This chapter is brought to you by anubisscans. More updates on our website.
Support us by reading at anubisscans.com.
97
“I’ll show you to the reception room.”
The process of entering Ifrit’s central hall went smoothly.
The moment they presented the parchment, a meeting with the mayor was arranged on the spot.
“We can actually meet the mayor? The guidebook said she’s someone you can’t even get an audience with.”
“And yet she is essentially the root cause of all the problems. Someone who won’t come out no matter what happens.”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde reacted with surprise.
Was Adventurer A’s walkthrough really just fighting for dear life on the front lines when the monster wave came?
-Exciting, exciting.
-Let’s at least see the mayor’s face.
-For real, working like a dog and couldn’t even see her face.
-Does this mean the story changes again?
-Isn’t it simple if you just persuade the mayor?
-You think?
The viewers too began pouring out all manner of expectations and speculation.
Hanbit, reading through them, chose not to answer.
“This way.”
The three followed a lone staff member and stopped before a lavishly decorated reception room.
Inside, a middle-aged woman sat holding a snow-white coffee cup.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
She rose from her seat as her eyes met Hanbit’s.
A name floated above her head.
[Mayor of Ifrit — Pirnen de Artua]
-Oh.
-So she’s the root cause?
-Shall we kill her and start over?
-That would shatter the story, my friend.
The viewers reacted the moment Pirnen appeared.
As the chat reflected, this woman with her amiable smile was the one who had dismantled this city’s defenses.
Her mind held nothing but a pathological obsession with luxury goods and business profit.
It was she who had torn down the solid walls that had once stood and erected the ornamental glass ones in their place.
Thinking of the people who had died during the monster waves, she might be an even more repugnant sort than the villains of Edelen.
“Hello. I am the adventurer Black Dragon.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Pirnen de Artua, Mayor of Ifrit. Please, have a seat.”
Pirnen gestured toward the chairs.
As Hanbit sat down, she placed an envelope on the table.
“It seems you rendered great service in Edelen. I never expected to receive a letter of introduction from Henry.”
Twenty years ago.
Pirnen had worked together with Henry at the royal palace.
The letter of introduction therefore carried more than enough credibility.
“The situation aligned well. I also received assistance from the Royal Guard.”
“…The Royal Guard?”
“Yes. Please take this.”
Hanbit handed over the red envelope.
It was the letter of introduction received from Leon.
“I didn’t know even the Royal Guard had been set in motion. I have a few acquaintances on that side as well…….”
Pirnen’s eyes moved quickly as she read the contents.
But then—
“Leon?”
Her expression hardened as she read the name of the final signatory.
“Is something wrong?”
“…No, nothing.”
Pirnen forced a smile.
Unlike that act, the hand holding the letter had taken on a slight tension.
“So it was Vice-Captain Leon who came to Edelen. Was there nothing else he said?”
By the time the edge of the letter had crinkled, Pirnen asked.
“We didn’t have the opportunity for a long conversation. All he left behind was that letter of introduction.”
“…Is that so.”
When he shook his head, her expression returned to what it had been.
Observing that shift, Hanbit slipped the question in.
“By any chance, did you know Leon?”
“It is a small matter, so please do not concern yourself with it.”
-?
-What’s going on;
-Either way it’s her fault.
-But isn’t Artua the founding hero’s family?
-Yeah, their influence is second only to the royal family.
-Their ancestors must be weeping.
An artificially composed answer that Pirnen let fall with a practiced smile.
But that lie held no power over Hanbit.
‘A small matter, she says.’
As the viewers had noted, the ancestors of House Artua were among the founding heroes of Raven.
And the ‘Incompetent Sword’ who had overseen the investigation into the past incident involving William was also from House Artua.
In other words, Leon had laid charges against someone backed by a family as immovable as a mountain.
‘She must be afraid.’
Leon had naturally become the object of House Artua’s enmity.
For daring to touch the family of a founding hero — that was the reason.
But there was no easy way to move against someone who had risen to Vice-Captain on sheer ability.
A crystallization of justice who gave no thought to political calculation and did not even fear death.
It was more of a concern that he might turn that sword on her own self.
“In any case, I have received your letters of introduction. A capable adventurer is always a welcome thing for us.”
Pirnen, fully back to her outward self, changed the subject.
She reached into a small box on the side of the table and produced a gold bracelet, which she held out.
“I will give you the gold bracelet, which entitles you to the highest treatment within the city as a distinguished guest. However, even gold does not change the fact that you are a visitor from outside. Please bear that in mind.”
-?
-Gold?
-She’s giving that?
-For real, everyone else was stuck with black.
-What a world;
“Understood.”
Hanbit gave a nod and received the bracelet, putting it on.
It was the color he had anticipated, so there was nothing surprising about it.
After observing Pirnen’s expression for a moment, he decided to cut straight to the point.
“I understand the area around the city has been restless lately. It’s the monsters, isn’t it?”
“It seems the rumor has traveled that far. But there is no need for concern. It is a routine matter.”
“Is that so? I had thought it was quite serious.”
“Ifrit is a city of magic and technology. A few monsters causing a commotion amounts to exactly that and nothing more.”
-Yeah, exactly that killed everyone, right?
-Shall we really kill her and start?
-Might not be the worst idea……
Her statement set the viewers ablaze again.
The greatest problem in this episode was the complacent attitude of those within.
With the very person responsible for the city in that state, it was only natural that nothing would work.
