Chapter 98
Fiona hung her head and drooped her shoulders like a rain-soaked puppy.
Though I wondered why she was so dejected over something like this, everyone thought differently.
Officially a Grand Duchess, and privately my classmate and first teacher.
Hmm, she might have wanted to maintain that dignified image.
"There's nothing unsightly about it."
"...Did he say anything else?"
Anything else?
Well, not nothing.
No, there was plenty.
But could that really be called Fiona's fault?
Those were Piakra's words.
He said things about me being her boyfriend and such, but that was closer to teasing.
"Well... he asked me to persuade you to give up the succession."
"Really... haa. Don't worry about that. What else?"
"What else?"
Is there something more important than that?
Is she asking me about Piakra's objective?
Seeing my confused expression, Fiona carefully said, "Um, about matters at the Grand Duke's residence...?"
"Did something happen?"
"No! Just checking."
Though it was obvious she was hiding something, it wouldn't be right to press her when she clearly didn't want to talk about it.
"But how does the succession competition even work?"
Though Fiona said it wasn't my concern, how could I not be concerned?
While it was true I didn’t want to get involved, I couldn't ignore it when I knew Fiona might be in danger.
"It's really fine. Even in the worst case, there's almost no chance of armed conflict. While succession order is important, it ultimately comes down to who gains more support."
"Ignoring the succession order?"
"The order is just a precaution. It only really matters in special situations like wartime when the Grand Duke's position needs to be filled quickly. Formal succession happens through selection by voters."
Though I wasn't interested in politics, I didn't know the Grand Duke was chosen by election.
It reminded me of the system where the emperor was elected by prince-electors.
"While many emphasize succession order, it's not the only factor in selection. There will be competition, but it's more like campaign activities, demonstrating one's abilities. So Roman, worry about yourself first. I heard you had another major incident."
"That's true."
"Still not thinking about joining the City Guard? The Expedition Team could definitely protect you from those scum."
The Expedition Team.
That concentration of the City Guard's elite wasn't ranked like Explorers.
But I had heard the Expedition Team's commander could match even a Pioneer.
As Fiona said, joining the Expedition Team would provide protection, but it would come with more restrictions than joining a guild.
"For that issue, I have other preparations."
At my diplomatic rejection, Fiona just slightly pursed her lips as if she'd expected it.
"Tell me if you ever need anything."
"You too, Lady Fiona."
Our conversation wasn't long.
We were both equally busy.
We parted, promising to meet again.
§
At the Union headquarters' main entrance.
After confirming my incredibly swift promotion results, returning my Novice badge, and receiving my Senior badge, Leaf and I encountered a fuming little lioness.
"You abandoned me!?"
Bursting with anger mixed with strong disappointment, Rei glared intensely at both me and Leaf.
"I left a message."
"Still!"
"Come on, Rei, calm down, will ya? It's because we trust you."
"Right. Your instincts work well in the city anyway. We counted on that."
"R-really?"
Whether due to the Abyss' unique mana field, Rei's instincts dulled the deeper we went.
It worked quite well on the First Floor, but they became ambiguous on the Second Floor.
We generally agreed they'd probably be almost useless by the Third Floor.
While Rei might overcome this with growth, that was how it was for now.
Rei, who'd been slightly self-reproachful about not properly fulfilling her guide role, lowered her raised eyebrows at our praise.
"No! Even so...!"
... only to raise them again.
Simultaneously, as if clearing the atmosphere, Leaf clapped and said in a bright voice, "Oh right! Rei, how was your examination?"
"Don't tell me you failed?"
"What are you saying!? Of course I passed!"
"Ooh~ How did you win?"
"Ha! Want me to tell you again?"
So simple.
We figured out Rei's personality long ago.
Leaf and I exchanged silent glances, sending mutual appreciation while enthusiastically encouraging Rei as she proudly began relating her victory story.
"So! Here! I'm a Senior Explorer now too!"
"Wow~ I need to get promoted quickly too. Roman and Rei are both Seniors now."
"Heheh. I'll teach you well. Call me senior!"
All better now.
Seemingly having completely forgotten her anger from moments ago, Rei excitedly jumped onto my back.
Her firm yet surprisingly soft arm flesh wrapped around my neck.
"Gack! Hey, neck, neck!"
"So where are we going now? Frontier?"
"Shouldn't we find guild members first? I think it's important to show what members we have when trying to persuade them."
Only after freeing my neck from Rei's surprisingly strong arms could I answer their questions.
"Both are good."
Getting Frontier's cooperation first, which seemed almost certain.
Or gathering guild members including classmates to increase our appeal elsewhere.
Both were good ideas.
But my thoughts were a bit different now.
"We got an invitation."
"Invitation?"
"Yeah."
Coincidental, one might say.
There was a message at the Union addressed to me.
