“Hehe, why are you so surprised? You look like you've just met a foreign dignitary you really like!”

Right.

The pleasant feeling I had when I saw Agartha, a mix of happiness at seeing her and admiration for what seemed like a more developed version of herself, was completely torn away by that one remark.

It made me realize that no matter how much she might change or not, Agartha was still Agartha.

“Argh! Why did you hit me?”

“Because I’m happy to see you.”

“Who in the world hits someone because they’re happy to see them?”

“Right here. Ah, I’m just so happy. Would you like to get hit one more time?”

“Eek! Now you're not only a foreign dignitary assaulter but also a woman abuser!”

As Agartha naturally began to falsely accuse me again, I raised my fist and pretended to strike. She quickly covered her head with her hands and acted as if she were shrinking away.

“Ah, you’re still the same.”

“Of course. People only change suddenly when they die, right?”

“And you’re still as talkative as ever.”

“…Even you, Tanton?”

If the Hunter were here with us, I could’ve delivered a verbal bombardment. A pity, really.

“You seem to be doing well. What were you doing here?”

“Hm? I told you before, didn’t I? I decided to work in the underworld.”

Agartha spoke with a confident smile.

“I’m saying that while you were defeating the dragon slayer, that famous foreign dignitary, I also managed to secure a position here!”

“…Has news already spread that far?”

“There’s no news that doesn’t spread in the underworld. I even know the color of the underwear you’re wearing right now.”

“…Don’t know things like that, you perverted thief!”

Agartha burst into laughter at my reaction, clearly pleased with herself.

“Haha, I’m just kidding.”

“…Right?”

“Though, if I really wanted to know, I could find out.”

“I said don’t even try!”

Why is she so obsessed with my underwear? Maybe her long years as a thief have messed with her head.

“Haha, just think of it as being part of a group that knows everything. If they really set their mind to it, they can find out anything in no time.”

…Just what kind of group has she gotten herself involved with? I might have inadvertently saved a major player.

Throughout our conversation, I couldn’t stop noticing the movement of her arm, the one that should have been gone.

“By the way, that arm of yours….”

“Oh, this?”

Agartha quickly began to pull up the sleeve covering her arm, and then I saw it.

A limb that looked as though it was made entirely of bone, without a trace of flesh.

“Argh!”

“…Why are you so shocked? It’s just a prosthetic, a prosthetic.”

“A pros…thetic?”

Even after hearing her answer, I didn’t want to look. Bones are creepy!

But knowing how much Agartha would tease me if I acted like a coward again, I forced myself to slowly turn my gaze towards the prosthetic.

Then I realized why she had asked why I was so surprised.

What I had mistaken for bone was actually a structure made of strong metal. What I thought were grotesque tendons were merely cables connecting the joints.

The cables all seemed to lead up towards Agartha’s shoulder.

“This joint implementation uses a bit of a foreign dignitary’s fragment. You see, while muscles are one thing, human strength can’t really handle nerves!”

A foreign dignitary’s fragment, huh? That stuff really is amazing.

At this point, I was beginning to wonder if the Knights hunting foreign dignitaries had ulterior motives, like business purposes.

“It was really tough to get this. It’s been about a week since I had it implanted? Before that, I didn’t have a high enough position, so no one wanted to attach it for me. It was such a pain.”

Well, just looking at it, I could tell that the procedure must have been ridiculously expensive. Not to mention, there probably weren’t many fragments of foreign dignitaries lying around.

“…I’m glad. I was worried.”

“Huh? What’s this, Tanton? You were worried about me? Did you still have lingering feelings for me?”

“Yeah, well. Who would be happy to see their first comrade in such a state?”

I was just giving a formal response, but for some reason, Agartha made a face that reminded me of when I accidentally fell on top of her in the underground prison.

Wait, did I say something wrong again?

“…If you hadn’t added that last part, I might’ve misunderstood you.”

I tilted my head in confusion as I noticed Agartha’s face turning slightly red. What could she possibly have misunderstood?

I decided to let it go.

