Chapter 27

  Mayor

  I'd expect the house of the mayor of Giri Village to be bigger than that of the mayor of Dabun Village, since Giri is so close to being an actual city. In truth, however, it's far larger and fancier than the size of the village alone can justify. There's also a lot more going on.

  We approach two guards at the gate of the compound. They don't even look at us as they speak. "State your business."

  "Hero Remmi Lee and partner," I reply, pulling out my coin to show the imperial mark. The mayor's goons already attacked me once. It's about time I start pulling rank. "Here at the request of the Lord Mayor."

  He rings a bell, but does nothing else until a minute later when a servant approaches the gate from the other side.

  "Hero Remmi Lee and partner," the guard repeats, "for the Lord Mayor."

  "Ah, yes, we have been expecting you, Hero." The servant rings a second bell and the two guards reach in to pull the gate doors open for us. "Please, follow me."

  Really big on ceremony here.

  We follow a path clearly meant for carriages up to the house proper, where another pair of guards opens the large double doors for us, and the servant sees us into what I think of as the foyer.

  "Hero Remmi Lee and partner," the servant introduces us with a bow.

  There is a man in fine clothes waiting here for us without managing to look either too impatient or overeager. He stands in the middle of the room, but off to the side is a woman lounging against the wall. Never mind cousins, they look similar enough to be siblings.

  "Lord Mayor Oshu," I greet him with a slight dip of my head, while Ayre goes for a full bow. Then I glance to the woman. "And Lady Regent Noya, if I'm not mistaken."

  The man dismisses the servant with a flick of his wrist, and the servant disappears back out the door once more.

  "Hero Lee," he opens submissively, "your cleverness outpaces me. I had hoped for the honor of introducing my cousin, who only just happened to be visiting today. Truly, a Hero's eyes are keen, even for one so young! Perhaps even my escort was unnecessary."

  Fishing for compliments, is he?

  "Apologies, Lord Mayor," I reply politely, "but it is fortunate that they were, as they did not accompany us. Luckily, your place of residence was easy to find."

  Hard to miss is more like it.

  Still, my statement causes him visible confusion. "Ah ... forgive me, Hero. I instructed them to do so. They are normally so loyal. I cannot imagine what came over them to dishonor me so."

  That's easy. "They attacked me."

  Lady Noya jumps upright, directing her rage at her cousin. "They WHAT?!"

  He quickly turns back to me, desperate for a lifeline. "Please, Hero! Tell me what demon overtook them!"

  "Apparently, you sent them only for me," I explain. "But I go nowhere on business without Ayre." I motion to the elf, who bows again. "This is my partner, Ayre, Silver-rank adventurer. When I insisted that my teammate accompany me, your guardsmen sought to take me by force."

  Lady Noya palms her forehead as if battling a migraine. "Your yokels picked a fight with a Hero and a Silver-rank adventurer?!"

  Lord Oshu is nearly on his knees. "My sincerest apologies. I thought Heroes traveled alone, else I would have invited your entire party! I ... I will convey these events to their next of kin."

  "That won't be necessary," I wave it off. "They're not dead. I only paralyzed them. It should be wearing off in another forty-five minutes or so."

  Lady Noya looks about ready to faint. "The humiliation lives on!"

  Lord Oshu tries to be more controlled, however. "... I thank you for your display of restraint, Hero."

  I've had my fun and I wave it off. "Don't worry about it. You asked me here for a reason, I'm sure. What was it?"

  He looks grateful for the change of topic, and that I apparently hadn't come to kill him for the slight against me. "Ah, yes, of course, it's a small thing. I simply couldn't imagine an Imperial Hero staying in some inn! Especially since I've inconvenienced you so, I insist that you and your team stay here, in my guest house, and join my cousin and myself for dinner this evening!"

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  That's what this was all about? It had to be the clumsiest invitation I'd ever received. Still, as I glance about, I can't help but realize something's missing.

  "What about the Swordmaster Hero? Will he be joining us?"

  Lord Oshu's face goes blank for a moment. "Swordmaster ...?"

  "Leuke Flamvel," Lady Noya provides with barely hidden irritation with her cousin. "Do try to remember at least the important citizens of your domain, cousin. It is not as if you have terribly many of them."

  The Lord Mayor coughs and sputters and ahems as he tries to clear his throat. "Yes, yes. The Flamvel boy. I assure you both, I did not forget him! It's simply that he is one of my precious citizens, and after being gone for so long, why, I, I thought he'd want to stay in his own home, see his own family! I was just confused as to why you expected him to be here, yes!"

  Well, that was as convincing as it was rallying.

  I offer him a metaphorical branch. "But since I don't have any family here ...?"

  And he grabs it without hesitation. "Yes, yes, you have nowhere to stay! Nobody to see! You'll stay in only the best accommodations our fine city has to offer, eat only the finest foods! And if you have time, I'd be delighted to introduce you to Giri's most trustworthy businessmen! The finest weapons and armor, anything you may need! It would be my pleasure to see it acquired for you!"

