Volume 2 - CH 1

Awakened by the morning sun shining in my eyes, I raise my upper body from the bed.

For a moment, I was puzzled by the scenery, which was not my usual carriage ride, but I soon remembered.

I arrived at Andersen’s castle town yesterday and stayed at a hotel.

I let out one short breath.

Then I reached for the cigarette under my pillow, produced a lighter magic spell from my fingers, and lit it.

With a puff of smoke, I got out of bed, opened the curtains, and saw the center of Andersen, San Cezanne Street, in front of me.

The street is bustling with small horse-drawn carriages, magic carts, bicycles, and people.

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This should be a refreshing and motivating morning at work.

However, it is not.

Because of one thing.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

The female warrior is sitting on the couch, eating breakfast.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why ask? I-it’s not like it matters for you, isn’t it?”

“It does! Very! How did you get in here in the first place?”

Then, the woman pointed at the door, looking a little embarrassed.

I also looked in that direction, and there I saw a door that could not be called a door anymore, the knob of which had already been twisted miserably. If yo u ar e ab le to re ad thi s mes sa ge, yo u are re ad ing fro m an una utho rized agg rega te si te. Rea d at my Wor dPre ss at sta bbi ng wi th a syrin ge . ho me. bl og to supp ort me and my tran slat ions.

“Is this a joke? This is no longer funny. What the hell do you want with me, coming in here barging like that?”

“D-don’t get me wrong! It’s not like I want to be around you or anything!”

“Then just what are you planning here!?”

“Ummm, let’s see… yes, I just wanted that Blue Dragon Sword after all and thought I’d take it away from you while you were sleeping.”

Did she just openly declare theft?

I sigh with a puff of my cigarette.

“You know, putting aside my Blue Dragon Sword, if you just try to earn some money and buy a decent sword, you can still be a part of the Hero’s Party.”

The female warrior did not respond.

“You are strong beyond belief, and above all, you are beautiful.”

“R-really?”

The female warrior smiles as if she has just seen the light of day after going through a long and dark cave.

“Oh, it’s true. You are the perfect bride for a Hero. So, you can go home now.”

But as if something was wrong with what I said, her sunny expression instantly clouded over and her eyes, which were covered with the latticed shutters of her long eyelashes, held back heavy drops of tears.

“Why… why do you have to word it like that?”

Why indeed?

Since our business negotiations had broken down, and now that I had saved myself and my commodity from being robbed by doing everything I had in that duel, the relationship between this female warrior and me should have ended then and there.

Of course, it would be a lie if I said I was happy, being chased by a beauty of this caliber like her.

But more than that, I felt fear.

That’s because this woman is a red flag. If I let her continue to follow me, it is me who will be brought to ruin the next moment.

As I had these mixed thoughts, a single tear fell from the female warrior’s large, glistening eyes.

“Idiot!”

“Whoah!”

The warrior slapped me in the face, but did not make it as I tried my best to guard myself.

I avoided a fatal blow, but my body was blown away, and my back was slammed against the wall.

“I… I don’t care about you anymore…!!”

She shouted, and the female warrior kicked the door, which was already warped, to pieces and left.

○●

My stomach felt heavy that morning.

After I managed to fix the door with the Repaiyer spell, I changed into a pair of black pants, long sleeves, and a striped vest.

Repaiyer is a magic spell that restores things and a high-level magic spell that only a few merchants have mastered.

However, since I am not skilled in the spells to heal people, my ribs, which broke when I crashed into the wall earlier, are still in the same state.

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I left the keys at the front desk, walked onto San Cezanne Street, and headed for the cathedral, holding my ribs.

I decided to pay respects to the priestess first.

The Messianic clergy of the Andersen State Church has cathedrals usually located in the center of a city because of their authority, and in this Andersen neighborhood, their influence is even more obvious.

First was the San Cezanne Street, lined with major banks, large merchant houses, department stores, and hotels.

After that is the government office district, which is lined with brick-built ministries.

Then comes the domed Capitol building, which is the official residence of the high-ranking officials.

Last but not the least comes the cathedral, behind which there is only the military headquarters which also serves as a fortress when in need.

To make matters short, the country has a pecking order system that consists of the emperor, the military, the messianic church, the cabinet, the legislators, the bureaucrats, and the wealthy merchants, in that order.

Even the buildings seem to follow this order, probably because the higher the rank, the older the building. This ch ap ter tra nsl ation is ma de po ssib le by stab bi ng wi th a syr ing e tra nslat ions. Check on ly up-to-da te tr ansla ti ons on my Wor dpr ess si te.

Incidentally, a large river flows behind the castle, where warships and merchant vessels are scattered in all directions.

“Cities are formed along rivers,” as the saying goes.

This is a true statement from my father, who is also my mentor.

And you may feel like a big shot, having experienced such a tour along such a street surrounded by stately buildings.

Of course, the same goes for me as well.

The scenery is that good to witness with your own eyes.

However, you should be aware that reality is always never like that.

○●

When I arrived at the cathedral, I also sighed at its majestic appearance.

The beautiful arches and the mind-bogglingly minute decorations.

I am not from the Messianic world, so I cannot relate to their doctrines and ethics, but even I can say that their architecture, art, music, and other forms are worth a glance.

When I opened the door, red, blue, and yellow light shone through the stained glass windows in front of the building, and illuminated by this light, a boys’ and girls’ choir was practicing a chant.

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Their clear voices formed chords, and their tones bounced around the high ceiling.

I looked around to see where the priestess was, but I couldn’t see her.

I had no choice but to ask one of the sisters who was leading the choir, so I listened to the chanting for a while.

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid she’s out right now.”

The sister, dressed in religious uniform, apologetically informed us that the priestess was unavailable.

Well, meeting her personally wasn’t important, as I only intended to say hello today, thinking it would be good if she knew I was here.

While I was thinking about that, the sister opened her mouth again.

“Those children, what do you think of their voices?”

“Hm? Ah, the choir? The sound is beautiful, and the harmony is perfect. They surely have talent.”

“Wow, thank you.”

The sister then smiled at me, reminding me of the warmth of the sun.

She seems kind, doesn’t she?

She is about the same age as the female warrior.

Her soft expression gives me a gentle impression.

“By the way, do you have any idea where the priestess went or when she’ll be back?”

“I would love to, but whenever we ask, she would always say “It’s my job to show salvation to all the people of Andersen, so I can’t sit still in the cathedral,” or something like that, and then she’d go away.”

“Uhm, that was a very… eloquent thing to do.”

“What? Erotic?”