Chapter 381
When I was playing FBO, I held this character in high esteem.
Among the many characters in FBO, if someone asked me to name one I respected, he would be the first that came to mind.
You might ask, "Why would you say that about a game character?" But many players who interacted with him felt the same.
Inviting such a person for recruitment was out of the question.
Just as Liu Xuande visited Zhuge Liang three times to invite him, so too must I make the journey. Having set out from the developed frontier village, ready to welcome named characters, a considerable amount of time had passed.
The destination was a small town in the western part of the southern continent.
Its main industries were agriculture and livestock farming—the kind of town you could find anywhere on this continent.
"Hmm, there's still room for improvement with this carriage.""It was quite comfortable, but you think there's still room for improvement? If we modify it any further, it'll become too conspicuous."For traveling to new lands, we continued using a primitive method of transport.Though we've considered using golems to speed up travel, they're still too eye-catching to use at this point.
"If we make the appearance plainer, it won't be a problem.""You say that with such conviction, but few people would call this carriage 'ordinary.' The wheels are different from the usual ones. I've been asked about it by merchants when we camped."So, we traveled using a magically modified carriage with a plain appearance, pulled by ordinary horses.However, some functional aspects were impossible to hide completely.Even then, it attracted attention, as Nell pointed out with a deadpan look, but I ignored it.
Frankly, it would be far more efficient to make it self-propelled rather than relying on horses.I deserve praise for showing restraint and sticking with horse-drawn travel.
At the very least, to improve comfort, I adjusted the carriage's suspension and used weight-reducing magical tools to reduce the burden on the horses.
Unlike the roads in my territory, the roads on the continent were so bumpy they could be called bad roads.Traveling on such rough terrain would undoubtedly make you feel far worse than just motion sickness.To avoid an uncomfortable journey, I replaced the common wooden wheels wrapped in metal with rubber tires equipped with suspension, minimizing vibrations as much as possible.Still, the fact that some shaking persists shows just how bad the roads are.
For this trip, Lady Esmeralda and Nell accompanied me.Or rather, I chose these two because I believed they would get along well with Gato, the "grandpa teacher."
"Master, we can see the town ahead.""Thank you, Genjirou."We were accompanied by five guards from the "Gardener Retainers."Genjirou was in the driver's seat, and the carriage was surrounded by mounted guards from the Gardener Retainers.
A carriage escorted by obviously formidable guards attracted even more attention than expected. I regretted not using a more magically modified carriage, but we finally reached our destination after the long journey.
"The town of Dure."Peering out the carriage window, I saw buildings surrounded by a small city wall.
The town had a population of about 3,000. It was off the main roads leading to urban areas, so only merchants coming to purchase agricultural products visited.
An ordinary town—the kind where, in a game, you might expect some small event to occur in its peaceful streets.We weren't adventurers, and our escorted carriage drew attention, so we were stopped by the gate guards. However, showing the pass issued by the Edelgard Ducal House that I had arranged beforehand allowed us through immediately.
Well, it wasn't wrong since Lady Esmeralda, the daughter, was with us.
The town mayor might have been notified, but I'm not a noble and had no reason to pay him a visit.
"Wow, as expected of a town focused on agriculture. Vegetables are cheap, and wheat is much cheaper compared to the capital. The quality is good too.""Transportation costs are a headache anywhere. If we could solve that, business would be much easier."Instead of heading straight to our destination, we first secured lodging and then headed to the market.As a merchant's daughter, Nell's eyes sparkled as she examined the goods, their quality, and prices, her face full of life.
"But if we arbitrarily change the logistics, people like adventurers who earn a living from escort work might lose their jobs.""Exactly. There are pros and cons to changing things."With Nell leading the way, followed by me, then Lady Esmeralda in her noble attire, Genjirou, and two guards (the others stayed with the carriage), our group stood out immensely.
We probably looked like a noble entourage centered around Lady Esmeralda.
Under various gazes, we searched for something likely circulating in the market.
"Oh, found it."It was a stall selling used books.The genres ranged from picture books and novels to diaries, and there were quite a few volumes.
"Welcome!""Mind if I take a look?""Of course! They're only used books, but please do."The shopkeeper forced a smile as he served a customer accompanied by nobles. After confirming it was okay to browse, I shifted my gaze to the books.
"I'm looking for books by someone named Gato. I heard you could find them in this town."Unfortunately, the book I was looking for wasn't there.
'Retired Gato'
To trigger the flag for this quest, you first needed to purchase one of the "grandpa teacher's" books from a shopkeeper dealing in old books like this.
"Ah, Master Gato's books? I had one until just yesterday, but it sold.""That's a shame. Do you know any other shops that might carry them?"I didn't expect the flag to trigger directly, so I simply asked about places that might have the books.Addressing him respectfully as "Master Gato" and inquiring about his books made the shopkeeper look pleased.
"His books are well-written and sell quickly. They rarely appear because many people cherish them. Even merchants with proper bookstores seldom display them.""That's troubling."Yep, no doubt about it.Gato was in this town.
