Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
We were just about to depart once more when Katolle called out to me.
“Alan-sama, if we depart at this time, I think it will already be evening when we finally reach the royal capital. If it’s alright with you, why don’t I go ahead of the rest of the convoy and arrange accommodations for us in advance?”
“Oh, I see. Yeah, that would really help. I was worried about that as well since it would take some time to hand over these many bandits to the authorities. Alright then. Take some of the clan members with you as escorts and go ahead of us to the city.”
“Understood.”
We talked about it to Adjutant Dalshim, and he arranged for Satellite Team 8 and Katolle’s merchant group to ride ahead on horseback. Fortunately, we managed to confiscate quite a few horses from the bandits, so there was no problem regarding the group’s mounts.
Although we did place most of the injured bandits in wagons, we still couldn’t forcibly increase the convoy’s speed, so we would probably reach the royal capital at around 5 o’clock in the afternoon if we continue at our current pace.
“Alan, I can see it already. Is that the royal capital?”
After we crested over a gently sloping hill, Elna, who I was sitting next to on the driver’s seat, pointed her finger forward.
“Oh, yeah, I think that’s it. It does deserve being called the royal capital. It’s pretty big alright.”
After zooming in to check it out, I found that the entire city was surrounded by walls that were probably about ten meters high, and a number of watchtowers taller than the walls.
The tallest building further in should be the royal castle. It was the first decorative building I’ve seen on this planet. It does have quite an atmosphere.
By the time we reached the main gate of the royal capital, the sun was already setting and it was getting dark. The gate was so large that even ten people working together might have trouble opening and closing it, and had six soldiers standing guard in front of it.
As expected of the royal capital’s guards, I guess. They were all unmoved even after seeing our numbers.
“Halt. Who are you all?”
“I am Alan, the leader of the adventurer Clan Shining Star. We are currently acting as escorts to Baron Volker Herring.”
I presented our guild I.D. like usual. One of the guards received it and proceeded to check it out.
“Shining Star huh? A-rank!? ……W-Wait. By Shining Star, do you mean the Clan of the Dragon Slayer!?”
“Uh, well, yes, I suppose.”
“Excuse me! Hey, hurry and call the captain over!”
One of the guards ran and headed for the guard station. It looks like rumors regarding Shining Star have really reached the royal capital huh.
Before long, a well-built man, who was probably the guard captain, appeared before us.
“I’m Shining Star’s Clan leader, Alan. We are currently accompanying Baron Volker Herring as his escorts.”
“I say. I didn’t think the vaunted Dragon Slayer was someone so young. I am Ralph, the captain of the main gate’s garrison. Pleased to meet you, lad.”
“Likewise. Actually, we were attacked by bandits earlier today. We’ve caught most of them and we’re thinking of turning them over to your custody…”
“My word! To think they would actually attack Shining Star. These bandits aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, are they? Very well. We’ll be glad to take them off your hands.”
At my signal, the bandits who were bound by ropes were pushed forward.
“Um…… Are all of these men bandits?”
“That’s right. There are still some who are injured tied up inside the wagons. Since they currently can’t walk by themselves, we’ll help you carry them over to where you want to hold them.”
“……How many of them are there?”
“Well, there are a hundred and forty-seven bandits in total.”
“A hundred and forty-seven! My word…… I’m sorry, but please wait for a short while. Oi! Hurry and call for urgent reinforcements.”
It looks like this will take some time after all. Uh, by the way, one of the baron’s attendants was standing right next to me with the baron’s coat of arms. Was it really okay to ignore him, guys?
As we waited for the guards to call in additional manpower, Katolle and the others who went ahead of us finally came over. It looks like they successfully managed to secure inns for us.
When I talked to the baron regarding his plans after we enter the city, he said he had a manor inside the royal capital, so he decided to go home first.
The baron will come to the castle tomorrow and report to his superior. He told me that I would probably be summoned the day after tomorrow at the earliest, and depending on how it goes, he’ll send someone to the inn we’ll be staying at to inform me accordingly.
In the end, it took about an hour to finish handing over all of the captured bandits.
The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon and it was now quite dark.
After discussing the bounty with the garrison captain, we finally passed through the royal capital’s main gate.
As expected of a place designated as the royal capital. The size of the roads and the density of people were incomparable to this country’s average cities. The downtown area we were currently walking around in was rife with the hustle and bustle of people. I’ve only encountered a similar kind of atmosphere in the empire.
Under Katolle’s lead, we walked for about fifteen minutes and finally arrived in front of one of the inns they booked for us. It was a bit further away from the busy downtown area, but not too far away to be inconvenient. And according to Katolle, this area of the city was actually crowded with inns.
“These are the inns we booked for us all. We booked the inn in front of us, the one right beside it, and the one right across the road for Shining Star.”
“Oh, that sounds great. But weren’t there already customers staying at the inns when you booked them?”
“There were, but we had them move to other inns and paid them appropriately for the trouble. Did we do something unnecessary?”
“No, that’s not it. I would probably do the same thing as you anyway. But it’s impressive that you were able to do so much in such a short amount of time.”
“Well, actually, I have an uncle who’s also a merchant based here in the royal capital. I borrowed some of his staff and had them help me out.”
“Hee, I see. I guess I’ll have to pay my respects to your uncle later on then.”
“You don’t have to, Alan-sama! I’ll have my uncle pay you a visit instead.”
“It’s fine. He’s helped us out, so the least I could do is pay my respects to him in return. Let’s visit him tomorrow.”
“……Thank you very much.”
