episode_0014

“Hey, Glen.”

“Huh?”

Even after the guild master left after finishing his meal, Glenn did not move from his spot. With his plate completely empty in front of him, he was lost in thought, drinking lemon soda little by little. With a more gloomy and shabby face than usual. Bartender Danielson did not say anything to him, and just cleared his plate. Someone else spoke to him.

“Grimes.”

“I heard the news. News about your request.”

It was Grimes’ appearance when he was much more subdued than before, when he was focused on his position as an ‘adventurer’. It was very different from the frivolous Grimes who would get excited whenever women were mentioned. It was the appearance of Grimes when he had previously spoken about ‘compensation’ when he had refused the saint’s request.

“I heard. Did the guild master tell you?”

“Yeah. I thought he would tell me too. But he was surprisingly willing to tell me. He said that rumors would spread soon anyway. That the story of a noble challenging the saintess to a duel would spread throughout the capital.”

“Yes.”

It’s already been 10 days since I personally heard the request. It’s been 7 days since I accepted it and started training in earnest. In the meantime, the saintess has visited the guild several times and has been going around here and there with me, so it would be strange if there weren’t rumors. Of all people, the saintess of the Air Grants Church has shown up, so there’s no way it wouldn’t become a topic of conversation.

“And just in case, I looked into it. Which noble family challenged the saintess to a duel?”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

Still, Grimes was looking at him with a serious face. Despite that serious gaze, Glenn savored his lemon soda without even turning his head. Grimes silently stared at his calm, or rather, pretending to be calm, friend before opening his mouth.

“I heard. What kind of relationship did that noble have with the Duke of Arklight, the mastermind behind the incident that caused you to suffer a year and three months ago and end up like this?”

Thump. Glenn’s heart responded.

“…”

The reason Grimes didn’t mention the family name so easily was because of the experience he gained from working as an adventurer. The reason he mentioned the duke’s name was because it was no longer dangerous to mention it. Despite those words, Glenn pretended to be calm and sipped his lemon soda, but Grimes could tell that Glenn’s hands were shaking slightly.

I wanted to sigh. Still, still this guy…

“That’s right.”

“That’s right, it can’t be sorted out like that. Glenn! A year and three months ago, the family that provided enormous funds and manpower to the Duke of Arklight, who caused you great harm with ‘that incident’. You’re one of the guys who caused you trouble, the one who provided the cause! Somehow or another, he cleverly avoided punishment…that kind of guy! ”

“I see. So?”

“So that’s why?”

Glenn put his drink down on the bar. Only then did he turn his gaze to his friend Grimes. Grimes was looking at him with a face that was a mixture of anger, regret, and sighs. Look at how worried you are, my friend. Glenn almost snickered for a moment, but held it back.

“So what are you trying to say, Grimes?”

“Glen! You…you…”

Grimes hesitated. The way she was chewing on her lips seemed to indicate that she was extremely conflicted about whether or not to say something. Hoo, Glenn let out a sigh. Even without that conflict, he could honestly guess what she would say.

“You…are not using this request…against the saint…for your personal revenge, are you?”

“…”

What the heck. Did you suddenly come back from reading a mystery novel like Marshall James? You fell asleep while playing detective. Glenn snickered.

But this time too, it couldn’t be completely denied.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hello. I am truly sorry to come to you so suddenly. Your Majesty. I have come to see you because you are a client of our guild’s flagship adventurer, Glenn.”

“I hope you are well. It is okay. I, Milicia Airgrants, welcome Master Dolores Rashford of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Although she answered politely, Saint Milicia Airgrants was actually a bit embarrassed.

Early in the morning, her whole body ached and her legs especially hurt so much that it was hard to walk, but she carried out her promise to Glenn. She went to Opperspelle and delivered the seventh declaration of war.

Opperspelle looked very tired at the declaration he made desperately while enduring the pain.

After that, I returned to the mansion, applied painkiller to the sore spot, and lay down to rest. It wasn’t laziness, it was laziness. As time passed, the pain gradually subsided, and I was thinking of going to the guild, but Butler Douglas brought me strange news. The guild master of the adventurer’s guild that Glenn belonged to had come to visit.

In the past, even when the mansion was overflowing with servants, there were hardly any people who came to the saint’s mansion without an invitation. This was because the church was preventing those who came to the saint’s mansion without a reason.

