Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Volume 24 E-Book

Yuri Kitayama

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 258

Beschreibung

In the Holy City Tonerico, Rio and Sora continue their search for information while exploring the labyrinth. After vanquishing an army of monsters, they return to the surface, where a child wearing white robes calls out to them. The child introduces herself as Eru and tries her best to get close to them, but what are her true motives?

Meanwhile, after fleeing from Galarc Castle, Sendo Takahisa finds himself lost in the red-light district, where a prostitute tries to sway him into becoming one of her customers.

At the end of a foolhardy fight, a harsh fate awaits...

Leseprobe

Prologue

In the Holy Kingdom of Almada, inside the labyrinth of the Holy Capital of Tonerico, Rio and Sora had just arrived on the eleventh floor, where they found themselves at a dead end with nowhere to go.

Elsewhere, deep within the labyrinth, there was a giant magic circle drawn in the center of a spacious room. A young child in white clothing stood in the room; their eyes were hidden behind long bangs, making it hard to determine their gender, and they didn’t seem any older than ten years old.

The child was grinning in delight while staring up at the ceiling, when a man closely resembling the ambassador of the Proxia Empire, Reiss Vulfe, appeared out of nowhere, dressed in pure-white robes.

“Good evening.”

“Oh, it’s you. Long time no see.”

“I’m in need of a golem, so I came to pick one up... What are you looking at?”

“There’s someone rather interesting here. No, someone very interesting. How’s the outside world been lately?”

“It’s rare to hear you express interest in the outside world.”

“Yeah, it just hit me out of the blue. It might even have something to do with why you’re here to pick up a golem...” The child finally looked away from the ceiling. “Right, Fenris?”

They turned to the man who resembled Reiss with a mischievous grin. Fenris fell silent in thought.

“The two people of interest have sneaked into the labyrinth. They’re exploring the eleventh floor right now,” the child continued, returning their gaze to the ceiling.

“Oh, I see...” Fenris made a look of understanding.

“Hmm? Did that information just remind you of something?”

“Just reaching the eleventh floor requires a party of hero-class veterans, or someone at the level of a legendary hero. And you said those two are exploring the eleventh floor—not fighting or fleeing, but exploring,” Fenris explained.

“Yes, they completely wiped out the monsters on the floor,” the child said with a shrug. “They’re now combing the area for a path to the twelfth floor.”

“In which case, only a handful of candidates come to mind. There are three people I consider to be extremely dangerous out there... No, now there are four. Two of them must be here.”

Although Fenris didn’t say whom he was thinking of, there were apparently four people that he was wary of.

“Oh? So there are another two monsters still out there.”

“The world is a big place, after all. There might even be others I am unaware of.”

“Well, that’s fair. Okay, tell me more about the two on the eleventh floor right now, then. I know one is the disciple of the Dragon King, but I can’t figure out who the boy is. He looks like a human in his midteens.”

“The Dragon King’s disciple, and a boy in his midteens? I knew it...” Fenris rubbed his chin in contemplation, then sighed tiredly. “If you know that much, you should be able to predict the rest, no? A disciple would never willingly obey anyone besides their master,” he added.

“Are you saying he’s the Dragon King? No way. I’d never mistake him for someone else. And even if his disciple is still alive, there’s no way the Dragon King himself could still be,” the child said with excitement, surprised to hear Fenris’s words.

“Of course, I don’t believe the Dragon King is alive either. But if the boy on the eleventh floor is who I think he is, then there’s no doubt the world considers him a transcendent one.”

“...”

“He most likely used his powers and caused the rules of god to activate, marking him as a transcendent one. Despite still being a human, that is.”

“Unbelievable... No human could possibly withstand the use of transcendent powers. Even a hero assimilated with an upper high rank spirit would die.”

“Indeed. But his status as a transcendent one is an unshakable fact. As is how he lived in regular human society until just recently.”

“Hmm. You sure seem to know the boy well,” the child said, interested in Fenris’s information.

“I just so happen to have some ties to him. Quite a lot happened before he became a transcendent one...”

“It sounds like you’ve been having fun while I’ve been in the labyrinth, Fenris.”

“If what I just said sounds fun to you, then I’m baffled.” Fenris sighed in exasperation.

“We finally have some competition. I was getting bored of being the only one to move any pieces in this one-sided board game. Now it’s getting interesting,” the child said in a pleased tone.