I told them they could book any inn as long as it had a bath facility available, but it looks like they managed to book a fairly luxurious inn, although it doesn’t seem to be the finest in the city.
Because it was the royal capital, the competition here was quite fierce. We managed to book rooms for just 300 Guineas a night, which was cheaper compared to the prices of the rooms we booked in the past. It was perfect for an extended stay.
When I asked Katolle about it, he told me all three inns were recommended by his uncle. As expected, it was best to ask the locals about the ins and outs of the royal capital after all.
I had nothing to criticize regarding the rooms and the bath, and the food gets a passing mark as well. It was a fairly good inn since they were able to swiftly accommodate a good number of people who suddenly arrived without warning.
We just came from a battle today and I was feeling tired from traveling as well, so I decided to rest up early and headed up to my room.
(Iris.)
『Yes, Captain.』
(I would like to get in contact with people who can help us out regarding our plans for influencing religion. Do you have some info regarding that for me?)
『I thought you’d ask, so I already selected a suitable individual you can get in contact with.』
A virtual window went up in front of me and displayed the image of a man who looked like he was in his early forties.
『This is the Atlas Church’s Bishop Gertner.』
(Hou. A bishop is a pretty high position in the church, right?)
『That’s correct. Normally, a man as young as him wouldn’t be able to become a bishop.』
(I’m not that familiar regarding their religion, but does that mean he’s just that virtuous and exemplary?)
『I’m not sure about that, but it’s often rumored that he achieved his current position through bribes.』,
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
(Oi, oi, is it really okay to choose that person to cooperate with? Or are you saying that was merely a rumor and the truth of the matter is otherwise?)
『No, it’s probably true. Actually, he seems to advocate a rather high-handed approach when it comes to collecting donations from some believers and practically extorts considerable sums from them.』
(Un, I see. So he’s a guy who moves for money huh. But still……)
『Even so, he seems to be rather respected by those close to him and treated as a virtuous clergyman.』
(And why’s that?)
『He spends most of the church’s earnings as well as his own personal wealth to support orphans. He is the actual owner of all the orphanages scattered around the royal capital and the neighboring cities.』
(Hou, so that’s how it is huh.)
The money was mostly earned through unsavory means, but if most of that money was used to support orphans, then that painted a different picture. For people like me who weren’t so into religion, he might certainly appear to be more virtuous compared to your typical clergyman.
Hmm. But if he really was a devout believer of the church, then how could he bear to make use of it for his own personal ends, even if the goal does seem to be noble?
There’s a possibility that he really wasn’t such a devout believer after all and was just conveniently taking advantage of the church’s established system.
I guess he thinks the end justifies the means.
(I understand. I’ll try to get in contact with this person then.)
It’s decided. My plan for tomorrow is to walk around the royal capital.
*Baron Volker’s POV
I went to the castle at exactly 10 in the morning, and I was allowed to enter inside as soon as I told the castle guards that I was summoned by Marquis Burke. It looks like they were already informed of my visit. The chamberlain met up with me as soon as I stepped inside and led me to the marquis’ office.
It seems that the marquis was in the middle of a meeting with two men who were unfamiliar to me. The moment I was shown inside, the two men immediately excused themselves and left the room.
I knelt in front of the marquis and bowed my head down.
“Volker huh. You seem to have returned last night.”
“Yes. I was safely escorted back to the royal capital by Alan-dono and his Clan, Shining Star.”
“That seems to be the case. So how was it? Did you succeed?”
“Unfortunately, the negotiations regarding the dragon’s magic stone fell through. I am truly sorry for my failure.”
“Hmph. He seems to be acting rather high and mighty for a mere adventurer. So, which territory did he choose in the end?”
“Alan-dono seemed to be rather interested in the Great Demon Forest, so I tried to recommend granting it as his territory.
When I did so, he seemed to be really taken with the idea, so we reached a deal with the condition that he will be able to expand his lands without limit as long as he is able to lay claim to the land through his own strength.
In exchange for allowing him to expand technically without limit, he agreed to give us both dragon fangs in return.”
“………The Great Demon Forest, you say!? Well now! This certainly is a masterpiece! To think he’d actually choose that damned forest! As I thought, uneducated commoners really just amount to this much. Pah. A forest! And that forest to boot! Fuhahahaha!”
Hmph. If you really underestimate Alan-dono as someone uneducated and without sense, he will probably pull the rug from under you when you least expect it.
A leader who managed to assemble such a formidable force under him cannot be a mere lucky fool.
The trust and loyalty of his men toward Alan-dono were quite considerable. But if the rumors about Alan-dono were all true, then that really wasn’t so surprising.
The story I related to the marquis earlier was something Alan-dono came up with. He strongly insisted that I give my report in this manner.
To be honest, I have no idea about what Alan-dono is actually thinking. Why go through all this trouble to lower his worth in the eyes of others……?
It’s possible that he may just be doing this as a favor to me, but I do not think he is a man who would purposefully lower his standing just to sell a favor.
I could not fathom his intentions no matter how I thought about it, but I will gladly follow his instructions for Rina’s sake.
“However, Volker, I did not think you would be such a capable man. It seems I have misunderstood you. Well done.”
“I thank you for your praise, My Lord.”
“As promised, I shall let the matter regarding Rina slide. However, do not think for one moment that you are now considered a part of our clan with this. I merely acknowledge you as Rina’s partner and nothing more. Understood?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Very well. I now feel like meeting that man called Alan myself. Have him come see me tomorrow morning. I shall prepare the contract with the conditions you agreed upon, so have him bring the dragon fangs with him as well.”
