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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Kameren
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Kameren
"H-Hold on."
The woman with the sleepy eyes shot up and leaned over the table.
"Are you really okay?"
"See for yourself."
I lifted my little finger, which the Blind Mouse had bitten. I used my internal energy to close the thin tear, making it look as if there was no wound at all.
"Th-There's no wound?"
"How many times are you going to ask? I told you I'm fine."
"No way. The fangs of a Blind Mouse..."
"I can handle it."
"Ugh..."
I grinned and threw her own words back at her, and she bit her lip as she stared at my hand.
"Squeak!"
Enjoying her reaction, I looked again at the information on the cute, dazed mouse squeaking before me.
[Blind Mouse]
It is about 20cm long, smaller than a sewer rat. With its small body, light-colored fur, and plump tail, it has a very cute appearance, but caution is required as its fangs contain a potent poison that can blind animals.
To think I'd find such a rare creature here!
The Blind Mouse's poison was one of the toxins I'd asked Peru to find before I left for the expedition, but it's such a rare animal that he still hasn't been able to acquire it.
Getting to ingest this creature's poison for free is extraordinary luck.
"The taste test is over, so let's get to the main point."
I tore my gaze away from the cutely squeaking Blind Mouse and looked at the woman again.
"This little one has fangs sharp enough to pierce even leather gloves or shoes. Plus, those fangs secrete a potent poison that causes blindness. That was a dangerous thing to do."
"My skin is pretty tough."
"Hmm..."
Techniques or abilities that harden the skin are quite common. It seemed she had taken my ability as some sort of skin reinforcement, just as I intended.
"I understand. As you said, let's move on to the main topic. What information are you looking for?"
"I don't even know your name yet."
"Ah! I'm sorry. I was so flustered..."
The woman stood up again and bowed her head. Of course, I already knew her name.
[Name: Veroa]
[Traits: Analysis Lv. 2, Swift Movement Lv. 2, Concentration Lv. 3]
[Favorability: 0 (Neutral)]
[Current Mood: Flustered because she can't understand what kind of person he is.]
Looking at Veroa's information again, a laugh escaped me. She was maintaining a calm expression on the outside, but inwardly, she was still flustered.
"My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Beth. I am the manager of this branch."
As expected, Veroa didn't use her real name, opting for an alias.
"I am Valon. You won't need any other information, right?"
Like her, I used a common alias I had prepared in advance.
"Of course."
Rackerd's greatest strength isn't its outstanding information network. Their true advantage is that they never sell or dig into their clients' information.
If information about Rackerd's clients were to leak, it could lead to anything from domestic disputes to reigniting the flames of war across the continent.
"Then, would you please tell me the information you require?"
"Do you know someone named Kabol?"
"Kabol... As of now, that is a name I do not know."
The answer came without a moment's hesitation. It's convenient how certain they are about these things.
"Then, the first request. Find me a book written by an author named Kabol, whether it's a swordsmanship manual or a martial arts text."
"A swordsmanship or martial arts manual by Kabol. Understood. I will accept the request."
Veroa calmly wrote down my request on a blank piece of paper on the table.
"Second, general information on Count Karenth and Baron Pobiane."
"Count Karenth and Baron Pobiane are both currently at the royal palace."
"I don't know about that. Can you do it?"
"Of course."
Count Karenth was someone I had never even met. Even though Rackerd's security was exceptional and my face was different, I included him just in case something unexpected happened.
After that, I added the names of two more barons to make my intentions even harder to discern.
"And..."
"You have quite a few requests."
"This is the last one."
I closed my eyes, organized my thoughts for a moment, and then spoke.
"His name is Rashid, he's twenty years old, and he's from Rifa Village near As Castle."
Rashid. I need to know where the true protagonist of my novel is and what he's doing now.
"Find out where this man is and what he's doing."
**
Since I had made quite a few requests, Veroa asked me to come back in a month. I agreed and left the Bluebird, stepping out onto the main street where the festival was in full swing.
Seeing so many people enjoying the festival, I decided to take a short break and entered a cozy-looking tavern right in front of me.
All the tables were taken, so I sat at an empty spot at the counter and ordered the dark beer I hadn't been able to drink at the Bluebird.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"Are you going to brag about how cute your daughter is again? I'm sick and tired of it..."
Two middle-aged men sitting next to me were chatting as they clinked their beer mugs together.
"The fact that my daughter is cute was decreed by the gods. What I was going to talk about is the royal party."
"A royal party? Why all of a sudden?"
"High-ranking nobles always attend the royal party. That's a given, but I heard an unusual number of people are participating this year."
"Is that so?"
The middle-aged man, a doting father who was leading the conversation, nodded enthusiastically.
"A lot of strong monsters appeared all over the place this year, right? They say everyone who played a major role in hunting them has been invited."
"Then will *he* be there too?"
"*He*?"
"The greatest rising star who defeated the Orc Champion, the Sea Serpent, and the Sharkrai King. I'm talking about Sir Yuren Lox."
"Ah, him. Of course they would've invited him. He was probably the very first one to get an invitation."
I hadn't expected them to suddenly start talking about me, so I almost spat out my beer. Hearing third parties discuss me right next to me was a new experience.
"You know my nephew is serving at the Northern Wall, right? He came back on leave for an injury and said Sir Yuren isn't human."
"Not human?"
