I didn't know where the lord's residence was, so I asked the guards patrolling the area and walked to the lord's residence.
Most cities in this country have a lord's residence and a deputy's residence, and when the lord heads to the royal capital, the deputy governs the city in his place.
On the way to the lord's mansion, we walked along the streets looking at the city, because it is a city of adventurers, there were various shops for weapons, armor, magic tools, etc.
On the way, I stopped at one of the stalls, attracted by the delicious smell.
''Mister, it smells great! Just give me a skewer!
The man who was grilling the spit-roast noticed Cain, who looked like a child adventurer, and spoke to him with a smile.
'Oh! You understand, kid. Three coppers a piece. I'll have a fresh one for you now, just wait a bit.
He spun the skewers around and grilled them, then dipped them in the sauce again and started grilling again.
See? Freshly grilled is better.
Cain gets a freshly grilled skewer and pays a copper coin.
Then he takes a bite of the skewer.
'Ouch. But it's delicious!
Seeing Cain, who looked like a child adventurer, eating, made even the father of the stall smile.
''Speaking of which, how's this city? I just got here today.
What, did you just get here today? There are a lot of adventurers in this city. There are many shops that process and sell the materials of the monsters hunted by adventurers. This meat is also spit-roasted orc meat that the adventurers have hunted.
'Yes. Oak meat is delicious. This sauce soaks into the meat. I got in trouble when I showed up at the guild earlier, and I don't think it's a safe place to be.
The lords of this city have been running away under pressure from the guild for generations. That's how many adventurers there are, and although the deputies are ruling it, they can only do the bare minimum. The guild master is a jovial person, so that's fine, but be careful of the sub-guild master who is working behind the scenes, okay? Oh, don't tell me you heard it from me, ever.
Hmm. Sub Guild Master! I'll try to be careful. Thanks, Uncle!
Come back for more!
Cain waved to the father of the stall and walked towards the lord's mansion.
The lord's mansion was located north of the central square.
Two guards were guarding the gate of the lord's mansion. As I approached the gate of the lord's mansion, the guards spoke to me.
''You may be adventurers, but this is the lord's mansion. Only the deputy is here. If nothing else, you may leave.''
'Is there a deputy here today, please tell him that Cain Ford Silford Drintle, who is now the lord of this city, has arrived.
Cain produced the certificate of appointment that he had taken out of the item box and handed it to the guards.
''This was my lord, I'm sorry, I'll go tell Master Ellaeve about it right away.
One of the guards returned the certificate of appointment to Cain and walked into the deputy's mansion to call for a deputy.
Cain was led by the other guard to the hall of the lord's mansion.
Immediately, from the deputy's residence next door, the guard from earlier and another deputy who looked like a civilian officer came towards us.
''Well, well, well, Viscount Cain, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. My name is Elaib, I am the deputy of this city. I have received a notice from the royal castle. I'm surprised at your early arrival. First of all, please come inside and rest.
Ellaib is in his forties and is a slightly overweight human race. His head is a little thin and he has a mustache. He's not a nobleman, he's like a civil servant turned commoner-turned-deputy.
Elaib, the deputy of Drintru, led me to the reception room of the lord's residence. I sat on the couch and Ellaeve sat down in front of me.
''I'm sorry for coming so suddenly. I'm also registered as an adventurer, so I came to see if this city is as I heard in the royal capital. I'm also in as an adventurer at the gate.
Cain was dressed as an adventurer. To others, he looked like a new adventurer who had just registered. No one thought he was a lord.
''I know you've heard about this city, but as a deputy, I'm sorry. The guild's adventurers number over a thousand, and they don't listen to the administration, led by the guild master. We operate solely on the tax revenue from the residents here, as they refuse to collect tax revenue from the guild. That's why we are operating in the red, and since we are directly controlled by the government, we have been able to get by on government subsidies until now.
Ella Eve replied apologetically. In other cities, it is common for a client to have taxes and fees related to guild management deducted from their request to the Adventurer's Guild. This allowed the lord to place an adventurer's guild in the city. The fact that more than a thousand adventurers have not paid their taxes is a problem in this city. I knew that the guild didn't get along well with the government after all.
''I looked around before I came here, and it seemed like the city's residents were able to live their lives without problems. ...
Like the spit-roasting shop I mentioned earlier, the weapon shop, armor shop, and magic tool shop seemed to be thriving in their own right.
''Adventurers don't save much money, you know. It's a life that can die at any time, so it's nice to know that they'll be able to spend it in the city if they get paid for their requests. ... There's always a dispute in the tavern and the guards are always rushing in.
''First of all, we need to get this city to a normal state. I'll be here until tomorrow, so let's have a meeting with the Adventurer's Guild first. And since I'm a new lord, I need to say hello to them.
