kscans

Chapter 237 - A Visit to the Saint's Church

The party at the castle eventually came to an end.

…After that, the nobles seemed to lose their motivation, offering only half-hearted opinions before the event concluded.

Just when I thought we were finally free, Captain Magnes said, "I’ll send a soldier to fetch you tomorrow morning. Be ready."

With that, he departed.

So there was no escape after all.

"Oh well," I said, changing my mindset. "I was planning to head to the Kingdom anyway. It’s not so bad to visit the other countries along the way."

…Since it was a decision I couldn’t overturn, my only choice was to be positive about it.

I returned home and soaked away the day’s fatigue.

In the room, where all that was left to do was sleep, Tina entered wearing her green armor.

"Right," I said. "Lie down on the bed."

Tina nodded silently.

…I spread Tina’s arms and legs out as she lay on her back. I tied the ends with rope, immobilizing her. I embraced the restrained Tina in her spread-eagled position. First, I gently stroked her stomach.

Tina let out a sweet sigh and a moan.

My own desire surged.

After enjoying that for a while, I moved to her right armpit, bringing my face close to inhale her scent.

"U-Um," Tina stammered, blushing. "I don’t mind the smell, but… well, having it smelled in a situation like this is embarrassing. I haven’t washed my armor, and the smell of sweat hasn’t really come out, so…"

…That gesture sent my reason flying. I rubbed my face against her armpit, savoring the scent completely. Tina moaned even more, and a laugh escaped her lips. Then, I took a feather I was holding and tickled her other armpit.

Tina’s laughter continued. "Ahahahaha! S-Stop… P-Please, stop… heheh, hahahahaha!"

She spoke, almost out of breath.

…When I finally stopped, Tina took a deep breath. Her chest heaved up and down violently. To press the advantage, I tickled her neck with the feather.

Tina tried to escape the sudden sensation, but she was bound and could only submit. I stopped the tickling and pressed my lips against hers as she panted for breath.

Tina was shocked by the suddenness of it all, but she soon accepted it and closed her eyes. The kiss continued, deep and passionate. All the while, I caressed her thighs with both hands, my fingers gently brushing against her private area. Tina’s eyes shot open. She tried to close her legs but couldn’t, and she accepted everything with a deep blush.

Once I was thoroughly satisfied, I lay down beside her. Next to me, an exhausted Tina was steadying her ragged breath.

"Sorry about that," I said. "When I think about how we made it back alive, I can’t seem to control myself."

"It’s alright," Tina said to my apology, a smile gracing her lips. "From the moment I put on this armor, I had decided this would happen. Well, some parts were a bit excessive, but… I still didn’t dislike it."

Her smile and kind words prompted me to say, "In that case, I’ll be selfish. Let’s stay like this until morning."

I hugged the still-bound Tina.

…The hard feel of the armor and the warmth of her body were comforting.

"Okay," Tina said. "But let me sleep."

With that, she began to drift off.

She seemed utterly exhausted. I felt a pang of guilt. Sorry about that, I apologized in my heart as I, too, went to sleep.

Morning.

Sunlight streamed through a gap in the window, and I awoke. …Next to me, Tina was sleeping happily, still tied up in a spread-eagle position. Relieved, I untied her and slowly got up so as not to wake her.

She should have woken up by now, but she was still asleep. I hoped she wasn’t still tired. I started preparing breakfast while I waited for her to wake up.

After all, today was going to be a busy day.

…The bread and coffee were ready, and as I was setting the table, Tina appeared, still in her armor.

"Yaaawn… Good morning."

She greeted me with a yawn.

"Morning," I replied. "Everything’s ready. Eat up. We don’t know when they’ll be here."

"Right," Tina said, suddenly alert as if to steel herself. "We were only told ‘morning.’ And they’ll probably come with several guards, so it might take some time."

…She sat at the table, and we quickly finished breakfast and began to prepare.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

I opened it to find a soldier. "Captain Magnes has left his residence. Please come to the gate."

It was the signal to assemble.

…I acknowledged and, after getting my gear in order, left the house.

At the gate.

As Tina and I were talking to the gatekeeper, a luxurious carriage appeared.

The door opened, and Captain Magnes was inside. "Sorry to keep you waiting. There are seats for you at the back of the carriage. Sit there. If anything happens, let me know immediately."

I looked behind the carriage and saw there were indeed seats.

…They were designed so that a person could sit without falling off. Well, I’d just have to endure the shaking. With that thought, Tina and I took our seats.

The driver confirmed we were ready, and the carriage set off.

I expected someone to follow behind us, but no one came.

"Captain," I asked through a window, "are there no other guards?"

"You two are the only guards," the Captain explained. "If there were knights present, we wouldn’t be able to restore the adventurers’ trust. But it seems the other adventurers are still tired from the battle; no one would take the request. So it’s just the two of you."

