[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 69
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Zeke and Felix were in a carriage, leaving Atlas and heading to another city.
Felix, sitting across from him, said in a slightly excited voice,
"Master, this is my first time going to Mycenae!"
But Zeke couldn't be in a tourist mood like Felix.
'The Agamemnon clan of Mycenae.'
Mycenae was one of the cities in Midland sponsored by Draker.
It wasn't one of the five major cities of Midland, but it was said that fifty years ago, it was a larger city than Atlas.
Like Thebes, the oldest kingdom, it was a city steeped in tradition, with traces of the Golden Age and the Holy Empire remaining throughout the city.
The Agamemnon clan was a historical noble clan that had ruled Mycenae and its surrounding territories for a very long time.
There were even rumors that they were descendants of an ancient kingdom that existed in the same era as the Cronos Kingdom.
As the owners of the territory, with a long-standing tradition and accumulated wealth, the Agamemnon clan wielded strong power within Draker, centered around Mycenae.
However, starting fifty years ago, a curse fell upon the clan, and children began to die one after another.
As a result, rumors of the cursed clan spread, and no one wanted to associate with the Agamemnon clan.
With the fall of the Agamemnon clan, Mycenae's reputation also faded, and their name became difficult to find within the Draker clan.
With various thoughts in mind, Zeke arrived in Mycenae.
***
"Whoa, Master! Look over there. It's like we've traveled back to the Holy Empire era."
Unlike the modern city of Atlas, Mycenae retained the atmosphere of the Holy Empire from 500 years ago.
Buildings built in the Gothic style, commonly used in the Holy Empire, made up the entire city.
Zeke felt a sense of wonder at the unfamiliar and exotic appearance of Mycenae.
'Come to think of it, I've never been to Mycenae in my past life either.'
Back then, he mainly traveled to strategically important cities, so there was no need for him to visit a city like Mycenae.
Zeke said to Felix,
"Felix, let's find a place to stay first."
"Understood, Master."
Although Zeke could use the clan facilities located throughout Midland as an official Draker knight, he decided to get a room at an inn in the city.
This was because he wanted to experience the atmosphere of Mycenae firsthand.
Felix quickly searched for a decent-looking inn in the city.
Zeke entered the inn that Felix guided him to.
It was like a scene from a storybook.
As it was nearing evening, people were crowding into the dining hall, drinking beer, and the innkeeper brought out a whole roasted chunk of meat for the guests.
Zeke and Felix decided to have a simple meal after renting a room.
The large innkeeper approached Zeke.
"What would you like to eat?"
Zeke and Felix, who were concealing their identities, appeared to be just ordinary tourists visiting Mycenae for the first time.
Felix asked the innkeeper with his characteristic friendly smile,
"What's the most popular dish here?"
The innkeeper replied in a confident voice,
"If you don't need a side dish, the special soup is the best. It'll fill you right up."
Zeke and Felix ordered the soup he recommended, along with bread and beer.
The food came out faster than expected and tasted quite good.
Zeke listened to the conversations of the people around him as he ate.
They were mostly ordinary stories of ordinary people.
'The city itself seems fine.'
For people to be leisurely drinking and chatting in a tavern at a time when the sun hadn't completely set meant that the city's economy and public order were good.
Zeke, who had imagined that the city ruled by the cursed Agamemnon clan would be somewhat gloomy and depressing, was surprised by the unexpected sight.
Just then, one of the men drinking at a nearby table placed a roasted chunk of meat on a plate and set it down next to Zeke and Felix.
"You seem like tourists, and it would be a shame to leave without trying Mycenae's famous grilled beef ribs."
The man's companions agreed, saying it was true.
Zeke spoke to the man in a friendly voice, as if it was just what he wanted.
"Thank you for your kindness. The citizens of Mycenae are truly kind."
The man nodded with a proud expression.
"Of course, I'm a Mycenae native. There's no place like this."
Another man chimed in.
"That's right! I went to Atlas or whatever it's called, and there were just so many people, it was too hectic to stay. The buildings were all crammed together and white, it wasn't impressive at all."
The other men nodded in agreement.
Zeke told Felix to buy more beer.
"Oh dear, what is this?"
The men, enjoying the free beer Zeke had ordered, were even more cheerful and boasted about the city of Mycenae.
Zeke became even more confused as he listened.
'Public order is good, welfare policies are well-established, and the city is being managed perfectly.'
There were many cities on the continent, but few were managed well enough to truly satisfy their citizens.
Even looking at the Southern Continent, the cartels, drug organizations, had taken over the cities and were running them as they pleased, rendering the existence of the kingdoms meaningless.
Compared to that, Mycenae was practically a paradise.
When the men were a bit more drunk, Zeke slowly brought up the topic.
"Just listening to what you've said, I can see how great Mycenae is. But who is the current mayor of Mycenae? I didn't see a city hall building when I looked around today."
The men, who had been laughing and chatting excitedly, suddenly fell silent.
The sudden silence was awkward even for Zeke, who had brought up the topic.
The man who first came to Zeke's table drained his beer glass and stood up.
"I seem to have taken up too much of your time. Enjoy your stay."
The man returned to his original table, and the other men also started talking amongst themselves, not looking at Zeke and his party.
