The Airship lowered its altitude a few kilometers away from Sun Worship Town.
Altaïr and Lania slid down the zip line, landed, and continued toward the distant town on foot.
At Altaïr's suggestion, Lania had removed her tattered light leather armor, which was stained with blood beyond any hope of cleaning. She had also reined in some of that cold, sharp aura that made her look ready to gut someone at any moment.
If Lania were venturing into the black market alone, presenting herself as someone not to be trifled with would indeed have been a good way to avoid trouble.
With him alongside her, though, they could be more flexible. Tell one person she's my mother and another that she's our tribe's leader. If they both ask at once, why can't she be my mother and the tribe leader? One way or another, they could always spin a convincing story.
With that in mind, the "sand pirate boss" persona had actually become more of a hindrance.
Besides, who said she could not play a sand pirate without leather armor? She still had those two curved blades at her waist. Keeping her identity under wraps like this was far more in keeping with how those people operated anyway...
Before long, the two arrived at the rocky mountain where Sun Worship Town was located.
Looking at the wheel-shaped totem painted on the cliff face with mineral dyes, Altaïr could not help feeling a touch of nostalgia.
That had been back when he and Isis had only recently met. The two of them had escorted the Professor and Erik here to hunt the Vespoid Queen.
Several years had gone by in the blink of an eye...
Altaïr was still reminiscing when Lania was stopped by the guards at the town entrance. The two men stared warily at the weathered curved blades at her waist.
Altaïr: "..."
How did you already get caught?! Your cloak is so long. Couldn't you have hidden them just a little?!
He quickened his pace, intending to explain the situation to the two guards and smooth things over, when he saw Lania's hand dart toward her waist like lightning.
Remembering how Lania had intimidated Mr. Alva with a throwing knife two days earlier, Altaïr broke into a cold sweat. The two guards were equally alarmed and started to raise their spears.
An identification document appeared in front of them first.
"I am a Guild Knight. These are my credentials," Lania said calmly.
The guards still did not dare relax. One kept his spear raised while the other took the document and examined it meticulously several times. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, return it to her, and step aside to clear the way.
Lania nodded to the two dutiful guards, then glanced back at Altaïr, who stood frozen in place. "Come on."
Altaïr followed helplessly, and the two passed through the town gate together.
After a moment of conflicted silence, Altaïr spoke. "Lady Lania... Boss, if we can avoid exposing our official identities, let's try to do that. We never know where someone might be watching."
Lania half-turned toward him. "I am quite certain that there was no one else nearby just now apart from us and those two guards."
Altaïr looked conflicted. "Even so, it's mainly, uh... how should I put it? It's mainly a matter of habit.
"It's the same reason we're speaking in dialect now: if we need it later, we won't give ourselves away. For the time being, you should set your official identity aside too."
"I see. Understood." Lania nodded in agreement. She was not the stubborn, inflexible type.
Altaïr relaxed a little.
Noticing the change in his expression, Lania spoke first. "What is it? Are we different from what you imagined?"
Altaïr knew that when Lady Lania said "we," she meant the Guild Night.
"Honestly... yes."
He had originally imagined the Guild Night as a group of elite assassins who could go anywhere and infiltrate anything, masters of disguise, infiltration, and assassination, just like the legendary ninja of Shiki.
But reality seemed to be quite different... What kind of ninja showed identification to pass through a town gate?
"The world holds many misconceptions about us." Lania's tone remained as even as ever.
"The term 'Guild Night' did not originally exist. We are Guild Knights, or more precisely, members of a special unit within the Guild Knights.
"Our primary duty is to hunt down high-risk criminals, a significant portion of whom are Hunters who have gone down the wrong path.
"Those criminal Hunters possess fighting abilities far beyond those of ordinary offenders. Once they cross the line that Hunter weapons must never be used against people, ordinary constables and soldiers are powerless against them.
"That is why the Guild specifically trains certain Guild Knights in anti-personnel combat to deal with them."
Altaïr had not expected Lania to volunteer an explanation.
