adventurers in the sewers

After exchanging brief pleasantries at the city gate, the group entered the city.

Princess Erisil put on her helmet again upon entering the city to avoid causing a disturbance among the onlookers.

Louis's squad, trailing at the very back of the line, were still processing the astonishing events they had just witnessed.

"Louis, the Third Hero Squad is definitely a noble team."

"The hero is the first princess, Erisil, the priest in the team is the second princess, Anridor, and the magic swordsman, judging from his demeanor and temperament, is most likely from a noble family in the kingdom."

"Even if he's not the son of a duke, he's definitely the son of a marquis or earl."

Dai Na lowered her voice and analyzed, her tone still tinged with surprise.

What's going on? Aren't nobles supposed to be useless good-for-nothings who only cause trouble for heroes? How come the royal family and nobles all look incredibly upright?

In contrast, the various professional associations seem more like the villains.

Nora also said quietly:

"This is a true hero. The sewer heroes in storybooks can't compete with him at all."

Louis: "..."

With so many people around, Nora used storybooks as a cover, but it was obvious who she was referring to.

After separating from the main group that was welcoming the hero, Louis said helplessly:

"We didn't really need to compete with the Third Hero Team. If they can save humanity single-handedly, wouldn't it be perfect for us to just follow along and reap the benefits?"

Nora nodded: "I understand that the more dazzling the Third Hero is, the safer we will be."

Dana gazed into the direction the hero team had gone and whispered:

"Our team has only been together for a short time, but in the future... it may very well shine even brighter than Princess Erisil."

The group chatted as they walked home.

Actually, welcoming the hero team was just a minor incident for them, because they had something more important to do today.

Merry is changing jobs.

The child quietly raised his Dexterity attribute to 10 points, which already meets the requirements for changing to a Rune Mage.

If it weren't for Karenno's kind invitation, Merry would have been able to change jobs this morning.

Of course, it's not too late now.

Louis had already made up his mind that even if Merry changed jobs, he could not report to the Mage Association for a while.

Not to boast, but with Merry's talent, once he's discovered by the Mage Association, that great mage from the capital might come knocking on his door demanding him and sending Merry to the Erihill Squad.

Joining the Third Hero Squad offers a promising future, but it's far too dangerous.

He didn't want Merry to experience the assassinations from the demons and the malice within humanity too early.

But they hadn't walked far when suddenly a man dressed as a guard blocked their way.

The visitor was very polite and said:

"My esteemed professionals, Viscount Alwin invites you to his residence for a chat."

"Viscount Alwin? Who's that?"

Louis was somewhat puzzled.

He couldn't recall ever knowing the nobleman.

The guard explained:

"Viscount Alwin is a member of the Hero Squad. He has just settled in a manor he purchased in the inner city of Blackrock City. He is very interested in Miss Dina, who is also a Magic Swordsman, so he invited you all to his manor for a gathering."

Louis then realized that Alwin was the purple-haired youth from the Hero Squad, right?

The other party must have heard something from Karenno, which is why they became somewhat interested in Dina.

What a big mouth!

Dana hesitated, then tugged at Louis's sleeve and said:

"It's better not to go. After all, I'm competing with him for the Sun Knight's Secret Codex, and that guy named Alwin won't give us a friendly look."

Nora thought for a moment and then said the opposite:

"Let's go after all. We have nothing to back down from. If we refuse their invitation this time, we'll lose our reason."

Ultimately, Louis decided to take Nanora's advice and follow the guards into the inner city.

Inside a mansion in the inner city, Louis once again encountered the purple-haired demon swordsman from the hero's party.

Unexpectedly, he received Louis and his party with great enthusiasm, and after everyone was seated, he said very sincerely:

"Miss Daina, what a coincidence! We're both newly promoted magic swordsmen and both need the Sun Knight's Codex."

"But please rest assured, the compatibility of the Sun Knight Codex with me is not very high. It is only slightly better than the other two advanced codesxes, but the difference is limited."

"If you're willing, I'm willing to withdraw from the competition for the Sun Knight's Codex to avoid unnecessary internal strife and misunderstandings between us."

Before Louis and the others could speak, Alwin took the initiative to back down, which surprised them quite a bit.

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Dai Na, who had been prepared to argue her point, suddenly lost her temper and became polite.

"If that's the case, then thank you very much. I really need the Sun Knight's Codex."

Alwin smiled and said:

"It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up."

He paused, then said apologetically:

"Please forgive me for investigating your team's information without your consent. I have discovered that your team has enormous potential and may become the top adventurer team in the Kingdom of Lortheran in the future."

"My favorite thing to do is make friends, and I think you all are absolutely worth making friends with."

After saying that, he asked very seriously:

"Is there anything I can do to help you all?"

"I remember the price of the Sun Knight's Codex is 1000 gold coins, right? Miss Daina, if you can't raise the money right away, my family's bank can lend you a loan of 1,000 gold coins without interest."

"In short, I am willing to spend any amount of money to do anything that can increase the kingdom's fighting strength."

Your family owns a bank... What a simple and unpretentious display of wealth.

Louis mentally cursed.

However, putting aside the subtle flaunting of wealth, Arwen's sincerity was more than enough to leave no room for dissatisfaction.

Is it really true that the Sun Knight's Secret Codex costs a thousand gold coins?

Besides the shortages and purchase limits, the price of this thing is also quite outrageous.

Dai Na quickly waved her hand and said:

"No need for a loan. I just changed jobs and I'm not in a hurry to buy the secret manual. I'll work hard with my teammates to earn that money later."

Alwin nodded, not insisting.

Afterwards, Louis and the others declined Alwin's offer to stay for a meal and left.

"The heroes' team members are all quite well-mannered. I thought we'd get into a conflict with that guy named Alwin... but it turned out to be a bit boring."

Nora said as soon as she stepped out of the mansion.

Louis was speechless. What exactly was this scheming woman expecting?

You single-handedly dragged down the overall quality of the Brave Squad.

Louis was about to strike up a conversation when suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

He had short, reddish-brown hair, green eyes, and was about 1.75 meters tall. He was neither fat nor thin, and there was no threatening aura about him. He had a face that would be easily lost in a crowd, and he looked to be around 25 years old.

At that moment, the man was hurrying towards the Viscount's mansion and just passed by Louis and his entourage.

"Um?"

Louis's gaze was sharp at first, but then he instantly concealed all his emotions.

This guy's appearance... isn't it exactly the appearance of the assassin Ruan that Griffin described?