Chapter 53 - The Labyrinth City of Lartania (2)

Serenea had spent more than a year and a half working as secretary to Rine, the owner of Merd and a magical appraiser without equal in the labyrinth city. She was always exhausted.

Objectively speaking, all she did was greet customers and take appointments, so the work should not have been particularly tiring. But the strain was psychological rather than physical—and considerable at that.

To put it more precisely, she had to deal with a lot of obnoxious customers.

Of course, Merd was such an exclusive establishment that few customers took their behavior to extremes. That did not mean there were none who wore away at her sanity, though. Sometimes she even found herself thinking that, in certain respects, the very worst customers might be easier to handle.

By those standards, today had been quite peaceful for Serenea, and her mood had remained reasonably good.

Until a man who looked like a noble arrived with a knight.

In truth, that man was not particularly troublesome. He had trotted out the same “I know Rine” line as so many difficult customers, but she had heard that claim hundreds of times. That alone did not even qualify him as a nuisance.

The reason her mood plummeted was the pi—no, the noble who arrived after him. Even Serenea’s firmly fixed customer-service smile wavered at the sight of him.

'He’s here again.'

Ravald Greystone.

The son of Lucimore Greystone, the current lord of the labyrinth city of Lartania, and a piece of human garbage known to everyone in the city.

An ignorant fucking brat who wielded power derived entirely from his father as though it were his own, convinced that his father was the only person above him.

Watching him brazenly insult the noble who had arrived before him without even caring who the man was, then arrogantly toss down his money, she almost frowned. She barely managed to restrain herself.

She had no right to frown in the first place. However obnoxious he might be, he was the son of the labyrinth city’s one and only lord.

Knowing that even Rine, the owner of Merd whom she served, gave way to Ravald, Serenea silently opened the door.

What happened next left her gaping.

Rine had always maintained a smile despite the lord’s worthless son strutting about and pestering her.

“Get lost.”

She tapped his shoulder, as though all her previous treatment of him had been a lie. But that was not what surprised Serenea most.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Godfather.”

Rine respectfully bowed her head before the man Serenea had, until moments ago, considered just another customer.

'Wh... what is going on?'

Bewilderment slipped onto Serenea’s face before she could stop it. Had she dreamed what she had just seen?

Having watched Rine for nearly two years, Serenea knew one thing.

Even when the lord of the labyrinth city visited.

Even when high-ranking nobles from foreign lands visited.

Even when an imperial prince from the Kingdom of Ashtalon visited.

Rine had never bowed her head to anyone.

Her smile forgotten, Serenea stood with her mouth hanging open. Soon she saw Ravald and his mercenaries gaping too.

“What did you just say to me?”

Ravald had stood frozen as though his brain had stopped working. Now, finally grasping what Rine had said, his blank expression gave way to unmistakable displeasure.

But Rine merely said,

“I believe I told you to get lost?”

She repeated herself while looking at Ravald as though this were perfectly natural. Serenea’s expression turned aghast.

Anyone who heard those words could only take them as an open declaration of hostility toward Ravald.

Ravald gave an incredulous laugh, then twisted his face into a demonic scowl.

“I don’t know what’s so important about that worthless noble, but I’ll make you regret turning your back on me.”

With those parting words, he turned and left Merd.

####

Only after Ravald Greystone, the labyrinth city lord’s son, departed with a demonic expression that suggested he might do anything did Alon finally get the chance to speak properly with Rine.

“I received your letter. You must have had a difficult journey, Godfather. You too, sir.”

Unlike Deus, who said nothing as though silence were golden, or Seollang, who went to the opposite extreme and talked too much, Rine spoke in a quiet, steady voice.

Alon looked at her, nodded lightly, and asked,

“... By the way, will this be all right?”

“What do you mean...?”

“Rivald.”

Alon asked after the city lord’s son, whose name he had only just managed to recall earlier.

He knew that the lord held immense power in the labyrinth city of Lartania. And since the lord did indeed shield his son from consequences, Alon worried that he might have caused trouble for Rine, who had made her home here.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“... Really? He is the lord’s son, though. I’m afraid you might suffer for it.”

“You probably won’t see him again. More importantly, I didn’t realize you knew that brat, Godfather.”

Alon hesitated briefly at her words, then answered smoothly.

“... Lartania’s brat is famous, after all. Both for his appearance and his personality.”

