Chapter 212
After seeing Elna off, I hurried back to my room.
Fiene was waiting there.
"Hey, Fiene. Sorry, but I'm heading out right away."
"Yes. Please be careful."
I quickly changed into Silver's clothes and put on my mask.
Just as I was about to travel using teleportation magic, I remembered something I'd forgotten to tell her.
"Oh, right. Fiene."
"Yes?"
"I'll probably bring a maid back with me. She'll be your guard."
"My guard? Since things are safe now, shouldn't you send Sebas-san and the others?"
"I'll explain that later."
Saying that, I teleported to a spot near the Adventurer's Guild. Since appearing at the guild at just the right moment would arouse suspicion, I watched from nearby for a while.
Elna had just entered the guild. Only a few knights were still outside. The others were probably busy preparing horses, food, and the like.
So Elna had gone ahead alone to contact Silver.
"Silver! If you're here, come out! Elna von Amsberg is here!"
"S-She's storming the place!!??"
"The Amsberg family's prodigy has come to raid us!!??"
"Damn! What kind of knight launches a surprise attack!?"
"Where's Silver!? If we hand him over, she should calm down!"
"So this day has finally come... I always knew that masked man would cause trouble eventually..."
"Hey! Don't stare off into the distance! You'll die if you stay in the guild!"
"Run or hide! Don't go near her! If you make eye contact, that holy sword will come flying at you!!"
"C-Could I appease her with this meat...?"
"Are you an idiot!? She's a Hero! A measly piece of meat won't satisfy her... What she wants is Silver's flesh... He must have hit a raw nerve..."
"What's a Hero's raw nerve!?"
"I don't know! But Silver's often rude, so he probably called her flat-chested or something! What a nuisance!! He doesn't know the difference between things you can and can't say!"
"Exactly! Show some consideration! If you insult her once, make up for it by praising her twice! Say things like, 'What a magnificent holy sword!' or 'You have such piercing eyes!'"
It was a scene straight out of hell.
The adventurers, who had been drinking and making merry since the middle of the day, were brought back to their senses by Elna's arrival.
In a panic, they knocked over tables and tried to use them as walls to escape Elna's gaze.
They were treating her like a monster now.
They were so flustered that they didn't realize they were only adding fuel to the fire. In a way, that was typical of these carefree adventurers.
"Adventurers really know how to piss me off...!"
"She sounds angry!? Praise her, praise her!"
"Y-You have long hair!"
"Yeah, yeah! It's super pink! We can recognize you anywhere!"
"I think your personality is better than Silver's!"
"Exactly! It's nice that you don't wear a mask!"
"I heard you changed the terrain when you defeated the Spirit Turtle!"
"It's impressive that you can't control your strength!"
"I've heard you used to treat a prince like your attendant!"
"I could never pull that off!"
"I heard you defeated ten knights in Rondine!"
"That inability to read the room is great too!"
"And what else... Hey! There aren't many things left to praise!"
"Squeeze it out! Silver is rude enough, so we have to make up for it!"
I wondered when they would realize that most of what they were saying was insulting.
Elna's shoulders were trembling.
If the circumstances had been any different, the guild might genuinely have collapsed.
The usual receptionist spoke to Elna apologetically.
"I'm terribly sorry... Captain Amsberg. What brings you here?"
"I came looking for Silver, but if he's not here, perhaps I should take care of the new business that's come up."
With that, Elna lightly drew her sword.
That alone made the adventurers scream, and some even collapsed, frothing at the mouth from fear.
"S-Silver is incredibly elusive!"
"He's a suspicious-looking guy who just appears out of nowhere!"
"He's not here! Please forgive us!"
"Exactly! I like you enough that, if you and Silver fought, I'd bet on you!"
"You!? Didn't you say the other day that even a Hero couldn't catch Silver when he teleported!?"
"T-That was a long time ago!"
An ugly squabble among their own began.
Honestly, these guys never had any sense of tension.
They loved making a racket and had no use for manners. They lived however they pleased.
Well, that was precisely why I liked them.
Thinking that, I teleported in front of the Adventurer's Guild and walked inside.
"I hear you're looking for me, lady Hero."
"Yes. There's somewhere I need to get to in a hurry. Teleport us there."
"You start by ordering me around? What's in it for me?"
"Will this suffice?"
Elna tossed three coins at me.
They were coins that shone with every color of the rainbow.
Rainbow Coins were the highest denomination in Imperial currency, and three coins was the standard personal commission fee for an SS-rank adventurer.
Almost no one paid the entire fee upfront, though.
"Rainbow Coins!?"
"I've never seen one before..."
"And three of them..."
That was so like Elna. It was probably money from her personal funds. Even Elna couldn't casually throw around that kind of money. She must have decided that Silver's cooperation was absolutely necessary.
So I tossed the coins straight back to Elna.
"I don't mind teleporting you. But I don't need money. I don't want people to think I work for whoever pays me."
"He threw them back!!??"
"He's definitely out of his mind!?"
"Maybe he couldn't see the color of the coins because of his mask..."
Ignoring the adventurers saying whatever they pleased, I held out my hand toward Elna.
Realizing what I was asking for, Elna handed me a map.
"Can you teleport us to the marked locations?"
"All right. Shall I take you to all of them?"
"Three will be enough. We'll split into three units and search one location each!"
