Deep below a lake, a young girl and a person covering her face with a white cloth walked out of the palace that served as the Fifty Bells Union headquarters. They were Mira and Uzume, who were going to a place where adventurers who helped the organization gathered, in search of a rank A adventurer who would accompany Mira. Only a rank A adventurer would be granted permission to enter the Libra Fortress dungeon, so they needed to find one to take Mira’s group inside.
As they walked, two inhabitants of the submarine city greeted them. Since Uzume was the commander of the Fifty Bells, being greeted was nothing special, though the way they talked to her was rather lax. 「You’re wearing white again, Uzume」 and 「Hello Uzume, and you too cute girly」 they said. Uzume lightly waved back at them while replying with a few words of her own.
The city was inhabited by members of the Fifty Bells as well as other adventurers, engineers, merchants, and guards, who all sympathised with their ideas. The two they had crossed paths with were part of that latter group, who understood the organization’s goal and thoughts, so they wanted to lend a helping hand. For them, Uzume was not their commander, but simply someone who cared deeply for spirits. Hence there was no difference in position between them and could interact on the same level.
After the greetings, the two girls left the main entrance of the palace and took a left turn and walked up to the largest building in that direction. It had a green tiled roof and white walls, the columns supporting them painted red. That building also brought to mind the Heian architecture, and with the surface of the lake swaying further above it all made Mira feel like she was on a sightseeing trip.
「Let’s see if we find anyone.」
Hoping to find a rank A adventurer there, Uzume pushed the door open with high spirits. As soon as she did that, a crowded noise poured out from the gap in the door, as if the building was breathing through there. The building was a place for helpers to pass time while waiting for something to do, as well as a bar. There was a step leading up to the dining room, everyone sitting directly on the tatami floor as they happily chatted with each other. Their mood was also influenced by the recent reports of how well things were going against Chimera.
「Oh, it’s Uzume. You have work for someone again?」
A man who appeared to be the owner of the place greeted Uzume, waving his hand from the kitchen adjacent to the door.
「Yes, for a very important mission.」
Uzume’s gaze behind the thin white cloth turned stern as she replied, walking up to the step and raising her hands to attract attention.
「Everyone attention pleaseee-」
At the same time she clapped her hands above her head. The noise subsided almost instantly like a receding wave, countless stares shot their way afterwards.
「Ohh, my time to shine has finally come!」
Out of the messy crowd, someone raised his voice in anticipation and many others followed his example. When those looking for a job had all assembled in front of Uzume, she quickly summarized who she wanted.
「I’ll be taking one A rank adventurer. Even better if you’re ahead of other A rank ones.」
Everyone there had already gone through something similar before, so as soon as they heard that those who did not meet the requirements walked back while half-jokingly voicing their complaints. At the same time, those who did meet the requirements took a step forward. There were both males and females, their ages ranging from some in their twenties to some who had passed the fifty mark. The final tally was five men and three women.
Mira let out an impressed 「Ohh」 as she looked at those eight people. Since they were rank A, that meant they were at around the same level as Heinrich who she had met not too long before. There might be a slight difference in their actual skills, but she could build a decent idea of their strength. And using Heinrich as a basis, let her know that all of them would be plenty strong for their needs. As strong as they were, they were still standing by in that building, which meant they wanted to help the Fifty Bells.
「This mission will be carried out in the Libra Fortress, do any of you have any experience with that dungeon?」
Uzume looked at each of them as she asked with a satisfied look.
「I do. I went there around ten years ago.」
One of the eight replied, a man with a mature appearance, his silver-gray hair combed back. His face was well marked by his age, his manly features well defined while his toned body was on par or even better than younger men. He wore rather light clothes, so his muscles stood out even more.
(That’s a magnificent figure…)
He was only starting to age, so he gave off a different feeling to that old gentleman Mira had once met on a station’s platform, but his age was rather close to Mira’s ideal so it still left an impression on her. If she had to put it in other words, it was like a comparison between motion and calmness. This adventurer embodied lively motion.
「Well, it’s decided then.」
Uzume snapped her fingers as she said that, and the adventurer nodded vigorously. The remaining seven hung their heads in slight disappointment and dispersed.
「If I remember correctly you’re Arlon, right? Good to have you.」
Uzume struck her right hand forward as she recalled the man’s name. He grasped her hand firmly and shook it.
「Yes, that’s indeed me. And well, what business do you have in the Libra Fortress?」
His participation decided, Arlon asked that. Uzume lifted her index finger and spoke with special emphasis.
「This mission is extremely important. We’ve received some crucial information, which isn’t completely verified yet but is very likely. And this also represents an opportunity we can’t allow ourselves to let go.」
With that preface, Uzume outlined the main parts of the mission. How they believed Chimera Clauzen’s next target would be the Spirit King, and how the Libra Fortress was connected to that. Arlon was not the only one listening, the remaining seven as well as those who did not meet the requirements listened quietly.
「The Spirit King, you say? What lousy individuals.」
When Uzume was done talking everyone fell silent, and after a moment Arlon turned the thoughts everyone held into words, spoken with a scornful voice. His voice resounded through the room like the first bubbles of a pot of water about to boil, after which the voices of everyone else resounded with damning shouts against Chimera Clauzen.
「Silence!」
With that single word, the clattering room turned silent again. When Uzume saw everyone had calmed down, she silenced her own boiling thoughts and continued speaking.
「We won’t let them do as they please. We aren’t completely certain the story is true, but if it is, then there’s a high chance influential people inside Chimera will show up. Capturing them is our mission. If everything goes according to plan, then we might obtain even more valuable information from them.」
「That does sound like a very important mission, if not the most important one to date. And so, who am I going with? Since I’m the only adventurer being recruited, I guess you only need me for the entrance pass. Am I going with a group of Hidden or something like that?」
「Yes, with Sasori and Hebi, as well as this girl.」
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