"Yeah. He said that whenever he throws a single dagger, a monster dies in one hit, guaranteed. Ghouls, trolls, ogres, even Double-Headed Ogres—he supposedly melts them all with just one dagger!"
"I heard about that too, but I thought it was just an exaggeration, wasn't it?"
"I thought it was a lie too until he told me, but he didn't have the face of a liar. He genuinely thinks of Sir Yuren as a god. His eyes light up whenever Sir Yuren's name comes up."
The two middle-aged men continued to talk about my exploits, making me feel awkward.
"So, why did you bring up the party?"
"Ah, that's the main point. There's a rumor that His Majesty the King is going to open the royal treasury for heroes like Sir Yuren and Sir Dar."
"What?"
"It hasn't been opened for the past few years, but His Majesty has always liked to give things away, you know. The rumor is that the reason he invited so many heroes this time is to open the treasury and hand out weapons..."
"Hmm, I suppose that's possible. But that's not a rumor, that's just your speculation, isn't it?"
"Urk."
The doting father flinched as if he'd been hit where it hurts.
"Hahaha! You really love spreading rumors. First, you go around town spreading rumors that your daughter is the cutest, and now it's the royal treasury?"
"Gahahaha!"
The two middle-aged men looked at each other and let out a hearty laugh before moving on to another topic.
"The royal treasury, unopened for years..."
I suddenly felt like I'd found a clue about Beil Pabian. Out of gratitude, I paid for the two men's drinks and went outside.
"What if there's something in the royal treasury that I don't know about?"
There was no guarantee that the royal treasury didn't contain some rare item I was unaware of, so I started to think Beil's target might be something inside the royal vault.
"I should prepare, just in case."
I left the tavern and headed straight for the royal palace. When I arrived at the palace garden, I saw a familiar face looking around with an anxious expression.
"Grand Prince!"
Peru, who had been fidgeting and glancing around nervously among the nobles, spotted me and hurried over.
"Where on earth have you been!"
"I said I was going out for some fresh air. Didn't you hear me?"
"I did. But you weren't anywhere in the palace..."
"I went out into the capital."
"What?"
Peru stared at me with a dumbfounded look, as if he couldn't believe it.
"It's dangerous to go out alone at a time like this. The more festivals there are, the more scoundrels target nobles..."
"You worry too much. Do I look like I'd fall for guys like that?"
"That's not it, but still."
"Alright, alright. Thanks for worrying."
I knew what he meant, so I smiled and listened to his complaints.
"Let's go inside, then."
"Grand Prince."
"Hm?"
Peru wasn't following me; he was looking at the setting sun.
"What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"
"Could you follow me for a moment?"
Peru had a serious expression. Figuring he had a reason, I nodded and followed him.
"It's here."
Peru stopped in the western part of the garden. It was a secluded spot where not only nobles, but even gardeners and servants were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are we?"
"I found it by chance while searching the entire garden for you, Grand Prince. Do you know what that flower is?"
"A flower?"
I looked where Peru was pointing. A few flowers, a brilliant orange like the sun, were blooming elegantly.
I was about to honestly say I didn't know, but then I activated my eye ability.
[Kameren]
A beautiful flower that changes color from a sun-like orange during the day to a blood-red at night. When it is orange, it is merely a fragrant flower with no special properties, but when it turns red at night, it becomes highly poisonous.
"It's a Kameren."
"Of course! You truly are amazing, Grand Prince."
I had only just learned it, but I put on an arrogant expression as if I had known all along.
"I've never seen one in person, only in books, so I wasn't sure. But since you've confirmed it, Grand Prince, there's no doubt."
To find a poisonous flower while looking for me... Peru is no ordinary guy either.
"Do you think it bloomed here naturally?"
"Hard to say."
A gardener definitely didn't plant it knowingly. While other flowers were planted in rows of hundreds, there were only twelve Kameren blossoms.
"They wouldn't be working in the garden at night, so the gardener probably never discovered the Kameren's poisonous nature. It's likely they just arranged them during the day because they're pretty and in a corner."
Someone might have planted them with intent, or they might have grown naturally, but that wasn't particularly important.
"Peru, pick just two for now."
I said to Peru just as the sun was about to dip below the mountains.
"What? They're still orange. If we pick them now, they won't have any poison."
"I know. That's why I'm telling you to pick them."
When picked while orange, a Kameren is just a flower with no poison, but I had another reason for telling him to pick them.
"Understood."
Peru tilted his head in confusion but did as I said and picked two Kameren flowers.
"Wow! The color is changing."
A moment later, after the sun had completely set, the Kameren's color began to turn red. The sun-like color of the flower was being dyed a blood-red.
"Should I pick the rest now?"
"Yes."
Peru took gloves and a mask out of his pocket and began to carefully pick the red Kameren.
"Should I give them to you now?"
"No, you keep them."
"Yes, sir."
Peru wrapped the picked Kameren flowers individually and put them in his pouch for poisonous herbs.
"Don't be alarmed, but there are people watching us right now."
I spoke casually, as if it were nothing, while looking at the flowerbed.
"Gasp!"
Peru tried to whip his head around, but I grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"W-Wait, if they find out we picked flowers from the royal garden, won't I be executed?"
I slapped the back of the trembling, terrified Peru and grinned.
"It's fine. I think we can use this to our advantage."