74 — Chapter 74

Having secured a base for our stay in the Arbor City, we spent our time relaxing without venturing outside. I had been busy with urban development lately, so this could be considered a well-timed vacation.

We enjoyed delicious food and drink, and woke up whenever we pleased. Occasionally, I would contact the inn’s lobby to borrow books. I figured I’d take this opportunity to deepen my knowledge of this world.

It was also convenient that if I had any questions about the content, I could just ask Alice to resolve them. She was practically a living dictionary. The knowledge she had cultivated over her many lifetimes was certainly not to be underestimated.

For a change of pace from reading, we played a board game similar to chess. I had also asked the lobby to provide this. The rules were fairly simple, and while the pieces moved differently, the core mechanics were very much like chess. It was strategically deep and highly entertaining.

However, in my matches against Alice, my win rate was less than ten percent. Even the few times I managed to win were clearly the result of her taking it easy on me. It was somewhat frustrating, so I intended to get my revenge someday.

While we passed the time in this manner, the day of the gathering arrived in the blink of an eye. Alice and I began our preparations in the room from early morning.

That said, our preparations mostly consisted of equipping our minimum necessary armament. There was a high probability that our weapons would be confiscated at the meeting, but that was no reason to go unarmed from the start.

I tucked the two types of handguns Alice had gifted me into the holsters at my waist. I also made sure to prepare plenty of spare ammunition.

Aside from that, I stashed a few compact bombs and the knife I’d used since my days in my original world. This much should generally suffice. If I still found myself in a bind, I could just scavenge what I needed on-site.

Alice was also equipped with magic tool accessories she’d crafted herself. They were apparently primarily for defense. She said she’d made them so she could protect herself in an instant. That was an incredibly important factor.

As someone who was poor at “guarding” others, there were bound to be situations where I couldn’t shield her. I was grateful she’d taken countermeasures in advance.

As for offense, she could use magic herself, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Through the battle with Dorgu, Alice had leveled up significantly. She had now reached Level 57.

Even by general standards, that was quite high. The amount of mana in her body had apparently increased accordingly; she said she could even power the suit with her own mana alone for short periods.

Knowing she could substitute for the output of a dragon’s heart, her prowess was plain to see. When it came to her, she might no longer be someone who needed “protecting.” I got the feeling she’d be fine even without my concern. Regardless, she was certainly a reliable partner.

“Have you heard where the gathering is being held?”

“No, I haven’t. The letter said they would reach out later, but there’s been no word so far.”

I thought it over as I spoke with Alice.

The reason they hadn’t specified the exact location in the initial letter was likely because they were worried about me blowing it up.

They were inviting a man who had killed a Representative and vaporized his home city, after all. It was possible they feared a pinpoint strike.

Even so, it was unexpected that there was no contact even on the day of. I wondered what they were planning. At worst, we’d have to go around asking questions to find the place ourselves.

That sounded like a massive pain, so I wanted to avoid it if possible…

Just as we finished our preparations to depart, there was a knock at the door. I placed my hand on my handgun as I opened the door.

Standing there was a woman wearing a hooded robe. Her face was as exquisitely crafted as a doll’s, devoid of any expression.

Even compared to Alice, who was sparse with her emotions, this woman was several degrees more stoic. The robed woman gave a silent bow.

“Lord Jack Aaron. I have arrived by my Master’s command.”

“Are you the one who’s going to take us to the meeting place?”

“Yes. I have been tasked with acting as your guide.”

The robed woman spoke in a flat, monotonous tone. Every aspect of her gave off an inorganic impression. She was like a robot.

The fact that she was able to find this room wasn’t all that mysterious. It wasn’t like we were living in hiding; they likely just investigated and tracked us down.

We’d been attracting attention from the residents since we arrived, so I doubt it was difficult to find us. They’d simply dispatched a guide with perfect timing.

“She is a homunculus—an artificial lifeform created through alchemy. And a high-performance one at that,” Alice whispered into my ear.

