"...huh? Archpriest... -ess...? No, too soon! The dates doesn't make sense!" (Girl)
Ah.
It only took a moment to come here from the royal capital, so if you think about it normally, the date didn't make sense….
Thinking about it normally, even if I had received the direct appeal, I would still be in the process of preparing to leave.
In this world, it was necessary to prepare various things such as changing clothes and food for a long trip in a carriage. I also need to secure a carriage and a driver....
Also, the Archpriestess, lord, and general store owner could not go on a journey immediately after receiving a direct appeal. Coordination of various work, preparation for long-term absence, and making arrangements were necessary. In other words, it was not like you could leave immediately after receiving a request.
...except for me.
And how many days it would take to travel....
Furthermore, there was no way that the commoners of a rural territory far from the capital would know my face.
Oh no~. This seems to be a scenario where the person who entrusted the petition betrayed them or was captured, and it turned out to be one of the lord's men! And of course, my role was to use the name of Archpriestess to get the mastermind behind the direct appeal to confess.
"Noooooo..." (Mitsuha)
Oh no! You've completely misunderstand!!
Anyway, let's clear up any misunderstandings!
"To come here, I used the secret technique, crossing. Distance doesn't matter to us anymore!" (Mitsuha)
"Eh…." (Girl)
Yes, I made it up by using a line from the sequel to a certain famous anime!
"I am the owner of the General Store Mitsuha!" (Mitsuha)
And so, I declared that to clear the girl's misunderstanding and reassure her, but…
"…no, aren't you the 'Lightning Archpriestess'!?" (Earl)
I was pushed by Earl.
No, here, I'm not acting as a free service archpriestess, but as a mere merchant who received a request as a consultant! Don't make unnecessary remarks!
"...I'm the owner..." (Mitsuha)
It's important, so I said it twice.
You're here to take the test!
"What kind of test!" (Earl)
Huh, why was Earl thrusted into my head?
"...everything came out, in the voice..." (Earl)
Ah, is that so....?
"Anyway, I received the letter of request from the courier. …so, the request is, 'The tax rate is too high, and a mother and child who lost their father in the war can't live. Please help us.' Is that correct” (Mitsuha)
"Huh!" (Earl)
Hmm, Kirk-san is surprised and upset....
Wasn't it a heavy tax that you imposed knowing that this would happen?
…no, I understand.
If that was the case, there was no way I could allow Sabine-chan to act so carelessly. She should think it was bad or try to hide the heavy tax. Besides, Earl didn't look like someone who would do such a stupid thing.
Well, the hit against me is a little strong, but well, considering the circumstances, there's room for extenuating circumstances.
Even before I knew that Sabine-chan was accompanying me, even though she looked grumpy, she kept it to a bare minimum for the time being. Being made to wait in front of the gate wasn't that extreme as an "educational instruction" to reproach a newcomer, a lower-ranking nobleman, who had acted disrespectfully by suddenly visiting a higher-ranking nobleman without an appointment or warning.
Normally, you would be yelled at with things like "I'm busy" or "What kind of idiot would come here without even checking our schedule!" and chased away, and you wouldn't be able to complain.
Although he was likely not happy about this, he must have thought that after making me wait a little while, "that's enough punishment," and let me into the mansion fairly quickly.
...And his loyalty to Her Royal Highness the Princess (Sabine-chan).
That was why I tentatively adopted the theory that Earl wasn't such a bad person.
Well, I didn't completely trust him, so it's "temporary".
Earl didn't seem to be very good at playing tricks, so if he was a villain, he might accidentally slip his mouth and give his true colors away, so I quickly changed his plan to this one.
...eh? "Isn't it your role to be Inadvertent Hachibei[1]?"
Shut up!!
Well, even if Earl was not a bad person, it would make it clear to us, and to him, how aware he was of the orders he issued and the living conditions of his subjects. And also the reason why it was like this that a direct appeal was necessary....
So, we heard a detailed story from the girl....
Earl (Kirk-san) had been acting strange since a while ago. His complexion was pale and he is fidgety, restless…
No, I knew the reason.
The content of the request I just told the client… it was clearly the content that should be written in the 'direct appeal'.
...that was, from his own people, addressed to the "Lightning Archpriestess." There was no way a lord would not understand the meaning of that.
A direct appeal issued to the Lightning Archpriestess, bypassing the guard captain, the magistrate, and even the lord himself.
…normally, after the lord, it would be addressed to the minister of the royal palace, but here it deviated from the official route.
With this, even Earl should had clearly understood the reason for the sudden visit of Viscountess Yamano, Lightning Archpriestess, and Her Highness Sabine the Third Princess.
The situation was such that a mother and child who lost their husband and father in the battle with the Imperial Army had to make a direct appeal, and furthermore, they think that the guards, the governor, and even the lord could not be trusted….
If he had a delusion that he was a decent lord, a lord who was sincere to his people, he wouldn't be such a shocking thing.
…No wonder his face turned pale and he was trembling…
"That's ridiculous! Only wheat is taxed at 75%! Barley, rye, oats, potatoes, corn, leafy vegetables that don't keep well and cannot be sold in other territories or the royal capital, meat of animals and monsters, and many other things! Even if most of the wheat is taken as tax, you won't have trouble finding something to eat!!” (Earl)
Saying that, Kirk-san suddenly started yelling, and the girl was frightened and backed away.
“KIRK-SAN, STAY!” (Mitsuha)
"Am I a dog?!" (Earl)
Kirk-san replied with dissatisfaction to my words of restraint.
No, if you yelled at your client and frighten her, you would be in trouble!
"I'm sorry! This person is our bodyguard, but he had a bit of a traumatic trauma from being taxed…" (Mitsuha)
Actually, he was on the "taking side", but if I said things like that, I would make the girl even more intimidated, so I said something appropriate.
Well, Kirk-san was at fault now. That's why it couldn't be helped if people give me a rough follow-up and say random things. Hmmm.
Translation Note
[1] うっかり八兵衛
Edit History
6 Oct 2023: grammar correction, improved readability, added note.
30 Des 2023: changed "princess shrine maiden of lightning" to "lightning archpriestess" because it's too long.
17 Aug 2024: translation overhaul, implemented the dynamic naming system