23 – Aftermath (3)
The voice completely clears up.
No, to be precise, her voice is not as ordinary as a typical grandmother’s; it is definitely a more powerful voice… The speech pattern is completely different.
Unlike me, who was at a loss for words, Erin and the party members seemed calm, as if they already knew. Erin placed one hand on her chest and bowed, greeting.
“It’s been a while, Your Highness Lania. I’m glad to see that you have been well, as well as the nation.”
Upon hearing that, other party members also greeted accordingly, and I followed suit.
“…Surprising.”
For a moment, I thought it wasn’t Masakaki Yousa’s voice. How did she know how to speak so earnestly?
“Is it not appropriate to speak like this normally?”
It was a slightly low but feminine voice. It could be described as a calm and composed style. It sounded much more charming than the usual arrogant tone.
Although there seems to be a greater difference in speaking style…
“But she doesn’t call me ‘grandma’ in front of the involved party.”
Well, then she must be really crazy…
Queen Lenia of the Estere Kingdom smiled playfully and spoke to the representative from the Kingdom of Oji.
“Ohoho, Erin. It’s been such a long time.”
“It has indeed been a while, Sir Erin.”
Queen Lenia expressed her gratitude in response to Erin’s greeting.
“I’m really grateful for saving our kingdom like this.”
“No, it was a duty as a warrior.”
“Ohoho, other warriors from different countries have all refused the request from our kingdom.”
So, the story goes that the other country’s warriors are not even worthy of being called warriors. Speaking in such a sarcastic tone makes me even angrier.
She spoke, belittling all of us.
“I am deeply grateful for your hard work. I hope you all rest well during your stay without any shortcomings.”
“Thank you.”
The party members all replied simultaneously. I also followed suit, bowing my head with gratitude. Then, the queen’s gaze shifted to me.
“Hohong, you’re the one who came up with the plan for this operation?”
“…It’s the porter, Allen.”
“Porter.”
Queen Renia smirked and said, “Oh, Erin, your party always feels but also impressive. It’s remarkable that you manage to recruit such distinguished porters.”
“… Thank you.”
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Who are you to thank and boast? Just kidding. It’s only polite to be humble in a place like this.
So I added a word.
“It’s not remarkable. I always hear nonsense and work.”
As I said that, Erin gave me a meaningful look. Did I speak too lightly?
“Ohohohong! What an amusing story.”
However, contrary to Erin’s worries, fortunately, it seemed that the queen liked my joke.
But she wouldn’t know. That the story I told was half joking.
“Ohohoong, then Erin couldn’t recognize his true worth?”
“I only found out recently.”
“Surprising. You, who have organized such great parties, misjudged a person.”
“I’m also human, so I make mistakes sometimes.”
Then why do you always tease and make fun of me when I make a mistake?
“Ohohoong, you also have a human side. I always thought you were perfect like a supernatural being.”
“I still have a lot of room for improvement.”
I learned today that Erin is someone who knows how to give such humble answers. Why can she do that while acting differently most of the time? Why, exactly??
At that time, when I couldn’t understand and my doubts grew, Queen Lenea’s smile, which seemed a little casual, disappeared.
“… Should we stop joking here?”
…I was surprised by the sudden change in atmosphere. The queen’s voice calmed down a bit and became much more serious.
“It would be better to do so.”
Erin’s reaction was the same. It seemed like she wanted to start a serious conversation from now on. But I don’t know what she wants to talk about.
While thinking that it wasn’t just a greeting at the moment, Erin spoke first.
“I hope you decide considering the value of the Song Chamber.”
“…You may have heard the story, but the reason you were dispatched this time was because there was an agreement between the Empire and the Kingdom. The Kingdom has already provided a lot under that treaty.”
Huh?
“But usually, isn’t it a story when things are resolved as expected and within the estimated timeframe? We have restored the Northeast much faster than initially anticipated, based on Alen’s thoughts here.”
Erin said.
“The purification of the singing region will be completed quickly, and thanks to that, the Kingdom will benefit greatly. Haven’t you suffered much less damage than originally expected?”
…Were they negotiating compensation?
I didn’t know that we would directly negotiate and decide this. In ＜Dungeon in Evil＞, I felt like the Kingdom prepared appropriate compensation to express their gratitude, and I simply received it.
“By saving costs for the existing disaster relief and significantly reducing the losses we needed to cover from selling grain.”
Erin’s gaze grazed the pages one by one, and the expressions on the queen and Prime Minister beside her grew increasingly sour.
“…Is this a story about offering compensation for considering all that?”
“In fact, I don’t know what kind of agreement was reached between the Dern Empire and the Estelle Kingdom, so I don’t know the details. The kingdom may have already made a proposal that is satisfactory to the empire.”
