Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Bipolarity (2)
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A reception room in the Order's compound.
There, Shuron was nervously tearing at a piece of bread placed before him.
On the table where Shuron sat, fruit and bread had been prepared for him.
Perhaps their invitation to the Order's compound hadn't been entirely empty words.
The food on the table appeared to have been prepared with some care.
They were, at the very least, offering the minimum courtesy due a guest.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"Ah, um I suppose so."
"Aargh!"
And yet, there was one reason Shuron couldn't eat in peace.
Screams were continuously echoing from a corner of the reception room.
The one screaming was his companion, the coachman.
The coachman, who had been dragged to the compound with Shuron, had been immediately seized by the followers and tied to a pillar.
And now, he was being beaten by the Order's faithful.
It wasn't a beating that seemed fatal, but hearing the screams was unavoidably chilling.
"You look quite uncomfortable."
Archbishop Loan, sitting across from Shuron, asked in a friendly voice.
The reason Loan was making him watch the coachman's beating was obvious.
It was a warning of sorts, telling Shuron to read the situation and act accordingly.
If he greatly displeased Loan, Shuron himself could be next.
He had no desire whatsoever to be dragged to a place like this and beaten.
Shuron forced himself to act unfazed, putting a piece of bread in his mouth before pointing a finger at the coachman and speaking.
"I-It's just a bit noisy around here."
"Haha, it's merely one of the Order's ceremonies. Please don't mind it. We'll try to proceed as unobtrusively as possible."
"Is it really necessary to go that far?"
Even if he made mistakes from time to time, the coachman was still Shuron's subordinate.
With a mob of them ganging up to torment the coachman right beside him, there was no way Shuron could be at ease.
That's why he tried to bring it up, careful not to overstep and anger Loan.
As if sensing Shuron's thoughts,
Loan replied in a slick, oily tone.
"That is merely a process to confirm the fruits of his faith."
"The fruits of his faith...?"
"There are unbelievers who commit foolish acts, failing to serve the Great One. This is all an act to confirm that man's faith."
In other words, the coachman was being beaten because he wasn't a member of the Order.
The sight of the beaten coachman sent a chill down Shuron's spine.
Both the coachman and Shuron were far from being followers of the Order.
Besides, wasn't there another one of his caravan staff waiting outside with the luggage?
The fact that only the coachman was being beaten meant that the others could be next at any moment.
Before Shuron could even think to ask why he wasn't being beaten, Loan preempted him with a veiled threat.
"Pay no mind to such lowly men. Our dear caravan master is a devout follower, is he not?"
"..."
"Therefore, I see no need for us to step in and confirm your faith."
"Haha..."
Shuron looked at Loan with a stiff face, letting out an awkward laugh.
Of course, Loan wasn't finished.
He folded his hands neatly and looked at Shuron with a serious expression.
His gaze was sharp, a stark contrast to moments before.
"But if, by chance, the caravan master turned out to be a foolish unbeliever..."
"W-what happens to unbelievers...?"
Gulp.
Shuron swallowed hard, waiting for Loan's next words.
Would he be beaten, just like the coachman?
Or would he be dragged off somewhere in the compound and tortured?
He was so tense he could barely breathe, focusing all his attention on Loan.
"Even so, we couldn't possibly treat our caravan master like that, could we? Instead, you would have to listen to a tedious sermon before you leave."
"...You have a fine sense of humor, Archbishop."
"So, which is it, Caravan Master?"
"Ah, of course I believe in the Great One!"
When dealing with madmen, the best answer is to play along, at least for a while.
That was the basic principle of survival Shuron had learned throughout his years as a merchant.
Of course, avoiding them would have been best, but anyone could see that wasn't an option now.
Seemingly satisfied with Shuron's answer, Loan nodded and put a piece of bread in his mouth.
"What a relief. To think the caravan master is such a faithful servant of the Great One!"
"Serving the Great One is only natural. Heretics and unbelievers all deserve divine punishment."
"By the way, Caravan Master, do you happen to know the Great One's revered name?"
"The Great One's revered name...?"
Hearing Loan's question, Shuron felt a cold sweat break out.
The name of the god these heretics worshiped.
How could he possibly know that?
Moreover, he couldn't recall hearing the god's name at any point in their conversation.
The tension returned in an instant, and Shuron's eyes darted about.
"You don't know?"
"Well..."
"Haha, a jest! How could a mere mortal dare to utter the Great One's revered name?"
"Th-That's true."
It was another one of Loan's wicked games directed at Shuron.
Phew. A sigh escaped Shuron's lips.
Every time Loan played one of his tricks, it felt like ten years were shaved off his life.
