Chapter 413
Chapter 413. Port and Pleasure District
The next evening.
The NeedAlun arrived at the port town of “Savaai,” located at the eastern edge of the Hamilton principality.
A functional dock that accommodates large ships has been built, with numerous warehouses lining the lakeshore. You can easily tell how invested the lord is here!
“Savaai has low taxes for merchants, so many trading ships gather here,” Arthur explained. And of course, where people gather, there are facilities to accommodate them…
“Whoa whoa whoa!”
“We’re winning, we’re winning, we’re winning!”
“We’ve been saving up for today…!”
The crew members, who were not on duty, clutched their wallets tightly and charged into the pleasure district with fiery enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the crew members who were responsible for unloading cargo looked on enviously. (It may seem unfair at first glance, but the crew who just charged in will have the task of loading the ship when it sets sail.)
“Well, shall we go too?”
“Yeah!”
After seeing off the crew who disappeared into the pleasure district, Arthur disembarked as well. Leila and I followed suit.
First, we headed to the Holy Church in this town for greetings and information sharing—not the pleasure district.
“What!? Vampires are running rampant…!?”
Upon reporting the extermination of the vampires, the bishop of this town seemed deeply pained.
“Here, this is a report letter addressed to the families of the victims in this town. For confidentiality reasons, please deliver it in two weeks.”
“Understood.”
As I handed over several letters, the bishop solemnly accepted them with his gnarled hands, deepening his frown and lowering his gaze sadly. It seemed he was burdened by a different type of hardship than a frontline worker like myself…
“So, Bishop, you must be aware of the Demon Lord’s Prince and the Night Elves, but what progress has been made here in Savaai?”
Arthur initiated the conversation. Ah, that was exactly what I wanted to ask. Upon entering, there was no holy inspection, leaving a somewhat lax impression… Were the Night Elves eradicated?
“Regrettably, Arthur, the situation is not favorable.”
The bishop responded with an extremely grim expression.
“Savaai is a city with a very high influx of people. This is its lifeblood. A complete lockdown of the town for holy inspections met strong resistance from the lord and came to a halt.”
What the…?
“Just so you know, we have conducted holy inspections on citizens registered in the birth registry. However, as you can see, this city is overflowing with sailors, travelers, and refugees… While we continue to check their identities as much as possible and conduct surprise inspections, we have yet to uncover anyone…”
Well, if the Night Elves were lurking around, I doubt they would get caught by such half-hearted inspections.
On my way to the Holy Church, the streets were quite lively. However, as I had been warned by Arthur beforehand, the safety was somewhat poor, with small-time thieves foolishly attempting to pick my pocket (they probably hurt their wrist in the process).
There were shady drug merchants, solicitations from workers in the entertainment industry, and beggars could also be seen on the streets. The public city of Todomarl, near the frontline, was pretty bad too, but here, with the city itself so vibrant, the light and shadow were clearly distinct.
“The city’s mafia is quite troublesome, aggressively hiring refugees and treating them as disposable pawns. The number of rogues entering the city has been increasing rapidly.”
“And the guards?”
“They’re not reliable due to bribery.”
“What about the lord?”
“He appears to treat the mafia as his subordinates, mainly making them handle dirty work. As long as tax revenue increases, it seems that he doesn’t care who sneaks into the city.”
Hmm…? Even if there are dark individuals among them?
Are they underestimating us?? Should I beat them up???
“Alex.”
Arthur patted my shoulder.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We can’t act without evidence.”
“I know.”
I couldn’t hide my dissatisfaction and snorted.
“But haven’t we once stormed a mafia den? Why not act the same way?”
Antedeixis posed the question with a voice that seemed to expect a stir of excitement.
That’s because we knew for certain that operatives were hiding there. If we missed, the mafia would complain to the lord, and things would become quite troublesome.
The operations of the Holy Church are sustained through substantial donations, but the lord isn’t paying out of goodwill. He always seeks reasons to reduce contributions.
“I see. They might try to reduce contributions under the pretext of oppressing the residents.”
That’s the kind of movements they might make. After all, the Holy Church holds significant authority in both “protecting humanity” and “dealing with enemies of humanity.” Once they step outside this domain, they become weak. Otherwise, the Church would end up interfering excessively in domestic affairs.
“Shouldn’t they interfere in domestic affairs?”
Hmm, apparently, there was a time when that was indeed the case. However, as they increased their influence over politics, the Church itself started to be affected by political matters, requiring its members to dedicate massive effort in that direction, leading to corruption. Ultimately, this weakened their power against the enemies of humanity, resulting in the current non-interference style.
Well… Representatives of each church branch that negotiate with locals and lords still can’t avoid politics.
“I did try to pressure the lord through negotiations over the treatment costs, but ever since, heaps of garbage and excrement have been dumped behind the church… It’s quite a nuisance.”
The bishop let out a huge sigh. I see, that’s how they’re using the mafia.
Are they underestimating us? It really seems we have no choice but to destroy them…
“Alex.”
