Seirei Gensouki's
Chapter 65: Information Collection

The next day after Celia came to stay at Rio's house, Rio went to the Almond trading city located at the southwestern tip of Galwark kingdom along with Celia.

「Although this is my first time coming, the city is very beautiful and alive right」

Celia walked beside Rio while looking at her enchanted and curious surroundings about the city.

Coincidentally, Celia is currently changing her hair color from white to blonde using a magic tool made by Rio.

The atmosphere of Celia was unusual which even Rio could have misunderstood.

「Yes, it seems that the one who suppressed the city reform was called Liselotte, daughter of the duke of Kretia」

Rio told the reason why Almond was prosperous.

「She ~, actually I have a friend who serves that noble's daughter」

Celia nonchalantly carried such a subject.

"Certainly that?"

「Yes, in reality she is the daughter of a famous Bertram royal knight but, her house has fallen. She even quit the royal institution, she then somehow worked as an apprentice court lady inside the royal palace but, she resigned due to the harsh treatment 」

Not only in Bertram kingdom, basically for the human tribal country in this world, social position is absolute.

Although that does not mean that it applies to all nobles, many people dominate people without social positions by wearing a mantle of authority called a social position.

There was a tremendous trend for it especially in a place where there were many such people and nobles, a place like the royal palace or the royal institute with Rio as the main example.

「Of course, the pressure is strong for households that fall」

「Yes. But, he really is an amazing kid. I mean during the era of my royal institute, I was the first rank in magic and theory but, that boy was only in martial arts he ranked first undisputedly in martial arts even until he left the institute 」

"That's amazing"

Rio said that while feeling admiration.

Although the female disciples also received martial arts lessons for self-defense during the emergency situation at the royal institute, the girls who practiced earnestly were few in number.

At the very least it was just a light exercise to maintain their health, even in the surrounding atmosphere, no one wanted to focus on martial arts among the female disciples to make their name enter the top position.

There is no need to say that being the best is rare.

「Yes, although he eventually had enough of Bertram's kingdom and later became an adventurer. It seemed like he had instantly made his name because of his real ability. Although when he was in Galwark kingdom, he got official job after being scouted by the princess of this place 」

「Do you have an exchange with him recently?」

「Yes. It was actually him who sent Rio's letter. We exchange letters periodically until I am put under house arrest 」

"I saw . …… 」

Despite slightly nodding her head, she felt something amiss in Celia's words.

Then, he tilted his head slightly.

「It is true that I sent a letter using the company Rikka but ……. . 」

He said that while displaying a pose of thinking about something.

"What's the problem?"

Curious about Rio's state, Celia asked as she looked at Rio's face from her side.

「Nothing, Cecilia's friend was hired by the duchess' daughter in this place who appreciated the skills even from the adventurers right?」

Rio spoke while calling out the alias Celia.

They decide an alias for Celia when they visit Almond.

Although that didn't mean that he didn't realize that calling her Cecilia was a bit too simple, it was not, this name is used because the person himself asked because he would not be able to realize it if the alias was too much different from his real name .

back to the main point.

"Religion . What's up with that? 」

「Nothing, of course Rikka company is a company under the management of Duke Kretia's daughter but, I wonder if they usually do their shipping business by using such capable personnel」

Then, Rio voiced the reason for his out-of-place feelings.

「Aah, come to think of it, he said that he came for a short visit in the royal capital during his work. Looks like she was entrusted with the mail delivery from her superior because she is my acquaintance 」

「So that's the reason」

Even though he agreed on the surface, Rio was somehow not completely convinced by that explanation.

When she makes an assumption based on Celia's story, it seems that the person who sent her for her mail delivery is aware of Aria's friendship with Celia.

Even though he understood that he chose a suitable person to send a letter if it was to send a letter to the noble, although he was a bit confused as to why that person had deliberately chosen someone from the muscle fraction to send out a letter.

Celia's acquaintance was personally fostered by the daughter of the Kretia duke.

