"So, Doni. Is it true that Reni is actually more capable than Rani as an intelligence operative?"
With Rani busy meeting with Rio to discuss business at the border fortress, I decided to ask Doni about something that had been on my mind regarding the two of them.
"That is, in a sense, correct."
Doni was slightly surprised by my question, but once he heard it was something Amour had told me, he nodded in understanding and began to explain.
"Though they're both intelligence operatives, they're different types, so I can't flatly say which one is better. But on average, the amount of information Reni gathers per job is definitely greater than Rani's."
According to Doni, Rani's style was like what I'd seen the first time I met her—she'd go visit targets directly to collect information, or infiltrate places like Duke Sanga's army to steal intel. She was also skilled at sabotage and combat. Reni, on the other hand, rarely met targets directly, preferring to gather information from the surrounding area—for example, working in taverns in the neighborhood where a target lived and overhearing conversations from people connected to them.
Rani's intel tended to be high-value but came with correspondingly higher risk. Reni's information, while a mix of useful and useless, tended to be broader and more multifaceted.
"Even if something isn't immediately needed, information is still information. And in Reni's case, she's good with people—or rather, good at flattering men... The sheer volume of information she gathers dwarfs what others collect using the same methods. As a parent, I find it somewhat complicated..."
That probably had something to do with why Reni was known as "the most popular woman in Nanao."
"Maybe I shouldn't let Rio meet with her alone..."
"That would be wise. Forgive me for saying this, but if it were Lord Rio, she might strip him bare—in the information sense of the Marquis's household, that is."
He was reluctant to destroy the newly formed connection after only a few days. And while he wanted the March Lord's information, he didn't want to push too far and make an enemy of them either.
For that reason, I called Albert and Cain over, explained the situation, and asked for their cooperation. After hearing my explanation and Doni's account, both agreed that Rio was exactly the kind of person this could happen to, and immediately promised to help.
"I'll have a word with Reni as well... She doesn't intend it, but it may happen naturally. It's an occupational hazard, you might say."
"And Rio is, in a sense, the same way," Cain added. According to him, Rio's carelessness was also a kind of occupational hazard.
"Well, since Reni will be staying with Amour, there shouldn't be any problem as long as someone is always with Rio."
Just as I was wrapping things up like that, it looked like Rio and Rani had finished their conversation too. From the look on their faces, the discussion had apparently gone in Rani's favor.
After that, the idea came up to invite Doni and Rani out on the town, but the two of them still had business preparations and meetings to attend to, so they headed straight back to the inn.
"So, what do we do... Jeanne and Aura are out with Merlin, right?"
"Yeah. Grandpa said something like 'I don't want this to be stuffy!' and took them out, combining it with a walk for Shiromaru. Apparently, taking on requests in a different location is good experience for them, and it'll count positively when they try to raise their rank—having taken requests in another area, that is."
In my own case, having taken requests across multiple territories—Gunjou City, Seigen, the Royal Capital, and the south—had apparently factored into my promotion to S Rank. Jeanne and Aura had only done requests in Seigen and the Royal Capital, both directly under royal control, so this was an opportunity to build up experience in the Haust March territory.
"So that means it's going to be just us guys, huh?"
"Rio. I think you know this already... but no naughty shops."
"Those places are off-limits until we get back to the Royal Capital."
"I know, I know!"
Rio answered with a slightly sour expression in response to their immediate retorts. Incidentally, Albert and Rio had apparently gone to those kinds of
night establishments
a few times before, but not at all in recent years. The reason was connected to the fact that Cain had gotten a fiancée.
Albert's fiancée Elsa was of the opinion that it was understandable for men to visit such places, and as long as it was just for fun, she'd tolerate a certain amount. Cain's fiancée, however, was apparently not like that—she was the type to take issue with Cain going to those kinds of places. As a result, Cain had stopped visiting them altogether. It also helped that Cain himself had never been particularly interested in those places to begin with.
"If anything, I'd rather go drinking with friends I get along with," he said casually when asked.
I felt the same way, so I agreed with Cain. Albert seemed fine either way, while Rio apparently preferred going to places where he could be with both friends and women.
"Come to think of it, I've met Elsa plenty of times, but I've never met Cain's fiancée."
"Really? But apparently she's met Tenma a few times. They haven't actually spoken, though."
When I asked for more details, I did vaguely recall having seen such a woman. I didn't know her name, but I'd spotted her in the castle's archives and the Royal Capital's library on several occasions, so I must have bowed at least when our eyes met.
"She said that since she's my fiancée, it would be weird to greet you without me present, so she never approached... but I think she was just embarrassed. She's shy around people."
"Yeah, she does seem like that. Elsa talked to her without knowing that and worried she might have scared her."
"If Tenma doesn't mind, I'll introduce you next time we have a free moment. Either way, once I'm married to her, there'll be more opportunities to meet."
And that was settled. During this conversation, Rio—who didn't even have a girlfriend, let alone a fiancée—didn't say a single word. His expression betrayed a hint of panic.
