Chapter 205 (1/2)

Christian B (20), Julien M (20), Zachary H (20), Salas EM (10), Chuasaichwing (10), Jacob K (10), Damian D (5), Max F (5), Andrei S (5), Tshuki (5), Katrina M (5), Dante ASP (5)

”Please, coed Deputy Guild Master Joseph with a friendly-looking smile

Vandalieu was a little hesitant

”Vandalieu-sama, a Deputy Guild Master would never personally handle a te so… However, it would be unwise to openly disobey him, so I believe it best that you follow hiht,” said Vandalieu, giving a nod both to Chipuras and Joseph

Chipuras's advice was reasonable, and he did have a bad feeling, but there was no reaction froer Sense: Death This meant that even in the worst-case scenario, he would be able to make his way out of the situation with brute force

Even without using Soul Destruction Fighting Technique and ic, it would be easy for Vandalieu to destroy the Coe with his claws

”What will you do in the meantime, Moo ahead and change Jobs, then,” said Darcia ”Merchants' eht?” she asked Joseph

”Yes, of course - You'refrom Darcia's face to Vandalieu's

The receptionist behind him seemed surprised as well, but she didn't express it

”… His true thoughts appear on his face, in his behavior and even in his words, even more so than the receptionist who looks to be around twenty years old I, Chipuras, feel some unease as to whether this city's Commerce Guild can be relied upon,” said Chipuras

Vandalieu felt the same unease as Chipuras, but he responded to Joseph's question

”Yes, I take after my father, so my mother and I don't look alike But one of my eyes is the same color as hers,” he said

”I-I see… Well, in any case, please follow me,” said Joseph, the expression of surprise still fixed on his face as he led Vandalieu to the office

Joseph motioned for Vandalieu to sit down on a chair inside the roo immediately

”So, you wish to open a food cart… Why in this city in particular?” he asked Vandalieu ”You were not born and raised here, nor were you living in any neighboring village or city, were you?”

”Is an explanation of the istration?” Vandalieu asked in turn

”I apologize if I have upset you, but you are a special case After all, you are a Dhampir… That Dark Elf lady is your real mother, isn't she? Not your adoptive mother Thus, it is only natural for me to be curious,” Joseph explained ”Why is a Dha to start a food cart business in a city that should be unfamiliar to you?”

Joseph did not have access to some special information network, but as he worked at the Commerce Guild, all kinds of information found its way to his ears If there had been a Dark Elf and her Dha areas, there would certainly have been rumors about them, and Joseph would have heard them

The fact that he had not heard of them meant that this Dhampir and his mother had come from another land

The city of Morksi was renoithin the Alcre a commerce hub, but there were several cities in the duchy that were just as large Why had Vandalieu chosen this city in particular?

And the thing that Joseph was most curious about was… Why a food cart?

”Since you are a Dha an adventurer, could you not? And you have been living in a Dark Elf settlement up until now, I assuin a food cart business,” Joseph said

”I see Vandalieu-sa you and Darcisa in the Dark Elf settlement that Darcisama was born in,” explained Chipuras

Vandalieu understood this, but he gave a sh at how troublesome this was

”… Due to certain circu in until now, and I cain a new life in a new land I chose to start a food cart business rather than become an adventurer because I a That's all,” he told Joseph

Now that Darcia was here, this was the story that had replaced his previous story of being an apprentice as fortunate enough to survive a bandit attack It was different froar the previous day, but even if Joseph were to investigate that far, Vandalieu intended to push through by telling him, ”Sorry, I lied Is there a probleuards

S taxes would be illegal, and it was also of course illegal to lie to guards that were investigating a cri as no criuards while entering the city

This was possibly difficult to believe from the perspective of someone from Earth, particularly someone from modern-day japan But if visitors to the city were treated so strictly, less people would couards held too much authority, it would be difficult to detect corruption

Of course, Vandalieu was only able to be as defiant as he was because he had taken over the city's crianization

But if he asks too many questions, I'll have to have Eleanora and the others do soht

Perhaps sensing how Vandalieu felt, or perhaps this topic was only a preface to the

”I see,” he said ”Let us leave it at that… So, ion?”