Perhaps the one who sent the acquaintance of Celia to send the letter was the daughter of the Kretia duke herself.

When he thought about it, a girl suddenly appeared in his mind.

（Not possible, more than this is just mere speculation）

He could not see the pattern of the puzzle because of the uncertainty of the piece.

When he thought of that possibility, Rio stopped that thought for now.

「Aria also lamented due to the never-ending problems caused by her free and unrestrained boss」

Celia told him about it in a funny tone.

It seems like Celia's friend's name is Aria.

Although he felt the name sound familiar, Rio could not remember it.

Rio shook his head slightly and immediately thought that it might just be his imagination.

「Even if Rikka is firmly currently at her peak, the handling of personnel seems to be correct.or perhaps, the person who roughly handled the personnel is the daughter of the duke of Crete 」

Rio said that while smiling as a joke to calm down.

「Hey, hey, I can't let you go after saying such thoughtless words. Because the nobles are creatures that have sharp ears 」

Even while saying those words, Celia also showed a mischievous smile similar to Rio.

Nobles are beings who value their self-esteem.

Commoners had no right to say anything even if they were killed by a noble if they slandered a noble in public.

Although such a joke was whispered very well in a place where there were no nobles.

「It becomes important if Cecilia is the one who says it」

Rio said that with a bitter smile.

「Wait a minute, what does that mean?」

Celia asked while showing a beautiful smile.

Rio just smiled wryly.

「Ahaha. There is no deep meaning in it. By the way, coincidentally, did Cecilia want to meet that person？ 」

Section 2

He looked at Celia while saying that to avoid the topic of conversation.

「U ~ hn, I did want to meet him but, maybe I should wait and see for now. Just in case since Aria works for the noble of Galwark kingdom. I will wait until the decision of Galwark kingdom attitude towards Bertram kingdom 」

After Celia said that, Rio smiled in satisfaction.

「Understood. Please just say it anytime if you want to meet him. Because I will try to manage it as much as possible. If Cecilia is agitated, I will leave that decision to you 」

He answered like that.

Although the political situation became unstable due to the coup, then to make the allied nations indebted to them, there was a high possibility that Aria, who worked for the Galwark nobility, would be in a position to gain a debt of gratitude, will take orders from her master to protect her friend, Celia *. [TL*: I thank Januva for the incredible TLC in this section]

Although they could not take careless actions, for Celia to act freely was Rio's real intention and she wanted to ascertain that possibility as much as possible.

Since it was impossible for Celia to act recklessly, she could have confidence in him.

「Ara, so you believe in me」

Celia smiled happily.

「If you completely cut off contact with your friend, it will be no different from house arrest. If the risk caused by you is in the safe range, there is no reason for me to limit Cecilia to move at will 」

Rio replied while shrugging his shoulders.

"Thank you very much . Perhaps in the worst case, we can count on the duchess's daughter for her protection through that child 」

「Ya, of course it is easier for us to move with reliable support. Such unilateral dependency is a problem despite 」

「In this case you can use me as a negotiation card. Because many magic scholars from each country want to meet me 」

Celia spoke a little proudly.

「By the way, if Cecilia is also fine with that condition, I've prepared the negotiation materials. Please calm 」

After saying that, Rio smiled gently at Celia.

"……thank you"

Celia thanked him with a slightly flushed face in the strong morning sun.

After that, they looked at the shop that was their destination.

「Alright, now we've arrived at the store. All daily necessities sold there 」

Rio bluntly said that.

「As expected, this is a big store. Speaking of Rikka company, there are popular brand stores even for the female royals of Bertram kingdom. Although the price was reasonable, the quality was good, was it really good in that shop？ 」

Perhaps because she was excited for the trip after such a long time, Celia showed a pleasant smile.

