Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Chapter 45

Published at 27th of June 2021 09:53:11 PM

Chapter 45: The Interview

With Cyril guiding us in front, we walk into the meeting room.

Cyril beckons us to sit down in her usual energetic tone, but I’m not so thick as to sit down before the Governor arrives.

In truth, not many Alvenian Nobles try to impose their power on the citizens. I don’t think us sitting down would ruin the Governor’s mood, but I’m particularly cautious around authority figures.

Henry: “......looks like he’s arrived. C’mon Cyril. Stand up with us.”

Cyril: “.....how do you know that he’s coming?”

Henry: “? How? I mean, his presence…?”

Cyril: “Presence?”

I mean, it’s just this fuzzy sensation of a person’s presence’ish? Now that she mentions it, I can’t remember since when I was able to start sensing these things… I definitely couldn’t do it as a kid.

Teo: “Oh, now I can sense it. You’re fast, Mr. Henry.”

Teo follows up to confirm...but…

Henry: “I still have a ways to go. If it was Ageha, she could detect all the presences inside a mansion of this size with ease.”

Teo: “Sister Ageha really is amazing.”

Well, when it comes to assassination skills and abilities, she’s top of the class out of all adventurers. I won’t lose to her in a 1 on 1 fight though.

And after about 10 seconds, we hear a polite knock, and a butler opens the door. Following that, a well dressed man walks inside.

He had a very pleasant and peaceful smile and greeted and introduced himself.

“I am sorry to have made you wait. I am Alvare, the Flowtier Count and head of this family.”

Henry: “It is a pleasure making your acquaintance. My name is Henry.”

Alvare: “The pleasure is mine.”

As Cyril and Jend mentioned, he looks to be a caring and kind man. His smile is genuine, and the way he speaks to us is sincere and friendly. He is still young for a Count. He must be in his early 30’s, but because of that, he’s easier to talk to.

………..but it doesn’t mean that we can just relax and be casual to him. Ferris and Teo seem to understand and politely introduce themselves without issue.

Jend: “Sir Alvare, it has been a while since we last met.”

Alvare: “Yes, Jend. Has been 2 months since we last met? I do see your father quite often though.”

Jend’s father is the owner and leader of the biggest merchant association in Flowtier.….and because of that, his father has very close ties with the Governor.

Cyril: “And I am the Miss Cyril you already know. Sir Alvare, how is your work going?”

Alvare: “Yes, yes. It’s good seeing you too, Cyril. Work has been going very well as usual.”

I’ve heard Cyril talk a lot about it, but……….yeah, Cyril and the Governor are close. What’s going on here?

Alvare: “Well, everyone, please take a seat. Let us begin this interview, shall we? I say this, but really, this is just formality at this point.”

And being recommended by the Governor, we all sit in the chairs prepared in the meeting room.

They are fluffy and soft. They have some high-class furniture in here.

The Governor pulls out an envelope from his coat pocket. It’s already been opened once, and the seal was torn.

Alvare: “This is the report from the Grandes Church concerning the status, history, and progress of your party. I cannot share all the details, but I can tell you that they think highly of you.”

I thought so. Good! But I keep these thoughts to myself as my confidence swells.

The combat strength of my party even without me can easily be counted from the top of the list now in Flowtier.

We are able to make the rounds slaying Demonic Creatures much faster now, and every Quest we have received, we have diligently completed without fail.

Although this sounds easy, there are not too many parties who can continue performing like this for extended periods of time.

Alvare: “When Cyril and Jend told us that they want to become Adventurers, I never thought that they would rise up so quickly. I knew they had potential, but they have truly exceeded my expectations.”

Cyril: “Oh～　That’s so embarrassing.”

Jend: “Hey now, it’s all thanks to Henry, you know.”

Well, no. It’s the result of all the diligent, hard work and effort they’ve put in to be honest. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have tagged along this long with them.

Alvare: “And your trustworthiness is not a concern. I know Cyril and Jend very well.”

The Governor looks and meets Teo’s eyes.

