“Well, if that’s the case, I guess I can accept it. I’ve finally gotten so famous that people are gossiping about me now, huh?”
He was relieved she’d bought the excuse but also worried about just how easily she had. Wasn’t she being a little too gullible?
Still, even as Allen suppressed a sigh of disbelief, another emotion quietly gripped him. Shock. What had stunned him was Anriette referring to herself as an adventurer. In hindsight, it was obvious from the moment he first saw her. Though lightly equipped, she clearly wore armor, and most importantly, she had a sword strapped to her waist. It was the first time he had ever seen her dressed like that.
And yet, there was no mistaking it. It was undeniably the appearance of a seasoned adventurer, especially given that she had walked right into the guild in that outfit. The conclusion was unavoidable: Anriette was working as an adventurer in this world. Even though he understood that, it still hit Allen like a bolt from the blue.
“I mean, I never once imagined you as the adventurer type.”
“Hm? You say something?”
“Nah. Just wondering if I interrupted something.”
“Ah. Well, yeah, kinda. As you can see, I’m very busy. But I guess I can forgive you this time. I’ve got a big heart, you know?”
“Yeah. Thanks. That’s a big relief.”
When Allen thanked her sincerely, Anriette made a weird face, like she was caught off guard or maybe confused that his reaction didn’t match her expectations.
“Hmph. As long as you understand, that’s what matters. Anyway, like I said, I’m busy. So I’m off.”
Well, she had come to the guild for a reason, after all, so it wasn’t surprising she had things to do. Still, something about the way she said it made it feel like she was exaggerating just a little.
As Allen idly watched her walk away, he saw Anriette head toward the reception counter. She began talking to someone—Lisette, in fact. In other words, Anriette the adventurer was now speaking to Lisette the receptionist. And that sight made Allen’s brow furrow without thinking.
It was all just...wrong.
It still feels so weird, seeing Anriette here...
Every familiar person Allen had seen in this world so far had been in places they never should have been. In Noel and Mylène’s case, maybe that wasn’t completely fair to say. But if Noel was now the Elven Queen, then her rightful place should be in the Elven Forest. And if that was true, then then she didn’t belong here.
So they all fit the pattern. Everyone except Anriette. She’s the only one who actually should be here.
Still, how much that really mattered, Allen had no idea. It might not mean anything at all. In fact, it probably didn’t. But thinking through it wouldn’t be a waste of time. After all, he still had almost no grasp on what kind of world this really was. Even if you called it a parallel world, there were infinite variations. A parallel world is, at its core, a world of possibilities.
To put it another way, a parallel world can only diverge based on some kind of possibility. If he could figure out what possibility had caused this particular world to branch off, it might provide the foundation for all sorts of speculation. Like where other people he knew might be, for instance.
The first person who came to mind was Riese, partly because he was worried about her safety, but also because if anyone had the power to return him to his original world, it might be her. According to what he’d heard from Anriette, her abilities were, in theory, powerful enough to make something like that possible.
Of course, whether she’d be willing to help was another issue entirely, and who knew what state she might be in now? Regardless, she was absolutely someone worth considering. That was it. At the same moment Allen fully accepted that this world was not the one he came from, he also resolved to search for a way back. It was only natural. He didn’t know why this had happened, but he still had too many lingering attachments to that world to let it go.
Sure, this world might have people who looked and sounded just like his friends. But they weren’t them. If he allowed himself to see them as the same in any real sense, it would only be disrespectful to both sides. At the very least, he had no intention of doing that.
Hm. Well, for now, I’d like to talk more with Anriette. Might help with information gathering.
It was obvious she was an adventurer now, but how she’d ended up that way was a total mystery. If he could learn the details, maybe it would lead to some kind of clue.
And then...there’s Lisette too.
That situation was also strange, and he had no idea how it had come to be. Talking to her would be well worth the effort.
Honestly, the fastest way would be to jump in now and talk to both of them at once...but yeah, that’s definitely not gonna work.
He could already see the future where they both shot him down. In this case, efficiency wasn’t the priority—certainty was.
So, in that case, I guess Lisette should be first?
Her earlier reaction hadn’t been bad, but Anriette wasn’t the kind of person to easily open up to some random stranger asking about her life story. If anything, knowing her, it would take some time to even get to that point. Which meant it made the most sense to start with Lisette.
“Even so, this all feels so wrong,” Allen muttered under his breath as he watched Anriette and Lisette chatting across the room.
To the best of his understanding, Anriette was the daughter of a marquis of the empire, and Lisette was the captain of the imperial order of knights. Seeing the two of them casually talking as an adventurer and a guild receptionist in a Frontier town, it was not surprising that it felt completely off.
Noel and Mylène didn’t feel that strange to me...but I guess that makes sense.
Noel may have claimed to be the Elven Queen, but Allen had only seen her act in that role during their very first meeting. After that, she hadn’t seemed all that different from the Noel he knew, and the same went for Mylène.
In fact, their conversations and interactions had felt exactly like those from his original world, to the point where it had felt totally natural.
But I’m sure that won’t always be the case going forward.
There would likely be plenty of situations like this from here on.
Hm. Part of me wants to see it and part of me really doesn’t...
Truthfully, a part of him was curious. These were things he would never have seen in his original world. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t at least intrigued. Sure, the feeling was strange, but it was what it was.
Well, I guess I’ll just have to take things as they come.
As he was thinking that, Anriette stepped away from the counter. It seemed her business was done. She looked somewhat pleased with herself, but what had she been talking about? Of course, there was no way for Allen to ask her.
Anriette glanced at him briefly, then left the guild without a word. Naturally. That was to be expected. Still, a small sigh escaped his lips.
Man. I really am hopeless, huh?
Apparently, he was more bothered than he’d thought about not being acknowledged by Anriette. Recognizing that feeling in himself, Allen let out another sigh.
Anyway, I’ve got more important things to focus on right now.
With that, he shook off the melancholy and turned his gaze toward the counter. At the moment, no one else seemed to be approaching it. Lisette looked like she didn’t have anything special to do. In other words, this was a perfect opportunity.
But how exactly should I start the conversation?
It wasn’t like Lisette would just open up about herself if he asked out of the blue, and since she was working as a receptionist now, she was probably used to people trying to pull that kind of thing. He’d need to be smart about it. So...what should he do?
The problem was that even though Allen knew who Lisette was, he didn’t know her very well. To be honest, he couldn’t even think of a decent opening line.
Bringing up the empire out of nowhere would be way too abrupt...
As he watched Lisette, he sank into thought, trying to figure out his next move.