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A Faint Path Leading to Another World – Part 02

Kujastria was taken aback by his unexpected interest.

Does Silver Face personally need the spell? Why?

There were many things she didn’t understand, but she could learn as she went.

“If you’re willing to collaborate, I will share with you my thoughts as well.”

“I need some time to think it over.”

“Understandable. By the way, Silver Face, you have business with me, don’t you? You would not come here without any purpose.”

“You’re right on the mark, but there’s no need to be so negative.”

“Perhaps. It seems I have become quite hesitant about the succession to the throne.”

It was something she had to accept. Even though the three Dukes were willing to support her in matters of politics, Kujastria would still be the one in the forefront.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” Silver Face said.

“What is it? I can’t guarantee I can grant it, but speak.”

“There’s hardly anything a queen can’t do, no? It’s nothing complicated. It’s about the recent murder of Count Morgstadt. Her own daughter has been accused of the murder, and she’s currently on the wanted list. Can you have it withdrawn?”

“Where did this come from?” Kujastria blinked in surprise at the unexpected request.

She knew about the murder of Count Morgstadt. His daughter, the suspect, had vanished while she was being transported.

“Come to think of it, that was when you defeated the Knight Commander. Is it related to this?”

“To some extent, yes. I was the one who killed Count Morgstadt.”

“What…?”

“I’m not as honorable a person as you may think. Anyway, it’s wrong to have the Count’s daughter on the wanted list. That’s my only request.”

“But, well…”

“I don’t know if you will oblige, but if you do, I promise to assist you with something as well. You need a rare material to perfect the spell for crossing worlds, don’t you?”

“That is true, and your help is appreciated, but are you fine with being wanted in exchange?”

“Of course. After all, it’s the truth.”

“I really don’t understand how your mind works.”

Silver Face seemed to smile behind his mask. “That’s just how the world works. There’s little you know about. You don’t even know what tomorrow has in store. Who knows? Maybe being a queen could be very fun.”

“Are you serious?”

Silver Face turned on his heel and put on a real smile. “Good question.”

---

In a corner of the royal capital’s upscale residential district stood an apartment complex, its top floor rented out by the Four Eastern Stars. During their stay in the capital, they resided here, each having their own room. Two vacant rooms remained, a testament to the complex’s spaciousness.

All four members had gathered in the expansive living room.

“Sophie, were you summoned by Lord Galeicrada again?” Selyse asked.

Sophie nodded awkwardly. “I never thought that keeping secrets would be this hard. Duke Nightblaze seems to think that someone else discovered the method to dispel the curse.”

“So the only one unaware is the man himself. It was Silver Face, wasn’t it?”

“…No comment.”

“So tight-lipped. We promised not to keep secrets from each other, remember? Right, Sara?”

“No comments from me either.” Sara formed an X with her two index fingers and brought it to her lips. She was clearly helping Sophie keep her secret.

If I knew this would happen, we wouldn’t have split up, Selyse thought. Silver Face was almost certainly involved, but she couldn’t get any further details.

“I care more about that Mage!” Serika interjected, clutching a cushion depicting a deformed cat. She tossed a cookie into her mouth. “Mmff… She has to be… mmff… the same Mage… as the one… in Cotton-elka!”

“Serika, you’re a girl, so please don’t speak with your mouth full,” Selyse rebuked.

“Did you see the power of her Fire Magic?! It was extraordinary!”

“Only you two were there,” Sara said.

“You should see it too!”

“How? She’s already gone, isn’t she?”

“Yeah! She vanished like smoke! Ahh, it’s so frustrating!”

“If you had the chance to meet her again, would you have something to talk to her about?” Sophie asked.

“I would!” Serika folded her arms and threw out her chest. “We’d talk all night about the wonders of elemental magic!”

“I feel sorry for the girl.”

“That sounds like torture,” Sara quipped.

“That’s Serika for you,” Selyse said.

All three members chuckled dryly.

“We learned a lot from this incident. We’re strongest when the four of us are together. Also, we lack experience in human combat, particularly against Anti-Mages. We should dedicate more time to training,” Selyse said sternly. “It’s fortunate that we won’t have to change our base of operations, though.”

The three nodded in agreement. The conversation then shifted to lighter topics. However, in the recesses of Selyse’s mind, the enigmatic masked man lingered.

Who is he? He defeated the Sword Saint, possesses knowledge of sorcery, and has friends from Einbiest’s minority races. We’re working together for now, but…

The combat training she had suggested actually included anti-Stealth measures.

If we’re going to live as adventurers, we need to become stronger.

---

“Excuse me… Wait, what?! Guildmaster, you’re back!”

“What’s the matter? Is it strange for me to be in my own office?”

“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant!” Freya hurriedly clarified.

She really didn’t say anything wrong, as it was a fact that Unken had been gone for the past few days.

Unken sat in his office at the Pond Adventurers’ Guild, greeted by piles of documents awaiting his verification.

“Goodness… This much work accumulated in just a few days.”

“If we had a submaster, it would have been significantly reduced,” Freya said.

Unken sniffed audibly. “There’s no one competent enough to hire.”

The Pond Adventurers’ Guild currently lacked a submaster. During the disappearance of Count Morgstadt’s daughter, the previous submaster, without consulting anyone, assigned the commission of escorting the young lady to a Rank C party instead of the Four Eastern Stars. The commission resulted in failure, and his embezzlement of funds came to light, too. As a result, the submaster was dismissed, and the position remained vacant.

“It’s better to have no one than to have someone incapable of doing the job,” Unken remarked, echoing the sentiments of the receptionists as well. Thus, for the time being, the position remained unfilled.

“Oh, speaking of the submaster, I heard some news from the capital about Lady Morgstadt’s disappearance,” Unken said.

“Wh-What? Did you learn anything?” Freya leaned forward.

Unken pulled himself back. “I-I did. They’ve identified the culprit.”

“What?” Freya’s face turned pale.

“Some masked fighter named Silver Face. He’s been causing quite a stir in the capital. He should be put on the wanted list in a few days.”

“Silver Face?”

“A highly-skilled individual. They raised havoc at Einbiest’s Ruler’s Rumble tournament, and even bested the Sword Saint.”

“Whaaaaat?! They b-bested the Knight Commander? And they’re at large? Shouldn’t we be concerned?!”

“Well, about that. Princess Kujastria, Margrave Grugschilt, Duke Jackrune, and even Duke Nightblaze have met Silver Face and are acquainted with him. So, despite the arrest warrant, they are unlikely to take any action.”

“Could they be a former noble? Or maybe they’re still a noble.”

“It’s possible. But that’s no longer our concern. So you should forget about it.”

“Yes… You’re right.”

“Hmm? What is it? You look pleased.”

“N-No, I’m not.” Freya giggled. “I’m heading back to the counter.”

She waved a hand and exited Unken’s office.

“…”

Once the door closed, Unken placed the documents he had been holding onto his desk.

“Good grief…”

Everything he told Freya was the truth. The Pond Adventurers’ Guild had received a message from the capital that Silver Face would be wanted in connection with the murder of Count Morgstadt.

“The way he carried himself… What an idiot. Anyone who sees them would know.”

Unken retrieved the Pond Adventurers’ Guild Registered Members list from the shelf and opened it to the latest page. There he found the name of an adventurer.

“I owe him my life.”

If Silver Face didn’t show up, the Sword Saint would likely have caught up to him. His chances of escaping alive were no more than 10%.

Unken’s finger hovered over the name “Hikaru”. Then he closed the file and pushed it back into the shelf, redirecting his attention to the overwhelming amount of work demanding his immediate attention.