He lived in retirement, occasionally teaching the town's children how to read, write, and calculate.He also used his knowledge to help others, making him popular among the residents.
That's why the merchant proudly praised Gato's books with a smile.
"Hey, you. Are you an attendant or something for that noble lady behind you?"Glancing briefly behind me at Lady Esmeralda, impeccably dressed and surrounded by guards, he lowered his voice to speak to me.
"Well, I'm related.""I see..."I recognized the question from the game and answered honestly. Watching the shopkeeper hesitate over how to respond, I...
"My lady has no connection with this town's mayor."I quietly informed him.
"Is that so? Then it's fine."For a moment, the merchant seemed relieved.
I knew this flow too.
In FBO, there was an ironic setting where nobles were prone to envying commoners' popularity.
The mayor of this town was the head of a baronial family.And that baronial head harbored jealousy toward Gato, who was popular in the town.
As a noble, he was respected, and everyone treated him with deference.That alone wasn't a problem, but one day, after seeing Gato greeted with smiles and loved by the townspeople, he developed a competitive-like resentment in his heart.
From there, the mayor's harassment began—that was the gist of the quest.
"Did something happen?""No, sorry. It's nothing you need to worry about. Forget about it."The situation was essentially the mayor's baseless grudge against Gato, but the townspeople, likely fearing being driven out, couldn't act too strongly.
All they could do was help Gato without the mayor finding out.
"I see. Thank you."Perhaps because I was associated with a noble, he grew wary, and it seemed I wouldn't get any more information.
Knowing the quest's outline, I realized the world was following a similar path and left the stall.
"This might be... a little bad."After leaving the stall and reaching a sparsely populated area, I stopped for a moment.
"Harassment from a noble... oh, that stings."Catching on to the situation, Lady Esmeralda, who had remained silent until now, moved closer to join the conversation.She seemed to have inferred what was happening from the used bookseller's demeanor and the way he looked at her.
"...It's a common story for us, though you're different, Lady Esmeralda.""Again, that stings."The situation was just barely manageable.After hearing the stallkeeper's story, Nell's ears drooped with a sad expression, while Lady Esmeralda massaged her temples and sighed at the mayor's actions.
It was more manageable than if he weren't here, but there was no time for leisure.Even though this should be earlier than in the original story, why is he already in such a predicament? I also sighed.
This world had started to deviate from the original due to my actions, but if even Gato, who was supposed to be retired, was in this state, I wondered what was happening with other named characters.
In the original, the main route was to meet him through his book, but this quest had a time limit.
If the time limit passed, the mayor's harassment would escalate, and Gato, not wanting to cause trouble for the townspeople, would sell all his possessions and leave town with the money.
After that, he would never appear again.
From my conversation with the stallkeeper, it felt like there wasn't much time left, even unrelated to the quest.
"Can we just go and meet him directly?""We should bring a gift. Maybe some sweets?""That sounds reasonable."So, I decided it was better to ignore the flags and go directly to his location.
"I can go talk to the mayor.""That should be a last resort. If this were Edelgard Ducal territory, I'd ask you to do that, but this place belongs to a western duke's faction. If we provoke them carelessly, they might use their connection with me as a bargaining chip. If things become truly hopeless, we'll do that, but for now, we still have options. Let's minimize contact with the mayor.""Understood."Even if we entered a high-class shop, with Lady Esmeralda present, we'd be properly served.There, we purchased sweets and tea leaves, then headed to the residential area based on my memory.
There was no trash on the streets, and no vagrants were seen.We weren't harassed by ruffians, and no trouble arose.
It was clear the mayor was doing his job properly, but I couldn't help thinking, "If that's the case, why envy Gato?" as we walked.
Finally, we reached a slightly larger house with a garden in the residential area.
"Take this! Hah!!""Ho ho ho, yes, yes, well done!"In the garden, an elderly man was fending off attacks from three children while holding a wooden sword.
"Hah!!!""There you go~""Ah!"The scene was cheerful, an everyday sight that seemed unaffected by any harassment.
"Your advance was good, but you rushed. You should have waited a bit longer before attacking.""Yes, sir!""Mhm, mhm, your form practice is solid, and your sword strokes are clean. Keep practicing."He praised what deserved praise and pointed out what needed correction.Whether they were his students or not, the children, who felt they were growing under his guidance, smiled and responded.
"Oh? Is there something you need from me?"Noticing our group standing still at the garden entrance, he immediately walked over.
He was elderly but well-built, with a straight posture.His white beard was neatly trimmed, and though his hair had thinned, leaving only some on the sides, it was also well-groomed.
Though not so tall that I had to look up, he was above the average male height. His gaze first went to Lady Esmeralda, but when I stepped forward, it shifted to me.
"Are you Lord Gato?""Indeed, I am but a humble old man named Gato."Gato himself showed no wariness, but the children were cautious upon seeing Lady Esmeralda's noble attire. To ease their unease, I smiled.
"My name is Liberta. May I have a moment of your time?"Thus, I greeted him.