Chapter 4

September 14, 2022

“Wow!”

Pastry cried out in surprise. His voice sounded impressed, with a hint of astonishment .

“What do you think, Pastry ?This is the capital. Isn’t it big?”

‘Yes, it’s amazing. I’ve never seen such a big city. There are so many people.”

What he saw in front of him was the historic city that has been established for more than 200 years. A general view of the capital city of Beauvaldier. The royal castle and walls visible in the distance, and the stone buildings standing from there. And the sight of so many people filling the streets that it almost covered the whole place.

Pastry’s lips are slightly open and his eyes are wide open, as if he were a young boy of his age, and he looks quite charming. His father, smiled at the sight, and took his hand so that they wouldn’t get lost. Pastry was grateful for this, but he was also looking around, looking around, . He was a real “oobori-shin” (a person who is fond of the city). Once they reached the market in the central plaza, he was so excited that he almost shook off his father’s hand. He was like an excited puppy.

“It seems that today is the 4-day market.:

“What is it?”

“It’s a market where sellers other than the regular street sellers decide what they will sell at the market each day. The first day is for weapons and armor trade . The The second day is the clothing trade. The third day is the food trade , and the fourth day is the barrel trade . Wooden products in general. Some days are set for selling jewelry and general goods as well. Otherwise, it would be difficult to keep track of everything.”

“Oh, really? Father, there are people gathered over there. Let’s go there.”

“No, We , have to take care of something first.”

“Yeah. But still, there are a lot of good stuff here.”

Especially, the one that drew the boy’s attention was brown sugar and fruits. The brown sugar and fruits . For him, who was born with a memory of his previous life and his current self, it was a shock to find a place where even a small crop shortage could lead to deaths due to starvation. Instead of pursuing his dream of making sweets, he has been researching beans, wheat, and fertilizers to make food for his daily life. Thanks to his efforts, land has recently become rich enough to survive even a poor year.

In fact, while neighboring territories suffered crop shortages and starvation deaths and forced people to sell their property one after another during last year’s cold winter, the territory of baron Mortern survived without a single death or selling of its property. His reputation as a great lord grew. His reputation as a parent’s idiot is spreading like wildfire. Pastry is still working with his father on research and developing of the territory.

Still, he has not forgotten his dream. It was only natural that he was attracted to sugar and fruits, because he wanted to make the best sweets someday. His goal is to turn the territory into a land of sweets. But the way he is now, happily flitting his eyes around, he is nothing more than a child .

“‘Father, what is that?”

“Bonkers. It is a fruit from the north, so it is rare to find it around here. I heard it has a sour taste, and I’ve never eaten it before, so I’ll buy some as a gift on the way home.”

“By all means! ”

. Oh, apples. I’m impressed -that there are apples in this world, as well. I might make an apple pie with it. Or a cake ? No, first, let’s try candied apples. But sugar is a rare thing here, and it’s no good to be selfish. Should I try honey pickling it?　Wait a minute, I think I should try it fresh first. What is the level of sourness? If it is sweet, it will be very useful. I must obtain it no matter what.)

Apparently ,Pastry is able to hide his inner excitement. He looks like a boy who is simply excited because of his curiosity, and even the peddlers’ voices that call out to them are mixed with laughter. Pastry’s eyes are constantly drawn to the corner where the street traders stand side by side. His father’s eyes are drooping.

Even in a world where tourism is rare and farmers are held back by their land, there is still the possibility of visitors coming and going from other towns. There are merchants who sell their products, farmers who come to buy daily goods, refugees who come to look for work, mercenaries who are skilled, craftsmen and workers in the workshops. And then there are nobles. The capital is always crowded with people.

Baron Morteln and his son, who have lowest rank of the nobility, are on their way to a specific place. Cutting through the waves of people as if they were swimming. Occasionally avoiding a carriage.

Their destination. It is a place called the church To be precise, it is a branch church of the Holy Order.

