The tavern owner didn’t even spare a glance as I made my way to the back door, ascending the stairs.
The first thing that caught my eye was the door to Bern’s and Hilda’s room. It was wide open. And the sounds inside suggested soone was rapidly packing their things.
Slowly, I approached it, to see Hilda, alone, tossing a few items of clothing into her large backpack. Beyond that, the room seed fully cleared of personal belongings.
“Sebastian.”
She curtly acknowledged my presence, shoving the last of her things into the bag.
“I take it Bern.. Bernard went ahead?”
“You can still call him Bern, if you’d like. And, yes… it would be unwise for him to stay here. After what went down there.”
I nodded, contemplating for a second.
“Should I leave, as well?”
“It’s probably fine in your case. Xin and Ornor would be staying here for now, too, so it might actually be safer.”
“Alright. Regardless… What of his mission?”
Hilda closed her bag, still resting atop the double bed, before fully turning to .
“I’m not certain. However, at least for now, the plant remains the sa. By the way…”
Her voice was hesitant at first, yet, a second later, she regained her resolve.
“Using you as bait is probably out of the question now.. yet, Bern said he’d be happy if you joined us, regardless?”
“Us?..”
I wanted to ensure there were no misunderstandings.
“The Silver Claymore was created for this very mission. You don’t have to register, officially – it’ll be disbanded soon, regardless. But…”
She stopped for a second, choosing her words.
“In case we decide to proceed, one way or another, we’ll need your answer by the 12th.”
“Why?”
“We’ve got an… important eting at midnight the next day. It might be fine if you give your answer that morning, but that’d be cutting it close.”
“...”
I was still very-much-so uncertain about what my final answer would be.
On one hand, while Kelron’s words were affected by his sour mood, he wasn’t wrong – the stakes have definitely gotten much higher.
I wasn’t certain what Bern’s true objective was, but, given the fact that his goal was to ‘get to the people behind the Crimson Shadows’, coupled with his own true identity, gave a few clues.
On the other hand, with him returning to the main estate, the potential rewards went up, too.
‘Speaking of…’
“Are you going to tell him?”
I didn’t need to specify my words for the woman in front of to get their aning.
“No. However, you might want to.”
“Because the ruling family of this province must have so knowledge related to that Path.”
I didn’t forget Anne’s words – Spellblades were highly sought after among nobles. And there were no higher nobles in the Silverton province than the family whose na it bore.
Hilda paused, her fingers fiddling with a strand of her black, silky hair.
“I can’t promise you anything. You’d have to discuss it with him, directly.”
“Is that even possible now?”
I might have had access to Central, but access to the Silverton estate was sothing else, entirely.
Even if I used Anne’s token… Well, maybe there was a chance I could get in, but the scrutiny it could bring her - and, potentially, myself - was nothing I’d ever accept.
“He might be at the ceremony. If not…”
She hesitated for a mont, before reaching for her bag. A few seconds later…
“Here.”
She handed a communication sphere, and a note.
“This doesn’t transmit voice, but you can set up a eting via this code.”
“Is this truly alright?”
“It’s fine. I won’t be needing this anymore, anyway.”
Now that she said it, I took note of the unusual dress she wore. Well, unusual for her – I’ve already seen sothing similar.
The black-and-white color sche was very close to that of Anne’s maid. I could, however, recognize the ample space between the black cloth and her legs, allowing to conceal her crossbows with relative ease.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t ntion it.”
She picked up her bag, passing beside .
“I hope we’ll et again soon.”
“Stay safe, Hilda.”
“You too, Sebastian.”
With that exchange, her fast footsteps quickly descended the stairway, disappearing behind the door.
‘Well then…’
I still didn’t have a proper answer, but, at least, I had sothing to look forward to.
Now, it was ti to proceed with my day. The bounties awaited .
***
The Ministry HQ was as imposing as ever.
I exited the carriage - which I decided to take this ti, over riding Storm - and quickly made my way to the entrance.
“Your sword…”
The usual security queue awaited . If anything, it was longer than usual, since I had more consumables and accessories to deposit. Unlike last ti, they didn’t even let keep my watch.
“How may I help you?”
The queue was no longer as short, either, but, after over 15 minutes, my turn finally arrived.
“I’m here to collect a bounty. And give a report regarding a certain incident in the sewers, involving Kelron’s squad.”
“One mont, please.”
The clerk went out the backdoor, returning a minute later.
“Escort him to the operations departnt, ember Jas’s office.”
As the nearby guard followed the man’s flatly delivered instruction, I recalled the na.
‘Wasn’t he one of the squad mbers?’
It would seem Kelron decided to delegate this task. Or, perhaps, he was simply busy with other things.
The man led through so familiar corridors and stairways, before taking a turn to a corridor I haven’t seen before. Regardless, the narrow, door-filled corridors looked similar to the ones I’ve seen in the investigation departnt.
“Co in.”
After knocking on one such door, a cold, nearly chanical voice ca from the other side.
