Chương 60: Khufu, the Mouth of Deisceart

"Alright, you two be safe now~" said Kiran, raising her right hand and waving as Will approached the Waypoint that would transport him and Ohta, somewhat ironically, to the Royal Capital. Most Waypoints within a given network only linked to those in the same region. The Terminal in the Axial was an exception to this, but unless you were someone of relatively high standing, it typically only facilitated external transfers.

"Before I go, there's something I'm curious about..." said Will, half-turning to meet Kiran's gaze.

"What's up?" asked Kiran, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto her right leg, curious to hear what Will wanted to ask.

"I understand that you're on a pilgrimage, but why are you here, playing the part of Guild employee...?" asked Will, his tone lower than usual and a serious expression adorning his face.

Understanding what Will was really asking, Kiran's smile broadened but didn't quite reach her eyes as she casually explained, "It's because those among your kind that have risen to power view us as a threat. If we lend our strength or provide aid to one group, a dozen others will accuse us of overstepping the bounds of our covenant. Thus, unless an enemy appears that once again threatens the people of this world with extinction, we are tasked to observe, not take action..."

"Mmm...I see..." muttered Will, turning away and placing his hand on the Waypoint without further remark. He knew better than most not to expect others to solve his problems, so while he personally felt that someone as powerful as Kiran should be doing more, he had no intention of preaching to or trying to persuade her to intervene in the refugee crisis plaguing his family's domain or the civil war on the verge of breaking out in Deisceart. Her providing him a Guild Token and the means to move freely was more than enough...

'There he goes...' mused Kiran, closing her eyes and exhaling faintly from her nose as Will vanished in a flash of bright, bluish-white light. When she opened them, a transparent blue window, invisible to others, immediately appeared before her, courtesy of a unique trait called [Divine]. It provided insight into possible futures and persons of interest, so now that she had prevented Will from becoming a fugitive by murdering the local Baron, she just needed to remain patient until the corrupt nobleman implemented his plan to abduct her, unaware of her true identity. Everything that happened after was self-defense...

...

Arriving at Axial's Central Terminal, Will was unsurprised to find the facility in lockdown. His disappearance had yet to be made public, but unless you were inbound traffic headed outbound, it was virtually impossible to leave the city via Waypoint.

Fortunately, Will had the wherewithal to disguise himself before arriving at the Terminal. He typically combed his hair back, ostensibly emulating his father and older brother, so when it was down, his bangs nearly reaching his eyes, he looked like a completely different person. The alternative was using Magic, but as that might trigger one of the Terminal's alarms, it was safer to make analog changes and behave naturally.

"Aiden Ward..." read one of the Custom's Agents, inspecting Will's Token as a group of armed personnel resembling a mix of Medieval Knights and SWAT team members lurked nearby.

"That's right," affirmed Will, his gaze focused on the group of security personnel rather than avoiding them. One of the biggest mistakes would-be criminals made was trying to avoid drawing attention, so instead of acting sheepish, Will went for curious, asking, "Is security in the Capital always this tight...?"

"It's just a precaution. Just head to your gate and try not to cause any trouble before your departure," stated the Custom's Agent, avoiding going into details as he stamped the slip of paper that would enable Will to pass through the outbound checkpoint.

"I understand. Thank you," said Will, offering a grateful smile and nodding as he accepted the slip of paper and passed through the checkpoint. The scrutinizing gazes of several security guards followed him as he passed, but as it was early in the morning and most of them had been at their post all night without being told why, they didn't feel like doing more work than was strictly necessary...

...

After a mandated two-hour layover, Will teleported to the border city separating the province governed by the Royal Family and the Deisceart Duchy, Khufu.

As the 'mouth' for commercial goods and ground travel into and out of the region, Khufu was one of the most populated cities in Deisceart. It was also the central hub for Adventurers seeking to explore the region's many Resource Zones and Dungeons, so when Will arrived at the headquarters of Khufu's five Guild branches, the first-floor tavern room was abuzz with people and activity.

Intercepting Will almost immediately after his arrival, a fairly attractive woman with a toned physique, bronzed skin, bobbed, somewhat curly brown hair with golden strands, and green eyes approached him in scant but regionally appropriate attire to say, "Welcome to Khufu. Mind showing me your Guild Card or Token?"

"That depends," replied Will, smiling as he asked, "Got any proof you work here...?"

Furrowing her brows, the woman tapped the engraved, bronze-colored disc that helped to hold up her off-white, brasier-like leather top as she explained, "If someone who wasn't affiliated with the Guild wore this in public, they would suffer no less than twenty lashes."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," said Will, pulling out and presenting his Guild Token. He noticed the woman's eyes widen when she saw it, but considering most B-Rank Adventurers were in their mid to late twenties, it was understandable that she would be surprised.

Emphasizing this, the woman returned Will's Token but said, "It looks real enough, but you'll need to meet with one of the Guild Execs before we let you loose on the public. Come with me."

"Sure," responded Will, following behind the slightly shorter woman. The average height of humans native to Deisceart ranged from 155-170cm, so he stood out quite a bit as someone from a region where even the women frequently exceeded 180cm.

