The Trial Toward The Bakery

“Oh! My friend, by Kotoshiro, familiar of contracts! Today, too, you have brought my company wonderful goods, as if the sun were moving from west to east!”

“Yo, old man. How’s business?”

Passing through the gate of the lively adventure city and cutting straight through the streets, Tooyama Naruhito returned again today to the open-air market crowded with countless stalls.

“Ah, excellent. Thanks to you. With the appearance of goods called Titanos Mares, whose supply had been strangely low compared to demand, the market among the upper classes centered on the nobility has begun to boil.”

“That’s good to hear. So, here’s today’s batch. Appraise them for me.”

On the large cart placed in front of the stall, which Tooyama, Lazaar, and Stolu had all pulled together in friendly cooperation, lay the corpses of three giant serpents in total, second-rank monsters known as Titanos Mares.

“Hey, look, it’s them again. Those guys who keep hunting those giant serpents even though they’re fourth-rank adventurers…”

“I heard from someone at the Guild the other day that there’s a rumor they might be that dragon slayer’s slaves.”

“Tch, it’s just luck. Luck. They’ll disappear before long.”

“Idiot, can anyone keep hunting giant serpents for a whole week by luck? The other day, a different third-rank adventurer party tried to do the same thing, went into the forest, and never came back, right?”

“Rumor says they threatened a Church Knight and made her their errand girl…”

“Apparently they’ve got connections with dragons. I heard a Dragon Embassy carriage was once parked at the inn where they live.”

It was a strange sight. The people watching from a distance each voiced the rumors that had been racing through the adventure city.

While letting the words and murmurs of astonishment and jealousy from his fellow adventurers pass him by, Tooyama took his place at the shopfront counter.

“Oh! Splendid work as always. Even at a glance, there are few external injuries, and I have no complaints about the condition of the materials. Bise! Our valued customers have arrived. Start appraising the materials.”

The bearded middle-aged man who cheerfully accepted them, Dromora, the manager of Dromora Trading Company, called toward the back of the stall while his eyes gleamed at the goods Tooyama and the others had brought in.

“Yeeep, ah, Tooyama-san, Lazaar-san, nice work. Oh, hello to you too, Stolu-chan.”

A frivolous-looking young man, a handsome fellow with naturally curly hair, appeared with a loose grin.

“Ah, Bise. I am glad to see you well. I would appreciate it if you could put as high a price on them as possible.”

“Hello, Bise. I damaged one of their heads badly, but was that bad?”

The young man, who seemed to have become fully friendly with Lazaar and Stolu as well, began checking the state of the cart.

Leaving Lazaar and Stolu to attend the appraisal, Tooyama sat at the counter and looked into the back of the shop.

“…Well, how should I put it? My friend. You never stop surprising me. To think that, far from merely surviving that situation, you even got the better of the Angel Church.”

Across the counter, Dromora leaned forward on one knee. His voice was low, sounding exasperated, yet somehow amused.

“It was all a tightrope walk right to the edge. Stolu nearly killed me too. Ah, old man Dromora, can I get three bottles of honey water? Deduct the price from the appraisal money.”

Tooyama pointed to the water bucket set beside the counter. It held chilled drinks in transparent bottles, with honey dissolved in them.

It was a popular product even in the Empire. Of course, the Church was involved in beekeeping as well.

“Ah, understood. Here. Unfortunately, ice has gone up in price lately, so they are not very cold.”

“No problem. Lazaar, Stolu! Here!”

Tooyama took the dripping bottles, sealed with goat hide and somewhat resembling milk bottles, then tossed them to the two behind him, who were attending the cart’s appraisal.

“Mm, I shall have it.”

“Dis!”

Smack, smack. The two neatly caught their respective bottles, removed the caps, placed one hand on their hips, and drained them in one gulp.

“Make sure you check Bise’s appraisal properly. Don’t let him skim anything.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Okaay.”

“Ugh, how rude. Well, I’ll do my best not to get chewed out by a scary Lizardonian and a Church Knight.”

It was a carefree exchange. Though their relationship had lasted only about a week, Tooyama’s adventuring business had a decent relationship with Dromora Trading Company.

“Oops, sorry. I interrupted you. So, what were we talking about?”

Tooyama turned back toward Dromora and restarted the conversation. The compact shop interior was neatly organized and did not look like a store that had once nearly been half-destroyed.

“Hah, this really is something. No, I just felt a little emotional. Honestly, that day. Was it about five days ago now? When you and Lazaar-kun first brought that giant serpent to us, I thought that would be the last transaction we would ever have with you… Life is an interesting thing.”

