Book 6: Chapter 1.2
Book 6: Chapter 1.2
「Thank you for saving me, boy. Can you guide me to the Adventurer’s Guild?」
「Sure.」
Dante placed a silver coin in the boy’s palm.
「Whew, Ossan, you’re so generous. It’s this way, follow me.」
Dante wondered if children living in the city all act matured like this kid… Since Non grew up in the countryside, Dante raised her to be a strong kid. But that in turn made Non grow into a little girl who made the boys in the neighborhood cry. Dante arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild while thinking about that.
Anastasia and Zerry had already parted ways with Dante. They should be arriving in the Sylvis Kingdom right about this time.
Dante entered the guild after waving goodbye to the boy. The sign at the front certainly belonged to the Adventurer’s Guild, but the building looked like a luxury hotel.
The interior was also similar to the lobby of a hotel. And hanging out in the lounge were several merchants dressed in elegant clothes, rather than tough-looking men and women usually seen in other Adventurer guilds.
「——A strange-looking adventurer has arrived. Haven’t seen these guys lately.」
「——For real. You can tell at a glance that it’s a country bumpkin.」
「——Probably came to the city after going broke in the countryside.」
Even as such voices echoed, Dante walked on steadily without worrying about it.
Two beautiful receptionists sat behind a beautiful wood-grained counter. It could easily have been misunderstood as the front desk of a hotel if the receptionists weren’t wearing their uniforms.
「Welcome to the Valhalla Adventurer’s Guild.」
As Dante approached them, the two stood up at the same time, and bowed.
「We apologize for the inconvenience, but this guild does not handle requests for general adventurers. Please head to the guild branch located outside the city.」
「I know. Let me see the Guild Master.」
Dante leaned his left elbow on the counter, just as he did in the Zackerhafen guild.
Before entering the city, he had already visited the outer guild branch. He said, “I want to meet the guild master,” and was told, “You have to go to the central guild.”
「Excuse me, but the Guild Master is too busy to meet with general adventurers.」
「It’s an urgent matter.」
Dante said, presenting his adventurer’s card – the receptionist didn’t even move an eyebrow when she saw the gold adventurer plate.
In the guilds of other regions, the “Gold rank” holds a tremendous value. But it is less valuable in the guild of Valhalla.
This is because Valhalla has connections with adventurers above the Gold rank, which are the Platinum rank and the Mithril rank.
「——A mere gold rank thinks he can meet the Guild Master.」
「——Country bumpkins are so ignorant.」
The merchants whispered amongst them, but Dante couldn’t hear them.
(I made a mistake… I thought it would be quicker if I came directly to Valhalla, the guild headquarters that controls the entire adventurer’s guild, but it might have been better to have a guild master from another town report it.)
The attitude of the receptionist was polite to the end.
「Excuse me, but only Platinum-rank adventurers can contact the Guild Master directly.」
「Is that so?」
「I am sorry.」
「No… it’s alright.」
Dante has a long history of adventuring, but he hasn’t actively made any connections with Platinum rank adventurers.
As Dante was about to leave the guild, wondering what he should do next–.
「Huh?」
「Oh…?」
「D-Dante!? Why the hell are you here!?」
It was the skinhead man with a shiny head, nicknamed the “Inextinguishable Light Sword” Joseph, who used to be a trainer in the Adventurer’s Guild of Achenbach Dukedom and fought a dragon together with Dante.
「That’s my line. Why are you here?」Dante said.
「Me?…There is a problem at the Sixth Mine, you see. I need to relay some information.」
Joseph said in a very low voice, enough to only be heard by Dante.
「Problem?」
「Yeah. Don’t tell anyone else.」
Joseph whispered into Dante’s ears.
–The “Sixth Mine” no longer produces skill orbs.
★ Sylvis Kingdom ★
The Secret Service turned away in a huff in response to Anastasia who ran away from the kingdom, but her brother, Matvey, was happy to see her.
When she proposed to visit her father and king, Sylvis VIII, her other brothers and sisters uniformly opposed. But Matvey’s twin sister, Yuri, proposed to hear out Anastasia first.
