46 - The 15th "Cebu"

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Here is the key to your room. Please ask the receptionist if you need to leave the room.



　Soon after, Helian and his group arrived at the inn.

　The inn has an air of confidence in its history. In the hall (lobby) leading to the back of the reception desk, travelers and adventurers who look like guests can be seen. It was a scene that you would never see in a Japanese hotel.



　The well-dressed manager handed me the key to my room. There were three. One room for a helian and two rooms for three attendants. The fact that the hotel was almost full was not an exaggeration, and judging from the hustle and bustle of the staff, it seems that he was forced to open one room for us.



　When the manager was afraid that the first-class rooms were unfortunately full, Helian replied that he did not mind. It is said that the rooms are treated like suites used exclusively for aristocrats and wealthy merchants, but I'm not interested in that right now. I'd rather have a regular guest room, as it would give me a better insight into the life of this city.



"How would you like to bathe?"

"...... this inn has bathing facilities?"

Yes, that's our pride and joy. Many of our guests are satisfied with it. We have a reservation system whereby each guest has to decide when they would like to use the baths due to conflicts with other guests, but we were lucky enough to have one slot open.



　Apparently, this is the secret to its popularity that the frontier count mentioned.

　The manager of the hotel, with an amiable expression on his face, suggested, "How about it? Was it just a coincidence that a slot was available, or was it because I had submitted a letter of introduction that he had opened one slot for me? Probably the latter.



　I look at the list of fees on the reception desk. The words written there - perhaps as a result of the concept interpreted by the advanced language analysis "Makine Translation" engine - are what the [Tactics Chronicle] calls In Helian's eyes, it was a "common language". The stated price is not cheap, but it is not that expensive either.



"Yes, it is. Since it's a good opportunity, I thought I'd take advantage of it.



　When I placed the large silver coin on the counter, he returned it, saying, "No need to pay for it. Not wanting to repeat the same exchange I had with the hotel charge, I replied, "Well, I'll take you up on your offer for the first time," and tucked it into my pocket.

　He then handed me a bill with a time frame written on it. This tag is supposed to be inserted in the designated place when using the bathhouse to indicate that the bathhouse is in use. It is a simple but well-prepared system to prevent any trouble.



　After climbing up the wooden stairs, I found the room number I wanted at the end of the passage. We unlock the door with the key we received, and all four of us enter the first room together for the time being.



"...... hmm."



　The room is a bit cramped, but it is more decent than I had imagined.

　The two beds by the window were both neatly made, and the white sheets gave a sense of cleanliness. The room was furnished with a minimum of furnishings. For a room for a traveling merchant, it was probably one of the finest.



　Helian walks into the room and sits down on the bed.

　The sense of accomplishment at having finally arrived and the fatigue in her legs and feet made her want to lie down, but she held back, remembering that she was in front of her men. It was not yet time to relax.



　I tried to give Celes an order to put up soundproof wards by thought manipulation, but failed. Perhaps due to fatigue, the brainwave precision for thought manipulation seems to have been disturbed. He has no choice but to send another by direct manipulation.



　Immediately a ward is deployed, and this room temporarily becomes a completely soundproofed secret room. I may be overconcerned, but it is important to take precautions. In the room where there is no longer any fear of conversation leaking out, Helian speaks up without hesitation.



"Okay. We have arrived safely in the city, despite the unplanned events. First of all, let me say thank you for your hard work on the way here.



　In my head, I turn on the switch as the "King of All Evil.

　Then, he crossed his legs in front of his follower and said words of thanks to him, being conscious of the kingly behavior (mode) that he had trained through years of role-playing.



　I am not able to switch on and off as quickly as Rilifa, but I should be able to do so someday. The only way is to accumulate practical experience in such a place.



"Ha. Thank you very much for your kind words.



　From Helian's words and actions, the three followers correctly recognized that he was Helian the king in the present moment. They kneeled down and bowed their heads in unison, with Liewe at the head of the group.



"Good, lift up your heads. Let's have a briefing right away. The agenda is to reconfirm the contents of our immediate activities and to share the information we have obtained so far.



　He starts off by recalling the contents of the lectures and presentation theory he learned at the university. The first step is to present the agenda and to reconcile the participants' perceptions. In addition, it is made clear that this is a forum for information sharing, not a forum for discussion.



"First, let's talk about our activities in this city. As I told you in the audience chamber, we, the expedition, left our country for this city to gain a foothold for a full-scale investigation of this world.



