Arrived in the Holy Kingdom

Narikin's group arrived at the port in the Holy Kingdom.

Although they were quite far away, they were able to enter the Holy Kingdom without any issues and [Possession] seemed to work without any problems. By the way, Toy seemed to be coming back here once a day to loosen up her body. Even though it was in an underground prison.

"Rokufa, we're in the Holy Kingdom."

"We made it, Narikin!"

Rokufa, full of energy, was actually Rokuko on the inside.

The townscape of the Holy Kingdom was similar to Pavuera with white walls and square buildings made of what seemed like plaster, but with one notable difference: many columns with vertical decorations, reminiscent of temples, could be seen.

In addition, the people's attire and faces were significantly different from what they were used to.

"… Is this place Greece or something?"

"What are you talking about? It's the Holy Kingdom."

The ancient Greek-style attire with draped, curtain-like clothing, seemed to be common in the Holy Kingdom. Most of the people walking along the main street were dressed like that.

By the way, Narikin and his group had changed into such attire before disembarking, so they were well-camouflaged in this scenery. Naana (Toy) had arranged it so that they were properly dressed in curtain-like clothes.

"We'd definitely stand out if we wore our usual clothes… Ah, it's a bit breezy around the crotch area though."

"You usually wear pants… actually, I suppose Narikin usually wears armor?"

It felt like we were wearing skirts. Oh, but we were wearing underwear, of course.

As for Naana (Toy), she was still wearing the same maid outfit as she did in Pavuera. It seemed that servants' clothing remained unchanged.

"In the Holy Kingdom, the more important a person is, the more their clothes flutter, Master and Mistress."

"Oh, really? Then we must look quite important, don't we?"

"Of course, Mistress. Combined with the little bird on your shoulder, you appear to be quite haughty."

That seemed to be the case.

However, such clothing with a lot of fabric was limited to [Humans].

Behind the humans who were dressed similarly to them, a few [Beastkin] could be seen here and there, wearing only pants up to their knees. Men were shirtless, while women had a piece of cloth covering their chests. [Elves] had fairly simple clothing for both men and women. [Dwarves] were… not present. There were also none of the monster-like people that were found everywhere in the Demonlands.

And uniformly, those [Non-Humans] were wearing slave collars around their necks.

I see, so this is what they call [Human Supremacy].

"In this country, elves are still considered fortunate to become servants, but beastkin can only be slaves. There is even a law that states, [Non-slave beastkin walking on the main street is a crime, and they will fall into criminal slavery], Master."

"Really? Will we unknowingly become criminals as well?"

"This country is relatively kind to [Humans], so it should be fine. If there seems to be a problem, I'll let you know."

Naana (Toy) led us with more ease than we'd been having. It was unclear whether she was used to it or simply fearless, but it was reassuring in an unfamiliar land.

In any case, it seemed that dressing beastkin in proper clothes would earn us disapproving looks here. Having them wear fluttering frills was absolutely out of the question. I was something about to the level of making people feel insulted, where they'd come up and tell the beastkin how dare they dress like a person yadda yadda.

At best, beastkin were considered pets; at worst, meat shields or monster bait. It didn't matter whether they were dog beastkin or lizard beastkin. Bird beastkin (beastkin with wings for hands) were treated particularly poorly, as they are seen as insulting the messengers of the Light God, the [Angels].

Beastkin were indeed being severely discriminated against. No wonder their eyes seemed so lifeless.

"Ah, by the way, you are considered to be traveling nobles, equivalent to second-class citizens. It seems that the original owner of this body was responsible for making such arrangements, so it worked out well. Isn't it good that we're not just semi-second-class citizens?"

"What's the difference between second-class and semi-second-class citizens?"

"Well, second-class citizens can sue first-class citizens, so it's easier to be flexible in various situations."

So… semi-second-class citizens can't even sue if something happens to them. I see, it's like a gap between commoners and nobles.

"As [Humans], you won't be treated badly very often, so it should be fine. If something does happen, just mutter something like, [Ah, forget it, I just want to destroy the dungeon] as if you truly mean it. That usually leads to a resolution."

With us not being able to tell if Naana's (Toy's) comment was a joke or not, Rokufo (Rokuko) and I exchanged glances and followed her guidance.

Under Naana (Toy)'s guidance, we managed to arrive at the inn where we'd be staying that night. When we were shown to our room, the interior was not much different from the one in Pavuera.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"Um, Master, isn't that something you should decide? Why did we come to the Holy Kingdom in the first place?"

… Why was it again? Ah, no, of course, I remember.

"We came for sightseeing, right?"

"It's not exactly that… I mean it's not not that, but it's more like an inspection. We don't exactly have a firm objective though."

"In that case, how about investigating a certain blatantly suspicious existence?"

A blatantly suspicious existence?

"Actually, there seems to be a strange dungeon in the Holy Kingdom, a country known for destroying dungeons."

"Hmm…? So, it's not like it's in the middle of being conquered or something like that?"

"Yes. Unlike a typical dungeon being conquered, it's said to be a [Properly Managed Dungeon]."

That sounds really shady. No, is it just because I'm skeptical that I feel suspicious when someone says it's properly managed?

"Can we go to it?"

"According to the information I gathered, it doesn't seem to be open to the general public. I don't know the location, but if we find it, let's sneak in with the little birds. We should be able to go with this body."

I see, so there was no need for Narikin and Rokufa to go, was there?

It'd be easy to revive the birds if either of them died, and if Naana disappears, Toy could just come back in another body. It would be troublesome not having a guide for a while, but it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

"For now, our immediate goal is to find the [Properly Managed Dungeon], I guess."

"Mm, I agree, Narikin. Are you two okay with that as well?"

The two little birdsNarikin and Rokufa chirped in agreement.

Now… as for how to find this all-important dungeon—we need to gather information. That means we need to go to places with lots of people. In other words, sightseeing.

Narikin and Rokufa were also adventurers through Haku-san, so they could work at this country's version of the Adventurer's Guild (their adventurer rank was applied similarly due to their affiliation). However, it wouldn't be good to get injured while straying off the path, so they'll probably end up doing easier tasks. So, sightseeing after all, right?

Well, we've come this far. Let's enjoy the Holy Kingdom at a leisurely pace.