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Volume 8 Chapter 8 Part 2

Translator: Kell

Crap, he did! Or maybe not just yet. It could just be a lucky guess. There’s also the possibility that he knew about us from the start and said that.

I often read in comic books how someone who saw through a ruse is killed, but since they’d find out sooner or later anyway, I can let this one slide. Also just because he’s aware doesn’t immediately mean he’s an enemy.

“Why do you say so?”

“It’s the way the woman walks. Different schools of martial arts have slightly different ways of walking. I can sense the kingdom’s style in the way she walks.”

Mylia and I exchanged looks. I couldn’t really tell anything just by looking at the way she walked. Maybe the more you train in the martial arts, the easier it is to tell. Martial arts that have nothing to do with Skills are not my area of expertise.

Well, let’s put that aside for the moment. I’m not even sure he’s telling the truth as to why he noticed.

“If we were from the kingdom, what would you do?” I asked.

“I’m guessing there’s a reason you’re not answering. Are you spies or something?” The man looked down and thought about it. A moment later, he lifted his head. “Okay, I won’t tell anyone what I saw or heard here. If you have any questions, I’ll answer whatever I can.”

Whoa. That sounds awfully convenient all of a sudden. He just asked if we were spies. Was he a traitor or something?

“What do you want?” I asked.

The man looked around. He was checking if anyone was around to see. Apparently, he’s on the lookout to see if anyone sees him.

“There’s no one here, so you can relax,” I said.

I already know from using Magic Search that there are no other humans around. The nearest one is a kilometer away. No one else can hear us here.

“Nothing much,” he said. “I just want information about the kingdom. Were you in the kingdom recently?”

“Yeah. Quite recent.”

“I hear that they treat inferior classes decently these days. All I want to know is if the rumor is true.”

I see. Looks like the guy wants to go to the kingdom.

We’ve only been in the empire for a bit. But even in that short time, it was easy to guess that adventurers with inferior classes were treated horribly.

Even the kingdom before we took down Cardinal Georgis was much better than the Empire currently. It might have been a little harder to raise ranks, but you didn’t have to pay extra just to enter ruins, or wear an armband with an X mark on it. Novices were a different story, but the regular inferior classes were treated better.

Of course, all such discrimination has now been eliminated, a world of difference from the Empire. It’s not surprising that adventurers with special classes in the empire would want to go to the kingdom.

“It’s true,” I replied. “Also the kingdom doesn’t use the term inferior classes anymore. It’s special classes now.”

“So the rumors were true.”

So the change in the kingdom’s system spread only as a rumor here in the empire. I haven’t really heard of people with special classes flowing into the kingdom, and diplomatic relations between the two nations were basically non-existent.

“By the way, movement across borders is supposed to be strictly restricted,” he asked. “How did you guys get here? How can I escape to the kingdom?”

“I can’t tell you how we got here, but even the empire doesn’t have the whole border guarded. If you take a route through the mountains where civilians can’t pass, you could force your way through.”

“But won’t I get arrested for unlawful entry?”

I guess that’s possible. I’ve never heard anything about how the kingdom treats illegal immigrants.

If they were sent back to their country of origin, it would be bad. Sounds like an important issue. Well, some adventurers have dubious backgrounds. If he registers with the guild, maybe it’ll work out fine. But of course I’ve never done it, so I can’t really suggest something so reckless. Either way, this could be a chance to gain an ally.

“If you could go to the kingdom, would you want to go now?” I asked.

“Of course. I wouldn’t mind leaving today.”

I see. Sounds like the perfect ally. If the enemy found out he was working with me, he’d be dead, but if he fled the empire, it wouldn’t matter. I don’t have the time to help him flee, but I can offer some assistance.

“Okay. If you help us, I’ll get you citizenship in the kingdom.”

“Can you do that?”

“I can. You might have to change your name, though. Also, I can only help you out after you enter the kingdom. Before then, you’re on your own. You’ll have to cross the border all by yourself.”

I don’t have the king’s approval, but if he tells them that he’s assisting me in my mission, they will probably provide him with a new identity. He could also live as a subject under Count Meigis’ domain. Since I haven’t talked to the king about this, it would have to be an ex-post-facto approval.

“I’d like to see proof that you guys are telling the truth,” he said, “but since you smuggled yourselves in, I’m guessing you can’t tell me what status you hold in the kingdom?”

“Yeah. Whether you believe us or not is up to you.”

“All right. I’ll help. The name’s Wired.”

All right. We got an ally. It would be hilarious if he was actually an Imperial soldier and had come here to trick us, but I haven’t really told him much anyway. Only about how special classes were treated in the kingdom, which isn’t really something we need to hide. Hell, pretty much everyone knows already.

“I’m Lhude. Nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Myria.”

We’ll need to trust him to some extent, but also make sure that if he betrays us, there will be no problem. Even if we can’t trust him completely, it’s great to have an ally who has connections and experience in the local area.

“So, first question,” I said. “Is there an area in the ruins where the monsters are stronger?”

“Never heard of any. If you go deeper into the ruins, the enemies are a little stronger, but you don’t mean just a little stronger, right?”

“No. I mean the kind of monster that even you would have a hard time dealing with one-on-one.”

“Nope. No areas like that. All the enemies in these ruins are a piece of cake.”

Okay. The Interior is not exactly known to the public. So he’s been fighting in a place that doesn’t match his abilities. Seeing as how he wants to leave the country, it may be difficult for special classes to even get a decent commission.

Anyway, I just need clues about the Boundary right now.

“What about restricted areas?”

“I’ve never seen one, but there are places where adventurers aren’t allowed to get close.”

Oh… I might’ve hit the jackpot already. If the Empire wants to protect the Boundary, it makes sense to keep the entire perimeter away from people, rather than just the Boundary itself. That way, it’s harder to locate.

“Where would that be?”

“Northwest of the ruins. Do you have a map or something?”

I held out a map, and the man circled an area. A wide circle that encompassed about one-tenth of the ruins. It doesn’t look that big on the map, but the ruins are pretty big, so it would take time if we explored the whole area.

“It’s around here,” he said. “When you enter this area, imperial soldiers or guild officials will tell you to turn back.”

“Do you know why?”

“Some strong monsters appearing. They send us away so we wouldn’t get attacked. Not sure how much of that is true, though.”

That’s certainly suspicious. Well, it’s also possible that the monsters are too strong for kill quests, so they shoo people away under the pretense that they’re harmless if you just stay away from them.

“Oh, and there are no commissions in this area.”

“No commissions?”

“Nope. A lot of the commissions at the ruins have designated areas, but I’ve never gotten one around there. You wouldn’t normally end up there if you’re just doing normal commissions, but the lack of commissions there makes you curious, you know.”

Now that sounds really suspicious. If I were the Empire, I would avoid sending out commissions so that adventurers wouldn’t accidentally find the Boundary. If adventurers can’t enter the area, it makes sense that there’s no information about it.

“When was the last time you went there?”

“About a year ago. I’m pretty sure they still don’t issue commissions there, but I don’t know if it’s off-limits.”

“Are there any other places like that?”

“I don’t think so. At least, there are no other areas with zero commissions.”

It’s settled, then. If Wired is telling the truth, there’s a Boundary within that area.

The question is when to go there. It probably has the tightest security. They say to strike while the iron is hot, so let’s just check it out right away. There’s a high chance of the enemy spotting us, but we’ll just call it a reconnaissance-in-force mission.