Chapter 306 The High Priestess’s Boisterous Breakdown at the Frontier Tavern
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Nick (Neil’s fake name) POV
The very evening I’d heard about the run-in between Espera-san and Betty, Lewya and I were making our way toward the dining hall.
”You said we were going to ask around,” Lewya commented, his tone pragmatic. “Is there someone in the dining hall who knows a lot about the Inquisitor?”
”Remember Harmon-san’s buddy, Demar-san? He’s actually from the Theocracy,” I explained, cautious. “I figure he’d know more than we do.”
”I see,” Lewya observed. “But it makes me wonder, there are so many people from different nations gathered in this frontier settlement. Are there really that many people who leave their homeland to settle down in another country?”
”Hmm, I think a lot more people come to the Empire from outside and put down roots compared to the other nations,” I mused. “The Empire’s generally considered the most politically stable of the three major nations, after all.”
”Fascinating. We hear a lot of annoying stories about the Empire since we’re here, but I suppose the other two nations are even worse,” Lewya concluded.
”Worse isn’t exactly right; it’s more like the quality of the hassle is different,” I clarified. “The Empire has a ton of trouble involving the nobles, but since it’s noble-related, it rarely affects the regular citizens directly. On the other hand, the Theocracy and the Kingdom have frequent trouble with ihomono¹, which tends to constantly drag the populace into it.”
Truth be told, even in the Empire, the fallout from noble-related issues often hit the common people, so there really wasn’t as much of a difference as people on the outside claimed. It just wasn’t as direct, making it harder for the average citizen to notice.
As we were talking, we finally arrived at the dining hall. We stepped inside and immediately started scanning for our target. Since it was still just barely within business hours, a few regular customers were still scattered around, but we quickly spotted Harmon-san and his group. I approached their table and offered a friendly greeting.
”Good evening, everyone.”
”…”
”Uh, everyone?” I wondered aloud.
That was weird. Not only did nobody answer, but every single one of them was staring in the same direction, completely motionless. There was nothing special at all in their line of sight. I called out a few more times, but since no one reacted, I leaned in and tapped Harmon-san on the shoulder.
”Harmon-san!”
”Whoa! Nick? When did you get here?” Harmon-san yelped, jolting.
”‘When did I get here’—I’ve been calling out to you all this whole time, but nobody would answer me,” I pressed.
”Is that so? My bad, my bad. I was just really focused,” he admitted.
”I could see that, but what exactly were you so focused on?”
I shifted my gaze once more to the spot they were all staring at: a customer at the counter completely covered by a stark white hood, just eating a meal like normal. There was absolutely nothing noteworthy about them.
”You can’t see a thing standing way over there, can you? Come here.”
”Woah!?”
Harmon-san suddenly threw his arm around my shoulder, forcing my body into a quick crouch.
”There, look at them from this angle!”
”‘Look at them’—it’s not like anything’s going to change just because I crouch… Hmm?”
Down low, the hooded customer was still quietly eating, but the change in angle, peering from beneath the armpit, revealed a part of the person’s front that was invisible when standing up.
“Nku, nku—PU-HA!“
They finished the contents of the wooden mug, and the instant they slammed the now-empty mug on the counter, the resulting vibration made the customer’s chest boing! right up and down.
”T-Those breasts are…!” I stammered.
”Amazing, ain’t they?” Harmon-san crowed. “Even Kilk, who usually acts like he doesn’t have any interest in women, can’t take his eyes off of them!”
”Tch…! That’s just unfair! This isn’t about having an interest in women or not! When they’re asserting themselves like that, anyone is going to stare!” Kilk-san protested, defensive.
”Heheh, is that really the truth, though?” Harmon-san leered.
”Stop looking at me with that disgusting face!” Kilk-san shot back.
Harmon-san and Kilk-san were bickering right beside me, but I was so preoccupied with the person in front of me that their argument barely registered in my head. That exaggerated, assertive explosion of cleavage made it clear—despite the disguise—that this was undoubtedly Reinele-san.