Alvare: “And Miss Teo was born and raised in Flowtier. Everyone acknowledges her reputation as a hard-working and good natured child.”

Teo: “........thank you very much.”

Alvare: “And your grandfather, Mr. Shiden was apparently, for a short period of time, the Flowtier Army’s Combat Instructor. I have only learned of this through the reports I received recently, but one of my most tenured servants said that if it’s the granddaughter of that Shiden, then there is nothing to worry about, and gave me their full approval with confidence.”

I see. So there was a connection between that Grandpa and the Governor too. I guess he’s been in Flowtier long enough for that kind of stuff to happen.

Ferrs: “.......Sir Governor. If it is a question of trustworthiness, my father is a convicted felon. If I am to blame for the disapproval of hunting in Altohern, I will gladly resign my position from this party.”

Alvare: “Do not worry. There is no law in Alvenia that prosecutes the children because of their parents’ crimes. Besides….”

The Governor pulls out a separate envelope from the first.

……..that Dragon symbol on the envelope is something the Knight Organizations use.

Alvare: “I’ve received communication from the White Dragon Knights that asked me to please look after a woman named Ferris who is moving to Flowtier. There is no way I could mistreat or be rude to someone who is highly valued by the Knight Organization.”

Ferris: “Those people………”

Ferris seems a little flabbergasted about the situation, but I can also see the joy underneath her expression.

She has been involved with the White Dragon Knights from an early age, and after gaining the skills, served as a Healer, so of course, they would be worried about Ferris.

Alvare: “And finally, Mr. Henry. We actually looked into your profile quite some time before.” Henry: “Is that so?”

Alvare: “Yes. For my wife and I, Cyril is like a younger sister to us. We understand that you are a Heroic Warrior, but we could not allow just anyone to be by her side. I apologize as this was done without your knowledge.”

Henry: “Oh, no no no. That’s okay. I understand.”

Yeah, that’s normal. If just any rough-necked ruffian Adventurer was by Cyril’s side, I wouldn’t be calm either. I would have taken the same actions as the Governor, so I have no complaints.

Alvare: “To be honest, I thought it would be difficult to find out about a specific Adventurer, but…..Mr. Henry, you activities in Ligaleo has been quite the spectacle, and we were able to quickly gather your background information.”

Henry: “......did I stand out that much?”

Alvare: “You have personal relationships with the majority of the 8 Heroes of Legend. You have also delivered the finishing blow to a Demonic Army General. I think it would be impossible not to stand out with those facts in line.”

Sir Alvare chuckled merrily with his compliment.

Well….um….yeah…..I guess people knew my face and name, but I wanted people to know my strength too which was never the case.

Alvare: “Henry Tone. Born in the Fezard Kingdom and share the same origins as my wife, Asteria and Cyril. You are the first born son of the Tone Family of Knights and a former squire to the Fezard Kingdom Knights. After the fall of Fezard, you swore vengeance against the Demonic General Gilverte who led the charge against Fezard, and began your Adventurer career. A year and a half ago, you completed your goal, lost your motivation, and about half a year ago, moved to Flowtier.”

Okay, they knew everything. That’s a very detailed report.

Visit readel.me for extra chapters.

Cyril: “Henry, you told me not to say anything, but it looks like it was all for nothing.” Henry: “........yup.”

I agree with Cyril. That’s an amazing amount of information they collected about me.

Cyril: “It’s the first time I heard your family name.”

Henry: “........I can count on a single hand the number of times I talked about my family lineage. Sir Governor, I’m surprised that you knew about that.”

The Head of the Household held his ground to die with dignity, and his first born son ran away to live in a far off country.

I know it sounds stupid now, but back in the day, I was ashamed of that fact, and I refused to talk to others about my family history. Even today, there’s really no need to share that fact with anyone, so I don’t go out of my way to talk about it.

Alvare: “My wife was the one who remembered actually.” Henry: “It’s true that Lady Asteria visited our 2nd Squad once, but…….she couldn’t have…...just from that?”