As we continued our banter, we arrived at a tea shop in the market district. After buying an espresso for Agartha, a chocolate drink for myself, and a fruit juice for Asti, we took our seats.

I thought maybe Agartha, being a Westerner, preferred espresso, but she immediately grabbed a large cup and started mixing in water.

“Huh?”

“Who has time to drink hot, bitter coffee? You’ve got to cool it down and drink it quickly.”

…Who knew she’d even be familiar with the definition of an Americano? I felt like I had to give her credit for that.

After taking a sip of our respective drinks, we settled in. It had been a while since a moment of silence didn’t feel uncomfortable.

“So, you secured a position, but it’s just as an information broker?”

“No way. I’ve got a pretty high position. Um, I can’t tell you exactly what I do, but to put it simply, you could think of me as a high-ranking commander. Maybe not in the top 20, but someone who’s free from their oversight.”

She’s already climbed that high? How hard has she been working?

Maybe, like me, she managed to grab onto something significant and was offered a position akin to the ‘Mystic Officer’ role I was given.

“In that case, shouldn’t you be working instead of slacking off here?”

“Slacking off? No way! When I heard you were coming, I cleared my schedule to catch up after so long….”

Seeing Agartha suddenly make a sad face and cover her mouth with her hands gave me an inexplicable feeling of frustration.

My ‘Agartha Alert’ told me this was definitely a lie.

“You’re still an expert liar, I see.”

“…Tsk, you caught me.”

See? She showed her true colors right away.

“But it’s true that I wanted to see you, Tanton. I also wanted to brag about how amazing I’ve become, and since I had some free time, I decided to come check on my subordinates.”

After all, we’re still part of the underground prison party, right?

Agartha said this with a sly smile.

A high-ranking position, indeed. It might actually be more beneficial to buy information from Agartha than from other information brokers who might have less reliable info. Plus, it’s easier to ask her questions since we’re on good terms.

“By the way, who’s that child next to you?”

“Oh, this kid is….”

Before I could answer, Asti suddenly lifted her head.

“I’m Master’s maid.”

…Asti’s mission to socially ruin me was still ongoing.

This was evident from the ridiculous expression on Agartha’s face.

“T-Tanton….”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“So now you’ve even taken on a slave….”

“I said it’s not like that.”

“My Master isn’t such a bad person.”

Asti said this, suddenly lowering her gaze and beginning to speak in a hesitant, mumbling voice.

“…He just punishes me sometimes….”

“I told you to stop dragging that out!”

“Wow.”

Agartha let out a pure expression of amazement, and the tone of her voice immediately irritated me.

“So now you’re even into that kind of play?”

“Graaah!”

The despair that washed over me when I realized that no one was on my side was overwhelming.

“So, what information do you want? Since we’re friends, I’ll let you have it for the price of sharing a drink with me.”

I gave her a grateful smile at Agartha’s generous offer. From this point on, it was better if fewer people knew what I was about to ask.

Which meant Asti shouldn’t be around, either.

“Asti.”

“Yes?”

“See that area where the kids are playing? Why don’t you go have some fun there for a bit?”

“Okay.”

Without any objections, Asti immediately headed to the children’s play area, which I was thankful for. Agartha, watching my actions, looked puzzled.

“What could you possibly want to ask that you’d send that little one away?”

“…Murders.”

Not seeing any point in beating around the bush, I got straight to the point with Agartha. Understanding the gravity of the topic, her expression turned serious.

The mood seemed right, so I began to explain.

“Have there been any recent murder cases involving children like Asti?”

I had a rough idea that Asti’s background involved something like a foreign dignitary. And from how she reacted without any hesitation to Ria, it seemed there was a connection.

The gardener also referred to Ria as ‘her,’ which made me wonder if Asti and Ria were somehow related to this ‘her.’

I’d considered asking Asti directly earlier when she mentioned ‘mother,’ but I held back, worried it might escalate things.

Agartha, deep in thought after hearing my question, took a deep breath and began to move her fingers, seemingly organizing her thoughts before she nodded and spoke.

