The atmosphere in the lounge when Selen appeared out of nowhere was suffocating.
The most noteworthy reactions came from Gaark and Franz, who turned around with the stiff, mechanical movements of a machine that had run out of oil, then froze without uttering a single word. The fact that I couldn't see their expressions was probably a blessing.
Selen, either oblivious to the state of the two men or simply not caring, looked around the lounge with childlike curiosity as she walked toward me.
"What a strange smell. So this is… a human country. And this building, too — building it this tall without using trees… Why?!"
Being asked "why" put me in a tough spot. It wasn't really a "how" question, either.
Come to think of it, Selen had… teleported directly into the Clan Master's office, hadn't she?
When she'd teleported me before, she'd mentioned it was troublesome to verify and specify the destination in advance, so she must have skipped that step this time. Would she keep showing up in the Clan Master's office from now on? …Well, I didn't really mind.
But even so, this was much earlier than I'd expected.
I looked her up and down, studying her outfit, and frowned. "What happened to rebuilding Ygdra after it was leveled? It doesn't look like things are… going comfortably over there."
"I left command to Ruin. Besides, every one of Ygdra's mages is highly competent. If anything, an inspection is work that only I, the princess, can carry out."
Selen puffed out her chest and declared with absolute confidence.
Is that so… She'd almost said she'd come to play, but if she put it that way, I'd let it slide.
Whether Ygdra's mages were truly competent or not, their loyalty to Selen was beyond doubt, and with the threat gone, Selen was now free to move about as she pleased.
I'd set the small details aside for now. The timing of her arrival was terrible, but she was already here, so there was no use complaining about it. Might as well look on the bright side.
I hadn't been able to go outside because I lacked an escort. Selen would serve perfectly well as one.
"Fine, fine. If you want to inspect the capital, I'll give you a guided tour. Do you like sweets? I know a real gem of a shop. They've got Treasure Weapon shops and all sorts of things too."
"…Human, I'll gratefully accept that offer. However, let me be perfectly clear — I did not come here to play. Please don't forget that much."
Selen said this in high spirits. Her curiosity really was something else.
Gaark and Franz were, even at this point, completely frozen outside the circle of conversation. Not a word out of either of them. It was the first time I'd seen two people whose thought processes had shut down this thoroughly.
Kaina and Franz's subordinates were also watching the exchange between Selen and me with bated breath.
The princess of Ygdra teleporting into the Imperial Capital was an extremely sensitive issue for the two of them.
It was an obvious case of illegal entry, but Ygdra's royal family was a nation whose very existence was uncertain. If they pressed a legitimate complaint and ended up severing what had been barely-started diplomatic relations, that would be a problem too.
And the reason no one had started shouting at me yet was probably because they couldn't very well berate me right in front of Ygdra's leader. Selen was terrifying.
The first member of our frozen group to manage to speak was Eva, who had been sitting right beside me.
She understood her role. The responsibility and awareness that she had to pursue the clan's interests on my behalf!
"A-Ah… Klye, sir? Could it be that… that person is —"
At those words, Selen's gaze finally left me and settled on Eva.
She wore a curious expression, as if to say, "Why is she here, of all people?"
It was understandable that Gaark and the others had completely frozen at Selen's sudden appearance, but even with so many people present, the fact that she'd ignored everyone except me confirmed that, at her core, she was fundamentally different from humans.
Well, I couldn't just keep the conversation between the two of us forever.
"Yeah — the Ygdra leader I was telling you about. This is Selen. Selen, this is Eva, my right hand. She works hard to keep the clan from falling apart whenever I go off doing whatever I want. If you need anything, talk to Eva. She'll cooperate with you."
"E-Excuse me!?"
"Keeps the clan from falling apart whenever I go off doing whatever I want… Ahh."
Selen nodded as though something had clicked, then turned a captivated smile toward the stunned Eva.
"I am Selen Ygdra Frestell. It's a pleasure."
"I-I'm Eva Renfield. It's an honor to be introduced. Should anything come up, I'll handle it in Klye's stead."
"She's quite capable, then. I'll remember that."
Good, good. And it seemed that once I'd made an introduction, Selen did properly acknowledge other people.
I should get the introductions done while everyone's judgment was still impaired. I probably wouldn't be much use in Selen's future activities. When it came to the skill of dumping work on others, I was unrivaled — though you could equally call it running away from responsibility.