I wasn’t familiar with the term “homunculus,” but I got the gist of it.

Artificial lifeforms—at this point, it felt more like sci-fi than fantasy.

Well, it wasn’t enough to shock me. My mindset of already accepting this as a “world where anything goes” had paid off.

Without paying any mind to our conversation, the woman stepped out of the room. She turned back toward us and asked:

“I will guide you. Please follow me.”

When we headed down from the building, a luxury car was parked on the street in front of us. It wasn’t quite on the level of the Golem Car, but it was reinforced with armor and magic formulas. Compared to a standard vehicle, its specs were clearly top-tier.

The woman opened the driver’s side door and got in. Apparently, this was our ride to the meeting. As Alice and I settled into the back seat, the woman turned around. Her gaze was fixed intently on Alice.

“And who might this be?”

“My partner. She’s coming with me. Any complaints?”

“No, there is no problem. I have been instructed to bring any companions along as well.”

With that, the woman started the car. We were leaving the Golem Car behind, but that wasn’t an issue. Since Alice could operate it remotely, we could summon it instantly if anything happened. Well, assuming everything went smoothly, the Golem Car wouldn’t be needed anyway.

After being shaken in the car for a while, we arrived at the massive tree in the center of the city. Right, the cultivated World Tree. Looking up from its base, its majesty really hit home all over again.

There was a building at the foot of the giant tree. The woman parked the car in a nearby lot.

“This is the management and mana supply facility for the World Tree. It delivers the mana generated by the tree to the entire city. The meeting place is inside.”

“Heh, that’s impressive.”

I observed the World Tree. In terms of role, it seemed similar to a City Core. That, too, was a device that regulated an entire city. As I followed that train of thought, a sudden flash of inspiration struck me.

‘Wait… can I turn this World Tree into a bomb too…?’

No, I definitely could. I had 【Bomb Manufacturing EX++】. If I followed the proper procedures, I could certainly remodel it. If I blew up a tree this massive, what would actually happen? Curiosity started to bubble up. I really hoped an opportunity to pull it off would present itself.

“Jack, don’t even think about it.”

Alice, sitting next to me, warned. I hadn’t said a word, yet she knew exactly what I was thinking. That’s my partner for you.

Clinging to my secret ambitions, we entered the building. We were guided to a staircase leading down into the back. The woman stopped just before the stairs. She looked at us and spoke.

“This is as far as I can guide you. I am not permitted to proceed further.”

“I see. By the way, aren’t you going to confiscate our weapons?”

“No, I have received no such instructions.”

I gave a small shrug at the woman’s cold reply. Come to think of it, I was allowed to keep my weapons when I met Dorgu, too. The Representatives of Eurea seemed quite confident in their own safety. Well, it didn’t exactly make me feel good to have my stuff taken anyway, so I didn’t mind.

“Thanks for the guide. We should grab a drink sometime.”

“…”

Leaving behind the woman, who had become as motionless as a statue after finishing her duty, we headed down the stairs. At the bottom was a single iron door. There was no other path, so the only choice was to open it. It seemed the meeting was being held just beyond.

“Ready?”

“I am.”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

At Alice’s answer, I pushed the door open.

In the room beyond, a large elliptical table occupied most of the floor space. Three people were seated at various spots around the table. One of them, a man sitting in the center, turned toward us.

“You’ve finally arrived. Take a seat.”

The man wore a robe with a silver base. It was decorated with emerald embroidery; judging by the patterns, they were likely some kind of magic formulas. He wore rings on his fingers. He looked to be in his late twenties, but a certain veteran shrewdness flickered in his eyes. Including that atmosphere, he looked like the textbook definition of a mage.

If my prior research was correct, he was the ruler of this city. And the host of this gathering.

We sat in the chairs opposite him. The other two said nothing. Whatever their intentions, they remained silent. Amidst that, the man got straight to the point.

“We’ll skip the tedious greetings. Jack Aaron, we are considering making you one of the Representatives of Eurea. Will you accept?”