‘It being sincere and not an act makes it all the worse.’
The magic and technology built upon the achievements of the sage who had once stayed briefly in Ifrit.
Pirnen’s faith in it was genuine.
She had believed too completely — and in doing so had swept away most of the basic defenses, the walls included.
What remained now were the magic research barely limping along, the subjugation equipment belonging to the military, and a few turrets.
“The magic may be fine, but I understand that many of the other technologies are steadily declining. Was that not the case?”
“It depends on one’s perspective. The techniques that express art have advanced more than ever.”
“And the concern that the city’s defensive capabilities are weakening — that doesn’t worry you?”
“What we have now is sufficient. One cannot go on developing nothing but technologies centered on killing.”
No great crisis had ever come upon this city.
That long peace had made Pirnen’s convictions unreasonably firm.
Naturally, where her attention turned was toward luxury goods that brought in money.
Her purpose was to transform Ifrit into a tourist destination while simultaneously filling her own private coffers.
Since the city’s economic power and her treasury had both grown rich as a result, she had no reason to reconsider.
“The current monster anomaly is not ordinary. It would not be strange if a problem arose as early as tomorrow.”
“Ifrit has an adventurers’ guild and troops. I do not doubt their capabilities.”
“Then I will prepare countermeasures together with those people. That much should be acceptable?”
“I’m not so sure. Drawing on manpower and resources is also a bit of a concern. And if needless anxiety spreads through the city, other problems will arise.”
-A sweet potato lodged in my throat.
-Should we just abandon this and move to the next city?
-Skip the episode?
-Here, that might actually be fine.
-For real lol.
The completely blocked flow of conversation was frustrating even to watch.
Having long grown accustomed to this situation, Hanbit calmly brought out the next proposal.
“Then what about the dwarves? I heard there are quite a few of them.”
“…You wish to use them?”
At that suggestion, the mayor’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Hanbit nodded as though it were obvious.
“It’s better to receive help from a race whose abilities are proven.”
“It seems your perception differs from mine.”
The contempt was evident from the very way she referred to them as ‘them.’
And with good reason — the dwarf refugees who had once come to Ifrit were by now being treated as the lowest rung of society.
It was not merely Pirnen’s private view — their treatment within the city was at its worst.
After studying Hanbit for a moment, she picked up the quill pen from the table.
“It is my principle to provide treatment befitting the gold bracelet. If you need the dwarves’ labor, I will arrange the connection.”
Pirnen wrote a few lines on a sheet of paper and finished with her signature.
The contents had a feel similar to a letter of introduction.
“The dwarves’ settlement is outside the northern wall. Show this to the administrator there.”
“Are there any restrictions? The dwarves must also be important workers.”
“Your expectations seem high, but there are no particularly skilled craftsmen among them. Feel free to go about it as you wish.”
Pirnen readily held out the letter of introduction.
An air of ‘do it if you can’ about it.
But Hanbit was already satisfied.
This letter of introduction was precisely why he had gone out of his way to meet her.
“Thank you. If something comes to mind that I should bring to your attention, I will come and find you.”
“I look forward to good news.”
With those pleasantries concluded, Hanbit stepped out of the reception room.
An alert rang in his ears along with it.
Ding—
[Main Quest #1 has been completed.]
[You have received 10,000 gold.]
[Your experience points have increased by 2,000.]
[Progress increases.]
[Main Quest #2: Allies]
You have grasped a rough understanding of the situation inside and outside the city.
First, you must go and meet those who will become your allies.
Objective: Move outside the northern wall and meet the administrator of the dwarf village.
Reward: None
Current Progress: 1%
‘This is where it really begins.’
Dwarves are known fundamentally as a race skilled in all manner of crafts.
But the dwarves of Ifrit had lost their innate strength.
To stop the monster wave entirely, the problems they were facing had to be resolved.
“Ugh, that was suffocating.”
As they stepped outside the building, Kim Jaeha let out a sigh.
It was the result of witnessing the true nature of an incompetent mayor.
“My head heated up for a moment too, after a long while. But do you truly intend to make the dwarves your allies?”
Avantgarde, who knew Ifrit’s ecosystem well, had attempted to make contact with the dwarves at the tavern on several occasions.
But the results had never been good.
“How did it go? They’re awfully prickly, and pretty money-obsessed too, right?”
“Not ‘pretty’ — money was everything to them. It was a stark difference from the dwarves I’d seen in other regions. Honestly, it was more extreme than I expected, and I was disappointed.”
-Avantgarde saying something like that;
-I watched it live, it was legendary.
-For real, money-obsessed to the core.
-Greed through and through.
Avantgarde and the viewers shared the same blunt assessment.
Hanbit, not particularly disagreeing, gave a nod and said:
“Well, nothing to be done about it right now. The dwarves weren’t always like this.”
Even within the dwarf race, there were all manner of people.
But there was a reason the dwarves of Ifrit in particular had become so obsessed with money.
“Can’t even imagine them being normal. Anyway, we’re heading to the dwarf settlement?”
“No. There’s somewhere to stop first.”
Hanbit, eyes on the midday sun, let his gaze drift sideways.
At the mouth of an alley some distance away, someone had half-concealed themselves.
Short of stature and wrapped in a robe — it was Gorik, the dwarf prince.
“He really did follow us.”
Avantgarde too seemed to have caught the tail, saying quietly.
Pretending not to notice, Hanbit turned to face outward.
“For now, let’s head to the monster carcass disposal site.”
