Chapter 51

When I returned once again to the audience chamber, the one waiting for me this time was the queen alone.

Was it because she trusted me? Or had she hidden guards somewhere? Or perhaps some emergency defense mechanism was in place?

“Same, that was a splendid fight. You fulfilled the conditions we presented and even defeated one of our nation’s proud Thirteen Knights. As promised, I will honor your request.”

“I am deeply grateful.”

“The information concerns the memory passed down from the king three generations before me, who obtained a Dungeon Core and used its power to develop the land of Lendia into what it is today. Lendia was originally a barren land, mostly made up of wilderness and volcanic remnants. The then-king conducted research using the Dungeon Core, channeled its power into the land, and laid the foundation for an artificial dungeon. I’ll give you that documentation. Kokuri is copying it now.”

This country used to be barren wasteland and volcanoes?

Unbelievable. Surely it hasn’t even been a hundred years, right?

Could the power of a Dungeon Core really cause such a dramatic transformation?

“I’ll gratefully accept it. Together with my companions, we’ll examine the content carefully and decide how to proceed with handling the Dungeon Core. Once we have our answer, I’d like to convey it to you.”

“Very well. When you next come, I’ll make sure you can enter the castle alone.”

“Thank you. I imagine it’ll take us some time to come to a conclusion, but probably not more than a month. However, during that time, I ask that you refrain from trying to observe or investigate our activities.”

“Understood. I have no intention of antagonizing a man capable of defeating one of the Thirteen Knights. …If you choose to root yourself in this country, you’ll be one of my people. I swear I will not act against your interests.”

“Much appreciated.”

It seemed that I had improved my standing with the queen just a bit.

And with that, I safely cleared the first stage of negotiations and returned to the inn.

…Though I felt like I was forgetting something.

Meanwhile, back at the research institute, which was also Kokuri’s residence—

Having stayed to watch Kokuri work until things settled down, Cres suddenly stood up from the sofa as if remembering something.

“Ah! I forgot about my sister—my lady sister! I’m sorry, Kokuri, I have to go to her at once!”

“Hmm? You forgot? Then hurry and go. She’s gentle and patient, but if left alone, she’ll stay in your room until nightfall, you know.”

“Ugh… This is all Same’s fault…!”

“No, it’s yours.”

And so Cres rushed off to where Shuris was dozing in the commander’s office out of boredom.

…Needless to say, when she was told that Same had already returned, Shuris gave a wry smile.

The next day, I woke up again at Hamusutei, and Melt, who must have returned late last night, was still breathing softly and happily in her sleep.

I guessed the questioning had dragged on—or rather, she probably ended up staying for both lunch and dinner.

“Melt, time to wake up. It’s morning.”

“…It’s still nighttime…”

“It’s just dark because it’s raining. Come on, get up.”

“Ugh… I hate rain…”

Melt sat up groggily. She must’ve gone to bed late.

I, on the other hand, went to bed early. I was exhausted from the battle, and mentally drained as well.

“We’re going to the Pigeon Company today. We need to pick up your security payment, and I have to be there for the handoff of items at the museum.”

“Oh right! We’re getting paid! Then let’s go! After breakfast!”

Talk about a complete 180. If I were to give it a title—

“The Greedy Fox Girl: Jumps Up and Rushes to Breakfast—But It’s Already Too Late!”

Because of the rain, not many guests bothered going to other shops, and it looked like most of the inn’s guests were eating here this morning.

Now that I thought about it, this inn was always busy and seemed to be doing well.

Probably thanks to the low prices—most of the guests looked to be younger folks.

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“Good morning!”

“Well, good morning to you both. Eating in today?”

“Yes, please. Here’s the payment.”

Today’s breakfast was a nicely balanced meal: grilled mushroom salad, sunny-side-up eggs, chicken soup, and a baguette.

Naturally, Melt polished it off in no time—it was delicious.

Mushrooms really are good… I’d only had shimeji, maitake, and shiitake before, but this opened my eyes…

On the way to the Pigeon Company, I asked Melt about how the questioning went yesterday.

“Hmm, we took notes on the attackers’ appearances, and Rikka-chan and the other two mainly explained the details of the fight. I just talked about the monster’s features and what I noticed. The main focus was on the other three.”

“I see. So… were those guys strong?”