Seeing Tooyama’s carefree manner, Dromora muttered with a sigh.

“Ah? Ah… It’s already been five days? That day, right? The day when I got into all kinds of trouble with Stolu and the knights. Sorry about that, now that I think of it. I used the shop’s goods without permission and all.”

“No, do not worry about it. The profit I gained from trading Titanos Mares with you far exceeds the damage this stall suffered in the battle with the knights. Besides, the Merchant Guild’s insurance system has compensated me for the shop’s losses as well.”

“Sharp as ever. Glad business is going well. Hey, old man. We’re doing well together for now, right?”

At the break in the conversation, Tooyama lowered his voice slightly and looked at Dromora. This was today’s real topic. It was the right timing precisely because their relationship with Dromora Trading Company had improved greatly through their dealings involving the second-rank monster, the giant serpent “Titanos Mare.”

“Oh, my friend. That is a wicked face. You have good instincts, but your flaw is that things show on your face too easily. …Shall I guess? You are planning to ask for something unreasonable, aren’t you? Something unreasonable along a very delicate line.”

From here on was the true purpose of the day.

Tooyama twisted his lips.

“Glad you catch on quick. Actually, we’re thinking of starting a business of our own.”

“Oh?”

Dromora turned his body toward Tooyama.

Amid the bustle, two people skilled with words and conversation faced one another.

“The line of business is a bakery. As for the store, we’re currently thinking of either using the house we plan to rent or running it stall-style in this market, like you.”

Today’s main topic had finally arrived. The time had come to take a step toward opening the bakery.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Tooyama had formed an exclusive contract with Dromora Trading Company for the sake of this day.

“A bakery, you say. I see, I see. But if it is a bakery, where is the all-important baker?”

“Over there.”

Without turning around, Tooyama pointed behind him with only his thumb. At the end of his finger was Lazaar, negotiating the transaction price for the Titanos Mare.

“…By Kotoshiro. Are you serious? I have never heard of a Lizardonian baker.”

There was no disgust or contempt on Dromora’s face. There was only bewilderment, pure and simple.

In both the Kingdom and the Empire, the image people had of the Lizardonian race was not all that different.

“You’ll be hearing about one whether you like it or not from now on. Dromora, what I want from you is help preparing the business. We want to start a bakery through proper means. No, rather than that…”

Tooyama’s plan was simple.

“Ah, wait, hold on. I am starting to get the general picture. Next, you are going to say this: you want my Dromora Trading Company to help with your bakery business.”

“Through your company, yeah. Glad you catch on quick. Well, that’s about it.”

He wanted Dromora Trading Company to help them open their bakery. Put simply, that was all.

“…Hmm. A business partnership, then? In that case, I would also have a say in your bakery.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll consult you on the business model and profit distribution too. We’ve only known each other for a short time, but I’ve learned that you don’t lie when it comes to business. I think I’ve seen your skill for myself. Honestly, Lazaar and I aren’t suited to being managers.”

“I see. I understand now. You intend to make us handle the troublesome parts, don’t you?”

Dromora grinned. His reaction was better than expected.

Tooyama also kept a faint smile on his face and lightly exchanged words with him.

“Whoa, that’s a bad way to put it. I’m trying to let you get in on something delicious. In my judgment, the bread Lazaar makes will definitely be a hit. It is bread that the people of the Empire—no, the people of this world—have never seen before.”

“…Those are unpleasant eyes, truly. You have not given me a single piece of information worth believing, and yet your eyes are not lying at all. Ah, I see. I have been caught. My friend, you were aiming for the timing to bring this topic up with me, weren’t you?”

Still not bad. Tooyama was convinced that his read had not been wrong.

Dromora had already understood his intentions. If so, the conversation would be quick.

“Well, if I brought up something like this before we’d built trust, you wouldn’t bite, right? And trust between us and you people ultimately means profit. You already know it now—that Lazaar and I bring profit.”

Interlocking his index fingers, Tooyama stared straight at Dromora.

The setup was already complete. It was the same as when using Kiriyaiba. When taking down a target, do it unnoticed, quietly, and swiftly.

The profit brought by Tooyama Naruhito and Lazaar had already become something indispensable to the management of Dromora Trading Company.

“…It is probably a foolish question, but let me ask. If I, if Dromora Trading Company, were to refuse cooperation in this bakery business—”

“Unfortunately, the snakes being appraised right now would be taken straight to the Guild, or to one of the other merchants watching us from a distance. And while I’m at it, from tomorrow onward, merchants other than you will be wholesaling these snakes to the nobles.”