“Our plan isn’t just some board game.”

“Duty and enjoyment can coexist. Indeed, it is enjoyment that motivates us to do our duty.”

“Your opponent might be the Wise God Lina, though.”

The child frowned blatantly at the mention of Lina. “If the Dragon King is back, then I suppose it wouldn’t be strange for her to be in the picture as well... Although I thought she died alongside the Dragon King.”

“I have yet to confirm her being alive. But that goddess’s presence keeps popping up. It’s possible that she prepared something against us a thousand years ago.”

“That woman’s ability to see the future has always been such an annoyance. And she certainly always has been a shrewd one.”

Despite what the child was saying, the look of delight was returning to their face. It seemed they couldn’t hold back their excitement after all.

“Getting back on topic,” Fenris said. “The boy possessing the same power as the supposedly dead Dragon King has brought his disciple to this labyrinth. This could potentially be an extremely bad situation.”

“Normally, it would be impossible to enter the twelfth floor without my permission, but there’s a chance he may use the Dragon King’s power. I’m not a fan of skipping straight to the final boss fight—but should I eliminate them now?”

“No... As long as they remain on the eleventh floor, there’s no need to make the first move,” Fenris said.

“How prudent of you. We’ve got several golems sleeping there, and if I accompany you as the custodian of the labyrinth, the rules of god will be weakened to an extent. You should be able to fight with a decent portion of your original strength, Fenris.”

“If he has complete control over the Dragon King’s abilities, then we will risk suffering extensive damage. The situation is startling, but not something to panic about just yet. We should first gather information regarding how much of our plan they are aware of. That is, if they don’t descend to the twelfth floor first,” Fenris suggested.

“I see. Leave it to me, then,” the child offered eagerly.

“What exactly am I entrusting to you?” Fenris asked with a brief sigh.

“Gathering information, of course. We need to know what they’re up to, right?”

The child smirked fearlessly.

Chapter 1: In the Holy City Tonerico

Around the time Fenris and the child were having their conversation in the depths of the labyrinth, Rio and Sora finished their search of the several-kilometer-wide eleventh floor.

“There doesn’t seem to be a path to the twelfth floor after all,” Rio said after they met up at the entrance of the floor again.

“Sora couldn’t find any path downwards either. Please accept Sora’s apologies.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. If there’s no visible path, then either the path is invisible, or the eleventh floor is the bottom floor of the labyrinth.” Rio smiled at Sora gently.

“Shall we try digging through the wall?” Sora asked, clenching her right hand into a fist.

Rio looked around at the huge floor they were on. “If we’re going to dig, we need to be sure there’s a room on the other side. If we dig blindly, we could risk the floor caving in on us.”

That being said, testing every nook and cranny sounds exhausting too.

In order to know whether there was any cavity on the other side of the wall, they would have to send essence through it. However, on top of being several kilometers in diameter, the eleventh floor’s ceiling was several hundred meters high. Rio sighed at the thought of the daunting task.

But the eleventh floor of the labyrinth was untrodden territory for mankind. Since they had come this far, they couldn’t turn back without carrying out a proper investigation of the area. There could still be a hint as to why the Wise God Lina had made the Dragon King reincarnate somewhere in this place where the Divine War began...

“All right. Let’s use our spirit arts to check if there are any cavities on the other sides of the walls or floor. It may take a while, since it’s such a big space, but...”

Thankfully, they could make camp by placing the stone house down, making it possible to search over multiple days.

“There’s no need for the Dragon King to perform such tedious tasks. Leave it to Sora!”

“I can’t let you do it all by yourself though. Let’s split up the area.”

“But...”

“It’s fine. I want to work on it together with you, Sora.”

“R-Really?! Okay, then! Let’s do it!” Sora replied cheerfully, happy to hear that Rio wanted to work together with her. Thus, the two of them began their careful search of the eleventh floor.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, in the depths of the labyrinth...

“It seems they don’t know how to reach the twelfth floor after all. But they haven’t given up looking for it yet,” the white-robed child explained as they stared at the ceiling. It was almost like they could see exactly what Rio and Sora were doing. Just what could those eyes hidden behind that long fringe see?

“The problem is whether they’re searching because they’re sure there’s a twelfth floor, or they’re searching because they don’t know if there’s a twelfth floor.”

