CH 101

[Alfine’s Whereabouts]

After leaving the residence of the Henestrosa family in the noble district with Noelia, I follow the familiar road to the Adventurer’s Guild of the royal capital in the downtown area.

The hoisted symbol design of the Adventurer’s Guild of the royal capital is shaped like an eagle flapping its wings.

Eagle was the favorite animal of the first king of the kingdom of Hartford; it was considered sacred in the royal capital and was also used in the crest of the royal family.

“As expected of the Adventurer’s Guild of the royal capital. Its building is larger and also more magnificent than the guild of Youg Hannotes. I have only ever visited the royal capital as the daughter of the frontier count or as the kingdom’s magic researcher to report the result of my research. It is my first time coming to the Adventurer’s Guild here.” (Noelia)

It seems that Noelia, a platinum-rank adventurer of Youg Hannotes, has never take a request in the royal capital; she is impressed by the Adventurer’s Guild building.

This place was a place that I had been going in and out of for five years as the swordsman Finn.

“It’s a familiar place for me.” (Frick)

“No, it is also Frick-sama’s first time coming here.” (Noelia)

Before leaving Henestrosa family’s residence, she asked me to do the information gathering on Alfine not as the swordsman Finn, but as the adventurer of Youg Hannotes Frick.

It’s because if I were to gather information in the royal capital as the swordsman Finn, Radcliffe family who are looking the whereabouts of Alfine – who seems to have escaped from them – might put their eyes on me.

“Now that you mention, that’s right. It is my first visit as the magic swordsman Frick.” (Frick)

“Yes, it is so. If Frick-sama tells me who is likely to know Alfine-sama’s whereabouts, I will go talk to them.” (Noelia)

“Sorry for troubling you, Noelia.” (Frick)

“Frick-sama, you have nothing to apologize for.” (Noelia)

Having stopped me, who was trying to apologize, with an earnest expression, Noelia takes my hand and enters the Adventurer’s Guild.

At near dusk in the Adventurer’s Guild, the adventurers who have finished their requests and have their purses warmed up with cash are surrounded by the hustle and bustle of drinking in the waiting room with today’s earnings.

Many adventurers who returned after completing their request have cheap ale and wine provided by the cafeteria of the waiting room together with side dishes for dinner.

Some of them fortifying themselves with a meal before going out to the red-light district at nightfall. 

Therefore, there are many adventurers at this time of dusk, just like during the rush hour of taking requests in the morning.

“There were many adventurers in Youg Hannotes, but there sure are many more of them in the royal capital.” (Noelia)

“Ahh, they are many in numbers only.” (Frick)

It is not uncommon for youths who went broke in the outskirt villages to go to the royal capital to hit big, and register as a fledgling adventurer – which anyone can do – while having neither skills nor knowledge, then live in poverty with barely anything to eat or even be defeated by monsters at the request destination and have their corpses left out in the plain.

After becoming adults at the age of 15, Alfine and I left the village orphanage and went to the royal capital to become adventurers with the same thought as those youths.

Fortunately, both Alfine and I had a talent for sword, so we were able to stand out as hunters specializing in monster subjugation, and we didn’t have to step into the end of many fledgling adventurers.

After getting a nostalgic feeling with the atmosphere of the Adventurer’s Guild in the royal capital that I visited for the first time in a long time, I spot a familiar face among the adventurers drinking in the waiting room.

“Noelia, the brown-haired young female adventurer wearing black leather armor over there——”

The one I point at is Sophie, a searcher.

We had been familiar with her since our fledgling days, she was a girl who would cheerfully strike up a conversation with Alfine who had almost no interaction with the other adventurers.

Though since Alfine was called the Sword Master and became a noble, Sophie seemed to become reserved toward her, so they ended up talking less often too.

It’s possible that Alfine who is being chased by Gile is relying on her,

“That person, is it?” (Noelia)

“Ahh, she was a girl liked by Alfine who was picky about people.” (Frick)

“Then, I will go ask her.” (Noelia)

“I’ll go with you. If I wear my cloak low over my eyes, she probably won’t realize that it is me since my appearance has changed after all.”

After saying that, I pull my cloak low over my eyes so that my face couldn’t be seen clearly.