　The three followers listen to Helian's words in silence.



　They kept quiet about their personal goal of practicing negotiation in the position of a fake merchant (......), a position where failure is allowed. There is no need to tell them, and it would be a loss of dignity to do so.



So, what is the purpose of our operation in this city? Let's hear your perception, Rieve."

"Ha. We have three main goals for the moment. .



　I nodded my head in agreement.

　The chairperson does not speak unilaterally, but encourages the participants to speak up to emphasize and recognize the awareness of the participants, and strengthens their awareness by having them give their answers. This is a basic technique, but there is no better way than the basics. There is no better way than the basics.



"Next, Ceres. What kind of activities do we do for the establishment of a teleportal, which requires a certain percentage of control?

"Basically, young man, you will gain [dominion] by the power you exert over this land."



　It refers to the time passage bonus for the king's (player unit's) stay in the area in question.



　We have already confirmed that this system works in Agartha, the capital of Alkimaira, without any problem in this world.

　The time elapsed bonus is determined every 24 hours, and the acquisition of control by this bonus is output to the . If you refer to the , you will see the text of successful acquisition.



"Also, in parallel, we will experiment to see if we can gain [dominance] by gaining influence over the economy, culture, and local people.

"Specifically?"

"Yes. First, we will conduct business negotiations dressed as a traveling merchant, and verify to what extent we can gain control over the economy by influencing it, and whether it is possible to gain control in the first place. Also, in the future, I will change my position from a traveling merchant to a city merchant and obtain the secret facilities of the [teleportal] in the form of a store."



　He nodded his head in an exultant manner.

　An ordinary house is fine if you just want to hide the teleportal, but once you start using it, there will be a considerable number of people coming in and out of the house. Considering this, it would be more convenient to disguise it in the form of a store.



　In addition, there is a plan that if the merchants are sure of their status as street merchants, they may be able to purchase various information from their own information network (network). However, it is not too late to do so after the establishment of a base of operations, so I will leave that out of this discussion for now.



　However, it is not so important to say that Celes is also serious in changing the way she is called by the name of the network. Her [Characteristics] includes several troublesome things, such as [twisted], but I don't see any tendency for them so far. However, whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is hard to tell.



"Finally, Gardi. <
"Hey. First of all, we want to see if there is anyone who is capable of posing a threat to us (Alkimaira). Noblewood was all talk and no action, but the strength of the human race that defeated them needs to be assessed separately.



　The commander-in-chief (Liewe) gives the usual too much attention to his tone of voice, but he doesn't care. Well, it's a little late for that. The 5th corps commander (Gardi), who is a true up-and-comer, is a character like this. He changes his attitude and tone when he needs to tighten up, which is fine with Helyan.



"And this city is one of the most prominent military bases in the human realm, and we're going to test the strength of the who was recently summoned to the city on an emergency basis and is said to be the best ranger force of ...... the human race.

"Mm. That's about right."



　The point is to verify whether or not Alkimaira has an absolute military advantage over this world. We have some idea of what to expect, but at the very least, we need to be cautious enough to cross over stone bridges.



"If possible, I would also like to check the strength of the elite troops of the Border Knights, who are the regular force, and the top-ranked adventurers, but ...... it seems that both of them are currently packed in the front-line fortresses. This was a miscalculation, but it can't be helped. For the time being, let's just measure the strength of the adventurers staying in this town. If we can determine a rough average and an upper limit, that's all we need.



　There are other potential threats such as and , but we will wait until we have the groundwork to conduct a full-scale investigation of them. First of all, is there any threat to human activities in the region? It is essential to ascertain this.



"Next, we will share the information we have obtained along the way. Let's start with your impressions of your first contact with humans. From this point on, each of you is allowed to speak. Speak freely."

What are your impressions?

Anything. This is the first time you've met humans, apart from me and the other kings. What did you think of the humans you actually saw? I want to hear what you thought of them.






　When asked, the three followers glanced at each other.

　After a few moments, Levee spoke up.



"My impression of the actual battle was that the fighting force was much lower than I had expected. Of course, we tried to be on our toes and quickly exterminate them, but the fact that we were wiped out without activating any of the special abilities that we were supposed to have ...... was unexpected.



　Here are my impressions from the battle with the bandit faction.

　It was a very demon-like impression to start with the fighting power.

　However, there was one word that was curious to me.

　Helian frowns and asks, "What do you think?



