My Reincarnation Skills Are “Playing With Dolls” and “Playing With Clay”, but What Am I Supposed to Do With These? C197

Episode 197 Prostitute Eva

As we got closer to Gallipoli, the capital of Gallis, the road became more and more reminiscent of the "industrial revolution."

The smoke coming out of the chimney is probably a factory running on steam engines. 

A track that appeared to be a freight line ran along the highway, and a steam locomotive like the one I had seen at the military port of Terzante was pulling nearly ten freight cars along. 

Some of the wagons were loaded with stones and wood, and many of the wagons had their tops covered so that the cargo could not be seen. 

The weather should be fine, but the sky is cloudy due to smoke from factories and locomotives. 

Then, a large number of poorly dressed men, probably workers, rode on large carriages towards the capital. 

Aren't passenger locomotives still as popular as freight trains? I don't really know why. Maybe I could have found out if I had asked Thomas. 

And not only has the liveliness increased, but the materiality has also increased. 

Guardhouses and watchtowers are set up every few kilometers, and quite a few soldiers are stationed there. 

Then, at the point where the walls of Gallipoli came into view, an iron fence was erected to further encircle the outer periphery of the capital, and guards with musket-like guns set up gates to pass through. The people were strictly checked. 

Naturally, a multi-barreled Gatling gun-like weapon was mounted on top of the sturdy observation tower. 

It looks like a military city. Garis's neighboring countries are Meulone and the Lemulus Empire, which is its suzerain, and he says that his relationship with both is not bad. Still, I wonder if the reason why it's so arrogant is to counter the insecurity of the streets? It feels a little strange. 

At the gate, not only were we shown our guild cards as usual, but the guards with scout skills also looked at our status and verified it. 

This area is also stricter than a normal castle city. Moreover, it wasn't a castle wall yet, but a gate purposefully built in front of it. 

Because each person is checked in detail, there is a long line of workers arriving in horse-drawn carriages. 

We didn't have to wait that long because there was only one separate row for the nobles. I still haven't gotten used to it, but being a knight is still useful in this world. 

"Next person please. There are four of us. I'll look at your status in turn."

For the time being, it's handled with care. 

After last night's battle with the demons and demon wolves, Lina, Nolte, and I's levels had increased. 

Nolte became a blacksmith LV17. Lina became LV11 as a magic warrior and LV15 as a monk and learned the spell ``Blessing.'' This seems to be a buff that increases the party's attack power and accuracy. 

And finally, I became an alchemist LV20, and I was on par with Lucien in terms of level. 

However, since alchemist is not a senior class, I am not a senior adventurer yet, but I have learned a new skill called "Attribute Addition/Removal". 

Up until now, it has been possible to equip weapons with "holy elements" to make them effective against undead, but not only that, but depending on the enemy's weaknesses, you can also attach attributes such as fire and wind, and not only weapons. It seems that you can also add it to armor and daily necessities, and conversely remove it. 

It's an image of a generalized version of the magic warrior's "magic-imparting attack." I'm thinking of trying out various ways to use it, as I think it can be used in a wide variety of ways depending on how you invent it. 

After passing through the gate and being checked again at the castle gate, I finally entered the city of Gallipoli, feeling rather tired. 

I heard that Gallipoli's population was 200,000 people, but I wonder if it's much more? 

Construction work using steam engines is being carried out here and there, and high-rise buildings of around 10 stories are being built one after another. 

There are many shops and a lot of people passing by, so there is no doubt that it is lively. 

However, the air is bad due to soot and smoke, and the faces of the people walking around don't look very happy. I might be biased though. 

There was still some time until dusk, so I decided to stop by the adventurer's guild first. 

The adventurer's guild was a fairly impressive five-story stone building considering it was in the capital. However, it doesn't stand out because there are many taller buildings around it. 

Since it was early in the afternoon, there weren't many adventurers in sight. 

I told the friendly woman around 30 years old who was at the reception desk that I was an adventurer from another country and had come to report that I had completed an escort mission from Parthea to Garis. 

The original form is to submit the completion certificate signed by Maggie to the guild in Parthea where you received the quest, but in the case of a one-way escort mission, you can submit it to the guild in Garris where you completed the quest and the process will still be processed. . 

Naturally, there are many adventurers who don't bother returning to their starting point. 

After completing the formalities, I will ask about a recommended inn that will take care of the horse, and I will also ask you to inquire about the balance in your guild account. 

Maggie and Butch's escort fees were supposed to be transferred to the guild account, so I wanted to confirm that. 