Having seen that, Noelia nods quietly, and with me, she walks up to Sophie, who is drinking and chatting with her fellow adventurers.

“Excuse me, is it true that you are the silver-rank adventurer Sophie the searcher?” (Noelia)

Noelia asks Sophie – who is serving alcohol – a question politely.

“Hm? Who are you? I’ve never seen your face around here tho——” (Sophie)

Sophie’s gaze focuses on the adventurer badge worn by Noelia.

“Dragon symbol design!? Moreover, platinum!? At that age!?” (Sophie)

I can see Sophie’s eyes opened widely in surprise seeing Noelia’s badge.

As I thought, that’s what you would think normally, right?

You wouldn’t expect a young and delicate girl like Noelia could become a platinum-rank, the highest peak of adventurers.

“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Noelia Henestrosa.” (Noelia)

“Henestrosa…… the frontier count family of Youg Hannotes. A young mage and a platinum-rank adventurer…… nh!? The ‘Infinite Mage’ Noelia Henestrosa! The hero’s daughter!? I-it’s my first time seeing you.” (Sophie)

The words uttered by Sophie gather the eyes of the surrounding adventurers on Noelia.

“Why is the daughter of Frontier Count in the Adventurer’s Guild of the royal capital!”

“The heck would I know. Ain’t it coz she got a business?”

“I thought she is more of a rough woman because she is the daughter of that hero Lloyd, though. Isn’t she super cute?”

“You idiot. Though she looks young, she is a great mage and a hunter specializing in monster subjugation who has reached platinum-rank y’know. I’ve heard some rumors about her, such as that she could break the crystal ball for measuring magic power, or that she made uncountable mages ended up being beyond recovery by doing magic power synchronization with them.”

“By being beyond recovery, you mean…..” 

“If they who have been diligently studying and raising their magic power for years got their magic power easily surpassed by such a young mage, well as people who use magic, it wouldn’t be weird even if they got heartbroken. Cause mages are people who lives basically on pride after all.”

I can hear the surrounding adventurers talking about various rumors of Noelia.

Noelia doesn’t seem to care about the outsiders’ voice, as she asks the surprised Sophie her name again,

“I will ask again, but you are certainly Sophie-sama, correct?” (Noelia)

“Y-yes. That’s right.” (Sophie)

“If it is okay with you, I would like to have a meal and at the same time discuss about a request with you at the private room above. Do you have time?”

The sweetly smiling Noelia proposes to Sophie to talk in an unobtrusive place.

Certainly, it’s hard to ask about Alfine with all this attention.

If it’s in the private room on the second floor, the information that we’re looking for Alfine will be less likely to leak out.

Gile seems to be moving to search for Alfine as well after all, so we have to be careful.

“Are saying that the Henestrosa family would like to give me a request?” (Sophie)

“Yes, it is a personal request, so I would like to talk to Sophie-sama only.” (Noelia)

I see Sophies’ companions hang their heads down when they heard Noelia’s proposal, crestfallen.

They probably thought that if they get a designated request from a noble, they, silver-rankers, would have the opportunity to get a large sum of money.

I can sympathize with their disappointment.

“Individual designated request, is it…? Well, I don’t know if I will accept it, but will you let me hear the story?” (Sophie)

Seeing her disappointed companions, Sophie makes a troubled look, but she is willing to have a talk in the private room.

“Understood. Then, I will go rent the private room above, so please wait for a bit.” (Noelia)

We then go to the guild reception desk, reveal the name of Henestrosa family, pay the stipulated amount of money, and go upstairs accompanied by Sophie after renting the private room.

The private room on the second floor is only large enough to accommodate a few adults with a table and chairs for four, but the walls and doors are made thicker, so it is usually used for negotiation about requests that cannot be made public as well as secret talks between adventurers.

After Noelia sat face-to-face with Sophie, I stand in front of the entrance door to prevent intruders from entering.

“So, I’ll be cutting to the chase, but what is the request from the Henestrosa family? Recently, I’ve been depressed all the time and even today I just drank as a distraction without receiving a request, so I’m out of money, you see.” (Sophie)

She used to be a girl who always warded off Alfine’s sharp words and action with her brightness and cheerfulness, but now she looks very tired.

