kscans

Chapter 76 - The Sailor Uniform and the Citizens' Council

The Citizens' Council convened at the city hall. It was a massive building with stone walls, the bricks arranged in beautiful geometric patterns of different colored stone. In the center was a huge wooden door and a spire that pierced the sky. The neatly arranged windows were arched.

Here and there, the stone was chipped or cracked, with some areas left unrepaired. The number of soldiers was also small; perhaps the city lacked the tax revenue to maintain the building.

Attending the Citizens' Council were me, Famu, Mizuki, Myra, and Hyakka. I wore my suit from my original world. Mizuki had also returned my tie. Mizuki was wearing the sailor uniform I had. Since we were at it, we decided the four of us would make our appearance in the chamber together.

"What is it?"

"No, it just looks good on you."

"You think so?"

Mizuki, looking embarrassed, blushed and turned away.

"How do I look?"

"...You look like a pervert I saw on the train a while back."

"..."

Was she still mad?

"Just kidding. I think you look cool."

I figured it was just flattery, but being praised by her made me happy. Mizuki turned back to me and adjusted my tie. Famu was looking at my clothes with a curious expression.

"In my original world, everyone dresses like this when they go to work. It might catch on here, too."

The parade of people trailing behind us like yesterday was gone, but whenever the townspeople saw us, they would cheer and cause a stir. It wasn't that they disliked us, which was good, but it had become difficult to walk through the city normally.

"Famu, are you ready?"

"Yes."

She nodded. I had her take off her arm covers today to make it known that she was not a slave. I didn't know if standing out would be a good or bad thing for her. However, I hoped that her conduct could help reduce the friction between the human and dog-eared races. I regretted not bringing Cecily and Aira along as well.

We stood before the large main door. Just as I thought we would enter through there, a smaller door to the side opened. A soldier was beckoning to us. It felt like a bit of an anticlimax.

"Well, shall we go?"

Pulling myself together, we entered the city hall.

The chamber we were led to was a space large enough to hold over a hundred people. The ceiling was high. This building made extensive use of arches, not just for the window frames but for the ceiling as well. Morning light streamed in through the windows, brightening the chamber. The windows were large, and the pillars were considerably thinner than those in the church. On the left and right were seats for the council members, where men who were presumably the members sat. We proceeded into the central hall.

Most of the seats were empty. In total, there were probably only about ten people participating. They were dressed like the wealthy class. It seemed the literal majority, the common citizens, were not present here.

"It's usually full. But this is an emergency meeting, and there's still cleanup from yesterday,"

Hyakka said, her words somehow lacking conviction. In that case, I thought, they could have waited until things settled down. Of course, by then, we would have already departed for Miglutt. I wished they'd hold as many meetings as they liked in our absence.

At the far end of the front, a flag bearing what was likely the city's crest hung like a banner. Before it was a raised platform, where a man dressed in lavish clothes sat on an ornate wooden chair. This must be the Consul. While feigning a government with citizen participation, in reality, the administration was run by his dictatorship. He looked quite young, perhaps around twenty. He rested an elbow on the armrest and welcomed us with an elegant smile.

Was he the one who secretly let Mii's group into the city and orchestrated this whole disturbance? They might have had something to gain, but it didn't seem like the Consul would benefit. In any case, it was impossible to get to the truth here. If we were to find out, it would be through their interrogation. But that would happen in a sealed room. We would never know.

Next to him stood a middle-aged man. An attendant, perhaps.

Hyakka knelt before the Consul and bowed. I was about to follow her example, but Myra grabbed the hem of my clothes from behind.

"You are one sent by a god. Even if he acts as a king, he is merely the consul of this city,"

Myra whispered. Then she stepped forward, in front of us.

"Honorable Consul, my name is Myra, of the church in the city of Richel. This is Mash-sama, the hero sent by the goddess Laciel-sama."

The Consul nodded at Myra's words. The man still had a smile on his lips.

"Indeed. We are grateful for your cooperation in the city's defense."

Myra nodded on my behalf. Was it really okay for me to just stand here? I could feel the silent pressure from the surrounding council members, telling me to kneel. Annoyed by their gazes, I scanned the room and spotted a familiar face. It was the commander from the city wall yesterday. Was a soldier participating in the council as a member? I felt an indescribable sense of unease.

While I was making these observations, the conversation between the Consul and Myra continued.

"As for a reward, or rather, a token of our gratitude, the city's finances are in a dire state,"

the Consul said. Myra looked at me.

"About the ones who attacked the church,"

I began, and the Consul prompted the man beside him to speak.

