Chapter 13:
The Beastman Saint is H*rny, so I was Kidnapped to Another World Vol. 7
***The city of Stadtsberg, League of the Valley Cities***
James’ supposedly ‘one day’ of stay in Stadtsberg turned into weeks, after the current Stadtholder of the city, the half-dwarf Giuseppe Uhrian, proclaimed a curfew on the day he was to leave, in search of the ‘fugitive king of Nerfes’. The city borders were closed to normal traffic every after the ‘long sleep’, and soldiers patrolled the streets, that it was hard for him to slip past the guards.
“…”
Not only does he has no identity papers with him, but he also knows that Prince Giuseppe will recognize his person, for Nerfes is one of the great kingdoms of Chersea.
So James had no choice but to hide within the city, moving only once the ‘long sleep’ ended. Using some ‘underground’ contacts, he had fake identity papers made, though it took a while before it was done.
And now is the day that those papers are supposed to be finished.
Once he arrived at a narrow alley where they were about to transact, James knocked on one of the doors. It was opened slightly for him.
“What?”
The former king showed the coin bag in his hand, and the doorkeeper let him in. Inside was a different world from what the Nerfes royal had grown accustomed to. Dirty, worn-out tables and chairs, cramped living conditions…at the middle of the room was an old man, busy with his work; his feet were missing, and his eyeglasses were one lens missing.
“Please sit down,” the doorkeeper, an old lady almost half of James’ height, told him, “He is still putting finishing touches on your papers.”
“…” James stared at the man across where he was seated. For him, it was like he had seen a different creature.
“If you’re wondering how my husband lost his legs, well, it’s because he was a soldier once,” the old lady narrated.
“Oh…”
“He was originally an artisan before, that’s why he could imitate those identity papers well,” she offered the former king a cup of coffee, which James politely refused.
“How did he end up in war?”
“Ah, he was forced into service by our former lord. Remember those old wars in the past before the Saint’s Peace? Our former lord was an ambitious nobleman that sought to conquer lands for his own.”
James remained silent. He was feeling responsible, though he knew it was a different man. Still, as someone who had thousands of men that fought for his name, he couldn’t help but be guilty upon hearing the old grandma’s story.
“By the way, I could tell that you’re a nobleman yourself!”
“!!!” James’ heart almost missed a beat when the old woman revealed that. His hand went quickly for his sword; though he realized he was unarmed, to begin with.
“Ah, don’t worry. We know and understand your situation,” she chuckled, “See, most of our ‘customers’ here are fugitives, criminals, or some other cutthroats trying to evade justice. I’m sure you have your own circumstances for running away, like that king of Nerfes.”
“…” he was initially taken aback by that, though James sought to divert the topic by bringing in another one, “Aren’t you scared of dealing with those kinds of men? Or being caught by the authorities?”
“Of course we are scared! There were a lot of times when those criminals would violently threaten us for the most minor reasons. But, we have no choice, see? It’s either we risk it, or die starving.”
“So it’s all pointless, huh? This peace…”
“Hm? Pointless?” the old woman was surprised, “No, I think you got it wrong, son. Though we’re living like this, we’re thankful enough to our saint for bringing in this peace. Because of her, we can die of old age, rather than being murdered.”
“…”
“That’s why we’re shocked and angry to learn about her servant, the ‘Commoner General’, vanished. That guy must’ve worked hard for Her Holiness and her ideals, but he was killed by the king of Nerfes.”
“You think he was killed?”
“Ah, you know your peers. It’s no puzzle for us common folk to know that the ‘Commoner General’ was killed simply because he’s a commoner. Why else would he disappear for so long? Those nobles must’ve been jealous about his popularity.”
James was uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, so he tried to change the topic once again, “Grandma, if you have the opportunity, would you like to change your way of living?”
“Oh, why certainly!” the old woman confidently replied, “Well, though we live in these parts of the city, we’re not evil people. We’re just forced into this situation by our circumstances. If we have any other way of obtaining a living, then we’d certainly leave this ‘job’.”
Though James knew it was impossible, an idea suddenly came into his heart upon talking to the old lady. Deep inside, he wished he could do something for them, and he had a vague concept of how.
The only problem is if he can still return to his throne…
“Ah! I think my husband is done with your papers now!” the old woman handed him his forged documents.
“Thank you…here’s the payment. With some extra coins for your efforts!”
“Oh…may the Saint bless you, my son!” exceedingly grateful, the grandma embraced James, “And be careful on your journey!”
For the first time in a long while, the former king of Nerfes felt good about himself.
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