Chapter 32

Chapter 32, Marcel Diocese (2)

Boooo, boooo.

The Benedikta, the lord’s ship, entered the port of Catalonia.

I had stopped in Catalonia on my way to the Holy See.

From here, it would take three days on horseback to reach the Holy See.

Just in time, the lord of Dijon had sent a letter saying that he conditionally agreed to the creation of the diocese.

Because of that, I departed immediately without wasting any time.

Standing on the deck of the Benedikta, I looked down at the harbor.

The traces of the pirate attack are still here.

Burn marks could still be seen throughout the port of Catalonia.

There was even a collapsed warehouse.

However, perhaps because this was such an enormous trading port, it was recovering from the damage surprisingly quickly.

I’m jealous of the strength of a large territory. They can rebuild everything in no time.

Pascal, whom I had brought along as one of my attendants, came out onto the deck.

“My lord, will you visit the Marquis of Catalonia?”

“No. I’ll send a letter through Captain Adrien. I’ll tell him I’m too busy to visit.”

Paying respects to a noble family was not a simple matter.

If they held you back, half a month could disappear in an instant.

Since every moment was precious to me, avoiding such a visit was the better choice.

“Then I’ll go down first and arrange horses.”

Chief of Security Martin jumped onto land before the gangway had even been lowered and ran off somewhere.

“That seems a little too rushed. I wonder if he even took money with him.”

Just as I expected, Martin quickly came back while scratching his head.

I simply laughed.

Martin was a genius swordsman, but he was still only nineteen.

The fact that his heart moved faster than his head made him look his age.

When traveling in a hurry, if everyone in the group was a knight, we could give medicine to the horses and ride day and night.

Knights had excellent stamina.

However, because we had servants and Pascal traveling with us, we had to make camp along the way.

Around sunset, we reached a roadside campsite.

“Oh, my lord. I feel like my butt is about to split in half.”

“Pascal, stop exaggerating. Aren’t you embarrassed saying that in front of the knights?”

“It’s fine. I’m merely a weak commoner.”

We entered the campsite while joking.

Another group of travelers had already settled there.

Judging from their shabby appearances, they did not seem to be a noble procession.

Since I wanted my attendants to rest as soon as possible, I stepped forward myself.

“Travelers over there, listen. I am Viscount Eric Marcel. If you don’t mind, may we share this campsite?”

A young man stepped forward in response.

“Of course. This is a campsite anyone may freely use. And it is an honor to meet the great Lord of Marcel. My name is Enrique Iglesias. I am a singer and wandering bard.”

“You know who I am?”

“The fame of Viscount Marcel has already spread far and wide.”

To think I would meet someone who knew my name out here.

It seemed the rumors about me had spread quite a lot.

Well, I had received a divine blessing and spread medicine for sailor’s disease.

Perhaps it was only natural.

After getting off my horse, I ordered my party to prepare the campsite and dinner.

Soon, when it was time to eat, my group and Enrique’s companions gathered around the same campfire.

Then Enrique spread out a blanket, apparently preparing to kneel and pray.

Curious, I asked him,

“Which god do you worship?”

“I am a wandering singer, so I worship Bharata, the God of Dance and Song. Of course, I also pray to Annapurna, the God of Abundance.”

There really were all kinds of gods in this world.

This was my first time meeting someone who worshiped Bharata.

Once dinner was ready, Enrique asked me to offer the prayer to Bharata.

“If you don’t mind, could Viscount Marcel lead the prayer?”

“Of course. I do not favor one religion over another.”

Enrique seemed moved by my easy acceptance.

From the look in his eyes, he seemed ready to bow before me at any moment.

I had already experienced several situations where the ordinary way of thinking I had as a Korean made people in this world see me as a person of exceptional character.

So I did not think much of it.

Following Enrique’s request, I began praying to Bharata.

“Bharata, I pray that you grant us your wisdom and inspiration, and make our dancing and singing more sincere. Bless our efforts with your divine inspiration, and allow us to understand the true value of dance and song.”

At that moment.

The instant I finished praying, a ray of light pierced through the dark sky.

The light reached my hand and brightly illuminated the surroundings.

I had received another blessing.

Huh? That was sudden. They never gave me one when I actually asked for it. Anyway, it seems the gods want something from me. I received another blessing that most people would struggle to receive even once in their entire lives.

I had prayed many times in the past hoping for another blessing.

It never worked.

Apparently, gods only gave blessings whenever they personally felt like it.

In any case, while I remained calm, Enrique and my companions caused an uproar.

“Ohhh! Another blessing! Someone loved by the gods truly is different!”

“Ugh, I have been blessed with the honor of witnessing a divine blessing with my own eyes! Thank you, God!”

“Long live our lord! Long live Marcel!”

And, as always, a system message blocked my vision.

[System Alert]

[You have received the temporary buff [Truthful Song] from Bharata.

No similar skill could be found. The temporary buff will be maintained.

Bharata has changed the magic skill [Lesser Appraisal] into [Convenient Lesser Appraisal].]

The temporary buff [Truthful Song] gave me the ability to persuade other people more easily for a short period.

Of course, it was only a short period from the perspective of a god.

In human terms, it lasted around one day.

Meanwhile, [Convenient Lesser Appraisal] showed two additional pieces of information compared to the original [Lesser Appraisal].

I immediately tested it on Martin.

[Martin Morris, 19]

[Second son of Pierre Morris, former Knight Commander of Marcel. Chief of Security of the Marcel Territory. Worships Annapurna.]