「Yes, because there's still a lot of money left in me. You may also choose high quality items. Please don't worry about that because everything is in Rikka's company, even Miharu-san-tachi's clothes 」

「Which reminds me, Rio get an incredible amount of pocket money from the right country？ Do you still have that money?」

「Yes, since I hardly ever use it except to buy the necessary ingredients for my escape, I still have some mystical coins in the form of cash. Since I have a large number of magic stones from monsters killed by me in the middle of the journey, that sale will be enough for the rest of my life. Or rather, it won't even run out 」

「……. Coincidentally, aren't you more prosperous than the nobles around the area?？

Celia turned her gaze towards Rio with a shocked expression.

「The annual income of the lower class nobles is 40 gold coins. There you have an annual income of more than 2 mystical coins. There is a lot of sense, rich eating habits, and the house is even better than the upper class nobles of 」

Celia chuckles.

「You should say that when I get you out. There are also some unconventional points 」

Rio slightly shrugged his shoulders.

「Yes, it's unconventional in a good sense. Thanks to you now I fully enjoy the best of human life, thank you very much Rio 」

Just like that, they arrived in front of the store during their conversation.

They stopped their pace and somehow their line of sight matched.

After that, they smiled as they laughed at the same time.

「Then, let's meet later. Since it seems that you need a variety of things, just two hours for you to finish your shopping？ 」

「Yes, I think it's okay with just that much」

Since Celia understood the local language, she could ask the store clerk if there was anything she did not understand.

Although there were a few places that were slightly lacking, as a noble, it seemed that he had more experience in shopping than ordinary people, nor was there a problem with money because he gave him quite a lot.

「No, because I myself have a business. Because we can call someone if need on the first floor 」

"I understand . Well, be careful 」

"Yes nih . Cecilia is also 」

After saying goodbye to them, she saw Celia enter the store.

After he entered the shop, Rio started moving to finish his own business.

First head for the back alley without anyone.

After making sure that no one was around, he took a short breath.

When he closed his eyes for a while, Rio face was covered by light, his face and posture then changed in the blink of an eye.

The next second, who was standing in his place was an adult man with a different appearance from Rio.

Rio disguised himself by using spirit arts.

Although it was similar to changing the color of her hair, the difficulty in changing one appearance was much higher in comparison.

The intricate art of transfiguration was difficult to deal with as he manipulated mana and Odo, as it was necessary to always disturb Mana while continuously manipulating Odo, the art would be instantly eliminated once the user lost his focus.

But, although it was more efficient if he made a spirit tool or a magic tool if he wanted a permanent change, performing a temporary transfiguration was enough with spirit arts.

Amidst the battle on the side, as there was no need to fear that the art would be solved if he moved within the city, Rio decided to perform a transfiguration with spirit arts.

After taking a short breath, Rio shifted his consciousness and then left the back alley.

He then arrived at the bar located not far from the end of the food and beverage district between the Almond commercial areas.

Although it was still daytime, the people who looked like adventurers had already made a fuss inside.

Rio will head to the counter without even worrying.

「Please give your recommendation for distilled liquor」

「How do you want to drink?」

「I'll hand it to you. But, make it a little stronger 」

"Good . Leave it to me"

Section 3

After finishing the conversation in a few words, the shopkeeper started working on the ordered liquor.

He was around mid-life, with no wasted movement in the way he skillfully moved his hands due to his long experience.

「By the way, I've never seen your face before. Are you an adventurer coming from another city？ 」

The shopkeeper brought the subject of the society to Rio who was sitting while showing a bored face.

「Yes, I travel to various places while trying to find someone. Ah right. Do you happen to have any knowledge of that, sir？ He's an adventurer named Lucius 」

Rio asked while transforming himself into an adventurer-like and changing his tone from ordinary.

For the sake of gathering information, Rio chose a bar where many adventurers gathered.

He judged that the person who had a similar task to the information store was the master who managed this bar like this.

「Fumu. How much information do you want？ 」

As expected of Bingo.

