Heavenly Castle

Chapter 96: Audience with the King

Translator: “Pink Tea” Editor: ”Ryunakama”

I want to have an audience with the king.

To make that wish come true I first have to get the cooperation from someone with more than a moderate level of influence in this town.

If I came and asked for an audience out of nowhere, no one would believe me in the first place, but even if I tried to persuade them, it would take too much time.

So, after spending one night in the capital, we visited Reginshion Trade company in the morning.

「W-what a pleasant surprise, Taiki-sama! Welcome to the capital’s second branch of Reginshion Company!」

Luckily, I soon discovered Diego. He flew from the interior of the store while rubbing his hands together.

「How can we serve you today?」

Looking at Diego, beaming with a smile, I started from the main topic.

「I want to meet with his Majesty the King...... And as fast as possible. Can something be done about that with Reginshion company’s influence?」

「Please leave it to me! His Majesty the King, right? I will check if we have any left in the stock.........?! Hi-His Majesty the King?!」

After a terrible shriek, Diego froze in shock.

「A-audience is it? We-well, as one might expect, even we don’t deal in audiences with the king, what can I say......」

Looking with pity at the panicking Diego, Ayla spoke up.

「Ta-Taiki-sama. I apologize for repeating what I have said yesterday, but unless one follows a proper procedure, an audience with a king can hardly happen......」

「I do know that. If we go through the proper procedures, our identities will become public knowledge and it will also take time......」

I get Ayla’s point, but it’s because I don’t want anyone to know that I came from the Heavenly Castle that I’m trying other routes.

If I wanted to make a flashy entrance, I could’ve just sent some dozens of robots and then made my way towards the palace in a grand procession, that surely would get me an audience quite fast.

But there is no telling what they would think if I were to do something like that. In the worst case, it might be taken as pressure with military force or provocation.

Therefore, I’d prefer a secret, yet authorized audience.

And while we were whispering with Ayla, the branch manager, Rabia, appeared from the store’s interior.

「Oh, Taiki-sama! Welcome and nice to see you. Can we be of service?」

Diego timidly leaned towards Rabia, that was showing his perfect business smile, and whispered something to him.

「?!」

Then, Rabia’s face stiffened.

「...An, an audience you say......」

Muttering so in a low voice, Rabia lowered his gaze, as if deliberating on something, and after a while once again looked our way.

「As merchants, we are extremely honored that you chose to rely on us, but as for the matter with the audience......」

Not really expecting anything, I still decided to go on the offensive with the troubled Rabia.

「If you can make the audience happen, our country intends to make Reginshion company our purveyor, in other words, a designated trading company. Were we to make any purchase in this area, we will make sure to get it through Reginshion company.」

I suggested and observed their reactions, while the two of them stood flapping their mouths with round eyes. After imitating hungry carps for a while, they finally returned to their senses.

「We, we, we will definitely arrange for an audience!」

「I-I will tell the president!」

「Ah, wait right there! I will do it! Hey, Diego!」

Perhaps taking it as their biggest opportunity of a lifetime, the two ran off somewhere at full speed.

「......Taiki-sama. Wasn’t Heavenly Kingdom largely unrelated to any big-scale imports...... At most, some transactions with the peddler Findato-san......?」

「Findato-san went through a lot of hardship trying to procure needed goods, so this might be a good opportunity. Well, I also want to try my hand in something trade-like, so I guess I might try air transport.」

I said with a smile, to which Ayla muttered with a serious face.

「A-airtransport?」

Smiling at the sight of Ayla wracking her brains over those words I turned to Yuri.

「Now, we have support from a huge trading company, next, if we get to use a name of a major country it should work out somehow, what do you think?」

When asked, Yuri blinked once and replied.

「Instead of Heavenly Country, you want to use the name of my country?」

「Surely, the king would be more inclined to meet a beautiful maiden from a faraway kingdom, instead of someone from some mysterious country the very existence of which is questionable.」

When told so with a smile, Yuri covered her mouth and her eyes narrowed.

「If Taiki-sama says so, I won’t be able to refuse. Ufufu.」

For some reason, Yuri appeared slightly amused, while Ayla seemed a bit dejected.

Tilting my head in puzzlement about their reverse reactions, I then looked at Aifa.

「From here on we might have to get a bit coercive. I will be counting on you, Aifa-san, A1, are you ready?」

When asked for confirmation, Aifa nodded expressionlessly.

「Even alone I would’ve managed somehow, but together with Taiki-sama’s golem I can destroy this city in a single day.」

「Why would you have to destroy it......」

I sigh at the elf’s warlike words.