Chapter 24

In front of the Veriello Trading Company stood three splendid white carriages and nearly fifty armed men lined up.

Their armor seemed to be based on leather, but with many decorations, giving them an exotic impression.

Since they were all dressed in the same armor and armed with spears, they must be soldiers. The atmosphere was quite imposing.

"I have kept you waiting, Your Majesty King Piratus II. My father is currently on a business trip to another country, so I am acting on his behalf."

Cherina ran back to the Veriello Trading Company, rushed into the VIP room, and bowed her head. The fat middle-aged man lounging on the sofa waved his hand grandly.

"Hmm. I forgive you. I came unexpectedly, after all."

"Thank you."

"By the way..."

"Yes?"

The man, who looked very much like a pig and seemed to be the king, turned his gaze to me.

"Who is this man? Surely not your fiancé?"

"Eh?"

Cherina looked at my face, then at our linked hands, and her eyes widened in shock.

Didn't you notice?

"Th-this... this is... yes! He's the consultant I hired today! Isn't that right, Akira-sama!"

Cherina maintained her smile and glared at me with a look that brooked no argument. She's quite skilled.

I hid my sigh and responded with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Akira, and from today, I will serve as a consultant to Lady Cherina Veriello. Please remember me."

The pig king's gaze was fixed on our clasped hands. Cherina quickly let go and forced a smile.

Honestly, it was quite painful, so I was relieved to be released.

"Your Majesty, what brings you to such a place? If you had business, you could have summoned us to the castle."

She had been wondering about this. Honestly, if this pig-like man was the king, he would normally summon them to the castle.

Or perhaps he was more active than he looked.

"No, no, I had a few things to confirm."

The king slurped his tea loudly. Wasn't that a breach of etiquette?

"Confirm, you say?"

"Yes. There seems to be a problem with the potatoes delivered yesterday, so I came to verify it myself."

"Problem? We checked everything. Perhaps one or two bad ones might have mixed in, but since it's food..."

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

"Then what is it?"

She was as confused as I was, frowning deeply. It ruined her beauty.

"Not enough."

"...Not enough?"

Her voice was not questioning but disappointed.

"Yes, not enough."

"...I see. We will prepare the missing amount immediately. How much do you need?"

The king smiled and turned to the older man standing beside him.

"Hey! Bring that!"

The man quickly produced a piece of paper... or rather, a parchment, about the size of a thick A3 sheet. The king snatched it and threw it on the table.

I glanced at it. Since I was supposed to be a consultant, it should be fine.

"This is the contract with you. It states that 20 tons of potatoes were to be delivered. However, only 2 tons were delivered... 16 tons are missing!!"

The king puffed out his chest proudly, but the older man whispered something in his ear, and the king's face turned red.

"S-so, when will the remaining 18 tons of potatoes be delivered?"

His proud expression was distorted.

Yeah, that's embarrassing.

But Cherina looked pale, as if she couldn't handle the situation.

"B-but... as agreed, we delivered 2 tons... and the amount we received was only for that..."

"It's written here that it's a down payment. The rest is to be paid next month."

He tapped the document proudly, but there was nothing written there. Could it be that he can't read...?

Cherina clenched her teeth tightly. I could hear the sound from where I stood.

If you clench your teeth too hard, they might break. Ease up a bit.

"So, when will the rest be delivered? Ah, of course, I can only wait until the end of the month... Oh! This month ends today! I must have forgotten!"

What a forgetful old man. This is clearly a setup. The document is probably forged.

But what can you do when the king, the top of the country, forges a document?

"Don't worry, I've prepared soldiers to collect the potatoes immediately. They will transport them, won't they? It's a great honor, isn't it?"

"Y-yes..."

Her molars were grinding.

"Right, right. If, by any chance, the rest are lost due to an accident... hmm, I might be able to do something about it."

The king leered at Cherina and licked his lips. His intentions were obvious.

This is the right moment.

"Your Majesty, may I have a copy of that document?"

"Wh-what?"

The pig king was clearly displeased at having his fun interrupted.

"Perhaps there was a mistake in our copy. I would like to have a copy of the official document."

Yesterday, when we signed the contract with Miss Cherina, we made two copies, one for each party, and even stamped them. Making a copy is standard practice in this world.

"Wh-what is this?"

Huh? Is this document different?

"A copy of the document can be prepared immediately."

The man standing beside the king immediately produced the document. I carefully checked the two copies to ensure there were no errors.

"Indeed. I will go check the warehouse. Perhaps my subordinate made a mistake."

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

"It is an honor to have such a great king visit us. I will have tea prepared for you immediately. Please wait a moment."

I gave a full business smile. The man who prepared the document tried to say something but stopped when he saw the king recline again, amused.

(Cherina, please.)

I leaned close to her ear.

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

Cherina clapped her hands, and preparations began immediately.

"Then, great King. I will return shortly. Please make yourself comfortable."

This time, I pulled Cherina by the sleeve and left the room.

We moved to a place where no one could overhear us.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-yes, but..."

Cherina's face was still pale. Of course, we had only bought time and hadn't solved anything.

"Cherina, is there an empty warehouse somewhere?"

"Eh? Yes... there is. It's not very large, though."

"Will 18 tons of potatoes fit?"

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

"Good, show me the way. Don't forget the key."

Cherina obediently brought the key from the office. Six soldiers followed us to the warehouse.

"Soldiers, we are going to check the inventory. I'm sorry, but we need you to wait outside."

We can't let them see what we're about to do.

"You, if you try to run, it will be very bad for you, understand?"

"We have no intention of running. We will be right back, Your Majesty."

I snatched the key from Cherina and slipped through the small door, pulling her in and locking it immediately.

"Phew, that was close."

"A-Akira-sama..."

"Cut the formalities, this is the real me. We don't have time for politeness."

"Y-yes, that's fine, but... what are we going to do? Preparing 18 tons of potatoes is impossible..."

"Cherina."

"Yes."

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone about what we're about to do."

"..."

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

"Could it be that you will use divine power?"

"!!!!"

I was speechless.

My thoughts came to a halt.

Why?!

How did you get to that conclusion just from a water bottle?!

"I'm sorry. In fact, I had Akira-sama monitored yesterday."

What...?

"Please rest assured, the shadow I used is absolutely loyal to me, and no one else knows about it except the shadow and me."

I can't feel reassured at all. The last person I wanted to know was you!

"I couldn't believe the report at first. I thought it was some kind of trick..."

That's normal.

"But at the same time, many things made sense. If Akira-sama is an apostle..."

"Apostle?"

"An envoy of the gods. The true meaning of it. The popes of various sects are called apostles, but I find that quite suspicious."

I'm not even familiar with the religious situation in my original world, let alone this one.

"I received the report last night, after our negotiation."

Of course.

"During the negotiation, I thought Akira-sama had exceptional foresight."

"It was a coincidence."

"Was it? Even so, your thinking seems otherworldly. As if you were from another world."

I shuddered. My expression might have betrayed me.

"And you brought me here to help... right?"

Her straightforward gaze was painful.

I had only decided to help because the plan I secretly confirmed during the conversation with Cherina and the king seemed to work. If it didn't, I would have fled immediately.

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

"Then...!"

"It will come at a high price."

"Of course."

Thinking about becoming the king's plaything was quite unpleasant.

"Then let's do it."