Chapter 462

That much was fine, but as it turns out, there are currently two figures in this country who could be called the top leaders.

You see, about 120 years ago, this country was governed by an emperor, but with the wave of democratization, it's now effectively led by a prime minister chosen through votes by representatives elected by the people.

However, the position of emperor still exists, and while they've lost political power, they reign as a symbol of the nation of Adorarim.

After discussing which one to meet first, Tatsuro and the others decided to go see the emperor.

"Well, formally speaking, the emperor is supposed to be higher than the prime minister. And if it comes down to it"

"Leela's here, after all!"

"I'd rather not stand out too much, but I suppose it can't be helped this time."

The first emperor of this country was a former Clear Elf who gave up their status as a Clear Elf, and their child-the second generation-was the offspring of two Clear Elves, making it a legitimate bloodline.

From there, the current emperor is a Deep Elf on par with Nia Elves or Nymph Elves, having inherited the line unbroken through the generations.

They're an elf with a higher aptitude for Spirit Magic than other high-ranking elf species.

And precisely because they're a species so close to Clear Elves, the existence of a Clear Elf is like a divine being that surpasses even the status of emperor.

So, even against someone the Adventurer's Guild's influence doesn't reach, as long as Leela is there, they can push through.

The current prime minister is apparently a rabbit beastfolk, so the choice was also a calculated one, figuring the emperor would be easier to deal with.

And so, they arrived at the front of the imperial palace.

The two armored figures who seemed to be guards at the gate turned suspicious looks toward the approaching Tatsuro and company.

A group of children from various races, animals, a female beastfolk, and an elf. Their attire gave off a foreign vibe, so it was no wonder they couldn't figure out what kind of group they were just by looking.

"Halt. This is the imperial palace where His Majesty the Emperor resides. If you're sightseeing, go elsewhere."

"No, we're not here for sightseeing. We've come to meet and speak with His Majesty the Emperor."

"What? Do you have an appointment for an audience?"

"No. We haven't arranged any appointment."

"Hah. This isn't worth discussing. If you want to meet His Majesty, I recommend following the proper procedures and coming back. Now, off with you."

They were laughed off and brushed aside lightly, but Tatsuro just gave a wry smile, thinking yeah, that makes sense, and pulled out his identification.

This time, since it was the emperor-even if only a symbolic one-he displayed his accurate rank: individual 12, party 15, the world's highest rank, figuring that might get them an audience even without an appointment.

"I'm actually this sort of person, and there's something urgent I need to discuss."

"Oh?"

The guard furrowed his brows in annoyance, like there was still more, but he glanced at his partner to signal caution, then looked over the identification Tatsuro held out.

"Let's see, this is an Adventurer's Guild identification. Let's see... Tatsuro Hasami. Individual rank 12, party... uh?"

"Well, yes. That's how it is"

That's how it is. Tatsuro was about to say, but before he could, the guard who had checked the identification changed his expression and sidled up to Tatsuro.

"C-could it be!? Ahhh, are you that Revolutionary of Food, Lord Tatsuro Hasami!?"

"Huh? Revolutionary... of food? Um, what exactly"

"H-hey. Is it the real thing!?"

"Wait! I'm checking now!"

As the two guards exchanged words, the one who had been examining Tatsuro's identification rummaged in his pocket and pulled out something like a ten-centimeter flashlight.

"Huh? Can fakes be made?"

"With recent advancements in technology, you can't underestimate it. Fraudulent magical tools that mimic system displays are becoming a problem."

"Oh."

Tatsuro nodded in understanding, thinking that whenever useful technology is developed, there are always people who misuse it, as the guard switched on the flashlight-like magical tool, shone a purple light on Tatsuro's identification, and stared at it intently.

"N-no doubt... it's real... Wow! It's an honor to meet you! Ah, may I shake your hand?"

"Eh..."

Before Tatsuro could give permission, his hand was gripped firmly.

While he was bewildered by that, the other one said, "M-me too!?" and in a baffling turn of events, he ended up shaking hands with two men without understanding why.

"And that means the lady next to you is your wife, Lady Ai Hasami! My, my, the rumors are true-you two really get along well!"

"Well, yeah!"

Ai probably didn't understand the situation either, but she seemed pleased that Tatsuro's surname was attached to her as Ai Hasami, so she puffed out her chest and confidently affirmed it.

But Tatsuro was more concerned about the words they'd said earlier.

"Um... that 'Revolutionary of Food'? What is that?"

"Huh? Oh, come on, don't play dumb. You must know what people all over the world call you-there's no way you don't."

"All... over the world...?"

(What on earth is my future self up to!?)

While shaken, Tatsuro figured it would seem suspicious if he outright denied it, so he casually went along with the flow to hear more, and it seemed that in this era, Tatsuro had accomplished something revolutionary enough to transform the world's food situation.

For a moment, he thought maybe the isekai cooking cheat had kicked in! But even if not exactly the same, similar dishes to those on Earth exist normally here.

The same goes for seasonings, so importing things like mayonnaise, ketchup, soy sauce, or miso from Earth shouldn't be novel at this point.

