After that, we made our way to the Knights' headquarters. The group consisted of me, the Duke, Primera, and the Guild Master. And trailing behind us, trying to stay out of sight, was one more person.
At headquarters, we secured a meeting room and began discussing our plans going forward.
"Well then, let's begin. First, the matter of Geese and the others..."
the Duke started to say, but—
"Your Grace, before we get started, isn't there someone you should introduce to us first?"
So saying, I looked toward the door. The Duke said, "Ah, that's right," and then—
"Come in."
he called out. And appearing from behind the door was—
"Why is one of Legil's companions here?!"
—a hooded man. Primera tensed and reached for her sword, but—
"If he's here, then that means he's one of the Duke's people, doesn't it?"
I said, placing my hand on Primera's.
"Huh?! What's going on, Father?!"
Primera blurted out in bewilderment.
"I'd guess he's a spy the Duke planted next to Legil."
"That's about the size of it, yes?" I confirmed, looking toward the Duke and the man.
"Impressive. You figured that much out, did you? That's exactly right—he's my subordinate, primarily handling intelligence work."
the Duke confessed breezily. The man looked panicked and—
"Your Grace! If you go revealing things like that, it'll jeopardize our future operations!"
That may be the most reasonable thing to say, but—
"What can you do? Tenma already figured it out, Primera is my daughter, and the Guild Master... she's not the type to make things difficult."
When I asked "Right?", the Guild Master nodded.
"Well, if Your Grace says so, I suppose we'll just have to trust him."
After saying that, she turned back to us—
"A moment ago—"
"—he was on the enemy's—"
"—side, but he's technically on ours. I can't tell you his name, though."
"Steil, it's fine. Go ahead and introduce yourself."
The Duke was doing everything in his power to put this man—Steil—on the spot.
"...Steil. I work under the Duke."
He introduced himself with a hint of reluctance. According to my Appraisal:
Name... Steil
Age... 29
Race... Human
Title... Intelligence Agent / Assassin
HP... 17,000
MP... 10,000
Strength... B
Defense... B-
Speed... A
Magic Power... B-
Mental Strength... A
Growth Potential... C+
Luck... B-
—It was quite the powerhouse.
"So it really wasn't as easy as it looked, huh?"
To my remark, Steel made a face like he'd bitten into something bitter, and then...
"But in a head-on fight, there's an eight or nine out of ten chance—no, even higher than that—that I'd lose."
"So you're confident you'd win if you fought dirty?"
I asked that pointed question, but Steel didn't so much as flinch.
"As for that... the odds would be slightly better than a frontal assault. That's about it."
He said it flatly, without any emotion.
They say in Warring States manga that ninjas are the ultimate realists. Steel was probably cut from the same cloth.
"We've gone off track. Let's get back to it. So Geese and the others will sell me their rights, as agreed. That's settled?"
"That's fine. And regarding Regul as well, please proceed according to our prior arrangement."
With that, the bulk of the discussion was wrapped up.
"What happens to Geese and Regul from here?"
"Once I've reviewed the extent of Geese's crimes, the best case is hard labor in the mines; the worst case is execution. As for Regul, he'll most likely be executed. He'll be transferred to the Royal Capital and put on trial, but that's only to determine whether the charge of treason applies—most of the decision-making authority rests with me. If it's treason, then Regul's entire family receives the death penalty. If it's a standard execution, it stops with Regul alone."
He paused to catch his breath,
"Well, even if some outside factor intervened and the death penalty were avoided, he'd still be stripped of his title with all personal assets seized. On top of that, he'd most likely be sold into slavery."
That said with a smile, though he added it was ultimately at his discretion.
"So the rewards will be handed over to me once all of that is settled, correct?"
When I asked that, the Duke scratched his head.
"That's actually what I wanted to talk about. He had a lot of hidden assets, and it might take close to a year to go through all the calculations and determine what's criminally obtained. So how about I give you the portion from his publicly declared assets now, and we settle the hidden portion once the accounting is finished?"
He made that proposal. I wasn't exactly short on money at the moment, so.
