"I see… so you came all the way here, to me, for that reason…?"
Nora wore a crimson vest over black shorts. Unlike when we'd met in the prison, she now had a sword at her hip. Hearing my explanation, she pressed her fingers to her temples as though staving off a headache.
Flanked on both sides by imposing knights, she looked down at me with a smirk while I was forced to my knees.
Reaching Nora's location had been simple enough. I summoned the spider and told it where to go, and it carried me there without fuss. The city system really was something.
The only miscalculation was being treated as an attacker and apprehended.
The building serving as Nora Code's base was incomparably larger—both in width and height—than the one where Her Highness had been confined.
Surrounding knights, the same type I'd seen in the prison, formed a tight perimeter. It cut an intimidating figure.
The moment the spider arrived, I found myself seized by the surrounding knights. Well, thinking about it calmly, it was only natural. Even in the outside world, if you suddenly tried to meet royalty, you'd be arrested too. The fact that I hadn't been attacked and was merely brought to Nora's location was something I should count as fortunate.
Nora sat with her legs crossed atop a massive steel throne, perched imperiously.
Her eyes regarded me as though she were staring at a cockroach. Had I never before been looked at like a cockroach, even I would have been rendered speechless.
Upon hearing my purpose, Nora's body trembled, and she spoke in a shrill voice, as though trying to intimidate me.
"You and I are not friends! Know your place!"
"Mm-hmm, yeah, that's fair. But… you're the person I know who seems most familiar with the system, Nora…"
"…Haaaah. Seriously, haaaah! Ignorance is truly the worst. Setting aside the friend issue entirely, you're ostensibly a spare bodyguard and therefore an enemy of mine! Do you understand that?!"
"Well, I have no intention of being hostile…"
If it came to it, I could even swear on the Empire's treasure, the Tear of Truth, which saw through lies. I was basically harmless. Just a bit unlucky.
Hearing my words, Nora clicked her tongue loudly.
"…Tch. Overall evaluation: 4. If it weren't for the fact that you risked your life to rescue the Thunder Emperor, I'd toss you in a trash can."
…I had, admittedly, never been thrown into a trash can before.
But coming to Nora's home like this, I was struck by a fresh thought: Nora didn't seem imprisoned at all? This was completely different from what I'd heard through the Treasure Hunters' Association.
Well, discrepancies between the commission details and reality weren't uncommon, and complaining now wouldn't change anything… but maybe she had been imprisoned and had repelled the nobles by the time we arrived? With this princess, that was entirely plausible. She was nothing like Her Highness.
A powerful-looking knight standing nearby addressed Nora.
"Lady Nora, shall we dispose of him?"
"…No. He's a bodyguard, so attacking him could be interpreted as defying the King's will."
"B-But we can't simply let him go—"
"…Right. Who would've thought there existed such an absurd tactic as sending a bodyguard alone into enemy territory… Well, it's absurd precisely because it's pointless. But it could also draw the King's anger in its own way…"
I felt somewhat bad for throwing her into confusion. But I genuinely had no intention of opposing her.
"Sorry about that. Next time I'll bring Klahi along."
The instant I said that name, Nora's eyebrow twitched, and her expression twisted.
The overwhelming pressure radiating from her made me flinch involuntarily, and Nora spoke in a voice that seemed to rise from the depths of the earth.
"Are you… trying to negotiate? Don't be ridiculous! Never speak that name again. For the likes of you to attempt negotiations with me, Nora Code—that's beyond insolent. If you say the same thing again, bodyguard or not—I'll tear you to pieces."
"I'm sorry."
Overcome by her forcefulness, I immediately prostrated myself on the spot. Second time today.
Nora was dead serious. When someone was truly angry, a full apology was the way to go.
Still prostrate, I stared at the floor, when a heavy sigh descended from above my head.
"That's enough. It's unsightly. Raise your head already."
See, Olivia? When you properly apologize, it gets through.
"…I really am sorry. There was no malice behind it. And actually, come to think of it, Klahi was attacked by the defense system and ended up somewhere, so I couldn't bring her along."
"!? Haaah?! What is she doing?!"
