Spectre of the Sinner - Zetro Translation

POV: An Nguyễn, 14:18 UTC +09:30, Vest Schëld, Mellanphalia Kingdom

“I can relate to that,” as I tried to console a tired knight, a dry smile was plastered on my face, “it reminds me of the period before the series of initiatives to improve the bureaucracy in my home country. It was so much fun in coining the term [hành là chính], which means bureaucracy is a pain in the arse, in major newspapers at the time.”

Amidst my nostalgic chuckle, the lady knight officer slowly shook her head tiredly before airing her grievances.

“I hate to say this, but the whole thing wasn’t that bad a few years ago. But then that pig of a man came and just made everything worsen over time. I still shudder at the memory of,” the strawberry-blonde lady repeatedly shook her head in utter disgust, “when that geezer first unveiled his design plan. You should’ve been here and watched all the commotions breaking out due to that man’s insistence. The worst days of my life ever, period.”

Then suddenly, the knight stopped in her tracks, her face had a dash of realization over something. While I was still trying to figure out her thoughts, the lady knight had already pointed out the situation at hand.

“My apologies, Mister [An],” a mischievous grin started to form on the lady knight’s face, “perhaps you are seriously considering joining our [Order]? If so, then let this Mistress…”

As I quickly took a look around, it seemed that I’d strayed into the vicinity of the regional HQ of the [Order], an imposing-looking fortress complex of structures built at the Northernmost corner of the city, semi-isolated by a wide moat. The wall was constructed from rough-hewn chunks of dark-gray stones, which starkly contrasted against the city wall’s light sandy gray color. The rows of battlements were filled with the proudly fluttering flags of the [Kingdom], an imperial golden-colored flag featuring a three-headed feathered wyvern being. At the top of the iron gate at the other end of the lift bridge, the coat of arms of the knight order, displaying the same mythical creature majestically unfurling its wings, was proudly displayed.

Oh, woe is unto me, for my being was being peered on by curious pairs of eyes that belonged to either her fellow knights or the wealthy. As the realization gradually sunk in, I sensed that it was time to weasel my way out of this predicament of my own making.

“My apologies, Mistress [von Wagner-Kukulins], I must reiterate that I stand by my previous statement, and as such, I cannot join your [Order],” flashing my prettiest business smile on this horridly mangled face, I continued to carefully thread my way out of this mess, “however, you can always enlist my service through the [Adventurers’ Guild]. Besides, I do believe that this is…”

“Sister, please do not bother Mister [An] anymore! Geez, what a big blockhead,” a lively voice interjected, “of course, he’s here to have you fulfill the promise for the reward, right?”

The owner of the voice was a sparkling blonde maiden who was trotting toward us, with her bright visage exuding an invisible pressure toward the recipient of her remarks, the lady knight officer standing beside me. While I was inwardly grateful for her to bring up the topic, the strawberry-blonde elder half-sister’s eyebrows perked up in surprise at her sister’s appearance.

The lady savior coyly came next to me, intentionally flashing her carefully chosen casual outfit: a cream-colored blouse paired with fitted pants, ending in a pair of knee-height boots. The blouse was inconspicuously decorated with intricately woven threads of golden embroidery, highlighting the wearer’s status. A brown leather belt sat securely at her waist, emphasizing her healthy curves.

“Ah, good day Miss [von Wagner]. How’s your arm doing now?”

“Thank you for asking, Mister [An]. Thanks to your pain-killing medicine and your detailed instructions, the pain is now subsided,” the injured knight caressed her firmly secured arm sling, “my recovery prognosis is said to be quite good. Once again, thank you for helping me back then.”

While the blonde maiden was flashing her smile, I sensed something else from the convalescing knight as she demurely spun around, her emerald-colored eyes gazing expectantly at me.

“Ah, speaking of which,” understanding the lady knight’s intention, I expressed my honest thoughts, “È adorabile oggi, signorina [Wagner].”

Oops, it looked like I’d pushed the matter a little too far for her to handle, as the maiden’s face and ears were flushing a shade of red, with her left hand lightly trembling from the shock. If this was in an anime, steam would have risen atop her head like a working steam engine at its maximum output. Soon a rain of congratulatory applause, whistles of amusement, and howls of jealousy poured in, further dyeing the lady knight’s face with blushing.

“Mistress [von Wagner-Kukulins], isn’t it the time to save your sister, I mean, your fellow knight? She looks particularly troubled here.”

With a cheeky wink directed at the elder sister of the [von Wagner] family, I unintentionally curved my lips into a mischievous grin, causing her to glare at me in exasperation before rolling her eyes in defeat. After whispering something to her sister, the knight officer addressed me while barely able to contain her vexation.

