episode_0020

“This is strange…”

On the way down south after finishing business in Andar.

Originally, I planned to go down through the areas outside the borders of the Senguk Kingdom.

However, my plans were quickly thwarted.

“The current area is under the control of our Senguk Kingdom. Please swiftly move to Senguk and use a different route. Thank you.”

At every southern pass, Senguk soldiers were blocking the way.

If I tried to sneak through the coast, the nearby soldiers would quickly notice and block the path.

Despite trying various methods like transparent magic or digging tunnels, I failed repeatedly.

“Hey! Acting like this outside of Senguk’s territory is an outrage! Aren’t they asking us to pay a toll to the kingdom?”

“Right! Unauthorized activities in Senguk’s land cannot be tolerated!”

This time, the strategy was to formally protest with other merchants in a similar situation.

Although usually at odds with each other, they were now strong allies.

Together, we would raise our voices and push forward.

“Our kingdom is aware of this situation. A decree has been issued to refrain from collecting tolls in Senguk for a month.”

“No tolls…?”

“That’s correct. Once your identity is confirmed, you can freely come and go in Senguk.”

It was truly a radical story.

For a kingdom like Senguk, the income from tolls in a day would be immense.

To exempt it for nearly a month was a policy that was unthinkable without going bankrupt.

“Isn’t this a good thing?”

“It’s even better than good. Senguk has the infrastructure to leave any area, despite the high tolls.”

Merchants began to murmur in excitement at Senguk’s radical reward.

This was a big problem; if this continued, I had no choice but to give up and go to Senguk.

Although it would be a detour, as the merchants had said, Senguk was the hub of transportation.

They provided a safe and comfortable travel route worth the loss.

There was no point in continuing to fight against it.

“Oh! Seems like there was an unspeakable reason to tell Senguk!”

“Well, if they’re exempting tolls, it must not be a minor issue. We’ve kept busy people waiting!”

“Sorry for the inconvenience! We’ll head to Senguk right away!”

In the end, the temporary merchant alliance that protested together disbanded and everyone left for Senguk.

Only Fabiel and I were left at the scene, and the two of them looked at me with questioning eyes.

It was as if they were asking what to do.

“…Let’s go to Senguk as well.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, we’ll probably just cause trouble for you two if we stay any longer.”

I had tried all the resistance I could immediately.

But if nothing worked, it was better to give up early.

“We have no problem with that!”

“It’s okay to do as Aaron wishes!”

“Even if you’re okay with it, I’m not comfortable, so let’s just go.”

There was a way to force our way through with force, but that would ultimately expose my presence to the entire kingdom.

It seemed better to go in a direction where I could hide my identity as much as possible within Senguk.

“Let’s go to Senguk.”

“Got it!”

I raised my white flag and turned my steps towards the Senguk Kingdom.

I hoped we could pass through quietly.

***

[Breaking news! Transparent magic used!]

[Action taken.]

[Beep beep! Beep beep! Tunnel alert! Tunnel alert!]

“…Personnel have been sent to the location.”

[Emergency! Emergency! Nationwide Merchant Union! Also known as Jeonsangyeon, preparing for a protest!]

[We already have measures in place for that part, so no problem. But why have you been informing me so urgently since earlier?]

[Just for fun!]

[If it’s not fun for you?]

Lian’s circumvention operation was quite intricate, making it inevitable for it to be successful.

However, the reason for his frequent failures was due to having a spy within.

The iron sword that Lian had encountered with Alaina at Ferguson’s blacksmith shop long ago.

The two who had clashed from their first meeting eventually made a bet after a long period of bickering.

At the moment Lian left the Kinel Empire, which sword remained by his side?

The content was simple, but in order to see who would win, ultimately Lian had to be drawn into the Empire.

A meticulous operation was needed, so Alaina connected the ritual of the iron sword with her divine power to communicate from afar.

Through this, the iron sword observed Lian’s actions and reported everything to Alaina.

Alaina devised countermeasures each time and relayed them to the guards.

She excellently blocked Lian from passing and even made him give up.

[Operation successful!]

[Thank you for your hard work. But don’t get too excited. You will have to bid farewell to Lian here!]

[Hmph!]

[Your talent for making others angry is truly exceptional.]

As soon as Lian set foot in the Empire, the alliance with the sword that had been hitting him accurately dissolved naturally.

Even until the moment of dissolution, the taunting continued, and Alaina admitted that she couldn’t possibly beat the iron sword in a verbal argument.

‘Phew…! The key to victory is capturing Lian’s heart. In a verbal argument, I can’t compete with charm.’

