The weather at sea changed in the blink of an eye. The sky had been clear just moments ago, but now dark clouds had suddenly gathered.
"No wonder I haven't seen many ships heading out today. I really should have asked an experienced old fisherman about the weather." Greiman was deeply regretful. Turning to Queller, he said, "I'll take you back to the inn by carriage. At least it'll keep you dry if it rains along the way."
Queller readily accepted. "Then sorry for the trouble, old pal."
The two of them climbed into Paul's carriage. The coachman gave the reins a shake, and they headed toward the inn in town.
Along the way, Paul continued pondering the power behind Giles. He felt the Holy See was the most likely possibility, and the reason was quite solid: the previous king of the Auldo Kingdom had once clashed fiercely with the Holy See.
When all was said and done, it had been nothing more than the same old conflict between the divine authority of the Church and the secular power of the crown.
That year, the archbishop of the Auldo Kingdom's region had been called by God. Traditionally, when a country's archbishopric became vacant, the Holy See and the country's upper echelons would first communicate and negotiate a candidate acceptable to both sides. The Holy See would then issue an announcement, and the country's leadership would publicly acknowledge the appointment. Everyone would be happy.
But that time, two powerful candidates had emerged. One was a bishop born in Auldo. He had entered a monastery as a child, started out serving diligently in a rural church at the grassroots level, and risen to become a regional bishop after decades of hard work. He was highly respected throughout the kingdom, a close personal friend of the old king, and the candidate with the loudest calls to succeed as archbishop.
The other was a foreign-born bishop parachuted in by the Holy See. He had not held office in the kingdom for long, but he had taught at a seminary in the Holy City, and his students were scattered throughout the nations of the continent.
Old King Rodney XV was no fool. For both public and private reasons, he supported his countryman and personal friend becoming archbishop.
The Holy See was no fool either. Everyone knew the relationship between the Auldonian bishop and the king. If the archbishop under the Holy See and the nobles of the diocese joined forces, how could the Holy See continue to govern? Thus, it openly supported the foreign bishop it had sent over, directly opposing the king.
The two sides engaged in countless open and covert clashes over the archbishopric. Rumor had it that during a cordial closed-door meeting, the old king had become so agitated that he amiably "put" his dentures on the Holy See's envoy's face.
In the end, the kingdom and the Holy See reached a compromise: the candidate supported by the Holy See would take the archbishop's seat, but thereafter, Auldo's regional bishops would be appointed from among its own people whenever possible. Moreover, half of the regional bishops would be appointed preferentially according to the Royal Family's recommendations.
Although they had reached a compromise at the time, the rift remained. Later, Rodney XVI, who succeeded to the throne, had to work extremely hard to repair relations with the Holy See.
That was why Paul suspected that the power behind Giles was very likely the Holy See. But after thinking it over, he felt that probably wasn't the case.
Conflicts between divine and royal authority had happened before. The Holy See's most common methods were to openly excommunicate the ruler of a country that opposed it, or find an obedient proxy among that country's nobility and declare that this was the legitimate ruler recognized by the Lord of Light.
Simple, crude, and effective. It was said that the Holy See had once forced a monarch to stand barefoot in the ice and snow for three days and three nights by excommunicating him.
Sneaking around and making little moves like this didn't seem like the Holy See's style. Could it be that the Holy See felt its influence had declined and would suffer if it confronted them head-on, so it had changed tactics? But there had never been any rumors of Giles's side being especially warm toward the Holy See, either.
Then could it be the Gabella Empire? That seemed unlikely too. The Auldo Kingdom and the Gabella Empire had been joined by marriage for generations, and the two countries' relationship was rock-solid.
While Paul was letting his thoughts run wild, Queller, seated beside him, sighed. "That Giles is wildly ambitious. If he takes control of the Auldo Kingdom, I'm afraid he'll set his sights on the Horn Bay Alliance. I really don't know what those merchant associations are thinking. They'll sacrifice their country's interests for money. I hope the council can take some action."
It was time for him to show off again. Seizing the opportunity, Paul cleared his throat and spoke with an air of profundity. "Queller, a philosopher once said this: as long as there's enough profit, capital becomes bold. With ten percent profit, it can be used everywhere; with twenty percent, it becomes lively; with fifty percent, it takes risks; with a hundred percent, it tramples all human laws; with three hundred percent, it dares commit any crime, even risk the gallows."
"Why have I never heard that before? Still, it's certainly true."
Queller shrugged in agreement. "The Horn Bay Alliance built its nation on commerce. Although we've established laws that seem flawless to outsiders, everyone still has to adapt to them—and learn how to exploit their loopholes."
Coming from a great family, Queller had long since grown used to such things. He tilted his head back and rested both hands behind it. "That's why, after I turned sixteen, I dreamed of becoming an adventurer. I wanted to roam the entire world without a care, free of restraints and all those infuriating rules."
"So you came all the way to Northwest Bay to go adventuring?"
"That's right. And my old man even commissioned the Lichman Adventurer Group to find me. It was a godsend of an opportunity. I really want to join them." Queller suddenly became excited.
"The Lichman Adventurer Group? The people from the church that day?"
"Yes. That adventurer group is famous throughout the south. They've resolved quite a few crises."
Paul asked, somewhat puzzled, "Are adventurers just another name for mercenaries?"
"No, no, no!" Queller waved his index finger from side to side, rejecting Paul's claim. "Although both take people's money to solve their problems, adventurers have their own moral standards and a complete set of professional regulations."
"Besides, dedicated institutions like the Adventurer's Guild have been established in all the major countries and regions. On one hand, they provide local adventurers with services such as posting commissions and collecting payment. On the other, they also restrain them by monitoring whether adventurers violate professional regulations or local laws."
"Mercenaries, by comparison, have far fewer restrictions. They also have a lower threshold for the jobs they'll accept. They're often active in wars between countries, and there are always people willing to kill and rob for their employers in exchange for money."
"Then can you tell me about the Lichman Adventurer Group? What can each of them do?"
"Oh, I only know the four members who came to rescue me. The pink-haired girl is Meru Heimer. She's petite, but incredibly strong, and her weapon is the uncommon flail. She serves as the Regiment Commander."
"The blue-haired young man is Dean Issac. He's skilled with daggers and extremely agile, so he handles scouting, tracking, and similar tasks."
"The yellow-haired young man is named Kai. He's very sturdily built and wields a greatsword."
"The Green-haired girl is named Laddie. She's rather special. Her actual profession is scholar, and she joined the adventurer group to travel around and expand her knowledge. But she's also highly skilled. She serves as the team's archer and crossbowman, and knows some medical techniques as well."
Paul asked curiously, "A scholar who can use bows and crossbows? That's certainly rare."
"Exactly!" Queller slapped his thigh. "Dean said Miss Laddie could hit a fly from 150 meters away. I figure he was exaggerating. It's impressive enough for a girl to be able to draw a bow."
Before you continue