It showed three things.

Whose child the person was, their current occupation, and the god they worshiped.

It isn’t an enormous improvement, but I can definitely obtain more useful information now.

After confirming the skill, I calmed down my companions, who were still making a fuss.

“Enough already! We still need to eat!”

After the excitement finally settled down, everyone resumed dinner.

Despite their shabby appearance, Enrique’s group was surprisingly well mannered.

Enrique, in particular, was extremely polite.

I immediately used [Convenient Lesser Appraisal] on him.

[Enrique Iglesias, 20]

[Second son of Viscount Julio Iglesias, a member of the Lisboa Noble Council. Wandering singer. Worships Bharata and Annapurna.]

If his father is a member of the Lisboa council, he’s probably a shipowner. Isn’t his family insanely rich?

Curious, I simply asked him directly.

“You’re a noble and apparently the son of a wealthy family. Why do you look like that?”

Enrique chuckled.

“I don’t think someone eating rye bread and oat porridge has the right to say that, Viscount.”

I looked down at the bowl in my hands.

It was thick oat porridge.

My attendants were eating meat mixed into their meals because they needed the stamina, but I was eating cheap food.

Back in Korea, rye and oats were considered healthy foods and could actually be more expensive than wheat bread or rice.

I ate rye and oats because they were rich in nutrients and fiber, and because I worried about my cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin levels.

However, many people misunderstood and thought I was living frugally.

Still, rather than openly saying, ‘This is healthy food,’ it would be better to tell him something that sounded nicer.

“I’m a lord. I don’t really have a choice because I’m trying to save the territory’s budget.”

“Saving the budget?”

“Money is tight these days because I’m moving refugees into newly reclaimed land.”

“It seems the rumors were true. You really care deeply about your people.”

That was not exactly the reason.

Still, I decided to leave the misunderstanding alone.

As I always said, making a good impression was not easy.

“But Enrique, if you’re a noble, why did you deliberately choose such a difficult life?”

“I left home because I wanted to wander without a destination and sing. Right now, I am nothing more than a wandering singer.”

One of Enrique’s companions added from behind him,

“Viscount, that man is actually quite a famous singer. There’s a line of nobles who want to invite him to their banquets.”

A famous singer.

The moment I heard that, an idea appeared in my mind.

Judging simply from the way Enrique spoke, he seemed trustworthy.

On top of that, I currently had the [Truthful Song] buff, so persuading him should be easier.

“Do you accept commissions? For example, creating and spreading songs about a certain person.”

“There are already several songs about Viscount Marcel circulating. Enough that you don’t really need me to make another one.”

“No, not a song about me. I want one about a particular person.”

As though he had realized something, Enrique moved closer and whispered into my ear.

“Are you asking me to manipulate public opinion?”

“Yes. Can you do it?”

It was not much of a secret, so I answered directly.

Even if people discovered what I was doing, they would soon forget about it.

No one paid much attention to the creation of songs.

However, Enrique looked troubled.

Perhaps his pride and reputation were involved.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke.

“May I ask your purpose?”

“The development of my territory. If this person’s social position rises, it will benefit my territory.”

“You aren’t doing it merely for your own personal success, are you?”

Apparently, Enrique was something of a humanitarian.

That made him feel even more trustworthy.

His intention was also obvious, so I smiled lightly.

“Of course not. I’m not doing this to fill my own pockets. I simply want the people of Marcel to stop going hungry and live better lives.”

Naturally, that was bullshit.

I had simply reversed the order of cause and effect.

What I wanted was a wealthy and powerful territory.

My people living well would naturally follow afterward.

“Haha! You really are exactly as the rumors say. In that case, I accept.”

Enrique immediately accepted my proposal.

Perhaps [Truthful Song] had worked.

I extended my hand and shook his.

His hand was far too rough and hard for a nobleman.

He’s been through quite a lot. That makes me trust him even more. Should I drag him back to my territory and put him to work while I have the chance?

I resisted the brief temptation to make him my subordinate and continued.

“How much will it cost?”

“That won’t be necessary. Please give my share to the people of Marcel instead.”

Good.

That saved some of my budget.

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. But who is this person?”

“Daniel Salamanca, Deputy Director of the Internal Affairs Office of the Holy See of the God of Abundance.”

Enrique’s expression brightened.

“That’s a relief. I was worried you might name some corrupt official consumed by greed.”

“Does Daniel have a decent reputation?”

“He is a religious man who focuses heavily on politics, but at the very least, I’ve heard that he isn’t obsessed with money or women. His father, Viscount Salamanca, desires honor, but apparently has little interest in gathering wealth. For now, he has a reputation as a good lord.”

It seemed Daniel’s family cared deeply about honor.

They truly were a noble family in every sense of the word.

“My goal is to make Daniel the Pope.”

“...I don’t think a few songs will be enough for that.”

I waved my hands at the startled Enrique.

“No, no. For now, he’s going to become the bishop of the Marcel Diocese.”

“Ah, so you intend to gradually raise his position.”

“Can you do it?”

“I will simply do everything within my ability.”

I did not particularly like answers that only promised to do one’s best.

Still, this answer was good enough.

“If you ever need help, or if you decide to stop wandering, come to Marcel.”

“It would be an honor. If God guides me there, I will come at any time.”

In other words, he was not coming.

Apparently, even [Truthful Song] could not make that happen.

Nothing I could do about it.

I could not drag everyone along according to my personal greed.