364 361. The city of Fania.txt (2/2)

Although my physical abilities have reached the realm of the inhuman with ”spellcasting”, it seems that we cannot let our guard down.

I nodded to each other, appealing back with my eyes to the will of caution from me as well.

That's when an attendant came out from the back of the building and beckoned towards us.

'Come this way, both of you!　It looks like the master here is going to meet you in person!

The fact that we're going through the back door instead of the front door seems to be a special treat.

We can't afford to take that kindness for granted, so we rush into the building.

Thanks to the back door, we can reach the workshop at the back of the shop in a matter of minutes.

It was a large space, about the size of a castle hall, lined with several huge earthen kettles. The ceilings were built as high as they could go, and soft earth was spread underfoot.

I only know it from books, but I don't think it's much different from a typical workshop. The only obvious difference is the heat source. In the corner of the room, there was a large quantity of ”The Flame God's Stone” stored. They would use it to keep the heat inside the earthen kettle.

Inside the earthenware cauldron, which was currently on fire, the 'Fiery God's Stone' was shining and scattering sparks.

''This is our guest from Hoosier's Country. This is Tiara-sama and Aikawa-sama.

As my mentor and I looked around the interior like country folk, we were introduced to a dark-skinned man who was the only one in the workshop.

I guessed that he was the master, and Master and I hurriedly bowed our heads.

'Oh. I've heard about it. Feel free to take a look.

The master was friendly and welcoming. From the way he spoke, I could tell that the chamberlain had kept our situation well under wraps.

''Thank you, sir. Despite the urgency of our conversation--'

Immediately, the master thanked him and spoke to the master of the workshop.

He's probably curious about the iron-making technology in this city. Without even saying hello, he tries to get an explanation from the master about the facilities and tools in this workshop.

Even under the barrage of questions, the master did not try to hide his skills. At times, he even began to demonstrate the iron-making process for his master, trying to show him how skilled the city is.

.............

I listened to that warm and conventional story with him until he was halfway through.

But soon, I started walking around the workshop alone. I wanted to use my mentor as bait to sneak around and find something interesting.

As I searched for something that would interest me, I noticed a group of ironware propped up against the wall.

Everyday pots and scissors, hoes and hammers. Some of them are swords and axes.

Next to them, there was a pile of ”The Flame God's Stone”.

Without it, I take one of the stones and look at it.

At first glance, it's a red gem.

However, upon closer inspection, I saw that there was 'Devil's Poison' and a black liquid - and some kind of inscription inside. The person who made this was most likely to have had the same idea as his master's 'jutsu formula'. Although the workmanship of the 'Jutsu Formula' is inferior to that of my master, it is very impressive that it has succeeded in my plan of mass production.

I turn my gaze to the nearby sword as well.

Its sword blade was engraved with characters other than decorations.

Like the stone, it also contains 'Demon Poison'

--I need (...)

I definitely need this technique.

I turn to go back, thinking that I should listen to the master as well as the master, and I turn to go back. But the master was already standing behind me.

'Are you more interested in weapons than stories, young lady?'

I thought I would be accused of walking around without permission, but the master smiled happily as he saw me staring at the weapons propped up against the wall.

'Oh, yeah ....... I thought I'd like something for self-defense .......

I nodded back, giving a good reason.

'Yeah, I see. ...... It's true, things are a bit rowdy these days. I don't feel safe within the walls because of that murderer you mentioned.

You're a murderer!

Then the unexpected story came back to me and I went out in a fit of glee.

'Hmm?　Isn't there a lot of talk in this town right now about a killer who shows up in the middle of the night?

'Nope. I've never heard of it before: ......

Pretending to be frail and frightened, I turn to face the man in the chamberlain's service who has been quiet.

'I wasn't hiding it from you, but ....... Yes, I'm sure.'

This is not something to talk about openly to a guest. I wouldn't blame him for that, but I couldn't bear to hear the details.

'I mean, a murderer?　Not a bandit or something?

Yeah, murderer, all right. You don't f*ck with your victims, you don't steal from them. They just kill. He often goes after happy Altofelites. If you're a Christian, you might want to be careful.

No, I'm not a Christian, so it's okay.

