Chapter 59

Long awaited, I apologize for the wait.

I will begin the third chapter of the otherworldly nation Alkymira.

I hope you enjoy it.

"Long time no see, Lord Helian. I'm glad you could make it."

The Border City Seals.

A fortress city built to cover the boundary area, the dividing line between the human-inhabited zone and the demon-inhabited zone. A shield of humanity entrusted with an extremely important role.

The Marquis of the Border, Glen Gardiner, welcomed his guest Helian with a greeting.

"No, I apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry for the delay in reporting the results of the commission."

What Helian was apologizing for was the commission from the Marquis—the request to guard his beloved daughter in the dungeon. It had been over two weeks since he completed the job, but this was the first time he had met the Marquis face-to-face since then.

When a commission is issued through the Adventurer's Guild, there is an obligation to report the completion of the task. For a slaying commission, one must present proof, for a guard commission, a completion report from the client, and for a collection commission, the collected items must be presented to the Adventurer's Guild for the completion procedure.

When Helian heard this, he interpreted it as "It's the same system as a temporary job."

One takes on a job at the counter, completes it, and then goes back to the counter to present proof of completion and receive payment. This is the simplified flow. The variety of jobs and the fact that a contract is exchanged for each job are also similar points.

If someone who works in society might have thought of other analogies, for a student like Masaki Tsukasa, the temporary job was the most familiar.

"There's no need to worry. After all, I've already received a report by letter."

Indeed, he had sent a report by letter.

He had also sent reports through Cerese and Gard, and through the guarded person, Lady Sion.

Moreover, this particular commission was not mediated by the Adventurer's Guild but was a direct request between the client and the contractor—what is known on the street as a 'wild commission.'

While the commissions issued by the Adventurer's Guild have well-established rules, most wild commissions follow these rules. However, since this particular case was not explicitly defined as such, there was no contractual obligation to report.

However, since the Marquis himself had directly requested the job without an intermediary, Helian believed it was a matter of etiquette to report in person to a noble.

Perhaps reading something from Helian's expression, the Marquis continued in a lecturing tone.

"Besides, I've also received a report from the knight who accompanied you. I consider the reports from the knights and the letter to be a sufficient result. I am very satisfied with your work. This was a truly difficult task."

"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that."

Helian, sitting on the sofa opposite the Marquis, bowed his head in gratitude. As a king, he would never bow his head, but here, Helian was just a simple merchant. Reeve, standing behind him, also bowed her head.

"And Lord Reeve, I hear you and your companions performed admirably. The knights were surprised. They said this was the easiest dungeon exploration they've ever had."

"I'm flattered, Marquis."

Reeve responded calmly.

This time, Helian had only brought her as an escort. Gard and Cerese were engaged in other tasks, such as renovating the building they received as payment.

Just as they finished their initial greetings, there was a knock on the door of the reception room.

A maid entered with tea and snacks after receiving the Marquis's permission. She skillfully poured the tea and then quietly left the room.

"I heard you like black tea, Lord Helian. I've procured some popular tea leaves recently. I hope you enjoy it."

"That's... I'm very grateful. Thank you for your consideration."

In fact, he didn't have a particular preference for black tea; he had just turned to it because he didn't like coffee. But it seemed he was recognized as a black tea enthusiast because of the times he drank it in the dungeon.

Helian took the cup as it was offered. The tea, served to a lord's guest, smelled good. It was neither too hot nor too cold, and the steam rose gently, indicating it had been prepared to be at the perfect temperature when the guest took a sip.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had drunk tea prepared by someone other than Reeve, and he felt a bit of anticipation as he brought the cup to his lips—

"By the way, is Lord Reeve your lover?"

"Wha—!?"

He almost spat it out.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the slight choking, but he swallowed it with determination and looked straight at the Marquis, who had asked such an awkward question at the perfect moment.

"Oh? Not a lover, then?"

The Marquis asked in a tone that seemed genuinely surprised, but upon closer inspection, the corners of his mouth were turned up. Just a moment ago, he had been acting like a lord, but now his expression was that of a mischievous old man.

Seeing the playful look on his face, Helian was certain that the timing of the question was deliberate.

...In fact, the fact that he asked it in front of the person himself was a clear sign of intent.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding. She is my servant, not my lover."

"Hmm. Then is Lady Cerese your lover?"

"No."

He denied the Marquis's follow-up question.

