Chapter 15

After pushing Cradle aside, Lambert was led by Fiona and the others to the second floor of the building, where the Adventurers' Guild "Twilight of the Spirits" was located.

They entered the guild master's office at the back of the guild.

The guild master of "Twilight of the Spirits" was a man with long hair.

He appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

"This is the guild master of 'Twilight of the Spirits,' Mr. Germain."

After Fiona explained this to Lambert, she reported to Germain.

She briefly covered the investigation of the village and then detailed the incident with Cradle.

After listening to everything, Germain sighed deeply.

"…I apologize. I never thought Cradle would go this far… I thought if we ignored him, the harassment would stop eventually."

"We can't cause too much trouble for the tavern downstairs, and we might have to consider relocating. Besides, if we're targeted by the 'Golden Dragon' in this city, we won't be able to survive here."

"……"

Fiona, feeling responsible for being targeted by the 'Golden Dragon' through Cradle, bit her lower lip and looked down.

Germain, seeing this, closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"It's not just Fiona who is the target. …Involving her might have been my fault."

Germain said this in a low, almost muttering voice.

Then he opened his eyes, returned to his normal tone, and continued.

"This city is a bit strange. We might have considered relocating even without this incident. After all, we're renting the building, so it's not a big loss. Well… it's a bit regrettable to lose the trust we've built up. …Anyway, the armored man over there is the one who dealt with Cradle. Let's thank him."

"Shouldn't you have refrained from getting involved?"

When Lambert asked this, Germain shook his head.

"Of course not. The 'Golden Dragon' is indeed powerful. Among the members of 'Twilight of the Spirits,' only I can match them. They have significant influence in the city, and being targeted by them is indeed a problem. However, they are… far more suspicious than any ordinary underground guild. If Fiona had been taken, who knows what might have happened to her. After all, their main client is Lord Oubock."

"Hmm."

It seemed that Lord Oubock had repeatedly engaged in shady activities.

Lambert's visit to the Adventurers' Guild for information gathering was not in vain.

"I would like to hear more about them, but… what exactly is an underground guild?"

Fiona answered Lambert's question.

"An underground guild is a group that takes on illegal jobs. They often operate in secret and try to stay out of the public eye. However, some of them take on dirty work for powerful figures in exchange for protection."

"That's correct. It's not something we can talk about casually… but in this case, it's only right to inform you."

Germain prefaced this and then continued in a lower voice.

"The 'Golden Dragon' primarily takes on legitimate jobs and is well-known in this city. They don't fit the typical profile of an underground guild. However, during our information gathering, we discovered that the 'Golden Dragon' is likely a front for Lord Oubock to commission underground guilds. The 'Golden Dragon' itself also seems to be involved in the activities of underground guilds, showing unusual behavior. Often, surface guilds and underground guilds clash over conflicting jobs, but the 'Golden Dragon' never does. It's as if they have a prearranged agreement."

"I see…"

"They can do anything in places where they won't be seen. They are very good at covering their tracks, and we have no direct evidence."

Lambert speculated that when Lord Oubock directed the bandits to attack the village, he likely used this route.

"Before that, I'd like to hear more about you. It's not something we can discuss freely with someone we don't know. It seems Fiona was helped by you…"

"This gentleman was captured by bandits when we were investigating the village… and he helped us. However, he doesn't seem to know this area well, so I thought he might have trouble living here. I suggested that he stay at 'Twilight of the Spirits' for a while…"

Fiona answered Germain's question.

Germain carefully examined Lambert's face (helmet) and then grunted.

"Since you helped one of our important colleagues, we can't refuse. However, if you cause us any trouble, we'll have to part ways. I want you to understand that. However… I think this city, Einzass, might be uncomfortable for you."

Germain concluded that Lambert was being targeted from somewhere, based on his lack of information, his out-of-touch appearance, and his desire to hide his face.

Therefore, he explicitly stated that he would not hide Lambert if his pursuers came.

Lambert, who had been planning to escape in the worst-case scenario, understood Germain's thoughts and decided to go along with the story.

"Thank you… Don't worry. I don't intend to stay longer than necessary once I get the information I need."

"Let's just fill out the formal paperwork. Hey, Lily, get a membership application from that shelf and give it to him."

Following Germain's instructions, Lily took a paper from the shelf and handed it to Lambert.

(Name… huh)

He had managed to get this far without revealing his identity, but now he needed to come up with something.

"I'll lend you a desk and a pen. Write it out quickly."

Lambert, handed the paper, couldn't think of a suitable name.

After a moment's hesitation, he wrote down 'Lambert Draculow,' his name from his previous life.

It had been over two hundred years.

No one would recognize him as the real person, he thought.

Lambert had chosen the name without much thought, but this was a trait of undead who clung to their past lives.

Undead often fixate on their past missions or lifestyles, and this obsession is the chain that binds their souls to the mortal world.

Lloyd peeked at the name Lambert had written.

"So your name is Lambert. You should have told us sooner…"

Germain took the paper Lambert had placed down, confirmed it with his own eyes, and chuckled.

"Lambert Draculow… Quite a bold move. I'm not going to scold you for not using a pseudonym, but… to be so obvious… Well, just be careful not to be laughed at when compared to the real person."

Germain compared the name on the paper to Lambert's appearance and said, somewhat exasperated.

Lloyd didn't seem to notice, but Germain appeared to recognize the name Lambert Draculow.

Fiona, hearing Germain's words, looked slightly surprised and then smiled wryly.

(Germain and Fiona seem to recognize my name.)

"…What's wrong? Is it a famous name or something?"

Lloyd frowned and asked Germain.

"You should read more books. You know Glyph Palcaizer, the hero of the Eight Kingdoms Unification War, right?"

Lambert had thought it was about him and felt a bit uncomfortable, but was surprised when his former friend's name was suddenly mentioned.

Glyph Palcaizer.

One of the Four Demon Generals, and the one who had pushed Lambert off a cliff.

"Of course I know Glyph. Don't make fun of me."

Lloyd answered, somewhat offended.

"The last and greatest obstacle to Glyph Palcaizer's goal of ending the Eight Kingdoms Unification War was Lambert Draculow."

In the story Germain told, Lambert Draculow was portrayed as a great villain.

"Lambert Draculow, originally an orphan, rose to power during the Eight Kingdoms Unification War through ruthless means and became one of the Four Demon Generals. He plotted to kill his rival, Glyph Palcaizer, and his lord, Aurelia Arleato, to become the ruler of the western part of the Warlimia continent. However, he was defeated in battle by Glyph Palcaizer and is said to have thrown himself off a cliff to his death."

"So, just a traitor. I think I've heard of him before… but I don't remember much. I'm not a scholar, I'm an adventurer. He was just a stepping stone for Glyph Palcaizer, right?"

"……"

Lambert listened to his place in history as if it were about someone from a distant, foreign country.

It took him a while to realize it was about himself.

From a national history perspective, it sounded better to say that a hero executed a traitor rather than that a loyal subject was killed out of suspicion.

He understood the need to avoid spreading unnecessary stains to stabilize the newly unified rule.

However, the fact that his efforts for Aurelia were remembered as those of a power-hungry rebel was unacceptable to Lambert.

As one of the Four Demon Generals, he had wanted a proud death.

If he had a body, he might have shed tears.

The fact that this didn't raise unnecessary suspicions was a lonely but advantageous aspect of being an undead.