Chapter 187

Translator: Kell | Editor: Weasalopes

A Stroll in the Tower

The Pope, the man standing on top of the country and the only one with the title “White”, was slumped down on his seat, tapping his forehead with his fist as he regarded his secretary kneeling before him.

「Not only did the Gray you sent fail in persuading this Hikaru fellow, he even assaulted someone. When a Blue Knight went to arrest him, he cited his diplomatic immunity. Furthermore, a temple knight was no match to him. Now his watcher lost sight of him and we don’t know where he is.」

「I-I deeply apologize, Your Holiness.」

「Did you forget what I said?」

「No, Your Holiness. If possible, get him to our side. If not, get rid of him.」

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「Did I tell you to let him go out of control? I don’t think so. Am I right?」

Katina hung her head even lower.

「What will you do next, then?」the Pope asked.

「A-Apparently, the adventurer is wary of the Tower. We will try to bring him to a different place to talk. I will be there myself.」

「Very well, then. That is fine. We have five days left.」

「What do you mean by that, Your Holiness?」

「Ponsonia’s Foreign Minister’s ship has entered our territorial waters. It should take about five days for them to reach the capital. Once the minister is here, getting our hands on the boy will be much more difficult.」

「R-Really? According to the Blue Knight, once the foreign minister arrives, he’ll lose his status as messenger and will return to being just an ordinary adventurer.」

「Think about it for a bit. We gave him ten days to get here, which is a tough time limit by itself, but he managed to arrive in just seven days. The Foreign Minister won’t neglect someone as skilled as that. I’m guessing the boy will be present in the meeting and will be protected on his way back home.」

「Ah. I see.」

「Do you get it now? Then go. We don’t have much time.」

「U-Understood, Your Holiness.」

Katina got up in a hurry and left the Pope’s room.

「Am I surrounded by nothing but incompetent fools?」

The Pope heaved a deep sigh. He was seriously wrong about Hikaru, but Katina seemed to believe in him firmly.

Firing his secretary would be easy, but she knew too much about the Pope’s secrets already. He had to make good use of her despite his complaints about the woman.

「Hmm, curious. I heard this adventurer is only in his mid-teens. Could someone so young really toy around a knight and Deacon like it was nothing? Perhaps he has a messenger-related job class…」

Around the same time, Hikaru had made it to the entrance of the Tower. Monks and merchants came and went, passing through the drawbridge.

Luxurious carriages drove inside. Hikaru could tell there were plenty of people riding them.

Conia should be inside already. Hikaru actually went back to the Grand Hotel to leave a note for the girls, telling them to change hotels since people could come after them.

Agiapole, being the capital of Bios, was a megacity. Only Ponsonia’s royal capital, G. Ponsonia, could match it in terms of size—at least, based on Hikaru’s memories.

There should be hotels of the same quality as the Grand Hotel. Including the inns at the outskirts of the city, there were countless places they could stay in. Giving the temple knights a slip would be an easy matter.

「Let’s see… First, I need a good idea of the place’s layout.」

Just to be sure, Hikaru wore his silver mask and pulled his hood low over his eyes. With his Stealth activated, no one could notice him. As he passed through the gate and into the Tower grounds, he could see that the place was a bit different from a regular castle. There were turrets to fire arrows from, and military stations were fully equipped.

There were lawns surrounded by white buildings. Most of the monks walking past were carrying either scriptures or books. The place felt like a university.

As Hikaru went deeper, he didn’t find any particular place that stood out. The Pope’s residence stood at the center, a building that looked like an actual castle.

The moment Hikaru crossed the moat, the ambiance suddenly changed. Gorgeous curtains hung by the windows. There were works of art like vases and paintings. The place resembled a noble’s mansion, except the overall tone was white, so it looked like a museum as well.

The temple knights guarding the place donned shiny armors. Most of them were good-looking men too. Same goes for the female maids.

「Didn’t Saint Rusalka preach about giving excess wealth to the poor?」

Hikaru walked the fancy halls feeling disgusted. He noticed two temple knights coming towards him. They were among the men Conia brought along to arrest him.

「Man, I hate how that girl acts all high-and-mighty.」

「Now, now. Calm down. Nothing we can do about it. We can’t disobey our superiors.」

「I know, but that was just too much, you know. To them, we temple knights are nothing but blockheads, both inside and outside the Tower. If only they made us Grays.」

「Hey, keep it down. Criticizing the Five Divine Ranks constitutes lack of faith, and you will be charged with a serious crime.」

「I know. That’s why that girl can be so arrogant.」

The two knights walked past Hikaru. He checked their Soul Boards only to find out they were weaker than the Ponsonian knight East. While he couldn’t remember it clearly, he was sure Conia had similar stats.

I’ll check her Soul Board properly if we meet again. I gotta say, even temple knights aren’t entirely devoted to the faith.

After seeing that side of them, Hikaru realized that it didn’t matter if they were in Bios, a suzerain state. They were human all the same.

Hikaru walked further ahead. As he gathered information here and there, the country’s shady side gradually became clearer—although still vague overall.

He heard a conversation between maids.

「I heard the new Red Priest already laid a hand on a maid.」

「The one who replaced the other Red Priest? Doesn’t he belong to the Pope’s faction? Isn’t that an article violation?」

「It is. Half of the Priests in the Tower should have at least ten years of experience serving in the countryside. Plus a recommendation is necessary.」

「What about the new priest, then?」

「He’s lived in Agiapole since forever. Apparently he’s the second son of a merchant.」

「Huh…」

「You can probably live a luxurious life if you become his mistress.」

「No way.」

「Kyahahaha!」

Hikaru also heard a conversation between a Blue Knight and a temple knight.

「I haven’t seen those suspicious fellows today.」

「Apparently they need breaks from their research. They won’t be here today and tomorrow.」

「If only they stopped coming. Why are they even doing their research in the Tower?」

「I have no idea.」

A conversation between a head maid and her subordinate:

「We’re done moving all his things.」

「Good. The merchant will come tomorrow, correct?」

「Yes. Um, I have a question. That room became vacant after a Red Priest left on a long journey to do missionary work, right? Yet he left a lot of valuables behind…」

「Listen carefully. Said priest gave up on material things, and went on a journey with only the bare minimum of necessities. He said to dispose of his personal effects and donate all the proceeds to the Church. He’s like Saint Rusalka reincarnated.」

「I-I see. So that’s what happened!」

Hikaru planned to go anywhere as long as there wasn’t any locks or traps, but rooms that belonged to the Pope, the Aristocrats, and the Priests had tight security that employed automatic locks.

The empty rooms might not actually be locked. I should go check them out. I might find out how the locks work. I really need knowledge on how to unlock locks and disarm traps.

Hikaru headed to the room of the Red Priest who disappeared. It wasn’t locked—or rather, they just left it open. After checking his surroundings, Hikaru studied the door knob.

「Hmm, I see. Turning it like this moves the spring like this… Completely different from locks in modern Japan. My Mana Detection’s not picking up anything, so it doesn’t use magic either.」

Hikaru arrived at two conclusions: Either to duplicate keys, or pick the locks using wires.

He took a peek inside the room. The bookshelf was empty and the bed didn’t have a mattress. The room was furnished with a relatively big desk.

「They really did move all of his things out. But…」

Hikaru’s Mana Detection picked up something from inside the desk. He placed his hands on the drawer and managed to pull it smoothly without making a sound. It was empty, of course. At least at first glance.

「There’s a false bottom inside…」

He pushed the tip and the plank came off, revealing a single notebook.