Chapter 48: The Exiled Marquise and the Bishop 4
The day after the Forest Dragon subjugation.
Erica suggested we go out for another subjugation today, but I showed her my equipment riddled with holes and managed to convince her we couldn’t go.
Not because I’d taken damage severe enough to pierce it, but because she wouldn’t let me go to work in clothes with holes in them – that seemed very much like Erica.
Still, buying replacement equipment… My thrifty nature, cultivated from being born into the Impoverished Viscount Household, was aching beyond measure.
Back in the Faltar Kingdom, I used to mend things myself.
We have the money from selling the Forest Dragon’s Magic Stone, so finances aren’t a worry, but spending without thinking will quickly deplete our funds – that’s a common occurrence for adventurers.
Equipment for adventurers is notoriously expensive.
For that reason, I intended to mend minor holes myself, but the damage this time was a bit too severe for that, so I had no choice but to give up.
So, while I was getting new equipment at the armor shop – that place with the slightly unhinged shopkeeper – and having a slightly late lunch with Erica at the eatery, it happened.
I heard a voice that had become familiar recently.
“Longdagger Couple, I’ve been looking for you.”
“We’re not going out for subjugation today.”
I replied to Shara, feeling slightly exasperated.
We had agreed to contact her beforehand when going out for subjugation, so it should have gone without saying.
“I know that.”
Shara gave a wry smile. “Even I know that adventurers wouldn’t typically go out for subjugation the day after defeating a Forest Dragon,” she said.
No, you don’t understand. Erica was actually raring to go out for subjugation again today.
“What do you mean you were looking for us?” Erica asked, inviting Shara to our table.
Honestly, I didn’t even want to know.
“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you both.”
Shara sat down in a chair and ordered tea from the staff.
“The Bishop mentioned he’d like to meet you both sometime, so I came to ask about your availability… What’s wrong?”
Shara looked at us curiously.
Probably because Erica and I had instinctively exchanged glances.
“No, it’s nothing. But how did that conversation come about?”
I asked, sensing a bad premonition.
*
Yesterday, after parting ways with us following the Forest Dragon subjugation, Shara endured the pressure of feeling like everyone around her was a robber and safely delivered the donation money to the Orphanage.
Then, she reported the Forest Dragon subjugation to the Bishop.
Hearing this, the Bishop was apparently greatly surprised and deeply impressed. He didn’t need to be impressed.
And so, the gist of it was, ‘Since our Sister is also indebted to you, why don’t we have a detailed chat sometime?’
‘Suspicious’ was my assessment.
Most likely, it was something like wanting to say something because the detestable enemies of the gods were getting a bit carried away.
Or perhaps assassination.
No, surely he wouldn’t do that in the middle of the city.
Either way, my conclusion was that it was troublesome. More than a premonition, I saw a future filled with trouble with near certainty, and I felt utterly dejected.
*
“If the Bishop has summoned us, we mustn’t keep him waiting, must we?”
Because of Erica’s words, we ended up meeting him that very day.
Thanks to that, I couldn’t make any preparations.
The most I could do was prepare a hidden weapon in case they confiscated my regular ones.
Erica suggesting we go today was one thing, but for the Bishop to reply saying ‘Then come right away,’ what was that about? Is the Bishop free?
I felt sorry for Shara, who had sprinted back and forth between the church and the eatery, drenched in sweat, but I wanted to tell her that her Bishop should consider his dignity a little more.
Complaining wouldn’t change the situation now, however, and soon Erica, myself, and incidentally Shara, were standing in front of the church.
It’s just like a fortress, was my first impression.
As expected of the Hecate Church, I suppose.
It was built to shelter citizens in case of emergency.
For the residents of this town, being attacked by Monsters must be a realistic threat.
That could be seen even from the church, surrounded by sturdy-looking walls.
Conversely, it’s also suitable for trapping those invited inside – am I overthinking this?
“This way, please. I’ll guide you.”
Looking at Shara’s face as she said this, it didn’t seem like she was plotting some kind of scheme.
*
We were guided, unbelievably, to the Bishop’s office.
I had expected to be shown to a reception room or something similar, so I couldn’t help but be surprised by this.
When the old, heavy-looking door opened, the room beyond was filled with the smell of old paper.
“Welcome, Longdagger Couple.”
The Bishop smiled as he stood up from a sofa that, while simple, possessed the weight of accumulated history rather than just being old.