However, after the saint went to duel and the mansion was left with no servants except butler Douglas, people began to want to step into the forbidden place.

However, the experienced butler Douglas was almost holding them back. Except for Glenn and the guild master who had just arrived.

In fact, even if he was the guild master, he would not have let him into the mansion unless it was for a simple matter. However, Douglas was the one who recommended Glenn to the saintess. So, when the guild master said, “There is something I must tell you about our guild adventurer Glenn,” he did not refuse and told the saintess about the guild master’s visit.

The saintess was surprised and hesitated for a moment, then nodded and welcomed his visit.

Butler Douglas, like a veteran, quickly prepared to welcome the guest despite the guild master’s sudden visit. A simple but sufficient refreshment and fragrant tea were served to the saint and the guild master.

Oh, and of course, to Chris, the guild master’s attendant waiting behind.

“Wow…this is the saint’s mansion…it’s warm…it’s beautiful…I’m jealous, Mr. Glen…”

The guild master and the saintess began to chat, leaving Chris behind, who was completely absorbed in the atmosphere, tea in hand, and his expression relaxed.

“Thank you for nominating Glenn, one of the best adventurers in our guild. My Lady. I was feeling a bit sorry for him, as he has been in a slump, not taking on any commissions lately, focusing only on his hobbies, and showing no interest in adventure work. I can’t thank you enough. ”

“No, Master Rashford. Glenn has been very considerate and has even kindly guided me through my training. I am always grateful for the help he gave me in my most desperate situation.”

“Thank you for telling me that. Do you think Glenn is doing well?”

“I think you are a kind, gentle, and very capable teacher. You are more than enough for me.”

“Hahaha, what a teacher to be, a saintess. Glenn would be very happy to hear that.”

The two exchanged customary greetings and enjoyed tea and refreshments.

No, she was enjoying herself. The saintess was talking to the guild master, expressing the two words ‘courtesy and manners’ with her whole body, not even showing a tenth of the emotions she had shown in front of Glenn. Although she was of commoner origin, she was a saint who had been educated in the church for over ten years. In the first place, she was always like this when talking to other nobles or high-ranking clergy besides Glenn.

“Let me be honest, Saint. I actually admire you. Glenn is a capable adventurer, but he hasn’t done anything proper for over a year now, and he doesn’t seem to have any motivation to do anything in the future. As you can see, he has changed in almost every way from his appearance to his behavior compared to a year and three months ago. I think you deserve full credit for your ability to lead Glenn like that.”

“Ah…yes. Thank you.”

Something, it seemed like there was more to the story. For some reason, the guild master praised the saintess’s abilities, but threw out some vague information as if he wanted the saintess to dig into this part.

1 year and 3 months. Motivation. Activity. Appearance. It mentioned all the things that the saintess cared about.

What should I do? Is it okay to ask? I hesitated for a moment, but soon made up my mind. After all, the reason the guild master came here was likely to convey the information that the saintess was curious about in the first place.

“To be honest, when I first met Glenn, I was a little taken aback. He looked so different from the Glenn I saw from afar three years ago. What on earth happened to Glenn?”

“Hmm. Originally, you shouldn’t arbitrarily leak information about adventurers, but…”

The guild master muttered as he glanced away. The saintess was able to discern the guild master’s intentions through the flow of his gaze. Finally, the saintess opened her mouth.

“Douglas, would you mind leaving for a moment?”

“Okay, I understand, Your Majesty.”

In response, the guild master also opened his mouth.

“Hey, Chris. Why don’t you take Douglas on a tour of the mansion? Isn’t it a rare opportunity to visit the Saint’s mansion?”

“Uh, Ma, Master? Are you okay?”

“Of course! It’s a good boss’ job to give his subordinates good opportunities. May I ask the butler for some guidance, Saintess?

“Yes. Douglas, please.”

“Okay, Your Majesty. Chris, I will show you around the mansion.”

“Oh, yes! Father, please.”

The attendant Chris left with Douglas with a puzzled look on his face. There was silence for a moment. Then, with the sound of teacups being tugged, the guild master spoke first.

“Your Majesty. How much do you know about a man named Glen?”

“Ah, for now… I only know that he is one of the best adventurers in the kingdom. I only heard that he is the best in hand-to-hand combat. I heard that he made a great contribution in the fight against the Demon King’s army three years ago.”