Shuron wanted to get out of this place as quickly as possible.
And to do that, he had to find out why they had detained him in the first place.
"Now then, about the reason I invited you here, Caravan Master..."
As if reading Shuron's mind,
Loan finally began to broach the subject.
When a passing caravan was suddenly stopped, the reason was usually predictable.
It would undoubtedly be about money.
"The truth is, Caravan Master, as a devout follower of the Order, you've fallen quite behind on your donations recently, haven't you?"
"...Donations, you say."
Shuron had just declared himself a follower of the Order with his own mouth.
Now that donations had been brought up, Shuron didn't have many excuses.
If he tried to make a lengthy excuse here, he was likely to misspeak and end up being beaten.
It was a rather vicious trap they had set.
"It seems we're rather short on funds for building the new temple, so we'll need a generous donation."
There was only one way to defend against this.
Shuron had to name a price first.
As long as it wasn't an amount they'd consider insulting, they would likely accept it to save face and move on.
Therefore, Shuron quickly calculated a suitable amount in his head and tried to state it to Loan.
"If you're building a temple, then of course a donation is in order! For the sake of the Order, I'll...!"
"Thirty percent of the tribute you've brought should be sufficient."
But Loan was faster.
Just as Shuron was about to name his price, Loan cut him off and declared the amount himself.
Moreover, he was calling the transported merchandise "tribute."
His choice of words made it sound as though he were generously accepting something that was rightfully theirs.
Hearing Loan's words, a weak voice escaped Shuron's lips.
"No, that's..."
"And there is one more favor I'd like to ask of you, Caravan Master."
Unsurprisingly, Shuron was given no chance to make an excuse.
He was already overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the compound.
There was no way to drag the conversation back to the previous topic.
Realizing the Archbishop before him was no ordinary man, Shuron bit his lip.
He felt like the bread he'd eaten might come back up.
To think he had to pay thirty percent of his cargo for some dry bread and fruit.
This was no different from paying a toll to bandits.
"Hah... What is this favor."
Shuron said, letting out another sigh.
At this point, he felt half-ready to give up.
Having already given up so much, he wondered what difference one more favor would make.
He had to consider himself lucky they hadn't taken everything, just as they'd implied they could.
As Shuron hung his head low, staring at the table, Loan brought up the next item on his agenda.
"We would like you to use your carriage to get about four people into the city."
"Wait, you want me to get them into the city?"
The Archbishop's next request was about the city.
He wanted to use Shuron's cargo-laden carriage to bypass the city's inspection.
The topic had shifted so drastically that Shuron wore a troubled expression.
Now he understood why the Archbishop had demanded thirty percent of his cargo as tribute.
It seemed to be a plan to secure enough space in the carriage for people.
"That is correct."
"Hmm..."
Smuggling people past an inspection was an incredibly difficult request for Shuron.
Putting aside the difficulty of getting them inside, the act of getting involved with heretics within the city was dangerous in itself.
If he were identified as an associate of heretics causing a disturbance, even Shuron would find it hard to escape punishment.
How could he refuse Loan's proposal?
While Shuron was pondering this, Loan added a meaningful comment.
"Of course, once they're inside, you need not worry about what comes next. Among the nobles of the Count's family are devout followers of our Order."
"In the Count's family... you have followers?"
"Indeed. There has been a slight misunderstanding that makes entry difficult, but it is a misunderstanding that will be resolved once we are inside."
The Count's family, who ruled the city, was backing these heretics.
The situation had become even more precarious than before, and Shuron's chest tightened.
It was hard to believe the words of a heretic, but if he was telling the truth, the situation was the complete opposite of what he'd thought.
If he didn't grant their request, Shuron's caravan would face disadvantages in the city.
As Shuron weighed his options, the screams of the beaten coachman echoed in his ears.
"Can I really trust you?"
"Your faith is lacking. I was just about to say that a faithful follower of the Order like yourself could receive the protection of both the Order and the Count's family."
"No, how could I possibly doubt your words, Archbishop? I was just trying to be certain."
"You are a thorough man, Caravan Master. Of course, if this matter is handled well, you will receive the protection of the nobility."
His caravan had already suffered a great loss.
If there was any profit to be made, he had to seize it, no matter what.
The risks involved were not small, but if he succeeded, the proposal could yield a huge profit.
Tap. Tap.
Facing Shuron, Loan's fingers began to slowly tap the table.
The tapping grew faster with each passing moment, as if urging Shuron for an answer.
How many times had Loan's fingers tapped the desk?
After long deliberation, Shuron made his decision regarding the Order's proposal.
"I'll do it."
Naturally, Shuron's choice was to accept Loan's proposal.
He had no other choice.