Tooyama Naruhito’s setup had been completed over the past several days. In order to reel in Dromora, a man sensitive to profit, he had thoroughly continued giving him profit.

To grasp the value of the product known as Titanos Mare, he had learned from conversations with other merchants and the flow of goods in the market, then asked Drako to teach him about the ecology of the upper classes in the noble district.

Only four days.

In only four days, Dromora Trading Company was now recognized in the upper-class market as a unique presence capable of steadily supplying Titanos Mare materials.

Of course, Dromora’s outstanding skill as a merchant was also a major factor in that. However, the greatest reason was still the giant serpent hunting performed by the strange trio of Tooyama Naruhito, Lazaar, and recently Stolu.

To the growth of Dromora Trading Company, Tooyama Naruhito and Lazaar had already become indispensable.

“…You strike where it hurts. Even though I expected it, those are terrifying words.”

“You can ask some other adventurers if you want. I don’t know whether it’ll be profitable, though.”

“Do not say what is already obvious, my silver-tongued friend. There are no adventurers of your rank who can hunt this many Titanos Mares. Normally, only beings at first-rank adventurer or above can hunt giant serpents this steadily.”

At Dromora’s words, Tooyama smiled.

He had already confirmed that they could not be replaced.

At the Guild, he had confirmed that more low-rank adventurers were being inspired by Tooyama’s group, aiming for a reversal of fortune, challenging higher-ranked monsters, and getting wiped out.

Thanks to that, Tooyama’s group had an extremely bad reputation among low-rank adventurers. However, Tooyama and the others prioritized their own profit over the opinions of those below them.

“But those people have no interest in Titanos Mares to begin with. Once someone reaches first rank, they no longer lack money thanks to their stipend from the Guild, the hunting they do in the Tower or whatever it is, and requests from nobles. In short, they have no reason to target these creatures, which are hard to find, hard to fight, and not worthwhile prey from a first-rank adventurer’s perspective.”

There was a knack to fulfilling a goal and moving closer to a dream.

First came awareness. The world was fundamentally not kind. What mattered was understanding that correctly and properly grasping one’s own position.

After that, one had to think, decide what to gain and what to sacrifice, then act.

Tooyama had chosen the lives and future of his own companions over those low-rank adventurers whose faces he did not even know. He understood that his actions would invite the careless deaths of others, and still he had chosen them.

“Exactly. In that sense, Titanos Mares were an existence caught between supply and demand. And by filling that gap, my company is now becoming a presence even the Merchant Guild is beginning to regard highly in this short span of time, but…”

“Glad you understand quickly. Now then, Dromora Trading Company. Let me hear your answer. Are you going to keep being good friends with us from now on, or not?”

The bustle of the market rang out.

Dromora’s still-small stall had especially many onlookers. Adventurers were gazing curiously at the giant serpents on the cart, while fellow merchants were stealing glances and watching the situation.

The surrounding stalls were also lively with energetic sales calls and voices negotiating discounts, and today, too, the adventure city’s economy was turning smoothly.

In the midst of that, however, Tooyama and Dromora exchanged looks across the stall counter. Only between the two of them did sound seem absent, as if in a vacuum.

Tooyama and Dromora did not open their mouths. Both of them kept silent and continued bathing in the city’s clamor.

It was a painful silence that could make one want to speak. However, Tooyama knew. This was the closing move.

The one who opened his mouth first lost. He understood that well.

“…Hah, I lose. I have no grounds on which to refuse your offer. I feel as if I have been scammed.”

As planned, Dromora was the first to give in.

The man called Dromora was not foolish enough to fail to understand the value of the profit Tooyama’s group brought, but he was also not strange enough to overturn it and continue negotiating.

“All right! Contract established! Don’t worry, old man. I won’t let you take a loss.”

“Hah, I will say this now: I have not yet found value in Lazaar-kun as a baker. Do not forget that what I bought was purely your skill as adventurers.”

“Yeah, no problem. You’ll only be able to say that for now. In a few months, I’m sure you’ll start telling us not to send Lazaar out hunting.”

“…I do wonder where that confidence comes from.”

“Very well. I understand. I shall join hands with you. Dromora Trading Company swears to lend its aid to the bakery business of Tooyama Naruhito and Lazaar, under the name of the familiar.”

“…Familiar? Who’s that?”

Tooyama felt a slight chill at the word familiar. He had not forgotten the woman who had taken up residence in the bread archive within his dream.

“Who else? The embodiment of commerce. Under the name of Kotoshiro, the familiar of contracts and commerce.”

