Chapter 23

「Alva……huh.」

If they were to do a full-fledged investigation, there was a limit with the method of gathering rumors that they had used up until now.

Just exactly where and when did they start appearing.

Just how far has research on them progressed.

Did some sort of law exist for them.

And then, one more thing.

Just why did the Humans know of the Dark Continent’s existence.

Shion thought that if he was going to do research, then he wanted to research everything.

However, books that had that sort of things written down weren’t sold in the town’s bookstore.

──The library.

If one was researching something, that word would probably be the first thing to come to mind.

However, a library that a member of the general public could enter did not exist in the Shutaia Continent.

The reasons for that were simple, and one of them was for the purpose of protecting bookstores.

The other reason was, because it wasn’t needed.

The things that could be bought at bookstores were pretty much simple books such as the legend of the Hero, and were fundamentally oriented towards nobles.

Since paper was expensive, books, which were a bundle of paper, were even more expensive.

And since pointlessly extravagant binding was preferred, the price increased even further. Merely, it wasn’t like one couldn’t live their life without it.

If one wanted to hear the legend of the Hero, the minstrels at bars and restaurants would sing of it regardless of the time of day.

Even if one couldn’t read or write, there were plenty of possible jobs, and if one wanted to learn how to read and write, they would require a private school or a private tutor.

In other words, books were a luxury item, and a facility that would go out of its way to gather and arrange such things for the sake of the general public did not exist.

This went even more when it came to the technical books that Vermudol wanted to read, and only existed in places that were oriented towards those that were anxious about the country’s future and that could be securely deposited and managed.

For example, the royal palace’s archives.

For example, the chivalric order’s archives.

For example, the temple’s archives.

For example, the Adventurer school’s archives.

Naturally, there was no way they would simply show it to him just from him visiting.

Books are assets.

Therefore, unless there was trust, it was reasonable to be turned away at the front door.

Unfortunately, Shion didn’t have any connections anywhere.

And if he didn’t have any connections, he had no choice but to make them trust him.

And to make them trust him, he needed a referral from a person that the other party trusted.

And to get that referral──connections were needed.

It was truly an unproductive loop, but there was no helping that this was the reality of it.

In that case, what should he do.

First, the royal palace is impossible.

He didn’t have any acquaintances with royalty.

Next is the chivalric order.

Many of the knights were people with a lot of pride, and Shion, who was a mere Adventurer, didn’t have any acquaintances among them.

Next is the temple.

Since their tendency of “Mazoku must be destroyed” is especially strong, he didn’t want to approach them all that much.

He didn’t have that much of a concern about it but……if by some chance there was someone that could see through to his disguised true identity, it would be even more troublesome.

Finally, the Adventurer school.

As a matter of fact, Shion was thinking that this place might be the one with the highest probability of negotiations going well.

The fact that he didn’t have any acquaintances within it was the same as the other places, but the Edius Adventurer school is fundamentally a school to train Adventurers.

Fundamentally……what that meant was that it does training for things other than being an Adventurer, but generally speaking, it is a place with the least feeling of refusal for the occupation called Adventurer.

Of course, they probably won’t easily show their archives to a mere Adventurer.

But, Shion and Nino were famous people in a good way.

If they could 「trust」 that, or there might be a possibility that they will at least hear them out.

Thinking that, Shion walked towards the Edius Adventurer school together with Nino.

「School……A fist fight……A collapsing school building……」

「Well……That would probably happen if we were to put one at our place.」

The establishment of an educational institution was a splendid sign of civilization, but whether or not it would suit the Dark Continent was another problem.

To begin with, an educational institution represented with a school is formed under the pressure of necessity, and the Edius Adventurer school was established because it was a necessity.

The Edius Adventurer school is a school that exists in the capital city of the St. Altlis Kingdom, Edius.

Although it is labled as an Adventurer school, in reality, it is a place for nurturing Humans that would fight for the sake of the St. Altlis Kingdom.

The careers of commoner graduates, many of them would be Adventurers or mercenaries, and in the case of nobles, it was the kingdom’s chivalric order. And if that were too difficult, they would also become Adventurers.

And due to their abilities, there were also those that affiliated with the Magic Association as Magicians.

Recieving support from the country in its entirety, the established Edius Adventurer school made “sending splendid characters able to become the Hero Ryuuya’s successor out into the world” its educational objective.

「……Can we not destroy that?」

「You can’t. Also, don’t speak badly of the Hero here.」

「I know that.」

Yes, it was for that reason that within the splendid steel main gate, there was a statue of the Hero Ryuuya heroically standing in the main square.

The Hero Ryuuya.

The Hero summoned from another world that once defeated the Demon King Gramfia.

Shion, he guessed that they were most likely from the same place……that they were both Japanese.

That being said, since it would be said that he was from an glittering country of god and such if a minstrel were to sing about him, he couldn’t hold any confidence as to whether that were actually true or not.

When Shion stood in front of the main gate while thinking such things, maybe because he was judged to be a suspicious person, a man that seemed to be a staff member approached him.

「……Excuse me but, aren’t you Shion the Adventurer?」

「Certainly I am Shion, but I do not know if I am the Shion that you assuming.」

When he made banter like that, the staff member made a slightly displeased expression, and sent his gaze towards Nino who was at Shion’s side.

「……I see, that is true. Well then, are you the SSS Rank Adventurer, Shion-dono?」

It would be fine to make banter here once again, but thinking that there wouldn’t be any particular meaning to it, Shion nodded his head.

When he did, the staff member showed a relieved-looking face.

「Ahh, this is surely Philia-sama’s guidance as well……Shion-dono, I would like to make an urgent commission to you.」

「A commision?」

When the staff member shook his head vertically, he said this.

「I would like for you to make a small speech at the school entrance ceremony.」

Why is he saying such a bothersome thing so abruptly?

Thinking that, the reason why Shion warped his face a bit was, it could probably be said to be something that couldn’t be helped.