Atelier Tanaka - Book 7: Chapter 2 (5)

Great Holy Land (1st)

Now that Drill-chan has left me to suffer alone, I have no choice but to talk with the Heroes of the East and West.

I sat alone on a sofa opposite the heroic pair. The two of them sat side-by-side with their respective parties lined up behind them.

Their apprehension was clear to see. I’m guessing they’re all worried they might see this flat yellow faced ossan do something else strange.

It’s obvious that seeing me play the role of Drill-chan’s horse has raised several questions. The Hero of the East had his eyes fixed on me. I’m sure he’s wondering what kind of relationship Drill-chan and I have.

“We’re here to extend an invitation to the Great Holy Land to you.”

The Hero of the West opened with these words.

Why would they want to invite me there?

The Hero of the West was the only one speaking. His party as well as the Hero of the East and his own party all remained silent.

“…you’re inviting me to the Great Holy Land?”

“The Saint had another revelation. We were instructed to find Baron Tanaka of the Penny Empire and bring him with us to the Great Holy Land as soon as possible. Honestly, I have my doubts about this command as it differs from previous prophecies.”

“That’s a surprisingly specific prophecy.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but we need you to come with us.”

The Hero of the West locked eyes with me.

Despite his words, he and the rest of them must be taking it seriously.

It would take around ten days to get here from Academy City by carriage. If they traveled here by horse or carriage, it would be impossible for them to be here right now. They must have traveled here by airship at considerable expense. This really is a serious matter.

Thinking about this made an important question form in my mind.

How did they even know I was here?

We’ve only been here a day and I didn’t even know I was going to be here until yesterday. I can’t imagine it would have been easy to find out my whereabouts and then find a method of travel here so quickly.

“Incidentally, Hero-sama, how did you learn that I was here?”

When did our roles reverse and he became the mysterious character?

It’s like an enigmatic side character suddenly encountering the protagonist.

Then he began to speak with a slight smile on his face,

“I had a chance to speak with the King of the Penny Empire. Ah, sorry, that sounds like I’m the one deserving of credit. To be more exact, the Saint made an inquiry with the Penny Empire to discern Baron Tanaka’s schedule. Once she had received her answer, the Great Holy Land didn’t hesitate to act.”

“…I see.”

The two countries aren’t the entire world apart, but traditional methods of communication would be inadequate. There must be a magical method of communication linking them.

Back when Ester-chan was in Tricklis, before Mercedes-chan had received a promotion to the imperial knights, she used a similar method of magic communication to get into contact with her father in Kalis. He informed me that the device used is inexpensive, but due to its convenience, it has seen widespread use.

Similar devices have most likely been installed in the embassies of various countries throughout the world. Even if this is the case, the Saint must hold a lot of power to be able to speak to the ruler of a country on such short notice. This world must be similar to medieval Europe where the dominant religion holds a lot of power.

“You could also take that as approval from your King for you to come with us.”

“When did all of this happen?”

“The day following the attack by the Chimera on Academy City.”

“The day after?”

“Professor Journal was giving a report to the ambassador of the Great Holy Land and your name came up. This is when the ambassador was told about the various exploits of Baron Tanaka, the pride of the Penny Empire.”

“….”

“The revelation by the Saint was the day after that and we were given our orders. We were able to act quickly and leave not long after the Chimera attack. We were provided an airship from the Great Holy Land and flew straight here.”

“I see. That explains how you’ve arrived here so soon.”

So while the horrifying true identity of the shotachinpo was being revealed to me, the rest of the major players in the world were making moves. The King didn’t want to deal with this hassle himself, so he passed off all of the responsibility to me.

It’s finally starting to make sense why he was so generous. He offered me a stay at this luxurious resort because it’s technically outside of his country and anything that may come of this meeting no longer involves him or the Penny Empire.

As expected of His Majesty.

I knew this was too good to be true. How could a lowly baron be allowed free reign at a resort reserved for the royal family and other powerful families where maids happily wander the halls with their panties exposed? If I knew the truth, I would have taken advantage of these promiscuous maids at least once.

“There’s just one thing I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“The timing of this revelation the Saint had seems too convenient.”

“I felt the same.”

“What do you think is really going on?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to speculate. I can tell you that there are people that feel the same as you, while there are others who believe wholeheartedly in the Saint and the revelations proclaimed to us. The Great Holy Land falls on the side of the latter.”

The Hero of the West glanced at the Hero of the East before speaking. The latter had a look of disapproval on his face but said nothing. It’s clear that the Hero of the West has been given full control of the situation by the Great Holy Land.

“I see.”

“Yes, and we still need you to come with us.”

If he’s telling me the truth, it’s virtually impossible for me to refuse. It wouldn’t be him that I’d be refusing, but my own boss, the King of the Penny Empire as well as the Saint who seems to have at least equivalent power to His Majesty.

I wish to retain my place amongst the nobility of the Penny Empire which means I only have one choice.

I’ll do my best for the future of the Loligon’s Dragon City.

“…I understand.”

“You’ll come with us?”

