Ehehe...

Everything else was fine, but regarding road construction, the demand for slime adhesive would inevitably be massive.

To avoid causing a shock to the market, I had to start purchasing it in advance.

Speaking of which, I still haven't explored all of Brilliant City yet.

Brilliant City has clearly calmed down a lot lately. One purpose of coming out today was to discuss the slime adhesive with Camilla.

On the other hand, I also wanted to see if the chaos in Brilliant City had truly subsided.

Clearly, the situation on the streets was much better than I had imagined.

Although people still carried a bit of gloom on their faces, many were now wearing smiles.

Seeing this, my mood inexplicably brightened.

To avoid causing a commotion, it was naturally impossible to wear my Saintess's robe openly while out.

I had folded the long hem and tucked it at my waist, throwing on a brown cloak to keep my identity hidden.

Naturally, Nara was the one accompanying me.

Lola was too busy, and I didn't want to disturb her.

Of course, as the Saintess, it was impossible to travel without protection.

However, today's guard was not Hilda. Hilda had her own work and found it difficult to relax. Since Brilliant City was clearly short-staffed, she sent her capable subordinate to protect me.

But...

I looked up at the girl in front of me. She had twin-tails and a face that screamed stay away. She scanned the surroundings warily, and whenever anyone got close to me, she immediately projected a murderous gaze.

"Um... Dominica, there's no need to be so tense. This is Brilliant City..."

"Yes, Lady Saintess!!"

"Shh~ Dominica, we are traveling in disguise. Do not use those words."

I quickly made a shushing gesture. She froze for a moment, a look of guilt crossing her face, before she whispered back:

"Yes~ Lady Saintess~"

I massaged my temples and let out a wry smile.

Oh, Hilda, you could have at least sent someone useful. Is this what you call a capable subordinate?

She was treating me like a rare panda on display, as if she were one step away from chaining me to her waist.

Along the way, she was darting back and forth, never stopping for a single second.

Whenever someone approached me, she would flash that murderous look, leaving the other person in a cold sweat as they scrambled to get out of the way.

"Listen, Dominica, we are out today to understand the lives of the common people. Do not be so tense, it will easily cause misunderstandings."

"Yes, Saint..."

"Shh~ Don't call me that. Just call me Young Lady."

"Young... Young Lady?"

Dominica tilted her head, her long twin-tails swaying gently with her movement.

"Yes, very good."

"I understand, Saint... Young Lady."

Saint Young Lady?

Forget it, if I keep arguing with her, we'll never be done.

"Noble lady, your aura is so elegant~ Would you like some raisins??"

Hm?

That voice... it sounded so familiar.

I instinctively turned around to look. Standing there was a figure not even a meter tall, with a small body but long, thin limbs and greenish skin. It was that shameless goblin who looked like a little toad.

"Long time no see, Mr. Goblin."

"Huh? It's you?!"

The goblin looked up, and just as he was about to speak, he saw my face. He suddenly became extremely nervous, glancing left and right.

"That shameless tauren isn't with you, is he?"

Ugh...

"Please rest assured, Mr. Goblin. He is resting today and is not on duty."

"Oh... then I can relax."

A relaxed smile appeared on the goblin's face as he pulled a bag of raisins from the basket on his back.

"The usual rule. Twenty copper coins. Thank you for your patronage."

"Mr. Goblin, I haven't said I'm buying yet~"

Hearing this, the goblin suddenly clutched his chest and knelt on the ground with a look of agony.

"Ah~ Beautiful lady, your words have deeply wounded me. You must compensate me! Two bags for fifty copper coins. Thank you for your patronage."

Looking at this theatrical goblin, I felt both amused and helpless.

Fine~ I'm being swindled again.

Well, meeting again is a sign of fate, so I'll buy them. Fifty copper coins wasn't much, and after walking for a while, I could use something to snack on.

"Nara, give him..."

"My god! What is that thing!!"

Before I could finish, the goblin suddenly let out a cry of alarm!

I instinctively turned my head. At some point, Dominica had stepped between me and the goblin.

