Chapter 65

After defeating the "Hetero Saint" near the border village, Ardis and the others were seen off by the villagers the next morning and finally arrived in Reiting after a two-day journey.

Prompted by Kirill, who seemed to be in a hurry, Ardis didn't have the chance to take a good look at the town and headed straight for the intended merchant guild.

Upon entering the building with the sign "Litte Guild," Kirill informed the receptionist of their business, and they were soon led to a reception room. After the welcoming tea was served, about five minutes later, three people arrived.

The one leading them was a young woman with short gray hair and large chestnut eyes, her appearance suggesting a life of affluence.

The two following her were men. One was a middle-aged man in neat clothing, likely a servant. The other was probably a guard, though he wore no armor, he had a sword at his waist. His deep green hair and eyes matched, and despite his slender build, he seemed to have the muscles of a swordsman, with a well-proportioned physique. His confident movements suggested he was more than just an average fighter.

The moment he entered the room, he let out a strange "Whoa" upon seeing Ardis. The middle-aged man standing next to him gave him a disapproving look.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kirill. It's great to see you back safely."

Ignoring the situation behind her, the young woman greeted Kirill and sat down on the sofa.

"Yes, Miss Marida. I've just returned. Ah, this... This is the sword you requested."

Kirill handed over the sword he had been carrying carefully.

"Thank you, good job."

Marida took it casually, glanced at it briefly, and placed it on the table. Ardis felt a strong sense of unease at this.

The sword had been fetched from deep within the forest, and it seemed odd that she didn't even draw it to inspect the blade. She didn't even check the decorations on the scabbard or hilt, nor did she show any satisfaction at having obtained the item. It was as if she was just going through the motions.

"Um, this means you'll provide the loan as agreed, right?"

"Of course. I'll make sure to reward your efforts, Kirill."

Hearing Marida's words, Kirill visibly relaxed.

"By the way, who is this young man?"

Marida turned her gaze to Ardis and asked Kirill.

"Um... This is Mr. Ardis. He... helped me a lot in Nagrass..."

"That's great. It seems Kirill was well taken care of. I'll thank you on his behalf."

Marida said this with a smile, but her eyes were sharp.

"It's nothing. I just did what I felt like doing."

Ardis responded with a frown. If this person was the one who gave Kirill the small envelope with the card, he couldn't take her words at face value.

"Well, Kirill. We'll discuss the loan with the master later. For today, you should rest. But, Elie is waiting in the president's office, so you might want to go see her soon."

"Huh? ...Why is my sister here?"

It seemed unexpected, as Kirill's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sorry... It seems she found out."

Marida said this with a sheepish grin, sticking out her tongue.

"Huh? What!?"

"I was hoping to keep it hidden for one more day. She must have heard from somewhere and stormed into my office just now."

Kirill immediately started to panic.

"Come on, come on. You should go see Elie before her patience runs out. If you don't hurry, she might come here herself."

"But... But..."

Kirill hesitated, looking back and forth between Marida, Ardis, and the direction of the president's office.

"Don't worry about me. Go and reassure your sister."

"Um... Yes."

Kirill, who seemed reluctant to leave Ardis, finally left the room after hearing this. After watching him go, Marida confirmed with the servant-like man.

"Is the room ready?"

"Yes, it's all set."

"Then take this with you."

Marida handed over the sword she had left on the table.

"Also, I want to talk to this young man alone, so could you ask Nicol to leave as well?"

The servant objected to Marida's instruction to the guard.

"Please wait, Miss. I think Nicol should stay."

"It's fine, really. There's no need to worry."

"That's not the case... Nicol, what do you think—"

"No way. I can't handle that. I don't think I can win."

The guard, referring to Ardis as "that," waved his hands in refusal.

"See, Nicol agrees. Go on, go on."

"Miss—!"

The servant, still objecting, was pushed out by Marida.

"Then, I'll wait outside the room. If anything happens, shout loudly. I can't promise I'll be of much help, though."

The guard left with a casual tone.

Thus, only Ardis and Marida were left in the room. The air in the room was not as sweet as one might expect from a private meeting between a young man and woman.

"Well,"

Marida, sitting on the sofa, took a sip of the now warm tea and started the conversation.

"Let's introduce ourselves again. I'm Marida, the president of the Litte Guild, a humble merchant. Nice to meet you, 'Magician of a Thousand Swords.'"

The unfamiliar title made Ardis raise an eyebrow.

"Magician of a Thousand Swords? What's that?"

Since moving his activities from Tria to the capital Gran, Ardis had stopped hiding his abilities. As a result, his name as a sword mage had spread throughout the capital, and he was used to being called a "sword mage." Some even called him the "Slayer of the Three Great Beasts" due to his feat of slaying the three great beasts around the capital. However, he had never heard the title "Magician of a Thousand Swords."

"Don't worry, you'll understand soon."

Marida smiled and deflected the question.

"Is this your first time in Reiting? This is a trading town where various ingredients come in from all over, so you can enjoy a wide variety of foods. You might find some interesting dishes if you explore the town during your stay. We're a bit far from the sea, so there's not much seafood, though."

Marida brought up a topic that clearly held no interest for Ardis, seemingly unwilling to start the conversation herself.

"There are ingredients from the Kingdom of Nagrass, but there's no need to eat them here—"

"Who are you?"

Tired of the irrelevant talk, Ardis asked straightforwardly.

"Huh? Didn't I introduce myself as Marida of the Litte Guild?"

"That's not what I mean."

"Okay, okay, don't look so scary. First of all, I'm not your enemy."

Marida said this lightly, but Ardis glared at her.

"Huh? You don't trust me?"

"Of course not. Do you really think someone who sends a child alone into a forest full of monsters is trustworthy?"

Kirill's situation and Marida's character were separate issues, but the fact that she had sent Kirill into a monster-infested forest was undeniable. A person with a sound mind wouldn't do such a thing unless they had malicious intent.

Kirill had completed his mission, and the sword had been obtained. But that was only because he had coincidentally met Ardis. Without Ardis's help, Kirill would not have survived the Cossus Forest, found the entrance to the underground in the ruins, or defeated the strange entity possessing the sword.

A person with common sense would have provided a capable guard or prepared the necessary funds to hire one in the city. More importantly, they wouldn't have instructed a twelve-year-old child to explore a monster-infested dungeon in the first place.

"But Kirill did complete his mission, didn't he?"

"That's just the result."

"I would have liked to provide a guard or more money, but then Kirill wouldn't have met you, would he?"

(What is she talking about?)

Ardis was confused by Marida's incomprehensible words. It sounded as if her goal was to make Kirill meet Ardis.

But could that be possible?

Ardis had entered the Cossus Forest that day by chance. He had just finished a sword he had ordered from a blacksmith and happened to be free at the time, so he decided to test it in the forest.

Kirill, on the other hand, had coincidentally entered the forest that day, coincidentally been abandoned by his hired guard, and coincidentally run into Ardis.

It couldn't have been planned.

True, if Kirill had known he would meet Ardis, he might have been able to find the entrance to the underground in the ruins, defeat the entity in the sword, and return to Reiting safely. But Kirill didn't seem to know about Ardis, and even if he had, it would have been too much of a coincidence to rely on.

Most importantly, the message on the small card Kirill had been given was clearly written to pique Ardis's interest.

"What was the point of that card you gave Kirill? How do you know about that? Who are you, really?"

2017/02/09 Typo correction: "First of all, I'll go" → "First of all, I'll say"

*Thank you for pointing out the typo in the comments.

2017/02/28 Typo correction: "Why do you know about that?" → "Why do you know about that?"