"Albert, Cain. Seriously, it's better if Rio stays away from Reni. Better yet, maybe keep him away from other women too. In his current state, the slightest bit of kindness from any woman he finds attractive and he'll be a goner. No matter how awful her personality might be."
Both seemed to share the same thought, nodding seriously, and for a while they swore they wouldn't let Rio near any women. At that moment, Cain was wearing the most radiant smile imaginable.
Then, a few days later—
"Souvenirs, check! Food, check! Travel permits, check!"
Since we'd decided to head for Kukuri Village, we were leaving Shellhide a bit earlier than planned. As a result, I'd hurriedly bought souvenirs and finished preparations so we could depart tomorrow.
"Master Tenma. You've just finished your preparations, have you?"
After sorting the souvenirs and putting them in my Magic Bag, Doni came to visit me. The only people still in Shellhide were Doni and Reni—Rani had already left for the border fortress on the day her travel permit was issued.
"Yes, I'm thinking of setting out tomorrow. If we don't head south early enough, there's no telling when we'll make it back to the Royal Capital."
"That would be wise. The area south of the Royal Capital isn't too concerning, but if we take too long, snow might start falling."
Currently, it was around October by my previous world's calendar. Even if everything went according to schedule, it would still take over a month to reach our destination. If things went well, we'd be around mid-November, but if any trouble or unexpected events arose, we might slip into December.
"With just Raiden, snow wouldn't be a problem, but the carriage is a different story."
I was fully aware that the carriage we used was far more high-performance than a normal one, but its wheels were still only slightly sturdier than standard ones—it couldn't just glide through snow.
"Depending on the snow, it might actually be faster to travel on foot and use the carriage during rest breaks. But even so, that's something to be envied."
The method Doni described was only possible because we had large-capacity Magic Bags and Dimension Bags. Normally, you'd either be shivering through the cold at the risk of your life, or you wouldn't travel at all during winter. When you thought about it that way, having a rest stop in the snow that was practically a home was more than enough.
"There's something else I'd like to discuss—or rather, a request..."
Doni's request was, in a sense, something almost to be expected.
"Everyone, you've finished your preparations, I trust?"
Chris was looking at everyone—or rather, at the three idiots—doing a final check.
The departure was earlier than planned, but everyone had finished their preparations in advance, and there didn't seem to be anything forgotten.
"Sis, don't worry so much! We're fine!" Rio said with a laugh... but behind him was a group of maids carrying large baskets.
"Rio. I told you I'd prepare several days' worth of meals for you and to come pick them up from the dining hall, didn't I?"
Edilia, who was leading the group of maids, was smiling pleasantly while scolding Rio.
"...Sorry, Mom."
The fact that no one except Rio had known about the meal preparations meant that they'd forgotten to even tell the rest of us.
"Albert, Cain! The two of you check Rio's belongings!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The two responded in unison, saluting, and began inspecting Rio's luggage. The result:
"Senior, Rio's weapons and armor are missing!"
"There's no wallet either!"
"I left my wallet sitting on the table."
Based on their inspection, critical travel items were missing. Cain received the wallet from Edilia and checked its contents on the spot, then—
"It's empty too!"
He held it upside down to show it was completely bare.
Edilia sighed at the sight and headed back into the mansion. Presumably to get money. Meanwhile, Rio dashed off to his room to retrieve his weapons and armor.
"Nobody else has forgotten anything, right?"
"Well, I keep everything in my Magic Bag, so no forgetting here."
"Same."
"I don't either."
"Me neither... looks like we're fine."
Looking at Rio, the rest of us double-checked everything and confirmed we were good. Aura was slightly suspect, but Jeanne had done a final room check, so it was probably fine.
"Is Amour ready?"
"I confirmed that myself, so there's no problem. At the very least, she hasn't left anything in her room."
"I checked the inn as well, so everything is in order."
After Chris, Reni also confirmed there were no issues.
The quiet Amour, who had been still throughout, checked her belongings once more after hearing both of them say everything was fine, tidied her appearance slightly, and then nodded.
"Jeanne, this is bad. Amour is about to evolve."
"Well, I think Amour growing is a good thing, but... more importantly, I'm concerned about how Reni looks ready and eager to come along with us."
"Ah... sorry. I forgot to tell the two of you."
Doni's request yesterday had been for Reni to accompany us on the journey to the Royal Capital. Ostensibly, the reason was that as the daughter of a baron in the south, Amour needed an attendant during travel. In truth, Reni had insisted that Amour's training wasn't finished yet and that she was coming with us whether we liked it or not. So Doni had formally requested Reni's participation.
Grandpa and Chris had both agreed to the arrangement, so the three idiots had been told after the fact—though Albert and Cain did give me a slightly reproachful "We just swore not to let Rio near women"—but I'd forgotten to tell Jeanne and Aura.
"If Tenma decided it, we won't object... but what happens when we reach the Royal Capital?"
"In the Royal Capital, it depends on Amour's situation. Regardless of how things stand, apparently she doesn't intend to stay long. Apparently, she has a 'lover' in Nanao."