By helping Lian, Alaina could create a position for herself to return.

However, with the appearance of the powerful rival, the iron sword, she couldn’t remain indifferent.

If she took an easy path, she could have a comfortable life, but she chose the difficult path and accepted the challenge of defeating the iron sword.

Though it was foolish, she had no regrets.

‘In order to return as Lian’s number one, I must endure any trial.’

Alaina accepted the bet with the iron sword as a trial.

She vowed to win and began to make plans.

While Alaina was burning with enthusiasm,

Lian arrived at the capital of Kinel without any issues.

In the central square where the statue of the Goddess of Light, Praana, stood, there was a cathedral in the front.

Opposite the cathedral was the Papal Palace, to the east was a large garden, and to the west, there were residential areas stretching out.

The capital of Kinel, filled with beautiful buildings, was always bustling with people.

A sacred and beautiful tourist destination, amidst which the festival coincided with the day of the apocalypse.

Although it was difficult due to the crowd, it was a very good environment for Lian to hide his identity.

“There are so many people that it wouldn’t be strange to become lost.”

“Today, there is a famous event in Kinel called the Holy Water Tasting, so more people will gather.”

“Holy Water? You mean they drink that precious thing?”

Holy Water, which could dispel any curse with just one sip and imbue the power to purify the undead with a drop on a weapon.

Due to its strong effects, production was limited, and even one bottle could cost enough to buy a house.

Lian found it hard to believe that such a rare Holy Water could be consumed by everyone.

“Haha! Do you really think the Empire would let everyone drink real Holy Water? Everyone knows it’s fake.”

“Even though they know it’s fake, why are so many people gathered here? It seems like people’s faith is beyond imagination.”

“Well, I think there might be a bigger meaning than just faith.”

“Oh? Is there a different meaning to fake holy water tasting?”

“Aaron, would you like to take a look around the square for a moment?”

Lian turned his head around at Fabiel’s suggestion.

Suddenly, he noticed something peculiar.

“I don’t know why, but there seems to be an overwhelmingly higher ratio of men than women?”

“Yes. Next, this is a sample I received, would you mind taking a look?”

Fabiel took out a cup from his bag and handed it to Lian.

The cup was made of wood and looked ordinary, but it had one unique feature.

A beautiful nun’s image was drawn on one side of the cup, so stunning that it made one’s heart flutter.

“What is this?”

“This is a special cup sold by the Holy Kingdom only on the day of the holy water tasting event. Oh, by the way, I have two more!”

There were also cups engraved with images of a cute and lovely young nun and a seductive nun with tantalizing chest and hips.

Lian, after confirming this, had a slightly puzzled expression.

“So, they sell cups with beautiful nun images for the tasting event?”

“Exactly!”

“It’s definitely a good commercial approach. However, it’s ambiguous to say that the tasting event became popular just because of a cup.”

“The reason for its popularity is very simple. The water left over from the nuns bathing in the morning is used as the fake holy water for the tasting event.”

“Uh…?”

Upon learning the true identity of the fake holy water, Lian widened his eyes in shock.

He had expected the water to have a bit of sanctity, but it was completely different.

Far from having any sanctity, it was just water left over from the nuns bathing.

Despite being unhygienic, many people came to drink it.

It was then that Lian realized the reason why there were more men than women.

“So, in some circles, it’s also called broth or nun’s bath.”

“That’s not wrong…”

Overwhelmed by the cultural shock he was experiencing for the first time, Lian suppressed the rising bile in his throat.

He had never been to the Holy Kingdom before, so he didn’t know that such a culture existed.

The price he paid for discovering the perverted side of the Holy Kingdom, which had always emphasized nobility, was quite high.

“Oh! There’s one more hidden feature in the cup I just showed you.”

“Is it a function that imbues the water inside with sanctity?”

“No. If you press a specific part of the nun’s image on the cup with your fingertip, a hole will appear! This hole allows you to drink the holy water!”

The part Fabiel pressed with his finger was exactly between the nun’s thighs.

Anatomically speaking, it was the area where the urinary function was located.

There were also holes drilled in the lips of the young nun and the voluptuous nun’s breasts on both sides.

Rather than just drinking it, they went to the trouble of drilling holes in the cup to drink the holy water.

Unable to understand this culture, Lian climbed up the building and carefully examined the area around where the holy water was placed.

Those who received the holy water raised their cups higher than their heads and tilted their heads back in unison.

At the same time, they drilled holes in the cups and started drinking the holy water that flowed out.

“Wow, damn…!”

Lian, who couldn’t figure out where this idea came from, evaluated the person as a genius and a crazy person.