“Right. If Lina were the one who ordered them here, they would know how to get to the twelfth floor. If they give up like this, then it means they don’t know there’s a twelfth floor at all.”

“That’s a good point... Either way, we can only watch for now,” Fenris said with a sigh.

“I may be a shut-in, but you’ve got things to do. Right? You can leave them to me and return to your own job, Fenris.”

“Things would be so much easier if I could...”

“Hey now, are you saying you can’t trust your adorable little sister?”

“You still don’t know anything about him. He wasn’t an easy opponent to deal with even before he became a transcendent one.”

“So you’re worried I’ll mess up and ruin the plan. Hmph...”

“Considering your personality, you’ll try to meet him as soon as I look away.”

The girl in the white robe laughed without shame. “Aha ha. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to choose the right location when that happens.”

“Don’t tell me... Are you going to find him outside?” Fenris asked, eyes widening in surprise. It was rare for his little sister to step outside the labyrinth.

“Of course. Going to see him in the labyrinth would just arouse suspicion.”

“Hmm...” Fenris made a contemplative face, reconsidering the suggestion.

“Besides, it wouldn’t be that bad of a move to make contact with them outside the labyrinth, don’t you think?”

“You’d be substantially weakened outside the labyrinth yourself, but...”

“First you were worried I’d mess up, now you’re being overprotective of me. I guess you do love your little sister after all.”

“Your presence is essential to our plan.”

“Sure, we can go with that. So, how about it? Will you leave it to me?” The white-clothed girl looked questioningly at Fenris, who solemnly nodded. “Very well... You would indeed be more suitable than me.”

“Then it’s decided. First, let’s find out if he’s truly the same Dragon King as a thousand years ago.”

◇ ◇ ◇

Roughly one hour later, in the Holy Capital Tonerico, inside the official office of Pope Fenris Tonerico...

“Goodness...” The white-robed Fenris sat down in his chair with an annoyed sigh.

“Do you have a moment, Your Holiness?” A young woman wearing elegant white robes walked through the open door. Her name was Anna Mendoza, and she was a high priestess who served as the pope’s secretary. There was a large bundle of documents in her arms.

“You may enter.”

“Thank you very much for your hard work on the sealing ceremony over these past few months,” she said.

“Yes, I am very tired. I must return to the sealing ceremony soon, so I would appreciate the time to take a break.”

“You must not. There are multiple items that came up during your absence which require your attention. Please check them.”

“This is why I didn’t want to return...”

Judging from their conversation, Fenris had been absent from the palace for the past few months, but it was unclear what exactly the sealing ceremony was.

“Explain the situation briefly, Priestess Anna,” Fenris said with a bright smile.

“Gladly, Your Holiness. The highest-priority matter to address would be the recent occurrence of rampant embezzlement among priests...”

Anna began happily explaining the matters detailed in the documents. Her eyes were sparkling with the overflowing respect she held for Fenris.

Meanwhile, Fenris listened to Anna’s words with quiet interjections such as “Hmm” and “I see” every now and then. He accepted the documents she handed him and glanced over the pages while thinking to himself.

What bad timing it is to have my return overlap with his arrival here... Or should I be grateful that he’s here while I’m also in town?

He looked out of the window in thought.

As long as he and his disciple are here, the defenses in Galarc should be much weaker. Now would be the best time to deploy the golems I retrieved, but...

The Wise God Lina’s smirking face flashed across Fenris’s mind. What if it really was Lina behind Rio’s actions right now?

Her ability to see the future meant she would have predicted this situation. She would also have been aware of how Fenris would move once he realized the enemy’s strength was split. It was possible she had set up a trap against him.

That goddess truly is an annoying opponent to deal with... If I hadn’t been reminded of her face just now, I would have launched an assault on the Galarc Kingdom without hesitation. If things went well, that would have eliminated Celia Claire and his contract spirit in one go.

Pope Fenris sighed regretfully at his own indecision.

“Umm, Your Holiness...” Anna paused in her explanation and looked at Fenris.

Fenris looked away from the window and back at Anna. “Is something wrong?”

“With all due respect, you seemed to be distracted by something outside the window...”

“I was merely thinking of some things as I was listening. I have narrowed down the departments that would have had a hand in the embezzlement of large donations,” Fenris replied, setting the documents down on his desk. The income and expenditure of each department was written on the paper. Fenris marked the departments that required further investigation and returned the document to Anna.