“I can’t refuse my King.”

“Are you sure? I know it’s not my place to be asking, but…”

I don’t think he actually cares about my opinion. He came here without any warning and asked me to abandon my vacation and follow him to some strange kingdom. I’m sure he understands the unpleasantness of the situation I’ve been put in. He may be a famous hero, but he’s nothing more than the middle man here.

“I have no choice.”

“I don’t understand why you bend your knee to your King. I realize as a hero I shouldn’t be saying this, but someone as powerful as you could subjugate an entire country without breaking a sweat.”

“Our world has structure and rules for a reason and one person should not upset that balance for selfish reasons.”

The only thing I want out of life is a normal youth.

Having sex regularly with a girl whose virginity I took and that might fall in love with me. I don’t need to overthrow a king or rule a country to achieve that. I want to experience true love and enjoy the erotic moments that present themselves in everyday life.

That being said, a rich and powerful man would have no problem getting women to spread their legs for him.

Even so, that lacks the romanticism I wish to experience.

“…I see. That’s how you feel.”

Putting those feelings into words is difficult, but I hope I managed to make him understand.

The Hero of the West’s expression hardened.

He looked intense and more serious than I’d ever seen him. The Hero of the East and all of their party members looked downcast as they cast pitiful glances to each other before turning their heads away from me almost as if in shame.

“That woman from earlier, she really must be your….”

He started mumbling something to himself that I couldn’t quite catch.

Whatever it is, they can all think whatever they want. It doesn’t affect me.

“I’m fine with coming with you as the revelation foretold, but I have one request I’d like you to listen to before I do.”

“What is that?”

“I need some time to get ready to travel. May I have some time to make preparations?”

I’d like to at least enjoy a full day here.

I want to be woken up in the morning by a maid with her panties in full view.

“I understand. We can wait here and give you the time you need. Say a few days? You won’t be able to enjoy your vacation to the fullest, but I hope you will have at least some time to relax. We can attribute the delay to the time it took us to find you.”

“…a few days?”

I can’t believe that he’s doing this out of the kindness of his heart.

I’m happy that he’s giving me some time here, but I can’t help but feel he’s doing it out of pity. It feels similar to when my virginity was revealed to my coworkers. I’m unsure of how the Hero of the West feels about me. He’s a hard person to read.

“What kind of hero would I be if I refused to allow you at least that much?”

The Hero of the West puffed out his chest as he spoke.

What a majestic ikemen.

For the first time, the Hero of the East spoke and voiced his displeasure.

“Wait a moment! We’ve been tasked with bringing this man to the Saint. This mission was assigned to us based on the prophecy of the Saint, but you’re acting as if you have the authority to decide how we should proceed. No one worthy of calling themself a hero would ever have the audacity to believe that.”

“I never said we weren’t going to take him with us. Baron Tanaka understandably needs time to prepare for the journey. He is also a member of the nobility of a foreign country. His rank may only be as a baron, but it’s impossible for us to know whether or not forcing him to come with us may have repercussions with other nobility from the Penny Empire that hold more power.”

“But we are heroes and the words of the Saint are absolute!”

“Feel free to report my actions to the Saint.”

“…you can’t be serious.”

“Yes, I am.”

“….”

These two appear to still hate each other.

The first time I ever encountered them, they couldn’t even hold a conversation. I feel compelled to ask why they were ever chosen to be co-heroes.

“Fine. I’ll tell the Saint everything.”

“Feel free to do as you wish.”

The Hero of the East stood from the sofa as the Hero of the West gave him a nod.

The Hero of the East then tossed his cloak over his shoulder and left the reception room. His party members followed close behind them, but each of them hesitated for a moment and only left after casting a concerned glance at both the Hero of the West and me.

After the Hero of the East and his party were out of sight, the Hero of the West spoke once more,

“So, are we in agreement? You’ll have time to prepare and enjoy your vacation before we leave for the Great Holy Land.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

“We’ll return in a few days to retrieve you.”

The Hero of the West stood and prepared to leave as well.

As he did so, a good idea popped into my mind.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

“Hmm? Was there something else?”

“There’s no reason for you to leave. You and your party can stay here while you wait and take advantage of the amazing facilities. The Penny Empire will cover any expenses you may accrue while staying here. I know it will only be a short stay, but I’m sure you all are tired from your travels.”

I might as well make His Majesty spend even more money.

I hope that everyone staying here on the King’s dime will eat and drink to their heart’s content.

It’s the least he can do for interrupting my precious vacation.

“Hmm? Y-You’re okay with that?”

“As long as it doesn’t affect your schedule.”

“…this is unexpected, but I’m happy to accept, Baron Tanaka.”

The Hero’s expression softened for the first time today.

His words surprised me, but it gave me a sense of camaraderie. This great hero grows exhausted just like me from the tedium of his life.

“Now then, if our business is concluded….”

I picked up the small bell sitting on the table in front of me and rang it.

Do you know what this magical bell does, Hero of the West?

When you ring it, maids with fully exposed panties will come running.