NOVEL NEXT C15
C15: The Goblin Treasure (1)
“Shadow, the thief, robbed Marquis Trajan’s residence!”
“The Marquis of Trajan dies of a mysterious illness. What is the connection with Shadow?”
“Finance Minister’s Sudden Dismissal. What caused it?”
“Oh, you’re making a lot of noise.”
Royal Capital of the Slayer Kingdom, at the Adventurer’s Guild. Kagehiko murmured in a leisurely tone as he looked at the newspaper on the wall.
In the wake of the theft of the “Eye of the Holy Dragon” from the Marquis Trajan’s residence by the thief Shadow, various scandals have arisen in the royal capital. It seems that the Minister of Finance was one of the people the Marquis had used the treasure to undermine, and when his wrongdoings came to light, political turmoil ensued.
“As expected, the royal scandal has been swept under the rug…Well, that’s not my problem.”
With that, Kagehiko took his gaze off the newspaper and turned his attention to the request board next to him. Although Kagehiko was running around in the dark of night as a thief, it did not mean that he did not do anything during the day. He was officially working for the Adventurer’s Guild.
Various requests are posted on the request board of the Adventurer’s Guild. Collecting medicinal herbs in the forest, defeating goblins, exterminating bears that are destroying the fields, searching for a missing person and more.
“Capture of the thief Shadow, the reward is a thousand gold coins.”
Each gold coin is worth about 10,000 Japanese yen. Is 10 million yen really a high or low price for the greatest thief in the world?
On the request board, there was a wanted poster for the thief Shadow with his portrait, but the portrait did not look anything like Kagehiko. This is because Kagehiko has used magic to change the face under the mask in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.
He also uses recognition-blocking magic, so even if he were to meet someone who knew him from when he was a [Sage], it is unlikely that they would be able to connect Kagehiko with the [Sage] Kurono.
“It’s…It’s…”
“What?”
“Get out of the way.”
“Whoa, that’s rude.”
Before I knew it, a girl standing behind me was complaining. She must be about fifteen years old. A petite girl with short-cut red hair, she had a silver tag hanging around her neck.
“Silver rank. That’s pretty good for someone so young.”
Adventurers are ranked according to their achievements and strength, with seven levels from top to bottom: Orichalcon, Mithril, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron, and Stone.
“…You, Iron.”
The girl blurted out, looking at the tag around Kagehiko’s neck.
“Yes, I am.”
“So weak….You shouldn’t be an adventurer if you’re weak…”
With a quick outburst, the girl peeled off a piece of paper from the request board and took it to the receptionist. It was a request of a certain level of difficulty: [Defeat a werewolf].
“That’s harsh but I don’t mind.”
Well, you look like you’ve been on the receiving end.”
A man called out to me from a tavern adjacent to the guild. He was not so close as to be a friend, but he was an adventurer that I knew well.
“Yeah, looks like it. Who’s that sassy young lady?”
“What, you don’t know her? She’s a newcomer from the Silverwing Maidens. I heard she’s rising through the ranks very quickly.”
“Hmm. I don’t like the idea of rushing through life.”
The Silverwings Maidens is one of the most promising adventuring parties based in the capital. The party is unusual in that all the members are women, and the leader is well known for her dislike of men.
“What’s her name?”
“Lime, I think. She’s the favorite of the Silverwing’s leader.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Then, Kagehiko also peeled off a piece of paper from the request board. The request was like a child’s errand: [Search for a lost cat].