“I can see the capital!” Lunoa said from the driver’s seat.
I peered through the window of the carriage. The high walls of the capital loomed in the distance. Unlike the neat stone walls of the imperial capital, which were built from countless dressed stones carefully cut to be the same size, the defensive walls of Hephaest’s capital were large mud ramparts hardened with magic.
One of several watchtowers served as the main gate, and multiple groups of adventurers and merchants were waiting in line seeking entry. We stopped at the end of the queue. After a bit of waiting, we were eventually allowed in by the guards.
The streets in the capital of the Hephaest Marquessate were all paved. Here and there, we could see smoke rising that looked similar to that of the volcano—most likely from the workshops and hot springs. Some large inns also let off steam, and the distinctive smell of sulfur lingered in the air.
“What is this building?” Lunoa asked.
The roof of the building she was pointing at was marked with a large symbol made of interconnected circles. The structure’s decorated white walls stood out among the surrounding unrefined stone buildings.
“That’s a temple dedicated to the worship of fire spirits.”
“A temple? Is that different from the churches that follow Ibris?” Misha asked.
“Most of the dwarves worship the Spirit King. Spiritanism is mostly prevalent on the Northern Continent, especially among the dwarves and elves,” Mireille replied.
“Spiritanism is a form of nature worship,” I added. “Those who practice it revere the archspirits who are believed to dwell in volcanoes, large trees, or springs. Considering this city’s location, I assume that the residents worship the spirits of the Sacred Mountain of Hephaest. Since it’s a volcano, it’s likely home to fire spirits or earth spirits.”
As soon as I finished my explanation, the sound of laughter rang out from the temple.
“It’s quite lively for a place of worship,” I commented.
“I wonder what’s happening,” Lunoa said.
“Some sort of rite perhaps?” Misha mused.
I wasn’t aware of any such noisy Spiritanic rites, but most of my knowledge on the matter came from the lessons that had prepared me for potential queenship. I figured there was more to Spiritanism than what I’d learned from books. I glanced at Mireille in the hope that she’d know. She always thoroughly gathered information before traveling anywhere.
As expected, Mireille provided the answer. “The believers who have gathered in the temple must have had a few drinks. It’s customary to hold banquets to welcome the spirits.”
“Really? I’ve never heard that before,” I said.
I had been about to move on to a new topic, but Mireille’s comment had piqued my curiosity. I’d never learned a thing about these supposed temple banquets during my lessons on prominent world religions.
“Well...” Mireille started, “only the dwarves practice this custom. I imagine that’s why it wasn’t mentioned in your lessons, miss.”
“Oh.” It seemed to be a regional tradition.
“But are they allowed to do that?” Lunoa asked, furrowing her brow. She had a serious personality and believed in the Church of Ibris. The thought of holding a banquet inside a sacred place seemed to puzzle her deeply.
“I don’t think it’s a problem,” I said. “Faith, in essence, is about giving people something to depend on. If the dwarves find inner peace this way, then I’d say their religious practice is having the intended effect.”
I viewed religion from the standpoint of a stateswoman, so I imagined religious people might not necessarily agree with me. Sure enough, Lunoa pouted.
“That might be true, but...” She was clearly not convinced.
Her pouting face was adorable, and I was about to pat her head when Alice pulled on my other hand.
“Hey, mama, that voice...”
“Hmm?” I strained my ears and listened carefully to the sounds escaping from the temple.
“HA HA HA HA!!! Cheers to the Spirit King, then!”
“Cheers!”
“HA HA HA HA!!!”
I knew that voice. And I’d run into this exact situation before.
I poked my head into the temple, and sure enough, I saw a young woman wearing a Church of Ibris nun’s habit conversing with a group of dwarves. Her cheeks were already red from the alcohol, but she was gulping down another pint while leaning against a barrel of ale.
“It’s Miss Tida!” Misha said.
“That it is,” Lunoa replied.
“And as always,” Mireille added with a sigh, “she’s drunk in the middle of the day.”
“Big Sister Tida!” Alice cheered, trying to sneak a peek inside. “Ah!” she exclaimed as I plucked Carol from her arms and put the carbuncle on her head to block her line of sight.
“Kyui!” Carol cried out in surprise.
I hoped Carol would forgive me for manhandling her like that, but Alice couldn’t see Tida in this state. What a terrible influence she would make.
