Chapter 322: Cooking with Conspiracy (2/2)

The red tinged light of dawn was already streaming in through the window, and he figured that the rest of his party would soon be awake. After breakfast, he planned on taking them all down to the Guild to turn in his request and then have them all registered and promoted.

Things went smoothly for a change, and in a few short hours he was standing inside the guildmaster's office with the others waiting outside, business more or less completed. Sera, Morris, and Lily had all been registered as Rank 3 adventurers, with the promise of quick promotions to follow. They would still have to complete a few requests, purely as a justification, but the Guildmaster could then use his authority to forcibly increase their Rank to 5.

Since she was a fairly high ranking adventurer to begin with, Tal was simply promoted to Rank 6 after an aptitude test that she passed with flying colors.

With nothing else to do, Mike began leading the group out. He was eager to begin their dungeon training. However, he was stopped by the Guildmaster.

”Before you go, I did want to leave you with a word of warning.”

Mike sighed. He had a feeling this would be troublesome. ”Yes?”

”I'm sure you are aware that your presence in this city has largely been revealed, right? Well, there are a few groups that are taking a great interest in your actions here. I fear that assisting the Guild during this sensitive time might have made you a target.”

”If they are willing to incite the wrath of a Tier 4 mage, then I suspect there is little hope for them.” He growled back, already sick of the intrigue that has been plaguing his life for the last few months.

”Oh, I seriously doubt they'd move openly against you. Only fools would knowingly poke a sleeping dragon. However, I've been receiving reports to suggest a few of the major powers in the region are at least investigating you.”

Mike felt his jaw clench in annoyance. He knew he largely had himself to blame for the situation, but he couldn't help but think that it was a pain in the ass. ”Anything specific?”

The Guildmaster replied with a secretive smile, as if hinting that even he couldn't be fully trusted. ”The White Lions have been poking around a bit, gathering information. By all accounts, it appears that they are merely trying to keep tabs on you. However, they are not known for their restraint, so I would caution you to avoid any direct interaction with them.”

Narrowing his gaze, Mike tried to determine if the other man was lying. It was painfully obvious from their previous interactions that the Guildmaster was an itinerant schemer who would have probably been quite comfortable in politics.

”Am I supposed to believe this warning has nothing to do with the strained relationship between the Lions and the Guild?”

The older man grinned. ”You are welcome to think that way, if you like. I doubt I could convince you otherwise. I should also mention that they are not the only ones taking an interest in you. We've had several agents approaching us in an effort to investigate you. It seems that there are many who are curious as to your purpose in this city.”

”Are you aware of who these agents serve?”

The old man hesitated for a second. ”For the most part, no. I don't have much authority or power outside of my role as Guildmaster, so it is difficult for me to stay informed about local powers. Most likely they are representatives of the more powerful merchants in the area, who probably want to use you for their economic interests. They won't do much more than watch you for the time being, so it's likely safe to ignore them.”

The Guildmaster opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bottle filled with a clear liquid and two glasses. ”In any event, I wanted to thank you for completing that request in such a timely manner. With your contributions, I think our representative has a fair chance of winning the competition. Before you go, would you perhaps be willing to join me in a drink to celebrate.”

Mike watched the man as he filled both glasses. Even as far away as he was, he could tell from the smell it was a potent alcoholic drink. A quick Appraise confirmed that it was a variety of locally sourced, distilled liquor.

[This feels a bit forced. Does he have some other objective?]

Trusting in his infuriatingly effective Poison Resistance to negate any harmful side effects, and trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was a teenager drinking alone with a middle-aged man, he accepted the glass and quickly threw it back after the other man had drunk his.

Despite the expected burn, the alcohol was surprisingly smooth. While it didn't have much of a flavor, it was drinkable enough that Mike would've had no problem drinking it regularly.

[Would go pretty well with a nice salty snack.]

”Thanks.” He offered, raising his glass in a casual salute to the Guildmaster, who simply nodded in return, a knowing smile on his face.

It was then that Mike noticed a small slip of paper stuck to the bottom of his glass. Sighing internally, he surreptitiously pocketed the message and returned the cup. ”Well, I should be going. There's a lot still to do today.”

”Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to keep you. Please feel free to come back any time. My office is always open to accomplished adventurers such as yourself.”

Closing the door behind him, Mike rejoined the others and led them back in the direction of the inn. There they would separate out into delving pairs. He had some idea of who should go with who, but he wanted to involve them in the decision.

While they were walking, he carefully pulled out the slip of paper and glanced at it, keeping a close eye on his surroundings with all of his sensory skills.

Written on it was a simple message. ”You have gained the attention of the Court of the Undying.”

Folding the paper again, he slipped it back into his pocket, frowning.

”Something the matter?” Morris asked from his side, obviously taking note of his friend's expression.

Before he answered, Mike froze in place. Just for a second, he'd felt a momentary flash of hostility from the very edges of his perception. Whipping around, he focused his attention on the area in question, scanning the location with Aerosense at maximum sensitivity. However, he couldn't find anything out of the usual.

”Mike?” The bard asked again, trying to follow his gaze.

”There's been a change of plans. We're leaving the city. Now.”