"They will be publicly executed within a few days."

A decision made the very next day. It seemed incredibly swift, but perhaps that was normal in this world.

"There were slaves among those you captured, weren't there? If they wish it, I would like to take them into my custody."

The priest's daughter, Doris, and the were-beast warrior, Task.

"Oh, the slaves..."

the Consul murmured, looking around the chamber. But no one else spoke up.

"Indeed, the slaves were merely following their master's orders. However, the residents of this city will likely demand the same treatment for them as for their master."

"I have no intention of keeping them in this city. Within a few days, we will take the slaves and leave. I will ensure they never set foot in this city again."

"...Well, for one who saved the church from crisis, secured the cooperation of the wandering folk, and saved the city with the power of a goddess, that is a rather modest request, I suppose."

The value of two slaves... Fang was worth the same as the female warrior, a hundred gold coins, and Doris, being a priestess, would fetch a decent price, perhaps around two hundred gold coins. But if they couldn't ignore the citizens' feelings, then the slaves were effectively worthless.

The council members remained silent in response to the Consul's words. I couldn't get a read on the atmosphere. Was no one in a position to voice an opinion to him? I was starting to lose track of why I had been summoned in the first place.

"The hero's wish shall be granted. Their will is irrelevant. You may take them. We will have their Slave Marks rewritten as well. However, as long as they remain in this city, they will stay in their cells."

I nodded.

After being released from the Citizens' Council, we headed to the prison to confirm the intentions of Fang and Doris. They were apparently being held in the dungeon beneath the palace. We had a knight on guard duty announce us and then descended underground.

"Be careful. Magic cannot be used here. The effects of Slave Marks are also nullified,"

the knight explained. Thinking about Mii's group being imprisoned here, it seemed special skills were likely sealed as well.

"After hearing Mii's story, I understand this place is controlled by the power of a Crystal Core, but can such a space be created so easily?"

If so, there could be cases where I couldn't summon Laciel in a fight. That would be fatal for me.

"I'm sorry. I do not know either... One theory is that someone with the power of Divine Grace integrated these functions into the Crystal Core,"

Myra replied. Was integrating functions something like programming?

"Mii was controlling a Crystal Core. But only one person can be given a specific type of special skill. There's one in the church, a prison... assuming one per city, that's a considerable number in common circulation. Have generations of people been traveling from city to city, spreading them?"

Some would slack off, I'm sure. There would be those like Mii who go on a rampage, and others who go their whole lives without realizing their power. It didn't seem like something that could be passed down unbroken through the ages.

"There may be a method of control I am unaware of. Or perhaps there are Crystal Cores that come with such functions from the start."

While listening to Myra's answer, we were shown into a waiting room of sorts. A door at the back seemed to lead to the cells, and the knight went further in. The space, illuminated by a lantern, was damp and humid. There was a small desk surrounded by several stools. They were old and looked like they might break, so I didn't feel like sitting down.

"In the end, why were we even called to the city council today...?"

"Everyone who was there today, they're all part of the Consul's faction,"

Hyakka answered.

"Does that mean something?"

"He was probably testin' how tight-lipped ya are."

"Me? I don't get it."

On the surface, it just looked like the Citizens' Council was thanking us.

"Didn't ya say it yourself, Mash? The mastermind of this whole thing would be in the palace if the church was attacked, and in the church if the palace was attacked."

"Does that mean those people were the ones who caused this incident?"

And was that why there were so few people there, because only those involved in the incident were called?

"I dunno. But they were probably a bunch who'd be fine no matter what ya started blabbin' about."

That commander too? If so, what was going through his mind as he commanded his troops from the flanking tower until he collapsed?

"If that's the case, Mii's group was after what's in the church's basement, but what was the objective for the Consul's side of the council?"

"Mash, the city walls and public buildings in this city haven't been repaired for a long time, it seems,"

Myra replied.

"Come to think of it, he did say something about not having a reward to give us. Was it about money? But how do they plan to raise funds by doing something like this? Considering the damage to the citizens, it seems difficult to raise money through taxes."

"Perhaps their objective is to secure aid from the Imperial Capital."

"...I see."

But wouldn't that lead to surrendering power to the capital? However, this world didn't have the high-speed, large-scale transportation or information networks of my original world. Administration for each city was probably necessary. They likely believe that the current power structure of this city will be maintained even with the capital's intervention.

If the Consul and Mii's group are connected as we suspect, then releasing Fang and Doris shouldn't be a desirable reward for them. Would they really let us take them without any trouble?