Chapter 258
Fiene and Mia were heading toward the center of the eastern side of the Imperial Capital's middle level while being pursued by the enemy.
There was a certain facility there.
"Where are we headed, Fiene-sama!?"
"We're almost there!"
"Pursue them! Capture them at all costs!"
After slipping through a narrow back alley, Fiene and the others emerged onto a street.
Then Fiene spotted their destination.
It was a familiar facility.
It was where the adventurers of the Imperial Capital registered and made their base.
It was the Imperial Capital Branch of the Adventurers' Guild.
Fiene and Mia ran toward it.
However, a large number of pursuers were coming from behind them.
If they entered the Imperial Capital Branch, they would lead the soldiers straight inside.
Fiene hesitated at the thought, but suddenly someone grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side.
"Eek!"
"I'm sorry, Fiene-sama. Please keep quiet for a moment."
The person who pulled Fiene into the shadow of the building was the Adventurers' Guild receptionist who always dealt with Silver.
A short while later, the soldiers arrived.
"Where did they go!? Search the area!"
The soldiers split up and began searching their surroundings.
However, before they could search the area, they were stopped.
"That's some nerve, prowling around here."
"Did you come here looking to pick a fight with us?"
Adventurers appeared from all over the street with their weapons drawn.
The soldiers instinctively took a step back.
"W-we're not here to fight you! The Blue Gull Princess must have fled here! Hand her over!"
"Never heard of her."
"A beauty like that? If she had fled here, there's no way we wouldn't have noticed."
"They say no one saw her. She must be somewhere else, so go home."
The adventurers pretended not to know anything and refused even to hear the soldiers out.
A young soldier finally lost patience and drew his sword.
"That's enough! We know she's here! Don't get cocky, you mere adventurers!"
"Hey, did you hear that? He called us 'mere adventurers.'"
"Talk about an insult. Soldiers who betrayed the Emperor they serve called us 'mere adventurers.'"
"I thought we were a whole lot better than you guys, but I guess I was mistaken?"
The adventurers fixed the soldiers with chilly looks.
Unable to bear it, the soldiers drew their swords one after another and stepped forward.
"W-wait! Calm down!"
"How are we supposed to stay calm!? We rose up for the sake of the Empire! We have no reason to put up with you mocking us!"
"For the Empire? Don't make me laugh. You mean for yourselves, don't you?"
"Grrr!!"
Provoked by the adventurers, one of the soldiers turned bright red and tried to charge.
However, an arrow buried itself at his feet.
"Wha...?!"
"Whoa, you'd better not move. An adventurer archer can shoot the eye of a monster from far away. If they're aiming for a human head, they could hit it even while yawning."
The soldiers looked around.
There were more than ten adventurers on the rooftops, bows drawn and aimed at the soldiers.
The number of adventurers emerging onto the street continued to grow.
Overwhelmed by the pressure, the soldiers had no choice but to give up searching for Fiene and the others.
"They got away, didn't they?"
"Looks like it. Thank you very much."
"No need to thank me. You're a valued customer, Fiene-sama."
With that, the receptionist beamed.
Then Fiene and Mia were led into the Imperial Capital Branch.
Many citizens who seemed to have fled there were gathered inside.
"There are so many people..."
"These are only some of the people who have evacuated here. We can shelter only so many, so we're dividing them among various locations. Still, we can't operate too openly, so our efforts are rather meager..."
The receptionist lowered her eyes as she said this.
They were doing what the country itself should have been doing.
For the sake of the people.
Those words came back to Fiene.
"No amount of gratitude would be enough. Thank you for all your efforts."
"Not at all. Even though we're adventurers, we're still citizens of the Empire. We live in this Imperial Capital, and we have families and friends here. Naturally, we'll do what we can."
After expressing her gratitude once more, Fiene turned her attention to the citizens being sheltered inside the branch.
Most of them were elderly people or children. Adventurers were playing with children who appeared to have become separated from their parents.
The rebellion had broken out during a festival, so Fiene realized that the damage suffered by the people was far greater than she had imagined.
It would have been easy to apologize to them immediately, but it wasn't Fiene's role to apologize. She had come here to put an end to this chaos and restore their ordinary lives.
"I'm sorry, but I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Could we borrow the long-distance communication room? I'd like to speak with the people at Guild headquarters."
Fiene had come here to enlist the adventurers' cooperation.
However, as a rule, adventurers did not involve themselves in conflicts or disputes between nations.
Neither Linfia nor Zeke was helping Al as an adventurer. They were helping him only as private individuals.
That was why, even if Fiene asked the adventurers here to aid the Emperor, no one would agree.
A few might help as individuals, but that wouldn't be enough.
For that reason, Fiene intended to negotiate with the leaders of the Adventurers' Guild.
But.
"There's no need. I'm negotiating with them now."
At the sight of the person emerging from the back of the guild, Fiene's eyes widened.
"...Prince Erik..."
"Looks like you had your eye on the same place, Fiene."
"It would seem so..."
Erik had broken through the encirclement with several Imperial Knights and quickly made his way to the Imperial Capital Branch.
He had already begun negotiating with Guild headquarters.
"You arrived at just the right time. I'll handle the hardheaded people at Guild headquarters. You persuade the adventurers on the ground."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm good at negotiations. I have connections with the higher-ups at Guild headquarters, and I know several secrets they'd rather keep hidden. They're conferring now, but before long I should be able to get their word that they'll leave the decision to the adventurers on the ground. However, that alone won't get those adventurers to act."
"...Because if the rebellion succeeds, Prince Gordon will become Emperor?"
"Exactly. If they oppose the next Emperor, they'll be charged with a crime and won't be able to remain in the Empire. They may drive away the soldiers who come to the branch, but they have no reason to go any further."
There was no guarantee they'd win.
On the contrary, Gordon's advantage was obvious to everyone.
Unless they could persuade those adventurers, it wouldn't matter how much the higher-ups allowed them to intervene in the Empire's affairs.
"I'm good at negotiations, but persuasion is another matter. You're better suited to that sort of thing."
"...I'll do everything I can."
"I leave it to you. Father's life is at stake. Please."
With that, Erik bowed his head.
Fiene felt a strong sense that something was off about his attitude.
It was unlike Erik.
Fiene had dealt with Erik many times at the castle, but he had never been the sort of person to say anything as warm as this.
She had always thought of him as colder and more ruthless, as someone who considered everyone but himself irrelevant.
Yet Fiene pushed that unease aside.
It was unimportant for now.
What mattered was securing the adventurers' cooperation. Everything else was secondary.
"To be honest, I think this will be difficult."
"I think so too."
At the words of the receptionist and Mia, Fiene nodded as if to say she agreed.
Ultimately, adventurers were motivated by profit. That was simply the nature of their profession.
Their one absolute rule was to act for the people. That was all.
Gordon wasn't someone who committed atrocities against the people; he simply had no interest in them.
He showed them no consideration, but neither did he seek to harm them.
Persuading them would be extremely difficult.
But she still had to try.
"Could you gather the adventurers? Please tell them that the Blue Gull Princess has something to say."
With that, Fiene embarked on the difficult task of persuading the adventurers.