Alvare: “It’s true that the position of Squire is offered to those prior to reaching adult-age, but…..because it was truly rare for a 10 year old child to become a Squire, she kept you in mind.”

Ohhhhh….I see.

Yeah, the average age of Squires were 14 and 15, so I was the only one to ever join at the age of 10.

……...the guys around me today are full of talent and potential, and I almost forgot, but I also had a lot of potential as a young kid.

Alvare: “And in summary, as a result of our investigation, we also received a report of great rapport from the Adventurers and Church. You have completed all your work diligently. You have no issues with communication. You have high strength, skills, and abilities, and because you are able to do many things, your Adventurer Title became the “Jack of All Trades.”

It felt embarrassing to be praised so much. I appreciate people realizing my previous efforts, but the pressure now is to the point where the expectations can crush my future.

Jend: “Henry, you even had an Adventurer Title? Why didn’t you tell us?” Henry: “Because I hated that title. Who wants to be called the “Jack of All Trades?”

Famous Adventurers all receive an Adventurer’s Title. Sir Ezeal is [The Great Hero]. Ageha is [The Beheader], and so on and so forth.

The way the title is determined is very random. Everyone starts spreading small rumors about what kind of person that adventurer is, and in the end, someone says, “Then let’s call him or her _____________” and you fill in the blank. If it catches on, that becomes your title.

………...and usually, the person getting the title has no say in the matter. “Jack of All Trades” Henry…………...just sounds lame. There’s nothing threatening or intimidating about it. It just sounds….plain.

But I prefer that over a name that completely misses the mark like Yuu’s [Saint of Salvation].

……...that was close. I almost burst out laughing.

Alvare: “So all in all, from our investigations as well as the Church’s investigative report……..I see no reason to refuse your request.”

Henry: “Then…..” Alvare: “Yes, as the Count of Flowtier, in the name of Alvare, I grant Henry and his party the permission to perform expeditions on the Altohern mountain.”

YES!! WE GOT PERMISSION!!

I thought things were going pretty well for our party, but even so, it’s good to have the Governor himself back us up and validate our progress thus far.

Henry: “Thank you very much, Sir Governor.”

Alvare: “Oh, our army has been having trouble with the Demonic Creatures on that mountain for quite some time. If you’re willing to take down the creatures on our behalf, then we also greatly benefit from your efforts.

True true.

Soldiers in the armies are usually better trained than your standard Adventurer, but when you start fighting mid-tier Demonic Creatures, the fights begin to require more talent and experience.

Cyril: “You can leave it to me Sir Alvare! I’ll light the whole place up with my Spells!”

Alvare: “Um...yes, I’m glad you are so excited...but it is our precious water source as well so please do not go overboard.”

Cyril: “Yes, of course….”

Cyril was just a little too excited just now, but I can talk to her about it after this meeting.

Cyril has a slight tendency….actually, no, she’s prone to dive in head first with most things, but it’s not like she doesn’t listen at all or is incapable of it.

Alvare: “So this...I guess interview is finished, but I would hate to just have you leave. It would ruin my reputation to turn you away now. Could you at least stay for a meal?”

A meal?

That’s a great honor, and normally, I would accept automatically but…

……….if you’ll remember, it’s true that I avenged the Fezard Kingdom by taking down the Demonic General Gilverte.

And I didn’t receive any injuries from that battle, and age-wise, I am at the prime of my Adventuring career.

So why did I retreat to such a luke-warm hunting grounds like Flowtier?

The reason why I didn’t want Cyril talking about this was because I really didn’t want someone to ask me that question. I don’t want to get our former country’s princess’ hopes up and then end up disappointing her.

So...all in all, it pains me to do this but I’ll refuー

Alvare: “And Mr. Henry. My wife Asteria would really like to speak with a Knight from her former country. Would it not be possible to join us?”

Henry: “......of course. I’ll gladly accept.”

You can’t refuse if they call you directly out by name!

I gave up and nodded, and inside my head, curled up into a ball.

Chapter end