Ch.112112. Consecutive

It was the third day of their journey back to the Imperial Capital.

The Hero’s party decided to stay at a modest inn.

While it was natural to rely on inns during long journeys, this was actually an unusual choice for them. When they had set out to save the fortress, they had traveled eighteen hours a day, catching brief naps by the roadside.

‘That was an insane pace.’

The Saintess couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory.

Now, during their return journey, they had slowed down enough to stop at inns. The Saintess somehow felt like she was enjoying a luxury.

“Um, Elder Priest. Is the schedule being delayed because of me…?”

“No, Saintess. We’re human too and want to travel comfortably.”

Though the Elder Priest denied it, Saintess Gang Hannah knew that the party had slowed down because of her.

But regardless of her guilt, she was grateful to be able to rest and eat warm food at an inn. While she could restore physical strength with holy power, enduring long hours in a bumpy carriage was still incredibly uncomfortable.

‘Still, I shouldn’t waste time.’

After finishing dinner at the inn, the Saintess practiced holy arts in a spot slightly removed from the older men who were sipping distilled liquor.

She could still use holy power. It would manifest simply through her strong desire to heal the injured. She was just working to improve so she wouldn’t fall short as the Hero’s companion.

However, it was difficult to concentrate fully.

The events she had experienced at the border kept flashing before her eyes.

The undead strewn about in terrible states (skeletons, rag golems, half-rotted monsters, etc.), the bloodied corpses of soldiers lying scattered, and the injured who were barely clinging to life while breathing roughly.

‘No, I need to forget.’

The Saintess shook her head vigorously to collect herself, thinking that her situation was much better compared to those who had actually died at that fortress.

In fact, she was being treated well.

When she was in Korea, she had been in dire financial straits. She had been working two part-time jobs to pay off the debts her imprisoned father had left behind, and since some of that debt was owed to relatives, she couldn’t ask anyone for help.

It had been a life of slowly dying.

But here, everyone treated her with respect. Her—someone who wasn’t particularly accomplished and hadn’t contributed anything to this world.

Even the most influential person in this world considered her a companion.

The Hero, who was currently talking to a crystal ball, was that very person. Beside him, Professor Weaver was casting communication magic with a sleepy expression.

At first, she thought he might be reporting their achievements at the border, but listening carefully, that wasn’t the case.

The Hero was discussing “commodities.”

“Canola oil? Has the delivery time already approached? So how are the prices forming? …Huh. Seems like everyone’s eating well at home.”

“No, Bingo. Set aside the amount we’ll consume in our territory and dispose of the rest in the Imperial Capital’s commercial district. We have plenty of goods to receive from early summer anyway, so there’s no need to rush now.”

“And ask the church to keep the lords in check. I don’t have time to go around cracking heads one by one.”

“Oh, and tell Lord Hyde not to push himself too hard.”

His dry manner of discussing what to receive and how to dispose of it.

Occasionally he would give instructions, and sometimes he would murmur while listening to the explanations of someone named Bingo (she doubted that was his real name).

‘To think the Hero has to take care of such things too.’

She had always thought he was an unusual person, but… she never dreamed he would be dealing with canola oil, wheat, tobacco, beer, and cotton textiles.

At this point, she found it mysterious whether one person should take on so many roles.

Something was definitely strange.

Perhaps sensing her staring gaze, the Hero, after finishing his communication, twitched his eyebrows and gave her a silent question.

The Saintess cleared her throat a few times and then made a somewhat serious suggestion.

“Um, Hero. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“You’ve already been a great help, Saintess. I heard you treated nearly forty people at the fortress. Without you, some of them might have become disabled due to delayed treatment.”

“No. Healing is what I’m supposed to do. If you ever need someone to consult with…”

“Ah, you mean something like a rehabilitation system.”

The Hero nodded as if he understood what she meant. He even looked at the Saintess as if finding her somewhat admirable.

The Saintess put on the most confident expression she could, determined to answer whatever question the Hero might ask to the best of her ability.

However, the Hero did not ask for advice.

Instead, looking around, he spoke in a bitter tone.

“Saintess. This place is quite large for a rural inn. It seems adventurers frequently stop by too. The owner is probably one of the few people in this village who regularly handles gold coins.”

“Ah, yes. But why…?”

“But even this owner has probably never visited a bank in his life. There are only a few cities with enough commercial activity to have an Imperial Bank. At best, he might have entrusted his money to the merchant guild’s vault in the territory’s main castle for safekeeping.”