Besides that, the only information the saint knew about Glenn was the stories of his past training.

“Hmm, I see. As you know, Glenn is the best in our Adventurer’s Guild. Thanks to that, he was always the first to prepare for all sorts of big events, such as… a large army of monsters discovered in a noble’s territory, a rare and strong demonic beast running wild, or a request from the guild to escort a high-ranking noble or official. He was even requested to do work that the kingdom needed, to the point where he was recognized by His Majesty as a gold badge and a high-level adventurer. ”

I have heard the story.

A golden badge. It was a symbol awarded to the strongest adventurers, of which there were only seven in the Kingdom of Alcrea. It could only be awarded to those who were recognized by both the guild and the royal family. In other words, receiving this badge meant that one was recognized as the best adventurer in the Kingdom.

“Glen had been on numerous missions since he was awarded the gold badge three years ago. Then, one year and three months ago, he was offered a commission by a nobleman with a huge reward.”

“Ah…”

If it was some noble… The saintess recalled the information in her memory. It was information she had been looking for since the number 1 year and 3 months had caught her attention. Could it be that this was an incident involving the duke? The guild master nodded as if he had read the saintess’s expression.

“Yes, my lady. It is as you predicted. It is the Duke of Arclight. It is the family that caused a stir in the world with a large-scale rebellion incident 1 year and 3 months ago. They asked Glenn, the greatest adventurer in the kingdom, to escort and protect them. Of course, it was to escort and protect all the activities on ‘that island’ that they had been planning for a long time. Glenn accepted the request and boarded a ship to the island. ”

The saint bit her lips carefully. She knew this story well. It was a huge incident that had been on the lips of the people of the kingdom for over half a year, since the incident occurred almost a year and three months ago.

The whole story known at the time was as follows. The Arkwright family gathered followers and assets with the ambition of establishing their own country on a secretly discovered island. Hundreds of people and tens of millions of dollars gathered together to develop the unknown island they discovered, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

However, due to the accusations of several adventurers and people, Duke Arklight’s plan was leaked, and the royal army stormed in, attacked the island, captured Duke Arklight, and executed him.

“Of course, it is known to the world. However, there are some hidden stories that are not known.”

The guild master smiled. It was a bitter smile.

“I repeat, the Golden Badge can never be awarded without His Majesty the King’s consent. And it doesn’t end with just receiving it. You must actively carry out the missions given by the Kingdom as a way to repay the Kingdom’s favor. Otherwise, you may lose the Golden Badge. The Royal Intelligence Network at the time was not lax. They had some idea of the Arkwrights’ plot and secretly dispatched someone to find related evidence. Yes, the person in charge of the secret mission was none other than Glenn.”

As soon as the news was discovered that Glenn, a great adventurer, had received a commission from the Duke of Arclight, the kingdom secretly issued an edict to him. The saintess had never thought that such a secret was hidden. Glenn, who had received the king’s order.

“I wish things could go as planned here…but there was actually a hidden secret about the island. First of all, the island wasn’t just filled with the vassals of the Duke of Arklight, their servants, and adventurers. The noble investors who had secretly invested in the Duke, and hundreds of commoners selected from the territories of those investors, were forcibly relocated to the island. In addition, hundreds of refugees who had wandered due to the war also flowed into the island. The Duke was gradually putting his plan into action. Fortunately, Glenn was able to find all the evidence, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Until that incident.”

“What is that incident?”

The guildmaster paused for a moment. The saintess noticed that his expression was extremely serious. The composure that had remained even when he had been talking seriously a moment ago had completely disappeared. He told the shocking truth with a gloomy face.

“That unknown island wasn’t just any island. There was something else there.”

“The first thing they discovered was a ruin. It is said that there was a stone tablet with the following words written on it under the ruin. ‘This is the territory of the sea god. Intrusion by those who oppose the sea god will not be tolerated.’ It is said that the adventurers who first discovered the ruins continued to explore even after reading the words. And after a while, it is said that a disaster occurred on the island.”

“Abigyuhuan…what are you talking about?”

“I only know what I know from the survivors’ testimonies and Glenn’s. However…giant tentacles, like beards, emerged from the ruins, attacked the adventurers, then the coast where people had moved, and finally covered the entire island.”