Oh, yeah. By the way, we call him the Black Hanged. From what little we've seen, we just know it's a man standing on the ceiling.

”Hmmm. A killer nowadays. ...... You have guts in a world like this: ......

It's an 'anomaly'.

It is most likely our original purpose. Master seemed to agree with that, and he nodded lightly back when I turned to him.

When we were happy to have gotten good information, the master continued to sell the goods.

'I think it's good to have a knife for self-defense, just in case,' he said. All of ours are one item, and we have the blessing of the flame god Altofel-sama. I like this one for my brother the guard.

He was introduced to the sword that was propped up, and his master looked at it happily.

Knowing the threat of the intended 'reason-stealers', Master was willing to take up arms. Fortunately, thanks to the hidden gold coins, the purchase wasn't that painful.

Master mended a suitable light sword and put it on his waist.

He also holds another sword in his hand and holds it out to me.

''Hold this one for a moment. If it's a tiara, this size won't be a problem, right?

What, me too?　If my master has it, I'm good. And it would be a waste of money.

A master would be masterful, but a short (little) guy like me would feel uncomfortable holding a sword. I shook my head to avoid a bad look, but my master would not approve of that.

'No, Tiara is the one you should have. You're the one who's stronger.

''There's a 'body technique' that my sister Yotaki taught me, and I don't think I need it: ......

'It means a lot to have it. It's an appeal to those around me that if I'm attacked, I'm ready to resist with this. Aside from the killer, I think it's a deterrent to people like the ones we used to chase away.

A bit forceful.

From the way he spoke and the expression on his face, I knew that his true intentions were different.

Master would want to ensure my safety, as much as possible.

I knew that Master was stubborn when it came to this, so I would give up and choose a suitable one. It's an even smaller one than the one Master has.

'Well, I'll take this one: ......

It's smaller than a sword, but bigger than a knife. At this length, it seems to be very versatile, cutting ivy from the trees along the way, cutting food, and so on.

I wear it with it peeking out a bit from the hem of my clothing.

Then, without pause, the master compliments me.

'Yeah, it looks good on you. It looks really cool. It makes me feel more like a traveler.

...... Really?　Well, all right then.

I suppress the flush on my face and thank him lightly.

Truly, my master is off.

The value of a royal woman is how she can captivate men. If I had to say it, I'd say beauty and dainty, but he proudly compliments me on the exact opposite.

I continue to make lighthearted remarks so that he doesn't realize that the brilliant master has tugged at my heartstrings.

''Haha, really, Master can't help it... Mmmm... ....... With this sword, I'll protect Master well, so don't worry.

Thank you ....... I'll protect my tiara too. No matter what, absolutely.

However, what came back was an even heavier word.

This one might have tugged on some of Master's heartstrings as well, but it was too heavy.

Ah, really Master.

Just being able to stare at me like that is a lot of trouble for me.

I mean, does this person go around doing the same thing to other women?　If so, it's a venerable problem. Now we know why the maidservants in the castle of Fuzzyards were so uptight. We need to solve it as soon as possible.

Just as I was pondering this in my boiled head, the master of the castle gave chase.

''--Heh. At first I thought you two were brother and sister or something, but are you two lovers (...)?

Lover (...) ......!

-Oh!

Me and my mentor take a lot of damage at the same time.

Even though I'm good at expressionlessness, my turmoil was completely evident. No, my emotions had been leaking out into the open for a little while now, and maybe the master sensed it.

I remained silent, but the master hurriedly denied it.

''No!　No, no!　It's not like that!

Hmm?　Is that the kind of response (・・・・・・) you're going to get (・・・・・)?　Ah, so that's what you mean. Haha, that's quite a first.

The master looked at the two of us and gave us a very strange look.

Then, with a smile on his face, he took the liberty of gaining knowledge and adding his own tricks to the game.

I'm sorry to hear that. I'll give you a small discount for that.

'Ho, it's really not: ....... Me and Tiara are at .......

Yeah, I know. I apologize, I apologize.

It had already been decided in my master's mind that we were both in such a relationship.

The master, realizing belatedly that it was impossible to deny me, shushed me with an embarrassed look on his face and carried out the bill.