The Holy Church of Beauvardier is a religion that originated in Beauvardier, the capital of the kingdom, and is the state religion. Therefore, there is a headquarters in the city center and several chapels in the royal capital, and each chapel has its own priest and performs missionary work closely related to the local population.

A church is a place to pray to God and spirits. Praying is a sacred act. This is no different in any religion, of that one or modern one .. As far as Pastry knows, Shintoism, Christianity, and Islam are no exception. Therefore, he had a certain stereotype for the church, as a quiet and peaceful place to pray.

Apparently, that stereotype was so shaky and weak that it collapsed the moment he arrived in the church.

“Buddy, do you want a burlap sack? Our bags are made with great skill , so they are sturdy and will last for a long time. Now I’ll give you an extra one free for every ten you buy!”

“How about that necklace that’s all the fashion in the capital right now, mister? Even if your wife finds out you’ve cheated on her, she’ll be in a great mood thanks to this!”

“How about some grilled skewers, boy, ?　I’ll give you an extra piece of the meaty and juicy ones.”

The noise was almost deafening. In a place that could be called a church courtyard, many people were spreading cloths and selling their goods on the cloths.

“Why is the church in the market place ?”

Pastry could not help but ask. It was a bit strange to see a church, which is supposed to be a quiet and solemn place, more lively than the market in the city plaza.

But it was his father who wondered about his son’s common sense with such a strange look on his face. It is a typical reaction for a child to be interested in or surprised by a place he has never been before. In his case, he remembers being excited when he saw this sight for the first time in the capital. Compared to that, his son’s reaction, which was beyond quiet and dubious, was terribly unnatural. He decided not to pay any attention to his son’s reaction, and decided just answer his son’s question.

“The people who sell here are people who don’t have the right to do business, so technically this is not a market,”

“Business rights?”

“The right to sell and buy goods”.

Pastry thought he understood that much, and decided not to ask any more about it. Instead, he wanted to finish his business quickly, taste the apple-like fruit, and see what kind of sweets he could make with it. Wasting time here by asking his father questions would only delays that enjoyment, and it was something that Pastry was not willing to do. It was hardly appropriate for a seven-year-old to have the smarts to make such a judgment, though.

Inside the church, there were no peddlers selling their goods, and the place was quiet except for the noise leaking from outside. Once inside the door, which gave a feel of ancient history, there was an atmosphere that was overwhelming to behold.

The stone church was filled with a cool, chilly air, which made it feel strangely holy. It was spacious enough to fit dozens of people, and the ceiling was so high that it looked as if it could have been three stories tall. A row of couches. They were lined up in rows of three on each side, five in front and five behind. The chairs all had their backs toward the entrance of the church . In other words, they were all lined up with their backs to the entrance. The direction the chairs faced. There is a platform in front of the entrance, which looks like a stage for speeches.

It is a stage that looks as if it is for preaching by a priest, but it is apparently not the chief speaker of the church. The reason is that behind the stage, on the most prominent wall, hangs a painting so large that it can be clearly seen even from a distance. The four spirits painted on the wall, probably spirits, were holding something in their hands,, , s something that looked like water. The reason why people can recognize them as spirits is that they are drawn as if they flying in the sky. Ordinary people in this world cannot fly. In addition, people with wings do not exist.

Religion is a profitable business, thought Pastry , as a man approached him.

“Welcome to the Western Branch of the Holy Church of Beauvardier, My my, isn’t it Lord Mortern? I haven’t seen you since the ceremony of your daughter’s consecration.”

A person who looks like a priest approached themHow could he say that without even biting his tongue, the boy thought. In fact, he held the position of priest in this church and was a person generally called a priest. He must have been around 40 years old, but he had dark circles under his eyes and was clearly exhausted visible to anyone who looked at him. His rather fat belly and his clothes, which were white with black as an adornment in some places, made Pastry want to give him the nickname “Panda”.

“It’s been a while.”

“No, I am glad that you have come all the way from your distant territory. We have heard rumors of your achievements. We have heard that you have successfully saved your people from the cold winter recently. As a member of the Church, I am deeply honored by your pious faith and insight, and by the grace of God.”

