Chapter 06 - Glasses Guy Flees at Full Speed

Glasses Guy Flees at Full Speed

"I am Lolobel Laurent. And you?"

Despite the rumors that adventurers were little more than rough-and-tumble criminal hopefuls, the woman next to me, Lolobel, introduced herself with surprising politeness.

She was probably around twenty years old, average build, and taller than me. Her most striking features were her intelligent yet intense green eyes and short, neatly trimmed blonde hair. Though dressed casually without any visible weapons or armor, she still carried the unmistakable aura of someone strong.

Out of the twenty or so people in this Adventurers' Guild, my instincts told me she stood head and shoulders above the rest. And my instincts—honed through countless encounters with prey and monsters—weren’t often wrong.

"I'm Eil."

"Eil, huh? You’re not from this town, are you?"

"Ah, I’d rather not share personal details."

I didn’t want to talk about myself. The more people knew, the more likely I’d get dragged into unnecessary trouble. Honestly, I hesitated even giving my name—I only did it because Lolobel introduced herself first.

"You’re pretty cautious for someone so young."

Well, a hunter wouldn’t last long otherwise.

"I’ll be gone in a few days anyway. Don’t worry about me."

I had no intention of settling in the royal capital long-term, nor did I want to make acquaintances. Once my business was done, I planned to return to the village. There was nothing here for me.

My master’s words—"Search for possibilities"—still lingered in my heart, but…

In the end, everything I wanted to do could be done back in the village. Training with a new bow, working as a hunter… None of it required staying in the capital.

Most of all, the capital was just too crowded. It wasn’t for me.

"Hmm… Well, I can guess most of it."

"Guess what?"

"The Selection Ceremony, right?"

Wow. She figured out why I was here just from that?

Someone like me, dragged to the capital from some backwater by royal decree—Lolobel must have seen enough people in similar situations to piece it together.

"Are there a lot of others like me?"

"Not many. Those with enough ‘potential’ to be summoned by the castle don’t appear often."

So, rare, but not unheard of.

"By the way, about those glasses of yours—"

"Can I use them as payment?"

"Huh? Payment?"

"First, answer my question. Then I’ll tell you."

A hunter doesn’t just spill everything without getting something in return.

My master only taught me because I was his disciple—he didn’t just hand out his knowledge to anyone.

I didn’t want to talk much, but if it was an exchange of information, I could work with that.

"I see. A trade, then. Fine, if it’s something I can answer, I will."

Good. Now I had a source of information.

---

Given Lolobel’s strength, she’d probably been an adventurer for quite some time. She definitely wasn’t someone who just started frequenting the guild yesterday.

That meant there was a good chance she knew Horn, who should’ve been active as an adventurer for the past two years.

Time to ask.

"I’m looking for an adventurer named Horn. Know her?"

"Horn? You mean—"

Then, to my shock, Lolobel muttered:

"—The Demon-Purging Saint?"

"…………"

"That’s… not the Horn I’m looking for."

My sister was not the type to be wrapped up in something as fancy as "sainthood."

If anything, she’d suit a nickname like "The Rag-Covered Beast" or something equally crude.

She was rougher, cruder, more violent… the kind of person who judged everything by whether it was edible or not. A walking bundle of raw, unfiltered wildness.

"Not the same one? Hmm… Aside from the Demon-Purging Saint, I don’t know any other adventurers named Horn."

Ugh. That’s a dead end.

"By the way, the Horn I’m looking for probably looks a lot like me."

Up until two years ago, Horn and I looked very alike. Undeniably siblings, undeniably sharing blood.

Honestly, it annoyed me every time someone pointed it out. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.

Now, after two years, I didn’t know how much she might’ve changed, but it was hard to imagine her looking completely different.

"Ah, I see."

Lolobel nodded, as if everything suddenly made sense.

"Ever since we met, I kept thinking you resembled someone. You look strikingly like the Demon-Purging Saint, Horn. Your hairstyle’s different, but your face is almost identical. Now that I think about it, your hair and eye color match too."