“They said the attackers were definitely stronger than them, but weaker than the… what was it… Glory? Knights? They compared the fights at the mansion.”

“So those guys had gotten stronger than beginner adventurers at least.”

“We were told not to talk about it, but that boy who turned into a monster? Everyone—those three and Alice-san—knew him, so I explained about how he fought and how there was a face in his mouth. Is that okay?”

“As long as you didn’t say we knew him personally, it’s fine.”

“Then it’s fine~”

Hmm… I wonder if there was a specific reason only Muraki turned into a monster?

But Isaka should’ve been the strongest among them. Don’t tell me Muraki surpassed him already?

We’ll have to wait until Muraki can talk to get any more information.

“Where were you yesterday, Same? Around evening, only Awawa-san came back.”

“! That’s right!!! I left Shuris-san at the castle and came back without her! Well… I had to go to the castle with Shuris yesterday. We had some things to talk about.”

“The castle! I’ve never seen it! How was it? Big?”

“It was huge. And really pretty and luxurious. The audience chamber door was decorated with a beautiful stone I’ve never seen before.”

“Wow! Lucky! I wanna go too!”

“Haha, maybe you’ll get a chance someday.”

Maybe I’ll try to bring her along when I go back to report on how we’ll use the Dungeon Core.

As we chatted, we arrived at the Pigeon Company, and it looked like a crowd was busy working out front.

It looked like they were moving out a lot of cargo…

“Excuse me, is the company president here?”

“Ah! Same-san! The president is upstairs. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

The young employee clearly remembered me well by now.

I had shown my face plenty, and I like to think I’d brought them some good business—so it was no surprise, really.

Soon after, Melt and I were ushered into the reception room on the second floor.

“Welcome, Same-san. I never imagined such an incident would occur. Because of it, many buyers are now trying to delay or cancel their payments.”

“I see. By the way, what happened to the item I won from the Elcrud Church Company?”

That item, the one I won at Shuris-san’s request—

The item that was likely tied to the incident with Muraki’s transformation—I needed to ask what became of it.

“Actually… the Elcrud Church Company claims they never participated in the auction. Someone impersonated them and snuck into the event. Their purpose remains unknown. As such, that winning bid is void, and no payment is necessary. That item was confiscated by the knights anyway.”

“I see… What about the other items? The magic sword I won for Shuris-san, and the Galla… the mysterious magic tool I bought?”

“No issues there. Shuris-san has already gone to the museum today, in fact.”

“Understood. Thanks.”

“About yesterday… I need to apologize.”

“President, President! What about my reward? How’s that going?”

“Ah, yes, of course. The members of Glory Knights have already been paid, but of course, you’ll get your share too, Melt. We’ve sent it through the guild, so please collect it from there.”

“Yay! Thank you, president!”

Seeing Melt beaming with joy, both the president and I couldn’t help but smile too.

She really is a genius at making people around her smile.

Around the museum, as expected due to the ongoing investigation, national knights were still a prominent presence.

They were probably on high alert, suspecting involvement from one of the noble households.

It looked like the noble district would remain busy for a while.

Once we arrived at the museum, the president headed straight to the underground warehouse area.

Since many knights and officials were still coming and going for the investigation, this was probably the safest place to handle large transactions.

And among the knights, I spotted a familiar face.

“Shuris-san! I’m so sorry about the other day! A lot was going on and it totally slipped my mind…”

“Ah, Same-san. I don’t need to know all the details, but it must’ve been tough, right? I just got a general idea of the situation from her. I assume I’ll hear the full story from you soon?”

Then, from behind her, an unexpected figure appeared.

“Hey there, it’s been since yesterday, huh Same? Hehe, surprised?”

It was Kokuri, the beastkin woman with that same mysterious hair color, even under the dim underground lights.

Why on earth was she here…?

“Hmm? Want me to answer that puzzled look? I’m here for investigative purposes. I am a specialist, after all.”

“Ah, I see… Thank you for your work.”

Makes sense—it’s probably about the monsters.

She did say she was a director at a research institute, so she really is a literal expert.

“W-What…? To think there are two of the Thirteen Knights present… Shuris-san, thank you for your assistance the other day.”

“Ah, Chairman of the Pigeon Company. It’s mutual—thanks to you, our side made good progress as well.”

“Still, I’m shocked… To think Same-san personally knows the famous Kokuri-sama, the ‘Mother of Magitech’… We even handle some of her inventions in our company.”