But once he heard it, he understood. If they were official personnel whose job was to pursue dangerous criminals, then they had little reason to hide their identities.
Stealth, tracking, and killing were their specialties. They probably trained in infiltration, disguise, and impersonation as well, but did not place as much emphasis on those skills.
Put plainly, they were law enforcers with far greater combat capabilities.
"You said the term 'Guild Night' did not originally exist. So how did it become so widely known?" Altaïr asked curiously.
The corner of Lania's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile. "It began with a misunderstanding in one region's language.
"In that tongue, 'Guild Knight' and 'Guild Night' are pronounced the same. When the phrase was translated back into the common language, the term 'Guild Night' was born.
"Doesn't 'Guild Night' sound far more frightening than 'Guild Knight'? That was exactly the effect the Guild wanted, so it encouraged the name to spread.
"Let criminals believe the Guild Night is a band of terrifying assassins, omnipresent as shadows and able to slip through every crack. Cross the line in daylight, and the Guild Night's blades will cut your throat after dark. Only that kind of fear can deter crime effectively."
"So that is how it happened...
"I have to say, the Guild's approach has been quite effective. Tell a Hunter, 'The Guild Knights are watching you,' and they might just scratch their head in confusion.
"But tell them, 'The Guild Night is watching you,' and they will probably shudder, then carefully consider whether they have done anything wrong lately and whether they should turn themselves in first."
Taking another look at Lady Lania, Altaïr suddenly felt that this "former Guild Night operative" was not so frightening after all.
Without their Nargacuga visors, Guild Night operatives were ordinary people too. They retired, married, raised children, and had lives of their own. There was no need to demonize them.
As though she had read his thoughts, Lania gave a soft snort and reminded him, "Keep those thoughts to yourself. There is no need to spread them around.
"It is better for the name 'Guild Night' to retain its deterrent power."
"Understood." Altaïr did not pursue the subject. The two continued along the mountain road around Sun Worship Town.
They did not head toward the town on the mountainside, but went straight to the livestock pens at the foot of the mountain.
The smell was not pleasant. The air was thick with the rank odor of livestock and dung. Altaïr did not mind it; instead, he drew a deep, nostalgic breath.
Lania silently took out a dust scarf and tied it over her nose and mouth.
Altaïr glanced around and quickly spotted a herder counting his livestock. He recognized the man as a Nomad from the sand sea at once.
He must have brought his livestock into town while he traded for daily necessities.
Altaïr signaled for Lania to wait there and jogged over.
From a distance, Lania watched him put on a smile, calling the man "friend" one moment and "brother" the next, working every term of fellowship he knew into the conversation. Before long, they had their arms around each other's shoulders.
After some idle chatter, Altaïr glanced furtively to either side, pulled an object from his cloak, and showed it to the Nomad.
Understanding dawned on the man's face, along with a hint of envy, and the two continued their whispered conversation.
Altaïr slipped some money into the Nomad's hand, and they embraced warmly as though they were old friends before saying goodbye. With the man's blessing, "May the wind and sand guide your path!" ringing behind him, Altaïr returned looking satisfied.
"All done. We just need to go to the Sandship rental and hire a vessel, then we can be on our way," Altaïr said lightly.
"You found out just like that?" Lania could not hide her surprise. "I thought information about a black market would be more closely guarded."
"I told you, it is hardly a black market. It is just a small marketplace that has only recently formed. The nearby Nomads trade supplies and information about water sources there. What is there to hide?"
"What was that thing you took out and showed him just now?" Lania asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Unable to get anything past Lania's sharp eyes, Altaïr took the object from his cloak.
It was a crudely shaped little clay figurine. Even a layman could tell that it was an old artifact.
Lania raised an eyebrow. "Dug it up from the ruins?"
"When would I have had the time?" Altaïr rolled his eyes. "I snatched it from Alma."
"Why is there still dirt on it? It looks freshly excavated."
"I took a little time to make it look the part," Altaïr answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
I'll have to investigate this kid's background carefully later.