They were about to send someone to deliver it, so they were glad when I showed up.
"It's from Conquerors."
§
Conquerors.
True to their name expressing ambition to conquer the Abyss, their guild house was located near the central gate area in the Inner City.
There was no need to ask for directions or look at a map.
It was clearly visible.
Except for Enigma, four of the five major guilds have large guild houses matching their scale.
58 total members.
Add the employees for miscellaneous guild housework and expedition support, and Conquerors exceeds three digits.
Conquerors' guild house, with several huge buildings, was different from small operations like Telema School from the front gate.
With no doorbell, I wondered if I should bang on the iron gate, when—
"Oh? That person."
"They're here."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Along with crossing voices so similar they could be the same person with different tones, the gate opened.
Beyond it were two girls with faces as similar as their voices.
"Hello."
"There."
"We."
"Welcome you."
"To Conquerors' guild house."
"Castra."
"I'm Margie Burnet."
"I’m Angie Burnet."
The girls who completed sentences alternately bowed.
Identical appearance, height, and build.
Twins, identical ones at that.
The twins distinguished themselves by tying their rose-gold hair mixing pink and gold in a ponytail and twintails respectively.
Tear moles? Those are different too.
I thought identical twins would have the same moles, but these twins were different.
Twintails had a tear mole under her left eye, and ponytail under her right.
Those don't seem like ordinary moles.
A faint lingering mana presence.
It seemed like some special tattoo.
I had heard there were magics activated through tattoos.
Age... they'd probably be a good match for Rei.
Both age and size.
Encountering fellow peers of the same age for the first time, Rei stopped her earlier grumbling and showed the seriousness she usually reserved for battle.
Two eyes carefully observed the opponents.
Finally finishing her assessment, Rei slightly raised her chin with a faint satisfied smile.
"...Heheh."
What's with that victorious smile?
...Let's not ask what she won.
Rei's fixed gaze already told us.
"Ahem. Sorry for the sudden visit, but would a meeting be possible?"
Though they were clearly younger based on their faces and figures, I was the guest and they were the hosts, so I spoke as politely as possible.
Though we were invited, I brought a proposal too, so we were even.
"It's fine."
"Yes."
"Since we"
"Invited you."
The twins connected their words naturally without a hint of stumbling, as if linked by neural circuits.
Leaf found it amazing too, letting out a small "Ooh~"
She almost clapped but caught herself and sheepishly hid her hands behind her back.
"Then I'll be in your care."
"Okay. Follow."
"Us."
We stepped into Conquerors following the twin girls' guidance.
§
Conquerors' guild house, Castra, was fundamentally clean.
Without any of the fancy decorations or famous paintings that successful organizations usually displayed, the simply furnished interior felt somewhat desolate, but the fact that this was the Conquerors' guild house transformed even that emptiness into confidence.
The top floor of the largest building.
Our Conquerors guild house tour temporarily paused there.
"Welcome. I'm Ref Gromadin. Vice Guild Master of Conquerors."
Speaking in a rough tone, he was surprisingly small in stature.
However, being short didn't mean being weak.
Rather the opposite.
His body, trained to the extreme where "burly" would be the apt description, looked incredibly powerful even at a glance.
His height of around 160cm was a racial characteristic.
Half-Dwarf.
Considering normal Dwarves were around 150cm, he could be an unusually tall Dwarf, but having seen Dwarves several times, I could spot subtle differences between them and Ref.
"I'm Roman Sun. These are my companions, Rei and Leaf."
"Welcome. Glad you came. Sit."
He warmly welcomed us and offered us seats.
It seemed his impression of us was quite good.
The pleasant start helped ease some tension.
"Margie, Angie."
"Yes."
"Ref sir."
"Go get some refreshments. Angie, take care of it."
"Boo. I can do it well too!"
"Don't worry."
After sending the twins away, Ref turned his attention back to us.
"Sorry for making you come first. We should have reached out earlier."
"Not at all. Thank you for welcoming us so warmly despite coming during such busy times."
Currently, Conquerors Guild had their core forces, including the Guild Master, out on a deep Abyss grand expedition.
On top of that, losing a Master-rank Explorer, one of their core forces, to an unexpected death was no small shock.
Additionally, three guild members who followed Grant all died, leaving a considerable power vacuum.
Though Conquerors, competing for the top spot among the five major guilds, appeared to endure well on the surface, any normal guild would have disbanded already.
"First, let me thank you. Bringing back Grant's remains was extremely significant for our guild."
That much?
Of course, a Master-rank Explorer's artifact would be significant, but Ref seemed to emphasize Grant's remains themselves more.
"Is that so?"
At my probing question, Ref answered with a feeling of letting it slide despite knowing, "Yes. We might have had to have a big fight with those Frontier bastards otherwise."