CH ss - 40

[Alfine: The Truth]

After we arrived at Frontier Count’s mansion, the maid waiting at the entrance guide us to the reception room where Lloyd and co are waiting.

When we enter the reception room after the maid gestured us to, I see the knight captain Meiss, the guild master Arnold, the receptionist Rebecca and for some reason the barber Loran are having a talk with Lloyd.

“Ohh, you have finally come. I have been waiting. Now, take a seat. I am sure the talk will be long.”

Lloyd who noticed us urges us to sit in the chairs prepared in the reception room, and so for the time being, we sit down on the prepared chairs.

“So, can I ask what is the reward you mention earlier, Frontier Count-sama? But you seem to be having an important talk.”

“That is, you see… We are talking about the possibility that we might have gotten the information about the person you are looking for.”

Information about Finn!?

He was in Youg Hannotes after all!?

I become impatient and lean forward at the words uttered by Frontier Count.

“Information about the person I’m looking for!?”

“Ahh, you are looking for a black-haired swordsman named Finn, are you not?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right!”

Lloyd looks content seeing me.

“I see, well then, there seems to be no mistake in the information I got, ‘Sword Master Alfine’-dono.”

My body turn rigid at the words Lloyd uttered.

My identity was exposed…

Why… even though I’ve changed my name, gender, and appearance.

“W-what are you talking about, I wonder? This kid is my younger brother Al, you know. He has nothing to do with a personage such as the Sword Master Alfine-sama.”

Meila pulls my clothes and forces me to sit in the chair.

Then, she answers the question of Frontier Count Lloyd instead of me who stiffened and couldn’t reply.

“No need to worry. Alfine and I have a common enemy. Besides, I have a good idea why she hides her identity. Meiss, please give your report to Al and the others.”

Lloyd have Meila who was trying to cover up for me sit down as if to assure her, and calls Meiss waiting beside him.

The called Meiss stands up from his chair and begins to read the bundle of papers in his hand.

“Lloyd-sama ordered me to search for Finn-dono and investigate Al-dono’s identity, so I used the various connections of the Frontier Count family to collect information. I identified that the swordsman called Finn-dono that Al-dono is looking for is the platinum-rank adventurer who was a companion of the Sword Saint Alfine when she was active as an adventurer. This is correct, no?”

Meiss’ confirming gaze is directed at me.

“Y-yes. Finn-dono certainly formed a pair with Alfine-dono as adventurers. But I am not Sword Saint Alfine-sama.”

“H-hey, Al!?”

Meila tries to stop me from answering Meiss’s question.

If I keep silent here, I might not be able to get information about Finn, and there should be no problem as long as I don’t admit that I’m Alfine.

This is the chance to get information about Finn that I’ve been long searching for after all.

I convey my apology to Meila with my gaze.

“I will report about Al-dono’s background later on, so now I will report about Finn-dono. Finn-dono that you have been searching for last accepted a request as an adventurer in the royal capital several months ago. At that time, he teamed up not with Alfine-dono, but another platinum-rank adventurer to complete the request. As an adventurer, he was one of the most outstanding even in the guild of the royal capital, but because he was overshadowed by Alfine-dono’s feats, he seemed to be receiving little recognition – or so according to the report I have received. And I have also collected rumors that Finn-dono disappeared from the royal capital, and his location is currently unknown.”

Certainly, as Meiss’ report says, I think Finn’s ability was one of the best among adventurers in the royal capital.

Just that, there were times when I didn’t assess Finn properly either, and there were many people making light of him, treating him as my sidekick.

“Meiss-dono consulted to me, so I asked the masters of the Adventurer’s Guild in every city for information on the platinum-rank adventurer Finn-dono, but I could not find any trace of someone took a request with that name.”

The guild master Arnold – urged by Meiss – gives us a report about the information he had investigated.

“To sum up, if we were to infer from Arnold-dono’s report, I think Finn-dono has abandoned his status as a platinum-rank adventurer and is hiding himself. We also cannot throw away the possibility that perhaps, he registered as an adventurer under another name and is living as different person.”

