“That’s right. White Night Bank is our public-facing institution, while we Nightingales are actually a civilian intelligence agency under the Kingdom’s control. I’m sure you understand what I mean.”

I froze for two seconds, then excitement surged through me before I could hold it back.

An intelligence agency!!!

The Kingdom’s intelligence agency!!!

And it’s a freaking civilian intelligence agency, too!!

Holy crap, I’ve just landed myself some powerful backing!! Information is exactly what I need most right now!!!

【Calm down, Ojer. Ask what you need to ask first.】

[Oh, right. Good point.]

So I tamped down my excitement and acted like I couldn’t care less.

“Oh, an intelligence agency…”

“Then why tell me all this? And if you wanted to make up the difference in price, why follow me for so long?”

Night Twelve smiled and gave a slight, apologetic bow. The snake-like pupils in her golden eyes seemed to ripple.

“We needed to know whether you had the means to make use of the rest of the money, and whether you’d be worth doing business with. If you’d simply gotten lucky and found two ancient gold coins, we certainly wouldn’t have bothered you.”

“So I passed your test, didn’t I?” I cut in.

“You did. It was my mistake to have someone follow you without warning. I apologize again.”

I thought it over, shrugged, and decided to do them a favor.

“No need to apologize. You said you wanted to do business with me? Fine. But how do I know you’re not playing me? I’m just a traveler from out of town.”

“You mean…” Night Twelve narrowed her eyes slightly.

I pulled a gold coin from my pocket. It was identical to the one I’d sold that day.

I’d found it on the second basement level that afternoon. I’d found three coins there in all.

“Since you say you’re an intelligence agency, I’d like to turn the tables and test you.”

I waved the coin in front of her, my voice full of energy.

Night Twelve smiled. The glimmer of desire in her eyes faded, and she gave me a slight nod.

“What do you want?”

“Information.” I paused.

“I’ve only just arrived, and I’ll probably be staying here for a while. Unfortunately, I know almost nothing about this country.”

“So, I want to know about this country’s history, politics, and magical system, as well as the traits of Necromancers and undead creatures.”

“That’s all for now. Oh, and is there anywhere in this city like a library?”

She thought it over.

“May I ask why you want information about the undead?”

“Just a personal interest. I like simmering bones for soup.”

Nightingale paused for half a second, let out a soft laugh, and melted back into the darkness.

“Nightingale will fulfill your wish.”

When I got back to the inn, I stopped in front of a room on the second floor, straightened my armor, and knocked softly.

Light footsteps came from inside.

“Welcome back, Mr. Ojer!”

Eileen was dressed in cream-colored pajamas, her long silver hair tied in a ponytail. She lifted her smiling little face toward me, looking bright and innocent.

“Ah, I’m back, Eileen.” I patted her little head and set a bag of things on the table.

“Hungry? I brought back some snacks.”

“Wow! Thank you, Mr. Ojer!”

“You’re welcome.”

As I spoke, I took out a few books and started reading under the warm yellow light.

“What are those?” Eileen leaned closer, her face full of curiosity.

“Ah, they’re books about this country’s history and culture. I borrowed them from City Hall. There’s no library, but you can borrow books with proof of identity and an adventurer’s license, so that’s pretty convenient.”

Eileen took a bite of bread and thought it over.

“What’s a library?”

I blinked.

“Uh… It’s a big building with lots of books. They have all kinds of books inside, and ordinary citizens can usually buy or borrow them. It’s pretty convenient.”

“Ohhh…”

But she didn’t seem all that interested. She watched me for a while, then yawned and fell asleep.

That girl sure could sleep…

【Do you think the Nightingales are trustworthy?】

Paper-chan asked in a mechanical voice inside my head.

[Honestly, I only trust them about forty percent. I know almost nothing about this organization, so I can’t just take their word for everything.]

【Then why do business with them?】

I gave a helpless smile, picked Eileen up, and carried her to the bed in the inner room.

[What choice do I have?]

【What do you mean?】

[They seem to be legitimate information brokers. I can’t say they don’t do other things, of course, but at least in this line of business, I’m willing to trust them.]

【Why?】

I tapped my own skull.

[Instinct.]

【That’s all?】

[Heh. Don’t underestimate human instinct. It saved my life more than once on the battlefield.]

[Besides, I’m not planning to work closely with them just yet. The information I asked for is easy enough to get, and it’ll be easy to check whether it’s true.]

I waved the history book in my hand.

[So the plan for now is to build a relationship step by step, get more valuable information bit by bit, and use it to make myself stronger.]

But…

[Honestly, they showed up sooner than I expected. I’d planned to find them myself…]

【You already knew the Nightingales existed?】

[No, no. I just mean the Nightingales are the “public side of the hidden world.” My first target was the “public side of the public world,” then them, and finally the “hidden side of the hidden world.”]

【What do you mean?】

I smiled faintly, drew the curtains aside, and looked toward a building somewhere in the city center.

Tomorrow, I’d pay a visit to this “public side of the public world.”