“Is that so? Anyway, as I said, there’s no need to worry.”

Unlike the others he had met, she spoke bluntly, revealing little emotion. Even so, her words conveyed considerable confidence.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Alon gave a brief nod and moved on to some casual conversation with her.

Naturally, they discussed nothing remarkable. He asked when the business she had started in Lartania began doing well, and whether she kept in touch with the others from the orphanage—ordinary, light questions about how she was doing.

Yet as they talked, Alon found himself in an unusually good mood.

It might have sounded a little funny, but he felt that Rine had grown up into a normal, well-adjusted person. Not that Deus and Seollang had failed to grow up well, of course. Rather, Rine felt like a daughter who had grown into a remarkably responsible adult despite his having paid her little attention.

He even found himself feeling proud of her as they continued their pleasant conversation.

After a little while, when their small talk had run its course, Alon turned to the matter at hand.

“Actually, I came to see you today because I have a favor to ask.”

“Please, feel free to ask.”

“Has an expedition been formed to subjugate the Outer God?”

Rine seemed to think for a moment before answering.

“Hmm... Yes, I think an expedition has probably been formed by now.”

“Then could you help me join it?”

Joining the expedition against the Outer God was precisely why he had sought her out as soon as he arrived in the labyrinth city. She reportedly wielded considerable influence here.

It was difficult to join such an expedition without being someone of some renown within Lartania. Of course, his reputation elsewhere might have gotten him admitted even if he went alone. Still, he had come to her because he wanted to make certain he could join.

'After what happened earlier, this might be a little difficult.'

“Of course, it may be a bit difficult...”

Recalling Ravald, he spoke with the thought that obtaining Rine’s help might prove troublesome.

But she replied,

“I think I can manage that much.”

“... Hm? Can you?”

“Yes.”

“... But didn’t you just have a bit of a falling-out with the lord’s son?”

Calling it a mere falling-out seemed something of an understatement, but he kept that observation to himself and looked at her. She said,

“Don’t worry. That much won’t be difficult to resolve. More importantly, does he concern you, Godfather?”

“By ‘he,’ do you mean Ravald?”

“Yes.”

“He is the lord’s beloved son. I’m worried he might cause you unnecessary trouble.”

Rine gave a small nod at Alon’s answer.

“In any case, please don’t dwell on it too much.”

“Ahem... Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Her blunt yet reassuring manner once again left Alon feeling oddly proud as he nodded. They returned to their small talk, and after a while, he asked,

“By the way, why ‘Godfather’?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, Deus and Seollang call me Benefactor or Mentor. I was wondering why you call me Godfather.”

At his spontaneous question, she seemed to consider it for a moment before replying,

“... Because Godfather is the word that suits you best?”

“... Is it?”

“Yes.”

A little later, she said,

“For now, please rest today. You must be tired after such a long journey.”

After giving Alon and Evan rooms inside Merd, Rine disappeared somewhere.

“Wow, she’s really matured.”

Evan spoke as soon as she left, as though he had been waiting for the chance.

“Has she?”

“Yes. She’s blunt, but she always was. Putting that aside... I think she feels the most mature of all the children we’ve met so far.”

Alon nodded in agreement.

“She certainly does seem to have grown up in the most exemplary fashion.”

'... Rine said she would let me know, and not nearly as much time has passed as when I went north. Perhaps I should rest for now and review my plan.'

With that thought, he turned toward the room Rine had provided.

It was already late in the evening when he entered.

####

The next day, Alon rose, his body still protesting with fatigue despite a long sleep, and saw that the sun was up. Perhaps it was because he had rushed to Lartania by carriage with barely any rest.

After sitting blankly on the bed for a while, he dressed and left his room. Guided by Rine’s secretary, Serenea, he soon found Rine eating lunch.

Then she said,

“I’ve taken care of what you asked about yesterday.”

“... So quickly?”

“Yes. There’s a regular meeting today, so you can attend that.”

Alon looked at Rine with admiration—but only for a moment.

“Oh, and I also killed Ravald Greystone cleanly, so he won’t trouble you anymore.”

She casually took a bite of sausage and delivered that staggering statement in the same breezy tone one might use to say, “Haha, the sunshine is lovely today.”

“Mm, I se—”

Alon had been about to answer just as casually.

“Huh...?”

Instead, he could only stare at Rine as countless question marks filled his mind.