“Sebastian, I presu.”
The office was extrely tidy. Sowhat similar to Kelron’s, but with far fewer files on the shelves. If anything, it reminded of the sheriff’s office in Pine Peak from two weeks back.
“Jas?”
“Ember Jas. Sit down.”
There was no hostility in his voice. There was no friendliness, either. He seed like a typical straightedge, by-the-book office worker, the type I’d occasionally et in my old IT job on Earth… Which now truly felt like a distant mory.
Following his instruction, I sat on the chair, its rigid leather only marginally softer than the wood beneath.
anwhile, he took a small notebook from one of the drawers.
“I’ll ask you a certain number of questions. I need you to answer truthfully.”
A strange glimr appeared in his eyes.
“All information shall be subsequently verified by truth-discerning ans.”
“A true interrogation?”
I raised an eyebrow. This sounded like too much for a simple report.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to for the genuine story.
“Not interrogation. You shall give your answers. Then, once they’re written down, I shall repeat the questions, and you shall repeat your answers, in turn, under the effect of this artifact.”
He tapped on the tal surface of a palm-sized sphere, which rested atop his table.
“...fine. I’m expecting the bounty to be delivered after this is done.”
“Everything shall be conducted according to the law.”
There was neither denial nor confirmation in his voice.
“When was the first ti you made contact with Bernard Silverton?”
“I’m sorry… What?”
“The man who presented himself as Bern. Leader of the adventuring party Silver Claymore, registered in Pine Harbor four years ago.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“How is this relevant to today’s events?”
“What is or isn’t relevant is for to decide. Answer the question.”
A few seconds of tense silence followed.
“I don’t recall answering irrelevant questions was part of my duty.”
“Your duty is to comply with our regulations.”
“I’ve already shared what I had to share, back at the citizenship application.”
“I have that report, redacted as it is. You may keep any of the classified information as such. However, if you claim the information regarding Bernard was redacted, as well, you’d have to attest to that claim under the ‘truth field’.”
“...”
This was definitely going in a very different direction from what I expected.
“Do I need to repeat the question?”
“I t him back in the old mines, near Pine Harbor.”
I decided to answer, at least for now. This wasn’t a hill I was willing to die on.
The man wrote sothing in his notebook.
“The place where you found yourself with no relocation of your previous whereabouts, correct?”
“Yes.”
“When did you beco aware of his identity as a mber of the Silverton family?”
“Down in the caves, sa ti as you.”
He scribbled another note onto the dry paper.
“Between then and your arrival in the city, did you receive any request or offer from him?”
“Before he left for Silverveil, one of his party mbers, Hilda, offered a job, back when I got to the city.”
“What kind of job?”
“Unspecified. They said they’d share the details once I arrived.”
“When did you first contact him after you arrived?”
“I… actually, I rember seeing him a few days after I ca to the city. The night after I was attacked by Zod.”
“Did he specify the job then?”
“No. I declined it back then.”
For the first ti, a montary flicker of confusion passed through the man’s eyes.
“Did he tell you anything back then?”
“Nothing significant.”
“What insignificant things did he say?”
“He simply acknowledged my reluctance, letting leave without any resistance.”
“Had you contacted him afterwards?”
“...yes.”
There was no point in lying about that.
“Did he offer you the job again?”
“Yes.”
“Did you accept?”
“No.”
“...”
The MIS operative paused, collecting his thoughts.
“Did he give you any specifics?”
“A few.”
“What did he say?”
Finally, there was a note of interest in his tone.
“Those are private Silverton affairs. You’d have to ask him.”
I could feel the air shift, turning colder in an instant.
“Are you refusing to answer?”
“Are you trying to solicit an illegal answer?”
“I’m the one asking the questions.”
“Then you should ask questions that sound less like high treason.”
I could see the man clenching his jaw.
“You’re making a mistake.”
“Am I? I don’t think divulging the private affairs of the city’s ruling family would be a smaller mistake, though.”
Another 5 seconds of silence.
“If that is your choice.”
The man seed to have accepted my refusal, albeit not without a grudge.
“Why did you enter the sewers?”
“I heard one of Bern’s party mbers was in trouble. Decided to lend them a hand.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
“Did you know about the specifics of his mission?”
“No. Only that he was sowhere below the city streets.”
“You sohow t them this morning, heard about this.. trouble, and instantly rushed in to help?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
My even gaze t his, as it did more than once during this questioning.
“...fine. We’ll see whether it’s true soon enough.”
The following questions touched certain details of my journey through the sewers, and into the Undercity tunnels.
I didn’t have anything to hide regarding that. I doubted the information regarding Bern’s sphere had any significance, as such tools were fairly common at his level, and I didn’t know his party’s pre-defined codes, anyway.
There was only one instance when I asked a question of my own.
“Are you responsible for the cultist bounty?”
The man gave another cold look, but, perhaps due to the fact I attested to dealing with the cultists and demon out of my own initiative, he decided to relent.