To my surprise, even though the mission was completed only a few days ago, it was already reflected in my balance. 

There's a non-zero possibility that Maggie reported to her home country via long-distance magical communication from the official residence in Terzante or the mobile ship, but it's likely that Professor Behanam took care of the formalities when she gave the order to return home. I think so. 

In any case, the balance in the guild account had increased to 900 small gold coins, and when combined with the money they had, it reached 1100 coins. Assuming that a small gold coin is roughly worth 80,000 to 100,000 yen...that's about 100 million yen! 

In addition to slaying the dragon in Parthea, the fact that this escort mission was 10 gold coins a day, and not counting miscellaneous expenses, was a really big deal. 

　

In my original world, I was a ronin who didn't have the money to go to a private university, but the money is so large that I don't really feel it. 

Well, because of that, I put my life in danger many times, and when everyone in my party becomes independent, I want to divide their assets. ...That's right. 

"Lucien, you're no longer a slave and are forming a party normally, so shouldn't you give Lucien a quarter of your reward this time?"

"Hmm, I'll keep it for now. I don't have an item box, so I'm afraid of having a lot of money. Also, strictly speaking, I was still your slave when I received the quest, so I'm afraid I won't have an item box. You could say that the reward is Shiro's."

In the end, I decided to just give him about 5 small gold coins and keep the rest since he would sometimes go on separate activities. 

Then I looked around the bulletin board for danger information and quests. 

As expected, since it was the capital, there were also follow-up reports of the war. 

It seems that war is spreading in the east. It seems that Ishtar has occupied Damascus and is on the verge of war with Parthea. 

Parthea has defeated Tostan and Georgia's combined forces in the north and pushed them back to the border, but it will be difficult to fight further south. 

“Maggie-san, are you okay?”

“I wonder where they will land if Damascus is occupied.”

Come to think of it, that's right. When we entered Parthea, we took an overland route from Damascus, but does that mean we can't use that route? 

I don't really understand international relations around whether the Parthean army will take back Damascus or something. 

I don't think there's much danger to your safety while on board the mobile ship, but I'm worried. 

A quick look at the quest bulletin board shows that it's pretty standard stuff like escorting and subjugating monsters, and just like Terzante, there are still a lot of missions with old dates. This is a sign that even in the capital, there is a lack of adventurers. 

However, there was one quest that caught my eye. 

"What is this? This..."

“What, it’s a request to investigate the disappearance of a prostitute?”

Was Lucien momentarily attracted to the word prostitute? He gave me a blank stare, but of course it was a false accusation. It seems like he quickly realized that wasn't the case. 

“Are you searching for a missing prostitute?”

Nolte, who can't read much yet, and Carmilla, who can't read at all, seem to be asking questions. 

"Well, it's said that more than 10 people have gone missing, even if they are definitely prostitutes. And instead of searching for them, they're requesting an investigation into the cause. And what's more, the client is...a civil servant? , you mean country, right?”

As Lucien answered, it's a request with many mysteries. 

In this world, even if one or two prostitutes disappear, there are many cases where they are not even registered as residents or taxpayers in the first place, so although it is pitiful, it will not become a social problem. At most, if they have relatives, they should request a search. 

But if more than 10 people went missing in a short period of time, there must be some sort of incident. 

And wasn't a tribune official a public office in ancient Rome to protect the common people? In any case, the situation has become such that it is widely seen as a problem. 

"However, I don't think we can do anything since we have no acquaintances or familiarity with the area..."

"Yeah, I know you're worried."

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The inn introduced by the Adventurer's Guild called "Duke's Garden" wasn't bad. 

Although it wasn't as elegant or splendid as its name, it took good care of the horses, and a four-person room cost four silver coins per night, which is relatively cheap for the capital. 

However, it was not a typical inn with a pub attached, and they only served a light breakfast, so I dropped my luggage and went out for dinner. 

Lucien and Nolte are wearing hooded robes. It's a bit hot on a summer night, but I'm still not sure about the discrimination against demi-humans in this town, so Lucien suggested this to avoid any trouble. It's not an unusual outfit if it's a pilgrimage. 

When I walk through the city at dusk, I get the feeling that although Garis is prosperous, it's still somewhat shady, or rather, there's a huge disparity. 

Even though it's in the center of town, there are a lot of beggars, and there are many women who clearly look like prostitutes on the side streets. 

Without seeming to mind this at all, a wealthy-looking man accompanied by an escort and a well-dressed woman passed through the door of a luxury store, and several luxurious horse-drawn carriages passed by on the main street. 