Erin said, “But our party is not a part of the empire, so we should receive appropriate compensation separately, shouldn’t we?”
“Of course, I think so too, but… we can’t accept too unreasonable demands…”
“How many people would have died if we hadn’t recaptured the northeastern vocal region? You might not know exactly, but you must have had some idea.”
Erin smiled slyly. Then willingly bowed her head.
“If you are a wise queen, I believe you will consider all these points and provide compensation.”
“….Ah, I really have nothing to say.”
Having heard Erin’s story, Queen Lenea let out a deep sigh.
“You resolved it much faster than expected, so I have nothing more to say.”
The queen’s gaze briefly met mine before shifting away.
I’m not sure why she’s staring at me, but I did my best…?
“It’s still far from autumn, so it’s not like there won’t be any harvest at all, right?”
“Ah, alright, let’s stop talking now. I’ll admit it. Thanks to you, we minimized our losses and the military consumption was even lower than imagined… Moreover, when we couldn’t reclaim the northeast, we managed to save a lot of people from starving to death.”
Queen Lenea acknowledged our party’s merit and spoke with certainty.
“Alright, let’s just talk openly. How much would satisfy you?”
In response to Queen Lenea’s question, Erin smiled and indicated the number 2 with her index and middle fingers. Surprised by this, Queen Lenea asked, “Two gold coins? Is that really enough?”
“Yes? Does that make sense?”
“…20?”
“Yes.”
Erin smiled.
“About 20 should satisfy our greatest contributor, Alan.”
“…?”
Why are you shifting this onto me?
Erin turned around with a smile on her face. And suddenly, she winked at me. It felt like she was telling me to play along…
“…If we have 20 gold coins, our financial situation will definitely be comfortable for a while.”
But isn’t that too much? With 20 gold coins, we could buy a nice mansion in this capital city, couldn’t we?
I quickly did some calculations. Funds for equipment purchases, funds for party operations, and personal operating funds for each of us.
Anyway, it’s okay to leave plenty of funds for equipment purchases, and although we need funds for party operations, we don’t necessarily need 20 gold coins for that.
And as for personal operating funds… Even if I give them a lot, I don’t think these guys will use it wisely.
Ser-Aria will probably spend it all on expensive drinks, while Letitia might use it for extravagant shopping. As for Frey, he said he wouldn’t use it as a donation, but I need to keep an eye on him to be sure.
“The little money I need is to barely get by, but even considering the price of memorization, twenty gold coins is a lot.
“You could cut back a bit.”
“…Allen?”
“Is that true?”
And the Dern Empire must have made quite a few demands on the Estelle Kingdom. It was no small matter; they were sending their only party of warriors from their own country.
The majority of the Empire’s wheat comes from the kingdom… If the kingdom can’t sell it, they can find another trading partner. So it’s only natural that the Empire would make many demands for this mission, and the kingdom had to comply.
There is a loss greater than what meets the eye. It’s evidence that the queen, who should be more noble than anyone else, can’t simply give in calmly and find a compromise.
So rather than suppressing the queen’s pride here and pocketing excessive money that is not immediately necessary…
“It would be fine to have around 10 gold coins.”
“Oh my, is it really true?”
It’s better to consider their feelings and gain their trust. Winning people’s hearts is more important than just accumulating wealth.
If I lower Erin’s payment by more than 10 gold after she has already spent 20 gold, it will hurt Erin’s and our party’s dignity. Besides, considering that I voluntarily reduced half of it, it would be difficult for the queen to ask for a further reduction.
Erin glanced at me briefly, sighed lightly, and didn’t say anything in particular.
“Would 10 gold be acceptable, Erin?”
“…Yes, if that’s what the hero deserves, I can’t help it.”
“Thank you so much!”
Seeing her silent response, Erin seemed to vaguely understand why I brought up the topic. She has a good sense in this regard. It must be because she has a high intelligence stat…
With an intelligence stat of 40, in reality, she has a head that can hear the rumors of being somewhat clever while attending school. She may not be called a genius, but she is certainly better than average.
“Nevertheless, I feel sorry for having reduced it too much. So, how about this, Lenia? It’s a small benefit for the one who planned this mission.”
Guksuh Oji said. Yeah, if this side reduced the compensation, a compromise like this should be offered for courtesy.
“A benefit… What would be good?”
“Well, can I ask you for one thing?”
Before the Queen and Guksuh could make a strange proposal, I spoke up first. As I did, Erin and the other party members all looked at me with surprise.
“May I use the library?”
“The library is open to guests as well, isn’t it?”
“I’m not talking about that place.”
I said.
“I’m interested in the inner area.”
The royal library has both a public area accessible to regular visitors and a protected area that is not open to the public. The protected area contains various secretive events, operations, policies, and historical records that are not meant to be disclosed to the outside world.