“HA HA HA— Huh?” Tida froze for a second as her eyes met mine. Then, she ran up to me, grabbed the hem of my clothes, and started making excuses. “I-I-It’s not what you think! That’s...um...so... Right! This is a cultural exchange! I’m not drinking because I wanted alcohol. That’s definitely not it!”
“Let go of me! I haven’t even said anything!”
The Church of Ibris did not reject other religions, with the exception of cults that extolled inhumane acts. That meant Tida was free to take part in a banquet organized by believers of another faith, even within a temple. I told her as much and she perked up.
“That’s right!” she said with a nod. “I’m perfectly justified in being here!”
“But what brings you to this city?” I asked.
“After things calmed down in the imperial capital, I received an order from the Grand Sanctuary saying that I had to come here.”
“The Grand Sanctuary?”
“Yep. Apparently, they received a divine revelation.”
“A revelation, huh?”
“Ah, could it be that you don’t believe?” Tida asked.
I viewed religion as one political tool among many. I had no intention to mock or deny people’s faiths, and I knew that some phenomena appeared to be miracles, but I personally did not believe in a god. Even if there was one, I didn’t think they would care to meddle in the affairs of mortals.
“No, that’s not it,” I replied. “I was just thinking out loud.”
Tida was a clergywoman, so I thought it best not to expose my views to her.
“Leaving that aside, the person who sent the order must be quite important if they can get you to heed their instructions.”
“Well, yeah. It’s from the pope.” Tida sighed. “What a hassle.”
“Are you sure you should be saying that? The pope is the head of the Church of Ibris, right?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I complain to the pope’s face too. We used to be buddies at the monastery.”
“You have unexpected connections... Well, it’s not that surprising given your position, I suppose.”
Despite the way she conducted herself, Tida was still a cardinal. It made sense that she knew the pope.
“And you?” she asked. “Are you here on business?”
“I’m here to conduct a deal, but it’s a personal matter. I recently got my hands on an excellent material, and I was hoping to have it crafted into a rapier.”
“The smiths of this city are renowned, after all. Do you already know which workshop you want to commission?”
“I do. I wish to commission Gaien, the Divine Artisan.”
“Huh?! Now that’s a big name! I heard his swords typically sell for as much as a mansion!”
“I’ve prepared the funds, naturally. And I have a letter of recommendation.”
I took out the letter I’d gotten from Count Guide and showed it to Tida. The last time we’d seen each other, he’d written it for me as thanks for helping his son gain experience.
“You’re so well-connected! A true celebrity!” Tida exclaimed.
I smiled, then excused myself. “Well then, we must go reserve our rooms.”
“Have you decided where you’ll stay?”
“Yes. We were thinking of staying at the Cozy Jewel. It’s nearby.”
“The food is supposed to be really good there! But I’m surprised you picked that place. You usually insist on staying in the city’s best hotel to protect your company’s image. Hephaest’s capital has one of Flywok’s luxury hotels, doesn’t it?”
“I’d heard many good things about the Cozy Jewel’s food and hot spring, so I thought it’d be fine just this once. Besides, I’m here on personal business, not representing Traitre.”
“I see.”
“We’ll be staying in this city for a while, so let’s share a meal together when you have time.”
“I’d love that.”
We waved goodbye to Tida and climbed back into the carriage to go to the inn. Lunoa and Misha sat together in the driver’s seat, chatting. As Alice looked through the open window marveling at the unusual sights, a small bird flew into the carriage. It was one of my saint birds.
“A message?” Mireille asked.
“Yes. It seems to be from one of our friends in the kingdom,” I replied. As I read the message, I knit my brow.
“Did something happen?” Mireille asked.
“Friede is acting strangely again.”
“His behavior has undergone a radical shift lately, hasn’t it?”
“It seems that way,” I said. “I can’t tell if this is Adel’s doing or if a wise advisor has joined his side.”
I gave the letter to Mireille and asked her to destroy it once she was done reading it.
“If someone is helping Friede, we must discover why,” I continued.
“Should I ask our moles in the palace to investigate?”
“Yes. It might be risky, but we cannot afford to fall behind.”
“Understood,” Mireille said. “I’ll tell them to put the plan we discussed in motion.”
“Make sure they remain careful. They’ll need to be wary of Friede, naturally, but also of Adel.”
After giving Mireille my instructions, I looked at Alice. The sight of her excitedly gazing at the streets of the capital of Hephaest helped me take my mind off things.