“…This is confidential information on our side.”

“Is there no way to find out?”

At my question, Agartha bit her lip before smiling.

“You don’t seem like the type to go spreading weird stories, so I’ll trust you with this. But really, no matter what, don’t tell anyone else, okay? Especially not the princess or the vice-captain.”

“…Okay.”

Only after confirming my promise did Agartha nod and begin to speak.

“In the village of Vandre, and also in rural areas close to the walls of Londan, there are stories of some fallen nobles who purchased slaves from illegal traders being murdered. The problem is that some con artists, who were operating under our name, also sold such children. According to eyewitnesses… it was like those children wanted their so-called ‘masters’ to suffer. Instead of killing them outright, they repeatedly mutilated different body parts before finally slitting their throats when they were nearly dead. What’s more, no one seemed capable of resisting these children, no matter how strong they were. It’s hard to imagine how strong these kids must have been.”

Illegal slave traders, murders, mutilation. And the perpetrators wanting their victims to suffer? Not to mention the unnaturally strong children.

Some of this information seemed to overlap with what I knew about Asti.

“Did they notice any unusual characteristics?”

“Well, those children disappeared without a trace after the murders, to the point where no one could even track them down. Even kids who looked identical seemed to have no memory of what happened. It’s like their memories were wiped clean.”

I had been hoping to find some information related to the red aura I saw around Asti, but unfortunately, there was none.

However, I did learn something new. The ‘assassin maids,’ after completing their missions, either had their memories erased or vanished altogether. It might seem insignificant, but such small details can often be crucial.

“Why do you ask? Did the Knights order you to investigate something again?”

“No, it’s not that… it’s just something I’m personally interested in.”

“Ah.”

It seemed that the reason this information was classified within Agartha’s network was because the slave traders involved were connected to that group. But since it had nothing to do with me, I figured I’d forget about it soon enough.

“Well, that’s about all I know regarding that. Was it helpful?”

“Yes, to some extent.”

In any case, just knowing that there were others like Asti was a significant step forward. With this information, I could head to the library and start researching foreign dignitaries.

I guess some things had been resolved, for now.

Inside the tea shop where Agartha and I were talking, someone was hiding behind a pillar, watching us intently.

A girl in a maid’s outfit, with an unusual red aura flowing from the back of her head.

“…It seems so. Yes.”

Muttering as if speaking to someone, the girl nodded once, and the red aura receded.

“…Understood. Everything will go according to your will.”

The girl then calmly walked away into a dark alley, as if nothing had happened.

“So, is there anything else you want to ask? Feel free to ask away. Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

Anything else, huh….

There was no point in asking about the Recorder since even the gardener didn’t seem to know much, and I doubted Agartha would either.

Oh, right.

“I’m curious about the dragon slayer.”

“Ah! I just happened to import all the related information recently. Perfect timing, Tanton.”

Agartha pointed her fingers at me like a gun as she said this. But what exactly was she planning to do with such information? Was it simply to sell?

I doubted I’d benefit much from knowing.

“So, about the dragon slayer’s horn?”

“Yes.”

“What does it mean to the dragon slayer?”

“The question is a bit broad.”

“For example, touching the horn.”

Agartha, upon hearing my words, spat out the coffee she had been holding in her mouth onto the floor. Fortunately, it didn’t splatter onto my clothes, but my reflexes kicked in, causing me to hit my knee on the table.

“Argh! What’s with the sudden reaction?”

“What did you say about touching the horn?”

“Grabbing or touching the horn, something like that.”

Agartha, still unable to calm herself, thumped her chest with her fist. After a staff member came over to ask if she was okay and then cleaned up the floor, she finally spoke.

“Tanton.”

“Yes?”

“What would it mean to put a ring on someone’s ring finger?”

“Um, it means you want to marry them, right?”

Agartha’s face changed to a mixture of confusion and amusement.

“Well, roughly speaking, grabbing and touching a dragon’s horn is like putting a ring on someone’s ring finger and then caressing them all over to get them excited.”

…Wait, what?