77 – Imperial Capital Ethelmarion (5)
Russell’s Crescent Moon was a guild that collected information from all over the empire.
Although it is currently in the process of recovering from a major blow, it does not mean that the widely spread roots were pulled out all at once.
It is true that it still takes quite some time to recover all the damage. Still, the remaining roots could still be used.
Fortunately, the remaining base in the capital, Ethelmarion, was like that.
It is said that he went into hiding with the intention of becoming independent if Crescent Moon failed, but fortunately independence did not happen.
As it was the most important place, it was thanks to Russell having placed trustworthy people there.
After Russell had been struggling for a few days, he finally contacted me.
All information must be exchanged in a very quiet or, conversely, very noisy place.
Among them, the one we arrived at this time was the latter.
Although it may not be considered a slum, it is a street lined with old buildings.
It was the place where the so-called Old Town was located. Among them, the place we headed to was a bustling bar.
A private room was prepared exclusively for reserved guests.
Is the person waiting in the room a dwarf who looks bad-tempered?
Even at first glance, it was a face that looked angry.
The dwarf looked at Russell’s shoulder and frowned in shock.
A gruff voice sarcastically towards Russell.
“What an idiot. No, now I really have to be called an asshole. “Every day, I was like, ‘I’m not good enough,’ but now I’m really missing one arm.”
“It’s been a while since I last saw you, but you’re being harsh. “I know you’re glad to see me.”
“Nice to meet you? Oh, Goddess of lovingkindness. It is too difficult for your little child to follow your noble teachings. Please lend me a merciful heart so that I don’t crush this idiot’s bamboo tube.”
“hahahaha. You are still the same. “I was relieved.”
The dwarf put her hands together and prayed.
She pretended to do exactly that.
He tried to mock Russell as much as he could, but his temper got the better of him, and he happened to have a wooden drinking cup in his hand.
The wooden goblet flew past Russell. It didn’t seem like there was much force.
“Hey you damn bastard!”
“Are friends really like this?”
“Friend, what kind of dragon are you talking about eating grass? “You have three arms and legs in total, and I have four, so shouldn’t you treat me as your older brother?”
“Heh heh. “This guy is really like this.”
Four beer glasses were naturally placed on the table.
It was a beer I had never ordered.
Since the two people were drinking naturally, I thought it must be a place like this and drank along.
Anyway, it’s a bar after all.
I didn’t like it at all. It was because of Sirien.
Next to me, small lips gulped down beer.
Although he pretended not to do so, the corners of his mouth were slowly turning up.
I usually like sweet things so much, but I can’t understand why I like alcohol so much.
He also has bad drinking habits.
The dwarf looked at Russell and sighed.
Although he spoke harshly, he seemed quite worried.
“Still, I’m glad I’m still taking care of everything. “I also came before it was too late.”
“Isn’t it too late? “It looks like you discovered something new in the meantime.”
“Yes. That’s the problem. “The number of cases is so large that it is a headache.”
The dwarf groaned and pressed his temple.
He took out a piece of paper and placed it on top.
“Look at this first. “This is a report that arrived from the rangers in the Northern Mountains the day before yesterday, and we also obtained it some time ago.”
“Let’s read it first. “I think it’s more important to you two.”
“Hmm. “Have you decided to let go at all?”
“It’s not that far yet. I couldn’t make up my mind. Still, I think I should do something safe if possible.”
“Well, do whatever you want. “If you look at your expression better than last time, it seems like you learned something from losing an arm.”
“I learned something good.”
The contents of the report were not very long.
An incident in which a village was wiped out in the northern mountains.
The content was that the act appeared to be the work of a magical beast called ‘Red Feather.’
A story I heard in passing came to mind.
This was what the ranger who escorted us in the Northern Mountains told us.
He said there was a demon with red feathers. They said he was a clever guy and it wouldn’t be easy to track him down.
It wasn’t that rare for a demonic beast to attack a human.
It’s a big deal that it’s difficult to track down strong magical beasts, but that’s a problem the rangers can solve.
Although it is a serious issue, I don’t think it will be important to us.
Sirien also read the report, but he didn’t seem to be particularly impressed.
