Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage
Character page: Here
Chapter 137 – Searching with the girl I like
“I strive for solitude. I don’t have any acquaintance with such a name.” [Youki]
“You’ve got comrades, don’t ya? Like that big guy. What solitude are you talking about?” [Clayman]
“Hmph, you must mean Gai. He’ll soon be able to stand on his own. My role is finished.” [Youki]
“He’s still rank-E, man. It’s way too early for him to go solo. And, isn’t your other comrade right behind you?” [Clayman]
“You’re too naïve, Clayman… Cecily is my guardian!” [Youki]
“A guy who comes to the guild with a guardian can hardly claim to be solitary… Ugh, what a pain. So, you just want detailed info on that guy, right?” [Clayman]
“Exactly! That’s my point!” [Youki]
I stuck my signature pose. I had been waiting for the perfect moment, and this was it.
“Sorry, but I’ve got nothing.” [Clayman]
Unfortunately, it ended with no information.
Wait, why is the atmosphere suddenly so awkward? I’m too scared to look back to see Cecily’s expression.
“W-Why? How could the Clayman not have any information?” [Youki]
“All I know is that he’s using a pseudonym and wearing a strange outfit. It seems that he only recently started operating around here. And he appeared out of nowhere.” [Clayman]
Clayman glared at me with squinted eyes, as if to say, “Just like you”.
I wished he wouldn’t look at me that way. I was pretty sure I didn’t have any acquaintances with steel arms, or the ability to control azure flames. If I had any idea who it was, I wouldn’t have come to Clayman for information in the first place.
However, I was caught in a bind. I didn’t expect that even Clayman, who I was counting on, didn’t have much info.
“It seems staying here any longer would be pointless.” [Youki]
“Yeah, yeah. If you’re done, get out. I’m taking a break.” [Clayman]
With a “See ya,” Clayman retreated behind the counter. A female staff member followed him as if she was intending to give him a scolding. Sure enough, I could hear their conversation after a short while.
“Vice Guildmaster, you just took a break an hour ago.” [Sierra]
“Oh, did I? Well, whatever.” [Clayman]
“It’s not ‘whatever’. Now, get back to the counter. If you don’t, I’ll report this to your wife.” [Sierra]
“Hey, wait a minute. What’s Sophia gotta do with this?” [Clayman]
“When I met her before, she asked me to report to her if Vice Guildmaster did anything wrong.” [Sierra]
“Sophia…” [Clayman]
I could hear the lonely voice of a husband who had been cornered by his beloved wife, leaving him with no escape. Since he was capable of doing his job, it would be better if he could just get all done quickly. I couldn’t understand why he tried so hard to slack off. Nevertheless, it wasn’t relevant at the moment, so I decided not to dwell on it.
“All right. Let’s go.” [Youki]
“Sophia-san must have her hands full at home too, doesn’t she?” [Cecilia]
“I suppose that’s part of what it means to be together…” [Youki]
One way or another, that couple was very much in love. Sophia-san just made sure not to spoil Clayman too much.
“By the way, Magic Knight-san, it seems you didn’t get much information from Clayman-san. Do you have any other leads?” [Cecilia]
“Hmm… not really. But we did learn that he’s active around this area. Let’s walk around town for a bit.” [Youki]
“Understood… I’m sorry for involving you in this.” [Cecilia]
“Don’t worry about it. Magic Knight of Black Lightning will always help when it comes to someone important to him. That’s just how it is.” [Youki]
“For today, I’m sincerely grateful to you, Magic Knight-san…” [Cecilia]
“All right. Let’s go!” [Youki]
I led Cecily out of the guild and we started walking around town together, but for some reason, I could feel a lot of eyes on us. It was unavoidable to stand out when Magic Knight of Black Lightning graced the street with his presence, but it felt even more so than usual today.
“Could it be that my charisma level has increased? I see, these must be the envious gazes directed at someone who has reached even greater heights.” [Youki]
Before I knew it, I seemed to have evolved to the next stage. Talent truly was a frightening thing.
“What are you talking about? The looks directed at us are the usual ones like they’re seeing something strange.” [Cecilia]
“What!? Does that mean you’ve finally become one of us, Cecily?” [Youki]
“I have not!” [Cecilia]
“Heh, just kidding. I need you to stay as you are, Cecily.” [Youki]
“Yeah, I’m in no position to push back since I’m relying on your help.” [Cecilia]
I wonder if Cecily’s lament has reached the heavens. If it has, I hope her worries are heard and resolved.
“…What are you doing?” [Cecilia]
“I’m praying so that Cecily’s lament reaches the gods.” [Youki]
I placed my hands together while I knelt on one knee in a prayerful pose. As Cecily watched me, I thought I saw a vein pop on her forehead.