I thank God and the spirits for their blessings. And thanks to my son .”

At the words “thanks to my son,” the priest finally realized that the baron was with his son. Otherwise, he would not have noticed it, because he was covered by the rather large body of the Casserole. The boy was that small.

Surprisingly few parents bring their children to church. In particular, parents who bring yong childrens are extremely rare. This is because they would bring embarrassment to them.

Praying time and listening to a sermon in church can be extremely boring for kids. Even if a kid is a devout and faithful person, listening to a long sermon that they does not understand the meaning of is almost like a form of punishment. Children are not good at keeping quiet. One theory is that this is because the time it takes to feel is many times longer than the time it takes to be quiet. If they fall asleep, it is impolite, and if they are not quiet, they are seen as children who are not well behaved. The higher one’s position in society, the more one’ s face will turn red when one is asked if one can even teach one’s child good manners. Especially if one is in a position like an aristocrat, embarrassment by a child, will lead to negative results immediately. That is why it is rare for children to come to church.

“What brings you to our church today?”

“Actually, I wanted to have my son receive the rite of consecration.

“Oh.”

There was some slight shock in the priest’s tone. From his point of view, the boy at the Baron de Morterne’s side seemed to be too young. Therefore, the priest had a simple ceremony in mind that ended with only a blessing, even a child would not be in as much danger as in the regular ceremony. But if that were the case, he would not have to go all the way to the capital.

“I’m thinking of letting him go through the regular ceremony.”

“What? I beg your pardon, but do you really intend to do this?”

“Of course I am.”

I have heard that you very doting parent .”

The ceremony of consecration is also known as the coming-of-age ceremony. It is because it can be emotionally traumatic if performed by a person who is mentally, physically, and especially spiritually unprepared. Therefore, the majority of people give up on the ” blessings of the ceremony” from the very beginning and simply perform a simple ceremony. Casserole said that he did not think that was a good thing.

The priest was looking at Pastry questioning. He took his hand and a leather bag was placed in his palm. Before Pastry knew it, Casserole had pulled it out of his pocket.

“This is a small reward.”

“I am sorry about that. Shall we get started?”

“Please.”

The priest quickly checked the bag with a voice that sounded not at all regretful. What he meant was, ” Get on with it. The fact that he changed his attitude without protesting shows that he was quite a raccoon dog. Even if he looks like a panda, he is still a raccoon.

Casserole gave the priest 20 silver coins. These coins, also known as Beauvardier silver coins or Bove silver coins, are common in the King’s capital and its area. They are made by the royal family. The silver content is relatively high, and it is the most famous coin in the country, treated as a kind of common currency. Although its value changes daily depending on the market price, a single coin is enough to buy five large bags of wheat. It is easy to understand if we say that it is just enough money for an average family to live on for a month. In other words, it is a lot of money. The reason for the priest’s somewhat over-the-top expression of surprise is that it is part of his job to give an acknowledgement that is in keeping with the amount of money he receives.

It is generally believed that it is not good for a person in the clergy to be greedy for money. However, even church members do not live in a fog, and it is customary for members of the church to voluntarily give a certain amount of money for ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. In short, it was an offering.

Casserole is also a nobleman, and is in a position that requires a lot of skill in fine performance. He did not give silver coins without thought, but rather, there was a strong meaning behind it. In short, the priest’s conversation with Casserole, who was surprised by the large amount of money he was giving away and the exaggeration he showed, was as bluntly as he could have been.

‘Don’t be lazy with my precious son’s ceremony.”

‘I can’t afford to disregard it after receiving so much from you.”

It is a conversation between adults, hiding their feelings of frankness with a smile

“Then please follow me.”

With that, the clergyman leads them to the back of the church. They silently follow behind him and are taken down to the basement where they are led into an odd-looking room.

“Ugh.”

Pastry’s voice leaked unintentionally in disgust.

The adorableness of the little boy’s appearance, on the other hand, reached the peak with a certain ring of truth for it . In the room to which he was led, there was an odd thing.