Chapter 69: Detour – Capital City Pedia

It had been several days since we left Ressal.

Eventually, we caught sight of a massive city surrounded by towering walls.

“So we really are stopping by the capital, huh?”

“Yeah. That place has everything.”

Our final destination was the coastal city of Anat—a harbor town on the westernmost edge of the country, known for its thriving fishing and salt industries.

It was on the complete opposite end of the country from my homeland, the Win territory.

So naturally, our path would take us through Pedia, the capital situated in the nation’s center.

“If we’re going through the middle anyway, we might as well stay a few days to gear up.”

“I’ve never been to the capital before! I’ve always wanted to see it at least once.”

Pedia was the most technologically advanced and commercially developed city in the country.

It was a place filled with top-quality weapons and armor you’d never find in the provinces, exquisite food, and the latest crafts and technologies.

Honestly, I’d always wanted to visit at least once.

“So this is your first time, huh, Irine? You really were a sheltered girl. What about you, Sakura? Ever been?”

“…No, this is my first time too.”

Living expenses in the capital were high, but we had a decent budget to work with.

We still had some of the funds provided by Prince Garius, plus Sayori helped us with travel money in Ressal, and Ilyu had even earned some coin by performing as a poet.

Worst case, we could always pick up a few requests near the capital to cover our needs.

“By the way, what kind of town is it?”

“I haven’t spent much time there myself, but… it’s kind of flashy, I guess.”

Karl rubbed his temple like he was remembering something unpleasant.

“The inns were stupidly expensive. I escorted a client to the capital, did a bit of sightseeing for a day, and there went my entire payment.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Every inn was priced like Ressal’s grand cathedral. Though yeah, the service was impeccable.”

…That expensive, huh?

Even if we do have some breathing room, staying there with this many people would drain our funds fast.

“In that case, perhaps we should keep our stay short.”

“Oh, it’s not that bad, really.”

As I drooped in disappointment at the thought of skipping sightseeing, Maika waved her hand with an exasperated look.

“Karl’s just an idiot. If you pick the right area, prices in the capital are just slightly above average—like ten percent more than normal towns.”

“Is that so?”

“The capital’s divided into districts. There’s the ‘noble area’ deep inside the inner walls, and the ‘commoner area’ that flourishes outside of them.”

So nobles and commoners have their own residential zones, huh.

Come to think of it, I’d heard rumors like that before—that the capital was steeped in authoritarianism and maintained a strict class divide between nobles and commoners.

“To enter the noble area, you need a special permit. Commoners like hired servants can only operate inside if they’re carrying one.”

“…I see.”

“So Karl got a permit as a ‘hired adventurer’ and went sightseeing in the noble district, just because he usually wouldn’t get the chance. Naturally, the inns there were insanely overpriced.”

“I just thought it’d be fine for one night…”

Ah, that explains it. No wonder it was expensive.

Actually, I’m surprised a commoner even could stay at a noble district inn.

“Inns in the noble area are technically geared toward commoners—like high-end merchants doing business with nobles.”

“Ah, I get it.”

“Some nobles from outside the capital use them too, but most just stay at the homes of noble acquaintances who invite them over.”

…So unless you have connections in the capital, those inns are basically your only option.

Connections among nobles really are everything.

“Is there a cathedral in the capital?”

“There are plenty. All the different sects have one.”

“If our goddess has a cathedral there, we might even get to stay for free. Um, Karl, what was her name again?”

“Goddess Sefa.”

Ah, that shady goddess. So she’s got a cathedral too.

Might be worth paying it a visit and hearing her mythology for myself.

I mean, technically she’s our boss, so knowing more about her wouldn’t hurt.

“Goddess Sefa doesn’t really come up much in the history of the heroes, does she?”

“Yeah, just some passing mentions in ancient times.”

“She’s probably just a minor goddess.”

There seem to be a decent number of her followers, but Sefa’s faith definitely isn’t the dominant one in this country.

She supposedly has a pretty long history, though…

“Ilyu, do you know much about goddesses?”

