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Chapter 22. King Of The Wilderness

In front of the Veliero Trading Company, were 3 splendid white carriages and nearly 50 armed men.

They wore leather armor with elaborate decorations were neatly lined up. 

They all wore the same armor and held spears, giving off a very imposing atmosphere.

"Apologies for the delay, King Pilatus II. My father is currently away on business in another country, and I am acting as his representative."

Cherina said as she ran into the Veliero Trading Company and bowed her head upon returning, jumping into the VIP room. 

The overweight middle-aged man lounging on the sofa waved his hand extravagantly.

"Hmm. Forgiven. I visited without notice, after all."

"Thank you."

"By the way..."

"Yes?"

The king, with a very pig-like physique, turned his gaze towards me. 

"Who is that man? Is he perhaps your fiancé?"

"Eh?" 

Cherina looked at my face, then at the hand we were holding, and widened her eyes in shock. Didn't you notice?

"Th-this is, um, yes! He's a consultant we hired starting today! That's right, isn't it, Lord Akira?"

Cherina stared at me with a smile that didn't waver, using her eyes to convey her intentions. She's skilled.

Internally sighing, I responded with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, King. My name is Akira, and I've just started working as a consultant for Lady Cherina Valiero from today. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh..."

The pig-like king's gaze was fixated on our clasped hands. 

Cherina quickly let go and covered it up with a smile.

It was quite painful, so I felt relieved when she released my hand.

"So, Your Majesty, what brings you to a place like this? If you have any business, I'll attend to it immediately."

I had been wondering about that. 

If this pig-like guy is the king, it would be normal to summon me to the castle if he has any business. Or maybe he's more active than he appears?

"Well, there were a few things I wanted to confirm."

The king slurped his tea. Isn't that against etiquette?

"Confirm, you say?"

"Yes. It seems there was an issue with the potatoes delivered yesterday, so I personally came to check."

"An issue? I've checked everything inside. Perhaps one or two might have been bad, but it's food, after all."

"No, there was no problem with the quality."

"Then?"

"It's not enough."

"... Not enough?"

The disappointment was evident in his voice, not in the form of a question.

"Yes, not enough."

"... It wasn't enough?!"

"Oh dear, it seems there might have been a mistake. The promised amount was two tons, and the amount received also corresponds to that. Maybe one or two bad ones got mixed in, but it's food, you see."

"It's not about the quality. There weren't enough."

"They weren't enough?"

It was a statement of disappointment, not a question.

"Yes, not enough."

"... Understand. How much more do you need?"

The pig king chuckled, and next to him, a middle-aged man with a cane who had been standing upright got addressed.

"Oi! That one!"

The man quickly pulled out a sheet of parchment, or was it parchment paper? It was about as thick as A3 paper. 

The pig king snatched it and threw it onto the table.

I sneakily peeked at it. It should be fine since I'm here as a consultant.

"This is the contract with you. It states a trade for twenty tons of potatoes. However, what was delivered was only 2 tons. We're short by sixteen tons!"

The pig king proudly banged the document with his finger, but there was no mention of that anywhere. 

Does this old man not know how to read...?

Cherina gritted her teeth tightly. 

The sound was audible even to me standing next to her. 

Be careful not to grind too hard; your teeth might break.

"So, when will the remaining eighteen tons of potatoes be delivered?"

The triumphant expression twisted.

Yeah, it's embarrassing.

However, Cherina seemed preoccupied and pale.

"W-well... indeed, the promise was for two tons, and the amount we received corresponds to that. The payment we received also matches that amount."

"Here it is, written. This is the earnest money. The rest is to be paid next month."

The pig king tapped the document with his finger triumphantly.

But there was no such thing written there. 

Does this old man not know how to read...?

Cherina gritted her teeth tightly. 

The sound was audible even to me standing next to her.

Be careful not to grind too hard; your teeth might break.

"So, when will the remaining eighteen tons be delivered? Oh, of course, you can wait until the end of the month. Oh! Today is the end of the month! I almost forgot!"

What do you mean, you almost forgot, Hachibei? It's clearly orchestrated. The documents are likely forged too.

But if the country's leader, the king, is involved in the forgery. There's nothing Cherina can do.

"Well, you can rest assured. I've prepared soldiers to pick it up immediately. If you hand it over here, my elite troops can take it from there. Quite an honor, isn't it?"

