Slime Reincarnation

Chapter 112: Let’s Tell Everything I Know, No Holding Back

Come to think of it, Sarina hadn’t been among the group who greeted me in matching dresses yesterday. According to Fileontina, Sarina had been at the alchemist’s guild the whole time. Since her build was similar to Luciana’s, the dress itself had already been bought for her, but by the time I got back to the Coluna Frontier Count’s residence, Sarina still hadn’t returned from the alchemist’s guild, so she wasn’t there among everyone lined up in matching outfits.

But today she’d come along with the rest of us. This was a chance to visit the royal castle, after all. Normally the castle wasn’t a place you could just walk into. You could only enter if summoned, like this time. Sarina had specifically asked to come along too.

Today’s visit was apparently to go over the schedule for the audience four days from now, and to have our outfits fitted and measured for the occasion.

The Coluna Frontier Count was, of course, dressed in full noble attire, and Irina and the others had put on their finest clothes as well. Sarina was wearing the dress she hadn’t gotten to wear yesterday. I’d have to remember to compliment her on it later. As for me, I’d been maintaining Yabe Hiroki’s form the whole time now. I wore a robe, but keeping the hood up would look suspicious, so I’d taken it off, showing my face. And as always, Rina had a firm grip on my robe.

Apparently given clearance, the carriage slowly passed through the castle gate. Passing through the inside of the stone walls, the carriage stopped in front of the royal castle’s entrance.

"We’ve been expecting you, Lord Coluna."

A middle aged man appeared, looking every bit the proper attendant.

"Mm."

"First, allow me to guide you all to the guest room. Please follow me."

"Understood."

We followed the attendant through the halls. The royal castle’s corridors were made of stone too, with an imposing, solid construction continuing throughout.

The guest room we were shown to had a large sofa that immediately drew the eye. Besides the large sofa there were smaller ones too, arranged so a large group could split up and sit comfortably.

"Lord Coluna, the chancellor has some matters he’d like to discuss regarding the flow of the audience. Allow me to guide you there."

"Understood."

The Coluna Frontier Count was led out of the room. A short while later, a female attendant came into the room.

"For the ladies, we’ll be taking measurements for your dresses in a separate room. Would you please follow me?"

"Ohh, finally the fitting." "Irina chan, you don’t have a dress of your own?" "Well, that sort of thing wasn’t necessary for traveling. What about you, Luciana, surely you don’t need one prepared by the castle either?" "I’m curious what the castle’s dresses are like." "Since it’s an audience with the king, we can’t afford any missteps. It’s best to be fitted properly by the castle, just to be safe." "Agreed. Having the castle’s own people choose for us should be flawless."

Sarina fully backed Fileontina’s strategy of leaning entirely on the castle’s resources.

"Then, please, this way."

"Fuoo! Mashter!"

Rina was dragged along by the scruff of her neck, grabbed by Irina. And everyone else moved along too.

"..."

And then there was no one left... well, I was still there. The maid earlier had brought tea, so I sipped it alone while waiting. ...Lonely.

"Oh! All by yourself, are you?"

I looked up and found a man had entered the room at some point without my noticing. Blond, handsome, long hair. Handsome but with a bit of a roguish charm, middle aged, or so he looked. Who exactly was this?

"Yes... Lord Coluna’s been called away for a meeting, and my companions have been taken off for dress fittings."

"So you’re left with nothing to do on your own, then."

"...Well, I suppose so."

I wasn’t sure whether it was appropriate to admit to being idle while being summoned to the castle. But I had been sitting alone doing nothing, and claiming to be busy would just be a flat out lie.

"When did you arrive in the capital?"

"Four days ago. This is my first time in the capital, so everything’s new and exciting to look at."

"Is that so, is that so. Enjoying the capital, are you?"

The handsome blond middle aged man asked, sounding pleased.

"Though there’s a darker side to the capital too, so to speak..."

"What do you mean by that?"

The handsome blond man’s expression turned serious, and I began telling him everything, from the information the chicks had gathered before I even arrived in the capital, to everything I’d experienced since arriving.

I told him about Marin chan living on the streets in the southern district, about how the capital’s cathedral was pressuring Sister Anri, who cared for orphans at her church, targeting the land, the children, and Sister Anri herself, about the saint at the cathedral behaving tyrannically while a young serving girl suffered under her, about some in the Commercial Guild forcing unfair deals onto vulnerable people, about how Krelia Spelcio, captain of the capital guard, had been having her legs pulled at, destabilizing public order in the capital, about the countermeasure of having a guard deployment map submitted to the chancellor and the knight order’s captain, and about Baron Harknar’s former wife, whose husband had been killed through Viscount Teraelo’s scheming, with her mansion nearly seized and her own life now in danger. I laid out everything I’d learned and uncovered, holding nothing back.

Normally, in a situation where I had no idea who this man even was, let alone which faction he belonged to, spilling every card I held would be the height of foolishness. But for some reason, talking with this man just made the words flow out of me. Well then, might as well lay everything bare and see how he reacted. If he was on the enemy’s side, there’d surely be some kind of move against me.

I told him everything about the dark side of the capital, holding nothing back.