"Command me as you wish, young master."
Amy responded, slowly lifting her head.
"Just a moment."
This place is too open.
Given its size, it wouldn’t be surprising for people to suddenly emerge from anywhere.
I glanced around.
Apart from Amy, there was no one else in sight.
However.
"Why are you touching there, my lord? It's rather bold here, isn't it? Aren't you presenting at soon? Aren't you nervous?"
"It's precisely because I'm nervous. When I touch you here, I feel at ease. Come here. Let's chat in the room before the seminar starts."
"Oh my, last time you said we'd just talk, but we didn't, did we?"
"Well, you still don't understand. A conversation of the body is a true conversation. As a hero, I merely wish to teach that to my Aide. Anyway, let's go in quickly!"
"Eek... Did you choose me as your Aide for this, my lord? Is this the reason we meet?"
"No, it's something that happened along the way. Hurry up. I can't wait!"
From a distance, the conversation of a man and woman could be heard.
"..."
It was a rather flustering conversation.
'Please, just go inside already.'
Maintaining my composure, I waited for the two to enter.
Amy's face had turned slightly red, her eyes darting about, seemingly lost.
It seemed their conversation was drawing to a close.
"So... we are really just going to talk, right, my lord?"
"Well, does life always go as planned? You need to realize this too. Let's go in quickly!"
With a slight creak, the two finally entered the room.
I took another look around.
'No one in sight.'
Still, this place, the Hero Association, is known to be one of the murkiest spots in the kingdom's capital, rife with all sorts of political intrigue and covert operations.
While it might look fine to the naked eye, unexpected eyes could be watching.
I stepped closer to Amy, pressing close, and whispered in her ear.
"We'll talk inside the room."
"...Understood."
Amy, her eyes slightly widened, replied.
After entering the room, I requested Amy to find out which room Maximin was staying in.
"So, if I understand correctly, young master, you want me to find the residence of a blonde, robust man in his 50s, the former 2nd ranked 'Demon Hunter'?"
Amy slightly furrowed her brow.
The earlier flushed cheeks and slightly enlarged eyes had already vanished.
"That's right, Amy. You handle the rooms within the association. I'll search elsewhere."
"Understood, young master."
Amy hesitated briefly before nodding.
Why is she acting this way? Did she not understand what I said?
"Is there any other information you need, Amy?"
Upon hearing this, Amy's eyebrows twitched, and her cheeks reddened again.
"No, young master. I'll leave immediately."
With that, Amy closed the room's door behind her, a tad more forcefully than usual.
It was a subtle difference, one that others might not notice, but I did.
Why is she behaving so unusually? She doesn't normally act this way.
Regardless, it's convenient if Amy handles the rooms since she's not widely recognized.
'I should start my search at the parking lot.'
Maximin, a renowned noble and former hero known throughout the continent, wouldn't have walked from his territory to this place.
‘If he came, he would have used a carriage.’
With that thought, I immediately headed to the parking lot.
Upon leaving Theo's room, Amy immediately headed to her neighboring guestroom.
After a brief preparation, she set out to fulfil Theo's orders.
'This place is large.'
The association building was incredibly spacious.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that it was the second-largest building after the royal palace.
Even if one were to inspect just the rooms of the three floors designated for guests, it would be a tight schedule up to the academic seminar time.
'...I need to wrap up the search quickly. There's only about an hour left.'
Maximin de Chalon.
The current head of the Chalon family, a prestigious house on the continent.
The Chalon family has always been illustrious, though not a legendary hero lineage like the Waldeurk family.
Historically, they were a noble family wielding significant influence across various nations.
But since the previous generation, they have become renowned as a family of heroes.
After all, not only was Maximin a legendary hero known throughout the continent, but even the previous head had left his mark as a hero in the annals of continental history.
'Someone of his stature wouldn't be in a regular room.'
As Amy continued her search for Maximin with this thought, she abruptly hid behind a wall.
"!"
She had recognized a familiar face.
'Why is she here?'
The girl had short red hair, jade-colored eyes, and a complexion like milky coffee.
Though she wasn't in the academy's uniform but a flamboyant dress, her face was unmistakable.
'...What's going on?'
It was Piel.
A first-year student of Elinia Academy's Hero Department and Maximin's daughter.
Piel was in a heated argument with a lanky middle-aged man wearing a suit.
"Why do I have to wait here?"
"I apologize, Miss. It's Lord Maximin's instructions for you to stay quietly in your room until the academic seminar."
"Ugh, why? Did something happen?"
"I can only apologize, Miss. If you resist, Lord Maximin has strictly ordered us to ensure you remain in your room, even if we have to use force."
The middle-aged man stared intently at Piel.
The three people behind him did the same.
Piel, frowning, let out a sigh.
"Fine, but only until the academic seminar starts. Agreed?"
"Haha, of course, Miss. Lord Maximin's command was only to stop you from wandering until the seminar. After that, I can guide you around the association building. If you wish, I can also offer a tour of the capital, I frequented the city often before retirement."
"I'm not interested. Why would I want to sightsee with someone like you? I don't even like your outfit. It's bothersome."
"Haha, Miss, even in that dress, you look stunning. Captivating enough to draw the attention of every attendee. Understood, Miss."
The middle-aged man smiled warmly at Piel, as if looking at a mischievous daughter.
"Fine then. Just let me know when the academic seminar is over. I'll be training in my room."
With that, Piel entered the guest room with a resounding thud.
'If Piel is here... the chances of Maximin being here are quite high.'
Amy quickly gathered her thoughts and began to rise from her seat.
However—
"..."
Three individuals who had been silently standing behind the middle-aged man swiftly appeared in front of Amy.
Amy asked,
"What is the matter?"
"Ah, that's what I wanted to ask you,"
The man said, stepping closer with audible footsteps.
"Hmm, I don't recognize you. What brings you here?"
"I have no business with you. I was merely passing by, and seeing a disagreement, I thought to take another route."
Amy responded with calm precision.
Her unwavering voice was a testament to the rigorous training she had received from Equilibrium since her youth.
"Ha, you're quite good at lying. Why not try acting?"
"It’s not a lie. Now, if you’ll excuse me..."
"Haha, that's not going to happen. What are you all doing? Just standing there gaping?"
At the middle-aged man's cue, the three individuals acted swiftly, incapacitating Amy by targeting her abdomen and the back of her neck.
The last thing Amy saw was the man’s sinister smirk.
6:30 in the evening.
It was only 30 minutes before the seminar.
"I'm sure Maximin was here, but..."
Unfortunately, I didn't catch a glimpse of him.
It's certain that Maximin, the legendary hero, is attending today's academic seminar.
I confirmed it in the parking lot.
Retired heroes of Maximin's caliber tend to keep a low profile.
Besides, he's been shrouded in mystery since his active days.
So, even though Maximin arrived in a simple carriage without the emblem of the Chalon family to stay discreet, I'm familiar with the habits and patterns of most background characters.
Especially for a named character like Maximin, I pretty much have him figured out.
"There's not much time. Amy should be back soon."
Saying so, I took a big gulp of water from the glass on the table.
I felt a burning sensation in my chest.
'Considering the size of the association building... with Amy's abilities, she should've returned by now.'
I felt uneasy.
And my intuition is usually spot on.
Just as I was placing the empty glass back on the table...
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door.
---Toggle New Ads
Alrighty, had some things to do last week but I'll finally be posting them chappies. They're done but I'm going to space them out a little, 1 more in a few hours then the last two tomorrow, same time ish.
Also uh.. a lot of honorifics in this mini arc, sorry if I mess up any.
2/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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