Chapter 32

I've uploaded Sophia's illustration to the character introduction.

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After the confrontation with Maro's team at the training ground, I met up with Tristan, who had finished his work.

We planned to return to the mansion together by carriage today.

I introduced Alice to Tristan.

After briefly telling Tristan about the accident that happened today, I conveyed Sol's proposal.

It was a suggestion to entrust my protection to Alice when we can't cover it ourselves.

It's common for nobles and wealthy merchants to have bodyguards in large cities.

Alice knows that I have been targeted by Maro and others, and she didn't question the somewhat excessive reactions around me.

As I mentioned, from an outsider's perspective, I am just a guild employee.

Although I am related to a border lord, I am almost an ordinary person, so it might seem strange to have a bodyguard if someone doesn't know the full story.

Tristan, who knows the will of the previous king, agreed to Alice serving as my bodyguard.

Officially, Tristan will hire Alice and assign her to protect me, which seems more natural.

Tristan told Alice that she could stay at his mansion during her employment as a bodyguard.

"I am just a country bumpkin. I might commit some rudeness."

Alice hesitated, saying she would stay at an inn nearby, but Tristan didn't nod.

"My mansion has a wing for servants. You won't have to worry about anything there."

"Understood. Thank you for your hospitality."

Alice, who usually doesn't act overly formal even with knights, was somewhat nervous around Tristan.

Alice might have grasped the internal conflicts of the knight order, but there are things I can't tell her. Is it really okay to get involved in the troubles of nobles and knights?

I asked her this, but Alice smiled as if it was nothing and said she would repay the favor.

I reconsidered.

I want to avoid unnecessary troubles if possible. But is it worth putting my acquaintances in danger to protect me?

In the end, those being protected can only rely on their courage.

I bowed to Alice and said, "Please take care of me."

Alice's duty as a bodyguard started the next morning.

She said she would return to her lodging to prepare and then left the garrison.

Tristan and I returned to the mansion.

After dinner.

I wanted to talk to Izu, so I visited her room.

Izu has a personal maid named Bran.

Bran has red hair and glasses and is usually always by Izu's side, so I rarely see her.

When I visit Izu, I let Bran know in advance and wait for her to come and get me when everything is ready.

"How was Izu today?"

"She was as healthy and cheerful as usual."

"I see. Thank you."

Izu's activity range is very limited.

The garden is a small courtyard at the back of the mansion.

This tiny garden is the only world she can freely explore.

She plants her favorite flowers in the soil and enjoys the small daily changes and the seasons.

Since I met Izu, I have given her bouquets of flowers.

She was happy, but the next time we met, the cut flowers had withered.

Izu looked sad and said she would press the flowers, so I stopped giving her bouquets.

Instead, I decided to give her some flower seeds and a picture book about flowers.

"Hey, good evening."

"Noah! Good evening!"

When Bran led me inside, Izu greeted me with a smile.

I handed her the seeds and the book I was holding.

"If you like, try growing them next time."

"Oh, some plant seeds. Thank you! And this is...?"

I was a bit embarrassed but explained that it was a picture book.

"Cute flower pictures! If I grow these seeds, will these flowers bloom? Oh, this picture book, could it be...?"

"Sorry, it's handmade."

Books in this world are valuable and expensive.

Ordinary people usually read books from the guild or royal libraries, and only wealthy nobles and merchants own them personally.

Flower encyclopedias are academic and not cheap enough to buy casually.

However, just giving her the seeds felt a bit lonely (though Izu would probably be happy to grow them), so I drew pictures and bound them into a book.

I asked the florist to show me the grown flowers and learned about their care and seasons, then added the information next to the pictures.

"Thank you. Thank you so much! I'm so happy!"

Izu said this and hugged the slightly awkward handmade picture book.

I'm glad.

My embarrassment vanished.

Seeing her so happy, I felt my slightly dark mood about the bodyguard situation lift.

A few days after Alice started as my bodyguard, I was at the new dungeon for guild work.

The guild team consists of the Investigation Division, Information Division's Luke, and me at the counter.

On the national side, there are Captain Smith and several members of the Mensis Knight Order.

The entrance to the new dungeon has stabilized, so we gathered to conduct an investigation before opening it to the public.

The inside of the dungeon is generally complex and multi-layered.

Since the levels and types of monsters vary by dungeon, we start by investigating the shallow layers near the entrance.

The Investigation Division is made up of various members.

They usually use the guild like other users, but when the guild requests it, they conduct on-site investigations.

Most are veteran adventurers who have retired from the front lines.

They form investigation teams centered around these veterans, gathering additional members as needed.