“Certainly, My Lord. ……Um, what about the matter of Alan-dono taming a dragon?”
“Ah, yes, I have heard of it. However, I have only heard of such a story through unreliable rumors.”
“When I conducted an investigation in Gantz, I was able to find many witnesses who claimed that they personally witnessed a dragon carrying another dragon and dropping it near the city.”
“That seems to be the case. But the words of mere commoners are simply too unreliable. I have already sent my men to gather intelligence, and they will be returning soon. Do you have anything else to report?”
“No more, My Lord.”
“Then you may go. Ah, and take this with you.”
The marquis took a leather bag from the drawer and threw it to me. Judging from its weight, it seems to contain quite a number of gold coins. It was rather surprising for me to receive this much as a reward for my services, especially coming from the marquis.
“I truly thank you for your kindness, My Lord! I shall be excusing myself.”
I left the office immediately in order to avoid offending the marquis.
Haah. It’s finally over. I’m sure Rina will be quite happy. Oh, right. I’ll buy Rina a bunch of her favorite lily flowers before going home.
Just as I decided last night, I will proceed with walking around the royal capital today. We’ll be staying here for quite a while, so it would be better to get an adequate grasp of the lay of the land before anything else.
Cleria and the others said they would be shopping today, so we decided to split up. First, I need to pay a visit to Katolle’s uncle together with him and his merchant team.
Katolle seems to have visited the royal capital three times in the past already, and he seems to have a good handle on the place. Katolle’s uncle who was living here was actually Tarus-san’s younger brother. He was apparently five years younger than Tarus-san.
“This is my uncle’s shop.”
“Hou, he has quite the big establishment. I already anticipated it wouldn’t be a small shop, but this is more than I expected.”
“It’s a specialty store that mainly handles grains. If it’s limited to trading grains, my uncle’s store would be able to compete for the number one or two spot in the royal capital.”
“Hou, that sounds pretty amazing.”
We promptly entered the building, and Katolle announced the purpose of our visit. We were then guided to what seemed to be a consultation room. It looks like the employees were rather familiar with Katolle and treated him appropriately as their boss’s relative.
Before long, a man in his forties who looked a lot like Tarus-san entered the room.
“What’s going on, Katolle? ……And, pardon me for asking, but who is this person?”
“This person is Shining Star’s Clan leader, Alan-sama.”
“Ooh, so this is him! My name is Turner, Katolle’s uncle. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Alan. I’m glad to meet you as well. We’ve really been in your care yesterday. Thank you.”
“It wasn’t much. Please do not hesitate to consult me about anything at any time. You are looking after Katolle as well after all. And if it’s for you, the vaunted Bandit Hunter, Alan-sama, I would be willing to go the extra mile no matter the request.”
We were served some tea and started to chat. He seems to be really interested in the rumors surrounding Shining Star that were circulating in the royal capital.
It looks like we’ve really become the talk of the town. However, it seems that rather than Shining Star’s accomplishments, what they were particularly interested in more was our earnings.
Well, the merchants who participated in the auction should all have a rough idea about how much money we managed to earn for ourselves.
If you go to a bar in the capital, it seems that this topic was the most popular one.
After chatting with Turner-san for an hour or so, we decided to leave so as not to disturb his business further.
When I told him I would be visiting the church, Katolle displayed a complicated expression and said he would be collecting information about the royal capital in his uncle’s store instead, together with the rest of the merchant team. It looks like Katolle and the others weren’t exactly devout believers huh.
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
I headed for the church under the guidance of Iris. Come to think of it, this would be my first time visiting a church on this planet huh.
The main chapel of the church was open to the public, and everyone could enter to pray. First, let me check out the statue of the famous goddess, Ruminas.
The church was significantly larger than most of the buildings in the royal capital and sported two tall towers. Its walls were also adorned in fancy-looking decorations and looked very, uh, church-y.
It resembled the churches found in most human-inhabited planets under the empire. Do humans instinctively find such designs solemn, I wonder? How interesting.
After entering the chapel, the first thing that garnered my attention was the statue of the goddess. It was fairly large. It was probably about eight meters or so, I think. Its form was that of a very beautiful young woman in her twenties whose hands were folded in prayer.
A large eagle-like bird was perched on one of her shoulders. So I suppose that would be her apostle, Yzak, huh.
So the drones were mistaken for this kind of bird?
I mixed with the throng of believers who were offering their prayers sincerely and scanned the place for church officials. Oh, there they are. I saw two women wearing black dresses of similar design talking among themselves.
(Iris, are those people related to the church?)
『That is correct. They are female church officials called Sisters.』
Let’s get to business then.
“Excuse me. I would like to meet with Bishop Gertner if possible. Is he available?”
“Bishop Gertner……?”
Both of the sisters looked toward me when I mentioned Bishop Gertner’s name. Oops, I forgot the most important part.
“I would like to ask for a consultation and make a donation to the church as well.”
After saying so, I took out the ten gold coins I prepared for this occasion last night and showed the coins to them. In this country, it was actually customary to put the donations in inconspicuous leather pouches, but I showed it to them intentionally.
Shelling out a hundred thousand Guineas just to meet with the good bishop seemed like an exorbitant expense, but by doing so, I would be nearly guaranteed an audience.
“P-Please wait a moment, good sir. I shall confirm it with His Excellency.”
It looks like I managed to successfully clear the first hurdle. After a short while, the sister came back.
