Chapter Ninety-seven: The Rowdy Gourmands Cuts Through!
After the fry scramble, everyone said that they would stay here tonight, so I instructed them on how to set up the beds and such. Then Mr. Ville and I began a not-so-secret discussion in the driver’s and passenger’s seats. Our conversation was probably audible to everyone, but well, the topic of "Isn’t this saint summoning business sketchy?" wasn’t something that needed to be kept secret anyway…
“…So, I was thinking that kind of plot might be possible in a European-style period drama…”
“Well… It ‘sounds’ plausible, but Rin, isn’t the plot you’re describing just from the realm of fiction?”
“Yes, that’s true… If you ask whether such things happen in the real world…”
I tried explaining by basing it on an old story I’d seen called "Punishing the Great Scam of the Foreign Priestess, Corrupt Merchant, and Evil Magistrate Working Together!" I replaced the foreign priestess with a "saint" and the corrupt merchant and evil magistrate with "those who performed the summoning"…
Mr. Ville’s reaction was unenthusiastic.
Well, that’s understandable. It’s hard to suddenly accept "This world was actually a European-style period drama!" If someone suddenly said such a thing to you, you wouldn’t know how to react, right?
However, seeing Mr. Ville putting his hand to his chin in thought, it seems something might have struck a chord.
“From what I’ve seen in old documents, the ‘saint summoning’ was treated as the last hope for people suffering from the terror of monsters, so it doesn’t seem like something for which one must surely be punished.”
“But can we really say that the current saint is the last hope?”
“There haven’t been any reports of monster attacks or stampedes, right…?”
“Mm. That’s why… we should report in the capital?”
“…So, in the end, that’s what it comes down to.”
At some point, everyone had gathered around the flip-up counter. Mr. Ed was leaning on the counter, peering into the driver’s side, with Mr. Xenon standing behind him with his arms crossed. And next to Mr. Ed, I could just see the top of Ms. Aria’s head, as if she was sitting down.
Could it be that the research Mr. Xenon was doing was about this ‘saint summoning’?
…Come to think of it, the previous saint was said to have saved people who were suffering from monsters, right? Thinking about that, we can’t simply say "saint = villain," but as Mr. Ed and Mr. Ville pointed out if there’s "no monster damage," is there really a need to "purify monsters"? The answer is pretty much no… In the end, as Ms. Aria suggested, it seems we’ll need to seek the judgment of those in charge.
“The royal capital… being the center of the country, various information should be gathered there, making it important for investigation and data collection.”
“Filtering and selection are necessary, but the more information we have, the better. It will serve as a basis for judgment.”
“And yet you’re still reluctant to go… Ville, you really are troublesome.”
…I can see anew the necessity of this trip to the royal capital.
Besides reporting to the central authorities, the capital could have more advanced or detailed current information, and there could be a lot of documents on past events, making it vital for information gathering.
Mr. Ville nodded in agreement to my murmur, while Mr. Xenon sighed and glanced over with his blue eyes.
Hmm… Mr. Xenon sometimes gets a bit prickly towards Mr. Ville! Mr. Ville himself doesn’t seem to mind much, brushing off the look with a snort, but… how should I put it… these two really have a "friendly rivalry" vibe going on…
“Anyway, tomorrow we’re preparing for the trip to the royal capital, right?”
“…Yeah. Looks like we have no choice but to go.”
“Rin! Rin! Then, let’s go… shopping together?”
“Oh, nice! Me too! I’m coming along too!”
…Summarizing all the information so far, it seems we’re definitely "going to the royal capital." Just as Mr. Ville had nodded reluctantly to my summary… the next moment, a cold hand reached out from the side and grabbed my arm. Looking over, I saw Ms. Aria with sparkling eyes, and next to her, Mr. Ed enthusiastically raised his hand. I was about to agree when I glanced at Mr. Ville next to me and noticed his expression had suddenly turned stern. Confused, I looked up at Mr. Xenon, who also had a bitter look on his face… Huh?
“Listen, Rin. Don’t spoil these two, okay? Even if they beg at the stalls, don’t just buy everything for them.”
“That’s right, Rin. These two will want to eat everything they see. You can’t buy them everything!”
“Eh?! No, I don’t think I’d buy everything, but… sure…”
“Hey! We only buy what we can eat anyway!”
“Mm! Only buy… what looks delicious…!”
“That’s exactly what we’re telling you not to do…!”
Red and blue sharp gazes pierced me. Both Mr. Ville and Mr. Xenon were trying desperately to restrain the two who were excitedly chattering about shopping, but their efforts seemed to have little effect on Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria, who were puffing out their cheeks and pouting. Even Mr. Ville’s voice, who seemingly holding back various emotions while pressing his fingers against his brow, was ignored.
“Listen, Rin. Don’t get swept along or tricked by them, okay? Absolutely not!”
“Ah, yes… I’ll do my best…”
It seems they’ve judged that trying to restrain the two directly won’t work.
Mr. Ville is appealing to me while gripping my shoulders, but… what’s with this "just don’t give in to their pressure" vibe…
…I wonder if tomorrow’s shopping will be okay…
Amidst the unshakeable anxiety, Gomamiso on my lap is carefreely letting out a big yawn.
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