Why was Reinele-san eating here? It wasn’t wrong for her to be here, but was a High Priestess traveling alone, even in a disguise, really a safe and prudent thing to do? The thought made me uneasy. Still, I was here on a secret mission myself, so the wisest course of action was to look the other way. Just as I decided that, a voice broke the tension.
”Ugh, you people have been so noisy. I know it can’t be helped that this frontier settlement has so many hot-blooded people, but this is a place for dining, so please be a little quieter… Nee…”
Complaining to the bickering Harmon-san and Kilk-san, Reinele-san turned around, and her eyes instantly locked with mine.
”Eh, why is Ne—WAAAH!!”
”W-Why did you suddenly yell—Mmph!“
I clamped my hand over Reinele-san’s mouth the instant she was about to utter my real name, and practically dragged her to the corner table furthest away from the other patrons.
”Hey, Nick! Are you friends with that lady?! That’s not fair, introduce me!” Harmon-san demanded, frustrated.
”Maybe another time, please!” I replied, pushing him away.
Shaking off Harmon-san, I finally got Reinele-san seated at the edge of the dining hall. The dragging must have cooled her head a bit; she didn’t make a fuss, waiting until we were both seated before she opened her mouth.
”…Judging by that exchange, it seems like Neil-sama is also here on a secret visit, yes?”
”Yes. So please refer to me as Nick, a servant working at the mansion, while we’re here,” I instructed. “And, um… What should I call you?”
”Reinele is fine. I’m only dressed this way because my usual attire attracts too much attention when I go out,” she whispered.
”…I see.”
I thought that a simple cloth bandage would be much more effective than the hood, but I kept the obvious, harassing observation to myself.
”Reinele-san, why are you at the dining hall? I thought the Clinic had its own kitchen,” I inquired.
Since the High Priests and Priestesses conceal their faces, they can’t go out to eat, forcing them to cook for themselves inside the Clinic. Reinele-san doesn’t cover her face, so she could go out, but she’s still a High Priestess and a potential target. I couldn’t help but wonder why she risked coming out alone just to eat.
”…Because it’s tasteless.”
”Pardon?”
”The food is just disgusting!” she burst out, her voice loud. “I know we’re short on funds, but there’s a limit to how simple the meals can be!”
Wow… Reinele-san’s cry from the soul made me recoil a little. Where was the timid, fidgeting person from earlier today? Even accounting for my secret visit, she was like a completely different person… Ah.
”Reinele-san, are you… drunk?”
”Huh? No, I’m not that drunk. I’ve only had three drinks… Wait, was that four?” she pondered, slurring slightly.
”You’ve had quite a bit,” I pointed out.
She wasn’t absolutely wasted, but she was definitely feeling the effects.
”Is it that bad? You’re making money from your treatments, so shouldn’t your personal finances be comfortable?” Lewya inquired, blunt.
”H-Hold on, Lewya!?” I gasped.
I panicked at the sheer directness of the question, but Reinele-san—perhaps because she was drunk—didn’t seem to mind Lewya’s phrasing and answered openly.
”We have hardly any funds! We’re too busy trying to help the poor, and the policy of my Theocracy is to give everything we can to the poor if we have any extra funds,” she confided. “My rank went up, and I was supposed to get a raise, but the amount left in my hands is pretty much the same as when I was a Lower Priestess—no, it might even be less…”
”So, it’s a case of a High Priestess having to set an example for those below her, then?” I deduced.
”Exactly! ‘As a High Priestess, you must not do anything that sets a poor example for your subordinates! Luxury is out of the question, and you must actively donate to the Association!’” she wailed. “Honestly, I was better off when I was just a Middle Priestess!”
”That’s a surprise. I always assumed a High Priestess would be highly favored and living a reasonable life,” I confessed.
”Well, I’m not exactly in need,” Reinele corrected. “Most of my necessary things are provided, so I don’t have any financial struggles. But if you ask me if I’m satisfied with that life, well, frustration tends to build up, doesn’t it?”
”And that’s why you came to the dining hall alone, to blow off some steam from your daily frustrations,” Lewya finished.