Elna went outside. Imperial Guard knights stood in neat rows there, and she mounted the horse prepared at the front.
Since the festival was still going on, the townspeople began making a commotion, wondering what was happening.
In front of the assembled knights and townspeople, I opened three teleportation gates.
"I'll thank you for this. For now."
"I see. I'll accept your thanks. For now."
"...You understand more or less what I'm trying to do, don't you? Aren't you coming with us?"
"I'm busy too. I'll leave it to you. If you're going, there shouldn't be a problem."
Elna muttered briefly and led her unit into the teleportation gate.
Since we didn't know the enemy's strength, it was wise not to disperse our forces any more than necessary.
There was no question that we had to hurry, but that didn't mean we could allow ourselves to be picked off one by one.
At the very least, each knight unit would have to act separately.
Elna was calm enough. I could leave this to her.
Following them was one option, but if I was outside the Imperial capital when something happened, I might not be able to deal with it.
"Well then."
I teleported directly there.
The location was the castle, though not my room.
I walked down the corridor toward the room I was looking for.
The person I was looking for was talking with Orhime outside that room.
"The barrier in the throne room was formed by multiple barriers in a delicate and exquisite balance... Yet it seems the Empire doesn't understand the value of barriers, does it, Chancellor?"
"I'm sorry. It was an emergency. Can it be repaired?"
"Repairing it is impossible. The entire thing will have to be put up again. This won't be cheap."
"We will compensate you generously."
Saying that, Franz bowed to Orhime.
She was the greatest barrier mage on the continent. Countless nations wanted the Fairy Princess to erect barriers for them. However, the Fairy Princess did not sell her barrier services cheaply.
The reason she was cooperative with the Empire was not merely that the Empire prepared a generous reward. Orhime personally liked the Empire.
It was easy to forget, but Orhime was an enormously important figure on a continental scale.
Orhime noticed me, then furrowed her brows.
"Hmm! Isn't that Silver!? How dare you leave me behind last time!"
"My apologies. I thought I was being considerate, assuming you wanted to look around the Empire."
"What? Is that so? It was indeed a fun journey! Yes! I forgive you!"
She was easy to please.
Thinking that inwardly, I looked at Franz.
He seemed to understand my intentions as well. Franz smoothly sent Orhime away and opened the door to the room.
"I assume you have business with me?"
"Of course. I just teleported the Imperial Guard knights."
"You have my thanks. As an SS-rank adventurer, you have certainly lived up to your reputation. As Imperial Chancellor, I offer you my thanks."
"I don't need your thanks. If you're the Imperial Chancellor, I expect you to act like one."
"Oh? Are you saying I haven't been doing my job?"
"You can't tell me you've forgotten the incident in the eastern Empire. The Imperial Guard knights were targeted after leaving the Emperor's side. If I hadn't intervened, the outcome could have been disastrous."
"That is true. It was a lapse on my part. However, afterward, the Imperial Guard knights who had been scattered across the country as His Majesty's eyes were recalled to the Imperial capital."
"And yet the Imperial Guard knights have left the capital again."
The Imperial Guard Corps consisted of the First through Thirteenth Knight Units.
Three of them had gone to reinforce Leo, while two had gone to the borders.
That was five units in total, but nearly all of the elite units were gone.
"Are you saying the remaining Imperial Guard knights are unreliable? What could someone like Silver possibly fear?"
"I'm not afraid. I'm concerned. Unfortunately, I haven't trusted the Imperial military since demons were summoned in the southern Empire. There were people in the military who plotted to use the children they'd abducted as weapons, and now an incident has occurred inside the castle. Do you seriously believe there are no traitors within?"
"...I will refrain from commenting on that."
"I see. Then let me put it plainly. If Gordon Rakes Adler had betrayed the Empire out of a desire for the throne, what would you do?"
"Why have you brought up Prince Gordon's name?"
"He has considerable influence over the military and knows the inside of the castle well. What's more, he has a history of gleefully trying to plunge the Empire into civil war. He is the most suspicious man among the Imperial family. I assume you're taking precautions?"
"There is no need for an outsider to tell me all that. This is our problem. However, simply sending you away would be rude. I can tell you this much: His Majesty the Emperor does not believe that any of his children would betray him. He believes every one of them sees value in the Empire."
The fact that Franz had deliberately emphasized the Emperor meant that he did not share that view.
That was fine.
There was nothing wrong with Father trusting his children. It was not strange, either as a parent or as an emperor. The people around him were there for when problems arose.
If Franz was making preparations, things would work out somehow.
"In that case, we're done here. Excuse me."
"Silver, I have a question as well. If civil war broke out, whose side would you take?"
"That's a foolish question. I'm on the people's side."
"I see. Indeed, that was a foolish question. Excuse me."
With that, I left Franz's room.
Afterward, I teleported to my own room and changed out of Silver's clothes.
"Al-sama, where is the maid?"
"Oh, I'm going to bring her here now. But first, I have to persuade her."
"Persuade her?"
"Yes. She has no reason to get involved in the Empire's problems any further. Still, she's in a position where she has no choice but to take this on."
"You're wearing a rather sinister smile."
"Am I? I'll be careful."
Now, I'd better make preparations on this end as well.
If the abduction of the Saint was a diversion, things could become truly disastrous.