Chapter 90 : Steel-hard Courage (part 1)
There’s nothing worse than forming a party with Cecil and Rozelia.
We have never gotten along with each other, and I’m pretty sure if we were to go outside of the city to clear a quest, the atmosphere would be very awkward and heavy during the trip.
I can even imagine Rozelia talking annoyingly non stop during the trip.
The good thing is Cecil is no longer acting arrogantly like before, but… I feel like dealing with the depressed Cecil is troublesome too…
There’s no way I would agree to join them, but I’m sure Rozelia will persistently convince me to join if I keep refusing without even asking the reason why she wants me to join them so badly.
So… anyway, I think I should at least ask her the reason. Besides, I’m also curious about it.
「Let me ask you one more time… Why do you want me to join you so badly…? You’re planning something, aren’t you?」(Hanna)
「Geez, why are you so skeptical? It’s not that I invite you because I have a weird plan nor I want to do anything weird to you. I sincerely just want to team up with you, Hanna~」(Rozelia)
She said that with a seducing voice and an upward gaze, but she can’t fool me!
「Enough with that. Just tell me your motive!」(Hanna)
「Eehh~ But I’m afraid you will hate me if I tell you.」(Rozelia)
「Huh? What are you talking about? I’ve always hated you since I was at the adventurer school.」(Hanna)
「You’re such a tsundere~ Well, that’s what I love about you~♡」(Rozelia)
「Go to hell!」(Hanna)
「Kyaan~♪」(Rozelia)
Hahh… I wonder what I should do to make her understand that I really hate her…
「Then, if I tell you the reason, would you join us? Pwease~」(Rozelia)
「Okay, okay. If your reason can convince me, I’ll think about it.」(Hanna)
「Really!? Yatta~!」(Rozelia)
Rozelia jumped with a bright smile on her face.
Oh, shoot! I’ve done it…
I didn’t mean to say that…!
Ah! Stupid Hanna!
「Y, You! You kept talking with a sweet voice to bait me to say that, didn’t you!? You sly dark elf!」(Hanna)
「Ahaha! I thought it would take a couple more turns, but Hanna, you’re so easyーー I mean, so kind~☆」(Rozelia)
Uhh… I wanna kill myself…
「Anyway, let’s take a seat.」(Rozelia)
「………」(Hanna)
Looks like I have no choice but to do what she said.
Anyway, I decided to hear her motive first.
Rozelia, Cecil and I sat at the table at the edge of the guild and started talking.
「Hanna, do you know the ruined city northwest of here?」(Rozelia)
「Ruined city…? Do you mean Regenberg?」(Hanna)
「Ah, so you know about it? That’s too bad. I was ready to explain it to you.」(Rozelia)
「Hmph. Don’t underestimate an adventure maniac like me.」(Hanna)
「Ahaha! Okay, I’m sorry.」(Rozelia)
The mysterious city, Regenberg, was a very famous city that was known for being visited by many heroes in the past.
It was a beautiful floating city that was surrounded by moats. However, no one lives there now.
The reason is… because the entire city was cursed…
Thirty years ago, Marquis Regenberg, the person who ruled the city of Regenberg, was controlled by madness. He mixed the water in the wells and moats around the city with poison, and as a result, many people died in one night.
After that, the Marquis was executed by the predecessor king, and the poison disappeared after a while.
However, there were no living humans who were willing to stay in that city anymore.
Yes, no ‘living humans’… but the souls of the dead…
According to the residents who survived because they didn’t drink the poisoned water, they sometimes saw their acquaintances who should have died in the city.
“I saw my late father walking in front of the houseーー”
“I heard the voice of my late wife asking for help every nightーー”
The city was full of ghosts who were unaware that they were already dead.
The survivors who lived in the city after the incident found it creepy and were too scared to live in the city anymore and decided to abandon the city.
After several decades, the city became a ruined city, but it was still retaining its beautiful appearance until now.
「So? What’s with the city of Regenberg?」(Hanna)
「Actually…」(Rozelia)
Rozelia glanced at Cecil.
「…My mother is from Regenberg… No, I don’t know if I can call her ‘mother’ anymore…」(Cecil)
While looking down, Cecil started talking with a sad expression on her face.
The ‘mother’ she was talking about was Bazel’s wife, Cecilia the Blue Saint.
She was one of Laney’s companions, and she was said to have died in the Demon Land.
「I asked the butler who had served the Sortlarc Family for a long time, and apparently the chairmanーー No, he’s not the chairman anymore, huh… Apparently Bazel Sortlarc stayed in Regenberg for a while, shortly after he returned from the Demon Land a long time ago.」(Rozelia)
「So he once lived in that city? For what reason?」(Hanna)
「Dunno… Maybe he thought that he could meet her dead wife if he stayed there.」(Rozelia)
Is that really what happened?
No, I don’t think so.
It’s hard to imagine the arrogant Bazel Sortlarc who has no sentimentality doing such a romantic thing.
「Anyway, the butler said that when Bazel came back from Regenberg, he was carrying the baby Cecil in his arms… From the butler’s story, don’t you think there are various mysteries buried in Regenberg?」(Rozelia)
「Hmm… You’re maybe right. So… the butler knew from the beginning that Cecil wasn’t Bazel and Cecilia’s real child?」(Hanna)
「Well, looks like everyone in the Sortlarc’s mansion except Cecil, knew about this fact.」(Rozelia)
「Hey, Roze… You don’t need to tell her that.」(Cecil)
While pouting, Cecil glared at Roze with teary eyes.
I’m often ridiculed because of my insensitivity, but it looks like Cecil is as insensitive as me.
Well, maybe the people in her mansion were just good at hiding the fact.
「So you guys want to go to Regenberg to find out about Cecil’s true identity and what happened to Bazel in the past?」(Hanna)
「Yada yada~ I never thought an insensitive girl like you would quickly understand~!」(Rozelia)
Khh! She’s really a woman who likes to say unnecessary things!