Yurideke. Master of the Information Guild.
There’s very little known about her.
Even the fact that she’s the leader is a secret shared by only a few.
She appeared before me just like an ordinary member.
Even though she’s the master, sometimes she works like a member of the guild.
It’s just that this is a particularly inconvenient time now.
I can treat her as if she were an ordinary member.
“How on earth did you find this place?”
She asked, twirling her long, white hair around her finger.
Anyone with the password can access this place.
But not everyone knows that password.
A person who has built a trustworthy relationship through the guild’s official and surface-level business.
A noble with a renowned reputation.
A target of large sponsorships.
Or, someone recommended by an already existing client.
I had already thought up how to bluff my way through.
“Who are you and where do you come from? Are you a noble’s young master or something?”
Her purple eyes pressed for an answer.
Despite being a secretive information guild, they always check their clients’ identities.
It’s because they need to know who each other is in order to exchange trustworthy information.
Therefore, each client continues to communicate only with the first member they consult within the guild.
In my case, that would be this Yurideke.
Secrets are guaranteed.
It’s a strict and horizontal organization to the point that even she, as the guild master, can’t easily access client information held by other guild members.
“I was recommended by someone I know.”
“Aha. So you have a referrer? Who could it be?”
All clients receive a code name when they contact the information guild.
And I know a code name that I can use in this situation while gaining her trust.
“The Sun Rising at Night.”
“…Aha. The Sun Rising at Night… the Sun… at night…”
She repeated the phrase as she rummaged through her ledger.
Pretending to ponder, but she probably already knows this name.
Despite her calm expression, her fingertips trembled slightly.
I pretended not to notice and just waited.
“There it is. It seems that you came as a referrer.”
She smiled brightly.
To be so nonchalant even after hearing that name.
‘She can’t be so indifferent…’
“From now on, your consultations will be taken care of by ‘The Blind Star.’ Nice to meet you.”
“I am Judah, a candidate knight of the Bevel Family.”
Yurideke’s eyes widened in surprise.
“So, you’re a seed?”
“No. I’m a former slave, just lucky enough to be training among the candidates.”
“Uh-huh, a former slave… I see. What kind of story did you come to hear? Or are you here to sell something?”
It’s not that the Bevel Family is shrouded in too many secrets; it’s just that I know quite a bit about this world.
What’s going to happen is obvious.
Or maybe, the whereabouts of the ‘Sun Rising at Night’ that she’s looking for.
“I would like you to find one person.”
“Yes. I’m listening.”
Yurideke took out some paper and a quill.
I had thought about how I would speak when I came here.
I’m not good at lying, so I had to think persistently for a long time.
To escape from the Bevel Family, I need to build a solid trust relationship with the information guild.
They can help me in many ways moving forward.
The first of which is that Yurideke, the master of the information guild, provides the information she desires the most.
And she rewrites the future that was broken at the time of the game.
To do that, I’d have to bring her together with her husband who has run away, “Orphe,” the ‘Sun Rising at Night.’
Naturally.
“I’m looking for someone named Yurideke.”
This is the method I chose.
The first step for Yurideke and Orphe to meet naturally.
Yurideke’s expression didn’t change even upon hearing her own name.
“Yurideke… is there any information besides the name?”
“She is around 26 years old. I’ve heard she’s married. And she’s unintentionally separated from her husband.”
“……”
“Her surname is Crocus. It is assumed she lived in the city-state of Elysium in the past. I don’t know any external characteristics since I don’t know her personally. In truth, the ‘Sun Rising at Night’ wants to meet her.”
“…Understood.”
Her expression didn’t change, but her hand holding the quill trembled slightly.
As a result, the handwriting she was taking down was strangely shaky.
Trying to save face, she awkwardly chuckled and made a joke.
“Hahaha… I drank last night and fell asleep, so I’m embarrassed my hand is shaking.”
That’s probably not a lie.
Ever since Orphe left.
No, to be accurate, ever since she sent Orphe away due to a misunderstanding, she has been relying on alcohol.
I waited for her to finish writing.
“And one more thing. If you find her, please convey the message ‘I’m waiting in the desert’ to Yurideke.”
Orphe wants to return to Yurideke.
But due to the misunderstandings and bad blood that have built up in the past, he believes she hates him and has been living as though dead, hiding himself.
Yurideke also wants to meet Orphe, but he’s been evading her so thoroughly that it’s not easy.
After all, this place is different from the modern world I used to live in.
Finding someone requires an enormous level of effort and time.
Still, the odds of failure are higher.
Even in modern times, in places with vast territories like America, you could wash your identity by moving residences and changing names.
Let alone in this world where electronic communication has not developed, finding someone hidden is like trying to catch stars in the sky.
So, the method I chose is simple.
I’m going to give away Orphe’s location.
Let those two meet.
After all, the bad blood between them is nothing but pure misunderstanding.
They both know that now.
It’s just that neither can muster the courage to face each other.
Minor misunderstandings will clear up quickly once they meet.
‘As for my and Orphe’s relationship, I can just bluff my way through. I’ve already thought of an excuse.’
The desert is an area where Orphe is likely living around this time.
Yurideke will be able to specify a region where he could be.
