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Volume 5 Chapter 2 Part 5

Theo also spoke to Priscilla in a strong tone. Maybe it’s because he’s returned to his hometown, but he seemed to be different than usual.

(Is he nervous?)

That’s probably because he is the only one who knows the true severity and terror of this island.

「Would you like me to get what you need here? 」

Siluca then casually wrapped her hands around Theo’s arm in order to calm him down.

「No, let’s go downtown before we do anything. Even if we were to start something here, the Rossini’s would eventually heard about it, but if we stay here, they might think that we’re too scared to take any bolder actions. 」

With a determined expression, Theo stared at the castle wall in front of him.

「Got it… 」

Siluca had no objections towards it.

The group then made their way through the narrow, winding streets to the city gates that then proceeded to go towards the city center.

Two gatekeepers with halberds stood in front of the gate.

「Who are you? 」

Seeing Theo and the others, the soldiers clearly seemed to be wary. They crossed their halberds to block their way forward.

「This gentleman here is Lord Theo Cornero, who belongs to the Fantasia Union. He is also a close friend of the Fantasia Union’s leader, Marquis Alexis Ducet of Halusia. 」

Irvine politely introduced Theo to the gatekeepers.

「A friend of Fantasia Union’s leader… 」

The gatekeeper’s complexion changed immediately.

When Theo showed them the back of his right hand, he flashed his Crest before their eyes.

At the current moment, Theo rebuild his Crest to the point where he regained the rank of a Baron, and his peerage included one small town and 10 villages.

There should be only a few barons in Sistina.

「We’re sorry for our rudeness! 」

The soldiers became genuinely frightened. That was a perfectly normal reaction from a soldier who saw a Crest.

. If they’d end up disrespecting another Lord and incurred the wrath of their master, they’d not only risk losing their jobs, but also facing serious criminal charges.

「Thank you for your hard work. 」

With an elegant smile, Irvin quickly handed the guards the Elam silver coins one by one. With that much, they could drink two or three mugs of beer tonight.

And so the group entered through the city gate with dignity.
「You made short work of them back there! 」

One of the twins said in amazement.

「By showing them his Crest, Lord Theo simply made them aware that they were dealing with a Lord who is accompanied by a Chamberlain and maids, a contracted Mage, a member of the clergy from the Order of the Crest and an Artist bodyguard. It would’ve taken a lot of courage from a common gatekeeping soldier to try holding a group like that back. 」

Siluca sneered. A quick-witted person would run to report to the Lord of the city immediately, but she didn’t think those two would be capable of such forward-thinking.

「Lords rarely come to Sistina from the continent, so usually the only thing that the gatekeepers need to be aware of are the poor trying to come to the city from the slims. 」

Theo said with an expression of disgust on his face. When it comes to the Rossini family, I guess he just can’t control his emotions properly.

The center of the city of Laxia was so quiet and beautiful that it reminded Siluca of the city of Elam. The people who were coming and going along the streets wore gorgeous clothes, and the shops were all lined up with luxury goods.

「I’d like some personal items and food that can be stored for longer periods of time. Currency won’t do us any good outside of the city, so you don’t have to worry about spending it all here. 」

Siluca told Irvin.

「I understand. In the meantime, Lady Siluca and the others should go and enjoy a delicious meal somewhere. 」

Saying so, Irvin took the twin Werewolf maids with him and headed towards the part of the city center where various shops were lined up one after another.

「… Let’s go to the restaurant over there. 」

Siluca looked around and chose a classy restaurant.

She had no idea what was going to happen to them from now on, but as long as they’re going to have their stomachs filled, they’ll be able to tackle any problems that might come their way.

When they entered the restaurant, they have been seated in an inconspicuous seat in the back.

Siluca looked at the menu, and noticed that everything in it was far more expensive than even the things you could order in Elam’s restaurants. Because of this, if they had been presented with a dish that either smelled or tasted of Chaos, she would definitely end up going on a rampage.

Siluca ended up ordering a number of dishes on a large platter and a bottle of wine, but since they cannot afford to get drunk now she diluted it with water and drank it slowly.

After a while, the food was brought to them. It was nothing rage-inducing, but it was also not worth its inflated price in her opinion. If this was Elam, this restaurant would soon go bankrupt.

Looking around the store, there were several other groups of customers. In other words, other restaurants must be similar to this one.

(I guess something like that is considered ultimate luxury in here.)

The lords of the Fantasia Union live their lives elegantly, but that is because the people who’re living in their territories are also somewhat wealthy. The economy will not run well unless the productivity and movement of people and goods is constantly ensured after all.But here on this island, no one seems to want to work hard, because they know that the fruits of their labor are going to be plundered from them anyway.

(After all, the governance of this island is pretty much none-existent.)

The Rossini family rules the island with fear and despair. Such a reign cannot last forever.

(If only someone could stand up to them and give the people courage and hope…)

She thinks that Theo can do it, but even so, it’s not going to be easy.

(What can we do to overcome fear and despair?)

They are like strong cages that keep a person’s heart confined in them, making people believe that they cannot escape from it, even if there is no key, even if the door is open.

(Even if we reach out our hands to them from the outside, I wonder if they will reach back to grab it.)

After making Theo’s existence known to the people of the island, he will go around the villages and settlemants in an attempt to persuade the people to join him, and since he has become quite adept in the art of guerilla warfare himself, he will also repel the ones who would try to plunder from Sistina’s citizens under the guise of tax collection…

While she was eating her meal, Siluca was devising various plans like that. She was almost finished with it when a group of about five people sat down at the table next to them.

Siluca glanced towards these people, and she immediately felt nervous, because she immediately recognized who one of these people was: a Lord affiliated with the Rossini family.

He was wearing a dark brown dress with broad shoulders and black trousers. He also wore leather boots that went up to his knees and had a kris knife around his waist, right next to a short sword with a wavy blade. His feathered hat and a spare rapier were carried around by the people who were probably his followers.

He is not Pederico Rossini, but he is certainly one of his subordinates.

Siluca glanced sideways at Theo, who was sitting to her right. She could tell right away that his expression was tense.

「Do you know who that is? 」

Siluca whispered to Theo.

「I’ve never met him, but I think he’s Pederico Rossini’s son. The Rossini family likes to use the kris knifes, and if there’s someone whom they don’t like, they never hesitate to tear such people apart with them. 」

Theo whispered back to her quietly. She could see that he was trying to contain his raging emotions.

(This is going to make quite a ruckus.)

Siluca concluded as such, but on the other hand, that ‘s exactly what they’ve originally came here for.

Siluca asked the clerk to clear the table for them quickly. The clerk looked dubious, but when an Elam silver coin was thrown his way, he smiled and started working on it immediately.

That’s when the Lord who was sitting next to her turned his line of sight towards her. Siluca caught that gaze and nodded back at him with a smile.