“It’s a demonic beast whose name I’ve probably heard of. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard your name yet. How can I call you?”
“What good can there be in having a clear conversation with a guy like me? Just call me a midget. “I’m not curious about your name either.”
“It’s because of safety. “Even if something goes wrong on either side, we will do it without a problem.”
“Russell, I can’t help it, but if your names come out of my mouth, won’t you be in trouble?”
“I see. Understand.”
Is this an unwritten rule of this world?
The dwarf stood up for a moment. It was because his glass was empty.
New beer was poured from a large oak barrel, and Sirien, seeing it, poured the same with her eyes shining.
I was worried for a moment. I’m wondering if it’s okay to drink more of that. I concluded that there was nothing I could do about it right now.
The dwarf spoke again.
“Anyway, that red feather guy probably isn’t a demon.”
“So you’re saying I’m a demon?”
“Oh, you know exactly.”
No. I didn’t know what I said.
Sirien, who was drinking beer, glanced at the dwarf.
It was proof that there was interest in the conversation.
The dwarf laughed.
“What you just saw involved demons. “It’s going to be a bit of a long story, so listen slowly.”
* * *
Of course, Crescent Moon was not the only one doing the so-called ‘backroom work’ at Edelmarion.
In any country, central politics is prone to all kinds of scheming.
To plan well, you had to know how to use dirty tools.
Each family made its own people to become such ‘tools’, but there were also cases where they were hired for a small fee.
Although it wasn’t a place of competition like Requitas, it meant that it had its own industry.
– There is a proverb that has been handed down for a long time, even among people like us. It’s a maxim that’s much more important than skills or anything. Anyone who doesn’t know that will end up in trouble like Russell.
– This is a proverb that says not to swallow too much food. If you try to swallow food that is too large, your mouth will tear, and if you swallow food that is too valuable, your stomach will split.
– Yes. Think and listen to that proverb. There is a guy who came to see me not long ago. He was a pretty ambitious guy, but he was absolutely terrified. He said he felt like his mouth was going to be torn apart.
The dwarf told the story without hesitation.
The man he met seemed to have spoken in a rather roundabout way, but he couldn’t fool the dwarf.
Crescent Moon was the first guild to notice the Marquis of Eloran’s secrets, and of course the news reached the dwarves’ ears.
The point is that her man was in charge of hiding the demons all the way to the northern mountains.
If you trace the employer, you will find the Marquis of Eloran, but he did not mention it.
From Noble mtl dot com
He also knew that it was a dangerous task.
Because it was something that could have been sent straight to the guillotine.
Still, the fact that it was accepted means that there was a tempting bait.
It was okay at first. Because he was as talented as he was ambitious.
All the side roads and corrupt estates throughout the empire were his playground.
The problem is that the hidden demons are becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
They were supposed to remain quiet until at least next year, but they attacked merchants and even destroyed private houses this time.
Even so, the rangers who were on guard said they were conducting a large-scale search.
Professional in mountaineering and search. Rangers are elites who are not corrupted even in a corrupt empire.
Now that the subjugation order has been mentioned, it has become impossible to know when the hidden demons will be discovered.
Their search was still strangling the man.
– He seemed to have become very impatient as he thought the guild leader was just around the corner.
– It seemed like he wanted to let go right away. If the story goes well, they will be able to easily get what they want.
– The meeting place and time is here. Look for the guy with the cross-shaped scar under his chin.
There is only one day left until the meeting date.
If he hadn’t met us today, the dwarf was going to ‘clean up’ his man.
After the main topic was over, we didn’t talk much.
The dwarf left first, and told us to wait at least 30 more minutes before leaving.
In the meantime, we had to closely monitor Sirien to make sure he did not drink too much.
When Sirien gets drunk…… It wasn’t easy.
It really wasn’t easy.
“Razen. “Can we drink a little more and go?”
“No. “How long has it been since you had an accident?”
“Today is beer!”
“Even back then, it started with beer.”
I defended myself like an iron wall.
Also, hearing quickly was a requirement.
If such things continue to happen, no matter how much I do, it becomes unbearable.