---

「Make way! Make way for Kenig the Most Reverend! His Grace has humbly chosen to meet with the Lord of these lands! Stand back and do not hold up his entourage!」

I craned my neck to see what was going on past the row of spectators.

A procession from the capital gradually made its way down Barbajou Street towards the castle. It was hemmed in by an endless stretch of crowds.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the carriages holding these sanctified murderers. Why wouldn't they be?

Most of Yarzon City had already taken to the words of the Velian Church. Their deceptive teachings and false promises had placed the gullible denizens under a trance.

A trance that could've been avoided had Rysef ceased twiddling his thumbs during my two-year intermission.

How bold of the Archbishop himself to walk through Lakua District territory. It's almost as if he's aware of how reluctant we are to attack the Church.

They were taunting us. No two ways about it.

「Wow Zozo... can you believe this crowd? Is this what Rysef was hiding from us?」

「Yeah, that's one view it... Makes our trip here well worth it...」

「Hehe... it's a little weird disobeying Rysef's orders and secretly traveling to the city but... it's not like we're doing anything destructive right?」

「Exactly. We'll be back before he notices anything. Don't worry」

Two years ago, Melyn would've never gone along with this plan. She was utterly wracked with undying loyalty to the Ashen Thief.

So what happened?

Was it a developing case of teenage rebellion? Or a result of our strengthening bond?

In any case, Rysef's words were no longer law to her. She wasn't as anal about it at least. Exposure to my unruly behavior must've affected her ability to think for herself.

Plus, we did share a mutual interest in going behind the Ashen Thief's back.

「Let's get a move on Mel. I doubt Oleena and Thonvir can stall the Sentinels until lunchtime.」

「Roger!」

We threaded our way through the throng of denizens with a single destination in mind.

Bump!

「A-ah, excuse me—」

「Hm? Oho! Greetings my protégé slash assistant! Here to watch the procession? And I see you're here with Ms. Melyn as well! Greetings to you too, milady!」

In my haste, I knocked into someone. I could recognize his grandiose accouterments from anywhere. The cape never left him after all these years.

「Potternuggets!」

My third mentor in addition to Lia and Asthos. Becoming his paid assistant was the best decision in my short life here.

I had saved up a pretty penny because of this part-time job. A few hours a month for a weekly paycheck of five gold coins was more than I could've asked for in this dire economy.

A total gravy train was what it was.

「You really should watch where you're going, Lorenzo. The average person would assume you were a couple of pickpockets, what with the dark hooded cloaks.」

「Y-yeah... sorry. I was in a hurry to visit your store.」

His body perked up as a wide smile lined his lips

「What a coincidence! I was just heading back! You should join me!」

And so, we accompanied the goateed merchant and occasionally glanced at the holy cavalcade.

The guards escorting the convoy of carriages rode sturdy horses and appeared a unified military unit. They donned great helms and garments as black as soot, emblazoned with the Church's symbol.

A large golden "V"—representing the supposed deity of this realm, Vel.

These guys parallel the historical Templar Knights from my old world. Is this the military force that defeated both Lakua and Rysef?

Before I could weigh up the potential danger these chainmail-clad warriors posed to the slum dwellers, the Pottershacks entrance bell alerted me to our arrival.

Ding-a-ling-a-ling!

「Welcome back Potternuggets sir! How did things look outside?」

「Geh... Nago again..?」

「Oh Lorenzo! It's been a while!」

I don't know if he had a whole wardrobe of those pink polka-dotted short shorts, but even after a couple of years, he proudly put it on display.

And no, he didn't work here. He just enjoyed lounging around with us from time to time.

「Not good, Nago. Envoys from the capital are hogging all the attention. I estimate an increase in traffic by three o'clock. A few customers may drift by though, so let's take what we can get.」

Potternuggets was a godly businessman when compared to Nago. His know-how on consumer behavior was spot-on.

So without a shadow of a doubt, his forecast would eventually come to fruition. I deeply believed in his every assessment.

「Nago... I know you get this all the time... but don't you have a store to attend to?」

The exhibitionist stepped away from the counter and answered my snide question.

