The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 96 It Really Feels That Close (Bonus chapter tonight! Thanks to Prometheus, the Alliance Leader!)
As the meeting concluded, the masked lords seated at the round table disappeared one after another as the fog dissipated.

Just as Leon was about to catch his breath, he discovered that two lords were still lingering there and had not yet left.

The seating arrangement in the council was fixed, which allowed him to recognize the identity of each masked lord.

He looked at one of them:
"Is there anything else, [Orion Silver Shield]?"

The other party got straight to the point:

When will martial law be lifted?

"After the next round of 'spear tax' is collected."

"My daughter is still locked up outside the city."

“We all know that the orcs will not attack this city, and even if she is not in Dragongold City, she is perfectly safe. You can rest assured.”

"No, I just haven't seen her in a long time. Let her in."

"Then the martial law order became nothing more than empty talk."

“Since you can let Merard Barry walk through the city gates, then my daughter must also have that right.”

“I did not ‘let it go’.”

【Night Breeze】—

Leon snorted coldly, and after a roar like a lion, a figure that had been hiding in the shadows slowly walked up to him.

The ground was indistinguishable from fine sand to him, so much so that he couldn't make a sound with his footsteps.

"Have you investigated why Merad was able to enter the city gates?"

The sound of the night wind was hoarse and deep:
"Someone persuaded the captain of the guard."

"It's that simple?"

“I didn’t see anything else amiss. They were even talking when I arrived at the city gate. I couldn’t detect any trace of magic on either of them.”

"You mean, that guy convinced a guard captain who always goes against me, just by talking?!"

'Dragon Cavalry Commander' Orion cursed loudly.

"Damn it, where the hell did this genius come from?!"

“He was carrying a lute; perhaps he was a bard.”

The night wind only offers simple narration and inferences, without commenting on other matters.

"What's wrong with bards? Haven't I seen plenty of bards? Aren't they all just a bunch of show-offs who only know how to brag and flatter? Shouldn't we be even more at odds with that bastard who guards the city gate?"
"Dismiss him! This derelict official must be removed!"

"Let's talk about it when I find the right person."

Leon slowly walked toward the 'window' behind the round table.

The windows were not sealed, so those near the windowsill could feel a slight, restless evening breeze ruffling his mane.

He was standing inside the 'dragon's' eye socket.

This allowed his gaze to sweep across the entire bustling, brightly lit city from its highest point, landing on the magnificent city gate at the dragon's tail:
"There aren't many guards who dare to defy the nobles; I always need some people to keep you in check—"

To avoid turning this city into a stinking ditch like [Tyron] or [Black Lagoon], where ordinary people aren't treated like human beings.

"When have I, leading my own troops, ever hindered urban development?"

"Aren't there countless examples of people taking advantage of being a member of the 'cavalry' to go to brothels and get free services?"

"Only three incidents occurred this year, isn't that much less than in previous years?"

"It's happening on all sides!"

Leon frowned and said,
"It wasn't until evening that the 'Brothers Club' delivered the whistleblower's letter to me!"

“Son of the beach! I only ordered them to strictly forbid them from entering ‘brothels,’ who would have thought that some people would be so repressed as to go to ‘clubs’?”
"Alright, I'll deal with this seriously right away, to prevent this kind of behavior from spreading throughout the team."

The last lord didn't bother to explain further and quickly disappeared.

He was terrified that the entire cavalry unit had become 'brothers who knew each other inside and out'.

Leon felt his ears were much quieter, then looked at the other lord, the leader of the Deep Well District who had cast the final vote—

"Report on the collection of the 'spear tax'."

"Only a few adventurers who were unwilling to pay taxes for nothing and the poor remained."

"Make a note of the names of those adventurers who don't pay taxes, and deduct it from their future mission bounties. As for the poor, I will continue to cover their expenses as usual."

"Two silver coins. Half to be paid to the advance troops as wages, and half as compensation for the wounded. Is that right?"

With Leon's nod, the last lord disappeared from the government hall.

"Night Wind, keep an eye on that bard—"

I don't believe that little white pig managed to get out of the Dawn and Dusk Forest on its own.

The night wind did not respond, but as if it had melted into the shadow, it disappeared from sight in an instant.

Only then did Leon seem to breathe a sigh of relief, slumping down on a bench in front of the round table.

After a while, the figure of a masked lord suddenly appeared in a corner of the government hall.

The other party looked around and found that only a tired lion remained in the government hall:

Am I too early?

His pronunciation was unclear, as if he had just woken up.

"It has ended!"

"I'm leaving."

"Halt, Stella!"

"what's up?"

Leon took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and pinched his forehead again:
"I'm not even expecting you to come up with any constructive proposals, but could you at least be a little more punctual?!"

"This outfit is too much trouble to put on."

“Is this the point!?”

"'Meow,' your voice is so loud."

"Don't call me by that name—hundreds of years ago, I was already bestowed the glorious name of [Lion Lionheart]!"