”Yes… So, please, can you keep this a secret from Espera-san? I’ll keep your secret, too,” she pleaded, tearful.
”Haha… Understood,” I chuckled, relieved.
She was too drunk to realize it, but Reinele-san had been talking at a pretty high volume for a while now, and the other customers in the dining hall had probably figured out her identity completely. I was constantly on edge, worried that she might call me Neil-sama or accidentally blurt out my real identity at any second.
”But you said you had no money, yet you seem to have eaten and drunk quite a lot,” Lewya observed.
As he spoke, Lewya glanced over at the counter seat where Reinele-san had been sitting, where several empty plates were stacked up.
”Ehehe, well, I haven’t been completely stripped of every last platinum coin, you know,” she admitted. “I’ve actually been saving money for a very long time, but I could never spend it because a High Priestess indulging in luxury in the Theocracy would be noticed immediately. The food and drinks here are delicious, and best of all, they’re cheap! So, I just ended up ordering too much. Though, my savings are starting to look a little pathetic now, so I’ll have to start saving again soon.”
”Wait, are your savings almost gone already?” I asked, surprised.
”Well, I’ve been here a few times before—not always at the same time—and I’ve also been discreetly spending money on the road before I even got to the frontier settlement… Ehehe.”
It seemed she had accumulated much more frustration than I’d initially thought. But then again, a single binge session probably wasn’t enough to relieve the pressure that had built up from everything I’d just heard. It made me feel genuinely sorry for Reinele-san.
”…Alright. Maybe meeting like this is some kind of fate, so I’ll cover the bill today,” I offered.
”Eh?! Are you sure?” she gasped.
”Yes, don’t hold back—order whatever you want,” I assured her.
”T-Then…”
Reinele-san tentatively raised her hand and ordered more food and drink. I watched her with a smile at first, but then the atmosphere slowly began to turn unsettling—
”You have to listen to this, Nick-san! A Deacon I’d just met last year suddenly pointed at my chest and teased me, saying, ‘You look just like a Cow Beastkin’! Don’t you think that’s awful?!” she loudly complained.
”T-That is a terrible thing to say…” I murmured.
”I knew it! That’s just not acceptable to say to a young woman you just met!! In the Empire or the Kingdom, this is called… what was it again? Ah! That’s right, sexual harassment! I wanted to scream ‘That’s sexual harassment!’ but that word was apparently brought over by an ihomono, and I’d get yelled at if I used it, so I couldn’t!”
Oh man, she was completely hammered. What was I supposed to do about this?
”But being teased about my chest is fine! I don’t like it, but I’m used to it! The real problem is being called a Cow Beastkin! Do you know why?!”
”No… I don’t,” I admitted.
”The Deacon probably meant it as a joke, but there are so many hardheaded people in the higher ranks who absolutely can’t take a joke like that! Thanks to that, I’ve been falsely suspected of having ihomono blood, and I’ve felt so uncomfortable and unwelcome in the Theocracy! Bwahahahaaa!“
”R-Reinele-san, try to calm down a little,” I urged.
”I am calm! If I wasn’t calm, I’d march right back to the Theocracy and knead the heads of all the hardheaded superiors until they went soft! Bwaaaahhhhhh!!”
She went from being angry to suddenly sobbing. I figured trying to talk to her would only make things worse, so I decided to wait until she calmed down a little. While I was waiting, Lewya posed a question.
”I’ve never heard of a Cow Beastkin. What kind of species is that? Do they also have large chests?” Lewya asked, pragmatic.
”I don’t really know, and I’m not even sure if they actually exist,” I admitted.
”Hmm? They don’t exist?”
”I’ve just never heard of one. There are all kinds of ihomono in this world, so there are species I don’t know about, of course. That’s why I can’t definitively say if they exist or not.”
”I see. In that case, are there any ihomono whose species is characterized by a large chest? Reinele’s chest is abnormally large, so the possibility that she has some of that blood mixed in can’t be denied. Isn’t that why she’s being suspected?” Lewya probed, observant.
