Pressure

From amid the plaza's bustle came the crackle of firewood and the rich aroma of sizzling fat. A faint hint of herbs mingled with it, drawing people in with irresistible force.

Over the fire, a hunk of meat skewered on a thick iron spit turned slowly as it roasted. Fat bubbled out from its surface and dripped onto the hot coals, scattering thick smoke that stirred the appetite with every sizzle.

"One slice, please!"

Lyle called out, holding out a large copper coin. The vendor drew a sharp knife from his belt and sliced off a thick piece of the golden-brown crust.

The meat was promptly tucked into a piece of bread and slathered with a generous helping of mustard.

As soon as Lyle took it, he sank his teeth into it.

Juices gushed out at once, and grease ran down his lips. He paid it no mind, chewing away with single-minded delight.

"...Damn, this is good."

He said it in a muffled voice with his mouth full, then immediately took another bite.

The rest of us ordered the same thing.

Juices slowly seeped into the bread in our hands. At the first bite, the rich flavor of the meat burst forth and filled my mouth. The contrast between the crisp, fragrant crust and the tender meat inside was delightful, followed by the sharp kick of mustard.

"This is delicious..."

Beside me, Elena murmured softly.

Kai paid no heed to her words, silently stuffing his cheeks with food.

"What should we do after this?"

After taking his last bite, Lyle licked the sauce from his fingertips as he asked.

"I'm thinking of going to the Guild's archives. I got something useful, so I want to put it to good use."

"I see. We'll look around a bit longer and see if anything else interesting turns up."

Lyle grinned and slapped Kai on the shoulder while he was still quietly chewing his bread.

"See you later."

Leaving the bleating livestock and the smell of roasting meat behind me, I passed through the Guild's imposing double doors.

As I entered the stone hall, the sound of a beer keg being tapped and hearty laughter spilled out from the tavern just off to the side.

I headed straight for the stone reception counter. A dour-looking clerk, who had been writing in a parchment ledger, looked up at me appraisingly, steadying two lenses perched neatly on the bridge of his nose with a finger.

"The archives, please."

I stated my purpose and slid a silver coin across the counter with my fingertip.

The clerk quickly drew it toward himself, then let it ring against the stone to test its purity before carelessly handing me a wooden pass token.

Gripping it tightly, I left the tavern's clamor behind and headed down the corridor. Through the crack in the sturdy door drifted the cool, dry scent of bundles of paper, the opposite of the tavern's warmth.

Beyond the door lay a still world lined with old shelves. Lamps on the walls cast a feeble light across the dusty room.

I showed the wooden token to the man at the entrance, then copied one crude bundle of papers after another into 'Endless Record.' The bundles were little more than sheets of paper pierced and tied together with hemp cord. Information on nearby monster sightings, tips for gathering medicinal herbs, and details about the roads—all of it was instantly added just by channeling mana into the book.

No matter how much knowledge it swallowed, the book remained no thicker than a fingertip, serenely producing another blank page. Only after it had consumed about half my mana was I finally able to take the entire contents of the archives into my hands.

I put the book, unchanged in appearance, inside my coat and left the silent room.

"Hey, Noah-kun!"

When I stepped out of the archives, Mireille came toward me, waving with a bright, beaming smile. Aileen and Cecilia, the other members of the Wind of the Azure Sky, followed behind her.

"Perfect timing! There's been a development in that matter. How about we have a nice, leisurely chat in the branch chief's office?"

Mireille reached my side and gave my shoulder a light pat. But Aileen and Cecilia, standing behind her, weren't smiling.

"All right."

Hearing my reply, Mireille gave an exaggerated thumbs-up and said, "That's the spirit!" Then she set off at the head of the group.

We climbed the stairs to the third floor.

As the noise of the first floor faded, the stone walls gave way to lavish tapestries, and the floor stones in the corridor grew smooth and polished.

Before long, we arrived at an imposing door adorned with carvings.

Mireille stopped for just a moment, took a breath, and knocked on the branch chief's office door.

"Come in."

At the branch chief's reply, Mireille opened the door and ushered me inside.

The room was so quiet, it was hard to believe the noise of the first floor existed.

