Chapter 28

Last time, I received feedback that it was too suffocating with all the knights, so this time, there are more female characters.

I posted it because it felt like a good stopping point.

The ending feels a bit like a digest, so I want to write more, including a follow-up.

“So, you led the members and headed there, didn’t you, Oniisama?”

Izoo is looking at me with shining eyes.

It had been a few days since the new dungeon was discovered.

When I had a chance to talk to Izoo, I asked her what kind of story she wanted to hear, and she said, “Please tell me about Oniisama.”

Even though she knew that I had only met Tristan recently, she still wanted to hear.

I told her about how Tristan usually spends his days in the knight order.

She was already happy just hearing that, but when I talked about his leadership during the discovery of the new dungeon, she looked even more delighted.

Her cheeks flushed, and she tightly gripped her hands.

Her cat ears, hidden by her braided hair, were surely standing up straight.

On the day of the event, Tristan arrived at the dungeon, temporarily handed the on-site command to the deputy leader, Bald, and prioritized the evacuation of nearby residents.

After the surrounding area had calmed down, he headed to the site and rotated the members he had been leading with those who had been fighting on the front lines.

When the mages arrived with their guards from the castle, he focused solely on providing support.

Despite it being his first time experiencing such a situation, I think he did a great job leading.

Just as I finished talking, a knock was heard.

“Izoo.”

It was Tristan himself.

When he asked what we were talking about, Izoo and I looked at each other.

“‘Secret’”

We inadvertently said it in unison, and Tristan furrowed his brow.

Knowing that this wasn't a sign of anger anymore, I smiled with Izoo.

In the morning, I guide visitors at the counter, and in the afternoon, I organize documents. This is the flow of my work.

I have more opportunities to talk to the ladies at the counter.

As a guide, I listen to the visitors' stories, offer advice, and help with the counter and queue management.

“...Can I ask you something?”

“Yes!”

Just as I finished managing the queue, I was called from behind.

I turned around to see a slender man standing there.

“Apparently, a new dungeon was discovered recently. Can we explore it yet?”

“No, not yet. The country has said we need to wait until the entrance magic array stabilizes.”

“...I see.”

The man thought for a moment and then spoke again.

“Then, is there any short-term, high-reward quest? I'm a bit short on money.”

“May I see your guild card?”

“...Sure, no problem.”

He seems like a mysterious person. First, I'll check his level and name.

I noticed the ladies at the counter were glancing at us, specifically at this man's face.

When I took the guild card he offered, I casually activated my skill to see his status.

“Hey...? You, ah!”

Before I could finish, the man in front of me covered my mouth.

“I have a consultation I don't want others to hear. Can I borrow this guide for a moment?”

The ladies at the counter, with hearts in their eyes, waved their hands, saying, "Sure, sure."

I was then dragged to a less crowded corridor.

“How did you know?”

“Well, you, ah, yes! I won't say it out loud anymore!”

Please stop covering my nose and mouth with your hand. This person is tall and slender, strong, and very handsome, but she is a woman. The information burned into the guild card registers her as male, which means she is using a false identity.

“I would be in trouble if I lost my guild card now. Can you overlook it for a while?”

Even if you say that, I can't just ignore it now that I know.

However, it seems she is really in trouble, and taking away her guild card isn't the right thing to do.

“I will temporarily hold onto your guild card. Could you explain the situation to me later?”

I put the guild card I was holding into my pocket.

If she tried to forcibly take it back here, it would become public knowledge in the guild that she is a woman.

She pulled her hand away, looking disappointed.

“If you are really in trouble, there might be something I can help with.”

Her glare softened a bit. I quickly and firmly said,

“However, I will eventually report the matter of the false identity to the chief. You should be prepared for that.”

“...Yes, I understand.”

She nodded, looking at me with a firm resolve.

We made a plan to meet after work. When I returned to the counter, I was immediately surrounded by three ladies who seemed to be free.

“Hey, what were you talking about? That guy is Flashing Nicole, right?”

“He's really handsome! Tall, and his face is so beautiful!”

“Yeah! His manner is so polite. I had him carry my luggage the other day!”

The ladies' conversation is hard to follow with its rapid changes in topic, but I try to keep up to some extent.

To get along with them, I think it's important to join in these circles.

“So, did you ask what kind of person he likes?”

“Squeal! Anna, you're so bold. Did he say anything about us?”

Finally, the conversation came back, but unfortunately, I didn't have an answer that would please the ladies.

“He asked if there was any information about the new dungeon. You know, I have a friend in the Mencis Knight Order.”

“Ah, what a shame. Hey, when he comes next time, can you bring him to me?”

“Unfair! I want to be a guide for advanced quests too!”

“Hey, introduce me to someone from the knight order!”

The ladies' storm of chatter continued until the chief passed by the corridor. Sensing his presence, they quickly dispersed.

I managed to ride out the storm with vague answers, but I was quite exhausted.

In the afternoon, when Luke came to the archive, I asked him if he knew anything about Flashing Nicole.

“Oh! I know, I know!”

Apparently, she suddenly became strong about half a year ago.

Luke learned about her from the ladies at the guild, who were popular with her.

He was curious about what happened half a year ago and tried to investigate independently, but Nicole's party members were very protective, and he eventually gave up.

“Without any evidence, we can't do anything. If we accuse her without proof, we might be the ones in trouble.”

But, Luke continued,

“Her party has a bad reputation. The information department is keeping an eye on them, waiting for them to slip up.”

The party's rank is B. Though not A, they have been a group for a considerable time since they formed.

Their alias is "Trumps." The party consists of about ten members, including Nicole. They were a group with poor behavior from the start, but it has worsened in the past half year.