She wasn't outside the building, so she was probably in some other building. She was with Cool and the others, so if anything happened, they'd contact me.
I'd leave Nora's protection to Klahi. She seemed a bit beyond my ability to handle.
But if I couldn't rely on Nora, what was I to do… I furrowed my brow and groaned, and Nora, as though suppressing her anger, took one deep breath and glared at me.
"…Now hand over that chocolate, or whatever it's called. I'll cross-reference it with the city system. And then get out of here and go find the Thunder Emperor."
"Huh? Really!? …Oh… I didn't bring any."
"!? You… Are you making fun of me?! You come here without even the actual item—what exactly do you expect me to do?! Huh?!"
Nora rose from her throne and stamped her feet. Just as she said… but it was fine. I could ask Her Highness to send some.
I'd given her so much, and I'd told her to eat it carefully, so there should still be some left…
I opened the virtual terminal and sent Her Highness an urgent message asking her to send chocolate bars.
Under Nora's piercing glare, I waited five minutes. Her Highness's response was merciless.
"There's no more left."
…Even though I'd given her every last piece. This was almost laughable. Her Highness loved chocolate way too much.
"There's none left. None left, she says. Hehehe…"
"…There has never been a man in Code history who has humiliated me, Nora Code, to the extent you have! I have never seen a man as incompetent as you! Was it because you're missing something that you even thought to save the Thunder Emperor? To hand over the Thunder Emperor to a man like this… I can't forgive my past self!"
"L-Lady Nora, please calm down! It's bad for your health! Don't lend an ear to the words of this kind of man—"
The knights approached the crimson-faced, groaning Nora, only to be brushed aside.
Before her anger reached its breaking point, I should probably leave this place quickly.
"I'll be heading back now."
"What did you even come here for?! Damn it! I can't believe I even agreed to meet you! We're busy preparing for the succession war over here!"
"Succession war…?"
What was this unfamiliar term? Seeing me with wide eyes, Nora sank back into her throne with a weary expression.
"…Even I don't have the energy to explain from the beginning. Get lost. Next time you come… bring the Thunder Emperor with you."
Her directions were all over the place… but oh well.
It was important to set priorities. Nora didn't appear to be imprisoned, so she could be the last on the protection list. I'd let Kaiser and the others know once we regrouped.
Perhaps this proved that, even if only slightly, I still had the awareness of a Level 8 Hunter—that I was willing to go to these lengths just to gather information.
As I stood up, a thought occurred to me and I turned back to Nora.
"Oh, one thing—if I brought you the actual chocolate, you'd be able to arrange production?"
There might be other people who could use the system besides Nora, and there was a chance Her Highness could use it too.
Today I was on top of my game. Confirming what needed to be confirmed at the moment it needed to be confirmed. This was proper conduct for a Treasure Hunter who had accepted a commission. When was the last time I'd been this together? (Self-praise.)
I was a little tired, though.
"…Who knows? It depends on the specifics. As far as I've checked, it's not on the list, so it seems like it can't be produced at the current moment… but there's a possibility it could be done if the resources were available."
Nora plunked herself down into the throne with a heavy thud, her expression weary as she explained.
"However, the living infrastructure of this city was created by the first Code King. After activating the 'City Seed,' the first Code King used the Royal Decree to create a fortress city equipped with a system capable of sustaining a large population. The resources that Code generates by default were set by the first Code King, so even a Class 8 authority might not be able to override it. The city system of this Code has several unnatural aspects that even Class 8 can't do anything about… but regardless, the only one who can alter its core is the King."
I listened to Nora's explanation, nodding along.
I see, I see… all sorts of unfamiliar terms had come up, but the important point was just one.
The Code King could make chocolate bars. That was it!!
The problem was whether the seemingly imprisoned Code King was even allowed to do such a thing, but it wouldn't cost anything just to try.
She'd allowed me to send chocolate to Her Highness, and Her Highness was her daughter. Maybe if I just asked, it would work.
"Thanks for the useful information. I'll go tell Her Highness right away!"
Right, there was one thing I'd almost forgotten to ask. Before leaving, I double-checked with Nora.
"Oh, one last thing—I'm looking for someone called Kaiser and another person named Saya. Have you heard of them?"