“Too much trouble, I can’t remember it.” Leon slammed his fist on the round table, and the entire “dragon head” of the government building visibly trembled and made a rumbling sound.

But the Masked Lord wasn't even actually standing in front of him, and he wasn't intimidated at all:
"I need to go back to sleep."

"Wait—you can see everything Merad went through through that eye, right?"

Leon's breathing was heavy, but after struggling, he finally gave in and steered the conversation back on track.

Only then did the other party give up the idea of ​​leaving:
"can."

"Although I tested that little white pig with the [Domain of Honesty], there's no guarantee that there's something he overlooked that wasn't counted as a 'lie'."

So I have to ask you again—

Did any of the people who left Xingmei Town discover the existence of the 'dragon egg'?

"..."

Why are you silent?

"I just woke up, let me think."

Stella shook her head.
"No."

Leon breathed a sigh of relief and finally felt a little more at ease:
"In other words, the dragon egg might still be hidden somewhere in Starplum Town... After we take over the land, we should send some adventurers to investigate it carefully."

"Why not now?"

"The land and all its treasures shall belong to the local lord." This was the law she established when she founded Dragongold City.

“If you really cared about her that much, you wouldn’t have killed her.”

"..."

"Sleepy. Goodnight, 'meow'."

"I told you, you're not allowed to call me that name anymore—"

Before Leon's roar could subside, the other person had already vanished from the spot.

He couldn't help but stomp his foot, but his overly burly frame caused him to bump his head on the round table in front of him.
Damn it, my knees!

……

"Ha, I used to be an adventurer just like you, until I took an arrow to the knee!"

"That's such a pity. Life must have become so boring guarding this city gate."

"No, that's not true. Occasionally, I do stumble upon some interesting things—like the other day, I stopped the young lady of the Silver Shield family."

In this world, the only dishes that can truly accompany alcohol are 'spicy and sour fish skin' and 'the awkwardness of an aristocrat'!

"That's wonderfully said! Perhaps I should raise a toast to you!"

"No, no. I'm still on duty. After this martial law is lifted, how about we two good buddies find a tavern—[Mermaid's Song]? Their [Spicy Abyss Fish Skin Salad] is their signature dish. We can have a good drink there!"

"No problem, feel free to contact me anytime!"

"Of course, take care!"

Seeing his good friend heading towards the town outside Longwei Pass, the captain of the guard returned to his post with cheerful steps.

The guards who had watched them chat all evening finally couldn't help but step forward and ask:

"Boss, is that your friend? We've never met him before, what's his name?"

"What should I call you? I don't know."

The captain of the guard blinked, then, as if realizing something, suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Oops!"

Several guards said nervously:
"You were fooled by magic? That person is suspicious!?"

"I forgot to ask his name!"

"what?"

They looked at each other, gazing in the direction the poet had disappeared into the distance, and couldn't help but mutter to themselves:

"Is he really that kind?"

In fact, the impact of the "ordinary heroes" was far more effective than Tang Qi had imagined.

It was like an imperceptible halo; any civilian who came into contact with him would show friendliness because of Tang Qi's 'kindness'.

Furthermore, the stronger one's sense of identity as a "commoner," the greater the benefits.

This, in turn, allowed him to easily persuade the captain of the guard to let Merad and his "guards," Shatter, pass by simply using the excuse of "reporting the details of the orc tribe to the lord."

But feeling comfortable doesn’t mean abandoning principles.

So Tang Qi, an outsider with no status, still couldn't get into Longjin City no matter how much he talked.

"We'll have to wait until martial law is lifted before making any further plans..."

He desperately wanted a drink of water and hurried toward the main force outside Longwei Pass.

But before he could take more than a few steps, the halfling Chuck leaped out of the door of the "Friendly House," holding a glass of clear ale, and trotted up to Tang Qi:

"To be honest, before I met you, I thought the most talkative person in the world was Rumi."

He was a dwarf adventurer who had traveled through seventy-three different adventure parties in Dragongold City. Each party would say the same thing after kicking him out—

'A silent Rumi might be a very reliable guy, but you can't silence Rumi.'

Tang Qi took the glass of wine that Chuck handed him and gulped it down in one go.

The chilled ale diluted some of the bitterness, moistened his throat, and allowed Tang Qi to laugh heartily:

"Then I really hope to meet him."

"There will be opportunities. After all, he rarely gets missions, so he always comes to Dragon Tail Pass to drink."

Chuck couldn't even imagine what a noisy scene it would turn into.

But that's not something he should be thinking about right now.
"Sir, the red-haired girl has decided to stay at our [Friendship House]."

She told me that after you finish speaking with the captain of the guard, please be sure to come to her room.

Regarding the future plans for Golden Oak, as a shareholder, you must know these things...

"We may not be able to proceed as planned."

　Thank you so much, Prometheus, for being the patron!
　　I'll be adding an extra chapter tonight, with at least 3 words!!!
　　Thank you to every reader for your support!
　　Love you guys! ! !
　　
　
(End of this chapter)