「Don’t think badly of us. Though I allowed you to leave this country, it is still equivalent to you abandoning the status of the High Elf royal family.」
「I know, Yuri-nee sama. I am happy to just be able to talk like this.」Anastasia said.
「I’m here, too. Don’t forget me.」
「Of course, Matvey-nii sama.」
Matvey was overjoyed to hear that. He had been worrying over what had happened to his precious sister after he sent her to the Saint Knight Kingdom. But Anastasia returned all of a sudden so soon.
On a side note, Zerry was kicked out on the grounds that outsiders aren’t allowed to enter. But she secretly snuck into the mansion near the royal family’s. So far, the Secret Service is unaware of this intruder.
「So… What did you want to talk about? We, here, are actually busy too. I don’t have much time to spend on you.」
Yuri said, and took a sip of tea. The sight of Yuri in the garden of a treetop mansion under filtered sunlight was a picturesque scene.
「Yes, actually…」
As Anastasia told her story, even she felt like it was an unrealistic fairy tale.
The balance of the two separated worlds is out of order.
If the Pledgers do not revoke the Covenant and unite the two worlds, the collapse of the world will be imminent. If the two worlds become one, there will be a flood of dangerous monsters.
「If you weren’t sucked into the “Back World” and that Red Gate didn’t appear over the Lev Magic Empire, I would have dismissed your story as mere nonsense.」
「Moreover…」
Matvey said after Yuri, and the twins exchanged glances and nodded.
(It seems like they have some other information…)
After a while the sister said–.
「The truth is, the skill orbs of Third Forest are running out.」
「Running out!?」
「It’s really something we shouldn’t talk to an outsider, but it seems to be related to what you just said. The Covenant handed down to us states -『Do not take too many skill orbs. Skill Orbs make up the world.』…If the power to make up the world is weakening, it is unavoidable that the skill orbs are disappearing.」
「————」
At that moment, chills ran down the back of Anastasia’s spine.
It’s not that she didn’t trust Reiji’s words, but she simply didn’t realize what “world’s collapse” meant.
It will be extremely difficult to convince the people of this world, as even Anastasia, who actually went to the “Back World”, had trouble believing it.
However, the crisis is now imminent in the form of “no new skill orbs will appear”.
「I have a request for you two. It is necessary to revoke the Covenant to prevent the collapse of the world.」Anastasia said.
「We know. Actually, I have already started discussing the matter with His Majesty, but we don’t know what will happen if we revoke the Covenant. The skill orbs may disappear entirely.」Yuri said.
「Huh!?」
「Do you think we can fight monsters without the skill orbs?」
「Well, that’s…」
Anastasia didn’t even think about that. Indeed, the Covenant consists of the Pledger, Mediator, and Skill Orb.
If the Covenant was revoked and the skill orbs disappeared—what would happen if a monster from the “Back World” appeared in this world?
What if it is a monster like the Forest Eater?
Then this world will fall into a similar state as the Back World.
「Be that as it may, we have no choice but to do it.」
「That’s right. We have to act accordingly as Pledgers.」
Despite the shaken Anastasia, Yuri and Matvey seem to have made their resolve.
「Many of our siblings are against it, but since you have brought us such vital information, I’ll talk to His Majesty once again.」
「Thank you, Yuri-nee sama.」
「Don’t mention it. But if you are actually going to go down this path, things will get hectic. You will be pushed onto the battlefield.」
「Yes, I am prepared.」
Even if she would be frowned upon for her Fire Magic, Anastasia had already made up her mind.
Since Reiji will be fighting, she will fight too.
「Fufu… You like that human child that much, I see.」Yuri teased.
「Eh!?」
「You’re blushing so hard that your whole face is red.」
「T-T-T-T-That’s not it!」
「His Majesty knows it, too.」
「His Majesty too!?」
Looking at the distressed Anastasia, Yuri smiled, whereas Matvey looked somewhat sad as he watched his little sister grow up into an adult.