How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

28 – Tomboy’s Choice (1)

On the fifth day after leaving our territory, the area I arrived at was Westford in the western part of the Empire.

Although Westford is located in the same west as the academy, its geography is more inclined to the southwest, and it is located on the border with the kingdoms in the west.

Also, this was a fief ceded by the Empire to the Holy Land, and the lord of Westford had been dispatched by the Archbishop of the Holy Land for generations.

Westford was also a place that played a role like a general council that managed all the parishes in the empire, and there was also a unique custom that the lord here was a priest and also a marquess of the empire.

And the reason I came here was to properly dispose of the holy relics I had obtained from the Demon Realm last time.

“Welcome to the Archbishopric of Westford. Please tell us the name of the saint and the purpose of your visit.”

“My name is Edwin Reed. My father, Albert Reed, was Earl of Maidhedon in the South, and I am his heir. I have an urgent request to the Archbishop, so I am visiting Westford this time.”

“lead… ? Excuse me, could you please wait a moment?”

After hearing my introduction, the guards hurriedly left, and I followed their guidance to the shade beside the gate and waited for a long time.

Perhaps I went to call a superior, but this is a different province, so unlike when I visited the parish of Maidheaden, my status might not be affected much.

If so, you might have to wait quite a while.

“omg… omg… Excuse me!”

After waiting for an hour or so, a man wearing fancy silver armor suddenly jumped out from inside the castle.

Judging from the way he was dressed, he was probably the superior of the soldiers earlier, but he was breathing very heavily as if he had rushed over.

The man looked around, found me standing in the corner, and came straight over here.

“The jurisdiction is Osmund Turner, Chief of Peace of Westford Main. I am ashamed to commit such disrespect to the Prince of Reed. Even from now on, the official will serve you personally, so please, Confucius, I ask for your generous understanding.”

“hahahaha, being rude, it doesn’t matter. Rather, I was rude by coming here so suddenly. Thank you for your meticulous consideration.”

I waved my hand at the words of the peace officer and trembled.

According to him, here in Westford, fraudsters and swindlers who pretend to be members of prestigious families visit countless times a day, so they have no choice but to go through their own verification process, which takes a long time.

Well, this place seems to have a lot of floating population, and because of the peculiarity of the Archbishop’s decree, all kinds of people will come and go, so it seems that there is no choice but to have such a procedure.

“Didn’t you say you were asking for an audience with the Archbishop? Sorry, but the meeting may not happen right away. Because he was so busy with construction work, there are many people who just passed away without being able to see him even if they made an appointment in advance. The supervisor will make a request, but you’d better not expect too much.”

“it’s okay. However, as far as I know, visitors with the purpose of donation can receive priority in the audience ranking. Please make sure to convey the reason for my visit when making a request.”

“hahahaha, for some reason, he seemed to have a different impression, but he was a very devout member of the church. Don’t worry. I will never forget that part of me and deliver it to you.”

It was not uncommon for church and imperial nobility to collide, and donations were the most widely used means.

Since the movement of goods was done in the form of donations, due to its nature, the giver could also save a lot of tax, and since it was half-blind money, the management of the funds was also relatively free, so the church, the recipient, also chose donation as the most preferred method.

And since I implicitly mentioned that I came here for that purpose, if anyone is interested in this, they will put me on the priority list.

***

After waiting in the drawing room for about half a day, a person from the church finally came to visit me.

“You are still young, but I would have thought there would be someone with such a deep heart. This, the future of the empire is really bright. Draw it, hahahahaha.”

The person who escorted me to the archbishop earlier was someone who seemed to be a high-ranking priest.

However, his old-fashioned attire and status were overshadowed, and his body was showing off his greedy and overweight body in all directions.

The flesh protruding from between his robes swayed along with his steps, and his greasy face was glistening in the light of the chandelier.