Incidentally, if Reni judged that Amour hadn't shown any improvement by the time we reached the Royal Capital, she would take Amour back south. And there, she would settle in and focus on training her.
"A... 'lover'..."
The two seemed satisfied with my explanation, but they also perked up with interest in Reni. Well, there hadn't been many women around them with someone they could casually talk to—a girlfriend who was actually approachable—so Reni was in the perfect position to satisfy their curiosity.
"So that's the situation. It'd be a big help if you could get along with Reni too."
"Sure!"
"Leave it to us!"
They responded with almost comically eager enthusiasm.
"Sorry, sorry! Now everything's accounted for!"
Rio returned after retrieving his weapons and armor, received money from Edilia, and slapped his Magic Bag to show that everything was now ready.
"Looks like we're all set."
When all preparations were complete and we were ready to depart, the March Lord Haust arrived from the mansion.
"Now that I think about it, the old man wasn't around. So what brings you here?"
"What do you mean 'what brings me here'? I've come to see you off."
At Cain's deadpan retort, Rio nodded as if that made sense, but everyone else present—everyone except Rio—wore expressions that clearly said "Obviously!"
"Thank you for everything this time. Please accept this."
The March Lord handed over a letter bearing the family crest of "a howling wolf" and a written message.
"The crest should be useful in various ways throughout the Haust March territory. At the very least, it'll serve you better than Rio. And this letter—hand it to the Knight Commander who maintains order in the territory. It requests that he extend you every courtesy."
"Thank you."
With the March Lord's crest, our travel permits, and Rio's presence, we should be able to pass through most places in the border lord's territory.
"As for Kukuri Village, we've received reports that several adventurers who took requests in the surrounding area and the Great Old Forest have gone missing. There are also many injuries."
The missing adventurers were mostly young, inexperienced newcomers to the Great Old Forest, or rookie adventurers altogether. The guild's assessment was that greed or poor judgment about when to turn back had led them deeper into the forest, where they'd been killed by powerful monsters. Indeed, veteran adventurers or those who had ventured into the Great Old Forest before had returned safely, though some were injured.
"Additionally, according to adventurers and knights who knew the old Kukuri Village and the Great Old Forest, the forest's size hasn't expanded much compared to the old days, but it has become more unsettling. The scale aside, the eeriness may partly be due to fewer people venturing in than before, but these are just personal impressions. Still, it can't hurt to be cautious."
Also, if we happened to pass by any adventurers heading toward the Great Old Forest, he asked us to warn them.
"I can do that much..."
Some adventurers might ignore a warning from a fellow professional, but if I showed them the March Lord's crest and said I was a former resident of Kukuri Village, they'd probably take note at least. Beyond that, it was their own responsibility. I had no further obligation or duty.
"You don't need to do more than that. We'll also issue a warning through the guild, but ultimately, these matters are the individuals' own responsibility."
That was his stance. The Knight Commander's separate operations from the March Lord partly served the purpose of issuing such warnings.
"Thank you for everything."
"Take care of yourselves."
The March Lord seemed to have warmed up to us a bit—he spoke more than usual—but there was still none of the casual warmth that Duke Sanga or Marquis Samons showed. Well, those two were among the most socially skilled people I'd ever met, so it was perhaps unfair to compare.
"Grandpa, about what the March Lord said earlier—would people really go missing like that?"
"Well, the medicinal herbs and such that can be gathered in the Great Old Forest are said to be top-class even compared to other sources. Among young people and newcomers with little income, there are bound to be those who push their luck just a little too far. In the old days, villagers would guide them to safer areas, but that's no longer possible."
"We should be careful too. It's been years since we left Kukuri Village, so we should probably assume the Great Old Forest isn't the one we remember."
"Indeed. The area around the village probably hasn't changed that much, but who knows what's happened to the forest's ecosystem. Monsters that were pushed out by the Dragon Zombie might have settled in the shallows of the forest. Whatever you do, never enter the forest alone."
Everyone responded in unison to Grandpa's warning. His words carried more weight than mine would have—they came from an adventurer's knowledge and experience. If I'd said the same thing, Rio would probably have brushed it off with a much more casual response.
With those thoughts in mind, I exchanged final farewells with the March Lord and the others, hitched Raiden to the carriage, and took the driver's seat. Beside me sat Rio, serving as both guide and a stand-in for identification. After all, in the vicinity of Shellhide—the March Lord's own seat of power—Rio's presence was more effective than any travel permit.
"Let's go!"
Rio called out with enthusiasm, but Raiden didn't budge. That was because I was holding the reins, and fundamentally, Raiden only listened to my or Slarin's commands. Lately, he'd started listening to Grandpa and Jeanne and the others too, but those were simple requests, not orders—and Rio, who had been with us for far less time and with far fewer connections than Grandpa, could hardly expect Raiden to obey.
"Let's go, Raiden."
When I gave the reins a light tug, Raiden slowly began to walk.
The March Lord, Edilia, and the mansion staff who had come to see us off all laughed heartily at the sight of Rio's embarrassed expression.