The possibilities presented by Meiss were likely to be chosen by Finn, who has lived as an adventurer for a long time.

As a different person…

I see… throwing away his social status, position, name and even appearance, just like me…

There may be that possibility.

Maybe we have passed by each other here in Youg Hannotes.

At that time, the face of a young adventurer with deep red hair and eyes that I passed by at the entrance of the Adventurer’s Guild of Youg Hannotes comes to my mind.

Why does the face of that adventurer called Frick or something come to my mind?

Even though he doesn’t resemble Finn at all…

After shaking off the face of the red-haired adventurer that came to my mind, I turn to Meiss who continues the report.

“We lost track of Finn-dono, but when I was collecting information about a young swordsman adventurer with black eyes and black hair here in Youg Hannotes, I got a hold of an interesting information. Loran-dono, please give the report.”

The barber Loran – who was called to this place – comes before me and gives me an apologetic look.

I’m sure that they started suspecting me as the Sword Master Alfine because of the story leaked by this person.

Although he seems to be tight-lipped, there’s no way he could keep silent when the other party is the lord of the territory, huh…

However, since we didn’t tell Loran our identity properly, I feel like we can keep up the lie.

“I’m sorry Al-dono. I’m actually Frontier Count’s spy. My tasks are to collect and report information about strange people sneaking into Youg Hannotes while working as a barber. I judged that Al-dono won’t do any harm in particular to the Frontier Count family, so I didn’t report you though. If possible, I wish you could your mouth close in regard to my status. In exchange, I will give Al-dono the important information he wants.”

Loran who said that he is Frontier Count’s spy says so and hands two portraits to me.

The first portrait he handed is that of the young adventurer called the Crimson Magic Swordsman Frick that came to my mind just earlier.

“This is?”

“This is the portrait of the changed appearance of a young black-haired swordsman adventurer who visited my shop here in Youg Hannotes two weeks after Finn-dono disappeared from the royal capital.”

“Two weeks after Finn disappeared, is it…”

“Traveling from the royal capital to Youg Hannotes using a carriage would take about two weeks. And black eyes and black hair are rare. His age is also close to that of Finn-dono. Please check out the other portrait.”

Prompted by Loran, I turn over the portrait of Frick, and the moment I see the other portrait hidden underneath, I lose my voice——

The face on the portrait closely resembles to that of Finn, whose bangs I had long and covered his eyes so that he didn’t become popular among women.

T-this is Finn!? This is Finn, right?

“That’s the face of the man before he became the Crimson Magic Swordsman Frick. Is he the person Al-dono looking for?”

Without making a voice, I can only silently nod.

“I see, but just in case, I want to confirm something; is there a small ear of wheat tattoo around the base of the nape of the person named Finn you’re looking for?”

Even the tattoo that the director and his wife tattooed on the children to prevent plague!?

He must be Finn.

There is no doubt, the Crimson Magic Swordsman Frick is Finn.

I nod deeply at Loran’s question.

Then, Rebecca who is listening quietly suddenly stands up and hands me a piece of paper with an address on it.

“Al-san, do you perhaps recognize the address of this village and the name of this orphanage?”

Written on the paper handed by Rebecca are the names of the orphanage and the village where Finn and I grew up.

“Yes but, w-what is this?”

“This is the address where Frick-san sent money to anonymously. It seems to be an orphanage, but he said he didn’t want to give his name, so it got stuck in my mind.”

Rebecca also presents a new information that overlaps Frick and Finn.

The appearance of Finn and Frick are overlapping in my mind.

But Finn has no magic talent…

No, I didn’t let him find it out.

If, unlike me, Finn has a tremendous magic talent…

Having came up with that idea, Finn and Frick completely overlaps inside me.

I was, passing by Finn at that time…

Why didn’t I notice, I wonder…

Even though he was my childhood friend who I had been lived together with the whole time.

I receive quite a shock at the fact that I failed to recognize the person who was the closest to me, even if he had changed his appearance and name.

The cat’s out of the bag