While he said that this undead creature was ruled by the Sorcerer King, those bonds were not visible to the naked eye. This made walking in front of it several times more frightening to them than going before, say, a carnivore who was unchained, but which would not attack because its belly was full.
Remedios planned to go forward first, but Gustavo stopped her. After that, he looked to Neia.
I’m the canary, huh.
There was nothing wrong with that logic when one considered whose life would matter least if it was lost. Even so, despite their determination to protect the weak, their own squire was a different matter.
Neia steeled herself for what lay ahead, squeezed her eyes shut, and then strode forward.
After taking several steps forward, she slowly opened her eyes. She had not been cut down. She quickened her pace, and hastily moved past the undead being.
After seeing Neia had crossed safely, the other paladins followed behind her. In the end, nobody was attacked, and they reached their destination.
The soldier opened the door, revealing a long table and many plain chairs.
“Please wait in this room for a while.”
“Understood. Thank you for leading us here.”
Remedios jerked her chin, and Gustavo produced a small pouch from safekeeping and handed it to the soldier who had brought them here. It was a tip.
“Please don’t!”
His rejection was so fierce that it was almost like a cry of despair.
The soldier raised his hands above his head, utterly unwilling to touch that pouch.
Everyone was shocked by his reaction, as was Neia. She could not think of any reason for the soldier’s reaction.
“We are all paid by His Majesty, so please allow me to refuse your show of consideration.”
“But, but since you did us a service… and it’s not a very big sum, no?”
“No, there’s no need for that. I’ll wait outside until the seminar is over.”
The soldier swiftly retreated from the room. The remaining people looked at each other, mystified by the soldier’s overwrought reaction.
“Is that really all right?”
“He said no, so there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Tipping was a natural thing. While not tipping was not a problem, most people of stature did practice tipping. Of course, some people did so to minimize the time needed for luggage inspections and ask people to take care of various small matters, but they had not made any such requests. Frankly speaking, they were simply doing what would be expected of people in their station.
If that was an instruction from the Sorcerer King, then what was his aim in doing so?
“We weren’t told where to sit. So it’s free seating, then.”
After everyone sat as the Captain had directed, a short time passed before the door opened once more.
Neia turned back, and then her eyes went wide.
The entity who had entered was not human.
It was a creature whose species had a human’s upper body and a snake’s lower body, a Naga.
There were several offshoots of the Naga race — for instance, the Sea Nagas which occasionally appeared along the Holy Kingdom’s coasts — but which subspecies this one belonged to was unclear. However, all of them were demihumans who held no goodwill for humanity, yet Neia did not feel terribly afraid.
All this was thanks to that black undead. Compared to that, she could at least muster up a rational response to this.
Ah! Was that what it was all about? That frightening undead creature was not just intended to frighten people, but to numb people to the shock of seeing demihumans? They really did put a lot of thought into letting demihumans coexist with humans...
It would seem the Sorcerer King was not just a powerful undead being.
The Naga slithered through the silent room, paying no heed to the group’s response as he moved in front of them, whereupon he bowed slightly.
“Thank you for waiting, dear humans who wish to enter this city. This one is an immigration official for the Sorcerous Kingdom, Ryurarius Spenia Ai Indarun. Well, it is hardly a vocation which will bring this one into contact with you, so there is no need to remember that name. Then, without further ado, let us begin. This one will briefly explain the differences between living in this city and the surrounding cities, as well as things one should be aware of… firstly, drawing weapons within the city is strictly forbidden.”
That was a very reasonable admonition, and Neia let the tension flow out of her shoulders.
“Mm, many would think of it as an ordinary reminder,” Ryurarius pointed to his face with a slender finger. “It’s written all over your faces. However, I would like you to remember that many races walk the streets of the Sorcerous Kingdom. You have already seen the undead holding their heads up high and walking proudly through the streets. Even if they strike you as dangerous beings, drawing your weapon on them without provocation would be a serious crime, no?”
“A moment please. Does that mean we must flee if a dangerous being appears?”
“That is not the case. Even if there are dangerous entities in the city, none of them will harm you. Even so, there are cases where people feel afraid, or they feel they might be attacked, and thus they draw their weapons anyway. That is what this one was talking about.”
“Can you be sure we won’t be attacked?”
“Oh yes… of the many dangerous creatures who walk through this place, those who will most alarm you are probably His Majesty’s subordinates.”
Ryurarius smiled tiredly.
“Once you stay here for more than a day, your wariness will wane and you will no longer mind them. Well, the first day is the biggest problem. And of course, drawing your weapons in self-defense is perfectly fine.”
“I see. So it’s all right as long as it’s done in self-defense.”
“Mm, yes. Also, mind control magic will be used in the course of investigating crimes in this city. Please keep that in mind.”
Neia’s eyes went wide. Nor was she the only one to do so. A commotion erupted from the paladins. As their representative, Remedios stated her opinion.
“A moment please. Is the Sorcerous Kingdom such a crude nation? Do they allow the use of spells? Are the courts also that way?”
In general, mind control magic was not used when questioning people about crimes.
For instance, by using 「Dominate」, one could make anyone a criminal for a brief period of time. By using 「Charm」, one could find a patsy for any crime. The fact that mind control magic could be used to manufacture offenders to one’s liking caused it to be viewed as a crude act practiced only by tyrants.
“The courts also use similar means. Oh, but I can confidently say that His Majesty will not compel you to speak untruths. On that point you need not worry.”
How could anyone believe that? The use of mind control magic meant that once a nation decided that someone was a dangerous individual, they could paint them as a criminal and then deal with them. No human being would trust an undead being they had never met before.
Nobody said that, but they probably all felt the same way.
“Also, I wish to ask… if you will not enter, will you be returning right away?”
“...No, we can’t do that. Please allow us entry.”
“Ho. That was the quickest answer yet. Traders would usually ask for time and then discuss among themselves. Then, let us continue.”
After that, Ryurarius touched on how “Undead horses drew carriages along the roads,” and other weird things that seemed to mess with her mind. However, when he said, “Sometimes Dragons will fly overhead, so do not be alarmed or let your horses run amok,” her face twitched.