"…………"

"But the Horn I’m looking for isn’t her."

I refused to believe it.

My sister was no saint.

For example—if there was some poor woman who caused so much trouble at the Adventurers’ Guild that she got banned? That would be Horn. That was the kind of person my sister was.

"Wait. Given how this conversation’s gone, I’m pretty sure the Horn you’re looking for is the Saint."

"…………"

I didn’t want to admit it.

I really didn’t want to admit it, but…

After pressing for more details, it became undeniable—the so-called "Demon-Purging Saint" was almost certainly my sister.

---

"To sum it up—"

I didn’t want to admit it, much less summarize it, but with this many matching traits, I couldn’t pretend it was someone else.

"As hard as it is to believe—as unbelievably hard as it is to believe—Horn has become an adventurer known as the ‘Saint’ in the royal capital."

"She joined the three-star adventurer team ‘Dawn’s Blackbird,’ the youngest member among its dozen-or-so members."

"She quickly rose to prominence and is now a renowned expert, hailed as the ‘Demon-Purging Saint.’"

Lolobel nodded. "That’s about right."

I wished she was wrong. No such luck.

"To add, ‘Dawn’s Blackbird’ is one of the top adventurer teams in the capital. Since you can’t go beyond three stars unless you’re hunting demons or something equally extreme, they’re effectively the highest rank."

Huh…

"So, the star ratings—more stars means stronger, right?"

"Exactly. Ranks go from zero to five stars, for both individuals and teams. By the way, I’m two stars."

Two stars.

Lolobel was this strong at two stars, and Horn was on an even higher-ranked team?

"Are you and Horn from the same hometown? Or… related by blood?"

Well, after all these questions, it was only natural she’d suspect a connection—

"Lolobel! Partner up with me!"

A rough voice boomed as a loud-footed man approached.

Ugh… Pushy old guys were the worst. Loud, too. Yeah, no, not turning around. Not my problem. Don’t wanna see him, don’t wanna engage.

I was already annoyed, but even Lolobel, who clearly knew him, furrowed her brows in displeasure.

"Galiv. I already turned you down."

"C’mon! If two-stars like us team up, we could land even bigger jobs!"

Huh. That surprised me.

I thought you had to be at least as strong as Lolobel to be two stars. This guy didn’t seem that impressive—just big on attitude. Did he actually have the skills? Eh, not like I cared.

"I’m in the middle of something important. Leave."

"Important? With this broke-ass brat?"

Ugh, he’s staring at the back of my head. Other people are starting to look too. Ughhh. Fine. I’ll just eat my breakfast apple.

"Hey, kid. What’s your business with Lolobel?"

Yeah, yeah, "kid," I hear you. Someone deal with him, please.

"Back off, Galiv. I’m the one who needs him."

Lolobel was trying to stop him, but… guys like this don’t back down that easily.

"A little respect for your seniors wouldn’t kill you, brat. Huh? Newbies these days—"

I’m not a newbie. I don’t even want to be an adventurer.

—Alright. Finished my breakfast. Time to—

"You little—! Look at me when I— Huh!?"

Emergency escape: activated.

The moment the old guy reached for me, I slipped out of my chair, dodged his grasp, ducked under his arm, and bolted out of the guild at full speed.

---

Ugh. What a pain.

Knew I’d get hassled. Between Lolobel and this guy, that’s two people bothering me before I even finished breakfast. I hate pushy types.

Problem is, I didn’t get to pay, so this is basically dine-and-dash. Gotta go back later and settle the bill—once things die down.

For now… guess I’ll try tracking down this "Demon-Purging Saint Horn" or whatever.

According to Lolobel, the description matches my sister perfectly. But I really hope it’s someone else. Just a case of mistaken identity.

I could wait at the guild, but after this, no thanks. I’d rather not go back.

Maybe if I can get in touch with members of "Dawn’s Blackbird," I’ll find her.

—Oh, right.

That number floating above Lolobel’s head earlier—what was that?

It said "52," but… no idea.