It see smile

”Despite my appearance, I am well-known to be a humble worshi+per of Alda, and Alda's peaceful faction, which advocates that we should co-exist with Vida's races, has gained do a force whose influence we cannot ignore,” he said

”… I have heard asmy travels,” said Vandalieu

He are of this even without Joseph telling hiuards, governhts in the Alcre period of tie to the system, and in recent years, they had received support from Alda's peaceful faction

The system had been revised, and Vida's races were now able to becouards, like the Beast-kin Kest that Vandalieu had ate

… It was unpleasant for Vandalieu to think about this, but all of this was largely because of the influence of the 'Blue-flamed Sword' Heinz, the leader of the Five-colored Blades

It wasn't that Heinz had personally come to the Alcrem Duchy to express his objections to the duke The duke had siestions of Vida's Church and Alda's peaceful faction after Heinz became an honorary earl

It was likely that the duke had wanted to show Heinz, a national hero, that he illing to actively make compromises

Thus, the persecution of Vida's races had decreased within the Alcrem Duchy at least on the surface, but it had not disappeared completely, and Heinz almost never visited the Alcrem Duchy, so there was almost nobody associated to the Five-colored Blades here That hy Vandalieu had thought that it would be the perfect place for his plan

If he had gone to a Duchy where the influence of Vida's Church was strong, therehione to a Duchy where Alda's extremist faction were influential, then he would likely have run into trouble very frequently

The Alcreht in between these two points

”So, what is this main topic?” Vandalieu asked, curious as to why Joseph had brought up this information as if he ell-informed on the rew even broader ”Iic use of words is one of the thrills of business, but I suppose you will learn that with experience,” he said ”I would like to propose a scheme that would e awith the S-class adventurer Heinz, who is the symbol of Alda's peaceful faction, and those involved with him I am sure that there is no need for me to describe just how many business opportunities there would be if one had connections to the Five-colored Blades, who are national heroes and honorary nobles, and those associated with the about su a food cart business This is a chance that cannot be missed -”

”I decline,” said Vandalieu

It seeave a silent prayer for Joseph, who had inadvertently stepped on a lande, she aiting in the lobby in front of the front desk when an expressionless but tired-looking Vandalieu returned

”Our discussion has finished… That ive up,” he said as he casted Silence, a barrier that prevented oscillations of air particles froh, so that the receptionist who had returned to the front desk couldn't listen in on their conversation

”Welcome back, Vandalieu What kind of discussion was it?” Darcia asked

”Nothing important It seems that he wanted to use me to make connections to people associated to the Five-colored Blades”

”He is not suited to sche,” Chipuras remarked ”He is third-rate as an actor”

Joseph had pretended to offer Vandalieu a way to get rich quickly But as Chipuras said, his true intentions were so obvious that even Vandalieu, as not very good at reading what other people were really thinking, could see theht about it, he did understand… but no matter how valuable a connection with S-class adventurers ere also honorary nobles and their associates would be, noif they were entrusted ould be, these were not things that a boy starting a food cart business could handle

It seemed that Joseph had not believed Vandalieu's lies, but he certainly wouldn't suspect that he was the ee and the Dark Continent

Thus, if the scheested to Vandalieu actually ely enter his own pockets

At the very least, he had likely planned it that way Joseph had persistently hounded Vandalieu, and Vandalieu had left the office after repeatedly turning the scheme down

”That's… What a probleh position in society, too,” Darcia sighed

She knew that although he was on the sh status within the Commerce Guild, so it would be difficult for Vandalieu to silence hi Mental Encroachment

Darcia drew closer to whisper in Vandalieu's ear ”Did Eleanorsan and the others not tell you anything about that Joseph person?” she asked

There was no way that Eleanora and the others who had taken over the city's crie of individuals related to the organization or those that the organization was keeping under surveillance That hat Darcia thought

But Vandalieu shook his head lifelessly ”I did ask them about the Commerce Guild I heard that the Guild Master and the three Deputy Guild Masters were har but schemes to make money, but that's all”

”… Umm, so what exactly does that mean?” Darcia asked, confused

Vandalieu paused for a”In other words, he's not connected to the crianization, but it seems that he's still problematic for me”