Chapter 90 – Heroes and Their Qualifications (6)

Heroes and Their Qualifications (6)

Tinkle-tinkle,

The bell attached to the doorknob jangled noisily.

And then, with a thud,
the door closed behind me.

With that, the noise that had enveloped the surroundings vanished.
Now, only silence swirled around me.

With that silence as my companion, I stepped further into the shop.

Leaving the dilapidated exterior behind, as I entered the dimly lit shop, the first thing that caught my eye was a crystal ball. Lacking any significant source of light, the crystal ball illuminated the interior of the shop, creating an atmosphere akin to a mystical fortune-teller’s den.

The next thing to enter my vision was a suspicious figure shrouded in black cloth from head to toe. The only part of the body left visible were the eyes, with round holes cut out at the eye level, presumably for the sake of visibility. It was a type of attire I had occasionally come across in the original world. I had never seen it in person, but it was a famous garment nonetheless.

Someone who didn’t want their identity discovered, wrapped up tightly from head to toe.

Yet, I knew who it was.
I had met them before.
Perhaps that’s why I felt a sense of comfort.
It’s natural to feel at ease when you recognize someone.

Or, is that not it?
Is it just because it’s quiet?

Well, it doesn’t really matter.

“It’s been a while, how have you been?”

“……”

“Hey.”

“……”

“Hey, you have a customer.”

“……”

“……You are open, right?”

“……”

“……”

Silence once again filled the shop.

It was due to the one-sided ignoring.
I had even brought plenty of gold coins, worrying that I might be short on living expenses. And I had even offered a greeting, which I don’t often do. But to be ignored like this…
No wonder the shop looks the way it does.

Ah, the gold is for the payment of a request, but anyway.

She’s always like this.
Whether a customer comes or not, she just stares blankly or outright ignores them.
Even now, she’s ignoring me, just staring at the crystal ball.

Because of that attitude, we almost came to blows the first time we met. If the hero hadn’t intervened, a fight would have surely broken out. There are a few stories tied to that incident… but explaining them in detail would take too long, so let’s just move on.

I didn’t come here to indulge in childish reminiscences.

“Put the goods and the payment on the counter.”

Without even looking at me, she gestured with her finger towards a basket in front of the crystal ball.

Such a simple and brutish way of communicating.
A conversation devoid of pleasantries, focused solely on the task at hand.

Since I wasn’t particularly interested in a conversation either, I refrained from any complaints and simply placed a few appropriate gold coins and the letter into the basket.

As soon as the letter landed in the basket, she picked it up without sparing me a glance. With decisive movements, she flipped the letter around, tilting her head repeatedly as if puzzling something out, then, as if she had realized something… she tossed the letter behind her.

“Come back in a week. By then, the divination should be finished.”

With those words, she carelessly scooped up the gold coins from the basket and flung them somewhere behind her as well.

“….”

With that, my business here was concluded.
Time to head back.

It’s a bit disappointing to have to return immediately after walking for hours on end.

But as much as I feel a tinge of regret, I don’t particularly want to stay here any longer. She doesn’t seem to have any interest in me either, treating me as if I don’t exist and only gazing at her crystal ball. It’s probably better to leave sooner rather than later.

“Well then… see you next time.”

As expected, no response came.

I looked at her for a moment, then left the shop.

The first problem was now taken care of.
To be precise, it would be resolved in a week.

What I can do right now… is, of course, to find Bella.

There’s no time to rest.

I’ll be able to go home soon.
There’s no time to delay.

* * *

Around the time Flan was securing a place to stay.

“Haah… why the hell did you have to show up, you damned brat.”

The knight, Nicola, was sighing.
Clad in ash-grey shining armor, he sat slumped on the stone floor.
His expression was full of worry, and his eyes, dull and clouded, seemed to be filled with anxiety and concern.

“Why now of all times…”

He could only sigh.

It was a matter of a few days ago.

Nicola had been on a mission by the emperor’s decree to head to the Dragon Kingdom.

At first, he didn’t care much.
He thought Flan had no reason to go to the Dragon Kingdom. It was not only geographically distant based on recent sightings, but also, if the guy had any sense, or if he had any companions capable of thought, he wouldn’t bother going to the Dragon Kingdom.
He didn’t expect to encounter him.
After all, they had ended things cleanly. In the current situation, he didn’t want to go out of his way to meet him.

The lack of a way to enter the Dragon Kingdom also solidified that thought.

