1
"Well, I guess we're off then."
"Yep. Good luck."
Leo and I were saying our goodbyes before we parted ways.
The day after our reunion, the grand duke of Rondine had already prepared a fleet of ships. Rondine certainly moved quickly, especially compared to Albatro. I had a feeling that difference in reaction time was also reflected in the division of territory in the southern region between the two countries.
It was the grand duke of Rondine's turn to head to Albatro, seeking to form an official alliance. That said, dealing with the sea dragon that was probably still somewhere near Albatro was most likely his top priority.
"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own, Arn?" Elna asked, sounding fairly worried. She kept her gaze stubbornly away from the ocean. Even looking at it was apparently scary for her.
From that point on, Elna and Marc would both accompany Leo. Only a few select people would remain behind because I didn't need anyone particularly skilled with me during my stay in Rondine.
"Since the sea dragon deliberately made its way back to Albatro territory, Albatro must be its target. Rondine should be safe for the time being. I feel like I should be the one worried about you, don't you think? I mean, just take a look out there. The ocean's beautiful, you know."
"I-I'll be just fine! I-if a battle comes up...I-I can fight. A-and yeah, you're right...th-the ocean's beautiful... I-it's like something in a painting..." Elna stuttered as she glanced out at the ocean visible from the harbor. Her face looked pale. She was entirely incapable of appreciating the view. I was fairly certain that if there was a battle, she'd actually be totally useless. It was best to just have her fight on land. Anyway, Leo would get all that without me having to spell it out.
"You're in charge now. And maybe try to keep an eye on Elna, yeah?"
"Sure thing. And you be patient and wait for us to come back."
"Mm-hm. I'm happy to leave the fighting to you guys. Put an end to this mess, for all of our sakes. It's not going to be easy returning home to the empire with that sea dragon out there."
Once our goodbyes were said, Leo and Elna departed.
When the ships were finally out of sight, I returned to the castle and shut myself away in the room I'd been lent. It would have been nice to stay in bed for the next few days, but unfortunately that wasn't in the cards.
I created a magical illusion to make it look like I was asleep in my bed, then left the room through the window.
I was headed to the Adventurers' Guild branch located in Rondine. Naturally, I couldn't go as Arnold, so I used another illusion to change my appearance to Silver. And since it would cause a big fuss if random adventurers learned that Silver was around, I also cast a spell to put them all to sleep before entering. Once everyone was out for the count, I walked inside.
I'd left the clerk at the reception desk awake, and she had been thrown into confusion by what she'd just witnessed.
"Wh-who are you?!"
"Silver, SS-class adventurer from the Adrasia branch. I had the other adventurers take a short nap so my appearance wouldn't cause a commotion. I'm sorry if I scared you."
"S-Silver? You mean that famous adventurer, the silver-masked mage?"
"I'm not sure about the famous part, but yeah. Here."
I showed the clerk my Adventurer Card while replying. She timidly took the card from me, read it, then exclaimed in amazement.
"I-is this real?!"
"That's what I've been saying. Sorry to be abrupt, but I need to borrow a long-distance com room."
There were com rooms at all Adventurers' Guild branches. These rooms were surrounded by a special barrier and had a crystal at their center which could communicate with the com room at the Guild's administration office or any other branch.
Having these rooms in Guild branches located in regions all across the continent was one of the Guild's secret techniques for promoting swift attention to monster incidents.
"O-of course! Right this way!"
Only Guild employees and adventurers ranked S-class or above could use the rooms. That was one example of how higher-class adventurers, who could deal with high-ranked monsters solo, were given special treatment within the Guild.
After the clerk led me to the com room, I quickly connected to the administration office.
"This is SS-class adventurer Silver. Let me speak to the vice president."
"Right away, Master Silver."
Employees at the administration office must be used to getting these kinds of calls, I mused. The voice at the other end had responded calmly and without any hint of surprise.
After a moment, the face of a bearded man appeared on the crystal surface.
The handsome, middle-aged man with black hair and blue eyes was named Clyde. He had once roamed the continent as a vigorous S-class adventurer but had since retired from adventuring to act as vice president of the Guild.
"Why are you calling from the southern branch?"
"I'm here visiting a friend."
"A friend, huh? Hard to believe you've got any of those."
"I am a human, you know. I have a few friends here and there. But enough about me. I heard a strange rumor recently. Is it true?"
"I don't suppose there's much point in trying to hide it. Yes, it's true. We received an official request from the Grand Duchy of Albatro for the eradication of a sea dragon. The administration office is in chaos."
"I can imagine. What's its designated rank?"
"We're planning on an S for now, but depending on how destructive its activities are, it could still be elevated to SS. If that happens, it'll be a top-rank elimination quest requiring several SS-class adventurers."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Even if they slay the sea dragon, Albatro will be a total mess afterward."
Having several SS-class adventurers other than myself all in one place was a situation that the Adventurers' Guild should also want to avoid. The adventurers all have superhuman strength but lack the common sense to go with it. Gathering a group of them to slay the dragon could result in all sea creatures in the surrounding ocean being killed, the harbor town being decimated beyond repair, or something else on that scale of destruction.
"I don't want to have to summon anyone either. Sorry to put you on the spot, but since you happen to be in the area, would you take this on for us?"
"Don't talk like it's some simple errand. I'm heading back to the capital on some business after this. If you can wait until I return here again, I'll accept the quest."
"I see. I'd prefer it if you could do this immediately, though."
"Is there a problem?"
"...This was all top-secret information, but for some reason, it has been leaked within the empire. And now there's talk of aid efforts going around."
"That makes sense since smart intervention could put the southern region squarely in the empire's debt. But...there's also a possibility of collateral damage."
Actually, collateral damage would be inevitable. If the empire sent out a fleet of ships, for instance, they'd just be sunk in the storm.
One thing Adrasia could do to provide assistance would be dispatch some elite fighters, but leaving that duty to Elna, who was already in the area, would be an even better option.
Father was probably even considering whether or not to allow Elna to use the holy sword.