Chapter 128: SHALL WE DANCE (4)

The capital city's walls shone gracefully in the sunlight. Moss clung to the angled corners, and a swallow had built its nest on the eaves of the watchtower. A mother bird, a bug in its beak, was flapping its wings as it flew in from the edge of the horizon. Following the swallow's field of vision down below, a massive road cutting across the plains was visible.

People were lined up on the road. When one of them pointed at the sky and gave an order, a man standing beside him nocked an arrow on his bowstring and shot it toward the sky. The arrow pierced the swallow's head and soared high into the sky. The mother bird, carrying the bug, fell dead into the grass without even a scream.

"How horrible."

We stopped at the front of the long line to enter the capital city and rested from our travel fatigue for a moment. The hunt we had just witnessed had become a rather interesting diversion for the people in line. The hunter who had shot the bow repeatedly bowed his head in response to the applause pouring in from all directions.

All the carriages were stopped, but the reason wasn't to watch the hunter's prowess. It was because the main street to the capital city was frustratingly clogged with carriages. Because the nobles attending the ball, the merchants who entered and exited the capital city daily, and the farmers were all tangled up, paralyzing traffic. They watched everything happening beside them as a form of entertainment.

A little ahead of where I stood, a fight broke out between a young noble trying to cut in line and an older noble standing behind him. When the young noble pointed an accusatory finger and swore at the old man, the old noble drew his sword and challenged him to a duel. A duel began, with their respective escort knights acting as proxies, and people swarmed to watch.

At that moment. Some small kids who had rushed a noble's carriage pulled out a high-quality leather wallet from inside and ran off breathlessly. The owner of the wallet, unaware of his own fate, was completely engrossed in the knights' fight.

Further ahead, the guards were incessantly arguing with the carriages. Do they say that all places where people live have the same scenery? When the guards would say they were starting the inspection, nobles would inevitably pop up asking, "Do you know who I am?" Then, the guard captain would shove an order with the king's command written on it at them, forcing them to comply with the inspection.

The order with the king's command was a source of absolute power for the guard captain. He acted as if, at least within these castle gates, he himself had become God or the emperor. The tip of his arrogantly jutted jaw overtly demanded bribes from merchants, and an insolence that dismissed nameless nobles from the regions hung beneath his eyes.

In the moment I looked away, the winner of the duel was decided. The old noble's escort was rolling on the ground, clutching his severed arm. The young noble tossed a silver coin to the fallen loser and said.

"Use this to buy yourself a drink. You can still drink even without an arm, can't you?"

People started to laugh. The old noble casually kicked the fallen escort knight, and once he confirmed the man was dead, he rolled him with his foot and pushed him off the road. The grass growing beside the road concealed the corpse.

I couldn't imagine just how many corpses were buried like this beneath that patch of grass. From behind, a noble screamed and began to search his carriage. In the distance, the kids could be seen running away with the wallet. He went around from carriage to carriage, asking if they had seen a wallet.

Then, perhaps having found a wallet identical to his own in a noblewoman's carriage, he started to insist on checking it. The moment I was about to get up before the situation escalated, the knight escorting the carriage drew his sword and cut the noble down in an instant.

The noble died without even a single coin for his journey to the underworld. The noblewoman, riding in a dazzling golden carriage, covered her face with a fan and ordered her knight.

"Get rid of it."

The knight once again rolled the dead corpse with his foot. The noble's corpse was once again pushed off the road and disappeared into the grass. From the grass, a huge, plump rat peeked its head out, then dragged the corpse's foot and disappeared. I could follow his trail by the rustling grass, but that too disappeared after a short while.

I looked at Sieri. She was leaning against the carriage, fast asleep. I stroked Sieri's hair and began to observe my surroundings again. Robin had dismounted and was sitting on the ground. Because each inspection took a very long time to finish, incidents occurred periodically.

It was like playing a board game. A board game where the die only ever rolls a 1. A board game where every time I take a step forward, a troublesome event occurs.

The people moved one space forward again. Perhaps because a powerful noble was at the front, the inspection ended quickly. But then, if an unremarkable merchant or farmer blocked the way, a troublesome and lengthy inspection would follow.

And another space. And another. As if we had become part of an automated process, we moved forward one space at a time, slowly. Before we knew it, we were treading on the bloodstain where the dueling knight had died. The old noble was looking around, searching for someone to take his anger out on.

Of all people, his eyes landed on a farmer smiling cheerfully behind him. He was carrying no luggage other than a cart loaded with straw. The noble shouted.

"Do you find me amusing too?"

"Huh?"

"What's so great that you're smiling so cheerfully?"