“Eh? Ah, well, kind of…”

“What kind of goddess is Sefa?”

“Uhh… umm… Sefa… Sefa… what kind of goddess was she again?”

Even the clergy themselves hardly knew anything about this goddess—was it really safe to put our faith in her?

…Come to think of it, why did Karl even start believing in such a minor goddess? Was he raised in a Sefa-worshipping household or something?

“Karl, have you always been a follower of Lady Sefa?”

“…To be honest, I didn’t even know there were that many different goddesses. I just genuinely believed in the idea of the ‘goddess’ itself.”

“Yeah, that’s actually how most people are. Hardly anyone knows all the specific kinds of goddesses out there.”

…Well, I didn’t either. So Karl wasn’t really a follower of the Church of Sefa per se—he was just a general believer in goddesses.

“For the average person… this country’s largest religion is the Church of Makro, right? So when people say ‘goddess,’ they’re usually picturing Lady Makro.”

“...The Church of Makro, huh.”

I’d definitely heard that name somewhere before. Probably picked it up in passing, since it’s the dominant religion.

My family never really put much stock into religion, though.

“They’re the religious group that had control over Ressal, right? I never got a good impression from them.”

“It’s not like the Church of Makro itself is evil—Korippa was the real problem.”

Ah, that’s right.

The cathedral in Ressal was affiliated with the Church of Makro.

“And I didn’t say anything earlier, but I’m pretty sure Aldebaran follows Makro too. That embroidery on her cloak…”

“Yeah, it was written in sacred script—‘ALDEBARAN.’ Only Makro clergy use that writing system.”

“Is that so?”

I didn’t really get it, but apparently that’s how it is.

So the so-called hero from the shady Makro sect back in Ressal was Aldebaran?

“So basically, Karl’s the chosen hero of a ‘completely unknown minor goddess,’ while Aldebaran’s the chosen hero of the ‘biggest mainstream goddess’?”

“…Can you not put it like that? You’re going to hurt Lady Sefa’s feelings.”

“But if even a nun doesn’t know her…”

Well, to be fair, that might just be because Ilyu’s an airhead.

“…Honestly, I can’t forgive the Church of Makro. I’ll never forget the cold, merciless eyes of those priests when I begged them to save Cain in that cathedral.”

“Rey…”

“If the goddess Makro really exists, I’ve got no end of grievances for her… I’d love to meet this Aldebaran and talk face to face.”

The look on Rey’s face was nothing short of chilling.

…Please don’t pick a fight. Aldebaran herself wasn’t really a bad person or anything.

“Our goddess and their goddess aren’t on friendly terms anyway. Chances are, we won’t be seeing much of her.”

“…That’s fine. I’m not insisting on it.”

Rey didn’t press the issue any further and quietly fell silent.

It seemed like he was still working through some feelings he hadn’t fully digested.

“Well, religious organizations are usually scum anyway. All they think about all day is how to twist their doctrines to bleed money from the faithful♪”

“Oi, you’re a nun.”

“Truly kind and devout people limit themselves to paying offerings and going on pilgrimages. Anyone who climbs the ranks in the church is basically a gold-chasing ghoul.”

Ilyu cut in, blabbering on like she was some grand authority.

…So what does that make you, trying to land a job at a cathedral?

“It’s a brilliant system—convince the masses with honeyed words, squeeze them dry without complaint. Whoever came up with the structure of organized religion was a genius.”

“You really should become a con artist.”

Honestly, Ilyu might not be cut out to be a nun.

Or maybe she’s the perfect fit, if religious institutions really are a con like she says.

“Well, regardless, we should definitely check out Sefa’s cathedral. If the church’s been raking it in through shady means, it’s only fair we get a piece of that pie.”

“Oi, Maika…”

“Karl’s just following orders from Lady Sefa, right? He deserves proper compensation.”

You don’t have to paint every religious group as some villainous syndicate.

Surely, there are some well-run and honest ones out there.