When I went to the seafood restaurant that was recommended to me at the inn, it seemed like there were still seats available. 

“That was good.”

"Smells good"

As Nolte and Carmilla looked around the store, looking hungry, a female clerk came over. 

"There are four of us...umm, excuse me, but are you demi-humans?"

"picture?"

After being asked a delicate question and not being able to answer immediately, the woman looked at Lucien and Nolte and spoke. 

"The person who made the reservation doesn't want me to sit with a demi-human. I'm sorry, but could you please go somewhere else?"

"I'm sorry," he said, but his tone didn't sound too apologetic. 

"Honestly, I didn't think it would change so much in about 10 years."

"This never happened in Meurone..."

When Lucien, who had visited Gallipoli a long time ago and was angry at the change, and Nolte, who was depressed, went out to the street, a loud scream broke out. 

To us for a moment? That's what I thought, but I was wrong. 

It seems that two large soldiers are fighting over a prostitute and are fighting over who will go first. 

"I'm a corporal, I said Yuzure! Eva-chan is probably ten years older than you."

It seems that a slightly higher-ranked, less well-mannered guy is trying to get him to have sex with his favorite prostitute first. 

You can clearly see that both of them are drunk. 

The prostitute, who was looking at the situation with a troubled look, glanced at me. 

I was shocked. 

She's amazingly beautiful. Long silver hair, pale eyes, pale pink cheeks, and pale skin. Wearing a thin cloth that shows off her voluptuous body... 

"Shiro"

I was startled by Lucien's uncomfortable voice, but the prostitute giggled when she saw that. Also, even though she looked older than me, she had a really cute smile and was very attractive.I thought something stupid about her, but then her arm was grabbed and her expression stiffened. 

“Kya!”

The corporal who had pushed the young soldier away grabbed the arm of the prostitute called Eva and tried to pull her towards her. 

"Hey"

Without thinking about what happened, I stepped in and swatted away the man's hand while raising my voice. 

“Anda Teme!!”

I was disappointed. When I looked at this corporal's stats earlier, I saw that he was a LV8 warrior, so there was no need to be scared, but he was also very strong, so I almost fell back a little for a moment. 

"Hold on, I," I scolded inwardly as I glared back at him. 

"Don't be violent."

Speak as loud as you can. 

The young soldier who had been shoved earlier grabbed the man from behind by the scruff of his neck as he tried to come towards me, and pulled him down. 

"If I hold back, they'll catch on to me! I can't give up anymore."

The young soldier, whose face was bleeding from the injury he sustained when he was pushed down, finally lost his temper and pulled out the dagger that was hanging from the waist of his military uniform. 

　

Several passersby made a noise and kept their distance, but no one tried to stop for fear of getting involved. 

"Hey, wait a minute."

That must have been too much. I stopped it, but it was too late. The young man brandished his dagger and charged at the corporal, who was staggering to his feet. 

However, at that moment, the prostitute's body moved quickly. It was dark around me so I couldn't see clearly what was happening. 

Immediately after, the large bodies of two men flew into the air and fell on both sides of the road. 

"You both seem to be feeling unwell tonight, so I'll have to ask you another time."

It was a soft sales voice, as if he hadn't seen anything going on. 

I was taken aback by this, but she moved right next to me and whispered in my ear. 

``The discrimination against subhumans has gotten worse at that restaurant.If you're looking for seafood, I'd go to a restaurant called ``Melinda'' in Ippon Ura-no-suji.''

“Eh?”

It was Lucien, not me, who spontaneously raised his voice. 

For a moment, I didn't understand what was being said, and then I finally realized that I had been turned down at the store earlier. 

Could it be that he just happened to see us coming out of the store and figured out what was going on? When two men were fighting over me in front of me... 

Before I knew it, the prostitute had disappeared. 

I saw something shiny on the ground and when I got closer, it was a broken dagger. 

It belongs to that young soldier. That's a lie, right? 

"No way... who is that woman? Shiro, have you seen her status?"

"Ah...I forgot."

It hurts, Lucien pinched my ear. I'm against violence. 

“You really thought she was beautiful, so you stretched out the area under your nose, and you were just mesmerized by it, weren’t you?”

...Yes, that's right. 

"It can't be helped. The two of you are about to collapse from hunger, so Melinda is going to go to the store."

I took the three of them, each in a bad mood for their own reasons, to the shop recommended by the prostitute. 

This was our first encounter with Eva.