第二十話 情報収集とギルド長
後日、俺はルーチェと共に冒険者ギルドの最奥部であるギルド長の執務室へと向かっていた。
について、どうしても確認しておきたいことがあったのだ。
例の《哀哭するトラペゾヘドロン》騒動の対策は、冒険者ギルドが中心となって動いている。
ギルド長であるハレインが一番詳しいはずであった。
「あのですね......確かにハレイン様は、御二方でしたらいつでも連れてこいとは仰られていましたが......本当に突然来られるとは思っていませんでしたよ」
ここまで案内してくれた受付嬢のマルチダが、扉の前で足を止めると、俺達へと振り返って溜め息を吐いた。
「いや、悪い。俺も悩んでいて動くのが遅くなった。先に言伝しておきたかったが、あまり時間もなさそうでな」
の告知は下手したら今日にでも行われるかもしれない。
できればその前に話を聞いておきたかったのだ。
「まぁ、御二方なら問題ないでしょうが......一応確認して参りますね」
マルチダが扉をノックした。
「ハレイン様、マルチダです」
「どうした? 入るがいい」
ハレインの声が返ってきた。
マルチダが一人で執務室へと入っていく。
「実は冒険者の方が、すぐにハレイン様にお会いしたいと......」
「今すぐだと? 随分と不躾だな......。一冒険者の面会などに付き合っていればキリがないぞ。何故ここまで連れてきた?」
「え、い、いえ、しかし、その......」
「第一、こっちは例の騒動関連の書類で大忙しなんだ。暇なら話によっては出てやらんこともないとは思うが、この後、商会の重鎮との商談と、ハウルロッド家の本家の人間との
「す、すみません......」
どんどんマルチダの声が小さくなっていく。
「う~ん......駄目そうですね」
ルーチェがそう呟いた。
早ければ早い方がよかったのは間違いないが、どうにもハレインも例の騒動絡みで相当忙しくなっているようだ。
扉が半分だけ、控え目に開かれる。
マルチダが眉根を下げて、申し訳なさそうな表情を浮かべていた。
「すみません、エルマさん。今は忙しいようでして......」
マルチダが言い辛そうに口を開く。
そのとき、背後よりガシャンと、椅子のひっくり返る大きな音が響いた。
「ハレイン様!?」
マルチダが執務室内を振り返る。
彼女の身体を押し退け、ハレインが姿を現した。
「おお、エルマ殿とルーチェ殿だったか! ......マルチダ、それを先に伝えろ!」
ハレインは俺達へと笑顔を向けた後、マルチダを目を細めて睨んだ。
「す、すみません、ハレイン様」
......なんだろう、この人。
有能なはずではあるのだが、いつもどこか抜けている印象が目立つ。
「ささ、上がってくれ。もしやラコリナ支部の職員冒険者になるという話......引き受けてもらえるのか?」
「そうか......」
ハレインは肩を落とし、露骨にがっかりとした様子を見せる。
「こほん......ハウルロッド侯爵家の本家のスノウお嬢様を〈夢の穴〉内で助けたそうだな。私からも礼を言わせていただく。まさかこの短期間の内に、前回の〈嘆きの墓所〉騒動に続き、また手柄を上げるとは」
ハレインが事務机へと戻りながら、そう口にした。
「......俺達がハーデン侯爵から頼まれたことは知っているか?」
「む......」
ハレインがピタリと足を止めた。
「マルチダ、席を外してくれ」
「え......? は、はぁ、承知しました」
マルチダは俺達へと一礼すると、執務室から出て行った。
どうやらハレインは、俺が何の話をしたいのか、今の一声で概ね察してくれた様子である。
「......なるほど、そちらの要件だったわけだな。遣いの者から話しては聞いている。ハーデン侯爵様が、エルマ殿に『レイドで裏切り者を探してほしい』と頼んだとな」
「さすがにそれは荷が重いですが......」
内部犯を捜すなら、もっと侯爵家の息が掛かった人間にやらせた方がいいのは明らかだ。
純粋な冒険者側にもそうした人間を置いておいた方がいいという考えだろうが、それならば実力的にも人間性にももっと信用のおける人間がいるとは思うのだが......。
「既にギルド内でも噂になっているが、明日の朝に〈夢の穴〉......〈水没した理想都〉を攻略する
「〈水没した理想都〉......」
かなり高レベルの〈夢の穴〉だ。
相当厳しい戦いになるだろう。
「こちらも〈嘆きの墓所〉と同様......魔物の異常発生が起きており、例の結晶、〈哀哭するトラペゾヘドロン〉が発見されている」
こんなところに入り込んで、やれ〈哀哭するトラペゾヘドロン〉だ〈
「理想都......? それって〈夢の穴〉なんですかぁ?」
ルーチェが怪訝そうにそう口にした。
俺は頷く。
「〈夢の穴〉はなんでもアリだ。何せ、アルザロスの見る夢そのものだからな。〈幻獣の塔〉だって、造り物の空がいっぱいに広がっていただろう?」
もっとも、それを言ってしまえば、この世界の全てが創造神アルザロスの創り物であるため、この世界も〈夢の穴〉の世界も似たようなものなのだが。
「ただ、厄介な〈夢の穴〉だ。あそこで魔物災害となると、本当にそれなりにレベルの高い冒険者でもないと入れないな」
ここで存在進化なんて引き起こされれば、都市ラコリナを巻き込んだ大事件になる。
「しかし、それ絡みでの頼み事というのはなんだ?」
「ギルドは〈嘆きの墓所〉で〈
「その調査報告書が欲しい」
「調査報告書が欲しいのか? 私も目を通したが、不審な点は見られなかったがな。普段の行動が怪しい冒険者が集まって行動していた......といった部分も特に見受けられなかった。元々、四人参加自体が珍しくてギルド側で編成していたため、口裏を合わせているということも考えづらかったんだが......」
「念のためだ。〈夢の穴〉なんて魔物の対処で必死で、細かい部分なんて覚え切れていないこともあるからな。もしかしたらただの記憶違いや勘違いによって穴が出来ている可能性がある。或いは、悪意なく結果的に嘘を吐いている場合がな」
