Chapter 163 : Chapter 163
Chapter 163
As Luri left at the insistence of her attendants, we continued our festival preparations.
‘It’s busy.’
It wasn’t just the Coffee Wagon. I had also been invited to the imperial banquet, so I had to at least show my face, right?
‘The banquet is in the evening, I suppose.’
I’d have to sell coffee hard until then. It was about time for Imperium Land to open, so people should start coming and going….
“Excuse me!”
A young girl visited from outside the Coffee Wagon. She looked familiar. If I recognized her, she must be a regular customer.
“Are you open for business now?”
Lilac strode forward and fired off her pre-loaded smile.
“Yes, of course! The maids and butlers of the Coffee Wagon are always ready.”
“I’ll! I’ll have an Einspänner! Oh? No, wait a moment. There’s a new menu? Jajara Tea Relaxer…?”
“Yes, it’s a signature menu created to commemorate this festival.”
“Then I’ll have one of those, please!”
Business started right away. No sooner had I thought the first customer had arrived than three more came, and by the time I had made the coffee, Imperium Land was already bustling.
“Wow! It’s the Coffee Wagon!”
“They’re doing business here today!”
“I can’t pass this up!”
My mind was on the verge of paralysis due to the swarming crowd, but we were veterans. Our numbers were few, but our teamwork was perfect. We took orders, made drinks, and handed them out, repeating the process.
‘Ugh, this is beyond busy.’
The drinks were constantly going out, but the line that had formed along the pre-set guide rope didn't shrink from 50 meters.
“Master! Three Caramel Macchiatos!”
“President Martin, two Café Lattes and three Jajara Tea Relaxers.”
Lilac and Nerjin took the orders. My hands reflexively grabbed eight cups and began preparing them in an instant. The time it took to mix the ingredients and prepare the drinks was just one minute.
Movement (Lv 10) utilizes your physical abilities, which have reached the peak of human limits, to their fullest extent!
Know-It-All (Lv 4) pioneers the optimal route to prepare five drinks in the fastest way possible.
Wild Instinct (Master) places the kitchen within its domain.
“You’re amazing as always! Master!”
“As expected, you’re amazing…!”
I received admiring gazes from Lilac and Nerjin.
‘This isn’t why I became strong….’
Barista (Lv 4) is in awe of the cooperation from the other skills.
Praise for the coffee poured in from outside the shop.
“Hey! You said you’d only have one sip!”
“Hey, I want to drink some too!”
“One more for me, too!”
Even people who had already ordered got back in line, and the queue grew longer and longer…. At that, Bianca and Savo, who were in charge of cleaning and tidying up the surroundings, took orders instead, and Lilac and Nerjin also joined in making drinks.
“Two Chocolate Lattes!”
“Four Iced Americanos.”
As I was frantically making drinks, I saw that the chocolate syrup had run out. Just as I was about to get a new one from the shelf.
“Here you are, Master.”
Lilac presented me with a new bottle, the lid already opened.
“Thanks, Lilac.”
I thought the tide of orders would continue endlessly, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.
[♪♩♬]
A short melody played through Imperium Land’s speakers, followed by an announcement.
[Hello. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has visited Imperium Land today.]
It was our lifeline.
[In 10 minutes, from 11:00 to 14:00, there will be a parade, a landmark and pride of Imperium Land….]
At the news of the parade, people swarmed out. To a degree that was somewhat manageable. Only after we had processed the orders of the remaining customers did we finally have some breathing room.
“Phew, we’re saved….”
Bianca wiped the sweat from her forehead as she plopped down on a chair.
“Phew, that was a bit tough this time.”
“Grandfather, have some water.”
“Hoho, yes. Thank you.”
Even while everyone else was resting, Savo took a broom and swept around the Coffee Wagon.
“Savo, you can rest while you work.”
“I believe that dealing with hindrances now while there are no customers will prevent any disruption to the mission.”
“R-right.”
I was sitting on a chair, resting until the next wave of customers arrived. The door opened and Savo came in.
“Ah, Savo. If you’re done, you should rest too.”
“Master, a customer has arrived.”
The person who appeared from behind Savo was….
“E-excuse me, c-could you spare a moment…?”
“Cadet Mary?”
I went out behind the Coffee Wagon and met with Mary alone.
“What is it?”
“I-I’m sorry to bother you while you’re busy….”
“It’s alright.”
It was Mary, the brain of the protagonist’s party. She wouldn't have called me for just any reason.
“A-actually, our side obtained some information a few days ago….”
Just my style, she got straight to the point.
“Are Gilbert and the others not enough?”
“N-no…. It’s just that….”
Mary hesitated for a moment. An expression that said she was debating whether to say this.
“Well….”
After hesitating, Mary finally spoke.
“I… uh… I plant listening devices all over the family mansion….”
She brought it up as if confessing a shameful past. Listening devices. An illegal act, unlike Mary, but I knew the reason.
“I understand.”
“Y-yes?”
“Isn’t it a process of preparing materials to use as a weapon when you gain independence from your family in the future?”
“Ah…. That’s right.”
Mary nodded without being too surprised. It seemed she thought I would understand.
“At the Deminiyan family mansion, I heard my grandfather, Duke Frohadin, negotiating with a certain man. It was a negotiation where my grandfather demanded compensation from the man for smuggling an unidentified group into the capital just a few days ago.”
“….”
An unidentified group.
‘Demon worshippers?’