「Haven't you heard Lorenzo? With Barbajou closed off to the public, the surrounding streets have been congested since morning. The Archbishop's arrival has attracted hundreds, if not thousands of pilgrims. Virtually none of that traffic has been stopping by my store, so I closed up shop for today. Better to earn my wages here than lose out on a day's profit.」

「Huh... what a mess. And the purpose of his visit?」

「Ostensibly, he's here to declare Yarzon a holy city...」

W-what the hell..?

This went far beyond my expectations.

Did designating this shithole a sacred spot give them free rein to station their soldiery here? Or was this a ploy meant to distract us from their real intentions?

Regardless, these developments were alarming. Something was up.

「Lorenzo? You okay? What's on your mind?」

My distrait frown must've caught his attention. I coughed and steered things back to the purpose of our travel.

「Ahem, apologies. Um... I'm not here for work this time. I've got something else I'd like to discuss with you.」

「Oho? I don't mind idle talk. Business is slow today so I might as well keep up with my protégé don't you think?」

I awkwardly chuckled before feeling a tug on my sleeve. Melyn was growing impatient.

「Oh and Mel is here for the newest volume of that novel series she likes so much... Got that in stock?」

「Ahaha! Of course! My daughter loves collecting these storybooks. She always spends her allowance on them!」

Potternuggets led us to the backroom like he always did.

---

Initially, Melyn was against my apprenticeship with Potternuggets; that sentiment didn't change overnight.

I remember her bearing a glower throughout our revisit.

「Zozo... why are we here again..? You already got a gold coin from that guy right? Let's buy some snacks for the children and forget about Potterwhatever's deal already...」

「It's Potternuggets, Melyn. And I'm not letting this job opportunity go to waste. One gold coin may be enough to last us a week, but a payroll of at least five gold coins? That's a no-brainer!」

「You know... I almost forgot your dream involved an unreasonable amount of wealth...」

It was a few days after our first visit. The flames of unrest had died down since—naught but a smolder remained as the city returned to its busy state.

Who else but our pious neighbors from the capital..?

Whilst sitting at the backroom, waiting for Potternuggets to return, I surveyed the place.

Aside from the usual kitchen were a few bookshelves along the walls. I was reminded of the bespectacled girl I'd seen yesterday.

Presumably, she was Potternuggets' daughter. And further intuition told me she was also a bookworm like Melyn.

And thus, came an idea to be—a tactic as old as time.

Ka-chak!

「Sorry for the wait. My daughter was reluctant to man the counter...」

Potternuggets entered the room just as the thought hit me.

「Ah... speaking of your daughter...」

「Beg your pardon, Lorenzo..?」

「She seems like an avid reader, is she not?」

「Oho, so you've noticed? Yes, my daughter engages in a great deal of reading. Why the question?」

I pointed to the bookshelf and winked at Melyn.

「While I work, may my colleague here have a volume or two to read? She may be inclined to accept my apprenticeship more if she has a page-turner in her hands.」

「Z-Zozo?!」

Potternuggets sauntered over to the shelf and pulled out a novel. He then turned to us.

「Do you also frequent a bit of reading, Ms. Melyn? Ever read through any of Sir Hoose's titles? My daughter is a fan of his works you know?」

「S-Sir Hoose..? Never heard of him... is he someone like Madam Gizlea or Sarlow Hatts?」

「G-Gizlea? Hatts? Those are ancient names are they not? You've quite a scholarly taste for a young girl.」

Melyn's antiquated taste could be attributed to the lack of contemporary books back home. They were all ancient publications from before the current era.

The merchant placed the book in front of us and puffed his chest out.

「While classics may be timeless, I do believe immersing yourself in more modern literature would help broaden your worldview a little. Wouldn't you agree Lorenzo?」

I grabbed the thief girl by the shoulder and nodded.

「This is your chance to experience new worlds, Melyn. Aren't you bored of rereading the same books over and over again ad nauseam?」

She paused and inspected the novel Potternuggets offered her.

My plan was as simple as a pimple. Using books as a carrot, I'd get her off my case and freely earn my wages as Potternuggets' assistant.

A bookworm like Melyn wasn't able to resist.

「F-fine... but if I catch you teaching Zozo anything that goes against the slum dweller tenets...」

「That goes without saying. I may not have a working relationship with the Lakua District, but I will respect their wishes.」

Almost effortlessly, we got her to acquiesce in my apprenticeship.

Books to her were like coin to me, it seemed.

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