episode_0153

Chapter 6 Episode 9 – Outing to the Capital

I am now on a shitty plane heading to the capital. The reason for the sudden journey is that Banshee succeeded in stealing the ledgers of the Virgin Mary Church.

As a result of examining the ledger, most of the places where Joachim was suspected to be were located in the northern part of the empire. However, since not all areas in the north have airports, I plan to go to the capital first and then use the high-speed train.

“Ugh… . Zeke, is that real?”

Veronica is pulling the sleeve of my dress with an anxious expression.

“What?”

“Rain, the airplane bathroom is… . There’s a hole underneath… .”

You seemed restless earlier, but maybe you wanted to go to the bathroom?

“Of course it’s dirty.”

“What!? Until now… !”

Veronica, who suddenly raised her voice, was silenced.

“Are you really holding back until now because you were scared?”

“……”

She nods her head with a grinning expression. Fake that.

“Go quickly. If you’re scared, take Leon with you.”

“You think I know!?”

“Wasn’t it?”

“Really annoying!”

Veronica stood up with a pouting expression.

“You should wear shoes.”

“Huh? You have to take off your shoes on the plane… . iced coffee! Really!!”

Veronica, who realized that she had been fooled again by my grinning face, lost her temper again, clumped up her shoes, and ran to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, it was a bonus to be warned by passengers not to run on the plane.

“……”

Leon, who was watching silently from the side, put on his shoes without saying a word.

The two companions on the trip to the capital are Leon and Veronica. Originally, I was going to take Leon and Banshee’s clone with me, but Veronica almost made a fuss about taking me with her, so I had no choice but to go with them.

Normally, it would have been normal for the banshee to be careful because it was dangerous, but as the attack was completed, he seemed to be convinced that it would be safe if he stayed with me, so he actively agreed to ask Veronica to show him around the capital.

Thanks to this, I was able to go on an outing to a capital that was not even in Palja.

“Haam… . It’s not fun.”

“I told you it wouldn’t be fun.”

The excitement of riding an airplane for the first time faded away as the flight lasted several hours, and all that was left was a fight against boredom. Veronica, who had been enjoying all kinds of entertainment in the isolation room, must have been unused to this kind of fight against boredom, and was already starting to complain.

“It was fun when I flew on the Ryuka.”

“I almost had to pee.”

“Oh, no!”

Veronica had flown on a Ryuka during the last Cheshire Wonderland. At first, I was scared and trembled, but after I found out that it was safe, I was happy like a little kid riding an amusement ride.

Afterwards, he continued to beg Ryuka to want to ride, but there was no way Ryuka, a hikikomori, would grant such a request. So Veronica tried to be satisfied with taking the plane this time, but it was slower than Luka and she could only see the outside scenery through a small window, so she was very disappointed.

In the end, Veronica, who was puffing out her cheeks and mumbling, fell asleep.

Did you say that a child is most like an angel when he or she is sleeping? Veronica, who is an adult but has not grown well, is most worthy of attention when she is sleeping.

‘I don’t know why you sleep holding my hand.’

Whenever I tried to take my hand away, it kept frowning, so I had no choice but to let it go.

Meanwhile, Leon, who is also sleeping quietly, has his hands on the armrests, and his hands are wide open. As if telling me to hold on to it.

“……”

That’s 100% pretending to sleep.

*

*

After flying for a long time with both arms restrained, my whole body was sore and I was already exhausted. But even after arriving, I couldn’t rest as I wanted.

If possible, I wanted to go to Joachim right away, but there was still time before the banshee could pinpoint the exact location. I wanted to spend the rest of my time relaxing at the hotel, but Veronica, who was visiting the capital for the first time, dragged me outside. I had no choice but to tour Tarkis.

The first trip to Tarkis in a long time was not fun at all. It’s something I’ve already gotten sick of, and there are so many people that it’s just unpleasant. My legs hurt and my body was tired. To be honest, I have never been on a trip or anything like that in real life, and I have no interest in it.

In particular, the Grand Tower, a famous landmark in Tarkis, is just a needlessly tall building. What is so amazing about it that it is always crowded with people?

‘The Grand Tower is just a big building.’

So stop sightseeing, damn it.

“Ahh~. I wanted to go to other places too.”

“There is no time. Since today is not the only day, let’s go next time.”

The Tarkis tour ended as the sun set. Even though I walked around so much, I still couldn’t visit half of the main tourist attractions in Tarkis, which made me realize how big and developed this city is.

Growling–.

The loud ringing sound caught Leon’s attention and focused on Veronica.

“Why, why! What!”

“Play and eat, play and eat. It’s a very good deal, right?”

“I am a princess! Playing and eating is my job!”

The Banshee alter ego is really capable, so why is the main body so useless? Maybe it’s because they’re so capable that they’re shouldering this burden with the balance patch.

