Chapter 78 – Information Guild

Dinner with my father was quite peaceful.

It shouldn’t have been.

I was planning on asking about the hidden history of Eustetia, the parts I deliberately skipped in the Forbidden Library.

That was the plan, but… I didn’t ask.

Instead, we just chatted about trivial matters.

Things that happened at the academy, reaching the 5th Rank, gossip about the royal family, and other such things.

Oh, and I showed him the Terminal, too.

My father didn’t seem too surprised, he probably already knew about it. But seeing the list of… well, “friends” in my contacts did make him smile warmly.

And when he saw Fabiana’s name, he was greatly surprised and worried unnecessarily.

The entire time, Father seemed worried about what I might ask him. Almost as if he were waiting for me to bring it up.

Yet, I didn’t ask anything.

I just… didn’t want to break that moment of peace.

If it were my past self, I wouldn’t have hesitated to ask him immediately… but why have I changed?

It seems that my heart has softened a bit.

Is it because of this body? Has my once steadfast resolve gone soft?

No way, that’s impossible.

It’s probably just that I’ve become a bit more mature mentally. And since I had been spending my time in such a peaceful and warm home, it’s natural for things to change.

And more than anything… well.

I didn’t want to burden my father with heavy topics after seeing him again after so long. I didn’t want to worry or trouble him.

***

And the Commander of the Nameless.

She was part of that peaceful atmosphere too.

But that person didn’t eat a single thing.

And she didn’t say anything either.

She just sat there, and her only reactions were cynical nods, tilting her head, and shaking her head. That was all.

I don’t know why she even bothered tagging along.

I even told her, implying that she should be working instead of coming along, to just leave everything to Uncle Kerian.

Hearing that, she seemed terribly heartbroken, her head hanging low, and sulked for a while.

Someday… I want to see her face without that mask.

She absolutely refuses to take it off, but it’s human nature to be even more curious when someone tries to hide something.

At least, that’s how I am.

I was born with the nature of a rebel, and I’ve been told I’m stubborn my entire life.

So, the more someone resists, the more I want to do it.

I’m not sure when, but I made up my mind, I’ll see that face behind that mask within five years.

***

After sharing all sorts of conversations, reminiscing about memories, laughing, and enjoying food and drinks, we finished a lovely dinner.

My father said it was time to return to the Eustetia Dukedom, and after dropping me off at the academy, quickly departed.

After seeing me safely through the gates, the Nameless Commander also turned and strode off, disappearing into the crowd with the grace of a panther.

Left alone, instead of heading back to the academy, I walked in the opposite direction the Commander went,

Toward the back alleys where Stella had almost been kidnapped.

I’d heard bits and pieces from Sarah, but after confirming the details with the information from the Forbidden Library, the back alleys of the capital seemed even filthier than Gevihenum, but in a completely different way.

It’s natural for demons to kill humans.

Even monsters, Black Magicians, or even wild animals killing humans is natural.

If we’re being generous, even humans killing humans could be considered natural.

But simply killing is not the end of it.

The people in the back alleys, buy and sell humans.

To be more precise… there are also people who sell specific body parts to satiate their perverse desires.

Well… they say that most of the victims are people with no ties or those who “deserve” it.

Well, I’ll believe it when I see it.

In any case, the back alleys of the capital are a lawless zone that even the Empire’s nobles tacitly “use.”

To the high and mighty, these places are convenient tools. Since the inhabitants are the dregs of society, those who can even survive such a place are considered useful.

Typical work includes contract killings, tax evasion, money laundering, and so on. But that’s not what I’m here for.

I’m here to look for the petty thieves.

Or, to put it politely, an information guild.

Not that I’m really looking for them, I already know where those guys are hiding.

Three in the capital.

One in the Holy Kingdom.

And if you searched the neighboring countries, you’d find just under a dozen more.

There might be more now, or fewer, but that didn’t matter.

Right now, I’m on my way to the headquarters of the information guild.

I thought about bringing the Commander with me, but I didn’t want her to see this side of me.

The same went for my father and Uncle Kerian.

Someday, the Nameless would hear about this, but that could be resolved by making sure their mouths stayed shut.

As long as I didn’t get noticed until I found their headquarters, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Probably? Well, if someone from the information guild is with the Nameless, then it might be a problem.

I’ll worry about that later. This wasn’t the time to be concerned over such trivialities.

***

I had told the Nameless about something being underground.

But who knew that something resembling my grave, that gift Arisa left, would be down there?

Not just the weapons I often used, but also a variety of potions, high-quality mana stones, gems, gold coins, and even what looked like a Dragon Heart shard.

And most importantly, an elixir.

