her first freedom her.

At some point, her body also became the same adult body as it is now, and the hands of the two were naturally touching.

For some reason, she was a little resentful of herself, as she usually only said unpleasant things to him.

If only I could have been a little more honest with the young man.

But I definitely don’t think that kind of thing suits me.

But – in a dream.

Calling his name her in a small voice that would not reach him in reality.

It was a gentle voice full of charm that surprised even himself.

And slowly put strength into the hand holding him.

Close to the young man’s face-

– Boom!

In the next moment, Lubera raises her body her.

It was the dawn of the middle of the night, when the sun hadn’t risen above the horizon yet.

With her dazed head her, she reaffirms that what happened just now was a dream.

“Eh… Lubera…?”

She must have been in the form of her sword when she slept, but at some point she returned to her human form and entered her own bed.

When she gradually regains a sense of reality at the voice her calling her like a drool.

Ruba lets out her mute scream and grabs her head her, her face red.

‘What was that just…!? Dream!? Even though we haven’t seen each other in a month… ! As soon as I’m relieved… Kew… !`

Feeling the shame and anguish in the middle of the night that seemed to see the inside of her.

Lubera ended up disturbing her sleep her.

002

Even in El Cerdo, the capital city, there is a place called ‘back alley’.

It is a place that plays the same role as the trash can of the royal capital, just like the ones located in ‘Elesia’.

It is one of the danger zones where all sorts of bad things, separated from daily life, gather in one place and dig into each other’s interests.

That’s why not only ordinary people, but also the soldiers of the kingdom. Even nobles do not easily set foot here.

That quality was so ugly and ferocious that it couldn’t be compared to Elessia’s back alley.

If someone steps in here the wrong way and loses his life, it’s his fault.

It is also a place where you can talk like that.

And at the entrance of such a back alley, there is a luxurious tavern that creates an inappropriate atmosphere.

However, due to its location, it is really rare for guests to come.

Even if they step in with interest, customers who do not fit the manager’s picky taste will be kicked out and never come back.

It was a store that didn’t seem to have any business at all.

A small bell hung on the door makes a tinkling sound, and the door opens with a squeaky sound.

It’s still early, but in this bar that’s open 24 hours a day, the same woman always stood at the counter.

With the unusual appearance of her silver hair and silver eyes, she looks at the visitor of her shop with her eyes wide open.

“Oh, Rubera. You’ve returned to the royal capital.”

Her name her is ‘Sue’. She’s an unusual name, but Rubera had heard before that her race was named by repeating two letters of the same pronunciation.

The tavern `Shape Shifter` is the same place as the information vendor of her back alley that Rubera found while working in the royal capital.

Every time I had time, I stopped by this place to gather information about the Changgwan where the Dark Horse clan was working.

“I came back yesterday. This is how it looks today…”

As you can see the name of the tavern. ‘Seoseu’ was a shapeshifter, that is, a being who could transform her body into whatever she wanted.

It is said that she opened a tavern for her daughter her studying at the academy, but she had never seen Ruba, whether there were customers other than she herself.

In her own way, she looked at Rubera and greeted her, but as if she was worried about the shade under her eyes of her, she asked her regards of her.

“You look very tired, are you okay? Shall I get you a drink to open your eyes?”

“No… It’s okay. It’s just that I had a bit of trouble sleeping.”

Ruba enters the store with a barisada hanging from her waist and she takes a seat in front of the counter.

“With Hughes Wood Knocker’s death, his family fell into disrepair. Of course, the back alley business he was supporting must have had a big impact.”

Ruba calmly looks at herself and talks.

Susu nodded at Rubera’s words and handed her a cup filled with cold water.

“Because of that, dozens of bodies were buried in Back Alley yesterday. With the support of Marquis Hughes, the organization that was at the top of Back Alley lost 90 percent of its members within a month, and now they are being chased.”

“Conflicts of interest are always ugly. I do not sympathize with you because you are a position earned by money earned in a business that builds on the misfortune of others.”

At Rubera’s answer her, Susu smiled wryly and put his hand on her waist her.

“Well, thanks to that, the information about the Changgwan that the ‘Dark Horse Clan’ works for, which Ruba wanted to know about, also came to my ears.”

Ruba nods her head with her sleepy face as she expected.

The black demon clan’s spearman certainly exists somewhere in the back alley.

That’s because she remembers working at the window, even though she only had one day.

However, it was impossible for her to accurately remember the location of the place where she had been run over by adults at a young age.

The back alleys are entangled like a spider’s web, and most of them are decorated so that you can’t tell what kind of store it is from the outside.

“Now it seems that the owner has changed in this month. Perhaps the original owner was a person whom the Marquis Hughes had touched, so he died or was kidnapped. Either way.”

“The new owner is…?”

In response to Rubera’s question, Susu took out a small piece of paper from her chest pocket.

There, a magic circle with geometric inverted pentagons, circles, and patterns resembling hearts was engraved.

“You can think of the back alleys as almost these guys’ sphere of influence.”

“It’s the first pattern I’ve seen.”

“Astarote… They are crazy bitches who believe in hedonism. They asked me to come into their sphere of influence. Of course, since I am neutral, I refused on the spot.”

Ruba frowned. It’s the first time I’ve seen the pattern, but I’ve heard the name before when I was investigating the back alley.

Although she once suspected that she was in charge of Changgwan, where the Black Demon clan resided.

At that time, they were still small in power, and they were only running a few establishments in the form of a point organization on the level of a pseudo-religion.

“Recently, the atmosphere in the back alleys has been very strange. How can I say… Compared to before, the number of women has noticeably increased… “

“Thank you. Let’s look into it.”

Saying so, Lubera gets up from her seat her.

Susu looks at Lubera and talks with a worried expression.

“Be careful. I’ll always provide shelter if needed.”

“…Thank you, Sus. I’m glad you’re here.”

Once again, the small bell hanging on the door rings and the door opens and closes.

After leaving her shop, Rubera leaned against the wall and organized her thoughts for a moment.

[It’s okay? Rubera.]

[It’s okay. It was expected that the owner would change due to a power struggle.]

I took a deep breath at Barisada’s worried voice of his.

The next moment- The fragrance of balm tickling my nose passes by.

When she opened her eyes involuntarily, she saw a figure wearing a robe moving freely on the road leading to the back of her back alley.

Proceeding with frequent strides, she swerves at a fork in the road and disappears from Rubera’s sight her.

“That’s…”

Ruba recalls her yesterday.

Her existence her, which the Duchess tried to hide to the point of threatening her.

Perhaps, she is not a person of ordinary status.

More than anything there, she seemed unarmed to step inside this in her bare body.

Her back alley her was a very dangerous place.

Ruba’s investigation of Astarothe and her pursuit of her leads her out of her.

Place your two thoughts on the balance.

“…Kuh… Did it get infected by Cleon…”

Then she pulled down her black fedora, clutching at her barisada.

It was to start chasing after the woman in the robe.

Her steps her were mixed with a little nervousness.