I stood up, walked over to the frozen Gaark, slapped him on the shoulder a few times, and said to Selen: "And this is Gaark Velter, the head of the Explorer's Guild Imperial Capital Branch. When we get around to discussing opening a branch in Ygdra, he's your guy. Let's see… if I had to put it simply, he's kind of like my left arm. Haha…"
"!? Oy, hey, wait a moment!?"
"I understand."
Selen nodded without casting even a sliver of doubt at Gaark, who had half-risen in a panic. It almost felt like she'd imprinted on him.
Finally, I placed my hand on Franz's shoulder and said: "And this is Franz. He's a bigwig in Zebuldia. If any problems come up, he should be able to sort them out. He's helped me out with all sorts of things, so if you're ever in a bind, just talk to Franz. He can smooth over your capital entry application and all that…"
"…Y-Yes, th-that's right."
"I understand. Then… which arm is that human, exactly?"
"!?"
Selen blinked and posed her guileless question with a touch of absentmindedness.
Which arm… People only have two. I looked down at Franz, who had let out something like a choked sound, tilted my head, and answered: "Umm… maybe his left wrist?"
"His left wrist… Got it."
"!?"
She'd actually committed it to memory… No, but even so, I couldn't very well figure out how to respond to something like that out of the blue.
Franz didn't say a word, but a vein on his forehead was twitching visibly. I'd gone and done it again.
Gaark had been saying I should bring the princess over immediately, but having her actually show up like this was a different kind of trouble. It was all too sudden, and there were things that needed to be coordinated.
I smoothed things over with a laugh.
"R-Right then, let's get going on the tour of the capital. Gaark and Franz probably need some time to think. Eva, keep your ear to the ground — I'm going to stall for time."
"!? Oy, wait, hold on, that's —"
"!! You're very efficient. I appreciate that. I need to learn about human towns and culture before I can do anything."
Franz started to object, but Selen cut him off, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
…Maybe this had been a bad idea after all? Today's timing was just awful.
I wore an escapist grin while Franz, face bright red, gestured at me as if to say, "Just go already."
§ § § In a second-floor room of an inn along the main street of the Imperial Capital Zebuldia, Zultan was using a Resonance Stone connected to the Explorer's Guild headquarters to deliver his report.
"Yes. The story was far too absurd — I'd say the credibility is extremely low. The tone of 'Thousand Transformations' lacked conviction; that was my honest impression after hearing the claims firsthand. Branch Chief Gaark and Lord Franz, who were present as well, seemed to share my assessment. We've been burned by Ygdra-related matters too many times before."
Bright sunlight streamed through the large windows. The Imperial Capital Zebuldia was even more prosperous than its reputation suggested, with more people in the streets than a small city would see even on a festival day. It was a well-known fact that Treasure Hunters bore part of the responsibility for this nation's development.
But the foundation supporting those Treasure Hunters was the Explorer's Guild.
It was because the Explorer's Guild managed them that Treasure Hunters had risen to their current standing in recent years.
Information sharing. Job brokerage. Education and self-governance. Not every Hunter had problems, but if you asked Zultan, Hunters as a whole were far too sloppy.
Unverified information of dubious origin, wildly inflated self-assessments of ability. There were still plenty of former criminals among the Hunters who mistakenly believed that brute strength was all that mattered. It had taken a long time for the Explorer's Guild's certified Levels to earn society's trust.
Thanks to the achievements of their predecessors, the status of Treasure Hunters already appeared unshakable. But that was a mistake.
Among the issues, what had been identified as especially dangerous — something that could shake the credibility the Explorer's Guild had built — was anything related to Ygdra.
Ygdra. The legendary city said to exist at the heart of the world.
From the testimonies of the Spiritfolk, its existence was considered certain, yet almost no one had ever visited it. The city was said to contain countless rare natural resources and to boast an advanced civilization built by the Spiritfolk, who possessed highly sophisticated magical technology.
Everyone craved information about that city. There had been numerous occasions when entire nations launched exploration plans on a national scale.
That was precisely why information about the city held value.
The problem was that Hunters had brought in Ygdra-related intelligence many times before, and every single time it had turned out to be false.
Even so, if the information had never gone public — if it had been quietly judged erroneous internally — there wouldn't have been an issue.
