abcnovels
Chapter 488
Chapter 488
Chapter 488
Chapter 488: Searching for a Name
"I accept the challenge."
Two days later.
No-Name told me this when I visited her.
I nodded in response to her answer.
"The people in the castle will prepare everything. However, why did you change your mind?"
"Is it a problem if I change my mind? Didn't you want me to accept?"
"I didn't want you to accept per say. I just gave you a venue. That was the promise."
"What if I refused?"
"That would be up to you."
There was no reason to refuse.
I had decided to let No-Name face Elna.
I knew she would fight, no matter what.
That's why I was confident.
No-Name chuckled at my attitude.
"You're quite confident. Is that just a bluff?"
"I have solid reasons. I do recognize your abilities, to an extent. Someone who says they'll fight and then backs off cannot become an SS-rank adventurer."
"That's a fair assessment. But I'll have you reconsider that soon."
Saying this, No-Name picked up her sword which was leaning against the wall.
It looked like she was going out.
"Where are you going?"
"Chloe offered to help me with training."
"I see. I'm glad to see she's not holding you back."
"She's been a great help... I appreciate it."
"I don't need your gratitude. Express it to Chloe."
No-Name nodded slightly and then left the room.
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In a back alley where I teleported to, Henrick had cornered a man dressed like a sorcerer.
"Damn! A magic tool user!"
The man released a flame magic, but Henrick instantly froze it with the staff in his left hand.
Then, he aimed his right staff at the man and released a magic bullet.
The bullet blasted the man to the wall, incapacitating him.
"Spill it. Who ordered you?"
"Who..."
"I see. Then I will resort to other means."
With that, Henrick took out a small vial he was carrying and let the man smell the scent drifting from it.
The man resisted at first, but eventually, his strength drained away.
"Who ordered you?"
"... Someone... from the Adventurer's Guild... asked me..."
"An adventurer. Well, that's plausible."
Saying this, Henrick put away the vial and turned to me.
It was a secret drug of the old man.
He seemed to handle it as skillfully as the magical tools.
"They've started using adventurers."
"It seems so. It will be hard to identify the contact person now, won't it?"
"Don't worry about that. Unless they're professional assassins, suspicious people tend to stand out."
"If you say so, I'll leave it to you. No-Name agreed to the duel. I don't want to distract her with bugs."
"Understood. But what if the predecessor gets impatient and enters the Imperial City?"
"That won't happen. Someone else will stop him."
"If you say so, then it must be so. I'll do what I can do."
With that, Henrick turned his back on me.
Someone will eventually find the man lying there.
The predecessor isn't foolish enough to reuse a piece that has failed once.
He's outlived his usefulness.
As I thought about this, Henrick turned around.
"... Are you sure about this?"
"About what?"
"Accepting the duel means she believes she can win. It will be a fierce battle. Are you okay with this?"
"About Elna?"
"Yes. Don't you want to keep her out of danger?"
"Don't be ridiculous. There's no better swordsman than her. If it's a duel, she won't lose. It's not a dangerous situation."
"I've always thought... Your favoritism for your childhood friend is abnormal. Although, her favoritism for you is even more abnormal."
With an exasperated look, Henrick left the scene.
He's always been cheeky, but now he's cheeky in a different way. The previous version was easier to handle, so this is a regression.
"It's the old man's influence. What a pain."
Muttering this, I teleported back to my room in the castle.
Sebas was waiting for me there.
"Welcome back."
"What's the progress?"
"Not very promising, I'm afraid."
I figured as much and sighed.
Right now, everyone available in the castle is combing through the library for something.
Of course, it's being done on such a large scale because of the Emperor's order.
"It's a name that has been erased from history. It's not going to be found that easily."
"But you believe it's there, don't you?"
"Yes, it must be. The Emperor believes so too, which is why he's having people search for it. The library in the castle is the best on the continent. There's no way they can't find a name."
"But we don't have much time, do we?"
"We'll search until the last moment. We might have to pull all-nighters starting today."
Saying this, I stretched slightly.
There are books that only members of the royal family can see.
It's my job to search through those.
While it may seem like an enormous task, what we're looking for is a document from 500 years ago.
This alone considerably narrows it down.
The first Brave left records of his duels from those days.
So, his name should be left as well.
The name of No-Name's ancestor was not in that book.
As a responsibility of the Empire that harbored the hero, it's necessary to clear up past mistakes.
Even if the public forgets, the imperial family, who were the leaders at the time, should not.
500 years.
That's enough time for atonement.
"We will definitely reveal No-Name's real name."
With that, I headed to the library with Sebas.
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