So what exactly? He wondered, and it turned out the revolution Tatsuro had sparked was not in cooking but in ingredients.

Apparently, by supplying rare high-end ingredients like Laranest and others, he captured the hearts of the affluent.

With reasonably priced outdated ingredients that even average households could splurge on, he grabbed the general populace.

And with mass-producible but hard-to-handle vegetables and rice due to their high propagation rates, he firmly ensnared the low-income brackets.

In doing so, Tatsuro had apparently transformed family dinner tables around the world into something more abundant.

{Man, my other self is doing whatever he wants. I wonder if other merchants are glaring at him.}

{But if we can make delicious things and make everyone happy with them, that's great, right?}

{...Yeah. Once everything's over, becoming an ingredient hunter might be fun.}

{Come to think of it, when we talked with the Martial God, she mentioned that besides Laranest, the Monster God created a series of delicious monsters for fun, so hunting those down could be good too.}

{For real!? We've gotta find those.}

As the two of them discussed that via Telepathy, the guard who had been enthusiastically recounting future Tatsuro info seemed to snap back to reality.

"However, for someone of your stature, Lord Tatsuro, if you follow the regular procedures, His Majesty should meet you in at least two or three days, but is this matter so urgent?"

"Yes, it's not something that's happening right this second, but there's something concerning me."

With those words, the atmosphere around the two men, who had been excited and delighted moments ago, tightened instantly.

Indeed, in this era, Tatsuro is known worldwide as a famous figure in the ingredient trade, but he's also recognized as an extraordinarily capable adventurer.

If such a person has an urgent concern and is requesting an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, they realized it wasn't something trivial.

"Hey, contact the higher-ups right now!"

"G-got it!"

After instructing the guards who had been discreetly waiting inside the gate, one of them dashed full speed into the imperial palace.

Not even a few minutes later, the dashing guard returned, bringing along an elegant elf man dressed not in armor but in well-tailored clothes.

"You are Lord Tatsuro Hasami and party, correct? His Majesty says he will meet you immediately. Everyone, please follow me."

"Understood. Everyone, let's go."

During a brief chat on the way into the imperial palace, this elf-named Eitan-turned out to be the current emperor's secretary.

Everyone trailed behind Eitan in a line until they stopped before a heavy black wooden door, where he knocked.

Then, a man's voice from inside said, "Please enter."

Upon hearing that, Eitan promptly opened the door wide and ushered Tatsuro and the others inside.

"Pleased to meet you, Lord Tatsuro. I am the emperor of the nation of Adorarim. My name is Fion Adorarim."

A beautiful-faced elf man with slightly bluish light hair stood gracefully and greeted them.

Tatsuro and the others introduced themselves by name in return, and finally, it was Leela's turn.

"Leela Tristra."

"Ah, you-!?"

"...What is it?"

"N-no. Anyway, let's hear what you have to say first. Everyone, please have a seat over there."

Apparently, even with strong Recognition Hindrance in place, when facing a high-ranking elf like a Deep Elf eye-to-eye, they notice.

The other guards and Secretary Eitan looked at Emperor Fion with puzzled expressions.

Meanwhile, Leah was secretly pondering improvements in her mind as she sat on the guest sofa along with Tatsuro and the others.

"So, what is this urgent matter...?"

"It's about"

Tatsuro, as the representative, began explaining the mysterious disappearances they were concerned about this time.

At the mention of the term "mysterious disappearances," the guards, Secretary Eitan, and Emperor Fion in the room all stiffened their expressions.

Sensing that there was definitely something to it, Tatsuro went on to explain everything they'd lightly investigated themselves and that they wanted permission to conduct a large-scale investigation.

"Before that, I'd like to ask... Could this be related to your duty?"

"Duty…"

"You may think of it that way."

Just as Tatsuro was about to ask what "duty" meant, Leela interrupted, looking straight into Emperor Fion's eyes with a smile.

Emperor Fion swallowed hard and began to hang his head in dismay, murmuring, "To think in our country..."

Tatsuro, Ai, and the others hadn't realized it yet, but by this era, only the upper echelons of countries around the world knew that besides being the highest-rank adventurer and the Revolutionary of Food, they were also the Servants of the Magic God and the Martial God.

So, what Emperor Fion meant by "duty" was whether they were acting on a divine oracle from the gods.

If that was true, it suggested an unprecedented crisis was upon them-or would be.

That's why Emperor Fion was gripped by anxiety, wondering what terrifying event was occurring.

After all, it would have to be an incident serious enough for the gods to send messengers directly.

Moreover, not only the messengers but even a Clear Elf, child of the gods, had come along, so he had no choice but to believe.

And since about half of it was true, Tatsuro and the others weren't lying either.

If Tatsuro and company did nothing in the near future, some kind of event would undoubtedly occur-that much was certain.

"From your reaction earlier, it seems like there's something to these incidents called mysterious disappearances, but could you tell us about it?"

"Y-yes... I will assist as much as I can..."

Thus, prompted politely by Leela, the emperor began to speak about the "mysterious disappearances" incidents that had been quietly becoming a problem beneath the surface.