"Y-yes..."

The sound of grinding molars echoed.

"That's right. Just in case, if by any chance something happens, and you lose the rest. Well, I might be able to do something about it."

The pig licked Cherina with his eyes, lecherously and disgustingly. 

It's so obvious even from the outside.

That should be enough.

"Your Majesty, may I request a copy of those documents?"

"…What did you say?"

The mud pig, clearly displeased at having his amusement interrupted.

"Perhaps there was a mistake in the records on our end. We would appreciate it if you could provide a copy of the official document for our reference."

When we signed the contract with Miss Cherina yesterday, we filled out two identical documents, one for each party, and even stamped them. 

It should be a standard practice to create a copy in this world.

"What's that supposed to be?"

Huh? Is this document different?

"If you need a copy of the document, I can prepare it right away."

The man standing next to the king promptly replied and made the copies. 

I carefully checked the two sheets to ensure there were no mistakes.

"Indeed. Well then, I will go to the warehouse for confirmation. Perhaps my subordinates misunderstood the instructions."

"Nu... In that case."

The pig king was about to say something, but I intercepted.

"Great Majesty, it is truly an honor to have you grace us with your presence. Please wait a moment, I will prepare some tea for your esteemed self."

I'm using the full force with the sales smile. 

The man who made the documents started to say something.

But he stopped when he saw the king recline again.

(Cherina, please.)

I whispered to Cherina.

"Y-yes. I will serve a very rare and valuable flower tea that I obtained from the south."

Cherina clapped her hands, and preparations began immediately.

"Now, Your Majesty, please relax. I will return shortly."

This time, I exited the room by pulling Cherina's sleeve. 

We needed to move away from the room to a place where our conversation wouldn't get overheard.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-yes, but..."

Cherina's face remained pale. Understandable. 

We've only bought some time; nothing has been resolved.

"Alright, Cherina, are there any warehouses or places where we won't be seen?"

"Uh? Yes. There is. It's not very large, but..."

"Is it big enough to accommodate 18 tons of potatoes?"

"... If we pack them in bags and stack them, probably."

"Good. Lead the way, and don't forget the key."

Cherina did as instructed and brought the key from the office. 

As we moved to the warehouse, 6 soldiers followed us.

"Dear soldiers, we are going to check the inventory now. I apologize, but please wait outside."

We couldn't afford to be seen doing what we were about to do.

"If you run away, you know things will get quite troublesome, right?"

"We have no intention of doing such a thing. We apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Majesty."

After the soldiers left, I took the opportunity to speak to Cherina.

"Alright, Cherina, promise me. What we're about to do, keep it an absolute secret."

"..."

Hey, don't stay silent there. I need you to promise, even if it's a lie.

"Could it be that you'll use the power of the gods?"

"!!!!"

I was left speechless.

How did she figure that out with just a water bottle?

"Sorry. In fact, last night, I had someone monitor you, Lord Akira."

What...?

"Please rest assured. The shadow I used is someone who serves me with absolute loyalty. Besides him and me, no one else knows about this."

Not very reassuring. I'd rather not have you know about it either!

"I couldn't entirely believe the report submitted. I thought it might be some kind of trick..."

That's a reasonable assumption.

"But at the same time, there were many things that made sense. If Lord Akira is the Apostle..."

"Apostle?"

"The messenger of the gods. In the true sense. Each denomination's pope is called an Apostle, but I think it's quite dubious."

I'm ignorant even about the religious situation in my own world, let alone this world.

"I received the report last night after our negotiations."

That makes sense.

"I thought during our negotiations as well. Lord Akira seems to be an exceptional person with extraordinary foresight."

"It's a coincidence."

"Do you think so? Even so, your thinking seems detached from reality, as if you were from a different world."

I got flinched. I might have unintentionally shown it on my face.

"And you brought me out here because you can help me... right?"

Her sincere gaze was painful.

I just wanted to assist with the strategy I discreetly confirmed during the conversation between Cherina, the pig king, and me. 

If it doesn't work, I plan to escape immediately.

"...I don't know if I'm the Apostle or not. But I do have the ability to help you."

"In that case...!"

"But it comes at a high price."

"Of course."

Well, imagining being the consolation for that pig bastard is a bit unpleasant.

"Alright, let's do it."