“It will take some time to get to the accommodation, so let’s go after dinner.”

There are many downsides to eating outside. First of all, having to take off the mask you are wearing unnecessarily attracts attention.

If you’re with Rupiah, there’s no problem because restaurants usually rent out luxury rooms, but now that Rupiah isn’t around, if I ask for a table without a reservation, that’s just the truth.

‘Fortunately, there are many restaurants worth going to in the capital.’

Just as there are secret cafes run by celebrities in real life, there are such cafes or restaurants in this worldview as well. Of course, rather than targeting only real celebrities, it’s a place that ordinary people can’t even dream of because it’s so damn expensive.

Originally, I would have just stayed at the dorm to save money, but now I have pocket money from Banshee. Since ancient times, it is polite to spend other people’s money generously.

You should eat the most expensive one.

*

“Mr. Zeke!”

After arriving at the restaurant and following the waiter’s directions to an empty seat, a woman at a certain table raised her hand and called me.

“Mr. Liza?”

It was Liza, a senior knight of the knights stationed on the East Continent.

The waiter who was guiding our group looked at us as if asking if we were going to sit together. Veronica didn’t seem to want to sit with a stranger, but I chose to sit together without hesitation.

[Heroine profile]

Name: Philia

Height: 170 / Difficulty: A

Progress: 32% / Like level: 3

Because Philia was there with Liza.

Liza said she came to this restaurant to enjoy some luxury after receiving a large bonus from her work on the East Continent. I wanted to bring other team members, but perhaps everyone had other things to do with their bonuses, so the only one who came along was Philia. Actually, I was forced to force Filia to train too.

“So… . This is Mr. Zeke… . Daughter?”

“What!? She’s not a daughter, she’s a lover!”

“Neither.”

Liza playfully asked a question about Veronica’s young appearance, and Veronica angrily retorted. Because her comment could have made the situation even stranger, I quickly denied it.

“This is Bell. She’s just a coworker’s daughter. This is Leon. We’re already spherical, right?”

Unlike Veronica, Leon had met Liza on the Eastern Continent. He even helped with the demolition of the base, so he must be acquainted with them. As expected, the two didn’t seem that close, but they didn’t look awkward either.

“And this is Liza. He was a knight who was indebted to me in many ways while I was on the Eastern Continent. Also, this is Philia. As everyone knows, it’s a special article.”

I tried to introduce the two to Belle, but Veronica turned her head away with her cheeks puffed out and didn’t even pretend to listen.

“Tch… . I thought it would be just the two of us… . Strange women keep barging in… .”

I kept mumbling to myself what was going on, but I didn’t care. Veronica doesn’t get upset for more than a day or two. Anyway, if you eat a sweet dessert at this restaurant, it’s obvious that your tension will automatically rise as if you’re about to lose your temper.

Meanwhile, Philia was staring at Leon. Leon seemed to be uncomfortable with those gazes, so he hesitated, not knowing what to do.

‘You definitely want to spar.’

Surprisingly, Philia’s attack may be easy. Wouldn’t it be okay to just bring her to the management bureau and have her spar with the heroines?

Of course, since it is level A difficulty, the strategy will not end with just that.

“Ah.”

Philia, who had been looking at Leon for a while, rummaged around in her arms as if something suddenly occurred to her.

“Management Director… ? Zeke… ? hmm… .”

“Just call me Zeke.”

“Ah, yes. Zeke, here.”

What Philia took out from her pocket was a small business card. The familiar design made me immediately recognize that it was the business card of a St. Mary’s Church figure.

“…Archbishop Gromwell?”

“Yes. Raphael told me to tell it to Zeke.”

If Raphael, he is one of only five special knights in the empire… . Ah, now there are four people. Anyway, he is one of them, and he is also active as the chief auditor of the Audit Bureau.

‘Wow, PTSD… .’

The bureau has been audited three times so far. Every time, Raphael came and literally ripped away my soul. He may seem like a strict person, but he’s surprisingly flexible, so it’s never been a big problem, but being thanked in the first place is extremely annoying.

The reason why express drivers act as auditors is because of the special privileges exclusive to them. Raphael is working as an auditor because he can choose what he wants as long as it is a public service that is helpful to the empire.

As a side note, Gordon was in charge of special crimes that regular police officers could not handle. Thanks to this, the special crime rate rose dramatically after his death, but it’s not something I care about.

Anyway, that person probably doesn’t particularly like me, so why is he giving me this business card? It wasn’t even his business card, but the business card of the Archbishop of St. Mary’s Church, who had no connection whatsoever.

I accepted the business card with a puzzled feeling and looked around, but there was a handwritten note written in an empty space in a corner of the business card.

‘…The Virgin Mary is looking for… It’s… ?’