“…Okay. Then I’ll swear too, I guess. To Ebisu.”

For the time being, Tooyama pushed the matter of the familiar to the corner of his mind and muttered the name of the most famous god of business he knew.

“What is that? Well, no matter. However, my friend. To tell the truth, do you know that starting a new business in this city, especially a bakery, is rather difficult?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Tooyama listened to Dromora’s words.

He had prepared the steps for securing the company’s cooperation, but honestly, almost everything beyond that was being done without much planning.

“The Merchant Guild. Under the banner of managing the market and mediating the balance of the economy, the Guild restricts the shops that can operate within the adventure city.”

“Hmm. But even if you say restrictions, this open-air market has this many shops…”

Tooyama looked around at the many stalls packed into the market. In modern terms, it had the number and density of a large-scale city event.

It did not look restricted.

“Exactly. But look closely. It is true that they are merchants affiliated with the Merchant Guild. However, not all of them have shops. They are only simple stalls at most, are they not?”

“Ah… So that’s what you mean by shops.”

Tooyama nodded at Dromora’s words.

“Yes. The Merchant Guild places strong restrictions on business conducted from what one might call residences, buildings, or fixed stores. They know the value of the profit generated by land and buildings. They are not kind enough to easily hand a piece of the pie to newcomers.”

“I see. Well, if there’s no online shopping, the value of having a physical shop goes up. Uh, then what are we supposed to do?”

“Calm down, my friend. I, too, have been making various arrangements precisely because I wish to become the lord of my own castle. That is also why I am emphasizing the noble-oriented market in this city. In short, all we need is to obtain the right to operate a shop from the Merchant Guild through connections and money.”

“That’s what you’re saying is difficult, right?”

“Yes, for now it is still far off. To start a bakery, you would need dedicated facilities, would you not? A kitchen, an oven, a sales area, a firewood shed—businesses related to food inevitably require shop management, and that is the issue.”

“Hmm, I see. Honestly, I was thinking of turning the house we’re going to get into the shop, but it’s not that easy. Even if we have the box, permits and rights aren’t easy to obtain.”

Vested interests.

It seemed that in any world and any era, the things people seeking profit thought about did not change much.

While sighing, Tooyama felt a little reassured by that unchanging human activity. Humans were humans, no matter what place or what world they were in.

“Heh heh, do not rush to the conclusion. My friend, I said it was not simple, but did I say even once that it was impossible?”

“Oh? Don’t tease me. I’m not exactly the patient type.”

“Do not hurry so much, Tooyama Naruhito. I have few friends in this country. I am starving for interaction with people who can hold a decent conversation.”

“Yeah, yeah. So what are you trying to say, Dromora?”

Tooyama responded briefly to Dromora’s banter. Their relationship as individuals was not bad either.

“If there is such a thing as fate, then you are likely carving it open for yourself. When I look at you, Tooyama Naruhito, that is what I think.”

“Huh?”

“If I said that only at this timing, and only under these circumstances, you can choose the shortest and fastest route toward opening a bakery, would you be interested?”

“Of course I would. Tell me. I want to move while I’m still motivated.”

“The Dragon Carnival.”

“The Dragon Festival?”

“Yes. It is a situation that originally could never have occurred if you had not been here, if you had not done what you did, Sir Dragon Slayer.”

Chuckling in his throat, Dromora stroked his own beard.

“Obtaining the right to petition by using the Dragon Festival scheduled to be held in ten days. That is the fastest route toward opening your bakery.”

Dromora made a smug face. The smuggest face possible.

“No, what’s the Dragon Festival? I feel like I’ve heard of it before, or maybe not.”

Tooyama tilted his head. Thinking carefully, it did seem like a word he had heard here and there in conversations until now.

“Hey, wait. Do not tell me you do not know… That is the face of someone who is about to say exactly that.”

His decisive expression collapsed, and Dromora let out a large sigh.

“Yeah, I don’t have common sense.”

“Please do not say that with a straight face. You are the person involved, dragon slayer. This festival is being held precisely because you killed the Gathering Dragon.”

“Ah, I see. That does sound familiar.”

“The Dragon Festival, or Dragon Carnival. It is a national festival established by Imperial law. When a dragon dies and then revives, this festival is held. It is an event undertaken by the entire Empire.”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh.”

He understood now. It was Drako. He had beaten Drako down, and she had respawned as if it were natural.

A festival held because of that. Yes, the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. Tooyama stopped thinking about the event, which was full of things to retort at.

“Since it was decided last month that the Dragon Festival would be held due to the death and regeneration of the Gathering Dragon, the Empire’s economy has continued heating up.”

