Chapter 4: Trouble Comes from Outside

After four days of investigation, we returned to Malhas.

I shared the necessary information with Saran and Kati, then left it to them for two weeks.

As I was stamping documents in the Adventurers Guild’s private room, Kati rushed in.

“Master, we have a visitor in the Old Town of Malhas.”

“Trouble?”

“Yes, I believe it’s going to be troublesome. Saran seemed grim.”

Nodding to the serious-faced Kati, I stood up.

If Saran’s expression changed, then the visitor must be trouble. There’s no other explanation.

Although uninvited, I should at least go see what’s going on. Last time, things escalated into a brawl.

“So, who’s come?”

As we left the room, I asked Kati.

“It’s someone important from the church. They claim it’s for a new church inspection…”

“Did the Adventurers Guild receive any prior notice?”

“It seems to be a surprise inspection.”

I see, the scent of trouble is strong.

Normally, both sides would need to prepare for such an important visitor.

But coming all the way here without any announcement suggests they either came to cause trouble or bring their own problems.

Sigh… Saran had warned me that urbanization would bring about these kinds of issues, but it looks like they’ve finally arrived.

However, if a “Saint” like Fimia Lakers is overseeing the newly established church in this frontier town, then it’s not strange for them to come for an inspection.

Leaving it to Kati, I rushed out of the Adventurers Guild and headed towards the Old Town, in the direction of the village.

There doesn’t seem to be any commotion spreading to the New Town yet, probably because Saran is holding them off.

The church is located at the boundary between the Old Town and the New Town, the heart of this developing city known as the “Pioneer City”.

It’s not too far from the Adventurers Guild.

“jurg!”

“Rolo. Did you hear about this?”

“Yeah. It’s probably a good idea to see what’s going on.”

“Yeah. Regardless of what Saran plans to do, there’s no we ‘Mercia’ will be quiet.”

Even without this, Fimia Lakers’ position is somewhat special.

She was dispatched to “Silhasta” by the church as a cleric to demonstrate the church’s authority, and her nickname and title are the same.

In other words, she is both a “named” and an official title of the church.

Although Saran had requested Fimia to elevate “Silhasta” to a national party and dispatched her for that purpose, she ended up joining “Mercia” after the incident with Rolo’s expulsion.

From the perspective of the church headquarters, this may be somewhat difficult to understand.

According to Saran, “Mercia” will soon be recognized as a national party, but Fimia’s current status makes her seem too independent for the church.

“Oh, this is quite a fuss.”

Approaching the square where the church stands, I couldn’t help but utter these words.

After all, there were rows of people dressed in silvery armor, seemingly from the “Holy Scripture Knights”, which felt quite out of place.

Well, it’s understandable to be on high alert when coming to a developing city adjacent to untamed territories where dangerous monsters roam.

“Saran is there.”

“Yeah. He seems unusually anxious.”

He’s usually expressionless, but today he’s quite obvious.

Someone who brings this many holy knights with him must be quite a big shot.

I thought it was someone I didn’t know, but Rolo next to me told me the answer.

“──This is Cardinal Miopete. He is the third seat member of the Kingdom Church.”

“Do you know him well?”

“I’ve only seen his face once. Be careful, Jurg. He’s… a bad guy.”

“……Ou”

I didn’t particularly ask why. If Rolo says so. Then it must be correct.

If I had to guess, I’d say it’s someone who might cause trouble for Saran, so we need to be cautious.

“Jurg, Rolo, come over here.”

Saran called out to us as we observed from a distance.

He must have noticed us, but being called over so suddenly was a bit unexpected.

“This is Jurg Dreadnought, the Branch Chief of the Adventurers Guild Malhas, and next to him is Rolo Mercia, the Deputy Chief of Environmental Development for Malhas.”

I bowed lightly in response to Saran’s introduction.

It’s a rule in “Silhasta” to generally not speak during interactions with high-ranking individuals.

My country upbringing might give me away, so it’s best to stay quiet.

“Hmm, so it’s you guys… I see.”

The stout and round Miopete Cardinal turned towards them with a smile, reminiscent of the character “Humpty Dumpty” from the story. Despite the smile, his eyes seemed to appraise them without any hint of amusement.

Indeed, he exuded an air reminiscent of a headquarters for unsavory characters.

“Oh, Jurg, right? Is Fimia-chan doing well?”

“Yes. She’s been helpful more than usual.”

“I see, I see.”

The Archbishop Miopete lightly tapped my upper arm, irritating me slightly.

Both his manner of speaking and his touch… there’s something slimy and unsettling about him.

It seems the gods are indifferent to the people who serve them.

“So, you’re… Rolo, right? I’ve heard about you from Fimia-chan. She says you’re getting along well.”

“I’m honored.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s good. Very good.”

The Archbishop Miopete stroked Rolo’s shoulder with his bloated hand.

It’s giving me the creeps…!

Should I just crack open that bald head of his right here?

“So, Archbishop Miopete…”

“Zolark-kun, since we’re standing and all… let’s save the detailed discussion for later. We must return to the inspection of the new church.”

“Understood. Then, this way.”

With a deep bow, Saran briefly glanced in our direction before passing by the Archbishop Miopete.

If he says leave it to him, then I’ll leave it to him, but it seems like an annoying guy has come.

“He’s giving off a weird vibe.”

“Yeah, he’s a creepy guy…”

As we watched Saran and Archbishop Miopete head towards the church, I looked around.

The disciplined Holy Scripture Knights didn’t exactly intimidate the surroundings, but they definitely didn’t fit in with the atmosphere of the “Pioneer City” either. It’d be best if they left soon.

This is a city of adventurers.

Guys like those with their strict discipline are just a nuisance to have around.

Well, I’m not childish enough to say it out loud.

“Let’s head back to the Adventurers Guild for now. We need to keep the adventurers from causing any unnecessary trouble. We might need to rent out all the rooms in the inn, so some people might be inconvenienced.”

“We’ll use the visit from the VIPs as an excuse to issue more requests for border camping. We’ll have to pay them to live in tents for a while.”

“In that case, I’ll arrange for extra alcohol deliveries.”

We nodded to each other and bumped fists.

“Seriously, humans are more troublesome than monsters. This frontier is really changing.”

My heavy sigh lingered for a moment, then vanished into the wind.

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