Her murderous gaze looked down at the goblin's face, and a low growl, like that of a guard dog, seemed to emanate from her throat.

"Grrr—!"

"Dominica! Stand down!!"

Seeing Dominica crouched lower and lower, I was truly afraid she might lose control and actually bite him.

There are no rabies vaccines in this world!

"Yes..."

Dominica grit her teeth, looking regretful that she didn't get to take a bite.

The goblin looked at me with a bewildered expression and suddenly asked a question.

"I say, Young Lady, why are the people around you all so brain-damaged?"

I actually had no answer to that question.

"Mr. Goblin, I am truly sorry. My subordinate is poorly disciplined. Please don't take it to heart."

The goblin looked at me, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly said:

"Fine, and stop calling me goblin this, goblin that. Don't you know it's very rude? If you were in the Beastmen Kingdom, would you like to be asked 'Lady of the hairless monkey tribe' on the street?"

Hair... hairless?

Is that what they call humans in the Beastmen Kingdom?

"My name is Egbert Bot. Just call me Egbert."

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Egbert. I apologize for my subordinate's rudeness."

"Forget it, forget it. Since you're so polite, I, the great Egbert, won't hold it against a mere servant. However... eighty copper coins for three bags. Since you've apologized, it wouldn't make sense not to buy them, right?"

So he's still going to sell them?

I thought you were going to give me a bag for free.

And why did the price go up again??

Wasn't it twenty copper coins for one, and fifty for two? Now three bags is eighty copper coins??

How has he not made a fortune doing business like this?

"Mr. Egbert certainly knows how to calculate his business."

"Of course..."

Since we had reached this point, I'd treat the extra twenty copper coins as an apology.

"Nara, pay him."

It just so happened there were three of us. We could each have a bag as we walked. We'd probably finish them by the time we reached the Alchemists' Association.

Egbert quickly produced three bags. Although he was indeed swindling us, he specifically picked three bags that were quite full and handed them to Nara.

Nara handed over the money. The copper coins of this world were very thin, so a hundred of them weren't very heavy.

Fortunately, I had told Nara to bring some change before we left, so it came in handy.

Egbert Bot took the copper coins, weighed them in his palm, and nodded.

"Deal."

With that, he shouldered his basket and turned to leave, but then he seemed to remember something and looked back at me.

"It looks like you're heading toward the southwest?"

"That's right. Do you have any advice, Mr. Egbert?"

"I wouldn't call it advice, but I'll give you a warning. Don't go to the West District today."

"Why is that? Brilliant City is governed by Her Highness the Saintess. Are there still places one cannot go?"

Egbert's mouth curled into a smile, and he looked at me with a hint of disdain.

"You really are a sheltered young lady. Anyway, don't ask too much. I'm just warning you, stay away from the West District. I won't say more. I look forward to seeing you again."

After saying that, Egbert left directly.

I watched his small figure as it was swallowed by the crowd in the blink of an eye.

The West District...

"Nara, is there anything happening in the West District today?"

Nara glanced at me, hesitated slightly, and shook her head.

"I'm not quite sure. I haven't been to the West District either."

Strange. This goblin seemed very familiar with Brilliant City, and his warning was clearly very intentional.

Lola had also warned me not to go to the West District before. The West District... what exactly was there?

It seemed necessary to investigate, but for now, I should go find Camilla first.

...

Southwest of Brilliant City, the Alchemists' Association.

The Alchemists' Association was as quiet as usual today.

However, alchemists were similar to the scientists of this era; they were interested in everything.

Someone was tinkering with a water sphere, staring thoughtfully at the separation of oil and water inside.

Someone else held a bubbling test tube filled with black liquid, pouring it into a basin of clear water and watching with excitement as it hissed and popped like cold water hitting a hot frying pan.

The little fox-girl, Nina, twitched her ears and leaned lazily over the counter.

Her fluffy tail swayed behind her.

At that moment, on the top floor.

A bone-chilling laugh drifted out from a small room.

"Hehehe~ Your Highness~ Your Highness~"

Nina sat up helplessly and glanced at the ceiling.