'I may need to reconsider my equipment loadout...' thought Will, looking around the area to find many male Adventurers with their chests and upper bodies completely exposed while the women sported apparel that proudly displayed their well-conditioned backs and abdominal muscles. A few even wore a type of form-fitting shorts that barely covered more than their underwear, so he stood out even more in clothes created to conceal and protect from the environment.

"Our destination is on the third floor," said the woman, gesturing for Will to ascend a flight of wooden stairs connecting to the building's upper levels.

"And here I was, looking forward to the view," teased Will, earning himself a disproving frown and snort as he stepped past the woman and made his way up the stairs. A minute or so later, following the woman's instructions, he found himself at the entrance to a study-like trophy room with a pair of white leather and gold-leaf sofas separated by a coffee table and a large wooden, ornately carved desk. The heads and taxidermied bodies of various monsters decorated the rooms, but Will largely disregarded them in favor of meeting the gaze of a young-looking but ancient-feeling man with grey, white-tipped hair, silvery eyes, and pointed, slightly drooping Elven ears.

Before his escort could explain the reason she had brought Will to the room, the Elven man, denoted as Guildmaster Lexus Silverleaf according to the plaque on his desk, waved his hand, ordering, "Leave us," in a firm tone.

Though she was surprised by her sudden dismissal, Will's escort bowed her head and promptly excused herself from the room, leaving the latter standing near the entrance.

"Come forward..." said Lexus, narrowing his eyes and adopting a slight frown.

"You don't look particularly happy to see me," joked Will, stepping forward without pause. Lexus's name, hair, and eye color reminded him of Leshien, but it would be too coincidental to encounter a second person who could identify him less than a day after his encounter with Kiran. Right...?

"Let me see your right hand," said Lexus, leaning forward with his fingers linked together, elbows on his desk.

"Sure," responded Will, maintaining his smile as he unveiled his bare right hand from beneath his cloak.

Noticing the aura around Will change, Lexus's expression hardened as he remarked, "Clever...the law prohibits me from demanding you empty your storage artifact for inspection, but you can't conceal the stench of-"

Pausing mid-sentence, Lexus tilted his head slightly and perked his right brow. Ordinarily, even if a cursed object were stored away, there would be at least some trace. But when he looked at Will now, he sensed nothing of note. If anything, the air around Will was calm and serene, reminiscent of a Druid or a Spiritualist...

Having stowed his bracelet in the System Storage, Will raised both hands and expressed, "If you want to inspect my body, feel free. I have nothing to conceal."

'This human isn't ordinary...' concluded Lexus, frowning as he rose from his desk, moved around it, and approached Will. He 'knew' the latter had done something to disguise the artifacts in his possession, but even after circling him several times and asking him to remove his cloak, there were no abnormal or cursed magical signatures in or around his body.

"I don't appreciate being made a fool..." said Lexus, stopping in front of Will and staring up at him as he added, "Give me a reason why I shouldn't subject you to Lie Detection Magic..."

"You mean, other than the fact you need probable cause?" countered Will, raising his right brow.

"You're clearly new to Deisceart, so allow me to explain a few things..." said Lexus, unsheathing one of the two shortswords on his right hip in the blink of an eye, stopping just short of Will's left jugular as he added, "Here in Deisceart, the strong rule. As the Guildmaster in charge of all of Khufu's Guild Hall, I have the authority to confine, interrogate, and pass judgment on any suspicious individuals trying to enter or pass through my city..."

"If you genuinely believe your local laws take precedence over those of the Kingdom, go ahead and try to kill me..." responded Will, discarding his smile in favor of a firm, challenging expression. The edge of Lexus's blade nicked his neck, causing a faint trickle of blood, but thanks to the talisman he had hidden beneath his clothes, he wasn't afraid of being killed.

"Such arrogance..." hissed Lexus. Instead of slitting Will's throat, however, he retracted his blade, pulled out a handkerchief, and began cleaning it as he asked, "Why have you come to Deisceart?"

"The same reason as most, I'd wager," answered Will. "Deisceart has the greatest number of Dungeons in the Kingdom. Where better for someone aspiring to become an A-Rank Adventurer?"

"Let me see your Guild Token..." said Lexus, extending his right hand, palm facing upward.

"After you threatened my life...?" asked Will, preempting Lexus's response by pulling out the Token and flicking it into the air as he added, "Sure, but if you attempt to exploit your position and revoke it just because you feel like it, don't blame me for filing a formal complaint with the Central Guild Authority when you deport me to Axial..."

"And you think they'd take your complaint seriously...?" asked Lexus, his gaze briefly lingering on Will's Guild Token before gazing back at him with narrowed eyes and a challenging look.

"Without a doubt," answered Will, adopting a faint, meaningful smile that caused Lexus to feel even more suspicious of his true identity. Since he was under contract to obey the Adventurer Guild's bylaws, however, he ultimately flicked the Token back at Will, his expression and tone oozing vitriol as he warned, "One misstep, and I'll have you rotting in a cell unto your bones reduce to powder and join with the sand..."

"After a fair trial, I'm sure," replied Will, punctuating his words with a wink before turning to leave with a shit-eating grin. Lexus's right brow twitched violently in response, but as Will hadn't committed any crimes, the ashen-haired made no attempts to stop him. Instead, the moment Will was gone, he pulled out a device similar to an antiquated cell phone from the latter's first incarnation...

...