CH 38

Chapter - 38 || Wine And Fruit Have Been More Expensive

—A few weeks before the wedding of the King and the Saint in the Kingdom of Turku.

"Chief, the crops are coming lower than expected again."

At the warehouse near the plot, the worker said to Youssef.

"...Another drought."

Youssef couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"How is it that the King and Saint are going to be married...?"

This was all because I was against a Saint.

Until now, anyone who the King would marry would have been passed a normal event, but with the Saint, it was a different matter.

...The King is marrying Saint Natalia, so we're good to go, right?

The farmers whispered by themselves, and so did the townsmen.

However, not all of the people were ready to leave.

"Hey, isn't the bread smaller than before?"

A passing Lady said.

The husband was also fed up with the situation.

"It can't be helped. Wheat is getting expensive again."

"Oh, no. Wine and fruit are getting more expensive, and now even bread."

"It's like this everywhere you go. There's a bad harvest everywhere."

The Lady picked up a small loaf of bread, looking envious.

"How long will we have a bad harvest? Why can't the disaster stop when the King and the Saint are getting married?"

"Well, you know. Next time a peddler comes by, I'll ask him if he has any good news."

"Sure, please do."

The peddlers brought not only goods, but information along with them. The townsmen eagerly awaited for their arrival.

Youssef, who was the Chief of the Guild, had the access to the same information as the peddlers.

Youssef had the same thoughts as did the farmers.

Soon, everything should be fine.

The King and Saint were about to be married.

So, why was everything like this?

"...I need some fresh air."

Youssef walked out of the warehouse.

The air was gentle, and the scent of the beach lingered.

The port was bustling with activity and people as they worked to rebuild.

People were doing their best for the tasks given to them.

Yet why did it seem like the gears were shifting the wrong way?

—I still couldn't believe Elvira-san was proclaimed as a fake Saint. Or was it just my imagination?

Youssef had met Elvira once.

As Elvira went to pray wherever, by chance, she came to the port as well.

...I hope that everyone here who works would not get hurt.

Elvira-san was but a child, yet she prayed earnestly and spoke in a dignified manner.

Originally a devout believer of Sainthood, Youssef naturally favoured Elvira.

If Elvira-san was the Queen, this country would have been fine.

That's what I thought.

But out of the blue, she was stigmatized as a fake Saint and was banished.

I wasn't convinced.

"Sure enough, the disasters spread across the country..."

Youssef's port was one of them that was affected.

The ships constantly sunk in an incomprehensible way.

Alexander, who came to the port for inspections, cared for the loss and not the people.

When I questioned him, he replied that this was due to Elvira-san pretending to be a Saint.

It would soon be over as Saint Natalia would be unveiled.

Youssef couldn't trust his words.

He wanted to know if Elvira-san was really the fake Saint or Natalia-san was the real thing.

That's what led to Youssef travelling to the capital under the guise of delivering goods, to interrogate people about the Saint, whatever they knew.

It turned out Natalia-san was popular with the commoners than I had expected.

It was expected that they would be glad, as she could empathize with their struggles.

But after Natalia-san's unveiling, people noticed three things;

Her dress was flamboyant.

Her jewellery was gaudy.

Nobody could see the Maiden Lilies clearly.

Yet the people were impressed.

The bartender told Youssef in an upbeat tone,

"It was far, far away. Yet we could see the Maiden Lilies were sparkling. We all could understand it was far from ordinary as well."

But Youssef, who had been accustomed to handmade products knew something others did not.

If it was shown from a distance, it was highly likely that it was crafted by a skilled craftsman or by other sources.

For example, what if you shaved a thin layer of crystal to make it look like flower petals?

What if you sprinkled gold dust on it?　

Of course, it took money and skill.

There were only a few people in the capital who had the ability.

But it wasn't impossible.

Having thought that far, Youssef snapped back to reality.

—Wait, what the hell am I thinking?

There were many fakeries of the Maiden Lilies.

But all of them were exposed to the touch.

No matter how skilled a craftsman, flowers and jewellery smell different.

You could dye a natural flower, but it wouldn't stay dyed forever.

It would eventually lose it's colour.

In the first place, it was a felony to forge the Maiden Lily.

The Empire prohibited it.

—But what if it was allowed?

No way.

That's absurd.

That's impossible.

But once he started to think about it, he couldn't get this idea out of his head.

As a mere Guild leader, there was only so much I could do.

I knew that, but I couldn't help but consider the possibility.

I couldn't let this blasphemy against the Saints go unnoticed.

After doing the adequate research, Youssef found there was only one person who had the ability.

It was old man Adrian from the Novi's store.

It was unsettling he skipped his grandson's wedding for a well-paying job.

But I didn't know what to think anymore.

While Youssef was feeling helpless, he heard that Elvira-san was recognized as Crown Princess of the Zomer Empire.

She was also proclaimed as the Saint.

It was the most recent rumour he had heard from his port.

Everyone still thought of Elvira-san as a fake Saint.

I understood.

—This was something I had to take in my own hands, wasn't it?

And on the day of their wedding,

"Yeah, you wanna take in the goods? Go straight ahead there."

Youssef impersonated as a street vendor to enter the court.