Chapter 224 - Chapter 223: The Mysterious Viscount
The third day of the third week of the third month of the Earth.
Called by the Adventurer's Guild, Mika had been at the Guild headquarters since morning.
And so, led into the reception room.
Sitting before Mika were the staff member in charge, and for some reason, the Guild Master who had come on a business trip.
Mika, sitting on the sofa and listening to the conversation, let out a sigh without hiding his displeasure.
"Since yesterday, can I go home again today like this? What is this?"
Hearing that, the Guild staff member looked embarrassed, while the Guild Master just sat there with his eyes closed.
Mika sighed again.
Yesterday, he had received a summons from the Guild's Second Branch, instructed to go to the headquarters.
He had only heard that it was a designated request, but was told to find out more details once he arrived at the headquarters.
And so, when he came to the headquarters, they asked if he was free next week on the day of the Moon.
Moreover, there was no explanation regarding the request content.
"I heard it was a designated request?"
"Y-yes. Since it is a special designated request, please, we would like you to――――."
"If it's a designated request, I can decline it. I decline."
When Mika said he would decline the designated request, the staff member turned pale.
"You summon us, check the schedule, and then tell us to go home? Isn't this going to be the same thing next week? Moreover, the Guild can't explain the request content. What is the point of the Guild?"
The Guild confirms the request content and judges the market price based on the difficulty of achievement and danger level.
Regarding designated requests, only the confirmation of the request content and the reward is done, and the judgment is left to the adventurer.
That is why adventurers are given the right to decline designated requests.
Even so, bringing a conversation without grasping the request content or the reward means the Guild has no reason to exist.
Isn't this no different from just posting a request on the bulletin board?
"I understand your anger. But it is better not to decline this."
Glancing at the flustered staff member, the Guild Master, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth.
It seems the Guild Master had anticipated this and attended the meeting.
"The Guild is taking an unusual measure. In other words, there must be a reason for doing so."
"A reason...?"
Hearing the Guild Master's words, Mika calmed the irritation in his heart.
He quietly repeated deep breaths and calmed down a little.
Honestly, he wasn't free from irritation at being played around with, but still, he had begun to think a little more.
"Guild Master, do you know something?"
Mika asked that, but the Guild Master did not answer.
However, when he signaled to the staff member, the staff member placed a small wooden box that was on the table in front of Mika.
The wooden box was small enough to fit in the palm of Mika's hand.
"Take this and go to the South Gate of the First Wall next week on the day of the Moon. Show it to the knight guarding the gate, and follow their instructions after that."
Mika took the wooden box and checked its contents.
A Family Crest of a noble house...?
It has a protrusion at the top to thread a string through, like a medal hanging from the neck, but there is no string attached now.
Only the crest is stored inside.
A crest, and the South Gate of the First Wall. ...The client is a noble.
Mika was exasperated again.
Was it another troublesome partner?
Even though he was said to be Cleiria's fiancé, Mika was still a commoner.
Above all, he was currently in a heated dispute with Marquis Leventein.
The annual meeting with the Marquis (old man) had not been set up this year.
Well, this was partly because Mika could not leave the capital, and the Marquis could not leave his territory.
"............I understand."
Mika put the wooden box into his Magic Bag and looked at the Guild Master.
"Is there anything else?"
Confirming that the Guild Master shook his head, Mika stood up.
And so, he left the Guild headquarters.
He had thought about meeting Chirensta, but he was told he was too busy and could not meet him.
"Tell me whose family this belongs to."
On his way back, Mika looked for the window of the Information Broker Guild and asked them to call someone knowledgeable about noble family crests.
At first, he thought about asking Cleiria, but one cannot just go and meet her whenever one wants.
That was why he decided to buy information from the Information Broker Guild.
He showed the crest given by the Guild to the man who had come.
When the man saw the crest, he slightly moved his eyebrows.
Then, he showed a bright smile.
"This is the crest of the House of Viscount Mumbaro."
"Viscount Mumbaro?"
Mika had almost no information regarding nobles.
Mika turned his gaze to urge the man to continue, but the man just smiled brightly.
"Eh? That's all!?"
"Yes."
Knowing the name was progress, but surely this was of no use at all.
Mika stared at the man, but the man kept his smile plastered on.
He felt a vague sense of suspicion.
............That attitude of the Guild Master. It is true that nobles are dangerous to commoners, but would the Guild Master take such care for a Viscount?
The Vice-Guild Master had hinted at a connection with the Marquis, blocking the Guild Master's moves.