ハレインは眉根を寄せ、口許を手で覆い隠す。
「あまりピンとは来ていないようだが......」
「見ても仕方がないとは思うが......そうだな、前レイドに参加した冒険者の名簿はエルマ殿達には見せておいた方がいいだろう。前回と今回のレイドに続いて参加した人間は、それだけでかなり怪しいと言えるからな。それならば私の権限で渡せるが、渡したことを含めて、くれぐれも他言はしないでくれ」
Volume 3 - Ch 20
The next day Luce and I headed for the innermost parts of the adventurer's guild, where the Guild Master's office was located.
I had something I really wanted to confirm in regards to the Raid Quest issued by Marquee Harden.
The adventurer's guild will serve as the cornerstone for the countermeasures against the conspiracy making use of those Mourning Trapezohedrons.
Guild Master Hallein should be the one most informed about it.
"Uhm, well....Hallein-sama indeed said that you could come to see her anytime you wish, but..... we didn't really think that you would do that."
Maltida, the receptionist girl that led us here, stopped in front of the office door, turned around to see us, and let out a sigh.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I just had some trouble making up my mind, so I'm cutting it closer than I should've. I wanted to call ahead, but I don't think there is too much time left."
The Raid Quest might even be announced today.
I wanted to discuss some things before that if possible.
"Weell, I think it will be fine if it's you two, but.....I will ask to make sure."
Maltida then knocked on the door.
"Hallein-sama, it's Maltida."
"What is it? Come in."
Hallein's voice came back.
Maltida entered the office by herself.
"There are two adventurers here saying that they want to talk to you right now...."
"Right now, you say? How rude of them.... If I try to meet every single adventurer that wants to meet me then there will be no end to them. Why did you even bring them this far?"
"Ah, n-no, but, well....."
"I'm swamped with paperwork right now thanks to those incidents. If I was free I may have met them anyway, but there will be a meeting after this with a high ranking merchant, then another one with someone from the Howlod main family regarding the upcoming Raid Quest. Truthfully, I'm wasting precious time even talking to you right now. If I had ten minutes right now, I would try to use it to take a nap instead. Please use your own judgment to deal with something like this."
"I-I'm sorry....."
Maltida's voice became smaller and smaller.
"Hmm.....it sounds like a bust."
Luce muttered under her breath.
It would've been better to do this as soon as possible, that's for sure, but it looks like Hallein is also busy working on something related to those incidents as well.