“Bishop Gertner has agreed to meet with you, sir. Please come with me.”
I was led inside the inner chambers of the large church building until we reached a large and ornate door. The sister stopped in front, gave the door a few knocks, and opened it afterward.
“I have brought you the layman who wanted to consult you, Your Excellency.”
“Please enter.”
The room was fairly large, with an equally large bookshelf and a luxurious-looking lounge suite, yet it radiated an elegant charm that seemed quite suitable for a high-ranking member of the clergy.
“Good day, Your Excellency. I am Alan, the leader of the Shining Star Clan.”
After introducing myself, I showed the good bishop my guild I.D.
“……Hou. So you are the person who managed to subjugate a dragon, are you not?”
“That is correct.”
Was it just my imagination, or did the light within the bishop’s eyes suddenly change? Anyway, I better hand over the donation before I forget.
“First, please receive this, Your Excellency. I’ve had something bothering me lately, and the first thing that came to my mind when we reached the royal capital was to make a donation to the church.”
The sister approached me with a small tray in hand, so I placed the gold coins on top of it.
“The Goddess will surely answer your sincere prayers.”
After saying a rather priestly line, the bishop nodded toward the sister.
“Please, have a seat.”
After being prompted by the bishop, I sat on the sofa while another sister made some tea for me. I guess the donation really did the trick.
The sisters left the room, and the bishop sat on a sofa opposite mine so we could talk face to face.
“I was told you wanted to consult me with something?”
“That’s correct. Actually, I’ve been having the same dream repeatedly.”
“Hou. What sort of dream?”
“It’s a dream about the apostle, Yzak.”
“Oh, there are many people who experience something like that. Perhaps Yzak-sama is blessing you due to your devout and earnest prayers. That is most likely the case.”
“At first, I also thought the same. However, strange things began happening lately.”
“Hou. What sort of things?”
“I often dream of the apostle appearing, and later on, he does appear in the exact same situation and manner I saw in my dreams.”
The bishop’s expression subtly changed. It might be just my imagination, but he seemed a bit apprehensive.
Ah, maybe he’s actually doubting my sanity?
“What do you mean by that?”
“During the evening three days ago, I dreamt of the apostle appearing once again. In my dream, the sun was just about to set. Then, in the evening of the next day, just before the sun began to set, the apostle really appeared.”
“……I see. Perhaps the apostle was especially giving you his blessings. It would be good if you continue to treasure your faith and do your best according to the teachings. Now then, I should be going.”
“I also had a similar dream last night.”
The good bishop seems to have decided I was a no-good fellow and tried to wrap the consultation up. Since that was the case, I immediately cut to the chase.
“I had a dream that the apostle will appear after the clock strikes twelve.”
The bell signaling it was 12 o’clock in the afternoon began to ring in the distance. The timing was perfect.
(D-1, cancel Stealth Mode.)
『Roger.』
“Then are you saying that the apostle will appear by the time the bell stops ringing?”
“That’s what I believe.”
There was an awkward silence in the room.
“……That may be the case. As I said earlier, continue to treasure your faith and devotion to the Goddess.”
And then, we heard frantic knocking sounds, followed by a sister hurriedly entering the room.
“Your Excellency! I’m sorry for barging in while you were in the middle of consultation! But the apostle has made his appearance in the skies of the royal capital once more after his last visit half a year ago!”
“What did you say!? Is that true?”
The bishop started running outside, so I got up and followed after him. The outer church grounds were now filled with people looking up at the sky. Some people were even kneeling in prayer.
Ugh. It really seems like I’m trampling the faith of these people by pulling this stunt, and it’s making me feel quite guilty.
But it was necessary for me to build friendly relations with influential church officials no matter what for the sake of our future plans.
(D-1, raise your altitude and turn on Stealth Mode again after thirty seconds.)
『Roger.』
“How fast!”
“Ooh! He is already flying so high up in the sky!”
And so, the ‘apostle’ disappeared once more. After pulling his gaze away from the sky, the bishop turned to me with a bewildered look. I kept silent and simply nodded.
“……Alan-dono. Let us return to the room and continue our conversation.”
“Understood.”
When we returned to the room, the bishop asked me more about the details of my dreams with a completely changed attitude. He asked questions like how often, under what circumstances, and how many times I’ve had my ‘dreams’ to date, as well as their contents and if they always came true the day after.
“Like I said earlier Your Excellency, I do not know when I would be having a dream and when they would come true. There were times when they came true after a day just like earlier, and there were times when they came true five days later. I really have no idea how it works. ……Can I consult with you again the next time I have such a dream?”
“But of course! Please feel free to come to the church anytime. I shall inform the person in charge to welcome you always. Ah, and since we received a large donation from you this time, we will not be needing any further donations from you for the time being. Surely, Goddess Ruminas would not want to place such a burden on the shoulders of a devout believer such as yourself.”
“I see. I understand.”
“Alan-dono, please be sure to visit us whenever you have such dreams, alright?”
“Yes, I shall make sure to do so.”
I guess this should be enough. It’s best not to overdo it.
I finally left the church with the bishop seeing me off. Now then, let’s have lunch somewhere and go back to the inn.
After returning to the inn, Dalshim called out to me. It seems one of the baron’s attendants visited the inn earlier to deliver a message.
The baron said he will accompany me to visit the castle tomorrow, and told me to prepare the dragon fangs as well.
The audience will be held at ten in the morning, but since he wanted to discuss something with me, the baron will be coming to the inn at 9 o’clock.
Finally huh. I wonder how it will go.