A purple elixir.

A divine treasure that surpassed even the highest tier.

“…That’s definitely mine.”

Just thinking about it made my mouth water.

***

I’d tied my hair up tightly and concealed it well.

Though it was expensive, the hood I wrapped around my body was imbued with high-quality concealment magic.

I also brought along a dozen mid-grade healing potions. They would certainly come in handy.

There were no signs of being followed on my way here, and I didn’t even see Adelia’s cursed crow.

The only ones who noticed me were the merchants in the back alley. Even they didn’t look at me as some noble lady, but as someone on their level, a fellow alley dweller.

Things were going well.

With a satisfied smile, I looked toward the shabby door before me.

The entrance of a tavern filled with rowdy noise.

The sign read [Pierce’s.]

This was the headquarters of the Information Guild.

The leader of the petty thieves was in there.

Of course, even among the nobles, very few were aware of this.

Perhaps even Fabiana wouldn’t know.

Well, someone like the Nameless might, but without information-gathering skills of that caliber, this place would appear as no more than an ordinary tavern.

I opened the shabby door.

‘Creak-‘ The door made a loud, grating sound as it opened. It was unnecessarily loud, enough to announce someone’s arrival without the need for a bell.

It had been designed this way intentionally.

It was a custom I was quite familiar with from my past life, immersed as I was in mercenary culture.

“…Heh.”

A small chuckle escaped me at this nostalgic feeling.

And when the chuckle faded, what I saw was a bunch of mugs, faces so vicious Yurasia would have drawn her sword if she were there.

For them to be drinking like this in a back alley, they must be fairly strong.

Half of them were probably members of the Information Guild.

“…Wow, what a scary-looking bunch.”

I let out another chuckle, ignoring them and kept walking.

Step, step

Every light footstep drew their attention.

The noise died down, complete silence fell upon the tavern, and then,

“Who the hell is this brat?”

“Kahaha! Hey, kid! This isn’t a place for someone like you! You here to beg?”

“Or are you selling yourself?”

“Who would want that scrawny thing? Hahaha!”

Mocking laughter erupted from all directions.

Expected. So expected that it was almost boring.

There was no reason for me to snap.

I memorized every single one of their faces.

I had already assessed them, calculated how I’d deal with each of them.

So, I kept walking toward the bar, where a man with a permanent smirk was standing.

“Hey little girl, did you come to eat? You got money? If you’re here to sell your body, then head upstairs. I doubt anyone would buy you though, kehehe.”

As I arrived at the counter, the bartender, who seemed to be the owner, leaned in and spoke.

I stared right at him and answered,

“I’m here to buy information.”

“Information? What kind of information? You want to know this big bro’s size or something? Hehe.”

Ignoring his comment, I continued,

“Ophelia Blumin. Where is she?”

Ophelia Blumin.

The leader of the information guild [Uranos].

At the mention of that name, the bartender’s face hardened.

“…Hey kid, who the fuck told you that name?”

His tone became sharp, and the others in the tavern quieted down, staring at me.

Ignoring them, I asked again,

“Ophelia Blumin. Where is she?”

My voice echoed through the silent tavern.

And at the mention of that name, some stood up.

Some were shaking, and some went out of the tavern.

“Ha, what a crazy brat.”

The bartender leaned closer.

A foul stench, as if he hadn’t wiped his mouth, wafted toward me.

“I don’t know who’s backing you, but that doesn’t matter here. So, tell me the truth. Who is it? Which bastard told you? If you do, I might give you some birth control pills. Yeah, since you’re so small, you’d probably need painkillers too. I’ll get you any pill you want, so just tell me. Tell me, and you might be able to leave here alive.”

He swallowed his saliva. I could smell the stench from his mouth as he looked at me.

I looked around, staring back at him.

The ones who stood up must have been members of the Information Guild.

The ones who were trembling were just regular customers. And the ones who went outside…

No, they didn’t leave.

There was no sound of footsteps, no presence.

A faint tremor could be felt from the underground below.

They had gone underground. To inform their boss about the unexpected visitor.

I grinned, pointing towards the floor.

“So, the big boss is hiding underground like a rat?”

The bartender’s face turned red.

Gnashing his teeth, he raised the machete he was holding.

At the same time,

“You little…”

Crack.

The bartender’s nose was crushed. His cheekbone caved in. His eyeball burst. His jaw was shattered. His teeth were all knocked out. His ribs were broken, and blood was pooling on the floor.

Two seconds.

That’s how long it took for the bartender, whose mouth stank, to collapse face-first into a pool of blood, unconscious.

Wiping the blood off my hands roughly, I looked around.

“Next.”