At the center of the room stood a large ebony desk, an imposing presence amid the stone walls. Its deep-black wood faintly reflected the slanting sunlight streaming through the window. Neatly stacked across its surface were bundles of parchment and letters sealed with layer upon layer of wax.

Beside the desk, a man who looked like a clerk stood ready at a writing stand, quill in hand.

The mustached man sitting behind the desk spoke.

"I'm Dietrich Waldner, the branch chief."

The branch chief rested his chin on his interlaced fingers and fixed me with a piercing gaze.

"You're Noah of Oath's Balance, yes? ...No, perhaps I should call you a promising newcomer who took down a wanted criminal and caught an internal informant in the act."

He paused and lowered his eyes to the papers on his desk.

"Aileen told me about you. I hear you suggested waiting for Glen to be attacked. You put your own safety and the certainty of the evidence ahead of the organization's pride... That's a remarkably gutsy decision for a rookie."

The branch chief leaned back in his chair and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. It was less a smile of praise than a cold one, as if he were sizing up a newcomer he couldn't quite figure out.

"Now, as promised, Glen has been dealt with, and the attackers are locked up in our dungeon. ...From here on, the Guild needs facts to officially seize Glen's deposits. Noah, I want to hear it from you. What did you see that night?"

"Yes."

I answered briefly and stepped forward.

The clerk standing by the writing stand readied his quill.

"That night, I was on watch from midnight until dawn. Members of the Red Wolf and the Wind of the Azure Sky were also on watch atop the wagons. Glen was patrolling the perimeter of the circle of wagons, but... while he was doing so, he crouched for an unusually long time in the shadow of Hans-san's wagon."

The clerk dipped his pen into the inkwell and began writing on the parchment. A harsh scratching sound filled the silence.

"It was pitch-black. Are you saying you could tell exactly what was happening in the shadow of the wagon, where even the torchlight couldn't reach?"

The branch chief narrowed his eyes, examining me as he asked. I replied without changing my expression.

"My senses are a little sharper than most people's. If you doubt me, you can check with the Wind of the Azure Sky."

Behind me, where the branch chief had turned his gaze, I sensed Aileen nod.

"Go on."

"After we took down the bandit knight, I checked the axle for repairs and found a sharp cut about a third of the way through it."

I paused for a breath, then continued with conviction.

"Glen had intended to leave the wagon stranded from the start. He tampered with it so it would break in exactly the right place for Otto the Ill-Omened Bird to ambush it."

When I finished my testimony, the clerk turned the completed parchment toward me.

The ink was still damp, giving off a distinctive, rusty smell.

"Is this accurate? If so, leave your mark here as proof."

The clerk held out a small piece of cloth soaked in black ink.

I pressed my thumb against it, then firmly stamped it at the end of the parchment, where my testimony concluded.

After watching, the branch chief took a brass seal from a desk drawer.

The clerk quickly lit a flame and dripped blue sealing wax onto the parchment. The scent of melted wax filled the room, and the branch chief pressed the Guild's insignia into it.

"...Accepted. This will be treated as official testimony."

The branch chief watched the still-warm sealing wax with cool eyes.

"With this, there's no doubt that Glen was aiding them from the inside. ...Good work. You may leave."

After watching Noah bow quietly and leave the room, the branch chief let out a long breath.

"So... did you find out anything about Noah-kun's true identity?"

Mireille, who had been standing by, asked, barely able to contain herself.

The branch chief remained silent for a while, his chin still resting on his interlaced fingers.

His profile was far too grim for a discussion about the background of a mere rookie adventurer.

"He's probably connected to the Church..."

The branch chief's voice was heavy with frustration.

"He registered as an adventurer in Ennsburg. If he came over the mountains, he must be from either the Kingdom of Navar or the Church. So I made inquiries through contacts on both sides. The result was that neither had any connection to him."

"Then, maybe he's just a..."

The branch chief silenced Mireille with a look alone. Unmistakable unease flickered in his eyes.

"It happened just after I sent those inquiries. The dispatch of the three healers who were supposed to be assigned to our branch was unilaterally canceled, without any explanation. No excuse, no alternative arrangement."

"Huh...?"

Mireille caught her breath.

'I wouldn't recommend prying.'

Noah's words from some time ago flashed through Mireille's mind.