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Chapter 220 — Part 2

After that, Luskrow left the guild and headed for the Pearl Crown Pavilion, where Dreissen and the others had signed a long-term contract at the inn there.

It was a place they had invited him to many times before to attend small parties with them.

He arrived at the inn, a four-story building that had pure, pearly white walls just as its name implied, and a blue domed roof. Luskrow gave his name to the older woman at the reception desk, who then told him to go to Dreissen, who was waiting for him in a room on the fourth floor.

Luskrow had been worried that there would be some troubles with Dreissen being the only man surrounded by a crowd of women, but it seemed there wouldn’t be any quarrels between him and women at these parties, so he was relieved.

Standing in the center of the room, with its interior the same pearly white as the inn’s exterior, Dreissen bowed his head slightly to Luskrow, who had a relaxed smile on his face.

There was a woman standing close to Dreissen’s side.

「I’m sorry to call you here so suddenly, Mr. Luskrow」

「It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m your teacher, after all. If you need my advice, then I’ll be there to do my job. So, is that young lady over there the reason why you need advice today?」

Luskrow’s droopy eyes looked over at the woman who was standing awfully close to Dreissen.

Just from how they looked, it seemed she was Dreissen’s lover, but if that’s the case then what are Hanma and Dowben to him?

She was a beautiful woman. Her long pink hair tied into a thick braid, and her crimson colored eyes reflexively took his breath away. Hanma and Dowben were both exceptionally beautiful women, but this woman here was also more than beautiful enough to attract the attention of everyone around.

Just like Luskrow was, she was wearing light armor that emphasizes ease of movement, and at her waist she wore a magic sword that had magic crystals embedded in its guard, containing fire, water, earth and wind spirit crystals. It was clear that it was a sharp and magnificent magic sword.

「It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Luskrow. I am Beginala. I am one of Dreissen’s acquaintances, and through him, I would like to ask a favor of you」

Her gaze wasn’t one that looked down in contempt on adventurers. Just by seeing the way she stood and listening to her voice, Luskrow wondered if the girl standing before him who named herself as Beginala was actually born as a noble or something.

It wasn’t something he could tell just from her demeanor, but even her appearance, her every gesture, and even her way of standing and breathing were infused with a refined sophistication.

「It looks like there’s no need for me to introduce myself then. So, I still haven’t heard what you need advice on, but Miss Beginala, what kind of request did you make of Dreissen?」

Luskrow deliberately tried to use a suitably informal language, but there wasn’t even the slightest hint of anger from Beginala.

He could always tell if someone was truly thinking on the inside that he was being rude, even if it didn’t show on their face, but it looked like she really didn’t mind it. So she was born a noble, but raised differently, or maybe it was just her natural temperament.

Well, Luskrow did think to himself that his question of what kind of request had this beautiful lady made was quite direct.

「Actually, I was listening to Dreissen and the others talk about their activities as adventurers, and I too was thinking of becoming… Oh, please don’t make such a displeased face. Of course, I do not have to resolve to become just an adventurer.

It’s just, let me see, I want you to let me accompany you, in order to satiate my curiosity. I simply thought it would be nice if I could try reaching the heroic tales that I read and heard about in my childhood, even if just a little bit」

If he were to take her words at face value, then he thought she might be the child of some noble whose bottled up admiration for adventure had finally exploded, and she had turned to Dreissen and the others for help, who she had become acquainted with for some reason, but…

—- It didn’t look like she was lying, but maybe this was only half the reason? She wasn’t lying, but there was something she was hiding by not saying it, too. This was a request where he would likely fall over searching for her reasons.

It wasn’t particularly unusual for the children of nobles or merchants to work together with adventurers, even if their reasons for doing so varied from satisfying their curiosity to gaining prestige or dignity.

Luskrow has also done that kind of work once or twice before. It was easier for him to do if it seemed like the client was in love with an adventurer, and wanted him to show them the good sides of being one.

The most likely possibility was that this girl was Dreissen and the others’ patron, or maybe a knight or someone who serves them. If that’s the case, the leaders of Mazelinth would definitely not be amused to know that their business rivals had come to investigate them so boldly and openly.

Though with that said, there was no way he could reveal that to the public, so Luskrow had no choice but to decide whether he would accept or refuse the request for advice, based on the reason that she had given to him.

As he stroked his bearded chin in thought, Luskrow tried to get lost in his thoughts, but he quickly decided that there was no need to think so deeply about it.

Mazelinth was the city that has been with Luskrow all his life. It was full of his emotional attachments, his affection, his hatred, his sadness, his grief, his frustrations, and everything else he cared about.

Of course he would resist doing anything that would betray this city. Even if Dreissen and the others had sparked his renewed passion, that sense of obligation to them would not win.

His gratitude to Dreissen and the others would not win over his love for the city of Mazelinth, but at the same time, his pride in the city also made him think a certain way.

「Well, I don’t know what reason you came to me for help, but Mazelinth isn’t that cheap of a place, you know.

Thousands, tens of thousands of adventurers have come here for the past hundreds of years for exploration, but even so, this is still a place where the majority is still undiscovered.

With such a short stay, you won’t be able to see even the tip of the iceberg.

I might talk big, but when it comes to what I understand about Mazelinth, I’m not that big of a deal.

But if you’re fine with me, then I’ll take on your request. I’ll have you take a good look at this city which has swallowed up the dreams and desires of countless people」

That’s right, this was a challenge. A challenge to make these newcomers from another land realize that this labyrinth city, Mazelinth, wasn’t a place that they would be able to explore so easily.

At least, that’s the way that Luskrow interpreted it, but this was a rash move on his part. For the truth of the matter was that the baroness of a certain land had disguised herself to come here, in order to take a breather.

Beginala didn’t seem to be offended by Luskrow’s challenging words, and she breathed a sigh of relief that her request had not been turned down as she expressed her gratitude.

「Yes, please, show to me this city of Mazelinth」