“Nice to meet you. I rarely interact directly with merchants who distribute my inventions, so this feels quite novel. Hmm… if anyone should be surprised here, maybe it’s me?”

At that moment, Kokuri’s eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze shifted toward Melt.

…Could it be that she saw through Melt’s race?

Better get ahead of this.

“Kokuri-san, please keep that to yourself.”

“Of course. Hello there, young lady of the White Fox Tribe. Are you a friend of his?”

“Hello? Yep! Same is a friend? A partner? We’re always together!”

“Hehe, I see, I see. My name is Kokuri Maya. Nice to meet you.”

“Kokuri Maya… Maya…? I’m Melt. Nice to meet you too.”

Melt looked slightly suspicious for a moment, as if something caught her attention, but she reached out and shook hands anyway.

“Whoa… amazing. I’ve heard the Phantom Tribe is really rare, so I’m quite surprised.”

“Hehe, well, the feeling’s mutual, right? Nice to meet you, Melt-chan.”

“! I’m surprised… Shhh, let’s keep it quiet…”

Melt seemed to get the hint too, and gently motioned for secrecy. It’s okay—these people seem pretty trustworthy when it comes to this kind of thing.

“So, Same, you’re here to pay your fees, right? I’ll join you for the payment on the cursed sword I won.”

“Understood. President, shall we handle that first?”

“Yes, let’s. Then, let’s head to the seller’s warehouse.”

The payment went smoothly, and the cursed sword successfully made its way into Shuris’s hands.

Now, it was time to pick up my own junk—I mean, the so-called “magitech artifacts from another world.”

Seeing them up close, it was obvious they were old, broken gadgets like remote controls and busted computer mice.

Not that I expected much info from them, but I’d still need to examine them later.

“Oh, this one has ‘Otherworld Language’ written on it. Same, you bought this one?”

“Huh? Melt, you can read this writing?”

“Umm… just a tiny bit? Apparently, items with writing like this have been unearthed in various places since ancient times. I heard there were scholars collecting these letters—or symbols?—to try decoding them.”

“Wow… sounds like a long-term project.”

“I don’t know the latest research, but I heard it’s super difficult.”

Well, of course it is. This world seems to have one unified language, but Earth has multiple languages and writing systems.

Even this one remote has a chaotic mix of katakana, hiragana, kanji, and English. Decoding that without any context? That’s a nightmare-level challenge.

“Oho! Looks like you’ve acquired quite the interesting item!”

“Whoa!?”

At that moment, for some reason, Kokuri—who had followed us into the warehouse—suddenly started speaking with an incredible amount of excitement.

“Otherworld language, otherworld artifacts, huh!? I see, so this many items were put up for auction together…! If I had known, I would’ve bid on them myself! Say, Same, would you mind letting me investigate them, if it’s alright with you!?”

“Please calm down, Kokuri. It’s fine with me, as long as I can examine them first. It shouldn’t take too long—then I’ll bring them to the royal palace.”

“Really!? It does pay to ask! Hehe, I wonder what these tools were used for. If we can decipher them, it could really enrich this country!”

Probably not. Also… she sounds totally different from usual, not just her energy but even her tone. She’s like a completely different person… Are all scholars like this?

With that, the transaction for the items I had won was wrapped up. And now, it was time for today’s main event: the handover of the Eye of the Deep Sea.

Given the staggering value involved, it couldn’t be handled in a warehouse. So first, the item was carefully transported out, and we headed for the reception room.

And for some reason, Kokuri and Shuris came along too.

“I originally came for the cursed sword, you know? But Kokuri explained the situation to me, so I thought I’d join you.”

“That’s right. I’m here partly for the investigation, but today I’m also acting as an ‘attendant and bodyguard’.”

“A bodyguard…?”

Ah, that makes sense. We are dealing with a massive amount of money, after all. But to be chosen as a guard—so Kokuri isn’t just a scholar or researcher, she must be a capable fighter too.

When we opened the door to the reception room, inside were the auctioneer and a man I had only seen once before—the director of the museum. The two of them weren’t sitting on the sofa, but instead standing as they greeted a “guest.”

And that guest was the real problem.

“You’ve come. It’s been since yesterday, hasn’t it, Same?”

The guest (the most powerful person in the country).

Her Majesty the Queen has arrived…

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