Chapter 54

After the unexpected meeting with Raido, Saina Crus, the Guild Master who oversees the adventurers in the capital, sighed deeply.

"Phew..."

The elf woman, released from her tension, gazed blankly at the painting hanging in the reception room. The painting, which had been there since the previous Guild Master's time, had faded due to the sunlight streaming in from the window.

(I should really replace this painting... Perhaps I should redecorate the entire room?)

As she indulged in these escapist thoughts, there was a gentle knock on the door. A moment later, the door opened, and Leona, the receptionist of the guild, entered.

"Oh, His Royal Highness has left, I see. I'm sorry for taking so long to prepare the tea. I wanted to use the special tea leaves, but they were stored deep in the cupboard..."

"......It's fine, it seems he didn't intend to stay long anyway."

"Is that so... I really wanted you to try the good tea leaves from the West."

Leona said regretfully and placed the cup of tea she had brewed in front of Crus. She sat on the sofa opposite, where Raido had been sitting, and took a sip of the tea she had prepared for the prince.

"Phew, it smells wonderful... By the way, what was His Royal Highness's business?"

"......It's better not to know. For your own good."

"Huh? So it was political talk, as expected of a royal?"

"Really, don't ask."

Crus let out a weary and exasperated sigh and gulped down the tea in front of her in one go. She couldn't afford to be impolite, but the conversation with Raido had left her throat parched.

(To think the prince would harbor such ambitions...)

What Raido had told her was a plan and ambition that were too shocking to speak of. She couldn't understand why he had chosen to confide in her, a complete stranger, but she deeply resented being made a confidant of such a terrible secret.

(To send such a monster... I resent you, Zaphis.)

Raido's sword master and the Guild Master of the frontier city, Zaphis Bartolomeo, was a long-time benefactor of Crus. When she was a new adventurer, he had saved her life many times in battles against monsters and had even protected her from adventurers who harbored discriminatory feelings towards sub-humans. Without Zaphis, Crus would never have reached her current position. It was impossible to treat the prince, whom Zaphis had introduced, with anything but respect, even if the content of his proposal was treasonous. She felt obligated to assist him as much as possible.

While Crus continued to fret, Leona sipped her tea with a carefree expression.

"Still, the rumored hero was quite an ordinary man, wasn't he? I thought he'd be a big, muscular guy."

"......If you think he's an ordinary man, then your eyes must be blind."

"Eh?"

"That man is a hungry fire dragon. You must never anger him."

As an elf, Crus had the ability to see magical energy. To her, Raido Zain appeared to be a creature far from human.

(What is that black magic emanating from his body... Even the demons I fought in my prime didn't have such malevolent magic.)

The idea that he was a hero chosen by the divine sword seemed like a joke. Could he have received the blessing of a cursed sword instead?

"Leona, from now on, if Prince Raido accepts any quests, regardless of their rank, assign them to him. You don't need to check his guild card."

"Wh-What? That's against the guild's rules!"

"It's fine. The ranking system is meaningless for a hero chosen by the holy sword. Besides, from what I've heard about his achievements in the frontier city, he undoubtedly has the capabilities of an S-rank adventurer."

Crus picked up the teapot and poured herself a refill, which she drank in one go. Despite the heat, she leaned back into the sofa.

"......If this level of cooperation is enough to fulfill my obligation, it's a small price to pay. I'm relieved I won't be implicated in any treason."

"Huh?"

Leona tilted her head in confusion, and Crus let out a hot breath.

"Haah..."