”Ugh, the Theocracy is pretty strict about that sort of thing. For someone from outside to become a citizen of the Theocracy, they have to prove that they don’t have any ihomono blood going back to their great-grandparents’ generation. It would be difficult for someone with ihomono blood to become a priestess. Besides, I’ve never heard of an ihomono species that is naturally large-chested,” I reasoned.
”Ughhh, it’s all just chest, chest, chest! Do you all really care that much about these big boobs?! You Boob Cultists!” Reinele lamented, clutching her breasts with both hands.
I was so glad the business hours were over! Harmon-san and his friends had already left, and the only other customers remaining were just us. Everyone working at the dining hall had gone home except for Narsht-san, so it would be easy to cover up any explosive declaration Reinele-san might make.
”Hey Neil, she’s pretty chatty because of the alcohol. Now that Harmon and the others are gone, why don’t you ask Reinele directly?” Lewya suggested.
”Ah… Is it really alright to ask Reinele-san directly, though?” I worried.
”Hic… What is it? Are you two whispering about me, the big-breasted one, saying mean things?! Wait, were the big breasts saying mean things about me? Or was I saying mean things about my big breasts? Hnnn?” she slurred, confused.
”More importantly, can we even get a coherent answer out of her right now?” I muttered.
Still, since Harmon-san and his group had left, there was no one else to ask. The subject matter was too sensitive to put off until tomorrow, so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
”Reinele-san, may I ask you something?” I inquired, trying to sound firm.
”What is it? Is it about the size of my boobs?” she questioned, fixated.
How much longer was she going to keep bringing up her chest? I wondered if she wasn’t the one most drawn to her own cleavage.
”I want to ask about what happened today. I heard you ran into one of the maids working at the mansion on your way back,” I explained.
”Hmm? The maid?”
”Yes, I heard you ran into her, and that Espera-san was acting very cautious.”
”Ah, that person… Ah.”
Understanding what I was asking about finally seemed to pierce her drunken fog. The blood drained from Reinele-san’s face in an instant.
”Um, regarding that topic…”
”I know it’s a sensitive topic, but could you please tell me?” I pleaded, earnest. “I don’t want to cause any trouble with the Theocracy. If there’s a way for us to resolve this peacefully, I want to explore it. Of course, since we’ve agreed to keep our meeting a secret, I’ll also keep the source of this information a secret.”
”…What exactly do you want to know?”
”I heard Espera-san nearly displayed open hostility but ultimately left without doing anything. I’m concerned about whether that was a one-time thing or if she simply withdrew to prepare for another move. I need to know which of the two it is.”
”If that’s the case, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. The Theocracy might have immediately carried out an execution, but this is the Empire,” Reinele confided. “And if she were to harm someone working at Neil-sama’s mansion, it could escalate into a major international incident.”
”So, we can assume that Espera-san backed down after considering the relationship between our two nations?” I clarified.
”Hmm… I only met Espera-san for the first time regarding this matter, so I don’t know her well, but she’s more knowledgeable than the other Inquisitors, and she’s very detached—like a person who’s on their tenth life, or something like that,” Reinele explained, trying to form a clear thought. “She’s very calm and always looking ahead. Ugh… I’m drunk, so I can’t really put my thoughts into words, but Reinele-san at that time didn’t look like she was thinking, ‘I had no choice but to let it go because of the relationship between the two countries.’ It looked more like she simply lost interest—that’s the impression I got. That’s why it stuck with me.”
”In any case, we can assume that Espera won’t be taking any action?” Lewya pressed, direct.
”Yes. She hasn’t made any preparations since returning, and I don’t think she’ll move unless there’s a threat to the safety of the priests and priestesses,” Reinele assured us.
”I see,” I sighed.
Hearing that, I felt relieved. If they wouldn’t make a move unless we did, and we had no intention of doing so, then there shouldn’t be a problem as long as the status quo was maintained. As Lewya and I settled into our sense of security, Reinele-san threw out an utterly unexpected question.
”Um, can I ask you a question, too?”
”Yes, what is it?”
”Is that person a Lycus²?”
”!!”