Although he planned to go look around the store to the adventurer until he hit the jackpot, he found a good omen after arriving at the shop that had been his destination from the start.

Rio's a little chuckling.

「Give me the place and a simple portrait if possible」

「……. That's one silver coin 」

「Ah, here it is」

Although this was the first time he had done this, Rio instantly gifted one silver coin while maintaining his poker face.

When he placed the silver coin in his hand, the shopkeeper started his explanation in an indifferent voice.

「Lucius. First class adventurer. His specialty was the work of mercenaries. Commanding the mercenary group 『Singa Heavenly, ・ Griffon』 was famous as enumeration in pieces above the rest of the strongest mercenary group as invincible. His ability as a soldier was the best. And well, until now it was decided as publicly known information 」

The shopkeeper stopped at that moment.

Adventurers were divided into six classes, one became a top-class adventurer by reducing the number with fifth-grade adventurers as the lowest. [TL: Class Zero ……. . ]

Although there were high-class adventurers outside of first-class, it had very implications for classes such as honor, their numbers were very few.

Therefore, basically, being top ranked was first class.

Moreover, Rio listened to the shopkeeper's explanation in silence while enjoying the aroma of the liquor being served.

He raised his eyes towards the shopkeeper as if he wanted to continue his story.

The shopkeeper continued his story after slightly nodding.

「Although I don't know how accurate this information is because it's natural to bluff in this kind of industry, I heard that he was originally hired as a candidate『 Sword King 』by Bertram」 kingdom

Rio's eyes opened slightly upon hearing that story.

『King Swords』 is a title bestowed to the best swordsman recognized by the king of Bertram kingdom. 『

As far as he knew, the former 『King of Sword』 was the leader of the royal knight, Alfred Emal. [TL: Rio vs. Sword King is a pretty busy battle]

And he did not remember who the holder of the Sword King holder 』 was before that.

The shopkeeper laughed a little after cleverly guessing Rio's reaction.

「Well, I mean he's strong enough to support that title」

And he added one thing.

「Although his range of activity moved repeatedly, there was a time when he was moving within Galwark kingdom. Although recently I have not even heard of his movements in this country, because he often appears in places with large or small scale wars, he said, You may be able to meet him in a country that is currently at war 」

There seems to be no significant information regarding where he is.

Although he was worried in these days that he would not get any rumors about his movements, the clue was war.

From the story he heard, he was quite addicted to war.

No, maybe that's how mercenaries are.

Rio clicked his lips in his heart without letting it out from the surface.

"I saw . In that case, do you happen to know which country will be hit by war soon？ 」

Rio stared intently at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper lightly shrugged his shoulders.

「Anywhere is too suspicious recently. It was not strange if Bertram kingdom or Proxia kingdom also started a war with great power. Although I don't know which country will be their opponent, there is also the possibility that it is this country. In the case of a small country, there are small daily battles between Galwark kingdom and Proxia kingdom behind the scenes if you move north Galwark 」

"I saw . I saved 」

Rio said thank you.

「Nothing, I only work for money」

The shopkeeper replied with a proud tone in his tone.

Rio drank the drink with a little alcohol.

「Can I ask for this other recommendation」

「Oke, wait a minute」

Rio ordered again while continuing his conversation with the shopkeeper.

Although he had originally wanted to ask for information about Lucius, now he wanted to know other information.

Especially the information about the heroes.

However, the shopkeeper had yet to obtain detailed information about the heroes.

He could tell the direction from which the light pillar was rising.

It was probably natural since nothing but a few days had passed since the hero summoned.

「Thank you for the gift. Your liquor works well. I'll come again 」

「Ow, people who pay well are welcomed at any time. Because recently many fools tried to bid information store prices about their opponents 」

「Those people won't live long」

"Indeed"

After exchanging glances and grinning widely, Rio left the bar after leaving the payment on the table.

After that, he took a walk around the city shopping for some things as there was still time before the meeting with Celia.

When the time came, he joined Celia and then they returned home.