Thus, we get the specialty of Fania.

However, the master didn't like the master's scowl, and it was decided that he would give up on continuing the tour and hurry out of the workshop.

I agreed with him.

If we didn't do it soon, we would never get it back. All along, Master and I had been traveling carefully to avoid an atmosphere like this. We don't want to let that go down the drain here.

Once outside, Master and I work together to try to dilute the events of the present.

But first our eyes meet.

'............'

............

The word I've been avoiding for a long time, 'lover', comes to mind.

As if to shake it off, we make small talk.

'Yes, good stuff, Tiara!　And I got some good stuff for it!

'Yes. I learned a lot, even if it's not my specialty. I feel like there was something in that workshop that we were missing.

Yeah. We've been trying to get by with what we have, but now we understand the importance of getting cooperation from other countries.

Yeah. To be honest, I guess there were limits to what we could do with just Hoosier's.

After speaking appropriately, the master asks the chamberlain to move on.

''Well then, let's move on!　Please!

'Hmmm. Yeah, I guess I'd better get going. ......

The attendant's gaze was a little warm.

It felt like it was turning into something to watch over the smiling ones, just like the master, but we had to accept it.

We walked through the city again, led by the chamberlain.

And without much time, we reached our next destination. The building was located near the best workshop in the city.

''Then, the next stop is the 'First Demonic Research Institute'. This is going to be the last one. It's about time for the time to be 'The Night That Was'.

The building was huge, but it was very different from the architecture of the Hoosiers. Instead of stretching high into the sky, it was a stone building that crawled on the ground and spread out on a flat surface.

The stone walls stretched out endlessly to the side, and the 'Flame God's Stone' was decorated at regular intervals, making it impossible to see the edges of the building.

There was only one entrance.

A huge gate that could hold dozens of people at a time opened its mouth, and the people of the city were constantly coming and going.

''By 'the night that was' do you mean the time when the lights are turned off as an example?''

Did you know, Mr. Aikawa? That's right. In this Fania, we don't just rely on the Flame God, we also set aside time to thank him for his blessings. That is the 'night of existence' when all the 'Flame God's Stones' lose their power.

'I see. ....... Does it have a religious significance and at the same time set the time for the whole city?

'Yes. There are many other reasons, but those are the two main ones. I personally believe that the most damaging effect of the dark cloud covering the sky is that it has taken time away from people. For example, the downside of that is--

While I'm observing my surroundings, the master and the chamberlain talk to each other.

When it comes to the culture of the city, these two are tricky because they talk so fast and never stop talking.

Leaving those two alone, I compare the people of the city.

There was a clear difference between those who entered and those who walked past the 'First Demonic Research Institute'.

''Sick ......?''

There was no doubt about it.

Those who were pale or had some kind of physical problem had gathered in this building.

''Ah, Lady Tiara. That is. It's because this place plays an aspect of a hospital as well.''

As if it were nothing, the chamberlain replied.

Indeed, it's not that surprising that the two are in the same place, but ....... This is like .......

''It's not surprising that Lady Tiara would be suspicious. However, if you can see inside this, I think you'll be convinced. In fact, this is a truly special place, not only because of its role as a research institute and hospital, but also because of its important third role.

What, there are more than two: ......?

'You said not long ago that Fania is home to the holy site of the Altofel religion, and is also the headquarters of the Patriarchate, didn't you?

When he entered this topic, the chamberlain's enthusiasm gradually began to rise. Fists clenched, tongues rolled faster, and eyes sparkled as they bragged about the most wonderful thing about their city.

'This institute is the largest facility in the city. It's the place where we first found and started producing the 'Fire God's Stone', the blood of Fania. In other words--

You can feel that this is an unusual place.

I also understand the cause of the 'anomaly' that is floating around this city.

''This is the holy place where the Goddess of Flame, Altoffel-sama's deity is located!　Hence the people of Fania travel so far to seek the miracle of the Godhead!　For I know that the holy fire here is the last medical care in this darkened place!　Here you go!　To our Fania's pride and joy, the First Institute of Demonology!

The attendant who walked in front of us held out his hands and emphatically indicated this 'First Demonic Research Institute' and invited us inside.