CH 346

This Esnor County is on the opposite side of the royal capital from Yamano Viscounty.

……In other words, it was on the inland side and suffered considerable damage when the kingdom was invaded by the empire.

And of course, when the imperial army invaded, they did their best to stop them. They did not have the strength to pursue the imperial troops who were heading for the royal capital after they broke through.

After that, the imperial army that fled from the royal capital side was intercepted by the remaining forces that had somehow been reorganized, but still, the villages and towns were plundered by the imperial army, which had lost supplies, so the fleeing imperial army was chased by the angry mobs.

The army and the peasants were already in tatters, and after the imperial army left completely, all of the people in the territory stood dumbfounded, unable to even cry because their tears had dried up……

That’s why they didn’t see the fight between the imperial army and Wolffang in the royal capital, and it wasn’t amusing to see an outsider girl being celebrated as the person who has rendered the most meritorious service after the war.

Of course, the feudal lords, active knights, and soldiers were given medals and rewards, and the lords were given financial support for the reconstruction. And yet, a commoner girl who was doing nothing and was lounging in the royal capital was carried up, promoted, and rewarded with tens of thousands of gold coins from the royal treasury, and tens of thousands more from the feudal lords…

For those who have not seen it firsthand, it would be impossible for them to believe the story about the angel, divine soldiers, staves of thunder that breathes fire, or horseless wagons.

So, like many neighboring territories, they considered it to be a setup for inspiring soldiers and for external political and military performance…

And the idea of raising national prestige by carrying a slightly energetic, exotic-looking young girl on a portable shrine.

……No, it’s not unreasonable to think so.

It would be hard for those in this world who have not seen anything to believe what they are told by a third party, just by words.

If this has nothing to do with them, they can just laugh it off, but…

The Imperial Army, which they had risked their lives to defeat, losing many friends and many citizens in the process, was instead driven away by the incomprehensible power of a little girl and her “divine soldiers”.

Well, that’s not funny, is it?

For the time being, they probably understand that it’s a policy of the country.

That’s why they don’t yell at me directly, and when we meet at a party in the royal capital, they at least greet me. Not with a smile though, but with a Buddha’s face…

…Well, that’s why, the lord here may not be a bad person, but he’d probably be a bit harsh with me.

But, of course, he might be a bad guy, for all I know.

Well, in any case, there’s not enough reason to express that on the surface.

The appeal is not about the lord, but the magistrate, so it has nothing to do with the lord… isn’t it?

If there’s no expectation of correction at the magistrate level, then you have to ask the top, which is the lord, to deal with it…

And were the magistrate’s misdeeds committed alone or at the direction of his superiors?

……Mystery invites mystery!!

No, no, I mean, that’s why we have to localize the ‘bad guys’ for now.

……It’s a matter of figuring out who and where the bad guys are.

We can’t move to the next step if we don’t do this.

It would be a real eye-opener if, when you finally get evidence of a crime and call the cops, but then the police station itself turns out to be on the side of the enemy.

In the first place, guards in a small town are subordinates of the magistrate…

So first, I decided to go ‘undercover as an ordinary commoner’!!!

******

……And so, we went to the town’s restaurant.

“A large orc set meal!” (Sabine)

Sabine-chan ordered with a cheerful voice, but I…

“Komori no obachama…… a small orc set meal……” (Mitsuha)  (小森のおばちゃま)

The set meals of the restaurants in this world are large in quantity.

Of course, most of the customers are single men, and most of them are soldiers, hunters, or manual laborers. So yeah, they eat a lot.

If the set menus are too small for such customers, they will complain.

That’s why it’s only natural for me to order a small portion…

“Why do you eat so much, Sabine-chan!” (Mitsuha)

“Eh? Because brain work requires a lot of nourishment, right?” (Sabine)

“Eh?”

No, it’s true that such a theory was prevalent for a while, but recently it has become ‘not much different’……

Well, Sabine-chan is still a child and still growing. She won’t get too fat.

Although, I have to wonder, what is the capacity of Sabine-chan’s stomach?……

“While eating your set meal, listen to other customers’ conversation.” (Mitsuha)

“Understood! Rojah!” (Sabine)

Sabine-chan and I silently ate the food that was brought to us, whispering in a low voice.

******

“…I didn’t hear any good stories…” (Mitsuha)

“Well of course, in a restaurant, where you don’t know who’s listening, there aren’t any commoners who’d openly criticize the ruling class or anything like that.” (Sabine)

“Is that so…” (Mitsuha)

If you think about it, it makes sense!

Or rather, if you knew that, tell me first, staff officer Sabine-chan!…

“Now then, let’s move on to the second phase!” (Mitsuha)

“…I wonder if it’s going to be okay…” (Sabine)

Sabine-chan seems worried, but in the hands of this bewitching villainess Mitsuha, men are in the palm of my hand……

Okay, the target is the two boys, about 15-16 years old, who just entered the store over there!

“Ano~, can I have a minute?” (Mitsuha)

“Eh? What is it…” (Boy 1)

Umumumu, impatient, too impatient!

They’re dressed like normal commoners, but I wonder if they’re rookie soldiers or hunters on their off-duty or rest days, or maybe they’re working somewhere.

15-16 years old is an adult here, an adult, but in Japan, they’d be in their first or second year of high school. They are still children.

There’s no boy who wouldn’t be happy to be talked to by a cute girl!

“Etto~, we’re on a little trip, and we’ve just arrived in this town…

I was wondering if you could tell me something interesting about this town.

Oh, in turn, I’ll pay for the meal!”  (Mitsuha)

******

The two beautiful girls smiled and said that they would pay for the meal in exchange for a small talk.

…They’re dressed like a commoner, but aside from that…

Well-groomed appearances.

Face and arms without a trace of sunburn.

Thin and delicate fingers with no scratches or bruises.

Glossy, long blond hair.

Only aristocrats or rich women can maintain long hair, which takes a lot of time and money.

So it was only natural that the two young men had come to this conclusion.

((A wild young lady who ran away from home because she wanted to go on an adventure and her accompanying maid, appeareeed~~!!))

======

Author’s Note:

Notice. (^^)/

In the November issue of Kodansha’s “Monthly Shonen Sirius,” which will be released on Monday, September 26, there’s an interview with me about the anime adaptation of “I will save 80,000 gold coins in another world to prepare for my old age”.

It also features character designs for Mitsuha and Colette-chan!

Would you like to know more? Please read it! (^^)/

======