Chapter 227: Trouble at the Hotel

Well, if Qiu Nuoya ever said something like, "I want to be alone with Viktor♡," Viktor might probably cut Igor loose without hesitation.

Not that Qiu Nuoya would ever say something like that!

"Actually, the truth is that I can’t form a party with anyone except Viktor, so he’s the one who’s been kind enough to team up with me. Thanks to that, I haven’t been recklessly running wild and getting people talking behind my back lately. I’m genuinely grateful for that."

"Getting people talking behind your back...? Was it really that bad? I’ve only ever seen the Igor I know, so I can’t even imagine it."

"Hahaha. If we go to the royal capital, there are quite a few people there who know me, so things might get a little dangerous. If Nuoya ends up disappointed in me, I might actually cry."

"I would never be disappointed in you!"

Igor continued joking around with a cheerful smile as though nothing were wrong, but Qiu Nuoya began to realize that the royal capital probably did not hold only good memories for him.

"Even so, you still want to go to the royal capital? Are you some kind of masochist? There is nothing enjoyable about going somewhere you do not even want to return to."

"Ahh... This is something I need to do for myself! Besides, there’s something I need to find out."

"Something you need to find out?"

"Yeah. It’s something very important."

What could Igor be looking at when he said that?

The royal capital, huh... What kind of city was it, anyway?

...

After buying some fever medicine at the pharmacy, Qiu Nuoya hurried back toward the hotel with Igor. Along the way, he overheard the voices of two adventurers who passed by them.

"That SS-rank mission posted at the guild, you know the one? Apparently, it’s somewhere in this city."

"You mean that thing? The Divine Sword Velikorya? Where did you hear that?"

"Apparently, there were some guys making a huge fuss at some diner last night, shouting something about giving it back. No idea if they were fighting among themselves or what, but apparently it’s in the hands of some black-haired kid now... Huh?"

Qiu Nuoya instinctively strained his ears at their conversation, only for his eyes to meet one of the men’s.

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

"There’s a black-haired kid over there."

"What? There’s no way we’d get that lucky, would we?"

As the other man turned to look in their direction, Qiu Nuoya quickly looked away.

No, that’s not me. My hair isn’t black. It’s indigo, so dark that it’s practically black, but it’s still indigo!

Still, this was bad.

Wasn’t that obviously about Xiao Tao? Qiu Nuoya had never expected the incident at the diner to spread as a rumor so quickly.

"Hey, you there, kid..."

"Is there something you want with our boy?"

Igor stepped forward and planted himself squarely between Qiu Nuoya and the adventurer who had cautiously called out to him.

Even among the many well-built adventurers, Igor was exceptionally large and muscular. Simply standing in front of someone was enough to make him incredibly intimidating.

Faced with Igor’s imposing presence, the two adventurers who had approached them quickly backed down.

"No, it’s nothing..."

With that, they hurriedly retreated.

"This is not good. It would probably be best to tell the prince and have the guild withdraw the mission as soon as possible. There is nothing more troublesome than people blinded by greed."

"Yeah. Qiu Nuoya, Xiao Tao, and the Saintess are all black-haired children. If adventurers start taking an interest in them like this, it could lead to trouble."

They hurried toward the hotel.

The hotel where they were staying was one of the most luxurious in the area. Its security should have been impeccable, but Qiu Nuoya could not help worrying about the safety of Xiao Tao and Warren, the true owners of the Divine Sword.

If he had known this would happen, he should have placed a Slime Barrier around their rooms before leaving.

The official guests staying at the hotel were not Qiu Nuoya and the others, but the prince and the Saintess’s party. Qiu Nuoya and the others were merely being treated as guests of the occupants of those rooms, which meant they had to pass through the front desk whenever they left or returned.

When they arrived back at the hotel and approached the front desk, the receptionist tilted her head slightly.

"Excuse me, but didn’t you already pass through the front desk earlier?"

"Huh? Um, yes, we did when we left, but..."

"You haven’t returned since you went out?"

"No, we haven’t."

"Excuse me, but could I ask you to show me your identification?"

The group presented their identification as requested. The receptionist then checked something in the hotel’s ledger.

"I’m terribly sorry. Please wait here for a moment!"

With that, she disappeared behind the front desk. A moment later, they heard her calling someone’s name.

"Did something happen?"

"Given how this is going, I have a very bad feeling about it. Would it be all right if I use Search to check the area?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

As soon as Qiu Nuoya gave his permission, Viktor’s magical presence surged through his body and traveled toward the guest rooms where they were staying.

Apparently, only someone skilled at sensing magical power could perceive this magical presence, but Qiu Nuoya found it strangely fascinating.

"I cannot sense anyone in the room where Xiao Tao was sleeping. The prince’s room, however...!"

"What is it?"

"Search was blocked."

Viktor clicked his tongue bitterly.

"I hope the one who interfered with Search was the prince or the Saintess. However, the fact that the patient is no longer in the room is suspicious. Let’s go. We cannot afford to wait for the front desk."

"Huh? Isn’t that a little dangerous?"

"We have already presented our identification. If anything happens to the prince and the others, then the hotel is responsible. They have no grounds to object."

The moment he finished speaking, Viktor turned around and disappeared.

He had probably used teleportation to return to the room as quickly as possible.