CH 9.1

Volume 3 Chapter 9 Part 1

I groaned unconsciously at Alice, who had a completely different expression now.

Alice smiled at me warmly.

「Come on, sit down. I’ll explain what’s going to happen.」

I nodded in response, removed my weapons and stored them in the Dimensional Storage, and leaned against the other bed.

「Incidentally, the couple managing this inn are on our side, so don’t worry.」

In response, I used Search to investigate the status of this inn. I could tell that there were quite a number of people in the upper floors.

Perhaps because it’s in the imperial capital, this inn is three floors high. There is a dining hall and a simple shower room on the first floor, while the guest rooms are on the second and third floor.

Still, something feels off.

Each floor has about four rooms, but there are tens of people on the third floor. It’s too dense for an inn.

–There can only be one possibility.

「—-Alice, who are those people hiding upstairs……?」

In an instant, Alice’s smile disappeared. Then her usual smile surfaced.

「……I can’t expect any less of you, Touya. Having been occupied by the Generate Kingdom, those who would need to hide……」

「– Would be demi-humans. Beastmen and Elves do not suffer from discrimination in the Lunette Empire. But humans are considered superior in the Generate Kingdom.」

「Exactly. Many who were unable to escape are hiding in a few of our bases. Of course, not everyone could be saved, and there are many who were captured and treated as slaves.」

Alice clenched her fists and looked somewhat frustrated.

There’s no way a normal merchant would know this much information.

I was quickly able to get a grasp of who Alice was.

「Alice, are you a spy or something……？」

「Hehehe. You’re a sharp one. I’m one of the spies in various locations. But I wouldn’t mind marrying you for real, you know?」

「Enough with the jokes. Get to the point.」

Alice pouted in response and looked away, then continued explaining.

Her explanation continued until dinner time.

I ate with Alice in the dining hall, but during that time, there were no signs of those on the third floor coming downstairs.

Although few in number, there were a few customers who came just to eat. We, too, continued our meal while talking casually.

After taking a shower, I went back to my room, sat on the bed, and looked at Alice.

「We’re short on time, so I plan to move late at night.」

「Right. I’m fine with that.」

Basically when it’s late at night, I can move without any problems due to my high level. I’m used to mob hunting, so it’s possible for me to keep fighting for a few days with a few short breaks.

Alice said she was going to take a quick nap, so I decided to do that too.

「Hey, wake up. We’re heading off soon.」

I woke up to Alice’s voice. She had already changed her clothes, and was wearing black attire with her face covered with a cloth.

「Good morning. You’re all ready now. You really look like a spy.」

I climbed out of the bed and looked for an attire from my Dimensional Storage. I don’t have spy clothing like Alice does, but I took out some blackish clothing, and was about to change —

「Hey, what are you looking at?」

When I was about to change my pants, I suddenly felt a gaze fixed on me. I turned to the source, which was Alice.

「Come on, we’re a couple, so it’s totally fine.」

I threw a black coat at Alice, who was smiling.

「Use this to conceal your face.」

Saying that, I finished changing and took the coat I threw, then put it on.

I didn’t have anything to cover my face, so I concealed my face with a hood.

「You should have no problem wearing that. It’s time to go. We’re going from the back door, so I’ll take you there.」

We went to the first floor and entered the kitchen, opened the back door, and went outside.

Just how familiar is she with this inn? Well, I suppose it makes sense, since she did say this was one of the bases of operation.

We walked on a narrow path while staying out of sight. After about twenty minutes, we stopped in front of a house near the castle.

Alice knocked on the door rhythmically as a signal. The door opened, and a man in his forties showed his face.

He silently signaled for us to enter the house.

The interior was no different from an ordinary house.

The man curtly told us to follow him. We entered the furthest room in the back, where he moved the bed and removed the floorboard.

「We’re going downstairs.」

I peeked downwards and saw a ladder at the side. I followed them down.

It didn’t look modest, but it looked like a secret base, making me feel a little nervous.

After we all descended, the man lit a lamp. There, it looked like a deep cave, with a passageway that had been dug out for a long time.

We opened the door ahead. Beyond it was a number of men and women. All of them were human, and in the corner of the room, there were weapons set against the wall.

We were beckoned to sit on some chairs around a large table.

There was a map spread out on the table.

「Let’s skip the introductions. Even if we introduced ourselves, we’re using fake names after all.」

The man who led us here grinned widely.

「Yeah, I don’t mind that. It has nothing to do with the request.」

The man pointed somewhere on the map, and started talking.

「This underground passageway is connected to the castle. It’s an emergency escape route. And we’re the ones who have been managing this house for generations. Many generations.」

It was clear that the royalty in this country was well respected. This secret had been protected for many generations, for emergency situations.

It could be that such a time would never come, or it could be that it’s purposely not being used this time.

I didn’t know for sure, but I got the feeling that the people lived here for the sake of protecting this passageway.

「As I have explained, the fact that this escape route leading from the castle exists also means that you can use it to enter the castle. Though we actually haven’t told anyone yet.」

「Why is that……?」

If they had helped right away, the members of royalty in confinement might have been saved by now.

「Even if we tried to help the royalty alone, the emperor, who has a strong sense of responsibility, will surely insist on staying there. As long as the citizens of the empire here are being held hostage, that is…… That’s why we’ve been protecting this secret passageway, waiting for someone who can help.」

「That’s true…… So you’ve been waiting for me?」

「You’re holding the proof, aren’t you? You must’ve received it from Master Gaulus.」

I recalled the dagger with a carved symbol, which I received from Gaulus.

I took out the dagger from the Dimensional Storage, and put it on the table.