But even if it was the noble himself, would the Guild follow a Viscount by ignoring the rules?
I understand if it was in his own territory, but this is the capital? If you allow that, commoners' lives will be completely messed up.
It was still unsatisfactory.
But the Information Broker man kept his smile plastered on and said nothing.
Mika took out a large gold coin from his Magic Bag.
"Was the information fee insufficient?"
But the man shook his head.
It seems that even if he raised the price, the information would not come out.
Mika gave up on extracting information from the man and headed for the Fifth Knights Order station.
When Mika went to the Fifth Knights Order, unfortunately, Ozendorwa was not present.
Instead of that, he caught Shesbarno, who had just finished his night shift, at the entrance.
Apparently, he had been dealing with three lost children since early morning and was exhausted.
Mika used [Heal] and then asked about the said Viscount.
"Viscount Mumbaro?"
Shesbarno, looking completely drained, grimaced and asked back.
Shesbarno's fatigue seemed to be mental rather than physical.
Even using [Heal], he did not recover much.
Shesbarno's unit had finished searching for the red-haired youth and had returned to normal duties.
But it seems he was originally in a position like an independent guerrilla unit, and today, just before the end of the night shift, he had been made to deal with lost children.
Shesbarno scratched his head vigorously and furrowed his brows.
"Ah... I think I've heard of it. What was it..."
Saying that, he stroked his scruffy beard on his chin.
"I leave such fine details to Hoguajil. What was it again."
"Hoguajil-san, wasn't he the Vice-Captain? Is that the person I was helped by before?"
When he was a fake "Dispeller", Hoguajil was supposed to be the name of the person dispatched as Mika's support.
"What about Hoguajil-san today?"
"He was supposed to be on the early shift. By now, he's probably wandering around somewhere in the capital."
Is that okay?
Is Shesbarno's unit lenient, or is Shesbarno lenient?
Is Shesbarno's unit actually functioning?
"Well, wait a moment. I'll ask the guy over there."
Saying that, Shesbarno went inside the station.
While waiting outside, Shesbarno returned immediately.
But his expression was very grim.
"............Listen."
"What is it?"
With a face exactly like he was chewing bitter pills, Shesbarno asked.
"You.... Where did you hear that name?"
"Ah... um."
Mika stumbled over his reply.
The name was not mentioned at the Guild.
The name was information bought from the Information Broker.
Seeing Shesbarno's face, Mika was very worried about whether he should show the crest.
"Is it that dangerous?"
"It's not just dangerous, it's super dangerous?"
Mika also made a grim face, not losing to Shesbarno.
"............I got summoned. They said it was a request."
When Mika said that, Shesbarno's face twitched.
"Ah... Good luck. I can't pick up your bones, but I'll pray that you are guided to the gods below. If I don't forget."
"Wait, wait, don't abandon me! Ah, a good citizen of the capital is in trouble! Come with me――――."
"Business for today is over. We look forward to your next visit――――."
"I'll come back as a ghost!"
When we were making a commotion at the entrance of the station, an old man who was the Battalion Commander got angry.
Shesbarno was with him.
We were told to go home after receiving a very grateful advice that we wouldn't die if we behaved properly.
Damn it.
■■■■■■
The fourth day of the fourth week of the third month of the Earth.
Spending the day with a somewhat vague feeling.
Considering Shesbarno's attitude, it seems he is not just a simple Viscount.
Thinking so, it can be said that the Guild Master's attitude and the Guild's response had reasons enough.
However, without knowing the reason clearly, it feels unpleasant.
So, I decided to take extreme measures.
Mika left his house after nightfall and flew up into the night sky, blending into the darkness.
Since the academy uniform was black, just that was enough to blend into the darkness.
Upon arriving above the First District, he lowered his altitude to the point where he could see the condition of each house.
"Hmm, probably that one."
And so, he peeked at the mansion where the lights were not lit.
"A nearby small mansion... A hidden room, a secret passage."
The secret passage connected to the Leventein family's villa, which Cleiria had taught him before.
He decided to use the secret passage, thinking that he couldn't just suddenly visit at night and expect an introduction.
Even if you say you are a fiancé, there is no special treatment.
Really...
Mika landed in the mansion's garden and hid in the bushes.
He expanded his magic range and surveyed the surroundings.
And so, he quickly moved to the front of the entrance.
He turned the doorknob, but as expected, the entrance was locked.
"What should I do?"
For now, he sent magic power through the keyhole and grasped the precise structure.
"I see."
Mika raised the corner of his mouth and muttered.