“Heating up?”

“Yes, heating up. Alongside the Dragon Festival, transit taxes at checkpoints have been waived. As a result, the flow of people and goods between regions has become more active. That movement has led to an increase in requests for logistics network escorts at the Adventurers’ Guild, and adventurers’ wallets have swelled. Naturally, their purse strings will loosen. Money is continuing to circulate throughout the entire Empire. Prosperity giving birth to prosperity—truly, one might call it the work of dragons.”

Adventurers were deeply involved in the Empire’s economy and the circulation of money. Though there were differences from region to region, monsters that regarded humanity as prey existed within Imperial territory.

Adventurers, who served as opposition to them, played the role of flexible skirmishers different from the army. Their existence was irreplaceable in the management of the state.

When the economy became active, adventurers’ activities also became active. And when adventurers’ activities became active, the Empire’s economy became even more active.

The holding of the Dragon Festival had brought that positive cycle to the Empire.

“Huh. So what does that Dragon Festival have to do with the bakery?”

“It is simple. In ten days, this city will be in a festive uproar. As a major city comparable to the Imperial Capital, and as the location of the Dragon Embassy, various events will be held here. One of those events, the Free Market, is precisely the shortest shortcut to your goal.”

At Dromora’s words, Tooyama froze.

“Flea market? Did you just say flea market?”

It was a word he had heard far too often.

“The Free Market. Not a flea market.”

However, Dromora did not accept Tooyama’s words.

“No, that’s a flea market. Ah, sorry, continue. Uh, at that flea—at that Free Market, what are we supposed to do?”

Giving up on pursuing it, Tooyama sought the answer beyond that point.

“First place. In the Free Market, in other words, in this event where any business type and any goods may be sold, the shop recognized as the most splendid shop during the Dragon Festival, the Free Market among Free Markets, the one known as the Supreme Market King, is granted the right to petition the adventure city.”

“Merka—”

“The Supreme Market King, my friend. Nothing more and nothing less.”

Dromora refused to hear any of his questions. Tooyama decided to leave it alone.

“Ah, yes… I see. So, well, if we become the Market King, we can open the bakery as fast as possible?”

“Exactly. The right to petition, in other words, is said to be the right to request something from the city, but in reality, almost anything is accepted as long as it is not something recognized as a crime under Imperial law or something unrealistic. At the Dragon Festival held when the Flame Dragon died and revived near the end of the Great War, the Market King requested a noble title, and it was granted.”

“Huh. So we can get a right strong enough to even become nobles. Opening a bakery would also…”

“Of course it would be granted. Even the Merchant Guild has neither the power nor the spirit to oppose the Dragon Festival or the adventure city. However, this is a difficult path. Merchants will gather from all over the Empire seeking the title of Market King, and naturally, the adventure city’s Merchant Guild will also put all its strength into aiming for Market King.”

“The question is whether you can win Market King among them. Incidentally, if you participate in the Free Market…”

“Of course, as a bakery. The debut of Lazaar Bakery is decided for the Dragon Festival’s Free Market.”

Tooyama answered Dromora’s question with a grin.

“…If it is a bakery good enough to win Market King, then perhaps even a Lizardonian baker could succeed. But my friend, let me tell you reality. Discrimination against their Lizardonian race runs deep. You should not think the people of the Empire will easily accept it.”

Dromora’s voice had an earnest tone. It was the voice of a merchant coldly staring at reality.

“Yeah, I’ve understood that well over the past few days. But there’s no problem. Humans are pretty mercenary, after all. I’ve got various ideas about that.”

However, Tooyama Naruhito had learned long ago that reality was harsh and cruel.

He would spare no effort to twist that reality down.

“…Understood. Then I will say nothing more. Dromora Trading Company will help as much as it can. Let me take part in your ambitions, my greedy friend.”

A hand was extended across the counter. Tooyama clasped it back. It was a rough hand. People who had struggled could be trusted. Tooyama put strength into his hand.

“Yeah. Hold onto your wallet and look forward to it. Hey! Lazaar! Come over here, over here. The bakery negotiation went well!”

“By the Great Tooth! Truly, Naruhito? Your tongue must have been cursed by some familiar, you bastard!”

“Whoa, you’ve become an even more excited lizard than I expected.”

Hop, hop. Lazaar lightly leaped down from the cart and hurried over to the shop.

With his tail standing straight and his slit eyes shining brilliantly, he was the very picture of cheerful dancing.

“Dromora, thank you. I respect your decision to cooperate with my friend and my dream.”

