The New Gate (LN)

“Sir Shin. What are you…”

“I’m still an A-rank adventurer, so I should be able to do this at least. I asked to meet with you, but was denied. There were a lot of things that didn’t make sense to me, so I came here in person to talk to you. I want to talk about Elamella. Of course, I don’t believe you put a curse on the spear, Kluck.”

Kluck’s expression twisted at Shin’s question. Was it regret or disappointment that seeped out?

“What happened? I have no idea. At least, when I checked it before the match, there should have been nothing strange about it. It was turned into a card right up until the match, so I think it’s unlikely that something was done to it during the match.”

It seemed that Kluck also had access to an item box, which had a small capacity, and stored it as a card. If that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine that the curse was planted when he wasn’t looking.

“I don’t really want to think about it, but I think the most likely time is when the weapon was left with the tournament organizers.”

At the tournament, the organizers checked to see if there were safety covers on any high-lethality parts, if there were any problems with their strength, and if there were any hidden weapons or other equipment. At that time, the weapon was temporarily left with the organizers.

It’s hard to imagine that a blacksmith as skilled as Kluck would miss a curse while inspecting his own weapon. Shin also thought that there couldn’t be anything else that could be the cause, unless it was some special method that allowed one to interfere with the weapon turned into a card or the item box.

“The country is the main organizer, right?”

“Yes. There’s no doubt that the country’s higher-ups are involved. The amount of effort they put into it is different from other countries. It’s well-known that the selection of the people in charge is done very strictly. There are also rumors that many of them are guests from neighboring countries who have come to see the winners and their works.”

“But for someone of that status to do it, I don’t see the point.”

If the contestants left their weapons behind, one could say that part of the responsibility for this incident lies with the organizer, who was unable to see through the curse at first.

Shin wondered if it was worth taking such a risk.

“If they’re not doing it for the country’s sake, then……”

“Do you have any idea?”

Shin also considered the possibility that another person or organization with a different motive had infiltrated the country. However, Kluck’s expression gave the impression that he had already found his target.

“The ‘Summit Faction’. They could be among them.”

“You mean the ones causing trouble here and there?”

A terrorist group was the easiest way to describe them. Shin had never actually been involved in such a disturbance, but, after talking to Schnee and Shibaid, he couldn’t think of any other way to describe them.

“Originally, I came here to investigate the incident. Blacksmiths from the ‘Black Faction’ come here every year, so it wouldn’t be strange for me to come. That’s what I thought.”

Kluck said that his actions thus far had also been aimed at avoiding being noticed as part of the investigation.

“Do you have any evidence that members of the Summit Faction are hiding out there?”

“…I’m embarrassed to say this, but there are members of the Black Faction who have crossed over to the Summit Faction. There have been eyewitness reports of people suddenly disappearing and being found in the royal palace. We are sure of this because it has been confirmed. One of them was an excellent person who researched blacksmithing techniques, and his name was Tekkosai.”

Kluck said with a dark expression on his face.

From his point of view, that former member was a traitor. He was probably using the Black Faction’s technology to cause trouble.

Kluck also told Shin the name of the former member and what kind of research he was doing.

“Are you sure you want to tell me this? I’m not necessarily on your side.”

“If you’re one of his comrades, you can just kill me here. It’ll be easy to make it look like a suicide. Besides, even if you’re not an ally, as long as you’re not an enemy, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to tell an A-rank adventurer this information.  It would probably prompt you to take action in an emergency.”

If Shin had wanted to, he’d come unnoticed by the guards and was talking behind closed doors like this, there were plenty of opportunities to kill him.

Besides, all Shin had heard was something that a traitor’s comrades would already know.

“The rest, well, you get the idea. I don’t want someone who has mastered such a skill to be a bad person. That’s my wish as well.”

I want people who have the same job and go the same way to have the same aspirations.

What Kluck said was probably just his words, without any basis or theory. Shin agreed with him on this point. If we are on the same path, I want us to be respectful.

“Sir Shin, what are you going to do after hearing me?”

Kluck’s expression was very serious. Shin thought it would be rude to give an ambiguous answer.

“I can’t just ignore a situation where a blacksmith is using a curse as a weapon, and with malicious intent at that. I’ll cooperate.”

This was one of Shin’s true feelings.

Shin has no obligation to take any action here. Shin’s sense of justice wasn’t so strong that he couldn’t help but get involved if there was trouble.

But if something were to go wrong by leaving this situation unattended, it would have a bad aftertaste.

Furthermore, from what Kluck had said and from what he had seen of Elamella, Shin had a hunch that if he left this alone, the damage would be more than just a little.

But that was not the real reason for his decision to act.