The door opened up again, though barely half-way this time.
Maltida had an apologetic expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, Elma-san. It seems she is too busy right now...."
Maltida told me reluctantly.
Right at that moment, the sound of a chair being toppling over could be heard from behind her.
"Hallein-sama!?"
Maltida turned back to the office in a hurry.
Shoving aside the girl, Hallein showed up in the door.
"Ooh, so it was Elma-dono and Luce-dono! ....Maltida, say that sooner!"
After smiling at us, Hallein turned to glare at Maltida with narrowed eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, Hallein-sama."
....what the heck is up with her.
She's supposed to be this capable woman, but somehow she always gives off an impression of being scatterbrained.
"Here here, please come in. Did you come here to perhaps accept the job as staff members here in the La Colina adventurer's guild branch?"
"I see...."
Hallein's shoulders dropped, leaving her with an utterly dejected expression.
"Khm....I've heard that you managed to save the Howlod main family's Snow-ojousama in a Dungeon. I give you my thanks for it as well. Who could've predicted that you two would be able to perform such a meritorious deed not long after the incident at the Graveyard of Sorrows."
Hallein said as she returned back to her desk.
".....are you aware of what Marquee Harden asked of us?"
"Mhh...."
Hallein stopped on a dime.
"Maltida, please step outside."
"Eh.....? Ah, I understand."
Maltida bowed towards us, then left the office.
It seems Hallein was able to guess what I wanted to talk about just from that.
".....I see, so you want to talk about that one. I've heard about it from a messenger. That Harden-sama asked you to 'discover the traitor participating in the Raid Quest'."
"I don't know if I can indeed accomplish that one though...."
Obviously, a task like looking for an inside man is better done by someone close to the Marquee family.
He must've wanted to have someone from purely the adventurer side do the same as well, but if so, he should've had plenty of others, more qualified in terms of both strength and trustworthiness than us, to do this for him.....
"It's already became a rumor within the Guild, but recruiting for the Raid Quest to clear the Dungeon by the name of 'Sunken Utopia' is scheduled for tomorrow morning "
"Sunken Utopia...."
It's quite a high level Dungeon.
This will most likely turn into a difficult battle.
"Same as with the Graveyard of Sorrows, an irregular spawn of monsters could be observed within, and those crystals....those Mourning Trapezohedrons were found as well."
Trying to mess around in that one by planting a bunch of Mourning Trapezohedrons or triggering a Wandering Lord should be simply too risky, even for our opponents.....
"Utopia.....? Is that really a Dungeon?"
Luce asked, sounding dubious.
I nodded.
"Anything goes for a Dungeon, really. It's because they are simply the dreams of Alzaroth in the end. Even in the Phantasmal Beast Tower you saw that fake but enormous sky, right?"
That being said, if you think about it, then this world was also created by the God of Creation, Alzaroth, so this world and the Dungeons are very much similar.
"However, that Dungeon is a problematic one. With a Monster Calamity happening in that one, we can't let in adventurers below a certain level threshold."
If they can cause an Evolution once again, then La Colina would definitely get caught up in this incident.
"But, what is that you wanted to talk about regarding this topic?"
"The Guild investigated the identity of who could've triggered the Wandering Lord in the Graveyard of Sorrows, right?"
"I would like to see the report of that investigation."
"You want the record? I also looked through that one, but I couldn't find anything suspicious. I haven't really seen an instance of known suspicious people teaming up and acting together either.... A group of four signing up is rare to begin with, but then the parties were decided by the Guild itself, so it's kind of unlikely that they would end up colluding just like that...."
"It's just to make sure. When delving into a Dungeon, people normally have their hands full dealing with the monsters, so they might not remember every little detail. It's possible there could be a hole in their story by honest mistake or from simply misremembering something. There is also the possibility that some of them ended up lying, but not out of malicious intent."
Hallein furrowed her brows and covered her mouth with a hand in contemplation.
"It looks like you don't quite get what I'm talking about, but...."
"Well, I don't think that reading it will be any help, but....Oh, yeah, I should show you two the roster for the last Raid Quest as well. If someone signs up for this one right after the other Raid Quest, then that by itself will be suspicious. I can give you that list under my own authority, but please don't talk about it to others, not even the fact that I gave it to you."
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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