“Y-You’re amazing as always...!”

“All I looked at was which departments had sloppy calculations and unrealistic numbers. It’s customary to turn a blind eye to those who pocket a small portion of the offerings, but I will go around the departments and remind them not to go too far. You can observe the situation to see if it improves after that and act accordingly.”

“Yes, Your Holiness! Moving on to the next matter...”

“Please make it quick,” Fenris said with a sigh.

I’ll just have to keep an eye on the situation until the information gathering is done. It’d be troublesome if they ran into each other in town, so I’ll get Renji to return to the Proxia Empire for now.

He returned to gazing out the window, staring at the townscape of the Holy City.

◇ ◇ ◇

By two days later, in the afternoon, Rio and Sora had searched every inch of the eleventh floor’s walls and ground using their magic essence, but in the end, they’d been unable to find the twelfth floor. They left the eleventh floor and returned to the surface.

“The sunlight sure is bright...” Rio mumbled, holding a hand up to cover his eyes.

The inside of the labyrinth was illuminated by glowing walls and ceilings, but it was nowhere near as bright as the sun. And their extended stay there probably made the sun seem even brighter.

“Oh no, the Dragon King’s precious eyes... Please don’t look straight at the light. You may harm your vision.”

“Aha ha... I’m fine. I’ll get used to it soon enough.”

“That aside, how could that woman make the Dragon King stay in such a dark and damp place for two whole days...?”

“It wasn’t Lina’s fault we stayed there.”

“No! It’s all Lina’s fault! She made you reincarnate after a thousand years and didn’t bother leaving any proper hints. That’s so inconsiderate of her! She made you waste all your time coming here,” Sora ranted angrily.

Indeed, if the Wise God Lina had intended on making Rio do something with the Dragon King’s power, she should have left some kind of clue as to what it could be. That being said, she was the one who knew what the future entailed. Perhaps she’d had a reason not to leave any clues behind.

“There there, knowing there weren’t any clues is a clue in itself. Let’s move on and head back to the city for a delicious meal,” Rio suggested gently.

“A-A delicious meal...! Yes, let’s go! Honestly, Lina should be grateful for the Dragon King’s endless compassion.”

Drawn by the offer of good food, Sora beamed like the sun above their heads. Thus, Rio and Sora made their way back to the Holy Capital Tonerico. Sora walked with a skip in her step the whole time, but...

There’s something suspicious about the labyrinth after all...

Rio turned to look back at the labyrinth, unable to shake the odd feeling he had.

Over one thousand years ago, the Six Wise Gods had conducted an experiment here that opened a hole in the world. Monsters from another world had surged through the hole, triggering the start of the Divine War. And those monsters continued to appear in the labyrinth to this day. It was impossible to think the labyrinth was unrelated.

However, they had already spent two days on the eleventh floor investigating to no avail. No new monsters had appeared while they were there, and they hadn’t detected any cavities on the other sides of the walls or floor. It truly seemed like a dead end, which was why they had decided to return to the surface. It also hadn’t seemed wise to spend any more time investigating based only on a vague suspicion.

“Is something the matter, Dragon King?” Sora called out, immediately noticing how Rio had stopped in his tracks.

Rio shook his head as though to dispel his worries. “No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”

They gradually moved farther away from the entrance to the giant labyrinth. Not long later, following their footsteps, a single girl appeared from that same entrance.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the surface. Now...”

The child in white robes looked up, stared directly into the bright sun, then lowered her gaze to Rio and Sora’s backs in the distance and slowly started walking after them.

◇ ◇ ◇

After that, Rio and Sora made it to the Holy City of Tonerico. They headed towards the main street in search of a restaurant with an appetizing menu.

“During the Divine War, there was something Lina feared. I had assumed that it was related to the Divine War during her era, but it’s possible it was something completely different,” Rio said out of the blue while they walked.

“If so, there’s no way of knowing what. It’s all that stupid Lina’s fault, so there’s no need for you to do her bidding, Dragon King.”

“But it’s possible that we’ve simply overlooked something instead. Something to do with the labyrinth, even.”

“Then shall we go back down one more time?”

“Yeah... It’d probably be best to go down the labyrinth at least one more time. But first, I’d like to gather more information about this area.”

Unfortunately, they just didn’t have enough information right now. They’d questioned some of the people in the city and adventurer’s guild before they went into the labyrinth, but that information barely scratched the surface.

