285 - - The Chancellor of the Exchequer Aaron

"Quite a crowd, huh?"

The plaza in front of the temple is crowded with residents. The building seen through the people does not look spectacular in its blue-gray color, but the carvings around the round windows for lighting are exquisite and beautiful.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to get close to this one for a while."

I didn't expect it to be so crowded."

"When we came here, it had just been built, so there wasn't a lot of talk about it."

The first thing I did when I arrived in Sadiras was to visit the temple with the cobblestone pavement, but it was a little too close to the temple. The cobblestone pavement seems to be a room for quiet prayer alone or among close friends, only a few people can enter, and the temple is open only as a prayer room. Therefore, it takes a long time and there is no sign of people.

"I don't care if I just want to look at it, I have to go inside.

"You have to step on the floor."

"Lord, it looks like we can speed up the order with a donation--"

Cal is reading the information he received from the priest who is organizing the people.

"There are children in line, so let's not do that.

Is this another offering? Is there no temple away from the grime of the world once in a while?

"Yes, I have a rendezvous with someone, so let's come back when you're free. Lord, over there they sell pol, a specialty of the temple.

"Pol?"

Cal pointed in the direction of a small store with colorful shades. It was not as crowded as the temple, but it seemed to be reasonably busy. I could see people holding what looked like popcorn containers, some with their parents and children, and others with lovers.

"These are bite-sized snacks in different flavors. I like the ones covered with Maddie's pollen."

Pollen....... Pollen dumplings made by bees are sold under the name of bee pollen, but they have a rather habitual and bitter taste. ....... I wonder if it depends on the type of flower.　I remember that honey made from chestnuts and buckwheat was blackish in color and tasted very bad. Pollen must be the same.

So let's kill some time eating them.

That's what happened.

"Well, that's interesting."

When you enter the store, you see a counter full of glass cases - more like a jarat shop. Inside are rows of small boxes, each containing a different type of bite-size pastry. The boxes are labeled with a number and the type of flavor.

"Number three, please.

"I'll have number four."

"I'll take the first ten."

"I'm number 14."

The four of us ask in a familiar manner. It is crowded, and I am looking from one to the other, thinking that I must order quickly.

While waiting for our turn, we were told that the row of boxes closest to the waiter was for sweet and standard items, while the row on the customer's side was for new and seasonal items.

I asked for one standard and one non-standard item, and when I asked for a half, each was placed in a rolled up paper and put in a large paper cup.

The standard portion was served as it was in the cup, and the half portion was served without the cup. The two halves were wrapped in paper and placed in a cup.

"Delicious!"

I'm apparently not a good walker, so I don't have to wait in line anymore, and I sit far enough away from the crowd to avoid the crowds, but the bite-sized poles are just right for snacking outside.

"Here you go, too."

I take one from the cup offered by Camilla. The yellow, slightly moist pollen and the chewy poles wrapped in the yellow pollen are gently sweetened with a hint of bitterness.

"It's a bit addictive, isn't it?"

"Lord, this one, too."

"Thank you."

Cal's is a honeyed version of pol that Camilla gave me. It is not covered with honey, but the honey seeps out of the pol when you bite into it. It's sweet, but not too sweet.

Both are delicious."

If you want to eat a little with honey, or a lot without honey, it seems to be a good choice. The Galahad and Eagle poles are sweet with a salty taste.

"Black, you want some?"

When I brought the pol to his chest, the black guy came out and ate it with a gulp, then returned with a gulp. Was it a moray eel or ......?　I am beginning to worry a little about the kind of creatures I am keeping in my clothes.

It seems that the arm is out of my jurisdiction, and Krulkan and I are not concerned about each other. Well, only people don't like black.

And so we come face to face with the Prime Minister. Galahad and the others have visited the castle several times, so we are ushered into the castle without any trouble. The castle and temple of Sadiras are of an unusual construction, the temple and the castle being one. The temple is located in the south front of the circular wall, the castle in the north back, and the old temple inside the second wall in the center of the round site.

It is a very mysterious place from the point of view of the game.

In Sadiras, the temple and the royal family are closely related. Originally, a family that protected the temple organized the people who gathered there, and that was the beginning of the kingdom. The royal family has produced many saints and saints' daughters, and priests sometimes hold important positions in the country, and I was told that Prime Minister Alone is a high-ranking priest. However, because such dual roles are too demanding, they are usually limited to one or the other, and the vizier is rarely involved in the work of the priests.

"I am sorry, but all but three of you will have to wait here for a while."

The guide official leaves with Cal. He said he would meet Galahad and the others and talk to them first. Because he is a cat, right?　I wait quietly, thinking, "I'll be back soon.

