Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 258

 "‘I was told to hand this to you.’

I took an envelope out of my pocket and handed it to the old man.

‘Indeed. I'll read the contents, so you can relax for now. Do you need anything to eat?’

‘Ah, no, I'm fine. Don't worry about me.’

I appreciate the gesture, but I've already eaten. More importantly...

‘May I take a look at your bookshelf?’

‘Sure, just be careful; it's heavy.’

I've been in this room several times before, but it was always to report something, so I never had the chance to really look around. Since this is a good opportunity, I decided to check out the bookshelf, but... it's filled with documents.

There are records of monster distributions in the territory, lists of mining operations, harvest reports, information on adventurer clans and warrior groups... Not very interesting stuff. If I had to pick, maybe the book titled History of Territory Development might be somewhat engaging?

‘There’s probably nothing here you'd find entertaining, right? This is a room where I also receive guests, so my personal items are kept elsewhere.’

‘⁉’

It’s true, the selection is pretty neutral—exactly what you’d expect from a lord’s bookshelf. There's a saying that a bookshelf reflects its owner, and in this case, it might reflect his caution.

‘Now that you mention it, Seriana-sama did something similar...’

Like father, like daughter...

◇

‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’

After reading the letter, he started writing something, which he finally finished and then addressed me.

‘Do you know what's written in this?’

He asked while waving the letter from Seriana in front of me.

‘No, I haven’t heard anything.’

‘I see. Well, it’s nothing major, but it seems you’ve been made the vice-captain of Alexio’s unit. You’ll be treated as a knight within the Riana territory.’

‘Yes. Though, to be honest, it’s more of an honorary title, and my main role is to deliver messages to the lord or Seriana-sama...’

‘Being able to take matters directly to the top is already quite useful. Anyway, it’s now confirmed that you can travel alone to this territory’s capital... Here, take this.’

He handed me the document he had just finished writing.

‘Um...’

In short, it grants me freedom to move around within Zelxis.

‘I’ve discussed this with Seriana before. The dungeon in Riana won’t open for another two or three years, right? She thought you might get bored in the meantime. So, for about a week each month or two, come train at the dungeon here to keep your skills sharp.’

The forest near the capital is profitable, and it’s not a bad place, but going beyond the shallows requires some courage... Even among the same type of monsters, their fighting styles and strengths vary, and since one hit could put me in danger, it’s not a place I can take lightly. In a dungeon, as you go deeper, the monsters get stronger and smarter, but aside from the demons, you can generally predict what will appear.

‘I appreciate it, but... is this really okay?’

I have no intention of doing anything reckless, but this is basically a free pass through the territory's checkpoints.

‘It’s fine. You’ll probably be informed of this when you return, but part of your role is to bring information here if anything happens in Riana. It’s better if you’re familiar with both territories, right?’

‘That’s true...’

Even when I was in this city, I only went to the dungeon or occasionally ventured into town; I rarely went outside the city. Of course, I’ve memorized the information from the map, but that’s about it.

This time, I flew along the highway, but if something happened in Riana, there’s no guarantee that nothing would happen in Zelxis as well. There’s also the possibility that the highway route could be unusable.

‘However, even though your movement is unrestricted, you’ll stay at this mansion when you’re within the territory. After all, you are a knight of Riana.’

‘Uh... thank you for your hospitality.’

‘Don’t worry about it. My wives will be delighted... so brace yourself.’

‘Yes.’

Being able to explore the dungeon, which I thought would take years, and considering it as payment for lodging, it’s a good deal.

‘Also, the date on this document is from four days ago, but how long did it actually take? Seriana estimated around two days...’

What’s with that sister of mine, pulling tricks like this...

‘Hmm... No, you don’t need to answer. It’s probably a precaution in case this gets stolen.’

‘...That could be it.’

...Or maybe it’s in case I lose it?"