But there had been instances where the information was certified as genuine.
Guaranteeing the credibility of submitted intelligence was the Explorer's Guild's role. It was precisely because the Guild thoroughly investigated unverified information that it was trusted.
Those had been failures that shook the very foundation of the Explorer's Guild.
Even a branch chief of the Guild could be blinded by the allure of a big name like Ygdra. The greater the potential value of the information, the more tempted they were to rush.
Such mistakes could never be permitted again. That was why, as of now, Ygdra-related intelligence was placed under the direct custody of the Investigations Division.
Seeing through fabricated information designed to deceive the Explorer's Guild was difficult — which was exactly the point.
Zultan added to his report: "Well, in any case… for a Level 8 report, it was still far too sloppy and careless. There may be some other objective at play. I'll continue monitoring the situation and report again once I know more."
For instance — it was conceivable that they intended to use the information as bait to ensnare organizations targeting Ygdra intelligence all at once.
According to the database records, Thousand Transformations had brought down numerous organizations in the past. From the Explorer's Guild's perspective, using a lure that could undermine trust in the institution was an absolutely impermissible act, but the possibility that this was a deliberate trap was far more likely than the notion that Thousand Transformations was simply an idiot who hadn't thought things through.
Zultan severed the connection to the Resonance Stone and let out a sigh.
Even though the worst-case scenario had been prevented, the idea of losing the chance to establish a branch in Ygdra was deeply disappointing to Zultan as well.
He would also have to formally apologize for having troubled Lord Franz through the words of one of his affiliated Hunters. As for the Level 9 certification exam, there was no way it would pass under these circumstances. To clear the Level 9 exam, one needed to accumulate enormous accomplishments without a single misstep.
Thanks to this incident, the Explorer's Guild had damaged its image with the great nation of Zebuldia, lost the chance to open a branch in Ygdra, and forfeited a new Level 9 candidate. On top of all these losses, Zultan now had to re-examine whether Thousand Transformations' past achievements were truly legitimate.
When your Level was low, one mistake could be shrugged off. But when a Level 8 Hunter's credibility was shaken, the consequences were severe. Just thinking about the scope of work involved was exhausting.
If there was any silver lining for Zultan, it was simply that he had finally been able to visit Zebuldia — a city he had long wanted to see at least once.
He let out a soul-draining sigh and gazed out the window.
Then he happened to notice that people passing along the main street had stopped and were all staring in one direction.
Eyes wide open. Some had their jaws hanging agape.
Several carriages had suddenly halted, and their passengers were climbing out in a panic. The commotion that had erupted in the street swelled in an instant, reaching a scale clearly visible even from the second floor.
What on earth was going on?
Wondering, Zultan opened the window and leaned far out, trying to see what everyone was looking at.
And — for one instant, Zultan doubted his own eyes.
His heart slammed against his ribs. Something cold shot down his spine.
He leaned further out of the window and opened his eyes as wide as they would go. He looked again, trying to confirm what he had seen.
What was there — was a crowd of people. Dozens upon dozens of people.
It absorbed passersby and kept growing, like a wave, like a parade.
And standing at its head was none other than the Level 8 Hunter he had parted with just moments ago — Thousand Transformations.
But she was not alone.
Amid the murmur of the crowd, that voice rang out with startling clarity: "What an unbelievable number — I can't believe there are this many humans! And they're all following us, humans!"
"H-Huh… I wonder why. It's strange."
The voice came from a woman walking alongside Thousand Transformations, who was responding in her usual, carefree tone.
She was an exceedingly beautiful woman of mature age. But she was no ordinary woman.
She was a Spiritfolk. But she was no ordinary Spiritfolk, either.
As someone from the Explorer's Guild headquarters, Zultan had met Spiritfolk on numerous occasions.
This one was on an entirely different level. A different caliber of existence.
Zultan trusted his own eye for these things. He could tell. Everyone else must have sensed it instinctively too — that irresistible, magnetic radiance concealed within her slender frame. That was what had created the wave of people in her wake.
A member of the Spiritfolk royal family that ruled Ygdra.
A high-ranking Spiritfolk.
Impossible!!
"Oh—"
His field of vision suddenly spun. The ground rushed up toward him.
It was only after the full-body impact that Zultan realized he had leaned too far out the window and fallen.