“Is there somewhere we can do that?”

“Hmm. There’s one place I can think of where we could investigate things...”

“Ooh! As one would expect of the Dragon King! Where is it?”

“The temple in this city. The people who govern this land live there, so there should be a library where old records about it are kept.”

“That makes sense! Let’s go to the library in the temple, then!”

“Yep. It’d be great if we could search the temple’s library, but...”

Rio had a troubled look on his face. He didn’t believe they would receive permission to search the temple’s library just by asking honestly. In this world where all books were handmade, they were considered luxury items. There was no way strangers would be given permission to enter the library so easily.

That means we’ll have to sneak in, huh... But even if we do, we won’t be able to stay in the library for very long...

Although transcendent ones had a hard time leaving an impression in people’s minds and memories, they would still create a commotion if they infiltrated the library and stood around reading without a care.

And if a commotion occurred, people would still remember that something had happened. If they increased the security of the library, it would become more difficult to sneak in next time. That’s why it would be preferable to find a way in without drawing attention to themselves.

Rio was considering his options with a frown, when—

“Hey,” a voice called out to Rio and Sora.

“Huh...?” Rio turned to look right beside them. The voice had come from a young child that didn’t look any older than Sora.

“What were you saying about the temple?” the child asked.

The child had an androgynous face and pure-white hair. Their long bangs covered their eyes, making it difficult to tell whether they were a boy or girl.

The white robes they wore implied they were a trainee priest of the temple. They didn’t wear any fancy accessories, and the robes were of good-quality fabric. Perhaps they were the child of someone high-ranking?

“...”

Even though Rio and Sora hadn’t been doing anything conspicuous, they had caught this child’s notice. Rio’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Huh? The Dra... Master Rio and Sora are busy right now. We have no time to be dealing with brats, so go away. Shoo, shoo.” Sora tried to drive the child away with a look of clear annoyance.

“Aha ha. You’re funny. Aren’t you a brat yourself?”

“Wha—?! Sora is a mature lady! What a rude brat you are!” Sora hissed, baring her teeth at the child menacingly.

“Calm down, Sora... Sorry about that. Who are you?” Rio asked the child.

“I’m from the temple, as you can see. I heard you mentioning the temple, so I was wondering what you were discussing.”

The child raised their arms and shook the fabric of their robes to show they were associated with the temple.

“I see. Rather than the temple, what we’re interested in is the history of this area. We were wondering if the temple would have any of that information stored somewhere.”

“Right. By the way...” The child suddenly approached Rio and looked up at his face. They were almost close enough to be hugging, making Rio’s face twitch in confusion.

“Umm... What is it?”

“Have we met before?” the child asked, staring into Rio’s face.

“I don’t think so...?”

“Hmm. Okay. Maybe it’s because we have the same hair color? There’s something about you that seems familiar. I see, I see... So we haven’t met before...” The child chuckled with a grin.

“Hey, get away from Master Rio! Who do you think you are, showing up out of nowhere and flirting by emphasizing how you match! You’re just a brat!” Sora snapped at the child angrily.

“Aha ha. You and I are definitely strangers. Yup.” The child took one step back, distancing themselves from Rio.

“I would never forget someone as rude as you,” Sora said with a huff.

“I don’t think I would be able to forget you two either. Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Eru. Nice to meet you.” The child offered their hand to Rio. Rio accepted the handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Rio, and this is Sora.”

“Hmph.” Sora turned away from Eru with a frown.

“Rio and Sora, huh? What a coincidence that the three of us all have two-syllable names. To celebrate new meetings, I’ll tell you a little bit about this land,” Eru offered.

“That’s...” Rio hesitated. This was a child they had only just met. Was it okay to make such a request of them so easily?

“Despite my appearance, I’m a low-ranking scholar of the temple. I’m well-informed about the history of the Holy City, including the events that occurred in the Divine War era before this city was built.”

“In that case, we’d be very grateful...”

They had just been troubled by the inability to search the temple’s library. It was incredibly convenient for a scholar from the temple to appear with such opportune timing—a little too convenient, even.

“Then it’s decided. I may seem young, but I’m older than I look. Don’t worry,” Eru said, wrapping up the conversation. Although they hadn’t stated their true age, they hinted that it was older than they looked. And so...

“If that is the case, please allow us to do something in return for your knowledge.”

