91-Episode 89: Makoto Takatsuki Explores the Royal Capital (Ku Ward)



Takatsuki, it looks good on you.
 For some reason, he looks happy to see me.

 The current form of me is a raccoon-dog beastman.
I tried many different ways to use my Transformation skill, and I found that I was the best at it.
 Raccoon dogs are the way to go when it comes to transforming people, right?
You look just like you did when I met you in the Great Maze.
 Sa-san is no longer in his usual human form, but a blue-skinned person like he was in the Great Maze.
 Was it the Sea People?

 -- We are currently in the Ninth Ward of the King's City of Sinfonia.


 A few hours ago.


 First, Lucy said, "I'm coming too! He didn't ask.
'Lady Lucy! You can't be the one in the Ninth Ward!
"Master Lucy, you will be attacked by thugs for sure!
 Nina and Fujiyan were fiercely opposed by Nina and Fujiyan.
 Lucy, a hottie, was always thin and exposed.
 She has the beautiful appearance of an elf and bright red hair.
 There's nothing like standing out.

'When a beautiful woman like Miss Lucy goes to the slums, it's like giving meat to a pack of starving wolves.
Ugh.....
 Lucy is also admonished by Chris-san.
 As a result, it's only me and Sa-san who are heading to the Ninth Ward slums.
 It's because we can use our 'change' skill to change our appearance.

I'll have to learn it too...
 Lucy wasn't happy about it.
 I'm sorry, Lucy.
 You should come with me sometime. 
 By the way.

Fujiyan, I hear we've found the leader of the rebellion.
 He confirms the story Lady Noah told him.
'Where did you get that story?'
 Chris is surprised.

'The Goddess told me about it,'
You are a goddess indeed. I'm just about to go to Lady Sophia for a consultation.
 According to Fujiyan, the influential person who is coordinating the sub-humans in the 7th and 8th wards is suspicious.
 However, the 'guru' who made the initial plan is still unknown.

''I heard that the man from the 'Order of the Serpent' has made Symphonia his next target.
 It's the story of the man who was taken in by Princess Sophia in the underground prison of the Royal Capital Horn.
''Yes, it's a story I was told by Lord Tuckey before. I, too, suspect the involvement of the demon race, but...''
It's still unclear...
 Fujiyan and Nina said ruefully.

'I'm going to go explore the Ninth Ward. The Goddess advised me to do that.''
It's a good thing we don't know many people in the Ninth Ward.
It's a dangerous place. 'My Lord,'
 Nina and Chris are going to be worried about you.
 Is it really that dangerous?

'Takatsuki-kun, I'll go with you, I'll be fine.
 Sa-san is swinging his new giant hammer around.
 I don't want this to be a scene where I have to use it....

''Please be careful. I and my team will now meet with Princess Sophia to discuss our future plans.''
All right. I'll do a moderate amount of research and round up.

 We agreed to meet up this evening to exchange information.


 ◇Present◇.


It's kind of dim, isn't it?
 Sa-san murmured.
 The air in Ninth Ward Street was different from the city before as soon as I entered.

''In case you're wondering, I heard this place right after entering the compartmentalized gate is the most developed, but...''
 There are a few places that look like shops, but not many.
 There is no activity anywhere.
 There are many empty shops.

 A person lying on the side of the road.
 People standing idly.
 People smoking a cigarette on a bench.
 There is a decadent air in the air.

A strange smell...
 Sa-san frowned.
 It definitely smelled.
 For one thing, it's probably the smell of the lack of sewage and garbage disposal in place.
 In addition to that, this sweet smell........

"Narcotics(weed)........
 It smells like a horn tavern or a circus theater.
 Once, Fujiyan showed me a real one.
 At first glance, it was shaped like a cigarette (tobacco).
(There was one in the shop of the owner of the tiger-beast tribe that Nina-san took care of yesterday...)
 Is it also available in King's Landing Symphonia?

It's crazy how you can smell the drugs so clearly on Main Street...
Maybe the police aren't there.
 On the western continent, the Temple Knights (Templar Knights) serve as the police force.
 The Temple Knights are an organization run by the Church of the Six Great Goddess Faiths.
 In the city where the churches are located, the Temple Knights protect the security of the city.
 They were also in McAllen, but they were always drinking with the adventurers.
 McAllen is so peaceful.

 In the Ninth Ward, there are no knights in sight.
 A lawless area........

''........Have you seen something?''
Yeah I can feel their eyes on me.
 The people in the city doing nothing.
 They're looking at me.

 I don't know why, they're properly dressed like slums.
 Gradually, there are people walking towards us and others.
 Or someone is following us. 

