Chapter 261 Homecoming
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
While Neil was busy repairing the roads of the frontier settlement, in a certain alley of the imperial capital of the Cladigium Empire, there was a tavern that was not particularly bustling, where about ten people of different statuses were gathered around a single table having a discussion in a disproportionately large room.
”Is the heir from Pelant’s place acting as a proxy again today?”
”Ralmond-sama is the heir of the Viscount Pelant family, so he can’t come to the capital very often.”
”Haha, he must be having a tough time. Well, it couldn’t be helped that the eldest son, who was supposed to inherit the house, ran away, and with parents like those, what can you do? Any developments?”
”As for the matter with Curtio, there hasn’t been any change since the last report.”
”No suspicious movements from the Republic either… I’ll ask just in case, can we really trust that the Kingdom is innocent?”
An elderly homeless man, who seemed to be listening to a servant of the Viscount Pelant family, turned to a mid-level employee from a major transportation firm sitting next to him.
”You’re being persistent, old man. I couldn’t find any signs of that kind in the range I could investigate. If it were happening beyond my authority, the only person capable of that within our ranks would be our boss, but that person hates Curtio more than illegal drugs, so that’s absolutely impossible.
More importantly, what about the discovery of illegal Curtio cases within the Empire since the initial incident with the criminal slave? Were you able to trace where they came from?”
”Unfortunately, we still haven’t reached a conclusion. We managed to track them for a while, but the crucial whereabouts are still unknown.”
”I also tried to investigate directly at the Republic while searching for the story, but even though there are organizations manufacturing illegal Curtio, I couldn’t find any evidence that any of them are supplying Curtio to the Empire.”
”You couldn’t find anything either… It seems we might have overlooked something.”
”Isn’t it about time we cooperate with those from other places?”
”That’s a last resort. When considering the possibility of emergencies, we can’t easily form connections.”
No matter how many words we pile up, the situation shows no signs of progress, and this day ends without any significant results, with each person leaving the room.
Finally, the woman who had been leading the meeting remained behind, just as she was about to stand up.
The door to the large room opened, and a man entered.
”You are…!”
”Is it been a while, Melgis? Or should I call you ‘Shouhyou’ in a place like this?”
The woman called Melgis, showing surprise at the man’s presence, quickly adjusted her expression.
”Melgis is fine, and it’s been 8 years, so it’s definitely been a while.”
”Ah… has it really been that long? Time flies. No wonder you’ve become much more mature and beautiful compared to the image I remember.”
”Thank you for the compliment. But you didn’t come here just to see my face, did you?”
”As expected of Melgis, you get to the point quickly, which is helpful. You’re completely different from your sister. It’s troublesome to talk about a younger sister-in-law I’ve never met.”
”More than that, I’m not exactly free either, so may I ask what the matter is right away?”
With a gentle smile, the man engaged in small talk, while Melgis asked without hiding her displeasure.
”It’s not a big deal; actually, I’m thinking of moving to the frontier settlement.”
”To the frontier settlement?”
”Ah, the frontier settlement is under your jurisdiction, right? So I thought I should let you know in advance.”
”Why are you bringing this up now?”
Melgis asked, trying to probe into the man’s words about moving to the frontier settlement, while the man seemed unconcerned about being questioned.
”What, it’s just a whim. After almost 3 centuries living in the same place, I got bored, you know? That’s when I heard some interesting news related to the frontier settlement that’s been trending lately.”
”Interesting news?”
”You know, it’s the story about the frontier settlement teaming up with the elves.”
”…that’s an old story again.”
The rumors about elves began to spread after the emperor of the empire held a banquet on the last day of the Beginning Star, and from there, the rumors about the frontier settlement swirled back and forth. Now it’s the end of the Flame Star, with just a week to go before we reach the Ice Star, so it seems a bit too late for someone to act upon hearing the rumors about elves.
”Huh? In my impression, it still feels like a recent event, but it seems there’s a gap between my perception and the general sense of time. Having spent 300 years in the mundane world, I thought I had completely blended in with ordinary people… but this gap might be more of a biological issue, huh?”
”I don’t know.”
Melgis is starting to get annoyed by the conversation with the man who speaks about his own affairs as if they were someone else’s.
Determined to end this fruitless conversation, Melgis once again threw a question at the man.
”So, what is the real reason you decided to relocate? It can’t just be out of curiosity, can it?”
”Hmm, well, I would be lying if I said there weren’t other reasons.”
”What are those reasons?”
With skepticism in her voice, Melgis asked, yet the man’s expression didn’t falter at all, as if he had a smile glued to his face.
”It’s a homecoming after 300 years, back to my hometown──’the Elf Village.’”
It’s been a while since I brought these characters back, and although the man is making his first appearance, his name has been mentioned long ago.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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