173 - The Queen of Cartaphus
Walking through the city of Cartaphus, I noticed a difference between this place and Vanseim, Alamsars, or Beim.
It was a unique atmosphere specific to Cartaphus, one I hadn't even felt in Zain or Rolfis.
The organized streetscape was one thing, but the buildings looked almost too functional. Additionally, there were the soldiers patrolling the streets.
Their uniforms were standardized, and there were no knights to be seen.
The Seventh was the first to notice.
"I have heard that Cartaphus gathers talent regardless of social status. I see, so it is a thorough meritocracy."
A nobility system existed, but it likely wasn't everything. Appointing talent regardless of status was a good thing.
However, doing so would inevitably cause significant backlash.
I suspected that the leader of Cartaphus possessed enough power to suppress such resistance. Or perhaps, they simply had no choice but to do so.
The Third voiced his own thoughts.
"Vanseim is to the south... Cartaphus is a large country too, but the difference in national power is too great. Since this country cannot coordinate with its neighbors, it's possible they've been exposed to the threat of Vanseim. Maybe that's why they became such a meritocracy... well, it might just be their temperament."
Whether it was temperament or geographical reasons, there was no doubt that it was a powerful nation.
The Fifth looked around the city.
"North of Vanseim... it would be great if they could cooperate when Liel makes his move."
I thought about that too, but if I asked Cartaphus for cooperation now, they probably wouldn't even acknowledge me. Moreover, to Cartaphus, I was a noble of the hated Vanseim—.
The Fourth spoke up.
"Still, I didn't expect the Queen of Cartaphus to be the queen Eva-chan was singing about."
I looked at Eva walking beside me.
Even with Eva, an elf, the reactions from those around us were normal. It was different from the reactions in Vanseim, Alamsars, or Beim, where some people would instinctively dislike her.
Eva looked around.
"It's still cold here. I'm glad I brought a coat... but still, seeing demi-humans walking the streets normally makes this seem like a good country."
I had doubts about Eva's phrasing, specifically the "makes this seem like." I asked her.
"They actually appoint people regardless of status, right? Isn't it a good country?"
Then, the Fourth explained it to me.
"You don't get it, Liel. You shouldn't only look at the good side of a meritocracy. Everything has its merits and its drawbacks."
Just as I was about to tilt my head in confusion, Eva checked her surroundings to ensure no soldiers were nearby before telling me.
"Conversely, they are cold to humans or demi-humans who are useless. The reason the guild staff were so subservient to Liel is because he has actual strength. I've asked around among my own kind, and it seems the difference in treatment is huge. It might be better than a status system, but it feels like there's no room for error."
The talented are respected, and those who are not are despised.
That aspect seemed to be a defining characteristic of Cartaphus.
The Fifth looked at Eva with admiration.
"Still, elves are convenient for gathering information since they're everywhere. Moreover, just being a Nihil changes the reaction. It's good that they're relatively favorable."
The Nihil clan—it seemed to be a clan of significance among elves.
When it came to gathering information, Eva was indeed exceptional within the party. Because she had her own independent information network, she could easily obtain information that we couldn't.
Novem and Miranda were also excellent, but Eva, who could easily get information in any city we visited, was surely an irreplaceable asset.
As the two of us walked, we found that the city was crowded, as it was a relatively large city in Cartaphus.
Stalls lined the streets, selling unusual foods.
"There's a lot of meat. I feel like there are fewer sweets and things like that."
Eva looked at the stalls and vendors.
"It seems sweet things are precious. Come to think of it, they seemed to have loaded sugar onto the ship. The crew was happy that the cargo arrived safely."
Vera had also been relieved that the large amount of cargo loaded on the ship was safe. They likely traded with Beim to obtain the supplies they lacked.
Since we were scheduled to work in Cartaphus, we spent our time walking the city until our appointment. Today, in addition to the introductions, we planned to establish our future plans.
I also wanted to learn about things to be careful of locally.
After that, we were scheduled to finish preparations and depart.
"...It's about time. Let's head to the guild."
As I said this and led Eva toward the guild, I heard a commotion and turned around. Eva was looking that way too.
The people around us were walking to avoid some arguing adventurers. There were onlookers, but most just walked away, seeing it as none of their business.
"Is it a fight? Looks like it's between adventurers."
Eva seemed curious. Her tendency to show interest whenever she thought something could become a topic of conversation was both her strength and her weakness.
Looking closer, a group of middle-aged adventurers had surrounded some younger adventurers.
I looked at the adventurers and—.
"Just like us."
It was a situation where a group of five middle-aged adventurers had surrounded a young adventurer party with an extreme gender imbalance.
However, the ones in the wrong seemed to be—.
"Give up the role of guide? Are you freaking kidding me, you brat!"
The middle-aged male adventurer was facing a young man. In contrast to the well-equipped middle-aged adventurers, the equipment of the young adventurers was meager.
But they had a certain presence.
They were strangely calm, and they didn't look like naive kids who had picked a fight. Eva seemed to have noticed as well and was observing the situation.
Their clothes were clean, but their appearance was flashy. They wore piercings, necklaces, and even rings.
Only the greatsword on his back was so luxurious that it didn't match the rest of his equipment. His age was perhaps slightly older than mine?
