Chapter 12: In the Royal Capital – 09
That day, we returned to the inn and decided to spend the next day exploring the Royal Capital.
Of course, we made sure to do our morning training, and then we all set out to the capital, including Mariane.
However, since we planned to visit the Royal Castle, the top tourist attraction, at a later date, we skipped it. The second major attraction, the Grand Cathedral, was also passed due to Freinir’s circumstances. In the end, our main activity became strolling through the streets and shopping for anything that caught our interest. Thanks to the Item Box, we could buy as much as we wanted, which was a bit dangerous, but given our usual black-market dealings, a little stress relief was necessary.
On the central street stood the impressive trading house of the Toronto Trading Company. As promised, we went to meet Mr. Toronto, but unfortunately, he was attending a commercial guild meeting and we couldn’t see him. I informed the receptionist of our inn, so we would likely hear from him soon.
When we returned to the inn in the evening, the manager handed me a letter from the royal family. It requested that we come to the Royal Castle the day after tomorrow in the morning, which felt unusually prompt for administrative matters.
“Soushi-sama, what shall we do tomorrow?” Freinir asked during dinner.
“How about we tackle a nearby dungeon?” suggested Larni, and everyone agreed that we would conquer the nearby F-Class and E-Class dungeons the next day. By the way, Mariane had already cleared them, so she would be heading to the guild.
The next day, we successfully conquered the two dungeons as planned.
Both the F-Class and E-Class dungeons took less than two hours to clear. In fact, the travel time was longer than the dungeons themselves.
Unfortunately, both bosses were normal, and the skills we obtained were mostly resistance skills. While those were important and worth keeping, I couldn’t help but wonder about the implications.
“I wonder what would happen if we collected all the resistance skills,” Larni pondered aloud on our way back to the capital.
“That’s true. We might stop acquiring skills altogether,” I replied.
“It could be tedious to keep entering low-class dungeons, and it might be better if we reached a point where it no longer made sense to continue,” Freinir added.
“Indeed. Let’s ask Mariane when we get back,” Sfenia suggested, and I nodded in agreement as we approached the gates of the capital.
A line had formed for entry, but since we were guests of the royal family, we could enter through the noble and guest route without waiting.
As we moved forward, feeling a bit guilty for skipping the line, we spotted a blue-painted carriage up ahead. To our surprise, the adventurers guarding it were from the “Supreme Radiance.”
“Soushi-sama, that is the church’s carriage. It is used by someone of at least the archbishop’s rank, so I…” Freinir looked up at me with a worried expression.
“Let’s wait here until that carriage leaves. There might be some trouble,” I suggested, patting her head.
“Yeah, I don’t want to run into them either,” Larni grimaced, her brows furrowing in distaste.
As we watched, the church’s carriage entered through the gates.
We sighed in relief that nothing had happened, but if we were ordinary adventurers, we wouldn’t even have to worry about a church carriage. I felt exasperated by how accustomed we had become to expecting trouble and resumed my steps toward the gate.
Upon returning to the inn, the receptionist informed me, “Mr. Toronto has contacted us. He would like you to visit his shop after this evening.”
The women wanted to wash up at the inn, so I decided to head to the Toronto Trading Company alone.
Entering the trading house on the central street, I announced my name to the receptionist and was promptly led to the chairman’s office.
“I apologize for not being able to welcome you yesterday. I must admit, I had some confidence in my instincts, but I was quite surprised that you were summoned to the Royal Capital so soon, Soushi-dono,” Mr. Toronto said, beaming as he gestured for me to sit on an expensive-looking sofa. As expected from one of the top three trading companies in the capital, the furnishings were all impressive yet understated, reflecting the balance of a shrewd merchant.
“Indeed, Mr. Toronto, you seem to be quite well-informed about our situation,” I replied.
“Ha ha, the news of the ‘Kin of Twilight’ being defeated in Bartran has reached even the Royal Capital. While not everyone knows who defeated them, it was easy to connect the dots and realize it was you, Soushi-dono,” he chuckled.
“I’m quite embarrassed. I merely fought them out of circumstance,” I said modestly.
“Those who were defeated by mere circumstance must be feeling quite miserable,” he laughed heartily.
“I intended to recommend an inn for you, but with your summons from the royal family, that is no longer necessary. Is there anything else you require?” he asked.
“Actually, I was wondering if I could obtain some information,” I replied.
“Oh? Information, you say?” Mr. Toronto’s expression shifted slightly.
“I feel that the royal family’s response to me has been unusually swift. I suspect there might be special circumstances surrounding this summons, and I would like to know if you have any insights.”
This was something I had been contemplating on my way to the capital.
Given Count Lautrec’s comments, this summons was indeed quite sudden. If there was a request from the royal family, it was clear that some underlying circumstances must exist. Of course, as a mere adventurer, I had no way of knowing what those circumstances were, but I recalled Mr. Toronto, a merchant in the capital, who would likely have access to such information.
“I see, so you believe that information holds value,” he said, his interest piqued.
“Yes, it is only natural for a merchant to think so,” I replied.
Mr. Toronto chuckled again, “Information can sometimes be worth more than gold. While that is common knowledge, few merchants truly understand its significance. As for the royal family’s recent special circumstances, I have heard of two points.”
“Could you share them with me?” I asked eagerly.
“Of course. The first is that a prominent figure from the Oz Country has arrived as a guest. It seems to be a woman, and I’ve heard there are some disagreements regarding how to handle her,” he explained.
“I see.”
“You are aware that the Oz Country has been closed off, so the arrival of a prominent figure cannot be ignored by merchants. If diplomatic relations were to open, it would create opportunities for trade. However, since there are disagreements, we are proceeding with caution.”
“Understood…”
That prominent figure must undoubtedly be Lady Shizuna. Under normal circumstances, she would have been sent back to the Oz Country. The fact that there are disagreements suggests something must have happened.
“The second point is that it seems the queen has fallen ill. I heard that the princess went out recently to seek medicine. The church is also reportedly searching for this medicine,” he continued.
“I did see the royal carriage when I arrived in the capital. Today, I also saw the church’s carriage at the gate; perhaps it was related,” I mused.
“That seems plausible. Our trading company has also received inquiries about the medicine, but it’s exceedingly rare, so we couldn’t do much,” he said.
“Such a rare medicine exists?” I asked, intrigued.
“Yes, its name is well-known. It’s called ‘Elixir,’ a miraculous remedy that could fetch no less than fifty million Rom if obtained,” he explained.
“Ah… I’ve heard of it,” I replied, recalling the intricately decorated vial I had obtained in the dungeon. A miracle potion that could restore all conditions except for death. Of course, it was still safely tucked away in my Item Box.
So this is where it all connects… I could feel the diligent “Bad Luck” stirring to action once more.