 Shit, they're blocking the road in front of us.
 He's mumbling something.

"Let's get out of here! Yeah!
 We turned off the main road and onto a side street.
We relied on our "Danger Detection" and "Escape" skills to continue on our way.
 By the way, you're faster than me without using your skills.
 Wait, wait!


 ◇


Mr. Saa, you're going too fast...
I don't think there's anyone following us up here.
 We came to an open area with few people.
 A large, lonely place.
 There was a crude fence with a vegetable patch in it and chickens grazing in it.
Is it a field? It's so weird to be in a place like this.
Yeah. I've never seen you grow any vegetables.
 The atmosphere is different from that of the flamboyant royal capital or the entrance to the slums just now.
 It's a little different from the idyllic... or even a little different, but it's a little more peaceful.
 In the back, a tattered church stands. 

"...a church...
Churches in the slums sound like a lot of work.
 We proceeded to talk about that.


'Stop it!' We raised it! Please stop, it's one of the few foods we have.
 I could hear people fighting.
'Ah! I don't know anything about that!
Who do you think I owe it to, you filthy little bloodsuckers?
 A child and an old woman screaming in grief.
 The other voice is that of rough men.
 Are they raiding the fields?

Takatsuki-kun!
 Sa-san ran.
 Fast!
 In the meantime, I'm going after Sa-san.


"Do you want to help the kids?

 Yes.
 No.


(Right?)
'RPG Player Skills' reads the air exactly.
(Well, I guess I don't have to choose this time.)

'You guys! It's disgusting to torment a little boy like that!
 If a little boy is in trouble, Sa-san will never abandon him.
 He returned to his usual human form and struck a pose.
 But even though she is petite and cute, her words are not powerful at all.

An? What the f*ck, man? - Look at her, she's cute. - Are you a pedophile? I'm not a pedophile! What's so great about that one without breasts?

(Oh, he's mad at me for making fun of my breasts.)
 You should have turned into a woman with big breasts instead of getting mad at her.
 When I told her that, she said, "That's not the point! Takatsuki-kun! I was lectured by him.
 It's like Mr. Sa-san, he can't allow me to cheat him with the "Change" skill.
 It's a mystery to me.

...you guys, prepare yourselves.
 
 Sa-san's 'Intimidation' skill has been activated.
(Scary!)
 A chill runs down my spine, even from the back.

"Huh! What the hell is this? He's gonna kill me!
 The men ran away, screaming.
 It was a bad idea to deal with them!

'Hmph, boring guys!
 Mr. Sa-san folds his arms.
Mr. Saasan, Mr. Saasan. Come here.
What?
 I looked at the other side.
 All the children were sitting up.
 Some of the children were incontinent.

'Ahhhh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
My wife's sorry.
 We both apologized as best we could.


 ◇


 Me and Saasan were led into the church.
 Just like the outside, the inside of the church is old.
 But it's been well maintained and I understand that people are living here.

'Thank you..... For those like us.
 It's a tired outfit, but it looks like this old woman over here is a Sister.
""Thank you!"
  Even the polite children are all dressed shabbily.

'Nope, no big deal. It's a terrible thing to do to such a small boy.
Why did they bother to do that?
 The older sister began to speak.

'This church also serves as an orphanage. The children here are all abandoned children because they have 'demon blood'........ They hate.....no, they despise us who have 'Demon Blood'.
"The Fiends...
'Yes ... or 'dirty blood' as they call it, and I am one of them.
 The Sister took the covering and found a small horn there.
 She put it back on again.

''Most importantly, the blood of the demon race is quite diluted. It has no special powers whatsoever. It's just that they look a little bit different from other people.......all the kids here are.
 The sister speaks sadly.

"We don't know what our parents look like...
It's dirty blood...
They throw away children who look like demons.
I should be grateful to you for letting me live...
 The children's expressions are dark.

'....What's that?
 Sa-san frowned.
''Why don't you just get out of King's Landing?''
 Wouldn't it be better if you went to a place other than Highland, where the class system is strict?

'There are over 50 orphans here........ And an abandoned child every few months....
Well.........
 It's not that easy, is it?
 You don't look like you have any money to begin with.
 You look like you're living on your own.

I wonder if McAllen could get Fujiwara-kun or Chris-san to help him...?
 Sa-san looks at me, as if she can't give up.
 Ummmm.
 I know what you're thinking, but........it's not easy to take care of this big family, is it?
 Even though he's Fujiyan, he's not doing charity work.