They suddenly became wealthy, causing disturbances in bars and starting fights in the city.

“Suddenly becoming wealthy, did they find a rare item in a dungeon? Poor behavior is common in such cases.”

“The information department tried to investigate the flow of money, but since it doesn't go through the guild, they couldn't get detailed information.”

It seems the Trumps are selling their items through their own channels.

“Want to catch their tail?”

“Oh, you look so serious, Noah. Can you tell me more?”

I took out Nicole's guild card from my pocket.

First, I need to hear her side of the story.

“This is Luke. He works in the guild's information department. He will help us, so he will come with us.”

“It would be bad if we were seen together with someone from the information department.”

“Good thing you came in disguise. Don't worry, I don't look like an information department member right now.”

Nicole, with her face hidden by a hood, was on guard.

Luke, who usually looks flashy and charming, had a completely different aura.

He had tied his usually loose hair neatly, wore glasses, and changed his clothes, making him look like a different person.

“You could be a con artist, Luke.”

“Sure, I used to be one. Please keep that a secret for now.”

Luke winked, a gesture that didn't match his current appearance.

Nicole followed us slowly. We went up to the second floor of a bar that Sol and the others often visit.

Sol and the others were asked to follow us later and keep watch from the first floor while eating and drinking.

“Now, we can talk without worrying about being seen. Who are you, really?”

At my question, she glanced out the window and slowly removed her hood, starting to speak.

“My name is Alice Ruru. I am Nicole's twin sister.”

The siblings are from a village called Ruru in the countryside.

They were trained by their father, an adventurer, and lived a self-sufficient life in a village surrounded by forests, sometimes working as a vigilante group.

Nicole, the younger brother, wasn't a strong swordsman. However, he dreamed of becoming an adventurer like his late father and left the village for the capital.

“I opposed it. The world isn't that sweet. You can't survive as an adventurer if you can't even beat me.”

When Nicole arrived in the capital, he met the Trumps and learned to be an adventurer from them.

“The letter said not to worry. That was a year ago.”

After a while, a letter from the Trumps' leader arrived, asking her to come to the capital.

“I rushed to the capital in place of my mother, who has a bad leg. The leader told me that Nicole had died.”

The leader said that Nicole had accumulated debts and died.

One day, Nicole accepted a solo request to guard a merchant. When they reached the forest, they were attacked by monsters.

Nicole, instead of protecting the merchant, left him and fled.

The merchant barely escaped to the city but left all his goods and earnings in the forest.

Later, when the Trumps' members searched for the fleeing Nicole, they found only a blood pool and his belongings in the forest.

They concluded that he was attacked by monsters and his body was eaten.

The merchant made the Trumps' leader pay off the debt.

“The amount was too much for me or the village to pay. We barely managed a self-sufficient life.”

The leader told Alice to work as Nicole.

“Why did you pretend to be him? You knew it was illegal, right?”

“Party rank. Starting from the beginning, it's better to take high-level requests with the Trumps and get better rewards.”

“The leader said the same. At first, they were sad about Nicole's death. But they said they had no money because they paid off the debt, and I felt pressured to act quickly.”

Fortunately, Alice had talent as an adventurer.

No one noticed she was a woman, and she smoothly earned money.

“But when I could fight on my own, the leader stopped taking requests.”

When Alice asked the leader if she had reached the initial amount, he said it wasn't enough due to expenses and interest.

When she asked to wait a bit longer, he shouted that she was ungrateful.

“If you can't pay immediately, I can bring the Trumps' members to the village. You can pay with your body.”

Alice finally lowered her head.

Luke and I nodded and decided to help her.

“We need to investigate the guard request Nicole took.”

“Alice, what's the merchant's name?”

“His name is Levi.”

“Levi. The same name as the merchant the Trumps are selling items to.”

This is quite suspicious.

“Luke”

“Leave it to me!”

We disbanded for the day. I told Alice to tell the Trumps' members that she would soon have the money if they contacted her.

The next day, when I investigated the request Nicole took in the archive, it turned out the leader was lying. Nicole didn't take it solo; the Trumps took it as a party.

This is just a guess, but maybe the Trumps used Nicole as a decoy to escape.

“Noah! I found it! The Trumps and the merchant are in cahoots!”

As expected. Alice was set up.

The leader probably heard about Alice from Nicole. The request might have been an accident, but the leader and the merchant saw an opportunity to use Alice.

We reported the situation to the chief and requested Alice's protection.

The chief accepted and launched a full investigation into the Trumps.

It turned out the Trumps, in collaboration with the merchant, were involved in various crimes, from actions detrimental to the guild to criminal activities.

The guild reported the findings to the country. Alice, acting as a decoy, confronted the Trumps and made them confess their various misdeeds in front of the officials.

Alice reclaimed her true self.

Although the money she paid to the Trumps won't be returned, her eyes still shone.

“This will bring some justice to Nicole.”

At the guild counter, Alice and I were standing. She was wearing feminine clothes and stood tall, looking very beautiful.

“I will discard your brother's guild card.”

“That's fine. I'm grateful to Noah. I no longer need that guild card.”

Once a guild card is discarded, it is rarely reissued unless there are exceptional circumstances.

“This is Alice's guild card.”

“Huh?”

“I had a new one issued. The chief knows about it.”

This time, Alice was under threat. Even though she unknowingly funded the Trumps, she herself did nothing wrong.

That's the official stance, but it's a waste to lose Alice's A-rank solo talent. That's the guild's judgment.

“Of course, the rank starts from the beginning. Whether you take requests or not is up to you.”

Alice tightly gripped the guild card I handed her.

“Thank you. Really, thank you.”

A tear rolled down Alice's cheek.

2015/01/11 Correction