Recalling the similar expression the Marquis had when they first met, Helian remembered the incident when he was 'ambushed' by the Marquis, feeling somewhat detached from reality.

If asked why he felt detached, it was because the presence behind him was terrifying.

Not that he could sense such things as a former ordinary person, but he didn't want to see Reeve's face standing behind him. No matter what expression she was making, he couldn't find an appropriate way to respond.

"Well, that's surprising. Not only are they both beautiful maidens, rivaling even elves in appearance, but I thought you would have taken advantage of them long ago."

"...Thank you for the compliment about my servants. However, I have no such relationship with them."

"Really? You haven't taken advantage of such beautiful women? ...Could it be that your true love is Lady Gard?"

"Why would you say that!?"

He denied it with all his might. Hearing such a terrible question, Helian jumped up and raised his voice.

Realizing he had raised his voice in front of the lord of a major city, he quickly covered his mouth with his hand. Helian was about to apologize for his rudeness, but the Marquis was smiling broadly for some reason.

"I see, I see. I apologize! I shouldn't have asked such an unrefined question.

And from here on, I would appreciate it if you could act as you normally do without being overly formal. I've said it before, but I'm not good at noble-like behavior."

This tone is more comfortable for me too, the Marquis said, accepting Helian's full denial with a smile.

(...Ah, right. This person is like that.)

Helian sighed quietly, recognizing the Marquis's character.

Through the sensation of his body relaxing, he realized that he had been tenser than necessary.

It seems he had been overly conscious of the 'meeting with the lord.'

And probably, the Marquis had seen through his mental state and deliberately brought up such a sensitive topic.

While he claimed to be bad at noble-like behavior, the skillful way he steered the conversation in the direction he wanted was worthy of a lord. However, Helian was not inclined to emulate this method.

"Anyway, let's put the beautiful servant aside for now. This time, you really helped me out. Despite the unexpected situation, you managed to complete the ritual and stabilize the dungeon area, largely thanks to your efforts. I want to thank you again for personally helping Sion."

"No, I pushed her out of the way in a moment of panic. It was an emergency, so I hope you can forgive me."

"Sion is a daughter of the Gardiner family. Such a thing is nothing to worry about. ...Rather, what we should be concerned about is the fact that an unexpected situation occurred during the ritual."

The Marquis sighed and leaned back in the sofa. Despite his considerable build, the sofa made of magic beast hide in the reception room silently supported his weight.

"...So, was that a rare occurrence?"

"Calling it rare is an understatement. It's unprecedented. For other spells to activate during the ritual, other than the 'Tuning,' is unheard of."

They were talking about the transfer trap that sent them to a different space during the ritual. Afterward, when Gard was sent to fetch them, it was discovered that Helian and Reeve had been ejected from a hidden room on the 55th floor, which had not been discovered before.

"After sending several investigation teams, it seems the magic circle that sent you was already inactive. There was no residual magic, and no unusual findings in the hidden room you were sent to."

This was also reported by Cerese.

Immediately after Helian and the others were sent, they attempted to analyze and reactivate the magic circle, but no significant information was obtained from the magic circle that had already completed its function.

Wetting his lips with the tea, Helian looked into the Marquis's eyes and asked a new question.

"...We encountered a rather tough monster in the grand hall where we were sent. It had the appearance of a knight in blue armor. Do you have any idea what it might be?"

"A knight in blue armor...?"

"Hmm," the Marquis folded his arms in thought.

"Was it wearing the armor of my knight regiment?"

"No, it was a type of armor I had never seen before."

"I see. I thought it might be the remains of a knight who perished halfway through a mission..."

In areas with a high concentration of magic, if a person died with strong grudges or resentments, they could sometimes turn into a monster while retaining their former appearance, according to rumors among adventurers.

The truth of this was uncertain. Some experts, including court mages, dismissed it as a baseless rumor, but others recognized the knowledge of adventurers who had fought monsters for years. The Marquis was one of the latter.

"Besides, for a servant to call a knight formidable even after such a major battle in the dungeon, I can't think of any knight who would fit that description. There are a few I can think of who are still alive, but I haven't heard of any knight with that level of skill perishing in that dungeon in recent years."

"I see..."

Accepting the answer, which was within the realm of expectation, Helian backed down.

"I will continue the investigation... but in any case, I can't send my daughter to the dungeon for the time being. That makes the fact that we were able to perform the 'Tuning' this time a fortunate one. It should last at least a year. My daughter also wants to thank you in person."

