Chapter 133 133: The Agent From The Government
Nufort Adams was a child of fortune. It was safe to say that he had never lived a life that was difficult or full of hardship. Anything he had done had come easy to him and he had also been a man of big dreams.
So naturally, when it came time to choose his future, he aimed big and tried to become a big shot in the guild.
That was his first dose of reality. Far from being the best, it would be a stretch to say that Nufort Adams was even average in the guild alliance. He was someone who was constantly being upped by someone else.
So naturally, it did not take long for him to decide that this field was not for him. He was simply unable to keep up with the growing power level around him and nothing else.
He had realized that he was the frog of a small pond. He had yet to see the world and his new reality was harsher than he had even imagined. He could not take the comparison and competition in the guild.
When it came time to change jobs and quit the guild, Nufort was more than willing and filled out the form. And he chose the last place he would be found out by the guild alliance - the government sector.
He feared that people would come after him once he had quit his job and pester him for things he could not give.
Even once his job transfer had gone through and Nufort was ready to settle into his new life, the fear of being called back by the guild did not disappear. He was often paranoid.
Thankfully, his partner managed to pull him out of his slump and Nufort was able to put his past behind him. And that was how to become a better person overall.
But that did not mean he forgot what happened to him before. He had joined the government sector. And neither had the people around him.
When Nufort joined the government sector, he had not known that there was a huge clash between his new sector and his old one. As such, Nufort could not live a peaceful new life. He was constantly being harassed by people around him.
Finally, this job had landed on his desk and Nufort had taken it to ensure he would not be bullied anymore by people. Surely, if he proved himself then he would not be pressed for such matters?
So, with that in mind, Nufort had taken it upon himself to enter the new job without hesitation. And he had been instantly hit with a wave of caution and danger. He had come down here for his fiancé but now he was doing his best to survive.
Then the worst happened. Nufort had run into the guild members he had never wanted to see. And not just any guild members, the highest-ranking ones at that.
Just like Nufort had heard, they had no mercy for the sick and injured. They expected Nufort to carry his weight and to follow them at their speed. They were not even slowing down for him to catch up.
"Hey boy, I am sure the information you gave us was not all there was to it. The government is not such a nice body to come running after a few complaints. So, something major must have happened to make them move."
Master Shinzou summarizes easily and Nufort flinched. He tried not to let those words get to him but it was a little difficult.
Especially when those words hit too close to home and Nufort did not want to admit it. To him, the government had been a place he had run away to.
No matter how bad or ugly the truth was, there would always be a silver lining in the government sector for Nufort. He did not want to hear it being insulted by anyone.
"Do not say that. The government was concerned about this issue. E-Even if something big did happen, they were always going to take care of this problem for the people."
Nufort's lies sounded hollow to his ears. Master Shinzou and Shimi, both scoffed at his words. They did not believe his words and Nufort did not blame them.
"A-Anyway, it was said that the son of a highly influential family, Steward went missing while he was down here a few days ago. There is an order to find him."
Nufort told the news that was being kept under lock and key. But he had a feeling it would not matter even if he told these people everything.
Even now, they seemed uninterested that an important life was in danger or anything.
"Ah, I know who *that* person is. Isn't Frank Steward the current Minister of Revenue? Is the person someone related to him?"
The kid, Clair spoke up suddenly. She sounded interested but bored with the conversation at the same time. It made Nufort blush because of mixed humiliation and curiosity.
"Y-Yes, you can say so. I cannot tell you anything else regarding that since it is a national secret but I do know that the child went missing here so now we need to find him. W-Well, him, and everyone else who went missing."
Nufort quickly corrected himself to not forget all the other people who were stuck there. He did not want those people to be forgotten as well.
Somehow, no one seemed surprised or even curious at his slip of the tongue. The people from the guild just did not care about him or the government.
"Hmm, good luck with that. We will not be able to help you for the most part so make sure you do not die."
Master Fushi showed some compassion but her words were not reassuring. They were more of a curse to Nufort than comfort at any point.
"I-I will try my best."
Nufort felt nervous once he had all the eyes and expectations aimed at him. The attention that had once come naturally to him was no longer what he carved or wanted.
"Hey everyone, stop. I think we have reached the unknown territory. There is a weird feeling this place is giving me. Be on alert and look out for any danger."
Clair quickly warned and Nufort's eyes moved quickly toward the Grandmaster. He did not know why or how, but the green-haired man had managed to not attract his attention until now.
But now that Nufort looked at the Grandmaster, he could not take his eyes off the powerful man.
'H-How did I not notice the Grandmaster all this time? I am sure I saw him before and I even made a note. I should have also realized that the Grandmaster was here when I saw both Master Shinzou and Master Fushi here. Then how, and why did I miss this?'
Nufort was sweating suddenly due to shock and paranoia.
He was sure his situational awareness was not this bad so how could he be in this position? Was it because he was lacking so much?
'Or maybe the Grandmaster is such a huge existence that a mere mortal like me could never understand him. Yeah, that must be it. I am just thinking too much.'
Nufort comforted himself. He had always made excuses for himself so this part was no different. He knew how to keep himself from feeling the maximum amount of guilt anyway.
"Hey kid, you do know that we will not protect you if you get captured or injured, right? You need to carry your weight here."
Shimi reminded him for the third time in the past few hours and Nufort tried not to get annoyed with her.
Despite a beautiful face and looking like an angel, Shimi's mouth was anything but pure. She could tear you a new one quite easily and not even be in trouble for it.
Worst of all, she could make you feel like it was your fault you were in the mess you were. Like right now. Shimi's words made the man flinch and his face flushed in shame. He also quietly picked up his steps, not wanting to become a burden to this team.
Nufort did not doubt that he would be let go the second he became a hindrance to this team. And that was what drove him to keep up.
Nufort would have ignored everything and continued to walk behind this group, had his meter not beeped. But since it had and Nufort had been warned to never ignore it, he decided to pull it out.
"WARNING! WARNING! DANGEROUS LEVELS OF MANA AHEAD. THE USER IS CAUTIONED TO TURN BACK NOW AND CALL FOR BACKUP."
Nufort tried to calm down the device but it did not shoot up. In the end, Shimi grasped the device in her hand and it ended up cracking.
"We do not need advice from a half-baked thing like this. We will be alright no matter what happened. After all, we have our Grandmaster."