“Then first, let’s look for a cathedral in the commoner district. Capital prices are rough, and this time, staying in the cathedral might not be a bad idea.”

“They do separate by gender, right?”

“…Yeah, they do. But you’ll be crammed in a mixed-use dormitory with other guests.”

A shared sleeping hall, huh…

…Guess I’ll have to figure out how to keep up my training. Maybe sneak out at night?

“I’m fine with that. I’ve actually always wanted to offer a prayer at Lady Sefa’s church.”

“Well, do whatever you want.”

Come to think of it, Karl’s supposed to be a hero chosen by Sefa’s church, yet he’s never once visited one of her cathedrals.

…Well, I guess there just aren’t that many Sefa churches around.

“…It’s getting late. Let’s rest for tonight and head into the capital Pedia during the day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, if we walk there now, we’ll get in around midnight.”

With our plans for the capital settled, we decided to camp here for the night.

…As for training, I’ll just ask Rey to run me through some drills during the day.

If it’s that empty-handed form training he talks about, I can grunt and move around a bit and no one will think twice about it.

“All right, time to set up for bed.”

Still, I’m really looking forward to it. What kind of city will the capital be?

It must be far more developed than Yowin, the academic city where Yuri and the others live. There’s bound to be all sorts of interesting things.

All these encounters with the unknown—things I never could’ve seen if I’d just stayed holed up in a noble’s manor.

“Good night, Karl.”

“Yeah.”

I’m too excited to fall asleep. It’s that same feeling you get the night before a field trip.

If I do wake up in the middle of the night, maybe I’ll chat with Lev-chan, who’s on watch tonight.

Ah, I can’t wait────

────Zzz

---

"Fwaaah..."

Oh, morning already. I slept well.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but I actually did just fine. Guess my body’s still young.

"……"

Today’s the day we finally enter the capital.

Maybe I should try dressing like a proper noble for once, so I don’t come off as some country bumpkin.

…Then again, overdoing it might make me look more like a bumpkin.

"……"

"Good morning, Maika-san."

"……"

Thinking I’d get a second opinion, I tried talking to Maika, who was sleeping next to me.

But there was no reply.

"…Maika-san?"

"……"

Hmm, no response.

Karl must’ve done something again. Let’s ask someone else.

"Sakura-san, Sakura-san."

"Ah, good morning, Irine. Things have gotten rather amusing, you know?"

"Ah, I see. So it has turned into something amusing."

Oh, good. From the way Sakura’s talking, it doesn’t sound like we’re in any real danger.

Now then, what kind of nonsense has that guy gotten into this time?

"…I'll cut you down."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!!"

I glanced over—and there was the Silent Blade, sword drawn, in a deadlock with Karl.

How cheerful. A duel at swordpoint first thing in the morning.

"…Po. …Po-po."

Lev-chan was clutching her burning red cheeks and shaking her head side to side.

Hmm, hmm. So Rey’s furious because of something to do with Lev-chan.

"So, what exactly happened?"

"Apparently Lev confessed her love to Karl."

"Okay, it has turned into a situation."

Looks like Lev-chan was inspired by Sayori’s kiss.

From what I heard, she confessed to Karl last night.

Then, this morning, Rey found them in the same sleeping bag, all cozied up together.

"Did they do it?"

"According to Karl, she just snuck in without him noticing."

"Well, yeah. That’s definitely something to get Rey pissed off."

Now I get why Maika’s been unresponsive.

She’s probably still rebooting.

"Kiiiih! I’m not giving Lev-chan up so easily! Don’t think you’ve won just yet!"

"What is your position in all this, Ilyu?"

Right beside Rey and Karl, who are clashing swords, is a nun biting her handkerchief in bitter frustration.

Yeah, I have no idea what’s going on there, so I’ll just ignore it.

"Unless you defeat me, I won’t hand over my sister—!"

"I figured as much, but damn, you’re kind of a siscon, huh?!"

……

Welp. Nobody’s doing anything useful, so I guess I’ll go make breakfast.