He thought it would be troublesome if it was a cylinder lock, but it was a ward lock with a simple structure.
Or rather, does the cylinder lock not even exist yet?
Mika shaped his magic power to avoid the obstacle called "Ward" inside and maintained that shape to create iron.
And so, turning the makeshift key he created, he was able to easily remove the bolt.
...Could it be that I have the potential to be a thief?
Appearing from the sky, opening the lock without difficulty, and flying away with the treasure.
I seriously considered buying a silk hat, a tuxedo, and a monocle next time.
If I dressed like that in this world, I would stand out terribly.
There was one more lock above the door and one below.
There were differences in the position and number of wards, but all were ward locks.
Mika made keys similarly and unlocked all the locks.
He expanded his magic range inside the entrance and confirmed that there were no guards.
If you put guards in a supposedly vacant mansion, the surroundings would feel suspicious.
But if you don't put guards, you allow intruders like this to enter.
Both are painful and itchy.
Mika entered the entrance, increased the concentration of magic power he was expanding, and sent magic power into small gaps.
In the darkness, he had to search the whole mansion and find the hidden room.
Mika walked carefully without making a sound, sending magic power into every corner of the walls, floor, and ceiling.
And so, he noticed that the back of a bookshelf in a certain room was hollow.
But when he tried to move the bookshelf, it got stuck and wouldn't move.
It seems it is locked.
He didn't know how to open it from the outside.
Normally, there would be a switch if you moved the books in the bookshelf, but it seemed easy to open from the inside.
Because on the inside, there was a protrusion that looked like a switch on the wall.
"Well, there's no need to hide the inside."
Mika created an iron ball the size of a marble right next to the switch and slowly moved it to press the switch.
Then, there was a clunk sound.
Now the bookshelf slid smoothly.
"...And so, it becomes stairs leading to the basement."
Behind the bookshelf was a corridor, but there were stairs going down immediately.
Mika expanded his magic range and was about to go down... but returned to the entrance.
"I should lock the door just in case."
He might come back again, but it would be troublesome, and he might just return from the villa without coming back.
And so, after putting the bookshelf back in place, he went down the stairs.
Mika proceeded carefully while confirming with his magic range.
In the not-so-wide underground passage, footsteps echoed: clank, clank.
It seems the underground passage was a single path.
Should I erase my footsteps?
A place with absolutely no sound.
Mika's footsteps walking on the cobblestones echoed surprisingly.
With the same method as "Big Ear", attenuate the sound around myself?
But if he did that, his sound might not leak, but wouldn't the surrounding sounds not reach him either?
So, he wrapped the air around his ankles and below in a manner similar to "Big Ear".
And so, he jumped lightly, but the sound was gone.
As a test, he stomped the floor hard, and a faint sound was heard.
This is... not footsteps, but vibrations transmitted to the cobblestones...
Stopping air vibrations does not mean vibrations transmitted to the floor disappear.
In other words, if you run around on the second floor, there is no sound on the second floor, but the sound of running around is clearly heard on the first floor.
Is it convenient or inconvenient?
Well, as long as you pay attention to the points, it is a sufficiently convenient magic.
Let's call the magic name "Tiptoe" for now.
This magic will surely be active in the future.
Especially when doing bad things.
Walking more than fifty meters in the underground passage, he reached the stairs going up.
And so, climbing the stairs which were longer than expected, he came out into a narrow corridor.
This must be behind a bookshelf or something.
Mika found the switch and pressed it.
Then, there was a clunk sound.
The sound echoed surprisingly, and he was startled for a moment.
When pressing the switch, he should have wrapped something like "Big Ear" or "Tiptoe" around his hands.
He waited quietly for a while and surveyed the surroundings, but it seems he was not noticed.
He let out a sigh of relief.
When he slid the wall, it was indeed a bookshelf again.
He put the bookshelf back and expanded magic power into the room.
This was a study with a slightly narrow feeling, rare for the Leventein family's villa.
And there was no place that reminded him of such a room.
First, he had to go out to the corridor and grasp his current location.
Mika amplified the surrounding sounds with "Big Ear".
There are quite a few...
Of course.
There should be dozens of knights just for the mansion's guards.
However, there seemed to be no sign of people in this corridor, so he quietly opened the door and expanded his magic.
By opening the door, it became easier to guess the direction from which sounds were coming.
The right side is overwhelmingly many. Is it a knight waiting room or something?
He had been to the Leventein family's villa many times, but he was not walking around freely.
He was only moving with Cleiria or maids guiding him.