Leaning over the counter, Lazaar bowed his head toward Dromora. Seeing how joyful this man, who usually showed little emotion, had become, Tooyama smiled slightly.

“Ah, Lazaar-kun. I no longer have any doubts about your character. Compared to Tooyama Naruhito, how pleasant your pure words are.”

“Dromora, that makes it sound like there’s something wrong with my character.”

Tooyama replied lightly, intending it as banter.

“……………?”

However, Dromora stared at Tooyama silently and seriously.

“No way. What kind of eyes is this guy looking at me with…”

“Well, setting jokes aside. Tooyama, Lazaar-kun. Have we aligned our understanding? Opening your bakery requires success at the Free Market.”

With an attitude that made it impossible to tell whether he had truly been joking, Dromora clapped his hands.

“Yeah, I understand.”

“We shall give it everything we have.”

Tooyama and Lazaar both nodded.

“Good, then that is fine. Well, to tell the truth, the troublesome part starts here. There is something you must clear that is even more troublesome than the difficulty of a Lizardonian running a bakery at the Free Market.”

“Ah, what the heck is that?”

“Mm?”

At the words suddenly dropped on them, it seemed there was still something more. Tooyama and Lazaar narrowed their eyes together.

“It is simple. In this city, even freedom first requires money and connections. Actually, well, several days ago, about a week ago now, the deadline already passed.”

“…………Huh?”

Tooyama asked again. The deadline had passed? What was he talking about?

“The deadline has already passed. The participation deadline for the Free Market ended two weeks ago.”

“…………Naruhito.”

Lazaar, who seemed to have understood those words, murmured sadly.

“…Wait, Lazaar. It’s still too early to pluck out every hair from this manager’s beard.”

With his expression stiff, Tooyama moved his hands in a grasping motion. How unfortunate. Someone who teased them deserved a fitting retaliation.

“Hey, do not say such dangerous things. Calm down, you ruffians.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, old man Dromora. Aren’t you being just a little mean? You bastard, you’re supposed to say that kind of thing first, first. Lazaar was such a cheerful lizard, but look what you’ve done. You gave him hope and then dropped him, so now he’s turned into a gloomy lizard.”

Pointing at Lazaar, who had suddenly become dejected, squatted down, folded his tail, and hung his head toward the ground, Tooyama threatened Dromora.

He might have looked like a thug picking a fight.

“…It’s all right, Naruhito. I’m used to this kind of thing.”

Lazaar, who had gone from cheerful dancing to gloomy lizard in an instant, was sulking.

“Wait. One should listen until the end. I am saying that it is impossible by ordinary means. However, everything has loopholes, and most things in this world can be solved with money and connections. This time is the same.”

“Oh?”

“Mm?”

“The ones managing the Dragon Festival are this city’s power holders. With one word from them, participation in the Free Market can be arranged however they please. And you have the means and connections to take that extraordinary method, do you not?”

“Power holders? We’ve only been in this city a week. We don’t have connections with people like that.”

“What are you talking about? Sir Inquisitor.”

With a nasty smile, Dromora looked Tooyama and Lazaar over as if licking them with his eyes.

“Ah… Ah, right. That guy was an important person, wasn’t she?”

Being a wicked human, Tooyama instantly understood from that alone who he should do what to from here on.

“I see. Thou shalt extend thy hand to those in need, as they say.”

Lazaar, who had also been getting corrupted lately, twisted his large mouth into a grin. His sharp fangs peeked in and out.

“Yeah, what a person should have is a friend with plenty stored up and plenty of authority.”

The adults began planning their scheme. Three dirty smiles looked toward the girl with light blue hair drinking honey water on top of the cart.

“Dis?”

Stolu Pula, First Knight of the Angel Church Knights, or rather attendant to the Inquisitor, tilted her head.

……………

………

….

~At the same time, in the bishop’s office of the Angel Church Cathedral~

“Haaah-bbchoooo!!! Damn it!! Snf.”

A solemn, spacious room made of marble.

The white-haired beauty sitting deeply in a chair made from the Kingdom’s highest-quality Maya wood let out a tremendous sneeze.

“Bishop-sama, have you caught a cold? I’ll wipe your nose.”

“Mm, thanks, Svi. I wonder if someone is talking about me somewhere. Sniff.”

At a desk piled high with documents, the bishop blew her nose with the tissue Svi, who had been watching over her paperwork, offered.

Her usual dignity was now nowhere to be seen.

“…I am sure they are good rumors.”

