Chapter 92
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『Hello! It’s been a while, Siesta!』
The casual greeting and the relaxed attire that lacks any sense of formality make Siesta, who was feeling a bit dejected thinking, 「Ah, that’s right, this is the kind of person he is…」 relax her shoulders a little.
「Cardinal Gilbert, it’s been a while.」
『Hmm, Siesta—you’re looking rather gloomy, aren’t you?』
Whether it’s because Siesta is easy to read, or because of the keen perception of this man—Gilbert Rasmus, who became the youngest cardinal in his mid-thirties—is unclear. Regardless, Gilbert continues to speak to the worried-looking Siesta.
『Well, I can guess more or less why you’re feeling so down. You’re kind-hearted, after all.』
Gilbert narrows his eyes and lets out a sigh.
『The Hero’s behavior was just as we’d heard, wasn’t it?』
It’s a question that hits the nail on the head.
『You were rooting for the Hero, weren’t you?』
He says, stroking his chin, which doesn’t show even a trace of stubble.
Siesta blushes, suddenly aware of how others had perceived her.
『I can pretty much imagine what happened.
But I want you to honestly tell me what you saw with your own eyes, and what you felt in your heart.』
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『Hahahaha!!! Oh my, I’m dying here!!!』
The video shows the top of Cardinal Gilbert’s head.
He’s holding his stomach, laughing after hearing Siesta’s report.
Siesta inwardly weeps, wondering what the point was of her week of sorrow.
『Oh my, Siesta, you really went through a lot. The Hero is terrible! Even worse than we’d heard!』
Siesta, internally filled with sadness and confusion, bows her head and says, 「I appreciate your concern.」
『But really, the Hero is awful, isn’t he?
He orders the tail of an Emperor Dragon to be cooked—you know, that’s a high-class ingredient that most nobles couldn’t taste even once in their lifetime—and then he takes one bite, says it doesn’t suit his taste, and throws it on the floor.
And as if that wasn’t enough, he calls for the chef and tries to force him to eat it off the floor!』
Siesta, who was present at the time, had managed to skillfully flatter the Hero, distract him, and finally resolve the situation with great difficulty.
「I was saddened. Considering how many gold coins were used for that one ingredient, and how many people could have eaten their fill with that money… And the Hero’s attitude was—」
It wasn’t befitting of a Hero.
Siesta couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.
『No, go ahead and say it. It’s okay! It’s just you and me here.
He’s definitely a person lacking the qualities of a Hero.
Come on, repeat after me!』
Siesta couldn’t ask what was about to start.
Cardinal Gilbert was very capable, but his personality had some issues. Fortunately, his fundamental nature was undoubtedly good, and he treated everyone the same way.
In the end, Siesta kept shaking her head, refusing to repeat after him, but…
『He is! A person! Lacking the qualities! Of a Hero!』
「He is! A person! Lacking the qualities! Of a Hero!」
Siesta finally shouted, overwhelmed by Gilbert’s absolute refusal to back down. She had no choice but to shout.
And once again, she inwardly wept, wondering what the point of this past week had been.
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『About what we were talking about earlier.』
Earlier? Ah, about the Emperor Dragon’s tail meat, Siesta recalls, and responds with a simple 「Yes,」 encouraging Gilbert to continue.
『Regarding that incident, he actually had the right to be angry.』
Siesta quietly listens.
『Well, you see. He treats the things he buys so carelessly.』
Siesta had confirmed this herself.
『But strangely enough, sometimes he calls out the chef who made the dish and praises the cooking effusively. He even hands over bags of gold coins as tips. Then on another day, he throws a tantrum for no reason, saying he doesn’t like it, and overturns the entire dish of expensive ingredients.
We’ve received countless reports of such incidents.』
What exactly is the Hero?
What is his intention in doing such things?
No matter how much she thought about it, Siesta couldn’t understand.
『By the way, did you see the box in the corner of his room? There were jewels thrown in there like junk, right? All of those were purchased by him at high prices.』
From the food to the decorations, antiques, and even people—he treated everything around him carelessly.
『From all this, couldn’t we consider the following?
He doesn’t really want ‘that thing’ itself.
In other words, he enjoys the act of ‘buying something that is expensive,’ and he’s hopelessly intoxicated with the idea of ‘being someone who understands and appreciates expensive things.’』
When put that way, some things started to make sense.
Although it was still difficult for Siesta and Gilbert, as members of the clergy, to fully comprehend.
『So, you know, since he probably can’t even understand the taste anyway, we figured it doesn’t matter—we’ve replaced all the high-class ingredients in his daily meals with fakes.』
Gilbert sticks out his tongue as he says this.
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『Huh? Did you not hear me?』
She had heard him, but she couldn’t understand what he meant.
「I heard you. I just don’t quite understand the meaning…」 Siesta says, confused.
『The meaning? It’s exactly what I said.
We’ve long since given our word to all the high-end shops in Lemone.
We told them to replace all his ingredients with ‘slightly better than average items that a typical household could afford if they stretched their budget a bit’ instead of the super-expensive ingredients he asks for.
He can’t tell the difference in value anyway.
So it doesn’t matter what we feed him, right?』
「Is that… really okay?」 Siesta asks hesitantly.
『Oh, it’s fine. Come on, think about it.
The Hero is overjoyed because his ego is satisfied!
The chefs are thrilled because they’re not wasting expensive ingredients!
And the large sums of money paid are funneled back to us and the city, making everyone happy!
What a joyous strategy. Everyone, everyone is happy!』
Gilbert raises both hands in celebration.
『And get this, I heard that when they served him regular pork and called it Cockatrice meat, he said, ‘Chef! This is delicious! Keep up the good work!’ I mean, I could understand if they substituted chicken for Cockatrice, but eating pork and going ‘Chef!’ and ‘This is amazing!’』
Gilbert laughs so hard he starts making sounds like a crow’s caw and nearly hyperventilates.
「Umm…」 Siesta, pure-hearted as she is, still looks somewhat unconvinced.
After a little while, Gilbert clears his throat with a 『Hmm.』
『Well, you don’t have to understand. Or rather, that’s what’s good about you, Siesta. Please stay just the way you are, okay?』
Siesta feels an itch on her back, unsure if she’s being praised or what.
『However,』
Siesta knows this conversation isn’t over yet.
『Since we’re the ones taking action, we’re not going to stop at just messing with his food. That would be too petty. If we’re going to do this, we’re going all out.』
Gilbert smiles.
His face, which could pass for someone in their early twenties, seems to exude a cunning air.
『You saw that merchant Hilbert earlier, right?』 he asks Siesta.
『That merchant Hilbert, he’s been arranging noble ladies for the Hero, who has become completely rotten.』
Siesta recalls Hilbert’s friendly face.
『He’s our friend, you know.』
Siesta thinks of the seemingly good-natured but untrustworthy look in Hilbert’s eyes—could it be…?
『That’s right! Exactly! Well done, Siesta!』
Cardinal Gilbert gives Siesta a round of applause in praise.
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