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
We were just about to depart once more when Katolle called out to me.
“Alan-sama, if we depart at this time, I think it will already be evening when we finally reach the royal capital. If it’s alright with you, why don’t I go ahead of the rest of the convoy and arrange accommodations for us in advance?”
“Oh, I see. Yeah, that would really help. I was worried about that as well since it would take some time to hand over these many bandits to the authorities. Alright then. Take some of the clan members with you as escorts and go ahead of us to the city.”
“Understood.”
We talked about it to Adjutant Dalshim, and he arranged for Satellite Team 8 and Katolle’s merchant group to ride ahead on horseback. Fortunately, we managed to confiscate quite a few horses from the bandits, so there was no problem regarding the group’s mounts.
Although we did place most of the injured bandits in wagons, we still couldn’t forcibly increase the convoy’s speed, so we would probably reach the royal capital at around 5 o’clock in the afternoon if we continue at our current pace.
“Alan, I can see it already. Is that the royal capital?”
After we crested over a gently sloping hill, Elna, who I was sitting next to on the driver’s seat, pointed her finger forward.
“Oh, yeah, I think that’s it. It does deserve being called the royal capital. It’s pretty big alright.”
After zooming in to check it out, I found that the entire city was surrounded by walls that were probably about ten meters high, and a number of watchtowers taller than the walls.
The tallest building further in should be the royal castle. It was the first decorative building I’ve seen on this planet. It does have quite an atmosphere.
By the time we reached the main gate of the royal capital, the sun was already setting and it was getting dark. The gate was so large that even ten people working together might have trouble opening and closing it, and had six soldiers standing guard in front of it.
As expected of the royal capital’s guards, I guess. They were all unmoved even after seeing our numbers.
“Halt. Who are you all?”
“I am Alan, the leader of the adventurer Clan Shining Star. We are currently acting as escorts to Baron Volker Herring.”
I presented our guild I.D. like usual. One of the guards received it and proceeded to check it out.
“Shining Star huh? A-rank!? ……W-Wait. By Shining Star, do you mean the Clan of the Dragon Slayer!?”
“Uh, well, yes, I suppose.”
“Excuse me! Hey, hurry and call the captain over!”
One of the guards ran and headed for the guard station. It looks like rumors regarding Shining Star have really reached the royal capital huh.
Before long, a well-built man, who was probably the guard captain, appeared before us.
“I’m Shining Star’s Clan leader, Alan. We are currently accompanying Baron Volker Herring as his escorts.”
“I say. I didn’t think the vaunted Dragon Slayer was someone so young. I am Ralph, the captain of the main gate’s garrison. Pleased to meet you, lad.”
“Likewise. Actually, we were attacked by bandits earlier today. We’ve caught most of them and we’re thinking of turning them over to your custody…”
“My word! To think they would actually attack Shining Star. These bandits aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, are they? Very well. We’ll be glad to take them off your hands.”
At my signal, the bandits who were bound by ropes were pushed forward.
“Um…… Are all of these men bandits?”
“That’s right. There are still some who are injured tied up inside the wagons. Since they currently can’t walk by themselves, we’ll help you carry them over to where you want to hold them.”
“……How many of them are there?”
“Well, there are a hundred and forty-seven bandits in total.”
“A hundred and forty-seven! My word…… I’m sorry, but please wait for a short while. Oi! Hurry and call for urgent reinforcements.”
It looks like this will take some time after all. Uh, by the way, one of the baron’s attendants was standing right next to me with the baron’s coat of arms. Was it really okay to ignore him, guys?
As we waited for the guards to call in additional manpower, Katolle and the others who went ahead of us finally came over. It looks like they successfully managed to secure inns for us.
When I talked to the baron regarding his plans after we enter the city, he said he had a manor inside the royal capital, so he decided to go home first.
The baron will come to the castle tomorrow and report to his superior. He told me that I would probably be summoned the day after tomorrow at the earliest, and depending on how it goes, he’ll send someone to the inn we’ll be staying at to inform me accordingly.
In the end, it took about an hour to finish handing over all of the captured bandits.
The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon and it was now quite dark.
After discussing the bounty with the garrison captain, we finally passed through the royal capital’s main gate.
As expected of a place designated as the royal capital. The size of the roads and the density of people were incomparable to this country’s average cities. The downtown area we were currently walking around in was rife with the hustle and bustle of people. I’ve only encountered a similar kind of atmosphere in the empire.
Under Katolle’s lead, we walked for about fifteen minutes and finally arrived in front of one of the inns they booked for us. It was a bit further away from the busy downtown area, but not too far away to be inconvenient. And according to Katolle, this area of the city was actually crowded with inns.
“These are the inns we booked for us all. We booked the inn in front of us, the one right beside it, and the one right across the road for Shining Star.”
“Oh, that sounds great. But weren’t there already customers staying at the inns when you booked them?”
“There were, but we had them move to other inns and paid them appropriately for the trouble. Did we do something unnecessary?”
“No, that’s not it. I would probably do the same thing as you anyway. But it’s impressive that you were able to do so much in such a short amount of time.”
“Well, actually, I have an uncle who’s also a merchant based here in the royal capital. I borrowed some of his staff and had them help me out.”
“Hee, I see. I guess I’ll have to pay my respects to your uncle later on then.”
“You don’t have to, Alan-sama! I’ll have my uncle pay you a visit instead.”
“It’s fine. He’s helped us out, so the least I could do is pay my respects to him in return. Let’s visit him tomorrow.”
“……Thank you very much.”
