Chapter 417
Liberta's directive—a 'request' Shalia personally received to secretly contact a certain individual.
Yes, a request, not an order.Liberta, a figure who seemingly knows everything and can accomplish anything, does not impose force on others.
Even though he's in a position to do so, even though he knows that's how people would likely move, he doesn't command; he requests.
To be precise, during combat or in urgent situations, he takes command and issues precise orders, but that's not his daily mode of operation.
Having been an adventurer herself, Shalia has seen, more than enough, the behavior of nobles from the perspective of one who is commanded.That's precisely why, even if Liberta's actions seem abnormal, she finds a strangely comfortable sense of distance in them.
He sees her as a person, understands hardship, and knows the difficulty of producing results.
It's because it's a 'request' from Liberta, who is like that—
*'If it really seems impossible, you don't have to make contact. If that happens, I'll think of another plan.'*
Even for a task requested with such words, she never once thought of cutting corners.Even if it were, say, a rather peculiar request.
The mountain entry procedures were successfully completed by Claudia, and they also managed to book a campsite near the hot spring area.
That being the case, Shalia finally began to act as an Entertainer.Not as the phantom thief style Minerva, but as Shalia from the pioneer village.
"Well then, I'm off to do a little work♪"
From here on, she would part ways with Claudia and the others.Several of her fellow Entertainers had already infiltrated the city and were going through the entry procedures as well, but she wouldn't join up with them.
"Take care.""Yeah, see you later!"
Though Shalia is aware she's changed in various ways as a man, beautifying herself has practically become a hobby. She accepts these gestures as her own and even feels a passion to polish them further.
Waving goodbye to the cute Nell, she melted into the crowd, keenly feeling the gazes of the men she passed.
*They're looking, they're looking...* Feeling a slight sense of superiority, she began checking inns one by one along the route Liberta specified.
"No, such a man hasn't stayed here.""Thank you♪ I'll come stay next time."
In situations like this, a man would be met with suspicious looks, but if you appear as a cute woman, it's a different story. If the clerk is a man, a little cute acting gets them to honestly share information.Interspersing small talk leads to higher quality information, making intel gathering very efficient.
Concluding with polite pleasantries, she stepped outside and walked off without hesitation.
"As expected, he's not at the inns at the foot of the mountain."
While varying her route and stopping at stalls to check for tails, she searched for her target, but he was nowhere to be found.According to Liberta, he's often in Areiya.
"Hmm. Should I climb?"
If she's going to search where the target is most likely to be, she should head without hesitation to the hot spring inn built on the magnificent mountain—just looking up at it makes her neck ache.
Trained by Liberta and recently receiving survival training based on Gato's experience, as an Entertainer, she's confident she could traverse a mountain of this level with ease.She's also heard that Magic Bags will eventually be distributed to everyone, which will further improve survival capabilities.
But even for Shalia, the round trip up the mountain is still a bother.So, she wants to confirm as much as possible that he's not in the city before tackling the mountain.
"Hey there, pretty lady! How 'bout a cup of tea with me if you're free?"
While pondering her next move, she gets hit on for what feels like the umpteenth time today.This appearance is clearly that of a beautiful girl. While she may lack the 'twin peaks' of a man's dreams, she is still undeniably lovely.
"Hmm, sorry♪ I'm a bit busy right now."
She tried to refuse casually this time too, and if he persisted, she thought she'd 'make him understand,' but—
"Don't say that! I've got quite a bit of money, y'know. I know a good place, how 'bout it?"
A flat face that could pass for a toad beastman.A slightly askew wig desperately trying to conceal thinning hair.Oily sweat, an obese build, and body odor just barely on the wrong side of acceptable.And a rude, leering gaze that seemed to undress her.
When dealing with women, this guy was so off-putting it was like hitting a grand slam after a three-out, three-strike situation.A man dressed like a merchant, but one misstep would label him a suspicious person.
But he probably does have money. His clothes are genuinely high quality, and his guards are equipped properly.
"Hmm, but still, going with a strange man is scary, you know?"
A man matching perfectly the characteristics Liberta taught her appeared. Impressed by Liberta's knowledge that he really existed, she made a final confirmation.There was a chance it was just a look-alike.
"I'm a merchant named Gurgle! I come here often, got a bit of a name around here, y'know?"
And when she got him to state his name, bingo. Sharia inwardly rejoiced.
"Hmm, I just got here, so I don't know you, sorry?"
She didn't show it outwardly, nor did she display any disgust.Even though her insides are also male, honestly, that gaze isn't pleasant. He's not the kind of person she'd want to contact if it weren't for Liberta's request.
"First time in Areiya! Well then, even more reason to leave the tour of this city to me!"
He's clearly trying desperately to get her attention, but his ulterior motives are completely transparent.He's not wearing a lecherous grin, but she can tell his eyes keep flicking down to her thoroughly toned thighs.