What are your special abilities?　The referenced
"No, no. I have not actually confirmed this, but the three of us were discussing the capabilities of the human race before we left ....... Based on the conclusions we came to, we have determined that as a race we possess several abilities.

"...... Ho?"



　I knew he had been holed up in the conference room for a long time, but I didn't know the details.

　I wonder if he was referring to the adventurers who had visited LATESTWOOD.



Of course, I have no intention of trying to find out what you are capable of, Mr. Helian," he said. I strongly assure you of that. However, in order to ensure your safety in the unknown, we felt it necessary to consider the most powerful of the human race in advance. I hope you understand.

"Hmm?　No, of course not. I understand."



　Rieve is impatiently insisting. He speaks more quickly than usual.

　I twisted my head inwardly at the inexplicable reaction, but then I remembered that the image of Herian held by his men was that of a secretive person. The memory of explaining to them about the and the during the second audience, and their surprise, came back to him.



　...... No, wait. In retrospect, wasn't what I just said and did a nail to the infidel who tried to find out the secret? ......



"Liewe. Again, I fully understand. --Do you understand?

"...... Ha, yes, sir!"



　Levee kept her eyes fixed on the floor and her voice tight.

　Ceres and Gardi followed suit, offering their worship.



　...... yeah. Apparently, they made a mistake in their response. It is completely mistaken for a nail-biter.



　However, I felt bad about correcting him again and again.

　I'll just let it go and move on with the story.



"Gohon. Well, that's that. For your information, what is the conclusion of this discussion?



　He urges the three kneeling participants to at least share their perceptions with him so that they can make the best of the situation.

　Then Lieve, who represented the three, began to talk about the image of "human beings" that the corps leaders had in their minds, and Helian looked up involuntarily.



　--He said, "Human beings are immortal.

　--He has clairvoyant eyes that can see all things in the universe.

　--He is capable of revelation, of transmitting his will to all beings.

　--He is born with the power to create something out of nothing.



(...... What kind of a monster race is this?)



　It was far beyond my imagination.

　Perhaps it is a reference to the king - the player character in [Tactics Chronicle].



　The immortality was based on the fact that the king's (player's) appearance did not change for a long time.

　The clairvoyance is based on the fact that the player was able to see various information through a virtual window.

　And the transmission of will to all beings must be inferred from the he gave to the demons under his control, and from the fact that he created demons through and .



"I see. ....... No wonder he hasn't said a word since entering the border city."



　I now understand why he wore a tense atmosphere even in the house of a frontier count.

　In short, they were so wary of humans that they could not even afford to have a conversation with them.

　From the point of view of Lieve and the others, the town is inhabited by a mysterious race of monsters. In their eyes, this town must have seemed like an alien world.



"Well, there are many things I would like to say, ...... but for the time being, humans are not such a crazy race. Basically, we are just like the half-elves. Except when we focus on the individual, we don't have that kind of different ability as a race."

"Oh, I see. No, we were wondering why Noblewood has not been destroyed after waging war with such a race. ......"



　Of course you wonder.

　We are proud of our numbers, after all. If each and every one of them had such a unique ability, it is not surprising that other races would have been exterminated.



　Especially, and are in the realm of the gods. I say, "How can there be such a demonic race?



"So you are saying that all of these abilities are not dependent on the human race, but on the individual Helian?

"............ Well, it will be. That's the way I understand it."



　He affirms it while looking away from the adoring gaze.

　Then, a small but sure exclamation reaches my ears.



　However, I was not bothered by such a reaction, since all of the specifications are commonplace for players of arcade games.

　In fact, it is true that many of the abilities that you possess are useful in real life. However, all of them are borrowed, not acquired through my own hard work. I feel uncomfortable when I am shown this kind of respect.



　I gave a single cough to cover it up and proceeded with my story.



"I understand the cause of your hypervigilance toward humans. It is better than underestimating them, but over-cautiousness can lead to trouble. Observe the people of this city and try to bridge the gap between your predictions and reality. --Next, I would like to talk about my opinion of this city.







　　　　+ + +







　Over the next hour or so, we talked about sharing information and perceptions.

　There was a report from Ceres that a strange warding technique had been installed in the central district, but that the effect of the technique could not be detected because it had not been deployed.




　However, since it is centered on the residence of a frontier count, I assume that it is probably some kind of protective warding for the defense of the base. Although there was no capital city warding, it is likely that they have made adequate preparations as a key location.

　As there seemed to be nothing else worth mentioning, I said to him that it was time to end the meeting.