We froze solid at the question that went straight to the heart of the matter. I never expected her to figure it out so easily.
”H-How did you know that?” I stammered, panicking.
”Her ears and tail shape are exactly the same, and even though the hair color was different, hair color can be easily changed with magic or medicine, so Espera-san told me on the way back that she must be a Lycus.”
”So she knew the whole time,” Lewya stated.
”…Well, if she knew and is still choosing to look the other way, that’s actually better for us. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky,” I concluded.
We definitely didn’t want the situation where they were just waiting to execute action because they were still in the stage of mere suspicion. This was, in fact, advantageous for us.
In the end, we still didn’t know why Espera-san had decided to look the other way, but at least Betty’s safety was tentatively guaranteed, which was the most important thing. Since it was getting late, we decided to break up for the night. I thought we would be able to face tomorrow without incident, but I would realize just how naive I was the very next day.
—
Summary:
Nick and Lewya hit the frontier dining hall to get the dirt on the spooky Inquisitor, Espera-san. But they crash right into High Priestess Reinele, who is drunk, loud, and full of secrets. She spills the messy truth about the Theocracy’s strict rules, the awful food, and how she’s an accidental target just because of her massive chest. The big reveal is that Espera-san already knows Betty’s a Lycus but is—for some weird reason—leaving her alone. It all seems fine, but a massive storm is brewing for the next day.
—
Character Insight:
Reinele, who seems all calm and proper, is a powder keg of frustration thanks to the Theocracy’s hypocritical rules and her lack of agency. Her massive bust is a huge point of anxiety and a secret rebellion against the strict, ascetic rules of her church. Nick is completely stressed out by this messy situation, trying to balance his own secret with hers.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter was made to get some honest, messy details about the Theocracy’s inner workings out into the open. Reinele was only supposed to be a one-off character for exposition, but honestly, her drunken breakdown and all that boob drama made her too fun to write. I might bring her back for more trouble later. By the way, no, her massive chest is not a species trait; she’s just naturally well-endowed.
—
T/L:
¹ Ihomono: Literally ‘different thing’ or ‘non-human’. This is the term used in this world for demi-humans, beastkin, and other non-human races, and often carries a strong negative/suspicious connotation, especially in the Theocracy. ↩
² Lycus: A specific type of beastkin, likely wolf or dog-based, distinguished by their characteristic ears and tail. ↩
Notes:
• Nick – A servant who serves Neil and is trusted to protect him. He is strong enough to potentially fight Momoka. He first appears in Chapter 225, where he is introduced as a servant who is worried about Neil’s well-being after a monster attack. He is later revealed to be Neil himself, pretending to be a servant named Nick.
• Espera – An Inquisitor (middle clergy rank) of the Pentis faith from the Theocracy, serving as the official point of contact. She is characterized by her crisp tone and brutal honesty, defending the necessity of charging high fees (‘fair compensation’) to maintain their resources and aid the suffering. She possesses a cool, assessing gaze and is highly perceptive, noticing Bearty and closely examining her distinctive features before choosing to leave without incident.
• Harmon – An experienced hunter and guard who came to the settlement and stayed. He is part of a hunting group with Demar, Dominic, Jott, Victor and Kilk. He knows Nick and Lewya, and discusses business ideas with Nick. He first appears in Chapter 220.
• Kilk – A man from the northernmost part of the Republic, where the climate is extremely cold. Due to his upbringing, he has a strong sense of individualism and prefers to work alone. He initially refused to join Harmon’s group but eventually chose to fight to protect the frontier settlement. He is practical, efficient, and values safety. Kilk first appears in Chapter 229.
• Reinele – A High Priestess (higher clergy rank than Espera) of the Pentis faith. She is highly nervous, timid, and fidgety, nearly knocking something over in her stress in Lord Neil’s presence. She is visually distinct among the clergy as her robes strain under ‘gravity-defying architecture,’ suggesting a very large figure. She is uncomfortable with Espera’s open discussion of money and compensation for healing services. Have long blonde hair.
• Narsht-san – MC’s chef.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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