Apart from the reason he had told Kluck, Shin had a personal reason for deciding to put an end to this incident.

(They had attacked someone close to him. He couldn’t just stay silent.)

The weapon Milt used also had a curse planted in it.

“Anyone who misuses blacksmithing skills must be destroyed.”

“…If you could cooperate, that would be reassuring.”

Perhaps his intimidation had gotten through. Kluck’s body stiffened.

Shin calmed himself down and continued his story.

“We could escape together with Elamella, but what do you want to do?”

“No, if we escape here, they will be suspicious. I have escape items just in case. I want Sir Shin to contact Sir Jayf.”

According to Kluck, Jayf was not only a blacksmith, but also a man of high enough status to be invited to the royal castle.

Shin had guessed from Kluck’s behavior that Jayf was not just a blacksmith, but was surprised that he was of such high status.

However, Shin thought that Kluck trusted him a little too much.

“He must already know that I have been captured. Take this with you. It will serve as proof that I passed on the information myself.”

Shin was handed a square metal plate about the size and thickness of an item card.

Although it was metal, it was an alloy made of multiple materials. It was quite strong and black in color. When he touched it, he could see that something was faintly carved into the surface.

“This is an identification card I made based on the letter of introduction from the Moon Shrine.”

It seemed to be a metal plate that resonated with certain items.

“Are you sure you want me to take it? I hate to say it myself, but we’re not necessarily on your side, you know?”

“There are a lot of things in place to prevent it from being misused, so don’t worry. If you meet Sir Jayf, please give it to him.”

Shin wasn’t convinced by this mysterious sense of trust, but he still intended to go to meet Jayf, so he relented.

After learning about Jayf’s location and the structure of the castle, Shin erased the soundproof earthen wall and left the place.

It was still too early for midnight. Deciding to see Jayf, Shin made his way to the royal castle of Kurikara.

Contacting Schnee and the others through 【Mind Chat】, he disappeared and ran down the night road.

Soon, Shin arrived in front of the royal castle. Contrary to its name, which seemed to be taken from Japanese, the royal castle was a Western-style castle. Several towers stand in a row, surrounding the central residence. The castle was well guarded, with knights riding flying monsters in the sky and knights accompanied by dog-type monsters patrolling the grounds. It was obvious at first glance that the level and quality of the equipment were high.

(Apparently, ‘this’ will tell me where Jayf is, but, depending on the circumstances, I might have to consider returning home.)

Kurikara was a country that held blacksmithing tournaments. They should also be enthusiastic about developing technology. There might be unexpected mechanisms for security and protection against intruders.

With a renewed sense of alertness, Shin entered the royal castle grounds.

After crossing the castle walls, Shin took a deep breath. As expected, there were numerous traps set on parts of the walls, including some that shot out spear-like objects and others that were slippery as if coated in oil.

If he failed to see through them and fell into them, it would be life-threatening.

Although Shin could recover from being caught in a trap, the moment the trap was activated it would be obvious that something was there, so he had to proceed carefully and not touch anything.

There were no lethal traps on the walls, as soldiers might move in case of an emergency. Instead, there were alarm-type traps set up to alert the presence of intruders. If an intruder was caught in a trap, a connected device would display the intruder’s location, and Shin was familiar with these traps, as he had set up the same type of trap at Palmirack, the guild house in Rokuten. If he wanted to, he could do whatever he wanted, such as intentionally setting them off to get the soldiers there first, or remotely activating a trap that he thought he had dodged to take them by surprise.

However, with this type of trap, the person who was caught in the trap would not know when it was set off, so he had to be careful.

Fortunately, the traps didn’t seem to be as good as they had been before the Dusk of Majesty, so Shin passed right through them and made his way safely inside the walls.

All that remained was to find Jayf, who was somewhere in the royal castle.

(I see, it points in the direction of an item.)

A translucent arrow appeared from the metal plate Kluck had given him. If he went in this direction, he would find the corresponding metal plate. Whether Jayf was wearing it would depend on the situation.

Since the arrow was also affected by the 【Hiding】 skill, there should be no problem if he took it out and looked at it as he proceeded, but just to be sure, Shin took it out of his item box and checked it each time.

The arrow did not point to the center of the royal castle, but to one of the four smaller towers surrounding it. Shin weaved between soldiers patrolling with dog-type monsters and entered the building.

There were hardly any traps inside the tower. Judging by the fact that many of the people he passed were accompanied by servants and looked very high-ranking, this was probably a place for guests to stay.

The arrow pointed diagonally upwards. When he finally reached the fourth floor, the arrow became horizontal.

Looking at the wide space between the doors facing the corridor, he could guess that this was a room intended for a particularly high-ranking guest.

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