“Mister [An], I’ll ask for authorization to access our library later as now I have an important meeting to attend. In the meantime, please allow chevalier [von Wagner] to guide you.”

As we parted ways with the knight officer, the recuperating knight seemed to fidget a bit, causing the audience to abate their breath in anticipation. Please, guys, don’t put high hopes on this shady son of a bitch, or else my back will need a serious vacation. Smiling wryly at the situation, this crooked bastard started to do his best in gentlemanly escorting the expectant lady knight to the town’s [Adventurers’ Guild] while enduring painful gazes from the curious and envious eyes.

“Please don’t worry, Miss [von Wagner],” as I deliberately entwined my right arm with her left arm, causing her to look like she was half on cloud nine, half embarrassed, “why don’t we take it easy?”

As we leisurely strolled southward from the northern corner of the city, the nature of the stares transformed into ones of concern and curiosity from the previously frightened town folks. Displeased with such gazes, my accompanying partner purposefully shortened the distance between us while displaying a subtle grin, triggering yet another flood of gossip and chatter.

Soon we found ourselves arriving at the destination, an aesthetically pleasing-looking piece of architecture occupying a fairly spacious ground. I unconsciously glanced back in the direction of the disastrous-looking building called [Town Hall], only to be assaulted by a sense of discomfort over the surrealistic juxtaposition between the two extremes of expression of artistic values. One, obviously that damned administrative building, was a sorry patchwork of incoherent messes of gaudy pieces disguised as art cobbled together into the shape of a structure. The other was a finely crafted and constructed marvel, whose façade exuded an air of elegance and mightiness through elaborate usage of sturdy stones and artfully carved woodwork. Even the passing by local civilian folks and adventurers would steal an occasional glance at the wonder as if they were seeking therapy for their tired minds and soul. The accompanying lady giggled in amusement over the sight of this bastard massaging his temples before realizing her predicament.

“Hmm, I don’t know whether I should come in with you or not, especially in my capacity as a knight of the [Order],” the knight uneasily fidgeted as she squeezed the words out, “because the only time a knight enters the door of the [Adventurers’ Guild] is for emergency requests.”

“Nah, I can’t let such a bella like you standing outside like that, it’d kill my pride as a man,” taking the initiative, I gently led her inside while ignoring her blushing face and murmuring, “I’d feel at ease if you can relax inside. Besides, if there’s something that I can’t handle, you’ll be the first to be relied on.”

As I expected, the interior of this majestic didn’t disappoint me at all, for its splendid decorations and ornaments were tastefully chosen. Bar-like stands filled with adventurers lined one side of the hall, where they conversed over the topic of the day, occasionally downing a gulp of non-alcoholic beverages of their choice. Located adjacent were rows of comfortable-looking benches, where resting adventurers relaxed with their fellow party members. It seemed that most of the personnel of various parties that escorted the knight troupe had been dismissed, which were composed of 5-starred and higher, as all I could see were largely 3-starred and lower groups, in other words, strangers to me. As for the opposite side of the hall, because it was late in the day, the bulletin boards used to pin commissions were practically empty, save for some ignored quests. The upper wall of both sides of the hallway was adorned with maps, weapons of war, and other miscellaneous relics. At the tail end of the spacious hallway stood 6 reception stands, each filled with somewhat tired-looking clerks.

“Please wait for me here a bit,” I guided my lady companion toward an empty seat while ignoring piercing stares from the curious eyes.

It was then I realized my fatal mistake, causing me to facepalm, drawing a concerned look from Miss [von Wagner]. Ugh, to think that I forgot about this important thing. It looked like my memory was even worse than an owl-themed VTuber.

“Ah, please don’t worry about this Mistress’s choice of beverage,” the lady knight attempted to alleviate my distress, flashing a forced smile on her well-defined face, “you should finish…”

“Then how about this? After finishing this mess, everything’s on me for today. How does that one sound? I take that as a yes, so please excuse me.”

Purposefully ignoring her protesting, I headed toward an unoccupied bartender to order a glass of fresh water for the waiting lady and ask for a refill of my flask, intentionally ignoring potshots aimed at me from the surrounding strangers. After placing the glass down on the table, I entrusted the trusty rucksack to the lady knight. After getting the required documentation, with my heavy steps, I headed toward the leftmost stand, which was staffed by a youthful-looking lady. Even from afar, her timidness was visible to a sleepwalking guy, causing me to question her mental strength when dealing with rough-and-tumble personalities.