The work of the Investigation Division is high-risk but also high-reward.

Luke, the leader of the Investigation Division, hands over the map.

This new dungeon is likely based on old mine tunnels.

I found an old map of the area around the new dungeon in the guild's archive. Luke gathered information from locals about how the tunnels have changed over time.

Based on this information, we created a new map of the tunnels.

The map includes notes like "This path has collapsed and is a dead end."

While we don't know what's inside, it might be useful as a reference when we advance.

"Wow, it's amazing that such old records still exist."

The leader looked over the map and expressed surprise.

"Regarding the notes, we only have the stories of local elders and children who used the tunnels as a playground, so they might not all be accurate."

Luke said this as a caution, though it didn't sound like a warning.

I had already investigated the monsters that appeared when the dungeon was discovered and relayed the information to the leader.

"I've summarized the knight order's report. The monsters are mainly mud, rock, and mineral types, with no new species."

I also asked Captain Smith to provide any additional information to the leader, and he agreed.

"Right... The ones who went in to push back said the ground was a mess and very difficult to navigate."

The leader nodded after hearing several points from Captain Smith.

"It's been a while since we had a job with so much information. Some requests have almost no information, so this is a big help."

The leader said this and led the team into the dungeon.

Captain Smith is on standby at the entrance to the dungeon.

The knights patrol the area around the dungeon and are ready to act if anything happens to the Investigation Division team.

Luke and I are waiting for the team's report, so we have some free time until they return to the surface.

"By the way, this is my first time walking through the third ward."

"Is that so? But this area isn't really suitable for wandering around."

"Sol mentioned that the area has poor security..."

The area around the new dungeon has been somewhat improved to accommodate increased traffic.

However, this entire district is still chaotic.

We can see the knights in our line of sight, so we feel safe, but the atmosphere changes drastically if we stray from the main streets.

"By the way, about that criminal from before..."

"Criminal? You mean the beastman who attacked you?"

Luke nodded and continued.

"Actually, it was a fake beastman."

Huh? A fake beastman?

I didn't understand and looked at Luke's face.

"You thought it was a beastman because it had beast ears, right?"

"Yeah, I don't remember much, but I thought it was a dog beastman..."

Gerard took the criminal to the second ward's jail with the patrolling knights.

He left the rest to the second ward's soldiers, but during the few days the criminal was held, he disappeared from the jail.

The jail was a large room where about twenty people who had committed minor crimes were also held.

The knights had explained the situation, so the search for the beastman began immediately.

They searched the building where the jail was located but found nothing. The soldiers then searched the jail for clues.

They found a clump of fur that resembled beast ears.

They re-examined the bodies of the other prisoners and identified the criminal based on injuries sustained during the arrest.

"So, he was pretending to be a beastman on purpose?"

"Seems so. He took off the ears in the jail and pretended to be someone else."

Why would he do that?

Pretending to be a beastman in the capital would draw attention.

Maybe he was aiming for that strong impression.

"Beastmen stand out, but soldiers don't usually remember the faces of human prisoners. The jail has a high turnover, so there's a chance he could bribe a guard and get out if he's lucky."

I see.

So he pretended to be someone else, claimed innocence, or tried to escape with a bribe.

"They say he's been moved to another jail. The captain has requested an investigation into his identity."

"From Tristan?"

Tristan seems to be working behind the scenes in areas I don't know about.

The criminal's meticulous planning raised suspicions. Tristan, who wondered why such a smart criminal would attack me, a knight-in-training's charge, ordered a thorough investigation.

"He probably didn't want to worry you unnecessarily."

If the investigation had shown the criminal to be just a thief, I might have forgotten about it.

"The accident the other day might not have been a coincidence. Be careful."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks."

Hearing about the fake beastman, I briefly thought of Izu, but it was completely different.

As we were talking, I noticed the knights seemed restless.

"What's going on?"

I approached Captain Smith, who was at the center of the gathered knights.

"Noah, it's almost time for the shift change."

Maro's team was supposed to arrive in the afternoon, but they haven't shown up.

They can't leave their posts, so Captain Smith and the others were in a bind.

"We were just discussing sending a couple of knights to the second ward's gate to check."

Maro's team is coming...

It's awkward.

"Then, can we go with you to the gate?"

Luke suggested this, and Captain Smith smiled and agreed.

That's very helpful.

We decided to return to the second ward's gate and have a meal.

We plan to head to the third ward's guild when the Investigation Division team returns in the evening.

We can follow them to the guild then.

"Thanks, we'll go with you."

With two members of Captain Smith's team, we headed to the second ward's gate.