I requested access to that area, but initially, I was naturally denied. So why have I ventured this far into the library now?
-I will make a solemn pledge never to disclose the contents of the records I see inside. And I will enter the library alone.
I had made an irrevocable pledge that even if I were to discover the kingdom’s secrets, I would never reveal them. Such a pledge is different from an ordinary contract; it is a commitment that must be kept, even if one tries not to.
A general magic contract could be terminated if one of the parties changed their mind and was willing to endure the penalty, on the other hand, a covenant was a much stronger contract with the ability to endure the penalty but couldn’t be terminated at will.
The termination of a covenant could only be done with the consent of both parties, and no other way could terminate without consequences.
The party members asked if it was necessary to go this far, but I needed to go there.
“I have something to find.”
The book that started the Hidden Piece quest was located in the private section of the Estele Royal Library, Castor, commonly known as C-section, a place where magic-related books were gathered.
“Where can it is?”
There is one book that can be found here, and it is the key to open the way to the next Hidden Piece. In ＜Dungeon In Evil＞, discovering the book and seeing its contents triggered the Hidden Piece quest.
Therefore, since there could be a connection in any way in this game-im
I came across a bookshelf that was separated from the rest, searching for books here and there. While the other bookshelves were gathered together, it was attached to one side of the wall alone.
As I cautiously approached, a slight smile formed on my face. Just as I suspected, it was something suspicious. The book I had been looking for was here.
It was a magic book covered in a light purple cover. The title of the book was “The Connection Between Ancient Artifacts and Magic.”
Although the title alone made it seem like some dubious occult book, in reality, it was a book with considerable credibility. If it were such an occult book, it wouldn’t be locked away in this exclusive area.
I took it out from the shelf and unfolded it. Then a message appeared before my eyes.
– A hidden item has been generated somewhere.
Indeed, it seems that even if this book becomes reality, it is maintained. With this, I have achieved my goal. Now, if I proceed to the next destination, I should be able to find the corresponding item. Of course, this story is only applicable when the destination coincides with “Dungeon In Evil”.
“I guess I’ll visit someday.”
Even so, I think I should follow the main storyline, or so I thought.
“But maybe there’s no need to read the contents.”
As soon as I opened the book, an item was created…
Still, since I’ve opened the book, I skim through it. There were many unfamiliar words that I couldn’t understand, but I roughly grasped the context and moved on.
“Huh?”
But then, there was this passage. It was a story about a statue with a sword stuck in its chest among ancient relics, and it was about the magical meaning behind it.
Long ago, people believed that if they stabbed a magically-treated sword into their chest and activated a certain spell, they would change. The lazy became diligent, the wicked became gentle, and the evil became good.
There is currently no way to prove whether this is true or not, but it is highly likely that it was true in the past, given that the spell still exists today.
“… They change when stabbed?”
It was a creepy topic. Perhaps it felt more so because my situation was similar. I closed the book and put it back where it belonged.
“… Hm.”
So creepy. I turned around and left the area. There were many magical books of interest here, but studying them here would be fruitless. Since I made a vow not to disclose what I saw here outside, it was impossible to discuss it with anyone.
It’s no
Thinking that way, I came out of the private area. Then the librarian came up to me and said, “I’ll just check for a moment.” “Oh, yes.” The librarian searched every corner of my body and said, “I’m sorry. It’s a necessary procedure…” “No, it’s okay.” Of course, there was no reason to feel bad about what had to be done. As I was about to leave, there were familiar faces in the public area of the library. “Why are you here?” “You came out so quickly! I guess there wasn’t anything interesting, huh, hehehe!” “What, already out? I wonder if you really read it and came out~♡”
“….I’ve been waiting.”
Erin and the party members were scattered throughout the library, keeping their positions. Hearing the words “I’ve been waiting,” they all looked up in surprise as Letitia approached and spoke.
“Follow me, Allen. There’s something you must do.”
“Huh?”
Frey added a remark to Letitia’s words.
“You have to do it objectively, no matter what.”
“What?”
Frey smiled mischievously. Occasionally he would walk forward as if to say, “You’ll understand once you follow me,” and the other party members followed suit, as if they had been waiting.
Since I don’t know what it is exactly, let’s go and find out. It seems like I shouldn’t stay behind.
“Uh?”
The place they arrived at was a large room within Cheonrang Palace. There, the five people turned to me and said,
“From now on, we’re going to wear party outfits.”
“…Huh? Party outfits?”
“After seeing them, just tell us who suits them the best~ Judge with your poor taste in aesthetics~♡”
“What? Why should I…?”
“When we distribute the personal operating funds this time, Allen decided that we would receive them in order of his choice! hahahahaha, it’ll be fun, right?”