Grey hair and green eyes—he was tall and had a trained body.
"I heard. You're the guide for the party that defeated the Trident Sea Serpent, right? I heard there's a beautiful woman in there. I wanted to meet her myself. Besides, unlike you scrubs who get adventurers called in from Beim for something as small as a Land Dragon, I'll kill it for you while I'm guiding you."
If this were just a naive kid, it would end with him being mocked. But the opponent had the presence to back it up.
From within the jewel, the Third's voice spoke.
"...There are unreasonably strong people everywhere, aren't there? The type who are faithful to their desires and don't consider the inconvenience they cause others."
The middle-aged adventurer snapped back at the young adventurer.
"Are you an idiot, you piece of trash? This is an official guild request. If you've got a complaint, take it to the guild."
Eva pulled my sleeve and pointed to the surroundings.
"Liel, look around. Most of the people standing still are women."
"Now that you mention it."
Around us, women were staring intently at the young adventurer. There were women who weren't, but I couldn't tell the difference.
(Is he actually handsome?)
Looking at the young adventurer, whose appearance was indeed fine, the Fourth spoke.
"There's something off. Also—Liel, try investigating the opponent."
As told, I used my skill to try and obtain information on the opponent. Then, I realized the young adventurer was using some kind of skill.
(He's reacting to the women... is he interfering with their minds?)
Then, a woman standing behind the young adventurer looked toward me. She seemed to have sensed that I had done something.
When our eyes met, the woman pulled the young adventurer's arm and pointed at me.
"Liel, you're being watched."
As Eva looked back and forth between me and the young adventurer party, the people around us, who didn't want to get involved, cleared a path between us.
"Huh? Who the hell are you? Oh, you've got a cute girl with you. Hey, is she useful?"
At the young adventurer's words as he pointed at Eva, the woman who had noticed me nodded. And at the same time, she told him not to get involved with us.
"Larc-sama, you must not get involved. Those two... are highly skilled. They are not adventurers from around here."
"...Let's go."
Perhaps angered by the woman's words, the young adventurer clicked his tongue while looking at me. While the middle-aged adventurers remained on guard, he walked away from the crowd.
The Seventh, who had been watching, commented.
"A troublesome fellow. He retreats readily the moment he thinks he cannot win. Was it Erhart? He's like that guy, but with actual strength."
As the middle-aged adventurers walked toward us, the Third spoke.
"Cartaphus seems like it'll be fun. A queen and young, ambitious adventurers... isn't it exciting?"
The Fifth sounded bothered.
"You think so? Let's just defeat the Land Dragon and go home safely."
The Fourth looked toward the young adventurer.
"I wonder if those guys will cause some kind of incident. I'd love an opportunity to have an audience with the queen. I hope they become the trigger for that."
The Seventh, as usual, made a comment showing his dislike for adventurers.
"That sort of person causes trouble, but I wonder if it would go that far? Why not just hunt down the seeds of calamity early on? That fellow seemed quite dangerous, didn't he?"
――In the royal castle of the fortress city of Cartaphus, a woman was reading a report.
She sat on a luxurious sofa, wearing a black, skin-tight outfit, with a slender sword leaning nearby.
The woman, who had been reading the documents while lying down, brushed back her long, wavy reddish-purple hair and sat up.
As she scanned the documents that had piqued her interest again, she lightly licked her red lips with her tongue.
"Hoh, interesting. They defeated a Trident Sea Serpent... I heard the Trace Company's ship was attacked."
As she read the documents she was interested in, it seemed that the adventurers were the ones who brought the materials to the guild.
Then, the woman clicked her tongue.
"What inflexible processing. If they had bought it, they could have researched it. I told them not to collect things that were too precious, but I didn't say they shouldn't handle things that were too precious. Do I have to explain in detail again?"
Exasperated, the woman reached for the sword beside her. Drawing the sword from its scabbard, she looked at the blade dyed deep red.
"I want to go outside for the first time in a while... but my subordinates probably wouldn't allow it."
She sheathed the sword, stood up, placed the documents on the desk, and looked through the final report.
This time, her expression distorted with annoyance.
"Is that Larc fellow requesting a meeting again? I told them not to deal with him... the receptionist was a woman. Then of course he'd get through."
Tossing the final report aside, the woman headed toward the luxurious desk in the room.
Her name was Ludmilla Cartaphus—formerly known as the Princess Knight, she was now a member of the Cartaphus royalty called the Queen.
As she sat in the chair and resumed her work, a smile played on her lips.
"Still, this is interesting. I'll have the people from the Trace Company summoned. And the adventurers from Beim... to think their surname is Wolt. How intriguing. They're likely not from the Wolt family of Vanseim, but I'm curious."
Having temporarily been entrusted with the throne by the previous king, she was not the official queen.
However, it was a fact that everyone supported Ludmilla. As the Princess Knight, she held high support within the country and was a symbol of Cartaphus.
While doing her paperwork, Ludmilla mused.
"Now, should I reach out... but first."
Facing the mountain of documents, Ludmilla brushed aside the bangs covering one eye with her hand to check. However, the mountain of documents was still there.
"I suppose nothing can start until I clear this."
With that, she resumed her paperwork.