“Actually, what I said about a designated request was a lie. In truth, I invite Sophie-sama to this private room to ask if you know the whereabouts of the Sword Master – Alfine-sama. Please forgive me if I make you feel uncomfortable.” (Noelia)

I can see the color of anger appearing in Sophie’s complexion after she heard Noelia’s words.

“You want to know about Alfine’s whereabouts, you say? I wonder how could the daughter of frontier count doesn’t even know that!” (Sophie)

Sophie, showing her anger, slams the cup she has in her hand on the desk.

“She has been hanged in front of the gate leading to the noble district, isn’t she! Even though she wasn’t a girl so bad that she deserved to be displayed in such a miserable appearance! Alfine would’ve never do such a stupid thing had Finn was by her side!” (Sophie)

Sophie’s words pierce my chest.

She’s highly likely to be alive, but it is true that I’ve abandoned Alfine.

“No, who I am looking for is not the hanged Alfine-sama, but the ‘real’ Alfine-sama. I personally heard from a certain source that Sophie-sama might know her whereabouts, so I came to ask you as soon as possible.” (Nophelia)

“’Real’? Do you mean to say that the hanged one is a fake?” (Sophia)

“Yes, my Henestrosa family views it like that. We believe that Sword Master Alfine-sama is alive somewhere, that is why we are looking for her whereabouts. My father – Lloyd have always been eager to have Alfine-sama take on the role of the swordsmanship instructor of his knight order; he harbored a doubt about this matter after hearing it from hearsays, so he sent me, his daughter, to investigate.”

Noelia talks about the reason why she is searching for Alfine smoothly, but it is practically a made-up story.

However, the more Noelia speaks, the more it sounds real, it feels like she really was asked to do such an investigation.

Thanks to that, Sophie seems to completely believe in Noelia’s story.

“As I thought… even if Alfine was ill, there’s no way the likes of Gile would be able to survive her. Besides, the rumor that the Radcliffe family was looking for a young black-haired woman has been in my mind for a while too.” (Sophie)

Does the Alfine in Sophie’s mind is someone who would surely kill the commander of the Royal Guard Knight?

Well, if Alfine snapped and got serious, it would be strange that Gile, who was said to be the weakest of the bunch, could safely came out alive with minor injury.

But the Radcliffe family is a great noble, so he might have had hired skilled guards.

Having seen Sophie believing in her words, Noelia takes her hand and brings her face closer to her.

“Sophie-sama, I will ask you again. Do you really not know Alfine-sama’s whereabouts?” (Noelia)

“If I knew it, I would have let that girl escape from the royal capital right away. Yet, she didn’t rely on me. I think she must have felt sensitive to the fact I have become reserved toward her and take a distance from her since she became a noble.” (Sophie)

Perhaps that is the regret of the frowning Sophie, tears spill down from her eyes.

Still, Noelia spins her words to pursue the truth,

“Is that really true? Are you not hiding her?” (Noelia)

“I’m not. The last time I met her was just before Finn disappeared. It was rare of her to show up at the Adventurer’s Guild; she said that she wanted to ask for an advice from me, but I rejected her saying sorry I get a request, that was the last time I met her. After that, I only got to know the things that happened from the rumors I overheard. If I listened to her properly at that time——”

The amount of tears spilling down Sophie’s eyes increases.

After getting promoted to noble, Alfine became lonely…

She originally didn’t associate with many people, but it wasn’t like she didn’t have any friends.

However, she was sensitive to the fact that everyone was maintaining a distance from her due to her change of status, and thus she also distanced herself.

Her mouth was bad, yet, she sure had her mind turn around groundlessly by those kinds of trifles.

That Alfine.

“Understood. There seems to be no lie in Sophie-sama’s words. Please rest assured, Alfine-sama is surely alive somewhere. We will definitely find her, so we will contact you as soon as we find her, okay?” (Noelia)

“Y-yes. I want to apologize to that girl, so if you find her, please contact me!” (Sophie)

Noelia gently strokes the crying Sophie’s head.

However, if she didn’t show up at Sophie’s place, the place where Alfine was likely to stop by and ask for help at was……

The blacksmith Nikolai’s place, huh.