…?
“So, it means I decide your allowance?”
“That’s right.”
“……Yes.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we can decide without even needing to see the party dress.”
First, for Sél-Aria, give her the least amount of alcohol since she’s an alcoholic…
“But that’s no fun~♡”
“Don’t think of it as just setting an allowance, judge who suits it best and decide. If the reasons are not sufficient, we’ll have to decide again.”
…If we just decide like this, no one will be convinced.
“But why are you asking me to decide?”
“Well, you see, there’s only Alan as the man in our party. I thought it would be better to have something that looks more appealing to men’s eyes rather than just pleasing the same gender.”
There was a reason after all. They’re not just assigning tasks randomly?
“Okay, well… I’ll give it a try.”
There wasn’t much else to do anyway. There were still five hours until the banquet, so I had plenty of time to prepare.
“Well then, come in.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going to stand in the hallway? You should come inside and take a look.”
“Ah.”
As soon as I obediently followed into the room, I felt slightly overwhelmed. It was a large dressing room filled with various party dresses and accessories, but what should I call it?
“It felt like wandering alone in a department store and accidentally entering the women’s clothing section…”
That was exactly how it felt. The maids who managed the dressing room gave off a department store employee vibe… In that moment, when I unwittingly became unnecessarily nervous, the party members spoke up.
“Then each of us will choose and come out wearing one, so sit here.”
“Uh…”
The party members dispersed and began choosing their clothes. Surprisingly, even those who seemed unsure about such things fervently picked out their outfits.
Meanwhile, Sera-Aria couldn’t resist and was seen trying on a bottle of alcohol.
“…I want to deduct points from Aria for that.”
Perhaps overhearing my mumbling, Sera-Aria shouted.
“That’s discrimination, Allen!”
As if my ears were good…
Leticia, who was the first to choose her outfit, led the way as one by one they entered small rooms. It seemed like those were changing rooms.
Naturally, it took quite a long time. It’s typical for women to take a while to get ready. They need to wash up and all…
“Well, I should have enough time to prepare, right?”
Well… It won’t take me that long.
“….”
…Why am I feeling nervous? There’s absolutely no need for me to be nervous, to be honest.
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Instead, this time, I’m in a situation where I will be evaluating, and the fate of their pockets will be determined by my decisions… It’s an opportunity to taste the bittersweetness of authority that has come for the first time.
“…Alright.”
“I will analyze it very precisely to display a coldness without a single tear. Even if they say that last place won’t receive any money, such thoughts were completely pointless.
However, all those thoughts proved to be in vain. The sight of the woman coming out of the changing room made me lose my composure, leaving my mind blank and pale.
“Allen.”
The first person to come out was indeed Letitia, who was the first to enter.
I never realized before, as she always had her hair styled up.
“How is it…?”
Was Letitia always this graceful?”
She let her loose hair down and tied back only the sides in a style people call a half-up hairdo. It suited her well, to the point where she thought it might be better if she always wore her hair down. Unlike Frey, who always dressed tightly, she had a simple yet pretty appeal that was evident even in her wrapped clothes that revealed a slight volume. Her blue dress contrasted completely with her red hair, yet it looked good on her. As it was a party dress, she also wore accessories that made her feel like a princess in a fairy tale.
“Allen?”
“Ah….”
Right. The evaluation.
To be cold and logical… that thought had long been erased from her mind. What could she do? There was nowhere to be strict.
I just honestly told him the impressions that came to mind.
“Beautiful. Yeah, it suits you well.”
“…Is that so? I’m glad.”
Letizia smiled lightly as if she found it fortunate.
“I haven’t tried choosing clothes like this before, so I wasn’t confident.”
“…It’s also my first time evaluating someone else’s dress.”
“That makes sense. Allen is also from a commoner background.”
In the first place, aren’t they all in similar situations? Frey, the only noble family member, isn’t known for being from a highly esteemed family.
‘Ah.’
That drunkard was a member of the royal family… Was it because I was too familiar that I could drink while choosing a dress?
“How well do you think I’ll place?”
“…First place for now?”
“Excuse me? First place? …Wait, it’s just me here, right?”
That’s why it’s first place.
“What’s the matter, seriously.”
Leticia twitched as if she was unreasonably pleased. Maybe it was because her usual appearance was quite different, even that seemed rather cute.
There must be a reason they say appearance is a weapon…
“By the way, this won’t be easy.”
If it starts like this from the beginning… I can’t predict how entertaining the next parts will be. What if I can’t decide on the ranking?
“I need to focus…”
However, despite such determination, I once again found myself stunned by the appearance of the woman that followed.
“……Allen.”
She couldn’t hide her embarrassed expression and awkward gestures, and she slightly averted her gaze while asking.
“……Is everything… alright?”