Once she wrote everything down, she summarized the request and recited it back to me.
“Is everything as stated?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Understood.”
After confirming, she burned the paper with a candle.
“The payment will be made after the information has been verified. How would you like to receive it?”
Building trust with the information guild and allowing Yurideke to live fully.
Those are all secondary purposes.
The true purpose is different.
“I would like to open a dedicated account.”
There is a bank in this world too.
It’s just that I can’t use it under my real identity.
To escape the Bevel Principality, I need money.
And a place to protect that money.
The information guild also deals with hiding slush funds or cleaning money earned through dubious means.
Naturally, they provide clients with a guild-specific account.
This was the original purpose of my visit.
“That’s not difficult. How much would you like to deposit?”
I pulled out all the remaining money.
Totaling everything except the 1 Florin I had handed in upon entering.
“Initially, um, 89 Florin….”
My voice unintentionally shrank.
89 Florin for all that hassle?
12,000 won?
‘So expensive….’
I couldn’t cancel it now.
In the end, I paid 30 Florin.
I’ll earn more money through the information guild, so this is acceptable.
Today, I also made money after letting everyone know my name.
I returned to the place where I had met Anna.
She was waiting, holding two red flowers wrapped in white paper.
“From now on.”
As soon as she spotted me, she said in a stern voice.
“Such incidents as today will never be tolerated.”
I had indeed acted recklessly.
I apologized sincerely.
“…I’m sorry.”
I had no choice as I had to establish contact with the information guild today.
“Have you finished your business?”
“Yes. We’re heading back now.”
I boarded the carriage waiting at the entrance of the shopping street.
On the way back to Eliya’s Mansion, I asked Anna.
“What kind of flowers are those?”
“They’re called Anemones.”
“I see. Could you convey it on my behalf?”
“Gifts must be given directly to hold meaning.”
“But… if you misunderstand like Anna did earlier, what if I’m accused of aristocratic insult and executed?”
Thinking it was a reasonable concern, Anna nodded.
“Understood. Then I will convey it as a gift from you, Judah.”
“That would be sufficient.”
But the flowers could not be delivered immediately.
When Anna went to find Eliya, she was busy dealing with someone else.
“While we were out, the Duchess visited.”
Narcissi de Bevel.
Probably Eliya’s mother.
The bruise on Eliya’s wrist came back to mind.
‘Could it be…? No way.’
I don’t know much about the Bevel Family.
I should have asked or requested information from Yurideke about who Narcissi is or what the Bevel Family is like.
‘But, I’m leaving here anyway, so what does it matter.’
Still, it was hard to suppress my curiosity.
Eliya didn’t come to see the Moon Deer in the evening either.
After a hearty dinner, I went to the stables alone.
The stable boy was cleaning when I showed up.
“Hey, is that you, Judah!”
He greeted me warmly.
Even the Moon Deer approached, nuzzling its head against me.
I greeted him while petting the Moon Deer.
“Hello. I just realized, I don’t know your name yet. May I ask what it is?”
“Hmm? Haha, you young one, speaking so politely as if you were an old man. I’m Bradley.”
“Bradley, I’ll remember that.”
After that, Bradley rambled on about something pointless.
How well-behaved the Moon Deer is, and how smart it is, with no picky eating habits.
How rowdy the knights from the main house behave, and how noisy it gets whenever Lady Narcissi comes by, and so on.
I played along while taking care of the Moon Deer.
A scene kept floating in my mind then sinking away.
The bruises on Eliya’s wrist, blue and red.
Like mold staining the walls, it wouldn’t easily be erased.
What could that be?
Tap, tap.
The Moon Deer nudged me.
“What?”
I noticed it was nudging me gently with its antlers.
As if to say, “Touch my antlers.”
The antlers of the Moon Deer are a special and sensitive area that shouldn’t be touched carelessly.
This behavior meant it had completely recognized me as its ally.
While Bradley was bringing hay, I cautiously placed my hand on the antlers.
Hard and cold to the touch.
Smooth.
Even as I gently stroked it, the Moon Deer remained still.
A cool energy flowed into my body through my hand.
‘What is this…?’
At that moment, a notification arrived.
[Hidden Quest, “The First Moon Deer Breeder,” has been completed.]
This was not something that happened during the game.
Maybe it wasn’t ‘first’ back then?
[Rewards are provided.]
It’s not a choice but a provision.
There seems to be a fixed reward.
‘What are they going to give me?’
Then, upon seeing the reward being offered, I couldn’t help but curse audibly.
“Damn….”
Are they really giving me something this good?
*
In a spacious room illuminated by a sparkling chandelier made of gold, the shadow of a girl swayed beneath the falling light like crystal.
A larger shadow roughly yanked at the girl’s hair.
Crack!
A solid sound echoed as the shadow swung its hand.
The girl was harshly thrown off balance.
“Get up!”
A sharp female voice jabbed at the girl.
“Do you think you can sit on the floor and expose your ankles? Are you bragging about being a daughter of a commoner?”
Despite the blatant insults, the girl didn’t flinch.
Her tousled black hair.
Beneath it, her red eyes stared intently at the woman.
The girl, Eliya, stood up with a calm demeanor.
She did not take her eyes off the Duchess Narcissi.
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