"That arrangement works for me. Once everything is wrapped up, please notify the Guild. I'll swing by every so often to check in."
We reached an agreement and began drafting the contract. As before, copies would be held by myself, the Duke's household, and the Guild.
We added a clause with Primera's signature as witness, ensuring the terms would be carried out without fail even in the unlikely event of the Duke's death.
"That concludes the contract! Oh, and Tenma. This is the one million G for Geese and the others, and this is the one and a half million G from Regul's personal assets."
He handed over two bags containing a total of two and a half million G.
"You're awfully well prepared. Did you really think I'd drag my feet about it?"
When I asked that, he laughed it off, saying this was just the kind of thing a Duke would do.
"So, Tenma, will you continue operating out of here as your base going forward?"
At the Duke's question, I thought it over for a moment.
"I'm actually planning to leave this city before long."
I told him about what had been on my mind lately.
"Is there some particular goal driving this?"
"More of a personal objective than a goal. I want to one day cross through the Great Old Forest."
I said this while recalling the very thing I'd rather not remember—the very existence that could be called the reason I'd ended up here in the first place.
"I have some particular feelings about that forest. That's why I'd like to cross through it myself."
"The forest where that incident in Kukuri Village happened, you mean..."
The moment the village name came up, my body stiffened for an instant. Unfortunately, there were three people here who wouldn't miss that reaction.
Their responses were all different—one was full of curiosity, one heightened their guard, and one looked put-out. Three distinct reactions from three different people.
"Is there some particular reason?"
At the Duke's words, I inwardly thought, *Crap*, but—
"Yes, I heard that relatives of mine were caught up in it and all of them died, so..."
I tried to deflect, but the Duke pressed further.
"Didn't you go to confirm?"
I constructed a story that would hold together, then said:
"Yes, I was twelve at the time, so Kukuri Village was far away for me, and around the same time my parents died. I was afraid to confirm the deaths of the people who had been kind to me all over again."
I told him that I regretted it now. The Duke seemed somewhat suspicious, but—
"Is that so... well, if that's the case, I suppose it can't be helped. Kukuri Village is abandoned now, but I've heard many of the survivors moved to Russell City or the Royal Capital. Perhaps if the opportunity arises, you could go talk to them about your relatives."
He didn't pry any further. It was only at this moment that I thought, for the first time, that maybe I should have let someone know I was alive and setting out on a journey.
After that, the discussion had a subtle awkward atmosphere to it, so we adjourned early.
On my way back, I decided to stop by the Guild to cash out my bet.
"It's Tenma!"
"Tenma, congratulations!"
"I knew you'd win, Tenma!"
"Congratulations. Tenma."
When I entered the guild, Lily and the others along with Flute were there to greet me.
"You guys were waiting for me?"
When I asked, Lily and the others answered with "Yeah!" but Flute—
"I've been back at work since right after the duel. And I received quite a generous amount of leave compensation too."
She said it with a look of utter satisfaction. ...Judging by that, it seemed she'd bagged a pretty hefty sum. As expected of the vice guild master, she never missed an opportunity.
"By the way, Tenma. Where's the guild master?"
she asked, peering behind me, but—
"He disappeared at some point, so I figured he'd already gone back to the guild ahead of us... He hasn't shown up yet, the guild master?"
At my words, something like a Hannya mask materialized behind Flute...
"Heh heh heh, what nerve that old man has. When he gets back, I'll be sure to show him hell."
...It was the moment a messenger of hell had appeared at the guild. As a side note, during dinnertime that evening, men's screams echoed throughout the town (mainly around the guild), and the knights had to be mobilized.
"W-Well, Flute, putting that aside, I came to exchange my winnings..."
As I said that, the Hannya finally—
—for the moment—
—vanished from behind Flute.
"Ah, yes. Please show me your betting ticket... Alright, confirmed. Please wait a moment."
With that, she disappeared into the back room. After about ten minutes, Flute returned carrying a bag of money.
"Here is your payout of 3,600,000 G from this bet. Please verify."
