Evading the Hero’s Party with Full Effort

Chapter 14

Ch.14 I Don’t Want to go to the Festival

Finally arriving at the New Continent.

Seeing the harbor I’d only known through game graphics in real life felt profoundly moving.

“I’ll ask the trading company to prepare the money by tomorrow.”

When the captain spoke, I nodded.

“I hope I haven’t made too unreasonable a request.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize—for buying such a ship at a bargain price.”

The captain looked apologetic, but I shook my head.

“Haha! No, I’m the one who should apologize for changing my mind.”

Originally, I intended to defeat the pirates and simply hand over the captured pirate ship to the Abas Trading Company.

Partly because disposing of it was bothersome, and partly because I initially trusted my reliable benefactor.

But realizing borrowing Leah’s money would lead to disaster, I urgently changed my mind.

I felt bad for the Abas Trading Company, but I proposed selling the ship to them at a cheap price.

Though it wasn’t ideal, using Leah’s money risked being dragged to hell if things went wrong.

The captain readily agreed, and everything ended well.

Of course, even ‘cheap’ meant the ship itself was so expensive that selling it at a discount still ensured I wouldn’t worry about money for a while—even alone.

I’d have liked to sell it myself—felt a bit regretful.

But since I didn’t know when the ship would sell, staying only in Savannah Harbor was difficult.

I needed to find conceptual items and prevent the DLC story from progressing properly—waiting indefinitely for the ship to sell wasn’t feasible.

After finishing business, I exchanged brief greetings with the captain and left the harbor.

Stepping out of the bustling harbor, Leah looked disappointed—perhaps because wooden buildings, only seen in Old Continent countryside villages, lined the streets.

“Eh? This is the New Continent?”

Compared to the capital’s beautiful brick houses, trees planted for scenery, and paved roads, it looked shabby.

The New Continent develops slowly.

Especially the nearly unexplored southern regions.

The city we arrived in, Long Beach, was relatively large for the New Continent, but houses built simply of wood lined the streets. Seeing the roads littered with filth and emitting foul odors, I nodded.

“Yeah. This is the New Continent.”

Saying that, I walked along the main road.

“More… shabby than I expected.”

To that, I nodded.

“It can’t be helped. This place was only recently settled—barely 200 years?”

As I walked and spoke, Leah curiously asked about something she saw.

“Master, what are those people with reddish skin over there?”

Where Leah cautiously pointed, people with slightly pinkish skin had gathered.

“They’re natives here. Seeing them here likely means they’re slaves.”

At my words, Leah’s eyes widened in shock.

“Slaves? Isn’t that illegal under Church doctrine?”

To that, I nodded and replied,

“Strictly speaking, it’s illegal to enslave those who serve the Papal See.”

In the Old Continent, everyone follows the doctrines of the Papal See, the Church’s collective body.

Thus, slavery itself is illegal in the Old Continent—but these natives believe in indigenous faiths…

So they don’t receive the Papal See’s protection.

“Ah.”

Leah frowned, looking as if she’d realized something.

“Still, humans enslaving other humans… It’s disgusting.”

I agreed with her.

Someone from modern society couldn’t possibly feel good seeing slavery.

While I thought that,

Leah asked curiously,

“But then, if they convert, wouldn’t they no longer be slaves?”

To that, I smiled bitterly and replied,

“If someone grabbed you and said, ‘Convert or become a slave’, would you convert?”

To my words, Leah firmly shook her head.

“No.”

“So that answers your question. And even if they want to convert, they can’t escape slavery.”

To my words, Leah asked, looking surprised,

“What? Why?”

“Because they’re already someone’s private property, and their owner won’t allow them to convert.”

In truth, slavery is the hottest topic in the New Continent.

Clearing vast farmland and farming requires massive labor.

That translates directly to plantation owners’ expenses—so they capture natives and cheaply enslave them, exploiting their labor.

Thus, the core theme running through the DLC ‘Dragon War’ is human greed and the dragons who punish it.

But that’s secondary.

“First, let’s go to the general store and buy supplies for traveling.”

With dusk behind us, Leah and I headed to the general store.

***

After securing a room at an inn near the harbor, we washed up and ate dinner.

“What… is this?”

—Pip?

Watching Leah poke something wrapped in yellowish skin with her fork, and Pipi tilting his head at the potato, I said,

“Oh? This? It’s called a potato—a New Continent specialty.”

Explaining to Leah, who looked fascinated by seeing boiled potatoes for the first time, I scooped some onto my plate.

“Watch—peel the skin like this, then dip it in butter and eat.”

Watching me eat, Leah curiously scooped some onto her plate.

Leah and the baby phoenix each took a bite.

“Hmm… the taste is just okay.”

—Pii…

True, boiled potatoes aren’t especially delicious.

Since things like french fries or potato chips don’t exist here, it can’t be helped.

Maybe I should try making french fries later?

“But Master, will you head straight to your hometown now?”

To her words, I flinched.

I’d claimed the New Continent was my hometown, but my real hometown is Seoul, South Korea.

One lie told to survive leads to another lie.