“Ufufu, that’s right. You understand, don’t you, Svi? Now then, I’ve cleared away all the paperwork that had piled up related to that whole series of events involving the dragon and dragon slayer, and there are ten days left until the Dragon Festival. I’m going to be unable to rest again anyway, so maybe I should take a little break tomorrow.”

Stretching with a groan, the bishop leaned back in her chair.

“…I believe there would be no problem. You have been far too busy recently, Bishop-sama.”

The saint watched her with gentle eyes. A peaceful time was flowing here now.

“Fufu, thank you. You should rest once in a while too. I’ll leave the escort to a few Wings, so—ah, that’s right, Svi, here.”

“Eh?”

While still stretching, the bishop casually held something out to Svi.

It was scented paper decorated with a beautiful flower pattern. Sealed with wax, it was one of the most difficult papers to obtain in the adventure city.

“A ticket to the Star Sand Pavilion, the thermae in the noble district that you said you wanted to visit, the one favored by Lady Niece. Go there on your day off tomorrow.”

“Eh, eeh… No way. But that place has a one-year waiting list for reservations…”

Staring at what had been offered to her, Svi opened her eyes wide like large candies.

She looked as if she could not believe it.

“Honestly, Svi. Who do you think I am? The highest person in the Angel Church, right?”

Smiling gently, the bishop smiled like a flower.

“B-Bishop-sama…”

The saint’s cheeks blushed like spring.

A perfect affection attack was there.

“Come on, don’t hold back. Take it. Even if people call us saint and bishop, we are human. Once in a while, we need to wash our lives clean too.”

“T-then Bishop-sama should come with me!”

Svi, who had been dazed, shook her head and pressed closer to the bishop. Her voice was clearly wavering, and she was restless.

“Ah, ahaha, sorry. Well, after making it sound so grand, the truth is I could only get one ticket. It’s fine, so go without hesitation, my Svi.”

“…I-I cannot go, leaving Bishop-sama behind like that…”

“Honestly, how forceful. For such a forceful and stubborn child, yes, let us do this. Saint Svi, in the name of Bishop Kanosa Tier Field, I order you. Tomorrow, forget all about work and enjoy your day off. Understood?”

In contrast to Svi, the bishop did not lose her composure. She laughed softly and poked Svi’s nose with a beautiful, well-shaped finger.

“Ah, u…”

“…Or does Svi also refuse to listen to what I say unless I use this after all?”

Even so, Svi would not accept the invitation ticket. The bishop deliberately lowered her voice and lowered her eyes, trying to look as sad as possible.

As she glanced at the command, or rather curse, engraved on the back of her right hand.

“N-no! T-that’s unfair, Bishop-sama, saying it like that.”

“Fufun, adults are unfair things. Now then, Svi. That ticket can be used starting tonight, so go prepare and leave already. Go, go!”

“Uu, a-are you really, really, truly going to be all right without me?”

Just a little more.

The bishop felt a certain response and spoke her words.

With words alone, she guided a being who could even serve as a counter to a dragon.

“I will be fine. The Wings are here too, and besides, when it truly matters, you will always be by my side. I have no intention of letting you go, my Svi.”

With a sidelong glance, she opened her eyes, thin as threads, just slightly and directed her purple pupils toward Svi.

The bishop understood very well that she had a beautiful face.

“Au… U-understood. Saint Svi shall obey the command of your most noble self and rest tomorrow.”

Kneeling on one knee, Svi finally accepted the invitation ticket that had been offered to her.

“Mm, very good. I will tidy up my desk a little, so you may withdraw now. Have fun, Svi.”

Suppressing the smile welling up inside her with all her might, the bishop showed an elegant smile. Not yet. Not yet. Do not laugh yet. However… She did not show even the slightest trace of the passion raging within her.

“Y-yes. Then, excuse me… I-it really is all right?”

“Come now, do not worry. Good night, Svi.”

“G-good night, Bishop-sama.”

Click. With a small sound, Svi left the sacred guest room. What remained was only the bishop sitting in her chair for paperwork.

In the room where candles flickered, Kanosa kept smiling at the closed door—

“Has Svi gone?”

The bishop’s words alone echoed through the room where no one should have been.

“Yes, my lady. According to the report from the Wings, she has already headed to her own room.”

From the ceiling, descending soundlessly to the floor, was a cat beastfolk woman in a pure-white nun’s habit: Tossle.

Wearing one of the grave goods owned by the Church, the Feather-Hiding Hair Ornament, which reduced the owner’s presence to that of a single feather, she had rushed to answer her master’s summons.

“Good. Excellent work. Continue monitoring Saint Svi as you are. Report every movement she makes to me.”