“……”

“You probably understand what I’m getting at.”

He seemed to be implying that in a world where most commoners were farmers, there was limited scope to utilize the Saintess’s amateur knowledge.

The Hero added some consoling words like “This world is so strange that it’s understandable for the Saintess to misunderstand” or “I’ll still ask for your advice if needed,” but these words only left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Because she now knew why this world had become so strange.

‘So that’s why the Hero works so insanely hard.’

A situation where only one person in the entire world possessed power, wealth, knowledge, and skill. She could imagine how perplexed the Hero must feel.

“Just fulfilling your role as Saintess is enough.”

I see. Hannah nodded weakly at these words. In the end, she thought that diligently mastering holy arts was the best course of action.

After all, that was the way to help both the Hero and herself. If they could defeat the Demon Lord, the world would become a little more peaceful.

***

The Saintess gripped her mace firmly and went up to her assigned room.

‘At least her determination is admirable.’

She seemed to feel some sense of responsibility, but that was actually unnecessary. The Saintess was adapting better than I had expected.

Partly because Gwon Heejin had lowered my expectations of otherworlders to rock bottom, but it was also true that the Saintess had a good character.

Even now, the Elder Priest was looking at the Saintess’s back with the fond expression of someone watching their late-born youngest daughter.

“Hero, the Saintess’s reputation in the Papal State is quite favorable. She’s eager to learn anything voluntarily and has never made difficult demands. Even though many people ask about Gwon Heejin, which must be troubling, she’s never shown it.”

“Is that so?”

“…In my opinion, the Saintess probably won’t return to her original world even after defeating the Demon Lord.”

“That’s surprising. I would think the Papal State would seem boring to someone from another world.”

Though I said it was surprising, I had already spoken with the Saintess. I knew why she was so desperately trying to adapt to this continent.

Her father was like a ruined man who spent all day on something called “private sports betting.” He quit after being scammed, but then got into coins and bought some junk coin issued by Gwon Heejin’s group, which led to his downfall.

‘And eventually became a criminal, if I recall.’

Unlike the Empire, it seems families aren’t sent to labor camps there, but in reality, her situation was practically the same as being in one. The Saintess herself had her future deleted and was thrown into working life. She wouldn’t want to return to such a life.

“I understand. Who would want to return to that hell? Poor girl. Tsk.”

…If nothing else, I agreed with the assessment that she was pitiful. Especially considering what motivated her efforts to contribute somehow.

I turned my head to appropriately acknowledge the Elder Priest’s comment.

But before that, Professor Weaver thrust another communication crystal at me, saying, “It’s Lady Hyde.”

“Ember?”

Indeed, Ember’s voice came through the crystal. It didn’t seem like she had employed a magician just to check in.

Fortunately, what she shared was good news.

“Erick. The Unicorn Party’s whereabouts have been identified.”

“Really?”

The Unicorn Party. A group composed entirely of noble children, including the second son of John Burko.

Among the party members was also Ember’s cousin, the son of the former Baron Hyde.

“Actually, the Imperial Family placed a request with the Adventurers’ Guild. The reward was generous, so quite a few adventurers were attracted to it.”

“They found them in the Kingdom of Ether?”

“Yes. They’ve already made contact and are keeping them in one place.”

She said the Unicorn Party was still being stubborn, but they wouldn’t hold out for long. They would end up disbanding without finding either a unicorn or an ancient trent, but at least that was better than dying miserably in a foreign land.

As annoying as they were, if something had happened to them, there would have been wailing not just in my territory but in several regions.

“That’s a relief at least.”

“Yes. That’s good news, but…”

“What’s wrong?”

After a brief pause, Ember added, “It looks like a large number of refugees will be flooding into our territory.” This was also news I already knew, so I wondered why she was creating such a serious atmosphere. Perhaps she wanted me to encourage her?

If that’s what she wanted…

“Wait, Ember. Did you just say ‘looks like’? And ‘large number’?”

“Yes, Erick. It seems strange rumors are circulating in territories far from the Imperial Capital, especially centered around villages rather than main castles. Today, there was even a group that came all the way to the Count’s residence demanding we give up our home.”

“…Huh.”

“Moreover, those people were even carrying some kind of strange deed certificates. This is clearly someone intentionally… sigh.”

Certificates.

Just hearing this much, I could tell something serious was happening. And of course, it didn’t seem like a coincidental situation. While I was tied up at the border, some force had cleverly and extensively carried out an operation.

As for the identity of that force, I felt I knew without having to investigate separately.