I told them they could book any inn as long as it had a bath facility available, but it looks like they managed to book a fairly luxurious inn, although it doesn’t seem to be the finest in the city.
Because it was the royal capital, the competition here was quite fierce. We managed to book rooms for just 300 Guineas a night, which was cheaper compared to the prices of the rooms we booked in the past. It was perfect for an extended stay.
When I asked Katolle about it, he told me all three inns were recommended by his uncle. As expected, it was best to ask the locals about the ins and outs of the royal capital after all.
I had nothing to criticize regarding the rooms and the bath, and the food gets a passing mark as well. It was a fairly good inn since they were able to swiftly accommodate a good number of people who suddenly arrived without warning.
We just came from a battle today and I was feeling tired from traveling as well, so I decided to rest up early and headed up to my room.
(Iris.)
『Yes, Captain.』
(I would like to get in contact with people who can help us out regarding our plans for influencing religion. Do you have some info regarding that for me?)
『I thought you’d ask, so I already selected a suitable individual you can get in contact with.』
A virtual window went up in front of me and displayed the image of a man who looked like he was in his early forties.
『This is the Atlas Church’s Bishop Gertner.』
(Hou. A bishop is a pretty high position in the church, right?)
『That’s correct. Normally, a man as young as him wouldn’t be able to become a bishop.』
(I’m not that familiar regarding their religion, but does that mean he’s just that virtuous and exemplary?)
『I’m not sure about that, but it’s often rumored that he achieved his current position through bribes.』,
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
(Oi, oi, is it really okay to choose that person to cooperate with? Or are you saying that was merely a rumor and the truth of the matter is otherwise?)
『No, it’s probably true. Actually, he seems to advocate a rather high-handed approach when it comes to collecting donations from some believers and practically extorts considerable sums from them.』
(Un, I see. So he’s a guy who moves for money huh. But still……)
『Even so, he seems to be rather respected by those close to him and treated as a virtuous clergyman.』
(And why’s that?)
『He spends most of the church’s earnings as well as his own personal wealth to support orphans. He is the actual owner of all the orphanages scattered around the royal capital and the neighboring cities.』
(Hou, so that’s how it is huh.)
The money was mostly earned through unsavory means, but if most of that money was used to support orphans, then that painted a different picture. For people like me who weren’t so into religion, he might certainly appear to be more virtuous compared to your typical clergyman.
Hmm. But if he really was a devout believer of the church, then how could he bear to make use of it for his own personal ends, even if the goal does seem to be noble?
There’s a possibility that he really wasn’t such a devout believer after all and was just conveniently taking advantage of the church’s established system.
I guess he thinks the end justifies the means.
(I understand. I’ll try to get in contact with this person then.)
It’s decided. My plan for tomorrow is to walk around the royal capital.
*Baron Volker’s POV
I went to the castle at exactly 10 in the morning, and I was allowed to enter inside as soon as I told the castle guards that I was summoned by Marquis Burke. It looks like they were already informed of my visit. The chamberlain met up with me as soon as I stepped inside and led me to the marquis’ office.
It seems that the marquis was in the middle of a meeting with two men who were unfamiliar to me. The moment I was shown inside, the two men immediately excused themselves and left the room.
I knelt in front of the marquis and bowed my head down.
“Volker huh. You seem to have returned last night.”
“Yes. I was safely escorted back to the royal capital by Alan-dono and his Clan, Shining Star.”
“That seems to be the case. So how was it? Did you succeed?”
“Unfortunately, the negotiations regarding the dragon’s magic stone fell through. I am truly sorry for my failure.”
“Hmph. He seems to be acting rather high and mighty for a mere adventurer. So, which territory did he choose in the end?”
“Alan-dono seemed to be rather interested in the Great Demon Forest, so I tried to recommend granting it as his territory.
When I did so, he seemed to be really taken with the idea, so we reached a deal with the condition that he will be able to expand his lands without limit as long as he is able to lay claim to the land through his own strength.
In exchange for allowing him to expand technically without limit, he agreed to give us both dragon fangs in return.”
“………The Great Demon Forest, you say!? Well now! This certainly is a masterpiece! To think he’d actually choose that damned forest! As I thought, uneducated commoners really just amount to this much. Pah. A forest! And that forest to boot! Fuhahahaha!”
Hmph. If you really underestimate Alan-dono as someone uneducated and without sense, he will probably pull the rug from under you when you least expect it.
A leader who managed to assemble such a formidable force under him cannot be a mere lucky fool.
The trust and loyalty of his men toward Alan-dono were quite considerable. But if the rumors about Alan-dono were all true, then that really wasn’t so surprising.
The story I related to the marquis earlier was something Alan-dono came up with. He strongly insisted that I give my report in this manner.
To be honest, I have no idea about what Alan-dono is actually thinking. Why go through all this trouble to lower his worth in the eyes of others……?
It’s possible that he may just be doing this as a favor to me, but I do not think he is a man who would purposefully lower his standing just to sell a favor.
I could not fathom his intentions no matter how I thought about it, but I will gladly follow his instructions for Rina’s sake.
“However, Volker, I did not think you would be such a capable man. It seems I have misunderstood you. Well done.”
“I thank you for your praise, My Lord.”
“As promised, I shall let the matter regarding Rina slide. However, do not think for one moment that you are now considered a part of our clan with this. I merely acknowledge you as Rina’s partner and nothing more. Understood?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Very well. I now feel like meeting that man called Alan myself. Have him come see me tomorrow morning. I shall prepare the contract with the conditions you agreed upon, so have him bring the dragon fangs with him as well.”