Arthur patted my shoulder again. Sigh… I know.
†††
In the end, it turned out to be a problem we, as outsiders, couldn’t resolve, so we left the Holy Church just like that. How frustrating!
“What are you guys planning to do next?”
Arthur asked while stroking his small shield with his left arm.
“Well, I might take a light stroll around the city… and then head back to the inn. I’m not really feeling like doing much sightseeing; the vibe is rough.”
“Yeah, that’s true. It’s an exciting city, but in this situation…”
Arthur lightly kicked a piece of trash lying on the roadside.
“The roads are dirtier than when I came before… and this is the main street.”
The cleanliness of the roads is an obvious indicator of safety. However, the way he said that…
“Are you saying it has ‘worsened’?”
“That’s right. I might wander around the city a bit and see if I can find something…”
Arthur murmured about wanting to head back to the ship and change.
“Arthur, where’s your wife?”
“Oh, she’s not in this city—actually, she’s not in the Hamilton principality. That’s a regulation of the Nosh-Ugo Alliance, the city-state league.”
“I see.”
So that’s why he seemed to have relaxed a bit. Right now, he feels more like “a man” than the “good father” or “good husband” that Arthur usually is.
He surely loves his wife and children, but…
It’s something resembling a sense of mission or duty. He looks like someone fully trying to fit into the role that’s expected of him… I guess that perception isn’t unfounded.
“Don’t you want me to guide you or anything?”
“Only to find a good eatery, if possible.”
“Oh, then that place is great. Their fried chicken is exquisite!”
Arthur pointed to a nearby restaurant. Seriously? That sounds delicious… I’ll have to come back later…
Thus, I parted ways with Arthur here. The inn is always conveniently located near the Holy Church, so that’s no problem.
“I think I’ll stroll around the city a bit; is that alright?”
“Sure. Places like this are interesting, all jumbled up.”
Leila smiled innocently. Though I thought the pleasure district seemed a bit educationally harmful, Leila is technically an adult by age. It’s a bad habit of mine to treat her as a child.
As dusk approached, we began walking through the ever-increasing chaos of the city. Lamps and torches were everywhere, and the sight of people mingling in the streets made it seem as if the city itself refused to quiet down.
The foul smells of the poorly maintained streets were complemented by the enticing aromas of alcohol and heavily spiced dishes. As summer waned, sharp scents of strong perfume mixed with the heated wind— it was exhilarating; I’m not accustomed to such a riotous atmosphere. Leila also appeared somewhat dizzy as we walked.
“Whoa!”
“Bad luck for you.”
Then I twisted the fingers that aimed for my pocket. Wow, pickpockets everywhere. I hope there aren’t any crew members who’ll be left penniless before they end up broke from gambling. Well, ending up broke from gambling is also no good.
“This city is quite the lively place, but what will you do next? Head to a brothel? Or what about that tavern with the half-naked dancers?”
Like I’d ever go there!!
I totally think the Night Elves must be lurking here since they haven’t been caught yet.
But, regarding this city, we don’t have any effective leads… We’ve already pulverized most of the souls of operatives we’ve encountered. The information they provided contained nothing related to this city.
If I have to start from scratch and find them to wipe them out, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I’m realizing just how important information is.
This is… heavy, but I might have to resort to using something else.
A useful source of information…
While thinking about that, I absent-mindedly fiddled with the locket pendant at my chest, and before I knew it, we had passed through the bustling district. Housing was increasing, and the foot traffic was starting to dwindle.
“Shall we turn back soon?”
“Yes.”
Leila smiled and clasped my hand, intertwining our fingers. I noticed my heart rate increase as I laughed back.
The faint sound of metal clinking suddenly caught my attention, and I turned reflexively.
That’s… the sound of swords clashing!! In a back alley!?
“Leila—”
“Let’s go take a look.”
Without me even suggesting it, Leila nodded, her serious expression indicating she had her hand on her side sword. I could also hear Barbara’s voice in my mind, almost in disbelief: “Is it a brawl?”
I too readied my Adamas for a quick draw as we ran. I wouldn’t overlook even a drunken brawl if it escalated to robbery!
The sound of swords clashing rang out again. It wasn’t far; it was right nearby!
And as we dashed through, what we saw was—
“Miss, you’re safe now. Don’t worry.”
A half-crying woman huddled in the streets, and a dignified old man with an impressive beard comforting her with a warm smile.
Protecting them stood a rugged beastman, readying himself for a fight, while an ice-like beautiful woman drew a dagger, and two strong men stood with swords in hand, firm against their foes.
Surrounding them were—unsavory thugs, their faces obscured by cloth. It was obvious they were armed with swords and clubs.
“Alright, Shuken! Kirk!”
The old man stood up, gesturing toward the thugs with his cane.
“Teach these ruffians a lesson!”
“Yes, Elder!” the two sturdy men replied in unison, their shoulders tensing, causing the thugs to take a step back.
—What on earth is this situation!?
