Chapter 97: The Great Bear of the North 2
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The group emerging from the undergrowth made no attempt to hide their identities.
"Father. As the Duke responsible for the North, your sense of--"
"Ah, I said I'm sorry!"
The Northern Duke, his daughter, and two escort knights.
On their armor's breastplate was engraved a crouching wolf, the symbol of their house.
On their waists hung a sword, unsheathed yet radiating a chilling aura.
Magic swords.
To sum it up, an armed group is strolling around in the blessed forest of the Royal family, their family crest on full display and they're even carrying weapons.
They aren't disguised assassins or fraudsters, especially given Kaiden's shock at the woman's appearance.
'What the hell is going on...?'
Our group now includes a disguised runaway noble lady and her likely father.
Along with his daughter and knights.
To top it all off, the new lady doesn't even seem to recognize Kaiden.
She hardly spares her a glance.
As Han Se-ah and her viewers, try to deduce the drama, I lead the way for the group.
I too was trying to guess at Kaiden's familial situation.
As we were walking and guiding the party of the Northern Duke, the view, which had been filled with green, opened up to reveal bustling buildings and a swarm of soldiers.
"Who is there... My Lord?!"
As soon as we emerge from the forest, a few soldiers approach us as if to surround us but soon freeze in shock.
The sight of the giant Duke seems to petrify the soldiers, as if they've seen Medusa.
From what I remember in K-Fantasy, a Duke was a noble house mixed with royal blood*.
So, this situation must be more intense than a private in front of a celebrity.
"Ah, we shall escort you inside!!!"
"There's no need for that. I just want to hear a little about the tower from these adventurers."
"In that case, we'll prepare a room and refreshments!!!"
A soldier shouted with such force it seemed his veins would burst.
Despite trembling with fear, he bravely continued speaking, probably because they couldn't leave such a high-ranking person standing aimlessly at the edge of the forest.
In response to the pitiful sight of the trembling soldier, the Northern Duke waved his hand dismissively.
Just as he didn't demand formality from us, adventurers, he showed generosity to his soldiers.
However, when a person as powerful as a Duke encourages a low-ranking soldier to relax...
How can a soldier be at ease?
"Must-uh re-main ca-lm, I have to-to..."
From behind the stiff soldier, another one grumbled, grinding his teeth so hard that his jaw muscles were trembling.
Although he mumbled under his breath, there was no way his words wouldn't reach the superhumans before him.
The Northern Duke, who was scratching the back of his head awkwardly at the voice that seemed half sobbing, hurriedly moved his feet.
Surprisingly, he seemed to know the geography well, naturally heading towards the guest building without the aid of a guide.
Speaking of which, this man is moving alongside us too naturally.
"You want to hear about the tower?"
"Don't take it too seriously. Aren't you here for a request anyway? Just think of it as keeping an old man company and telling him some adventure stories."
"Father! Calling yourself an old man, you're being too modest..."
With Kaiden maintaining her ironclad attitude, the Duke seems to have changed his approach.
His young daughter was startled and tried to dissuade him, but the Duke, true to his bear-like appearance, kept pushing.
Naturally, it was assumed we would stay in the same guest building.
This place isn't a motel district, and there aren't many guest buildings prepared.
If he were a noble who valued authority, he would have gone on a carriage and moved out, unable to stay in the same building as adventurers.
However, the Duke, clearly interested in Kaiden, attached himself to me.
I suspect he started talking to me because all the members of our party are women.
The party and the escort knights went up to the second floor to divide rooms, and the young lady, flushed with embarrassment at her father's audacious behavior, quietly went outside the building, perhaps for a walk.
The only ones left were the Duke, sitting heavily at the table, me and...
Han Se-ah's semi-transparent camera drone, which had come quietly to film.
'The stream monster wouldn't miss such an opportunity.'
I was sitting at the table, pretending not to notice the camera, when the bear-like noble in front of me started to speak.
"I apologize for not introducing myself properly despite having walked together through the forest together. I am Arthur, Arthur Wesley, the Duke who rules the North, leader of the Frost Wolf Knights Division...
Never mind, it's best to skip all these tedious titles."