“Certainly, My Lord. ……Um, what about the matter of Alan-dono taming a dragon?”
“Ah, yes, I have heard of it. However, I have only heard of such a story through unreliable rumors.”
“When I conducted an investigation in Gantz, I was able to find many witnesses who claimed that they personally witnessed a dragon carrying another dragon and dropping it near the city.”
“That seems to be the case. But the words of mere commoners are simply too unreliable. I have already sent my men to gather intelligence, and they will be returning soon. Do you have anything else to report?”
“No more, My Lord.”
“Then you may go. Ah, and take this with you.”
The marquis took a leather bag from the drawer and threw it to me. Judging from its weight, it seems to contain quite a number of gold coins. It was rather surprising for me to receive this much as a reward for my services, especially coming from the marquis.
“I truly thank you for your kindness, My Lord! I shall be excusing myself.”
I left the office immediately in order to avoid offending the marquis.
Haah. It’s finally over. I’m sure Rina will be quite happy. Oh, right. I’ll buy Rina a bunch of her favorite lily flowers before going home.
Just as I decided last night, I will proceed with walking around the royal capital today. We’ll be staying here for quite a while, so it would be better to get an adequate grasp of the lay of the land before anything else.
Cleria and the others said they would be shopping today, so we decided to split up. First, I need to pay a visit to Katolle’s uncle together with him and his merchant team.
Katolle seems to have visited the royal capital three times in the past already, and he seems to have a good handle on the place. Katolle’s uncle who was living here was actually Tarus-san’s younger brother. He was apparently five years younger than Tarus-san.
“This is my uncle’s shop.”
“Hou, he has quite the big establishment. I already anticipated it wouldn’t be a small shop, but this is more than I expected.”
“It’s a specialty store that mainly handles grains. If it’s limited to trading grains, my uncle’s store would be able to compete for the number one or two spot in the royal capital.”
“Hou, that sounds pretty amazing.”
We promptly entered the building, and Katolle announced the purpose of our visit. We were then guided to what seemed to be a consultation room. It looks like the employees were rather familiar with Katolle and treated him appropriately as their boss’s relative.
Before long, a man in his forties who looked a lot like Tarus-san entered the room.
“What’s going on, Katolle? ……And, pardon me for asking, but who is this person?”
“This person is Shining Star’s Clan leader, Alan-sama.”
“Ooh, so this is him! My name is Turner, Katolle’s uncle. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Alan. I’m glad to meet you as well. We’ve really been in your care yesterday. Thank you.”
“It wasn’t much. Please do not hesitate to consult me about anything at any time. You are looking after Katolle as well after all. And if it’s for you, the vaunted Bandit Hunter, Alan-sama, I would be willing to go the extra mile no matter the request.”
We were served some tea and started to chat. He seems to be really interested in the rumors surrounding Shining Star that were circulating in the royal capital.
It looks like we’ve really become the talk of the town. However, it seems that rather than Shining Star’s accomplishments, what they were particularly interested in more was our earnings.
Well, the merchants who participated in the auction should all have a rough idea about how much money we managed to earn for ourselves.
If you go to a bar in the capital, it seems that this topic was the most popular one.
After chatting with Turner-san for an hour or so, we decided to leave so as not to disturb his business further.
When I told him I would be visiting the church, Katolle displayed a complicated expression and said he would be collecting information about the royal capital in his uncle’s store instead, together with the rest of the merchant team. It looks like Katolle and the others weren’t exactly devout believers huh.
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
I headed for the church under the guidance of Iris. Come to think of it, this would be my first time visiting a church on this planet huh.
The main chapel of the church was open to the public, and everyone could enter to pray. First, let me check out the statue of the famous goddess, Ruminas.
The church was significantly larger than most of the buildings in the royal capital and sported two tall towers. Its walls were also adorned in fancy-looking decorations and looked very, uh, church-y.
It resembled the churches found in most human-inhabited planets under the empire. Do humans instinctively find such designs solemn, I wonder? How interesting.
After entering the chapel, the first thing that garnered my attention was the statue of the goddess. It was fairly large. It was probably about eight meters or so, I think. Its form was that of a very beautiful young woman in her twenties whose hands were folded in prayer.
A large eagle-like bird was perched on one of her shoulders. So I suppose that would be her apostle, Yzak, huh.
So the drones were mistaken for this kind of bird?
I mixed with the throng of believers who were offering their prayers sincerely and scanned the place for church officials. Oh, there they are. I saw two women wearing black dresses of similar design talking among themselves.
(Iris, are those people related to the church?)
『That is correct. They are female church officials called Sisters.』
Let’s get to business then.
“Excuse me. I would like to meet with Bishop Gertner if possible. Is he available?”
“Bishop Gertner……?”
Both of the sisters looked toward me when I mentioned Bishop Gertner’s name. Oops, I forgot the most important part.
“I would like to ask for a consultation and make a donation to the church as well.”
After saying so, I took out the ten gold coins I prepared for this occasion last night and showed the coins to them. In this country, it was actually customary to put the donations in inconspicuous leather pouches, but I showed it to them intentionally.
Shelling out a hundred thousand Guineas just to meet with the good bishop seemed like an exorbitant expense, but by doing so, I would be nearly guaranteed an audience.
“P-Please wait a moment, good sir. I shall confirm it with His Excellency.”
It looks like I managed to successfully clear the first hurdle. After a short while, the sister came back.
