CH 42

Summoned by the nobleman, I went to the village chief’s house. When I knocked, no one answered the door, so I decided to enter on my own.

The first place I went was the guest room. There I found a woman in her mid-teens. She must be the Zelma that Orle had told me about.

Her silver hair, which reached her shoulder blades, was tied back in a bun. She had the eyes of a bird of prey, and they were sharp as if she was looking at her prey. Her magic power circulates throughout her body without stagnation, which alone shows that she is highly skilled in manipulating magic power.

In short, she looks and feels like a scary woman inside and out.

She’s probably the type of woman who loses out on beauty.

And behind her, there was a middle-aged man with two swords hanging from his waist. His body was so well trained that you could see it even through his clothes, and his shaved head was very intimidating. He doesn’t seem to have the magical power to use magic, but his physical abilities seem to have been raised to a higher level.

“You’re the first to discover the dungeon?”

I was looking at him when he spoke to me.

It’s typical of a Nobleman to ask questions without introducing himself. He probably thinks that I know him or that I don’t need to know him.

I’m worried about the line of sight that I observe, but I’m sure I’ll be scolded for my rude attitude if I don’t respond quickly.

“Yes! I, Lars, have discovered it.”

I replied in a polite language that I don’t usually use.

No matter what kind of gentle personality you have, the Nobility will be angry if you talk to them in a casual manner. They are more likely to lose their temper faster than your average kid. You have to be careful with every word you say.

“Very well. Now, let me ask you a question. How was it from the point of view of Lars, an A-rank adventurer who has entered and conquered many dungeons in Kurt?”

What?! You know about me?!!!!

Did you hear that from the village chief?

No, you can’t know the rank.

Did you get the information from the Guild by the time you came here? Why do you care about me so much?

What are they aiming for?

I have no idea myself. It’s unlikely to be related to Licht. I can’t get an answer with the knowledge I have now. There is an overwhelming lack of information.

Giving up, I stopped thinking and concentrated on answering the question.

“It’s on the same level as Kurt’s most difficult dungeon or maybe even higher.”

“I see. More than Kurt’s most difficult. You’ve survived investigating there by yourself. It’s only because he was said to be the A rank closest to the ⟦Hero⟧.”

You know that much? I’m sure you know that I’ve been working with Licht and that I was recently kicked out.

The Guild can’t be trusted to give out information about my private life without my permission. I’ll get even with them someday.

“It’s more than I expected, but I suppose it’s tolerable. Sir Villy!”

[TN: Villy or Willy which one?]

Zelma nodded approvingly and spoke to the man behind her.

“Huh?”

“I’ll go along with your plan. Get Lars to cooperate and make it work!”

“If it’s an order from Zelma-sama, I’ll do it, even if it costs me my life!”

Even though she could fight, I thought it was strange that the Daughter of a Lord would come this far. It would be safer to leave the initial dangerous investigation to the Knights who have direct control over Yang.

It made sense if they had other goals.

Besides investigating the dungeon, there must be some other reason why Zelma had to go in.

And I was caught in the middle of it.

A bit of bad luck, don’t you think?

“Good, I’ll take care of this.”

Zelma walks away and turns to leave.

As she passed me, she put her hand on my shoulder.

“I have high hopes for you. I want you to accept the request from Lord Villy. Of course, I will pay you well. I can promise you a certain future. So I’m asking you to take care of Regina.”

Who is Regina? She left before I could ask her.

At least tell me about the request. I could understand that she wanted to know about the dungeon, and that she was calling me to make a request, and I could also predict that it would not be a bland request for me to escort her.

However, I don’t understand what comes next.

What is it that you want me to do?

Yeah, nothing good ever happens when you get involved with nobles.