He began with a grand introduction, but stopped in the middle, rubbing his chin scar thoughtfully.
It was my first time hearing the name Wesley.
It was likely that the Wesley family had appeared only after Han Se-ah logged into this world.
Or, maybe my head was a little off... due to being an NPC.
Like how NPCs can't recognize Han Se-ah speaking to her viewers.
While I was lost in thought for a moment, the man in front of me finally opened his mouth.
"...I have been investigating quite a bit because I'm very interested in this request. I heard you're a senior adventurer. I also heard that your companions have just recently upgraded from novice adventurers to intermediate adventurers. Can you tell me why you are leading a group of novice adventurers?"
He was polite, clearly not the attitude of a noble dealing with commoner adventurers.
I would love to ask bluntly, 'Is it because of Kaiden?'...
But the camera hovering above us is the problem.
In this scenario, I can't exactly blurt out that I know about the 'Sword Princess' and her cross-dressing.
In fact, I know everything there is to know thanks to Han Se-ah's stream.
I need to continue the narrative within the scope of what Adventurer Roland could know.
I don't want to arouse any unnecessary suspicion from the players who could potentially monitor my private life 24/7 through semi-transparent camera drones.
The best outcome would be for Han Se-ah to reach the game's ending without suspecting anything.
For now, it starts with meeting Hanna."
The leader of the party, the mage?
I'm planning to play my cards right and impress him.
If I manage to give a good impression, we could secure a sort of supporter.
Well, if you've done your research, you'd know that I'm an adventurer who stopped on the 37th floor of the tower and came down.
I heard you enjoyed a rather long break.
I thought Id rest a bit after nearly 10 years of adventuring. Well, I also saved quite a bit of money, so if need be, I could rest for a lifetime.
Comfort in old age is a universal law, wherever you are.
So I went on with my story accordingly.
Mage Hanna, whom the receptionist sneakily left to me, Rangers Grace whom I met in the tower during my adventure, and Nun Irene who was in another party but transferred to ours.
Lastly, Kaiden, who joined the party as a mercenary.
Up to this point, the nobleman, who had been chuckling at my interesting stories, changed his attitude as soon as the topic shifted to Rebecca and Kaiden.
His fingers started twitching, his previously relaxed posture stiffened, and he seemed to grow several times bigger.
-Isn't he too obvious?
-It seems he's someone who can't lie.
-Han Se-ah being assigned by the receptionist, sounds like a lost child at a protection center.
-Anyone can see that he's twitching because he wants to hear about Kaiden lolol
-It looks like Roland intentionally told the stories of the other party members first.
Looking at the chat, even the viewers can tell.
I suppose it's okay if I pretend to notice something.
Its great that I can confirm this in real-time thanks to the chat.
Kaiden joined the party on the recommendation of a mercenary captain I knew from my adventurer days. Since I wield a shield, I thought it would be nice to have a more aggressive vanguard.
Hmm, is that so? Rebecca, The Rebecca Mercenaries
"Then, the son of the Duke ended up joining our party."
As I read the chat and the Duke's reactions, I put my mind to work.
I could pretend to know nothing, but then I wouldnt gain anything.
Whether you're an adventurer or a mercenary, it's a profession where you always strive for benefit.
With a golden honey pot like the Northern Duke right before me, I can't pass it up without taking a bite.
There's no need to show off that I know everything, but there's no need to pretend I know nothing either.
Pretending to know just enough to demonstrate competence and win the Duke's support for the party would be the best way to go.
"...Did you know?"
"Kaiden introduced himself to me as the heir of a fallen family and asked me for help with repairs for his magic armor."
"So, you recognized him from his armor, you're quite perceptive."
In reality, I don't remember the exterior of the armor well, and I only found out due to the system window and Han Se-ah's stream, but what does that matter?
The crucial point is that the man before me and the viewers behind the camera believe my words.
I wonder how he will respond.
After beating around the bush with his explanation, will he ask me to take good care of his child, or will he try to take Kaiden away?
I kept my silence.
Arthur Wesley, scratching his head once again, lets out a loud exclamation.
"Ah, damn it! Let's go outside and have a man-to-man, heart-to-heart talk."
When the burly man stands up like that, the pressure is no joke.
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