  It's sounding more and more like he's trying to keep me out of his city, and peddle his connections to me. No doubt these most trustworthy of businessmen are the big money Anara mentioned. The ones with the Lord Mayor in their pockets. And ones that would no doubt like very much to have a young, naive, gullible Hero in their pockets, as well.

  It makes me feel guilty to think it, but they may have had better luck for that with Leuke. Perhaps Lord Oshu worried that Leuke was too close to the town, or may have already been biased against him. Maybe, since Leuke was in the city guard, and Lord Oshu no doubt knew how the members thereof felt about the whole affair with the oni, the Lord Mayor assumed it would have been too difficult to sway him.

  Or maybe he really did just completely forget that he had a local Hero at all, or thought that little of his subjects. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I feel my opinion of the man continue to drop.

  Still, no harm in testing his generosity. I look up and tap my chin as if just thinking of something. "Oh! Now that you mention it, your guards caused some amount of damage to the shops in the square when they came to get me. I covered the costs out of my own pocket, since I was already there. I was sure you'd be happy to reimburse me once I told you about it."

  Lord Oshu clasps his hands before him. "Oh, yes, absolutely! It would be my pleasure!" He snaps his fingers and another servant approaches, presumably the closest one at the time. "Relay to my accountant that we are to reimburse Hero Lee from my personal accounts. Ah ..." He turns back to me. "... I forgot to ask, how much was it, again?"

  I beam a bright smile back at him. "Three bars."

  The poor man, I hope he isn't coming down with a cold for how much that cough keeps bothering him. He recovers admirably, however, since it's too late to back out now. "Yes, yes, reimburse her for three hundred tins. It can be delivered to the guest house, she can pick it up there. Also, make sure the house is prepared for both her and her companion, Adventurer Ayre."

  The servant bows and is dismissed again, leaving to fulfill her master's instructions.

  "Now, if that's all for the moment," Lord Oshu turns back to us, "it is my understanding that you come to us from beyond the Empire's borders." He holds his hands open in invitation. "We were just about to take tea. Won't you join us and tell us about your homeland?"

  It really is too bad that I'm already onto him. If I were as young and gullible as he clearly thinks I am, he'd sweep me off of my feet! Tea with two nobles? A chance to talk about my homeland I'm surely homesick for? I could see me falling for it the first time I was fifteen, especially if I actually was from some other land in this world.

  Fortunately, I have a ready excuse. "Actually, Ayre and I were in the middle of restocking our provisions when we received your invitation." I carefully don't say that we were interrupted, though it's definitely how I feel on the matter. There's something to be said for polite tact, after all. "It's important we finish that as soon as possible, so that we can be ready to leave as soon as the opportunity arises."

  "Of course, of course!" he replies a little too easily. He snaps again, and like an infinite conjuring trick, a third servant appears at his side. "Send for Master Guire immediately. Tell him to be prepared for tea and business."

  As soon as the servant is gone, he explains. "Master Guire owns one of the foremost trading companies in the region. He will be able to get you whatever you desire. Again, on my coin, I insist. A Hero shouldn't have to pay for anything, you know!"

  So it's already begun. He really is trying to keep me close, trying to keep me from wandering. Why he wants to control who I buy from is easy enough to deduce, of course. Not only does it allow his big money friends to make contact with me, but he's expecting a Hero to have heroic expenses. If he can funnel that to his friends, they just might be grateful enough to offer him a bit of a kick-back.

  But then, why offer it from his own funds? Surely, any kickback he'd get would be less than the money he spent? At best, it would amount to a simple discount and nothing more.

  Well, unfortunately for him, I already know how the system works, courtesy of my ... accident at the inn in Meritori, and the explanation Yorin had given in her letter.

  Yes, the nobles are expected to cover sudden expenses Heroes incur over the course of their duties. If a monster attacks, I'm not liable for any structural damages that occur in the course of fighting it off, for example. The cost is supposed to go to the local lord, which, in this case, would be Lady Noya. She would pay for the repairs so that the people can get on with their lives.

  But they aren't expected to swallow that cost out of the goodness of their hearts. It's a stop-gap measure. They then turn and request reimbursement from the Imperial Throne, who ultimately covers all such expenses from the Heroes.

  In other words, the money he spends on me goes directly to his friends, who I'm sure give him a kick-back, and then his cousin reimburses him, and, finally, she charges the Throne for everything they'll no doubt overpay for.

  To put it simply, I'm being used for fraud.

  Well, they don't know that I'm letter buddies with someone who has the Empress's ear. The thought of sending Yorin a letter about this, and then these two spending all of that money and never seeing so much as a bit from the Throne puts a genuine smile on my face.

  "Well, then, Lord Mayor," I answer his "generous" offer, "it seems our schedule just opened up. We would love to join you and the Lady Regent for tea."

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