“Bishop Gertner has agreed to meet with you, sir. Please come with me.”
I was led inside the inner chambers of the large church building until we reached a large and ornate door. The sister stopped in front, gave the door a few knocks, and opened it afterward.
“I have brought you the layman who wanted to consult you, Your Excellency.”
“Please enter.”
The room was fairly large, with an equally large bookshelf and a luxurious-looking lounge suite, yet it radiated an elegant charm that seemed quite suitable for a high-ranking member of the clergy.
“Good day, Your Excellency. I am Alan, the leader of the Shining Star Clan.”
After introducing myself, I showed the good bishop my guild I.D.
“……Hou. So you are the person who managed to subjugate a dragon, are you not?”
“That is correct.”
Was it just my imagination, or did the light within the bishop’s eyes suddenly change? Anyway, I better hand over the donation before I forget.
“First, please receive this, Your Excellency. I’ve had something bothering me lately, and the first thing that came to my mind when we reached the royal capital was to make a donation to the church.”
The sister approached me with a small tray in hand, so I placed the gold coins on top of it.
“The Goddess will surely answer your sincere prayers.”
After saying a rather priestly line, the bishop nodded toward the sister.
“Please, have a seat.”
After being prompted by the bishop, I sat on the sofa while another sister made some tea for me. I guess the donation really did the trick.
The sisters left the room, and the bishop sat on a sofa opposite mine so we could talk face to face.
“I was told you wanted to consult me with something?”
“That’s correct. Actually, I’ve been having the same dream repeatedly.”
“Hou. What sort of dream?”
“It’s a dream about the apostle, Yzak.”
“Oh, there are many people who experience something like that. Perhaps Yzak-sama is blessing you due to your devout and earnest prayers. That is most likely the case.”
“At first, I also thought the same. However, strange things began happening lately.”
“Hou. What sort of things?”
“I often dream of the apostle appearing, and later on, he does appear in the exact same situation and manner I saw in my dreams.”
The bishop’s expression subtly changed. It might be just my imagination, but he seemed a bit apprehensive.
Ah, maybe he’s actually doubting my sanity?
“What do you mean by that?”
“During the evening three days ago, I dreamt of the apostle appearing once again. In my dream, the sun was just about to set. Then, in the evening of the next day, just before the sun began to set, the apostle really appeared.”
“……I see. Perhaps the apostle was especially giving you his blessings. It would be good if you continue to treasure your faith and do your best according to the teachings. Now then, I should be going.”
“I also had a similar dream last night.”
The good bishop seems to have decided I was a no-good fellow and tried to wrap the consultation up. Since that was the case, I immediately cut to the chase.
“I had a dream that the apostle will appear after the clock strikes twelve.”
The bell signaling it was 12 o’clock in the afternoon began to ring in the distance. The timing was perfect.
(D-1, cancel Stealth Mode.)
『Roger.』
“Then are you saying that the apostle will appear by the time the bell stops ringing?”
“That’s what I believe.”
There was an awkward silence in the room.
“……That may be the case. As I said earlier, continue to treasure your faith and devotion to the Goddess.”
And then, we heard frantic knocking sounds, followed by a sister hurriedly entering the room.
“Your Excellency! I’m sorry for barging in while you were in the middle of consultation! But the apostle has made his appearance in the skies of the royal capital once more after his last visit half a year ago!”
“What did you say!? Is that true?”
The bishop started running outside, so I got up and followed after him. The outer church grounds were now filled with people looking up at the sky. Some people were even kneeling in prayer.
Ugh. It really seems like I’m trampling the faith of these people by pulling this stunt, and it’s making me feel quite guilty.
But it was necessary for me to build friendly relations with influential church officials no matter what for the sake of our future plans.
(D-1, raise your altitude and turn on Stealth Mode again after thirty seconds.)
『Roger.』
“How fast!”
“Ooh! He is already flying so high up in the sky!”
And so, the ‘apostle’ disappeared once more. After pulling his gaze away from the sky, the bishop turned to me with a bewildered look. I kept silent and simply nodded.
“……Alan-dono. Let us return to the room and continue our conversation.”
“Understood.”
When we returned to the room, the bishop asked me more about the details of my dreams with a completely changed attitude. He asked questions like how often, under what circumstances, and how many times I’ve had my ‘dreams’ to date, as well as their contents and if they always came true the day after.
“Like I said earlier Your Excellency, I do not know when I would be having a dream and when they would come true. There were times when they came true after a day just like earlier, and there were times when they came true five days later. I really have no idea how it works. ……Can I consult with you again the next time I have such a dream?”
“But of course! Please feel free to come to the church anytime. I shall inform the person in charge to welcome you always. Ah, and since we received a large donation from you this time, we will not be needing any further donations from you for the time being. Surely, Goddess Ruminas would not want to place such a burden on the shoulders of a devout believer such as yourself.”
“I see. I understand.”
“Alan-dono, please be sure to visit us whenever you have such dreams, alright?”
“Yes, I shall make sure to do so.”
I guess this should be enough. It’s best not to overdo it.
I finally left the church with the bishop seeing me off. Now then, let’s have lunch somewhere and go back to the inn.
After returning to the inn, Dalshim called out to me. It seems one of the baron’s attendants visited the inn earlier to deliver a message.
The baron said he will accompany me to visit the castle tomorrow, and told me to prepare the dragon fangs as well.
The audience will be held at ten in the morning, but since he wanted to discuss something with me, the baron will be coming to the inn at 9 o’clock.
Finally huh. I wonder how it will go.