For now, Mika proceeded towards the side with fewer people.
Avoiding knights by using "Big Ear" and magic range, he came out to the second floor of the entrance.
It seems the hidden stairs were connected to a room on the second floor.
If he got this far, he would know Cleiria's room.
But unfortunately, he could not enter Cleiria's room from the corridor.
Because a guard knight was standing in front of the room.
Mika entered a nearby empty room and went out to the balcony once.
Using "Low Gravity" and quickly moving along the balcony, he arrived safely next to Cleiria's room.
It was a long time...
Mika lightly knocked on the window glass.
Soon, "Big Ear" picked up the sound of approaching the window carefully, and the curtain swayed slightly, creating a gap.
Mika used "Lighting Ball" so his face could be seen faintly.
A sound of taking a deep breath was heard, and Mika smiled brightly.
Cleiria did not open the curtain, but came to the back side of the curtain by sneaking in through the gap.
"Mika! What are you doing!"
Cleiria opened the window and displayed the skillful art of scolding while whispering.
"Yahoo. Good evening, long time no see. Are you well?"
Mika slipped into the room and closed the window.
"I have something I want to ask Cleiria. Sorry for the suddenness. I startled you."
"Something you want to ask?"
When Mika made a slightly troubled face, Cleiria understood.
She had many things she wanted to say, but she withdrew them and listened to Mika's story.
"I want to know about Viscount Mumbaro."
"Viscount Mumbaro?"
For now, he moved to the table in the room.
Mika took out the wooden box given by the Guild from his Magic Bag and showed the crest.
"They said it was a designated request. The Guild Master came out personally, but he wouldn't say any details. When I asked the Captain of the Fifth Knights Order, it seems he is a dangerous opponent. But he didn't tell me in detail. Probably, he felt he couldn't tell me."
"The Knights Order won't tell you about nobles so easily. It's reassuring that they are serious people."
"No, if Shesbarno knew, he would have accidentally said it out loud. He is the opposite of serious."
When Mika said that, Cleiria made a face as if she didn't know how to react.
"I found out about Viscount Mumbaro by showing this noble family crest to someone at the Information Broker Guild. But that person didn't tell me anything except the name. He felt he couldn't tell me either."
"Well, even the Information Broker Guild?"
It was a strange story that the Information Broker Guild couldn't sell information.
He showed a large gold coin, but they didn't try to sell, nor did they even negotiate.
In this case, there were two possibilities.
Either they really didn't know, or they couldn't sell it for money.
Listening to Mika's story, Cleiria put her hand to her cheek and thought.
"...But, yes. I also don't remember Viscount Mumbaro in my memory............"
Muttering that, Cleiria stood up.
"Could it be..."
Cleiria went to the bookshelf and took out a thick book.
And so, she placed it on the table and flipped through it.
"What is that book?"
"It is a book containing the crests of all noble families and their summaries. You can't memorize them even if you look at them repeatedly. Anyone from a noble family has one."
Even if nobles meet for the first time, they must be able to make conversation bloom with harmless information immediately if they introduce themselves.
It seems to be the foundation for that.
Nobles are so troublesome.
"You introduced yourself, but if you don't know, it's no use. The current head of the house. The wife. The main achievements of the house. Where the territory is. Which nobles have strong connections. Without such information, conversation is difficult."
Cleiria said it casually, and Mika made a dejected face.
"Cleiria is amazing. Maybe you remember everything?"
"Well, mostly... But Mika, isn't this not someone else's business?"
Hearing that from Cleiria, Mika blinked his eyes.
When Cleiria raised her face, their eyes met.
And so, after staring at each other for a while,
"Please do your best."
She smiled brightly.
............That's right.
In a few years, it won't be enough to say "it's a world above the clouds."
Facing reality, Mika's heart snapped.
How could I memorize this!
"Indeed. I found it, Mika."
Saying that, Cleiria turned the book around and showed it to Mika.
"I thought Viscount Mumbaro was a name I hadn't heard of. That was natural, of course."
Indeed, Viscount Mumbaro was listed where Cleiria pointed, but that was a page where the names of many noble families were listed as a list.
Detailed information about the House of Viscount Mumbaro was not recorded.
"What is this list?"
Mika looked at the list with a suspicious face.
Cleiria looked straight at Mika with a serious expression.
"This is a title held by a certain family. I glanced through it roughly, but I couldn't memorize it up to here, so I couldn't remember it immediately."
"A certain family?"
When Mika asked back, Cleiria nodded heavily.
"This is a title held by the Royal Family. Mika."