As a member of the Red Fox branch of the beastmen, her hearing and sense of smell were extremely sharp.

Others couldn't hear the sounds from upstairs, but Nina could hear them clearly.

Ever since returning from the Temple that day, such lecherous laughter would occasionally drift from the president's room.

And the owner of this laughter was undoubtedly the president of the Alchemists' Association, the elegant and noble Lady Camilla.

Recalling what she had seen when she burst into the room that day, Nina's small face turned bright red in an instant.

Who knew that room... would contain such a scene!

Afterward, she had been sternly scolded by the president and warned not to speak a word of it.

The president didn't even stop to think—did she even dare to speak?

Leaving aside how that Great Person would deal with her, the president herself wouldn't let her off the hook~

"Sigh~ I never thought the president would be so obsessed with that person..."

"Which person?"

"That person... wait!?"

The fox-girl muttered instinctively, not expecting anyone to respond. She was about to continue when she realized something was wrong.

As a Red Fox, her sense of smell and hearing were a hundred times greater than a human's.

At the same time this voice reached her, a refreshing fragrance that made one feel at ease wafted toward her.

The two crimson ears on top of her head twitched violently!

The fox-girl looked up in a flash, and the person standing before her... wasn't it that Great Person?

"Saint, Saint, Saint..."

"Shh~ I'm here to find Camilla. Don't panic, and keep it a secret."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The fox-girl nodded as fast as a chicken pecking at grain. Since the last visit, she already knew this lady's true identity.

In the beginning, Nina couldn't even believe the Saintess would visit in person... until she saw the things in that room. Only then was she certain that this was indeed the Saintess.

"Um~ should I go upstairs to announce you?"

"No need. She's still in that room, right? I'll just go myself."

Camilla had already sworn loyalty to me, and besides, this wasn't a private bedroom.

I could just go up myself. There was no need to make Camilla come down and draw attention.

As I turned to head upstairs, Nina's voice suddenly became tense.

"Great... Great Person, um~"

"Hm?"

I turned back to look at Nina. To be honest, if it weren't for my opposition to the slave system, I might have even wanted to buy this little girl.

Look at that fluffy tail and those fox ears. They must feel so good to touch.

I used to want to keep a dog as a pet, but now that I'm here as the Saintess, I have no time for that.

A little fox-girl like this, who can feed herself, go to the bathroom on her own, and is a little treasure you can pet—who wouldn't like that?

"It's... it's nothing."

Nina stared blankly at the Saintess, and a sudden chill ran down her spine. The words she wanted to say were swallowed back down.

The Saintess's gaze... was so scary!

President, you're on your own~

Nina turned back and flopped onto the counter, pretending nothing had happened. However, the occasional twitch of her fox ears proved just how conflicted she was feeling inside.

Looking at the fox-girl who had flopped back down, I felt a strange sense of disappointment.

Sigh... if only I could take her back and pet her, how great would that be.

Forget it, I'll set my hobbies aside for now and go see Camilla.

I turned and went upstairs.

As the Alchemists' Association, the space here was very vast.

On the top floor, besides Camilla's office, there were many other rooms, including the vice president's office and a meeting room. There was even a map on the wall marking a basement.

Clearly, the basement space was likely used for their experiments.

Speaking of which, I wondered if the alchemists could create some high-explosive items. If they could, the dragon knights would truly become super bombers.

"Camilla, are you there?"

As I spoke, I reached the top floor and immediately saw the large words 【President's Office】.

Since I had been here once before, I didn't hesitate and stepped inside.

Just as I opened the door, a series of eerie laughs suddenly drifted from the room.

"Hehehe~ hihihi~ hiahiahia!"

This lecherous and eerie laughter made goosebumps break out all over my body.

I instinctively closed the door.

I looked up at the three large words on the door again.

It seemed... I hadn't come to the wrong place?

"Camilla?"

I asked tentatively, but there was still no response from the room.

I pulled the door open again, and that eerie laughter drifted out once more.

"Ehehe, ehehehe... ehehehe..."

That voice was so familiar.

Wait, wasn't that Camilla's voice?