Even if he followed the orders and pursued Flan, if the guy entered the Dragon Kingdom, that would be the end of it.
It was unclear whether Flan had a means to enter the Dragon Kingdom, but if it was Flan… he would have found a way somehow. So, the only thing to do was to threaten him a bit.
If there were no eyes watching, a simple greeting and farewell would suffice.
There would surely be a surveillance team, so that wouldn’t happen.

With such complacent thoughts, upon arriving in the Dragon Kingdom, what he faced was:

“You’ve arrived.”

It was the sparrow dragon, Louis.

However, upon closer inspection, it might not have been.
A dragon with the appearance of such a young child is common. It could be a dragon that had recently polymorphed, or a young dragon might transform like that. So, it probably wasn’t the chancellor.
The fact that he greeted him as if he was familiar must have been a case of mistaken identity.

It was his hope.

But reality was cruel.
Her appearance closely resembled that of the chancellor he had occasionally seen.

It was undoubtedly Louis.

“…Your Excellency.”

Nicola, disregarding the gazes around him, immediately knelt to perform the empire’s unique greeting… but was stopped by her.

“Address me informally. It’s uncomfortable to be called by rank here.”

That was Louis’s command.

Then, Nicola thought.
The emperor must have prepared something solid. There’s no way the chancellor would be here unless he was certain that Flan would come to this place.

“Ah, then I will address you informally.”

“You adapt quickly.”

“But, what brings you here in person, Lady Louis…?”

Nicola tried to discern the chancellor’s, or perhaps the emperor’s, purpose.
He had expected at most to be followed by a low-ranking knight at the edge of the hierarchy. But the one who had come was sparrow dragon Louis.
If she was assigned as a surveillance agent, he couldn’t take his duties lightly.
At the very least, he needed to find out why she had come here.

“There’s no way for you to enter the Dragon Kingdom, is there? That’s why I’ve come in person. And while I’m at it… I thought I’d take the opportunity to see the land of dragons. Ah, I’m here unofficially, so don’t make a fuss. It would be bad to be misunderstood.”

The answer was simple.
She had come because a dragon was needed to enter the Dragon Kingdom.
And to do some sightseeing on the side.

It was a perfect response that left no room for objection.

It’s a sensitive matter for the empire’s chancellor to visit another country without a word.
Yet, for some reason, Nicola couldn’t bring it up.

The moment he mentioned it, it felt as if he was saying he would let Flan go.

“Yes, thank you for taking the trouble to come yourself, Lady Louis.”

“Don’t make a fuss, I told you…”

But it was hard to hide his flustered demeanor.

“Well, I’m sorry that your companion turned out to be me… but with me here, you’ll be able to handle your business more effectively, won’t you?”

Louis patted Nicola’s shoulder as if she knew everything.

Nicola stood up abruptly, with a look of determination.
Without looking at Louis, he started walking towards the direction of the Dragon Kingdom.

“Let’s go.”

“Hehe… Yes, let’s go.”

It was still okay.
The situation was still manageable.
That’s what Nicola thought.

The presence of the sparrow dragon as a surveillance agent was certainly a dangerous affair. With her by his side, it was nearly impossible to lay a hand on Flan.
Even if Flan had companions, unless they were of the caliber of a hero’s party or high-ranking subordinates of the Demon King’s army, suspicion would surely arise if they weren’t killed immediately.

But that was only if Flan showed up in the Dragon Kingdom.

There was no way he would come to the Dragon Kingdom.
So, it should be safe.

In fact, Louis managing the empire’s forces would be more unfavorable for Flan.

“But Lady Louis, that bastard Flan will try to run away the moment he sees my face. What should we do about that?”

“Well, we can just tell him we’re here on a trip. If you want to approach him without revealing your identity… you can wear that helmet. After all, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to take Flan’s head before he realizes who you are, right?”

With such trivial conversation, he hid his agitation and headed towards the Dragon Kingdom.

The days that followed were uneventful and peaceful.
Merely passing the time escorting Louis, with the worry of Flan showing up lingering in the background.

Then, as Louis was away, Nicola encountered Flan near the border of the Dragon Kingdom, as usual. Fortunately, with Louis absent, he was able to assist Flan’s entry into the Dragon Kingdom.
Meeting Flan as naturally as possible, he felt despair.

That he would actually come to the Dragon Kingdom.

However, he didn’t show it.
He was so natural that even he surprised himself, so Flan likely didn’t notice.

If Flan could finish all his business and escape before Louis returned… that was the thought. Because without Louis, he could leave Flan be.

About an hour after parting with Flan, as if by some twist of fate, Louis appeared.

“Ah, he’s finally arrived.”

She spoke to Nicola as if nothing was amiss.

It was an implicit command to capture him.