"...By the way, I don't see Lady Sion here."

"My daughter is preparing for another ritual. She's been busy with it for the past few days. She was disappointed that she couldn't meet you. This morning, when we met, she puffed out her cheeks in a way that was quite obvious."

But that's cute in its own way, the Marquis said with a fatherly smile.

"After all, you were the first black-haired, black-eyed person she's seen outside her family. It might be annoying for you, but I hope you can understand and accept her interest."

"H-ha..."

Helian, hearing such a description of his daughter from her father, was struck by an indescribable awkwardness. It was like being suddenly exposed to his girlfriend's private life by her father. Well, he had never been in a romantic relationship, but...

To escape this awkward atmosphere, Helian changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've met a black-haired, black-eyed person. Is this a rare color in this area?"

"Of course it is... but..."

However, the Marquis tilted his head, still with his arms folded.

Then, as if he had come to some conclusion, he nodded in understanding.

"I see. You're not from the kingdom, are you?"

"No, unfortunately, I'm from a rural area, so I'm not familiar with the customs here... I'm quite embarrassed."

"There's no need to be modest, Lord Helian. Such an attitude doesn't suit you. You should be more confident."

The Marquis said this firmly. Despite not knowing each other well, his way of speaking was as if he knew Helian well, but it somehow conveyed that he genuinely thought so. It seemed he had unexpectedly received high praise.

"To be honest, I don't approve of judging a person based on their origin. In fact, some of the adventurers I know are from unknown places. Some have scars on their legs. Some openly avoid revealing their origins.

But I believe that if I can see them with my own eyes, speak with them directly, and trust them, that's enough. Whether they are from the north, the west, or the east, the Border City Seals does not discriminate."

Well, I'd appreciate it if you could spare me the south, the Marquis joked.

Indeed, Helian agreed with a wry smile.

Visitors from the demon territory are better off being few.

"Anyway, to get back to the topic, you can think of black hair and black eyes as very rare. After all, they are the most distinctive physical characteristics of the legendary heroes."

"...H-heroes...?"

A cheap-sounding word came out of nowhere.

The Marquis nodded without changing his expression as Helian's eyes widened in surprise.

(...No, wait. Come to think of it, there is a demon king in this world.)

If this were Earth, he would have laughed it off as ridiculous, but this was a fantasy world similar to 'Tactics Chronicle.' According to what he had heard in Latestwood, a demon king had once existed. If so, it wouldn't be strange for a hero to exist as a counter to the demon king.

He had readily accepted the existence of the demon king, but the word 'hero' felt cheap. This was probably due to the influence of 'Tactics Chronicle.'

In a different world, there was a famous player who role-played as a 'demon king.' He played the role of a villain with great enthusiasm, regularly engaging in large-scale wars with the coalition of nations that aimed to defeat the 'demon king.' So, he was quite familiar with the word 'demon king.'

However, there was no king who called himself a 'hero.' In a sense, it was a natural thing. After all, every person the player led was a 'monster.' Moreover, the player himself had no combat ability, making it difficult to role-play as a hero. It would be lame to sit back and watch while subordinates did the fighting and still call oneself a hero.

His perception of 'hero' as a cheap word probably stemmed from this difference in familiarity.

"Yes. The one who slays the demon king, a human beyond humans, a crystallization of wishes blessed by the gods. It is said that every hero in history, without exception, has had jet-black eyes and hair."

The Marquis continued his explanation in a tone as if reading from a textbook.

Helian, feeling a cold sweat as the conversation progressed, stared at the Marquis's eyes and hair.

They were the same jet-black color as his daughter, Sion.

"Of course, it has been hundreds of years since a hero has appeared. Some people now mistake it for a characteristic of the hero's lineage, but originally, black hair and black eyes were the characteristics of a hero."

"...So, are you... I mean, the Gardiner family..."

The content of this matter-of-fact statement left Helian speechless.

He finally understood why Sion had stared at him with a look of disbelief when he saved her.

At the time, he had interpreted it as a state of shock from being rescued in a crisis, but she had been surprised by the color of his eyes and hair.

"I myself have seen black-haired, black-eyed people outside my family, as I mentioned earlier, but Sion has never met anyone with black hair and black eyes outside her family. To her, you are the first. And the fact that you saved her so gallantly in the wilderness, doesn't that seem fated to you?"

It's like a scene from a hero's tale sung by a