Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 102

The visit to the Count takes a lot of time. Since it’s impossible to meet him under my name, I use the name of the Sword Fangs Legion. However, applying for an audience directly involves complex procedures.

If the offer to purchase the shoe business had truly been based on the Count’s will, the process would move more swiftly. The slowness of these procedures indicates that the enemy is acting outside the Count’s intentions. There might be interference from someone else.

Since the parchment on which the document is written is genuine, it’s clear that someone responsible for communications within the Count’s circle is involved. However, this person might be merely a pawn of someone who sees the Sword Fangs Legion as a nuisance.

Politics is a domain where demons and monsters lurk. It is impossible for us commoners to fight in the political world effectively. Therefore, we must confront the top directly to break through.

I have a plan and a gift. Whether it succeeds or not is uncertain, but waiting around will only make things worse. Accompanied by Jilboa, I pass through the inner gate of the First District.

This inner gate is a high, thick wall separating the city’s traditional wealthy merchants and nobility from the common citizens. Four guards in chainmail and armor with spears stand at the gate, checking everyone entering and exiting. It seems that people of certain ranks are allowed to bring in weapons, but my dagger is confiscated.

I am dressed in merchant-like clothing chosen by Sara, but it still looks suspicious. They promise to return it when I leave, but I am not sure about that. In any case, if I enter the Count’s castle, they would take it away anyway, so it isn’t a big deal. However, compared to Jilboa, who is allowed to carry his sword, it isn’t pleasant.

The guards likely don’t want to take Jilboa’s sword, considering the citizens’ sentiments towards the city’s hero. Additionally, storing Jilboa’s cursed sword would be too risky for them.

In Japan, police might treat everyone equally based on the law, but in this world, the law favors those with status and power. Even my dagger is taken away, while Jilboa is allowed to pass through. No one finds this odd. That’s just how it is.

The gift for the Count is something Jilboa refuses to even open. The cursed sword Jilboa won’t hand over is said to be immensely valuable, though I’ve never seen it drawn. It emits a strong light and is rumored to cut through tough monster hides like a hot knife through butter. When I ask about its value in casual conversation, he laughs and doesn’t give a direct answer.

It seems to be something so valuable that it cannot be easily priced.

Jilboa, who appears very noble in his decorative attire, wears a shirt imbued with protective magic underneath. Since Jilboa is the primary target of the enemy, precautions against sniper arrows and poisoned blow darts are necessary.

I also have a protective spell cast by the warrior monks of the Sword Fangs Legion, but it provides more comfort than true protection. They speak of faith and oaths among comrades, but such spells seem less effective on those who are not part of their group.

Indeed, I am not a person of this world, and even though I’m closely allied with the Sword Fangs Legion, I am not a subordinate. Even the mystical powers of magic seem to reflect this world’s indifference towards me, which isn’t amusing.

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However, the First District beyond the gate feels like a different world compared to the Second District. The city is quiet with few signs of people. The cobblestone streets are swept clean, and there are no pedestrians.

What stands out the most is the low-rise buildings with expansive gardens and abundant greenery. I was surprised that the Sword Fangs Legion’s office is on the first floor of the Second District, but inside the city walls, land is generally scarce, so buildings tend to stretch upwards.

Without building codes and with the land being relatively earthquake-free, the Third District features precarious five-story buildings that resemble a Jenga tower. Many of these are low-income rental properties, with cheaper rents as you go higher.

In a world without plumbing or elevators, living on the upper floors is challenging. On the other hand, the first floors are either occupied by shops or high-end properties.

The Sword Fangs Legion’s office is on the first floor of the Second District, which is only possible due to the Legion’s solid financial foundation.

In the First District, however, all visible buildings are low, mostly two-story structures. Occasionally, you might see a mansion with a third-floor attic window. The attics are probably used for servants or storage.

Through neatly trimmed hedges, you can glimpse large gardens with carriage stops, well-manicured lawns, and statues or fountains.

This is a world inhabited by people of overwhelming wealth and power. To them, the profits from the shoe business must seem like pocket change.

I sigh inwardly.