Even though it was aided by a grave good, that stealth, which could avoid even the saint’s notice, was likely comparable to the Kingdom’s Shadow Fang.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Use only the minimum necessary number of people for surveillance, and mind your distance. Even if there is no hostility, that girl is a saint. Even you people, skilled at stealth, may very well be detected.”

“We understand. We will assign two of the most skilled among the Wings to surveillance.”

The orders were given calmly. They were orders for the Inquisition’s covert agents to monitor Saint Svi.

“Oh, Tossle. And you?”

“I will guard your noble self. Without the saint, I cannot entrust you to the Wings alone.”

“Fufu, is that so? I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. I shall strive to meet your expectations. And will the plan begin today?”

At Tossle’s words, the bishop stood up. She moved to the window and looked down at the city.

The cathedral was built in a place from which one could look over the adventure city. The sun was still high, and the people were likely hard at work.

The time for the plan was near. However, not yet. The bishop looked at the sun with a slightly resentful gaze.

“Yes. When the sun sets and Svi arrives at the hot spring resort, I will act as well. Please do my makeup, Tossle.”

“Yes. I shall call you once preparations are complete. Until then, please relax.”

“Yes, thank you.”

With those words as her last, Tossle vanished. Her presence could no longer be found, as if a truly thin feather had been swept away by the wind and disappeared.

“Fu, fufufu.”

The bishop chuckled in her throat.

Sitting by the large window, tilting her head, she pressed her index finger hard against the small head packed with that clear intellect.

“Recently, there have been no major movements around the dragon and the dragon slayer. I sent Svi to the hot spring. The troublesome knight order is not functioning with its top absent. The fundamentalists’ Second Saint faction shows no signs of activity under surveillance.”

She organized them: the tasks she had to do now.

“Preparations for the Dragon Festival are proceeding without issue. The House of Nobles is coordinating the visit of state guests from the Kingdom, and there is nothing I need to handle immediately.”

And those tasks, the work that bound her, were now in a miraculous state. For her position as a busy bishop, it was a truly rare situation in which she had free time. She was in a lull.

In other words, now, at this very moment.

Bishop Kanosa Tier Field was in a state where she could take a vacation.

“Fu.”

Her beautifully shaped thin lips curled upward.

“It’s heeeeeeeeeeeeeere! It’s here, here, here, here, here, here, heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere! This, this, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The bishop howled. An overwhelming Friday-night state.

“Chaaaaaance!! Hyaaah!! I’m gonna play! Play! I’m going to play! Muhohohohohohoho!”

Yes, this woman. Yes! In other words, that was what it meant!

“My reservation at the night lounge, Rain Inn, is done! If I leave the disguise to Tossle, there’ll be no problem! I also arranged for noisy Svi to become a boiled saint at the hot spring! I overcame the trouble!”

Her previous attitude toward the saint and her instructions to the covert Wings had all been for this moment.

“Ah, I’m so excited! I’ll use the Church’s money, surround myself with cute boys and girls, and ah, I’ll even gamble today! Muhohohohohoho, life is so fun it makes me laugh.”

This woman intended to play!

Though she held the position of supreme leader of the Angel Church, this woman of common birth, who loved money and worldly things, intended to indulge extravagantly tonight.

“Ahahahahahahahaha, ah-bchoo! Damn it! Is someone talking about me again?! Fu, hahahahaha! Ahahahahaha, I can win! No matter who in the world I face, there’s no way I can lose!”

She was completely high.

She had used every connection available to seal away the greatest obstacle to her night of fun, the beloved right hand she could not quite stand up to in one way or another: the saint.

There was no longer any being who could stop her.

“Taratta, rattaratta-peeya. Hmm, today, I wonder who will reverse-request me. The broken cat ears are adorable, so maybe Ste-chan, or the orthodox handsome boy Run-kun, or maybe both… Muhohohohohohoho.”

The white-haired beauty stood up, skipped through the spacious room, then spun around in a solo dance.

She knew nothing.

She had no idea that the dragon slayer and his group, who had recently been quiet, viewed generously, were at this very moment plotting against her.

“Muhohohohohoho. There is no one in this world who can stop me now! Bishop! Sacrament! Authority power! Ahahahahaha, I’ll rule over you! All you Rain Inn pretty girls and pretty boys who are worth everything! Kneel before my knowledge! And money!”

The dance of the happiest woman in the adventure city continued.

The sun was still high, and the adventure city was within the light. But slowly, slowly, it inclined. The sun would eventually set, and night would come.

That time when the moon, the stars, and human desire illuminated the darkness.

The night of the adventure city was already close at hand.