''McAllen? If you don't know the adventurers, Jean and Emily?
 Oh.
I know. I've been on some adventures with you.
'Really? How are you doing?
 The sisters looked happy for the first time.

 Jean and Emily were from the orphanage here. 
 By the way, did I mention that they were from an orphanage in the Land of the Sun?
 Hmm? So....

Those guys... were the demon race?
'Oh....'
 The sister looked relieved.
 Did she think it was a gaffe?

'Oh, we're otherworldly, so I don't mind.
 I took the initiative and said.
'Yi, otherworldly? You're not a legendary hero?
No, I'm not a legend. I'm a hero.
?
 For now, I introduced myself briefly.

'My God! Are you the hero of the Water Kingdom (Roses)?
"Nii-chan, that's amazing." "That's so cool! My hero....
 The eyes of the children are hot.
 I'm embarrassed.

"You're smiling, Takatsuki.
Come on. That's enough.
'Yeah, yeah, it's fun!'
 You look like you're having fun, too.

'I see Jean and Emily are doing well. They've only been adventurers for a short time and they're sending us money regularly, but it won't be an easy life for them...''
 Smiling Sister.
 Jean I didn't know you were doing that.
 I had no idea.
 Then we talked about Jean and Emily of McAllen for a while.
 Sister nodded happily.

'I see, Jean and Emily are now lovers.
Wasn't it like that before?
 From the moment I first met you, I thought we were in a relationship.
 I've only been dating for a short time, apparently.

'At the orphanage, Emily was kind of the big sister. 'Jean's going to be an adventurer and raise a flag! And then Emily, who was worried about me, went with me.
 Sister talks nostalgically.
'Heh, I'll tease Jean next time.'
Takatsuki-kun, you're so tacky.
 We could talk about this church and the sisters.
 We could make some good catching up.

 We didn't come here just to make small talk.
 This is a home for witchcraft orphans.
 She might have some information.

"Is this church a sun goddess cult?
 He looked up at the statue of Althena, the Sun Goddess, and said.

'In the Land of the Sun (Highland), there is no church that believes in any other god than Althena-sama.
Well... it's just like water country, isn't it?
 You're just as I've been told in this faith-obsessed country.

"By the way,
 I'll bring it up in a casual way.
Have you heard of the Order of the Snake?
 The moment she said that, Sister's face turned grim.

''Do you think we believe in the Evil Demon God?''
No, no, no.
No, it's not!
 Me and Sa-san shake our heads in a hurry.

''While their atrocious actions are causing our people to suffer...! An abominable group that attacks the human race indiscriminately, spreading horrible drugs (weed) and causing chaos in the world. The hatred of those who have been hurt by them is directed at powerless demons like us.......
 At the end, Sister nodded helplessly.
 I see, the people here are victims of the snake cult........
 Hmm? One thing I'm curious about. 

Is the drug (weed) being spread by a cult of snakes?
''Yes........everyone who lives in the Ninth Ward Street knows about it. The snake cult is funded by the sale of drugs (weed). Once, a man who claimed to be related to the cult solicited us to grow plants to make the drug (weed).
'Oh no... for these kids? It's unacceptable.
 Sa-san shows a look of anger.
 I see.
 The cult of the snake and drugs (weed).
 So they were connected there.


''We're looking for the snake cult. The man from the cult who rampaged the demons in the Royal Capital of the Water Country the other day said that this is where he's going to go next.''
No.....
 Sister looks sad.

'Anything. Is there anything you know?
I'm not sure about the underground canal...
 The kid who was listening, blurted out.

"'Underground canal?'
 Mr. Saasan and I nodded our heads.

'There's an intricate underground canal that doubles as a sewage system in the royal capital, Symphonia.
It's rumored to be the hideout of a mafia hideout and a snake cult...
It's a place where children are told to stay away from because of kidnappers...
 It's kind of a shady place.
 I didn't know there was such a place.

"The underground canals of the royal capital Sinfonia...
Takatsuki-kun you're not going?
'What? You're not going, Sa-san?
 Sa-san stares at me with a surprised look on her face.
 Did I say something weird?

Takatsuki-kun, you're a cautious player, but you stick your neck out where it looks dangerous, don't you?
Doesn't an underground canal dungeon in King's Landing sound fun?
'Huh...'
 I was stunned.
 But the facility is located further underground in the slums of the royal city.
 I feel like I'm getting deeper and deeper into it.


''Do you want to go to the underground canal in the King's Capital Symphonia?''

 Yes.
 No.


 Today is a day of many choices.

Let's go, mister.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
 Sa-san laughed with a troubled look on his face.

 We headed to the underground canals of the royal capital, Symphonia.