Ch.36To the Dwarf Kingdom (1)

“What’s the usual character or atmosphere of an Apos Hunt like?”

“Even if you ask so suddenly, they’re all individuals with different personalities. Some are so serious they barely speak a word, while others are quite cheerful. Besides, I haven’t met that many Hunts to begin with.”

Before officially impersonating an Apos Hunt, I was asking Lilly for basic information. Among everything, what I considered most important was the general atmosphere that Hunts typically projected.

From the start, this impersonation would be impossible without a fairy, but since I had Lilly, that condition was already cleared. So the next most important thing was creating a convincing appearance—an exterior that would make people believe I was a Hunt without requiring special explanation.

“Then, what would be the most Hunt-like appearance from an outsider’s perspective?”

“Well, since they have a strong secret society vibe, I’d say they look mysterious with an imposing presence. Many of them are actually like that.”

“Then I’ll go with that atmosphere.”

* * *

Thud. Thud.

With each step I took, everyone in the open space focused their attention on me.

They abandoned whatever they were doing and stared at me.

There were so many eyes on me that even the most insensitive person would notice and react, but I continued walking without showing any response.

It might have seemed strange if I had acted awkwardly, but the pressure emanating from my body made me appear more mysterious.

As if to confirm my atmosphere-building was working, even the guards who should have approached aggressively came to me cautiously.

“Um… excuse me, but who might you be…”

“Apos Hunter, Frey.”

A short, rigid statement without any embellishment.

It was appropriate for maintaining my concept, but not ideal for moving the conversation forward.

Even though they were an organization recognized beyond national certification—directly approved by a goddess—they weren’t an organization that operated publicly.

Therefore, they weren’t an organization easily recognized by name alone. In fact, one of the guards opened his mouth to ask for a more detailed explanation.

“Well, that’s… what kind of—”

“Ah, I understand. Please wait a moment. This seems beyond our authority, so we’ll need to report to our superiors.”

Fortunately, the guard beside him seemed to recognize who I was and took the questioning guard away to communicate with someone in the back.

‘I think it’s about time for you to come out naturally.’

‘You think so? Then I’ll come out.’

While one guard was communicating with his superiors, the other guard began to carefully observe my actions.

Though “observe” is putting it mildly—it was essentially surveillance.

In this situation, I signaled Lilly to emerge from my clothes as naturally as possible.

“Phew, it’s really stuffy inside clothes.”

With all eyes on me, when Lilly appeared, the heavy atmosphere created by my imposing presence completely reversed.

It was like people’s reactions to seeing a fantastic Pokémon. Adults were surprised, while watching children went wild exclaiming “Fairy!” with excitement.

Seeing such idol-like reactions upon her appearance, I could see Lilly’s pride visibly swell.

From a distance it might be hard to tell, but from my close perspective, I could clearly see Lilly becoming smug.

‘I really hope she acts properly…’

I looked at Lilly with anxious eyes, worried she might make some mistake.

Contrary to my concerns, Lilly fortunately performed her role well.

“Are we still far from departing? You know this matter is quite urgent.”

The role of an impatient complainant, that is.

With Lilly’s single remark, the communicating guard’s actions became visibly more hurried.

At that moment, I controlled the tension by speaking to Lilly in a cold voice.

“…I’m just waiting for the procedure. It might be better for you to cultivate some patience.”

“How can you be so calm! I told you it’s urgent, we don’t have time for this!”

As I slightly eased the tension, Lilly immediately jumped in to raise it back to maximum.

Repeating this for a short time, the guard probably felt like he aged decades in just a few minutes.

And the same was likely true for the higher-ups he was communicating with.

After continuing his communication in this nerve-wracking situation, the guard eventually approached us, seemingly finished with his conversation.

“Um… may I ask where you’re heading?”

“Gagap capital. Direct route. Urgent.”

Lilly spoke as if demanding quick processing, and the guard’s face rapidly turned pale upon hearing her words.

Her request was nearly impossible. So I mentioned the name of the city most convenient for reaching Gagap.

“To Ruvenia.”

“What? You know this is urgent. There’s a direct route right in front of us, and you want to take a detour?”

“If our information is correct, they’re likely to refuse connection from that side. Rather than risking our lives on uncertainty, it’s better to take the sure path.”

Lilly and I created an atmosphere of confrontation due to our conflicting opinions.

Though no actual battle occurred, we showed the seriousness of the situation by glaring at each other while releasing magical energy.

“Really! Fine, do whatever you want.”

“Then… I’ll prepare the connection to Ruvenia…”

The confrontation was staged to make it appear that I had won, and the guard confirmed our destination again, worried that Lilly might change her mind, before leaving to make arrangements.

Watching the guard hurry away, Lilly and I mentally high-fived each other.

‘Thankfully that went well.’

‘Of course, with my acting skills, no one can resist being fooled!’

From the beginning, when planning to use the gate, Lilly and I had targeted Ruvenia.

According to reports, there was a high probability that gate usage itself had already been prohibited.

‘Besides, direct transport to a foreign capital, not even in the same empire—that’s impossible with just throwing a tantrum.’

The reason we mentioned moving to Gagap was simple.

For faster processing. It was a signal that we could demand even more at any time.

That way, they would want to quickly send us elsewhere and pass the responsibility to someone else.

‘And it actually worked.’

Woong—

The sound announcing the gate’s activation was heard. As the gate prepared to open, vast magical energy could be felt gathering in the surrounding area.

‘They seem to be using magic stones too, yet there’s so much magical energy… no wonder it costs a fortune.’

While Lilly and I were watching the gate’s operation, the guard returned to inform us that preparations were complete.

“The activation has begun, so you’ll be able to use it shortly.”

Meanwhile, news of the gate’s activation attracted additional spectators.

Perhaps to control them, many more guards had been deployed—what started with just two guards had now grown to over twenty.

“It’s getting crowded. Let’s move before it becomes more troublesome.”

“Yes, understood. Please come this way.”

Guided to the gate entrance, Lilly and I surrendered ourselves to the light emitted by the gate.

* * *

The gate functioned properly and transported Lilly and me to Ruvenia.

However, there was a slight problem here too—people had gathered to watch the gate’s operation, but we were able to pass through smoothly thanks to the perception-inhibiting bracelet.

“There are quite a lot of merchants here.”

“A once-in-a-decade festival is about to be held in Gagap. It makes sense.”

Looking at the merchants’ luggage, ready to depart at any moment, I could easily notice the alcohol inside.

In fact, the beer smell was so strong in the area where carriages were gathered that it would have been stranger not to notice it.

‘Did someone spill something here… it’s filled with beer smell.’

The alcohol smell was so strong that just breathing made me feel like I might get drunk.

I worried about how much worse the smell would be in Gagap, where most of the population could be considered heavy drinkers.

“Sigh, let’s find a carriage we can hitch a ride on first.”

Thanks to the warp gate, a journey that would take three months could be significantly shortened, but since we hadn’t arrived directly at Gagap, additional travel was necessary.

‘I could just run there, but using a carriage would attract less attention.’

It wasn’t like I was possessed anymore, so if I just decided to run, I could probably reach there in about the same time as a carriage, regardless of stamina.

However, doing so would likely draw attention and could attract the notice of the Apostles, so it wasn’t a good idea.

Therefore, I needed to find a carriage to hitch a ride on.

“Hmm…”

With so many carriages to choose from, I was actually having a harder time deciding when Lilly pointed to one and said:

“Hmm… how about that carriage over there?”

Where Lilly pointed, there was a carriage preparing to depart immediately.