"Ah, no, sir! It's nothing."

"No? What do you mean, 'no'? How do you know what I was going to say to deny it?"

"I'm sorry!"

The farmer prostrated himself on the ground and began to beg. I looked ahead. The guard captain was leisurely checking a merchant's goods. Robin carefully picked up his sword. I took out my mace and stopped Robin.

"What are you sorry for? Were you harboring apologetic feelings?"

"Goodness, no, my lord. How could I..."

"Then you've lied to me? You insolent bastard! It's not enough to mock me, you dare to insult me too? Tell me in detail which territory you live in and who you are! I must restore my dignity by inflicting corporal punishment upon you!"

The noble raised his hand to strike him. Having seen enough, I got out of the carriage. The noble lowered the hand he was about to strike with and asked me.

"Who might you be?"

"I am Peta Lusius, the Southern High Priest of the Archdeity Church. I do not know what has transpired, but please calm your anger. The weather is lovely, is it not?"

"....Fine."

The noble, seemingly having no intention to kill or truly beat the man, sighed and stepped back. The position of a cleric was very useful in situations like this. I thought it was a relief I didn't have to use my mace and was about to return to my seat. The farmer bowed his head deeply and expressed his gratitude to me.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"Express your gratitude with money. The Archdeity Church's Southern Branch."

It had to be sent there so I wouldn't be taxed on it.

"I understand! I will believe in the Archdeity Church from now on!"

The farmer, with the face of a truly fervent follower of the Archdeity Church, thanked me again and again. I put my mace away again and got back into the carriage. My reason for saving him wasn't goodwill. It was because if the owner of that cart in front of me died or got shattered, there would be no one to move the cart.

Nobles had a tendency not to think about the consequences. I fiddled with my mace. We continued to advance, one space at a time.

The procession gradually shortened, and we finally arrived before the guard captain. He took out the order with the king's command written on it and said.

"Y-You've had a long journey. I'd be grateful if you'd comply with the inspection. If you do not comply, by order of the king..."

"Start quickly."

It was the same inspection I'd gone through the last time I was here, so I cut the guard captain off. He recognized me and spoke in a familiar tone.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Archdeity Church's Sir Priest. Say, what brings you here this time?"

"I came on personal business."

Strictly speaking, I was High Priest Peta Lusius, but I tended to skip that explanation because it was a hassle. Since from the guards' perspective, a priest and a high priest seemed to be more or less the same.

"Is that your wife beside you? She is very beautiful."

Sieri was still asleep. Pouting her lips slightly or letting out a small laugh, she was showing off her trademark cuteness without reservation. I hurried the guard captain.

"Yes. Start the inspection quickly, Guard Captain. I'm a bit busy and would like to finish this and be on my way."

"Well now, Sir Priest. We've been working day and night on this inspection, so if you could just provide a small sum for consolation..."

This fucking bitch finally crossed the line. He should have just quietly started the inspection, but it seems he thought an Archdeity Church priest was an ATM that spits out money when touched.

"You want money?"

"Well, I was just asking for a consolation payment..."

"So you're asking for money."

"Ah, it's just, you know, customary."

"Bring your superior. I don't have any money right now, but since you're asking for it, I'll submit a petition for you."

"What? What?"

The guard captain's complexion turned deathly pale. He looked around and asked me again.

"A-A superior, you say?"

"I told you to bring him. I'll suggest that his salary be doubled. Or how about I go and bring him myself? I understand the Guard Corps is affiliated with the Knight Order, so which one are you affiliated with? I know a few members of the Knight Order, should I go ask them first?"

"Ah, that is... uh... I-I'll start the inspection right away."

The guard captain hastily began to issue orders. The soldiers moved in perfect unison to inspect my luggage.

"Fuck, look before you leap. Got it?"

"Yes! Yes! Understood!"

I scratched my head in annoyance. How the hell has this bastard stayed alive long enough to become a guard captain? The guard captain, who finished my inspection with lightning speed, even saluted and said.

"Nothing to report."

"Yes. Good work."

As I set the carriage in motion, I started to wonder how on earth that guard captain was still alive. Just by looking, it seemed he'd been at it for a few months, so how did he live that long? Behind me, carriages were passing through again. And then a dazzling, high-class carriage came in, and the guard captain, rubbing his hands together like a fly, spoke through the window.

I didn't know what he was saying, but it was clearly an expression of flattery. After a few words were exchanged, the knight escorting the carriage drew his sword.

"W-Wait...! I'm sorry! Please...!"

"Die!"

".....Ghk!"

It seemed the guard captain changed every time that lady came through.