Rio chose to treat Eru as a scholar, not a child. He placed his hand against his chest and bowed his head deeply.

“Huh, that’s a flexible way of thinking. I like that. Not everyone can think that way. Let’s see... You can treat me to something yummy. Also, I’d like to know more about you two as well. You’re travelers, right? I don’t know much about the outside world, so I’m interested in that,” Eru said, smiling broadly. “Shall we go, then? It’s been a while since I’ve been around here, but there should still be a pretty good restaurant nearby.”

Eru started walking ahead of Rio and Sora.

“Hey! Who do you think you are, deciding all by yourself...?!” Sora grumbled, unhappy with how Eru was moving along at their own pace.

“We’d appreciate that too. Let’s go, Sora.”

Thus, Rio and Sora learned more about the holy capital from the child named Eru.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Come, come. It’s over here.”

The place Eru led Rio and Sora to was a restaurant established several hundred years ago. They stopped in front of an upscale-looking building.

“This sure brings back memories. How long has it been since I was last here?” Eru said, looking somewhat sentimental.

“Hmph. It’s so obvious you’re just trying to act like a grown-up,” Sora muttered.

They indeed look just like a child... But there’s something about them that makes them feel older than they look.

They spoke very intellectually for a child, and they carried themselves with an extremely calm air. There were people like Celia who never appeared to age, so it was possible Eru was of a similar constitution. Although they probably weren’t over the age of twenty, Rio wouldn’t be surprised if Eru said they were in their early teens.

Besides, Celia had graduated from the Royal Academy and become a researcher when she was only ten years old. It wasn’t out of the question for there to be other scholars of a similar age.

If anything, Sora’s the one who’s trying to act more mature than she looks...

Sora was an innocent girl in both appearance and everyday behavior. Rio glanced down at the little girl walking beside him.

“Hmm? Is something the matter, Dra... Master Rio?”

“No, it’s nothing,” Rio said with an awkward laugh.

“Come, let’s go in.” Eru led the way through the door.

“Welcome!” An older gentleman who appeared to be a host greeted them, bowing his head respectfully.

“Table for three. Can you show us in?” Eru asked on behalf of their group.

“Of course. May I inquire if you have a reservation today?” the gentleman asked, checking the ledger at the reception desk.

“No, we don’t.”

“Understood. A private room just opened up, so I will lead you there.”

The gentleman swiftly closed the ledger and showed them through the door within. In the Holy Capital of Tonerico, the temple had a large influence over everything. It was possible they were only shown through without a reservation because Eru was wearing clothing clearly affiliated with the temple.

In any case, they were led to a private room and seated.

“I believe the signature dish of this store was the pope-style paeja, wasn’t it? We’ll start with three servings of that, thanks,” Eru said, giving the older gentleman their order. He swallowed his breath in surprise.

“Hmm? Is something the matter?”

“Please excuse me, I was just surprised to hear such an old menu item. It brought back some good memories.”

“Old? Does that mean the dish is...”

“Oh no, it’s just been renamed. We can serve it without any issue. Three servings of the pope-style paeja it is. It will take some time to prepare, so we ask for your patience,” the gentleman said, repeating their order with the old menu name.

“That’s fine. Why did the name change, if I may ask?”

“I believe it was over a decade ago now... Some priests that visited the restaurant pointed out how the use of His Holiness’s title in the menu was irreverent...”

Perhaps it was because Eru appeared to be affiliated with the temple, but the older gentleman looked rather awkward as he explained why the menu item had been renamed.

“Oh, is that all? How ridiculous. My big brother would never be bothered by such things. If anything, you should have pointed out how impudent it was of mere priests to pick fault with a product named after the pope,” Eru said with a dramatic shrug.

“Huh...?” Rio looked at them in confusion. The older gentleman’s eyes were similarly widened in surprise.

“Hmm? What is it?” Eru asked Rio in a casual tone.

“Sorry, I’m just a little curious... By ‘big brother,’ do you mean...?” Rio asked hesitantly.

“Oh, him? Yeah, I mean the pope of Tonerico. Pope Fenris Tonerico. Even a traveler like you would have heard his name before, right?”

“Y-Yes...” Rio replied, face twitching from the shocking revelation.

“A-A blood relative of His Holiness?! I-I apologize for not realizing sooner!” The old gentleman paled and immediately prostrated himself in a panic.