"Well, that's all for today's meeting," he said. It has been a turbulent day, but I hope each of you will be well rested. That is all."



　He concluded with words of praise for the day's work and sent the three men on their way.

　A few moments later, behind the closed doors, the sound of doors opening and closing reached their ears as they entered their respective rooms.



　After that, Helian opened a and connected to Eltina in the Alkimaira home country. It is the daily routine. He receives the usual answer that no serious problems have occurred, and after a few exchanges, the communication is terminated.



　Helian is finally released from his responsibilities for the day, and falls back onto his bed.



"Haaaaah......"



　His whole body relaxed and he sighed deeply.

　Finally alone in the space, she looks up at the ceiling in a disheveled state, not daring to look anyone in the eye.



"I'm tired." ......



　A weak sound came out of my mouth.

　I hadn't had much time alone for the past few days.

　He had to spend all the time with his three followers on the road, and even if he was playing the role of a traveler who was a merchant, he had to behave in a certain way, so he could not let his guard down completely.



　In addition, today was a turbulent day.

　Unlike our original plan, which was to start working steadily, our first contact with humans turned out to be an encounter with a bandit.

　The black-haired girl I rescued was not only a non-player but also the daughter of a lord, and as soon as I arrived in town, I was ambushed by the lord himself, which led me to meet the town's ruler at the lord's mansion.



　The first day in the border city was supposed to start quietly and discreetly. It was unexpected that it would turn out to be such a turbulent day.



"I don't know if I can make it like this," he said.



　Whether it is travel fatigue or mental exhaustion, my body is as heavy as lead.

　I've only just arrived in town, and yet I feel like this.

　I wonder if I can really make it at this rate.



"What a weak spirit. It's not a question of whether I can make it. You have to do it. I have to do something with my own strength.



　With a word of rebuke, he recoils on his arms and raises himself up.



　That's it. No one can take my place.

　There is no one to help me when I complain.

　There is no one like Leifa here to listen to my complaints, no one like Lilifa here to distract me.



　Therefore, you have to take care of your own body and soul by yourself.

　You have to be stubborn, even if it hurts.

　You have to act confidently in front of your subordinates.

　You have to make all your own decisions, even if you are alone in an unfamiliar foreign land.



　I tell myself to be strong and get up from the bed.



"...... hmm?"



　Something stick-shaped fell to the floor with a bounce.

　Tilting my head, I picked it up to find that it was a wooden tag for the use of the bathroom, which was given to me at the reception.



"Ah. I remembered that they have a bathhouse.



　On the tag, which clearly indicated the hours of use, there were two numbers connected by a line. According to the explanation of the receptionist, this refers to the time of six o'clock - in other words, the time between six and seven o'clock.



　Incidentally, a day in the Tactical Chronicle is the same as that of the Earth, 24 hours a day. Although the time designations are unique, they are automatically translated as a lingua franca, so the meaning is understood without any problem.

　The calendar is also divided into 12 months and a year, but the number of days required per month is slightly different. In [Tactical Chronicle], the number of days per month is fixed at 30 days, whereas here the last day of the month changes slightly from month to month. In terms of the number of days required for a year, they are almost the same.



　Just then, the sound of the bell telling the time is brought in from outside the window. I checked the time in the and found that it was about to be six o'clock.



"Let's go to ......."



　Frankly, I appreciate the fact that there is a bathroom.

　In this world, bathrooms are not widely used in ordinary households, and it is said that only aristocrats and wealthy people have bathing facilities in their homes. Ordinary people usually wipe their bodies with hot water stored in a tub, and it is said that only a few inns also have bathing facilities.

　Based on this prior information, I had given up on taking a bath today, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this inn had bathing facilities. I would be happy if it would be a little refreshment for me.



　Once that is decided, let's make the best of it. I take out a change of clothes and a hand towel from the luggage that Gardi had brought in, and open the door of my room to go.



　--Exactly two seconds later, the door across the hall is opened.



"Are you going out?"



　The door opened and there was Levee.

　It was as if she had been waiting at the door all along.

　The complete surprise left me speechless for a moment.



"......No, no, I'm not going outside. I heard that this inn has a bath. I just thought I'd work up a sweat.

Yes, sir. Please wait a moment.



　As soon as he said this, Levee immediately retreated to his room and reappeared less than 40 seconds later. In her left hand, she is holding a bath towel and other bathing equipment.



"............"



　Apparently, they intend to go to the bathhouse together.