When I looked inside, there were 36 large gold coins.
"I'm sorry, but we're short on platinum coins, so you'll be paid in large gold coins instead."
They said that, but I didn't really care either way. Like always, I just stuffed the gold coins into my Magic Bag and handed the pouch back.
Lily and the others had apparently earned over 100,000 G from this bet too. A lot of adventurers had bet on me, so I ended up getting thanked by quite a number of them. On the flip side, those who didn't like me or the citizens who had bet on Regil were giving me some seriously dirty looks. (Well, that's their own fault.)
"Tenma, let's eat dinner together tonight!"
"Yeah, let's do it!"
"Of course, it's your treat, Tenma!"
They were joking around like that, but I'd made a pretty good profit today, so I agreed — sure, why not. I also invited Flute-san as a thank-you for being my second, and she said it'd be late, but if that was okay, she was in. So we decided to meet up at Manpuku-tei around the time Flute-san finished work.
There were still nearly four hours before Flute-san got off, so we split up for now, and I headed back to the inn to make a dinner reservation with the old man.
When I got back to Manpuku-tei, the old man was in the kitchen prepping for the evening service.
"Oh, Tenma. You're back? Thanks to you today, I made a killing."
He was grinning from ear to ear. When I told him about the reservation, he not only agreed with a "Leave it to me," but said he'd prepare a special menu as well. I also handed over some Rock Bird meat and eggs and asked him to whip something up with those.
Even after finishing the reservation, there was still plenty of time left, so I made my way to the library.
The reason was that I'd recently decided to leave this town and thought I might try tackling a dungeon somewhere. I needed to search for a destination.
The library was a three-story building. The first floor had a reception desk and a shop selling paper for taking notes. The second floor held entertainment books like stories and travelogues, while the third floor housed specialized texts and academic works.
I usually spent my time on the third floor, studying Monsters or referencing magic, but today was a rare visit to the second floor.
Books made of paper in this world were valuable, so they didn't lend them out. Depending on the severity, damaging or tearing one could result in a fine — or, in the worst case, imprisonment.
Because of that, studious types would buy paper or bring their own and copy passages by hand. For those who couldn't read, a staff member with free time could be hired to read aloud, but that cost 50 G per 30 minutes.
Admission was 200 G per day, and as long as you didn't cause any trouble inside, you'd get 100 G back upon leaving.
Once I got to the second floor, I had the librarian help me find travelogues that mentioned dungeons. From those, I jotted down several town and region names on paper, then headed to the third floor to dig into specialized texts and compare my candidates in detail. That whittled it down to three locations.
The first was a dungeon about 100 kilometers west of this town. It had been discovered thirty-five years ago and cleared two years later. It went down to the 20th floor underground and fell into the small-scale category.
The second was roughly 300 kilometers northwest of this town, about 200 kilometers from the Royal Capital. It was located in a place called Dungeon City and had been discovered over twenty years ago but remained uncleared. It was said with certainty to exceed 100 floors underground. The scale was massive.
The third one was about 500 kilometers further west of the first, also in a Dungeon City. It had been discovered thirty-two years ago and cleared three years later. It went down to the 45th floor underground and was classified as medium-scale.
While comparing these options, I decided to flip through a book that happened to be on hand, titled "Your First Dungeon."
Dungeons referred mainly to labyrinths and underground labyrinths. However, as an exception, when Magic Power ran rampant, distortions could form in space, and using those as entrances, dungeons could manifest in other dimensions. In most such cases, the surrounding area developed similar dungeons, but Monsters hardly inhabited them, and escape was difficult. Even if found, it was best not to enter. There had been two recorded discoveries to date, with over 200 victims and only around 20 survivors.
Labyrinth was a term for places like dense primeval forests rich in Magic Power. They had no core and no concept of "clearing," though some people referred to reaching the central area as clearing.
