Chapter : 22
‘So this is what a guild is like.’
When I went up to the second floor, I saw several separate rooms. I had been curious because I’d heard each room was decorated with a different theme, but it was a shame I couldn’t see them.
At the end of the second-floor hallway, a staff member standing by the wall turned around and handed me a bowl.
…Well, to be precise, it was a blindfold inside the bowl.
“From here on, the path is confidential. Please wear this blindfold.”
I took the blindfold and, holding onto the staff member’s hand, relied on them to walk.
After that, I didn’t know how we got to the room. The staff member seemed to walk forward at first, but then started spinning around, stopping, and walking again repeatedly, making me lose all sense of direction.
After walking for quite a while, I was finally seated in a chair.
When the blindfold was removed, I realized I was sitting at a round table.
The person sitting across from me wore a mask that covered half their face.
“Welcome to our Information Guild, guest. How should I address you?”
The person smiling at me had an ambiguous gender.
The long hair visible between the mask and hood seemed feminine, but the large build gave a more masculine impression.
“I’m Themis Moon, affiliated with the Mage Tower. I came on Rider’s recommendation.”
“How straightforward of you.”
“I figured you probably already knew anyway.”
Could the Information Guild not even know this much?
“…Thank you for trusting our guild. I am ‘Hood,’ who will be handling your request.”
The voice was high-pitched, almost like a boy who hadn’t yet gone through a voice change.
“So, what kind of request would you like to make?”
“I’d like to meet a man with green eyes and a necklace with a snake emblem.”
“Hm, that’s rather vague. A difficult request. Do you have any other information?”
“That’s all I have. If you find someone with those traits, please let me know.”
“I see. May I ask the reason you’re looking for him? It might help in completing the request.”
I hesitated for a moment, keeping my lips shut, and Hood placed a contract and pen in front of me.
“If you don’t want to say, that’s perfectly fine. We respect the wishes of our clients.”
Well, how many nobles even come here?
And if they’ve come to the Information Guild with a request to find someone, the intention probably isn’t entirely innocent. So it makes sense that many wouldn’t want to reveal their reason.
‘I wonder what in the rebel army would find this request interesting…’
Lost in thought, I finally spoke with a resolute expression.
“Because he’s my ideal type.”
“…Excuse me?”
That was my best attempt at provocation.
“He’s someone I might have seen long ago, fleetingly, or maybe not—it doesn’t matter. He’s my ideal type for life, so I thought I’d try to find him.”
By saying this, even if I got caught later, I could make the excuse that I was just looking for my ideal type.
“I understand.”
“I’m going on a dispatch in a few days. Can I send my contact info once it’s decided?”
“Oh, you’re going to close the gate? That’s impressive.”
“Not that impressive, really.”
Embarrassed by Hood’s admiring tone, I lowered my head and replied quietly.
“Then you can send me to your dessert shop. We have locations throughout the Empire, so please use the nearest one.”
“Okay.”
“And here.”
After receiving the contract and the request fee, Hood handed me a box.
What’s this?
I tilted my head, examining it from all sides, when Hood lifted the top of the box.
“This is your requested cake, ‘The Sweet and Sour Strawberry Princess and the Bittersweet Chocolate Prince’s Midnight Escape’~.”
“Wow… wow…”
Inside was a rich chocolate cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream—the order I had placed today.
Unbelievable, a guild that even gives you dessert with your request.
I would definitely come back later.
Of course, I hoped I’d place a more “normal” order next time.
After Themis left, Hood removed the mask.
“I didn’t expect you to take the request personally.”
The staff member who had guided Themis earlier picked up the contract left on the side.
“Becoming a magician was my dream once, right? I thought maybe I could just sweep everything away with magic.”
The plain-looking staff member’s hair gradually shortened and turned into a slick, red pomade style.
His shoulders broadened, he grew taller, and his face transformed into a strikingly handsome one.
His clear green eyes sparkled as he smiled.
“Besides, if the disciple of the Grand Magus came looking, how could I just stand by?”
The master of the Information Guild and also the leader of the rebel army was named Timothy Prep.
“…And he’s your ideal type?”
He…
“Now I really want to meet him.”
A relentless magic otaku.
And not just a casual fan—someone so passionate that he even disguises his appearance with magical items and regularly hosts discussions about magic.
Although he couldn’t cast magic himself, no obstacle could stop his obsession with it.
“You’re not taking what I said literally, are you?”
The staff member asked in disbelief, and Timothy shrugged.
“Worth a try.”
He had always desired magic.
“Perhaps it might become the wing of our rebel army?”
With that power, the royal family… no, the Empire itself.
“That darkness…”
He wanted to destroy it perfectly.
After the agreement with the Grand Magus and the royal family, the Mage Tower continued to interact with the royals, lending their power.
The rebel army, already struggling against overwhelming foes, suddenly had to contend with cutting-edge weapons.
Yet, the rebels couldn’t give up recruiting magicians entirely.
The overwhelming power of magicians was simply too sweet a temptation to abandon.
Thus, they maintained contact with magicians through the Information Guild.
And the guild, requiring funds to sustain itself, was perfect for this.
‘It’s a place used by nobles, royals, and magicians alike.’
Because the rebels were extremely careful with the information obtained from the guild, no one had yet suspected the relationship between the Information Guild and the rebel army.
Or maybe they didn’t even try to investigate.
Information Guild had grown into an organization wielding tremendous influence over everyone.
“I heard her power at the banquet was incredible.”
Timothy recalled Themis’s face along with reports from colleagues after the mission failure.
Being called the disciple of Akilan Teikan, who possessed overwhelming presence and power like all the light in the world, was nothing like he had imagined.
‘She really was like her name—a moon.’
A person who subtly shone, making her presence clear like the moon.
“Her ability to control darkness is interesting too.”
Themis didn’t know it, but ever since she revealed her magic attribute yesterday, her name had become a huge topic of conversation.
“People are clamoring for her.”
The sight of shadows bursting out from darkness and capturing the rebels inspired awe among the nobles.
“Most are still cautious, though.”
The staff member reading Themis’s neat handwriting darkened.
“But… magicians can’t live without priests in the first place. The reward is far too little for the effort invested.”
Timothy chuckled at the staff member’s words.
“Lilia, that’s why we started interacting with the temple this time. I didn’t expect she’d really enter the royal palace, though.”
It was also why the Mage Tower had concealed its identity while continuing to engage with the rebels, even knowing the rebels didn’t fully approve.
Magicians could always turn their back on the royal family without an agreement, and agreements could break at any time.
“You said you talked freely with Priest Everett, right?”
Timothy asked the real ‘Hood,’ Lilia, who had participated directly in this mission and knew the situation in detail.
“Yes, they seemed closer than expected. Well, it makes sense since Priest Everett manages the Grand Magus.”
Still, it was surprising.
Though kind to everyone, Everett was a master at drawing invisible boundaries between himself and others.
“If the magician dispatched soon talks with Priest Everett, the destination should be narrowed down to one place.”
The large gate that opened in Hart this time— the Grand Magus’s disciple would probably go with Everett to close it.