'Then I will send out an errand to come to the lord's residence for a meeting tomorrow. Would you like to stay here today?
'No, it was a sudden visit, and I think I'll stay at an inn in town today. I'd like to see a bit more of the city.
As for Cain, he wanted to see a bit more of the city in person.
''Well then, I will arrange for you to come to the lord's residence after lunch tomorrow. I'll prepare lunch here, and I'd appreciate it if you could wake me up before noon.''
Ellaib replied apologetically throughout. Cain thought that it was no use in that guild.
''Ah, Cain-sama, I heard that you are going to stroll through the city, but if you go in the back from near the south gate, there is a slum, please be careful there. Stay as far away from that area as possible: ...
Cain was surprised that there was a slum in the city.
'In a city with this many people, there are slums? ...
'Yes, it was an adventurer's collapse, or the children of deceased adventurers and so on, and I don't know the details of ....
Okay, I'll stay away from that area. I'll see you tomorrow.
Cain replied to Ellaeve and started walking out of the lord's mansion and towards the west gate. He walked through the various shops. It was a little early for lunch, but Cain went into a shop that smelled delicious.
'Yes! Come on! Tomari? Or is it a lottery?
The girl who greeted me was a cat-eared girl who looked younger than Cain.
She wore an apron over her dress, and her tail was wagging from behind. She still looked to be about six or seven years old, with cat ears standing out of the top of her head.
He looks at me with his cute, crinkly eyes.
For now, is it food?
Okay. This way, please.
The cat-eared child led him to take a seat at the counter. The appetizing smell coming from the kitchen brought Cain's attention to the kitchen.
'Hinigawari, if you don't mind. Today is troll steak. A daily allowance is nine coppers. Add a drink and you'll get one large copper.'
Yeah. There you go. And put some fruit juice on it.
I get it!
The cat-eared girl ran towards the kitchen.
'Otoo-san! One hitch!
Yes!
From inside the kitchen, he heard what sounded like his father's voice.
Until he left the meal, Cain thought about this city.
'The Adventurer's Guild will meet tomorrow, so that's fine. Also, it's that slum I just heard about or .... As for the orphans, I'll make something like an orphanage to deal with them. The rest are all adventurers, so maybe we'll put retired adventurers into general jobs or ....
I was thinking about things, and before I knew it, the food was served.
'Hey!'
The cat-eared girl puts the food on a tray and brings it to me.
'Thank you, are you helping? That's great.
That cat-eared girl gives me a tray of food.
'Yes! My mother is sick in bed right now, so I'm helping her!
'I see. .... You haven't been to church?
Cain asked the girl.
Instantly, the cat-eared girl fell over and shuffled her ears.
'Church .... I'd love to let you go, but I don't have that kind of money ....
Cain knew that he could get a recovery spell at the church, but Cain thought that it was no problem for him to make an offering.
''I see. .... Since you can use recovery magic, I can heal you.''
'What? Really? I'm going to ask my dad!
The cat-eared girl ran to the kitchen.
'For now, let's eat. ...
We tucked into the meal that was served. The troll's meat was very tasty with just the right amount of fat on it. The teriyaki sauce on the meat was refreshing and went well with the meat. The soup served with it was also very tasty, with the vegetable broth seeping out of it.
'Mmm! Delicious!
While we were eating, a man who looked like a father came out, accompanied by his cat-eared daughter.
The father seemed to be a cat-beast man as well, and looked to be in his thirties. He had a mild face, medium build, and came out to the hall with an apron on.
''The food here is delicious!
Cain said honestly. The cat-eared father replied with a happy look on his face.
''When you say that, as the person in charge of cooking, I'm very grateful. But still, my daughter told me that you can use recovery magic .... I can't give you that much to thank you, but I would appreciate it.
Okay. Let's do it after we finish eating.
Thank you.
The cat-eared father frantically bowed his head and thanked him.
They finished their meal, paid the fee, and Cain was led straight to the back residential space.
'And yet, is recovery in the church that expensive?'
Cain didn't know, so he asked his cat-eared father.
'In the churches here in town, one heel is one great silver coin. A high heel is one gold coin.
Cain was surprised to learn that a pair of heels cost 100,000 yen in Japanese yen, and as for high heels, they cost a million yen a time.
''Ta! We don't do that much in King's Landing. That's indeed strange: ...
In the place where he was led, someone who looked like his mother was sleeping under the covers. It was the same cat-beast man, but he didn't look very good in his complexion. She seemed to have been lying on her sickbed for a long time and was emaciated. The cat-eared girl squeezed her mother's hand as she got out of the futon.
'This is my wife Himika. It's nice to meet you.
His cat-eared father looked apologetic.
Sitting right next to his sleeping mother, Cain held out his hand.
'High heels.'
At that moment, the sleeping mother was enveloped in a white light.