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Chapter 49

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Entering the town was smooth. Rather, just greeting the gatekeeper allowed us to pass through as is. It seems they do not conduct identity verification like in Brant. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with the gatekeeper, leaving me in a situation where I don’t even know the name of the town, let alone any information.

“And so, Maou, about this letter—” (Alice)

“Keep that put away for now. I never expected you to know so little about the Empire. I’m gathering information, so we’re going to an inn. And don’t call me Maou inside the town. When I take this form, I’m Nobutsuna.” (Nobunaga)

I never expected Alice to call me the same as before as soon as we entered the town.

It was a rather bustling town, which was helpful. With the heavy foot traffic, Alice’s voice was quickly drowned in the noise.

However, unlike Brant, why is this place so lively? I don’t know.

“Nobutsuna-san, got it.” (Alice)

For a moment, I thought I was hearing things.

Was it because I was looking for a conveniently located inn—cheap, visible from a busy street, but not easily seen from outside? Did Alice say something quite commendable?

No way—

“What’s wrong, Nobutsuna-san?” (Alice)

Naaaaaaaaaah!

“W-What’s wrong, Alice? Suddenly adding -san? Did you hit your head? Did you eat something off the ground? No way, are you an imposter?” (Nobunaga)

But for there to be an imposter identical to Alice… Hah! Could it be a double-layered shadow doppelgänger?! When did they switch—?!

“Like hell that’s the case! It’s just that I’m not used to calling that name, so I said it like that. And besides, that’s the name for that form.” (Alice)

“Does something change when I take this form?” (Nobunaga)

“It looks cool!” (Alice)

…This is the face that the gatekeeper averted his eyes from just by greeting me, you know? Even now, whenever I glance around, every passerby turns their face away, and people walking towards me subtly alter their path to avoid me.

Well, thinking about it, it was Alice and Volt who designed this form. Though it was Lyle who shaped it.

“You should thank Lyle when we get back.” (Alice)

“Yeah, I should reward him thoroughly.” (Nobunaga)

…Lyle, you should enjoy your vacation while you still can.

 

—

 

I searched a little, but as expected, there was no inn that met my exact requirements. So, I settled for one that was reasonably cheap and had a view of the main street.

As for reception, I left it all to Alice. Not only because I couldn’t do it, but also because the innkeeper, a young woman, fled the moment she saw my face. The man, presumably her husband, was fine at first, but as soon as he saw my face, he tried to talk only to Alice before retreating into the kitchen as fast as possible.

Am I really that scary?

“No, I think you look cool. Rugged and strong. Way better than your usual face.” (Alice)

What are you saying? The haniwa face is easier to draw and cuter. And no one has ever been surprised by it. In fact, there must be people who find it adorable.

“So, how do we gather information? Do we visit an informant or something?” (Alice)

“It’s simpler than that. Alice, let me know if anyone comes.” (Nobunaga)

I slightly opened the window, lowered my posture, and sat on a chair. With this, no one outside could peek into this room.

Now, let’s continuously use ‘Transformation’.

“Oh, so that’s another way to use it.” (Alice)

 

—

 

“Nobutsu—nah, Maou is fine. I’m tired of keeping watch.” (Alice)

“Don’t say that. I’ve learned quite a lot. Just a little longer.” (Nobunaga)

I spoke to Alice, who was sitting on the floor, while gnawing on an Owa fruit to replenish my mana. I told her she could rest on the bed while keeping watch, but she replied that compared to the sofa in my private room, both the floor and the bed were the same.

I won’t deny it. Sorry to the innkeeper, but that’s probably true.

Though I feel bad for Alice, I need her to keep watching for a little while longer. A lot of information is coming in, but it’s too complicated.

First, this was the town of Andal, located in the domain of Margrave Fas of the Empire. To the west was the town closest to the mountain range, and to the east was the town near the national border. Both towns were crucial defensive strongholds. The only difference was whether they were facing the Archdemon Don Ogre or the cluster of nations.

Andal was the town closest to these fortress-like towns. Moreover, being near the Great Forest of Owa, it was also an adventurer’s town. For this reason, merchants in this area first stopped by Andal before heading to either of the two towns. This meant that Andal was bustling because it was a key transportation hub. However, right now, there were hardly any adventurers in this town. And even those who were here were only serving as escorts for merchants.

It was because of me. Even so, merchants continued to stop by here. The foot traffic remains high. The reason was simple. They didn’t know about the Maou’s existence.

Why do adventurers know, but the merchants coming here don’t? It’s quite a mystery. However, there are almost no adventurers who actually know the details. And I can’t probe the memories of those who don’t know.

I had been searching for adventurer-looking people, but every time I transformed into a thug or a soldier, the disappointment was real.

Is the location bad? But information is definitely gathering here… Am I at a dead end?

“Hey, Maou. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat something?” (Alice)

Yeah, maybe a change of pace will help me think of something new.

“Let’s go. Hopefully, there’s something good. Anywhere else you want to go?” (Nobunaga)

“Hmm… Oh, you need to send that letter, right? Let’s put in a request at the guild.” (Alice)

Oh, there should be adventurers there.

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