An underground dungeon was, as the name suggested, a dungeon that formed underground, deepening until the dungeon core reached its growth limit. The mechanism behind the deepening was unclear, but typically the core was located at the lowest layer. Even if destroyed or removed from the spot, it would regenerate in the same position after an appropriate amount of time. Strangely, when a core was taken outside the dungeon, it would disperse its Magic Power and crumble. Generally, destroying the core was called "clearing." The evidence was the use of crumbled cores.
A dungeon core was a formation born from condensed Magic Power, and it was said that its maximum size was determined by the quality of that Magic Power. The core attracted Monsters and absorbed Magic Power from both Monsters and intruders. The closer a Monster was to the core, the more it was influenced by it and became a more powerful individual. Especially powerful ones were called bosses.
Bosses held territories and were often found at regular intervals, rarely venturing beyond their domain.
A Dungeon City was a city that flourished around a dungeon, and many had their own unique laws. For beginners looking to delve into a dungeon, it was ideal since support was readily available and information was easy to come by.
That was what the book said. Thinking about it from that perspective, the first option was out. That left the second and third. If I was going to pick, the bigger one was probably better, so I'd make the second my top candidate and the third my backup.
I had been looking into whether there were any other good locations as well, but before I knew it, closing time was approaching.
After returning the book to its original spot, I greeted the librarian and left the library.
After that, I spent time back at the Manpukutei's room keeping Shiromaru and Slarin company.
"Slarin, Shiromaru. I'm thinking of leaving this town — what do you think?"
I spoke to them like this, but naturally there was no reply. Slarin seemed to vaguely understand the meaning of my words, staring intently at my face and wriggling her body as if she had something to say.
Shiromaru, on the other hand, was fast asleep lying on his back with his belly exposed.
When the time seemed about right, I headed to the dining hall, and the proprietress guided me to my reserved seat.
After sitting down for a while, Lily and the others arrived along with Flute. From what I heard, Lily and the others had gone to pick up Flute. When the proprietress saw that everyone had gathered, she brought out the food and drinks.
"Alright, the food's all here — let's get started!"
At those words, everyone picked up their cups filled with sake and made a toast.
"Thanks for the meal — Tenma!"
"Let's eat! Tenma-san."
Lily and the others said that in turn, bringing dishes to their mouths one after another. Flute, on the other hand, moved at a leisurely pace, yet she was steadily picking out only the best parts of each dish.
The first topic of conversation was, as one would expect, the duel.
"Oh, by the way, what happened to Regil after that?"
Millie asked in a casual sort of way. The other two seemed interested as well, but Flute alone appeared to have already heard from the Guild Master, showing no particular concern.
"Yeah, apparently he was transferred to the Royal Capital and will be put on trial. They said in the worst case, he could be charged with treason against the nation. Execution is all but guaranteed. As for Geese, it sounds like it'll be either execution or being sold into slavery."
The topic didn't seem all that appropriate for dinner conversation, but Millie just said, "I see," and didn't seem bothered by it.
"Well, thanks to that, we get to have Tenma-san treat us to this meal, so I suppose we owe him our thanks."
Flute said this still holding a grudge, her words carrying quite the sharp edge.
After that, the conversation drifted to trivial matters and the mood lightened up. They ate their food, drank their sake, and a pleasant time passed by.
"Oh, right — what quest should we take on next? We're not exactly strapped for cash right now, but it wouldn't be good to leave too long a gap."
Lily brought this up.
"True. This time, I'd like to take on a proper quest together with Tenma."
"Flute, do you know of anything good?"
Nelly and Millie chimed in after her. Flute seemed to be trying to think back on whether she had anything in mind.
I figured if I was going to say something, better sooner rather than later, so I spoke up to the four of them.
"There's something I'd like to talk to you all about."
Hearing the seriousness in my voice, the four of them set down their food and straightened up.
"Actually, I've been thinking about leaving this town soon."
The moment I said those words, the four of them froze in place,
"Whaaaaaaaat?!"
All four of them screamed in unison.
This was not a love confession directed at the women.
If anyone had their hopes up, I'm sorry for the misleading title.
I received feedback saying it felt off that Tenma wouldn't return to the village, so I figured I'd at least write out what Tenma was thinking.