“Magic Knight-san, how about we move somewhere a bit less conspicuous? We can pray all we want there.”
“Uhh… understood.” [Youki]
I ended up being dragged along helplessly, sliding across the ground. It would seem that I would soon find myself praying to the gods for a different reason. It was fine, though. If it was for her, I would be happy to become her support. My only wish was for her to return to her full strength. However, it was probable that I went a little too far with my antics. Moderation was probably impossible for someone like me. After our little ‘exchange’, I ended up offering plenty of prayers, not to the gods, but to Cecily.
“Now, let’s start our search again!” [Youki]
“Yes, I’m counting on you, Magic Knight-san. But please, take it easy, okay?” [Cecilia]
“I-I understand. Magic Knight of Black Lightning will act swiftly to achieve his goal.” [Youki]
After promising her not to do anything unnecessary, we began gathering information. I targeted adventurers walking around town in the hope that someone had useful sightings. There was probably a chance that someone had noticed something while they were on their guild mission. I quickly approached a pair – a young man with the appearance of a swordsman, and a girl who looked like a mage.
“Excuse me. I’d like to ask you something if you have a moment to spare.” [Youki]
“Uh, y-yes. W-What is it?”
The swordsman responded kindly, even though he stuttered. They still looked young. The mage girl seemed to be of the same age as the swordsman. As I couldn’t sense much of an aura from them, they were probably novice adventurers. However, it was precisely because they were novices that they were the best people to ask. Since novice adventurers would have taken many small quests around town, I could get some useful information from them.
“Have you seen… someone like me around here?” [Youki]
“Huh?!”
“What kind of question is that!” [Cecilia]
Cecily interjected with a sharp retort. Indeed, the young man and woman seemed stunned, as if they had no idea what I was talking about. It appeared that I had left out an important part of my question.
“My apologies. In this royal capital, Minerva, have you seen anyone dressed similarly to me recently?” [Youki]
“Uh, well, we have seen someone dressed like you a few times recently. But today… Nazha, did you see the person?”
“No, I haven’t seen this person today.”
“I see. Sorry for taking your time.” [Youki]
“Ah, wait, please!”
Since I couldn’t acquire any more useful information from them, I decided to take my leave quickly. I felt bad about taking up more of their time. However, before I could do so, they called out to me.
“Is something the matter?” [Youki]
“Well, about that person… it seems like they’ve been taking on all sorts of requests for free. To be honest, both of us are still rookie adventurers. They’ve been handling jobs that we could have taken on… and, um, how should I put it…”
“At this rate, the available jobs will dwindle, and we won’t be able to make a living.”
For these rookie adventurers, the presence of ‘Steel Arms of Azure Flame’ was threatening their livelihood. It wasn’t feasible to ask them to work harder so the jobs wouldn’t get stolen, and it wasn’t possible either to leave all the adventurer’s jobs entirely to this ‘Steel Arms of Azure Flame’. As an experienced adventurer, I should probably lend a hand.
“Hmph, at times like these…” [Youki]
“Don’t worry. We’ll meet this person. And we’ll be sure to convey your concerns.” [Cecilia]
“R-Really?”
“Thank you very much!”
Cecily ended up taking my spotlight. The two rookie adventurers were now looking at Cecilia with eyes full of admiration.
“But even in situations like this, there must be something you can do. Use your time wisely. Also, when you both become full-fledged adventurers someday if you see rookie adventurers struggling, try helping them as well.” [Cecilia]
Cecily didn’t forget to give them advice as an experienced adventurer. It was probably due to Cecily, no, Cecilia’s kindness.
“I’ll never forget what you said!”
“W-Well, me too… Um, excuse me, but could it be that you are…?”
“Magic Knight-san, let’s continue gathering information!” [Cecilia]
Cecily pulled me into the crowd in a rush. Based on their reactions, they seemed to have realized who Cecily really was. She probably noticed it too and quickly left to avoid any trouble. If we had caused a scene, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything today. The investigation must be conducted discreetly if we want to catch that guy.
“At first, we were only doing this to apologize for Cecily’s misunderstanding, but now we have another purpose.” [Youki]
“Yes. Taking on requests without going through the guild and doing so for free… If this continues, it will render the guild’s service obsolete. For those who are at least C-rank, they could still survive by taking on more distant missions, so they should be fine…” [Cecilia]
“But for lower-ranked adventurers, it’s a serious problem.” [Youki]
“A bit of charity work is fine, but in this case…” [Cecilia]
“This guy’s a complete troublemaker. I thought I might find someone who could rival me… but maybe it’s impossible.” [Youki]
“You’re causing plenty of trouble yourself, Magic Knight-san.” [Cecilia]
Cecilia’s cold retort left me with nothing to say in response.
RinkageTranslation 
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