“Princess Reed may not know it well, but this Sanders worked hard to make the meeting between Confucius and the Archbishop eminent. Archbishop Timothy has a naive side, so he doesn’t enjoy this kind of meeting very much. The sacrament of work is now up to Confucius, but whatever the outcome, please do not forget Sanders’ hard work.”

A high-ranking priest named Sanders, while guiding me, looked back and gave me a silent notice.

Judging by how things are going, it seems that the reports are not going up directly from the Chief of Police, but through middle managers like this.

And if it doesn’t suit their taste, make an appropriate excuse and cut it off in the middle.

I think the correct answer was to explain that I was visiting for the purpose of donation.

“Is it possible? It is natural for those who work hard for the peace of all people in the empire. I am still lacking in knowledge, but I fully understand that much.”

“Heh heh, looking at this now, he was not only good looking, but also good at thinking. Then this Sanders will only trust Confucius.”

As I was walking and having a fruitless conversation with him, I soon arrived in front of the archbishop’s office. Sanders, who had become quiet as if he had never done so, cleared his throat a couple of times, then raised his arm and knocked on the office door.

“Yeah. This is Sanders. Prince Edwin Reed, whom I mentioned earlier, has arrived.”

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“Stop by.”

When the archbishop gave permission, Sanders opened the door slightly and stepped back.

I walked toward the open door, and as I entered the office, I could see the archbishop sitting at the desk in front.

Archbishop Timothy was a church member who looked to be in his 40s and was younger than expected, which did not fit the image of an archbishop.

However, in contrast to Sanders, who was glaring with greed, he was radiating a pious aura from his whole body befitting the image of a religious person.

“Welcome. Although he is lacking in stamina, he is said to be Timothy, the archbishop of Westford.”

“My name is Edwin Reed. “I am just grateful that you accepted my request for an audience with the saints.”

“Sit down.”

After a light greeting with the archbishop, I was guided by him and sat down on a sofa in the middle of the office.

However, contrary to my expectations of sharing any greetings first, the Archbishop sat me down and sipped warm tea in silence for a while.

And after about 10 minutes, I was tired of the long silence and was about to speak first, but the archbishop finally opened his mouth and threw a word on the topic.

“… There are too many thieves in the world. Isn’t it?”

“?”

“And our church members, who pride themselves on being those who worship God closest to them, are no exception. Didn’t a thief knock on my door just now?”

thief? Are you talking about Sanders? It seems that the Archbishop’s feelings toward the priests under him are not so good.

“Even the nonsense is that the bigger the thief, the bigger the power. So how do we catch them?”

Is this person planning to play Seon dialogue with me? I am a busy person with still work to do today.

However, I came here to recruit the archbishop, and it seems that it will be very difficult to bring out my purpose if I do not properly match his dialogue. I have no choice but to get along…

“That is simple. Wouldn’t it be better if Your Excellency had greater power than a thief?”

“what?”

“In the end, everything in this world comes down to power. There are no exceptions. Wasn’t it possible to defeat even the Great Demon in the past with the power of a hero with overwhelming force? Even transcendental beings should be like that, so what else can we say about the public affairs?”

“It’s power… ”

The Archbishop listened to my answer, pondered for a while, and then he asked me again.

“Then you came here to gain that kind of power you speak of, right? You said you came to make a donation, so in return you will have something you want from me.”

“That’s right.”

When I gave an affirmative answer, the archbishop smiled and raised his teacup again.

“You are a child who does not know the world. What you are doing right now is stretching your legs without knowing where to lie down. I don’t normally accept donations or anything like that. If people like Sanders can’t even pick up grains from below and eat them, how can I do something like sucking the people’s blood with my own hands?

The reason I accepted your audience was because I had seen your father several times before and knew what he was like. However, now that you are talking about donations, your behavior is literally unacceptable.

I will not order you to celebrate because of your old relationship with your father. But I have no intention of listening to your request. So don’t be vain, have a cup of tea quietly and go.”