With a bitter expression, I asked, "What about the Emperor’s prerogative?"

"I can’t use that," the Captain replied simply. "Even if it is for an escort on a visit to other nations, forcing them would be beneath my dignity."

…I inwardly thought, ‘What about what you did to us?’ But I couldn’t say it out loud.

I just had to endure it. It was unreasonable, but this sort of thing happened all the time at companies back on Earth. The feeling was strangely nostalgic.

"Let’s just accept it," Tina said with a compassionate look. "It’s the nature of being an adventurer."

I decided to let it go. To cut a long story short, nothing happened on our journey. Not a single monster attacked.

…Well, we saw them here and there, but they showed no sign of attacking. It was strange, so I investigated during a break. It turned out the monsters were cowering as if terrified of something.

It was that. They were terrified of the Dragon’s intimidating roar from the previous war. In a way, I was relieved. I had been worried they were being gathered again. At this rate, we should be safe for a while.

However, once hunger overcame fear, they would start attacking people again. When that happened, it would be back to business as usual.

I felt a perfect sense of security. It’s calming to see a familiar landscape return. Incidentally, we weren’t attacked by any bandits. Are there not many in this area?

And so, without any incident, we arrived at the Saint’s Church.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like there was any damage, but the knights guarding the gate were more on edge than usual.

"Halt," a knight said to the driver. "Please present your identification and state your purpose for entering the city."

…They asked me and Tina, who were in the back, the same questions, and inspected our tools and equipment.

From inside the carriage, the Captain said, "I am Magnes, Captain of the Knights of the Deom Empire. I have come to speak with Pope Altorine about our future policy and relations following the recent war with the monsters. Here is my letter of credence."

He showed it to them.

The knight who checked it hastily said to a nearby knight, "Inform Her Holiness immediately! My apologies. This being the case, please pass. However, Her Holiness is busy, so would you be able to wait at an inn?"

"That’s no problem," the Captain replied. "This was a sudden visit on our part. However, please make it as soon as possible. We have other countries to visit as well."

He urged them on a little.

"We will do our best," the knight said with a single word as they cleared the way.

"Looks like we can relax during the meeting," I said. "Maybe I’ll stock up on some food."

Tina agreed.

After arriving at the inn, I said, "Captain Magnes, Tina and I are going to restock on supplies like food in town."

The Captain thought for a moment. "Understood. However, don’t buy too much. This city should also be short on supplies."

He warned me.

I nodded and left the inn. I looked around a bit, but there wasn’t much life in the city. There were few shops selling tools or ingredients.

When I asked, I was told, "The monsters attacked, and the knights and adventurers fought hard, so we were providing them with goods."

…It seemed they had given away so much for free that they were now running low. I couldn’t say anything about that. Complaining about a good deed is not only wrong, it makes you a piece of trash as a person.

I bought only the bare necessities. After that, we decided to look around the city a bit.

At the Church’s headquarters.

The audience chamber.

Captain Magnes stood before the Pope. The knights had come to fetch him and let him through.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," the Captain said. "Have you been informed of my purpose?"

"I have," the Pope replied. "Everyone but the Cardinal may leave. What we are about to discuss is of great importance."

At her command, the knight captains silently withdrew.

In the space now occupied by only three people, the Pope said with a smile, "Well then, shall we dispense with the formal greetings? I have already come to an agreement with Emperor Yorune regarding future matters. This visit is merely a play to keep the existence of the wireless transceiver from coming to light."

…From this, it was clear that no one knew about the wireless transceiver. It was a prototype and difficult to mass-produce. If it became known, the nobles would undoubtedly demand it, and it would be the perfect tool for any schemes.

After all, you could talk to someone far away just by being in a room. There was nothing more convenient. Messenger birds, on the other hand, could be seen outside and were easily spotted.

"I appreciate your consideration," the Captain said. "Well then, with the formal greetings out of the way… is there anything you would like to ask?"

"I have heard a fair amount from Emperor Yorune, but… yes. I would like you to tell me about those two."

She asked with keen interest.

"Understood. It won’t take long. Well then…"

He began to speak.

Night.

The inn.

After a reasonably luxurious dinner, the Captain said, "We depart at dawn. According to the knights, the monsters in the forest are quiet and haven’t been seen. However, it seems a group of bandits is taking advantage of this. In fact, several adventurers have encountered them, and there have been injuries. They are said to be quite skilled. Stay sharp."

With that, he returned to his room.

"Skilled bandits, huh?" I grumbled. "If you have time for that, you should be making a name for yourself as an adventurer."

"Such people are fools who believe what they are doing is right," Tina said to my complaint. "Let’s just focus on subjugating them without a second thought."

It was a bit grim, but if my life was going to be targeted, I should be prepared to take a life in return.

It’s been a while. I hope I’m not rusty.