“That bounty is handled by the inquisition. You can find their headquarters at the southwestern edge of the Enclave.”
I nodded, as the questioning proceeded.
The next ti sothing of note appeared…
“A man, you say?”
“Beyond the barrier, yes.”
The close encounter with death I had back then, right after Bern defeated the last of the Hounds.
“Describe him.”
“It was extrely dark.”
“You seed to have oriented yourself perfectly fine in the darkness.”
“His features were vague.”
“Describe what you can recall.”
“Black.. maybe dark-gray armor. Composite plat and scale. Full helt with bars. Two longswords.”
There was also his aura, but, since it wasn’t a physical feature, I decided it was safe to omit.
Regardless, the subtle movent of Jas’s eyes told he must have recognized the description.
“Are you telling the truth right now?”
“Are you seriously asking this question, with that device right at your fingertips?..”
The man’s eyes didn’t even flicker, as he rushed to the next inquiry.
“Did you witness their fight?”
“I ran towards Xin. Left them to handle it.”
“Handle it?..”
There was a asure of disbelief in the usually-flat tone.
“...we’ll get to that in a bit. What happened next?”
I hastily described the following events.
“You managed to beat him? By yourself?”
“We fought, and I killed him.”
“A level 1 rookie, killing a level 4 veteran in a one-on-one fight?”
“I gained a level during that fight.”
“This still doesn’t sound plausible."
“You should ask Al- ember Alrox whether it’s plausible or not.”
For the first ti, the makeshift interrogator was taken aback. After a few monts, he released an annoyed sigh.
“Fine. Did you also take his equipnt?”
“Legitimate spoils.”
A flicker of annoyance appeared in his eyes once again, yet he didn’t comnt.
“Regardless… What happened after you fought?”
I described the events leading to the party’s reunion.
“They simply ca back? Unhard?”
“At least one contraption was missing from Hilde’s belt. Ber—Bernard also gained a level during that fight. And looked a bit tired.”
In truth, there was also the fact that Bern seed much more tired than usual – in fact, his steps were slightly unsteady, and later, on the way back, I could see his complexion was paler than before. However, downplaying this fact sounded like sothing that’d be acceptable when it ca to a truth discernnt ability.
“Hmm…”
It was hard to discern what the MIS operative was thinking. However, a dozen seconds later, he wrote sothing in his notebook, before placing his hand on the nearby arcane contraption.
“I will now ask the questions again, and you shall repeat your answers. Any inconsistency will require further investigation. A lack of answer to any previously asked question shall incur a fine equivalent to the Sphere Of Truth’s activation cost, rounded up to 200 gold. Any attempt to stall for ti shall confer a fine of 5 gold per wasted minute, with a minimum of 5 gold.”
I silently nodded.
The man tapped the ‘needle button’, activating the Sphere Of Truth.
“When did you first…”
I quickly confird all my previous answers, without giving Jas an excuse to snatch away 5 gold from my ever-decreasing budget.
Since I told him no lies, I had no trouble answering the questions, either.
“Now, the bounty.”
Without saying a word, the man took out a form, filling it within 30 seconds, and stumping his seal.
I patiently waited for him to hand the piece of paper.
“I advise you to refrain from associating yourself with Bernard in the future.”
“Is that an official Ministry decree?”
“Just my personal advice. Despite your bratty conduct, you did save my colleague’s life. Would be a sha if you found yourself caught up in things far, far beyond your understanding.”
“I’ll take it into consideration.”
Jas simply scoffed, sliding forward my bounty certificate, which I swiftly took.
The guard promptly escorted down to the familiar logistics departnt.
“Haven’t I seen you here just yesterday?..”
“Hey there Tom.”
By now, I even rembered the man’s na.
“I won’t even try to guess what it is this ti.”
“No need.”
I handed him the paper.
“Standard bounty… Gray Syndicate, ‘Sweet Face’... One mont.”
He opened one of the drawers under his desk, searching for sothing. Eventually, he took out a thick leather binder.
“Gray… Sweet… Here we go-”
His eyes opened in surprise.
“Really? Don’t know how you managed to get him, but, good job, kid. Been a while since he was last seen ‘round the surface.”
I simply nodded. If I actually told the story, I felt it’d be even less believable at this point.
“250 gold, coming right up.”
I felt this was a bit low, considering the level of risk, but then again, those bounties were often just a minor incentive compared to the loot. Once again, the mory of Zod’s potential equipnt flashed through my mind, leaving a sour aftertaste.
“Not going to visit old Anne again?”
As I was turning around to leave, his words caused to freeze.
“Huh?”
I managed to maintain a calm deanor.
“You have sothing to engrave every ti. Feels strange to simply see you leave like that.”
“Ha ha… yeah, nothing this ti.”
“Take care.”
Hoping my laughter didn’t sound too nervous, I quickly followed the guard to the exit. Everything I deposited was safely returned.
‘I’ll probably head to her estate soon, actually. But, first…’
My last bounty awaited.
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