I shook my head. That couldn't be. Didn't the World Tree and the Star Child declare it? That they wouldn't make a move. That the ‘scales’ had tipped.
“And?”
“I saw him receive a Top-Grade Mana Stone as payment.”
“…!”
Did that even make sense? Receiving a Top-Grade Mana Stone, of which there aren't even 10 in the entire world, in exchange for letting a few people in to coincide with the festival?
“The source?”
“I don’t know. When I checked later, it wasn’t registered with the Mana Stone Management Association.”
For a moment, I thought of the Defardly Knights’ hideout. I had recovered a Top-Grade Mana Stone from the emergency teleportation device there… and that wasn't a registered mana stone either.
‘There’s another third party with the power to casually hand over a Top-Grade Mana Stone?’
Impossible. But then, who could it be? Empress Anette had been rehabilitated, Tyrant Empress Anette had not been born, and it wasn't the worshippers of the Demon Lord Cult.
‘Don’t tell me, a Necromancer?’
The last of what could be called the main villains. There was a Necromancer who ruled the permafrost of the North Pole. According to the original work's description, he was a man described as ‘a monster who commands an innumerable undead army alone and operates bizarre yet wondrous corpse weapons.’
‘…But.’
He was someone who only crawled out towards the latter half of the story….
‘No, the time for gauging things by the original work has passed.’
Whether the original story’s events were moved up or were completely new incidents. It wouldn't be strange no matter what happened.
Our foolish Gilbert, in that situation, always just reacted to the coming apocalypse and ended up with a ruinous ending.
‘But I’m different.’
I was grateful to Mary for mustering the courage to tell me this information.
“I understand. Thank you for the information, Cadet Mary.”
“Ah…! Are you going to help?!”
“Yes. I will also look for the smugglers.”
Above all, it was a request from none other than Mary. A request from a smart and kind person; even if it had been a request to find a lost cat, I would have at least lent an ear.
“How many people know this information?”
“Ah, for now, only we know.”
We. Meaning, just the protagonist’s party?
“It’s not something to be spread carelessly, but this is too reckless.”
I inwardly clicked my tongue. That Gilbert. Did he try to carry it all by himself? The fool couldn't even handle the aftermath.
Mary seemed to know this as well and kept bowing her head with an apologetic face.
“Yes…, so on my own judgment, I braved the discourtesy and came to you, Cadet Martin….”
“You don’t have to bow your head. You did well, Cadet Mary. You must have been very worried, so please take this and have it on your way back.”
I handed Mary the coffee bottle I had made for myself from my pocket. Mary deserved this. Mary, who received it with both hands, was still at a loss, looking apologetic.
“Well, actually… it wasn’t me, but… Cadet Elisha who….”
Elisha? Why is Elisha suddenly coming up?
“The idea of asking for your help, Cadet Martin, was actually suggested by Cadet Elisha. She said she felt bad because she knows you’re busy and we owe you a lot, but since it’s such a big deal…. She said since I’m, uh, deeply involved, she would leave it up to me to decide whether to ask or not….”
“I see.”
So it was Elisha. I understood she would be cautious given what she’s done to me in the past, but this request for help was an excellent judgment worthy of praise. If it had been Sebastian instead of Elisha, I would have given him a whole bunch of dog chews.
“Understood. Please return for now. I will look into it in my own way.”
“Yes! Thank you! Uh, we’ll be watching the entire capital, so we’ll leave the inside of Imperium Land to you, Cadet Martin…!”
“I will.”
After Mary left, I was faced with a difficult dilemma.
Wild Instinct (Master) has a hunch. It says you won't find any trace of the suspicious group even if you wander around Imperium Land until the end of today.
‘Still, since Mary asked, I should at least pretend to look.’
I leaned against the Coffee Wagon for a moment to organize my thoughts. The situation was not good.
‘Of all people, why Frohadin.’
There were many complications in asking for help. The royals, Adela and Kazaks, and the ambitious Marquis Arnold. Whatever happened, it would not be good for the Frohadin family. Of course, Mary must have been prepared for that when she asked for my help, but my heart was not light. Look at the timid Mary. How much thought must she have put into her decision?
‘First, to the Star Child.’
Know-It-All (Lv 4) asks if you’re not forgetting something.
My body, which was about to go and report, froze.
‘Don’t tell me, is this a revelation?’
Didn't the Star Child tell me? That he saw a future where the Empire's capital collapsed due to the demon lords. Because of the betrayal of a certain duke….
‘…Oh no.’
Hesitation washed over me. My thoughts swayed like a single reed in the wind.
‘Just a little… if I just investigate a little bit myself.’
It would be a lie to say Princess Adela didn't come to mind.
On the ship returning from the conquest of Fog Island. That time when only the quiet night sea and the silently twinkling stars lit the world. In front of my cabin, the Star Child had clearly tried to ‘murder’ Princess Adela. If Adela hadn't clearly expressed her intention to reform… I don't even want to imagine what would have happened.
‘The Star Child…. He always acts like a carefree person, but the reality is different.’
How could someone who was endlessly carefree have earned the respect of the people? How could he have raised the banner of revolution against the Emperor and the Pope? He also possessed a cold and ruthless side, like the muzzles of the pure white dual pistols he held, which were like chilly white snow.
‘If the Star Child kills Duke Frohadin… the problem will become serious.’
I know he’s not someone to act thoughtlessly. But there's the matter with Adela, and the fact that he taught Lilac Stellar Force and gunmanship without my permission still bothers me.