Zeke realized from the men's sudden reaction that they didn't want to talk about the Agamemnon clan.
'Do they think even mentioning the cursed clan will bring bad luck?'
Zeke thought he needed to look into this further.
After finishing their meal, Zeke said to Felix,
"I'm going to look around some more, so you rest first, Felix."
The quick-witted Felix understood what Zeke meant.
"Understood, Master. Be careful."
Zeke, who left the inn alone, wandered around the city and headed towards the Syndicate branch.
Every city had its dark side, and the Syndicate had a presence there.
Zeke found the branch run by the Syndicate, just like he did in Atlas, and went inside.
The atmosphere was completely different from the tavern at the inn.
A tough-looking man stood in front of Zeke and said,
"This isn't a place for a kid to be."
Zeke quietly took out a card he had received from Kay.
This magically crafted card was provided only to VIP clients within the Syndicate.
The man, recognizing the card, was surprised and bowed his waist.
"I apologize for not recognizing your esteemed self."
"I want to see the branch manager."
The man immediately guided Zeke inside, and they started walking down a passage leading underground.
'Looking at this, it's not much different from the Thieves Guild.'
The Thieves Guild would prepare such secure passages to store stolen goods.
The Syndicate was also an organization that valued security, so there wasn't much difference from the Thieves Guild in that regard.
After passing through several forks in the path, Zeke was led to the branch manager's location.
He entered a private room in a high-class bar, where someone was waiting for him.
It was a young man in a neat suit.
He seemed quite young to be a branch manager, but considering the major reshuffling and reorganization of the Syndicate last year, it was somewhat understandable.
As soon as the branch manager entered the room, he dropped to his knees.
"I apologize for my rudeness in not knowing that you were coming."
This wasn't the usual reaction to an ordinary client.
Zeke asked the branch manager,
"Do you know who I am?"
"Not in detail. But I was told that you are someone I must never offend."
It seemed there was some kind of mark on the card Kay had given him.
Zeke nodded and gestured for the branch manager to sit down.
As the branch manager sat down, he offered Zeke the tea he had prepared.
"I heard you like tea."
"..."
Zeke took a sip of the tea the branch manager had prepared and opened his mouth.
"How long have you been in Mycenae?"
"I've been here for about 20 years."
"Quite a long time."
"I'm a native here, and I started working for the organization when I was young."
"Good. Then you must be well-versed in the affairs of Mycenae."
"Yes. Unlike how it appears, Mycenae has an active black market. Most of the stolen goods that come through unofficial channels are handled here in Mycenae, so..."
"Unfortunately, I'm not interested in stolen goods."
The branch manager looked slightly disappointed at Zeke's words.
"What's the atmosphere of Mycenae like?"
"It's a good place to live. Public order is good, and there are plenty of goods. The only downside is that there's no railroad, so it's inconvenient to travel to other cities."
It was strange to hear a member of a criminal organization say that good public order was a good thing.
Zeke nodded and asked another question.
"Do you know anything about the ruler of Mycenae?"
At that moment, the branch manager's face turned pale.
Seeing that, Zeke recalled the reactions of the men at the inn.
He decided to drive the point home and uttered the name to the branch manager.
"The Agamemnon clan."
As soon as Zeke said the clan name, the branch manager visibly trembled.
'I wonder what kind of rumors about the curse are spreading for him to be this afraid.'
The branch manager, trying his best to suppress his fear, said to Zeke,
"W-Where did you hear that name?"
"That's none of your business. It seems that mentioning that clan name is taboo in Mycenae. Is there a reason?"
Suddenly, the branch manager started making the sign of the cross and reciting prayers.
It was typical of a city with strong remnants of the Holy Empire.
He slowly opened his mouth.
"My lord, that clan is cursed."
"I know that. I heard it's a curse that kills children."
The branch manager vigorously shook his head.
"N-No, that's not it."
"It's not? Is there a different curse?"
The branch manager slowly opened his mouth.
"A-Anyone who g-goes to the c-castle d-dies."
"What?"
This was something he hadn't heard from Decker.
Zeke asked the branch manager again,
"So you're saying that anyone, regardless of who they are, dies if they go to the Agamemnon clan's castle?"
"Y-Yes. A-And if you s-say the name too many times, you c-could also d-die."
Seeing the branch manager's trembling lips, it didn't seem like he was lying.
'There must be something to it.'
Superstitions had the power of magic, so if many people believed in them, curses or strange things could actually occur.
"Have people actually died after going to that castle?"
At that question, the branch manager made the sign of the cross again and prayed before slowly opening his mouth.
"Y-Yes. I heard that a long time ago, during my grandfather's time, people who went to the castle were cursed and all died. My grandfather said that one of his brothers died that way too."
"Has anything like that happened recently?"
The branch manager shook his head.
"The citizens of Mycenae don't go near the castle in the first place. We've blocked all the roads leading to it in case any tourists try to go there."
"Hmm."
After hearing everything the branch manager had to say, Zeke came to his own conclusion.
'It seems the Agamemnon clan isn't actually cursed.'
His eyes flashed.
'The Agamemnon clan must have intentionally spread the rumors of the curse.'
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]