She's managing to suppress her goosebumps through sheer willpower, but she doesn't know what would happen if he touched her.
"Oh, so confident, are you?"
When she maintained the pretense that he was the one inviting her, and gave off a slight vibe of being interested, Gurgle beamed, clearly thinking, "She took the bait!"
According to Liberta, he's too faithful to his desires to be considered a full-fledged merchant; he's so lecherous that even prostitutes sometimes refuse him. However, at his core, he's a good person who doesn't force himself on anyone.Basically, the only harmful thing about him is his lechery.
So how does he survive as a merchant? It's because the fixed income from a 'certain product' he deals in is ridiculously high.He has an exclusive contract with the Grand Temple, so as long as he delivers the goods properly, as long as he doesn't splurge excessively, he can live a life of comfortable luxury.
"You bet!""Alright then. I was just getting hungry anyway.""! Really! Great! This way then! I guarantee it'll be delicious!"
Given that, you'd think women after his money would flock to him. But Gurgle suffered a painful betrayal from a gold-digger in the past, leaving him a bit traumatized.
Contrary to his appearance, Gurgle is pure and devoted. Once he falls for a woman, he tries to be sincere.Some woman took advantage of that, treating Gurgle like an ATM while having other men.When it was discovered, it caused a huge uproar. Normally, you'd become distrustful of women, but Gurgle's lechery just wouldn't quit.
"Ah, I don't really like stuffy places like that. I'm not very familiar with manners and such.""Leave it to me! I know a good place with private rooms.""Ehh, a private room? You're planning something weird, aren't you? I noticed you staring at my legs earlier.""Ugh, n-no, it's not like that!""Liar♪"
That's when he had a stroke of reverse psychology. If women coming to him are no good, why not just go find a good woman himself?Under normal circumstances, you'd have to call him an idiot.
But this line of thinking wasn't all bad.Thanks to his trauma, Gurgle developed the ability to spot women who only see him for his money.He also learned to filter potential partners by declaring "I've only got money" and gauging their reactions.
That's precisely why Liberta instructed Shalia not to react to monetary诱饵 and added the directive to refuse high-class establishments.
Shalia herself thinks she wouldn't know what to order in a high-class restaurant anyway, and worrying about stuffy manners would ruin the taste.
So, this turn of events was just right for Shalia.
"Well, you are treating me to a meal, so consider that the payment for now♪ Anything more will cost you extra, okay?""Y-yes, ma'am!"
She never thought the day would come when she'd be setting something like a honey trap, but it's not like she's going to some establishment for that kind of thing afterwards.
"By the way, I never introduced myself. I'm Sherry, an adventurer who came to Areiya looking for something.""Sherry-san, that's a lovely name!""Thank you♪"
Just as Liberta said, though, this guy is overflowing with lechery.Seeing him be so openly eager, even his guards look exasperated, sighing.
Shalia inwardly sympathizes with the guards who have to accompany him on these pick-up attempts, while keeping quiet about a sad reality.The reality is that everyone here is male. Only Shalia knows this, but there's no need to mention it.
"Alright, this way!""Yeah."
This must be his first successful pick-up in a while.She starts walking, following the cheerful Gurgle. First stage success. The rest is how to steer the conversation toward the "certain item"... Just as she's thinking that, the surroundings become noisy.
"Here they come again!!""Is it those guys?! Damn! I just cleaned this morning!!""How many times do they have to do this?!"
It happened on the way to the restaurant. Shalia clearly saw small shadows darting across the rooftops, throwing something.
"Ahahahaha! This is fun!""Yeah! Fun!"
The sound of water balloons bursting echoed, crudely coloring the buildings. Each time, cries of lamentation followed.Then, shouts of anger.
"There too!""And here!""Wha—!?"
She never expected to be caught up in that vortex of anger. At an unexpected moment, a water balloon was thrown directly at Gurgle.
"Lord Gurgle!?"
His guards stepped forward to protect him, but they were a beat too late.Gurgle, who had been in high spirits, was doused with paint, turning him green.
"You guys AGAIN!!""Ahahahaha! The frog is green!""What? He's brown!!""Well, whatever, right?""And he looks cleaner now!!"
Gurgle's shout suggested this wasn't the first time; he'd been a victim multiple times.The two dwarves, paying no mind to his trembling, furious roar, showed no concern.
In that moment, Shalia caught a glimpse of their faces beneath their hoods.Remarkably similar faces. Twins.Young, androgynous faces, each with a distinctive teardrop tattoo under one eye.
"Bye-bye, froggy!""See ya later!""Never come back!!!"
Keeping a slight distance from the angrily spluttering, paint-dripping Gurgle, she watched the two fleeing shadows, alerted by the approaching footsteps of soldiers.
Ideally, she would chase them, but that's where other Entertainers would step in; they've already joined the pursuit.That being the case, Shalia's job now was—
"Are you okay? Here, wipe yourself with this."
—to look after Gurgle.