The castle of Sadiras is mainly made of the same blue-gray stone as the temple, and there are carvings with mythological motifs here and there.

"I have met him myself, but he is a rather difficult man, Lord Alone. The three of you seem to be trustworthy enough to accept my sudden request for a meeting."

"If I hadn't been there, Cal would have been let through, too, right?"

"Hmm. The three of them are probably asking a lot of questions about the Lord right now."

"Eh."

I hadn't thought of that!　Are they talking about how they pretended to be a cavalry beast on the road or something like that?　I've been a little bit excited, but now I'm starting to get nervous.

"Lord, since you're here, why don't you have some tea?　Sadiras tea is rare, produced only in very small quantities."

"Hmm."

Fidgeting, I sat down across from Cal and sipped the tea that had been prepared.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

"Welcome."

"...... why do you look like that again?"

In the functional and elegant office, the master of the room was nowhere to be seen, and Galahad and the others were confronted by a cat on a desk.

"I had been warned by you and others, but when my consciousness became clouded, I was given the medicine I had asked for before."

"You've grown quite lovely, haven't you? I thought the medicine (・・・・) would make him look better, but I guess I was wrong.

Galahad is not surprised by the cat's words, but only smiles at the edges of his lips.

"No. This appearance is the result of his wizard's curse overriding another curse before it could have a decisive effect. It's an emergency measure, but it's the best we can do.

"Oh, well, if you know who cast it, it should be easy to undo, right?"

Camilla gives a seductive smile and asks me outwardly why I am still in that form.

The room smells faintly of medicinal herbs like smoldering grass, perhaps a remnant of the office that Prime Minister Alone once held while pushing himself against the ravages of illness. It was Galahad and the other three who told the vizier that he was not actually ill, but rather cursed under the guise of such a curse.

The vizier is now exposed as a cat in front of the three of them.

"His wizard's curse is powerful. It seems that by setting only one way to break the curse, he has made it powerful enough to be overridden. The method of breaking it is simple, but otherwise even the gods will not be able to break it. And the one who cast it - the one who knows how to do it from the beginning - cannot break the spell."

"That's a lot of trouble."

Galahad shrugs lightly.

"I've lost the use of my skills, but it's far better than not being able to lift my head off the pillow. I can work as is. --Let's get down to business. Why has your master made contact with you this time?　I believe I heard that you have a policy of staying away from disputes between countries and nobles?"

With a cat's mouth and tongue, I do not know how he speaks, but his low voice is not unlike that of Prime Minister Alone. Despite his cute appearance, he does not tolerate lies, and his voice sounds a bit accusatory, depending on who you ask.

"He doesn't like to play games with the powerful, but he's interested in the sealed beast.

"Why?"

The cat's gaze sharpened.

"Con ......"

Galahad's words were cut short when the man next to him elbowed him in the face and he tried to answer.

He has his reasons. He has his reasons. I assure you he will not do anything to harm the world. And perhaps he is being aggressive this time out of concern for us.

Ignoring Galahad, whose face is contorted in pain next to him, Eagle, with his elbow in his hand, replies in a brisk voice.

"What were you going to say?"

The cat ignores Eagle's words and asks Galahad.

"I said, 'And it comes with the extra bonus of saying 'kong-kong'."

"......"

The cat glared at the blatant excuse, but Galahad looked away as if he had given up when his mouth twisted into a grin.

"Let's give it a try."

"Homura (Lengard) doesn't like that kind of thing, you know?"

"What? We're just going to have you walk around some recently built landmarks. The information about the Spider came from God, didn't it?　Let me measure the depth of your favor."

"Are we going to the prayer room?"

The floor of the prayer room is a beautiful mosaic of stone tiles made by Gentile craftsmen that move according to the attributes of those who step on them. The attributes are strengthened by the affinities of birth, the spirits, and the blessings of the gods.

"It is ......"

"Is this bad for you?　I don't think it's a surprise that you've met the gods, but you're not on a mission to defeat the beast.

The sound of a cat's voice, which could be taken either as a sneer or a challenge. It is common knowledge that the gods often give us trials, but missions are given to those who have earned their favor.

"No, he says he doesn't have a mission."

"I can't complain if I suspect you of having an undesirable purpose in the past, if you are interested in a beast without a mission," he said.

Galahad is at a loss for words, and the cat tells him that he has seen it all.

"There may not be a mission, but there is favor, ...... for sure."

"In all ages, I have never heard of a man being favored but not having a mission."

"And that's already an exception. ......"

Galahad and Eagle look away and simmer.

"I can't bear to imagine the outcome, but let's just give up and let them ride."

"Oh, ......."

"Yes, ......."

Unlike the men who avert their gazes, Camilla smiles triumphantly.

The cat nodded its head, comparing the three of them.