　Even though I was acting as an escort, I must admit that it was tiring for me to stay close to them even when we were walking to the bathhouse. However, weighing the energy required to persuade Levee here against the purpose of a change of scenery, I think it is better to choose silence.



　I give a vague nod and head for the bathroom with Levee.

　Once downstairs, we could hear the sound of lively voices coming from the dining room space behind the reception desk. Apparently, there were guests who had been drinking and were making a lot of noise. I was interested in the food in this town, but my goal now was to take a bath. I asked the man at the reception desk where the bathhouse was, and headed for the bathhouse with the bustling voices behind me.



　When I arrived at the bathhouse, which was the pride of the inn, there was a slot in front of the door into which I inserted a tag. Nothing was inserted into the slot, probably because we had already entered the time slot we had reserved. This must mean that no one was using the room at the moment. This is a mechanism to avoid guests from bumping into each other.



"......"



　However, there was no curtain separating the men's and women's baths.




　No, it may be inappropriate to call it a "noren" (curtain) since it is apparently a Western culture. ...... But at any rate, there is only one entrance.

　I looked inside suspiciously. There was a changing room and a door leading to a bath in the back. But as expected, there seemed to be only one bath room.



It seems to be unis*x.



　Well, it can't be helped. I had assumed that there were separate baths for men and women as a matter of course, but there are only a few inns with baths in this area. I would consider it a favor just to have even one bathroom.



　In the spirit of ladies first, I thought about giving up to Lieve first, but then I remembered my position and decided not to.

　I am her superior. If that is the case, it would not be appropriate for a superior to give up the position to her subordinate. Besides, considering Rieve's temperament, it is not difficult to imagine that she would not feel at ease taking a bath without her superior. If this is the case, I should let myself use the bathroom first, get up quickly, and pass the order to the next person as soon as possible.



"Rieve, as you can see. I'm sorry..."

"Ha. I'll be happy to accompany you."

"--Hmm?"



　Rieve uttered some unintelligible words.

　Accompanied?



"............ What do you mean, 'accompany'?"

"Yes. I would like to help you bathe, if I may be so bold."



　............ No.

　No, no, no, no, no, no, no.



No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. As you can see, I'm a man. And you are a woman. Do you understand?"

Yes, sir.

"So long as... There are serious and fatal ethical issues involved in such an act as assisting with a bath. Do you understand this as well?



　I asked in order, but for some reason the second question was, "What about ......?" The question was returned to me.



　...... No, why are you questioning? It's obvious. I'm a man, Levee is a woman, and we only have one bathroom. So why do they want to go in together as a matter of course? I mean, what's a chaperone? What the hell is he trying to do?



Anyway. I'm going to take a bath alone. I don't need a companion."

"......But"



　There's no "but. This is impossible. It's clearly impossible. There's no way we're getting in there together.



"I want to soak in the bathtub at my leisure, and be lost in thought. The eyes of others will disturb my thoughts."

Then, I have closed my eyes all the time. I hope you will treat my existence as if I do not exist.



　I tried to imagine the scene.

　I dismiss it in one second.

　What kind of shame play is this?



"That's not the point. I don't know why."

"But for your protection, it is preferable to be in the same space as much as possible. ......"

"If we were outdoors, we wouldn't need an escort here. Who would attack us in the first place? It would be an overkill to protect a peddler by keeping him under heavy guard even inside the inn. It is too conspicuous.

"At ......, we ask that you at least allow us to wait for you in the changing room in front of the bathroom."



　A door is just beyond the door, and a beautiful woman named Lieve is waiting for me to take a bath.

　...... is no good. I don't think I can relax. It will be a nerve-wracking bathing experience for sure. At least it will not be a refreshing change of pace.



"Not allowed. The guards will be sufficient from here. As long as I keep this, the only way in or out, under control, I'm in no danger."

"...... Ha. Yes, sir.



　With his back to Levee, who bows her head with words of worship, he closes the door to the dressing room.

　Sighing secretly, Helian puts his hand on his shirt.







　　　　+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +







　--A few hours earlier.

　Just as the Boundary City Seals welcomed the gentiles, there was something stirring in that place called the labyrinth (dungeon).



　Its body was rusty.

　A body that could barely even move creaked.

　It was doing its best to exhale like an animal.

　Years of accumulated debt had become a curse.



　But time will tell.

　In a few short days, it will regain its proper behavior and choose to stand up.



　The time is near.

　In the deep darkness, Sole quietly waits for the time that will come.







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