Was there another excuse I could use?

After briefly pondering, a good idea came to mind, and I spoke.

“First, I need to earn money.”

Aside from Leah’s money, all I have is what the captain gave me.

Though I won’t worry about money for a while, thinking of the future, it’s far from enough.

“You might as well just use my money…”

To Leah’s whisper, sweet as a trap, I shook my head.

“Believe it or not, I was once the head of Pisa Trading Company. Making money will be quick.”

In truth, the economic system here is influenced by the story.

Notably, now that the New and Old Continents are newly connected, prices for tobacco, precious metals, spices, etc., are about to skyrocket.

But Leah, knowing nothing of this, looked at me pityingly.

“Aren’t you practically penniless now, compared to before?”

“That’s true, but in a few months, I’ll earn ten or even a hundred times this amount.”

But hearing my words, her expression didn’t look good—what was she thinking?

Like the look of disgust when you realize your boyfriend, whom you thought was decent, is actually trash?

“Master, gambling is bad.”

“Gambling? This is investing.”

But even my rebuttal didn’t soften Leah’s expression.

“Ah… I was so busy teaching magic I never taught you about the world. It’s all my fault for being inadequate.”

Leah’s frown deepened.

“Master, that’s kind of offensive. Believe it or not, no one’s ever told me I’m ignorant of worldly matters.”

“Tsk tsk. This is why mages don’t work—they don’t know the value of money.”

In truth, mages often waste astronomical budgets on bizarre experiments.

Of course, Leah, never affiliated with a mage tower, hadn’t done such things.

“Seriously… you’re a mage too.”

To Leah’s words, I shook my head and replied,

“I’m no longer a mage. I’m an economist.”

Though my wealth sank into the sea, I was once the richest person here—and using call options, rebuilding a trading company bigger than Pisa Trading Company would be trivial.

Amused, Leah smiled faintly and pointed her fork at my waist.

“Pfft! How can you say you’re not a mage? You’re carrying around such a menacing magic wand.”

To that, I shrugged.

“I’ll live as an economist from now on—might as well travel while I’m at it.”

Once I finish the Lord of the Dead, I want to live richly, spending money lavishly.

“Yes, yes… of course you will.”

Ignoring Leah’s pitiful gaze, I hurriedly finished my meal.

***

Cecilia met with Cardinal Walter to discuss future plans.

“Saint, I’ve presented your wish to travel to the New Continent at the Cardinal Council.”

Walter’s expression as he spoke wasn’t good.

He’d been scolded for failing to properly change the Saint’s mind at the council and grilled by the Pope—understandable.

“So… was it approved?”

Cecilia asked anxiously, fearing the Papal See might oppose her.

Cardinal Walter shook his head.

“How could we possibly stop the Saint, who performed great service in saving the world? However, His Majesty the Emperor plans to hold a festival commemorating the Demon King’s defeat—how about departing after that?”

The Hero Party who defeated the Demon King.

If the Saint, one of the protagonists, were absent from the grand festival held in their honor, it would be tantamount to disrespecting the Emperor—hence his suggestion to leave afterward darkened Cecilia’s face.

“Ha… but.”

As Cecilia urgently tried to speak, Walter knelt, grasped her hands, and pleaded earnestly.

“Saint, I beg you. If you, who performed such great service in defeating the Demon King, do not attend the festival, our position will be very difficult.”

Though the Papal See’s position was awkward, Cardinal Walter’s situation was even worse.

‘If I mess up, I’ll be demoted. I must somehow change the Saint’s mind.’

If Cecilia simply left, Walter might be exiled to the Empire’s remote borders.

Knowing the Papal See’s position well, Cecilia ultimately nodded faintly.

“Understood. Since His Majesty the Emperor is holding the festival, my absence would trouble the Papal See.”

Though Cecilia’s heart longed to depart immediately for the New Continent, she had to endure.

Not attending the Emperor’s festival would be irresponsible.

A festival commemorating the defeat of the Demon King, humanity’s greatest enemy.

Her absence, as one of the protagonists, would be seen as disrespecting the Emperor.

‘And the Papal See will pay the price.’

Cecilia forced herself to nod.

“But afterward, I wish to depart for the New Continent—as soon as possible.”

To that, Walter nodded.

“Of course, Saint.”

Watching the Cardinal leave, Cecilia felt suffocated.

“Haa… so annoying.”

Imagining her comrades appearing at the festival each with their lovers made her feel embarrassed and awkward.

While she suffered like this, picturing her comrades laughing and chatting with their lovers made her feel pitiful.

Especially imagining Leah appearing with her master to tease her…

—Grind.

Her teeth clenched involuntarily.

‘Ugh… just thinking about meeting Leah’s boyfriend makes me furious.’

Surely Leah and her master were enjoying a sweet, romantic time like in a novel. Though she understood her lover’s noble cause, as a woman, she couldn’t help feeling sorrowful at this moment.

But she couldn’t abandon the Church she’d devoted herself to since childhood.

Shoulders slumping, Cecilia muttered softly,

“I don’t want to go to the festival.”

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