Ch.127Return to the Holy Nation #7

A middle-aged man wearing a pitch-black priestly robe typical of ordinary priests, with a black veil embroidered with golden thread around his neck, greeted me warmly.

Thanks to the lantern he held in his hand, I could see his slender face and the clothes he wore.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, pleased to meet you. I’m embarrassed to say that I am Rino Clemens, called the king of this theocracy.”

I had thought he was just an ordinary cleric, as he gave the impression of a neighborhood pastor, with only the veil around his neck being unusual… but he was the Ecclesiastical King.

While inwardly unable to hide my bewilderment, I bowed my head toward the man who placed the lantern on the platform and approached me.

“I am Zion Krauser. It’s an honor to meet the king of the theocracy.”

“King. It’s quite an embarrassing title every time I hear it. But for someone not from the theocracy, there’s no clearer term…”

As soon as Ecclesiastical King Rino came close, he took my hand and kept bowing repeatedly.

His words and demeanor were so modest for a king that I unconsciously felt my tension ease.

If all this behavior was calculated, it would be truly chilling.

His strangely meticulous touch was somewhat uncomfortable… but it was probably nothing.

“In any case, I apologize for having you come at such an early hour. Normally, when hosting a guest, one should accommodate their schedule as a matter of courtesy…”

“It’s fine. I also wanted to meet quietly, and unnecessary rumors would be troublesome for both of us.”

“Thank you so much for saying so.”

The Ecclesiastical King sat beside me with a kind-looking smile.

Sitting side by side facing the platform where the lantern was placed created a peculiar feeling.

It felt like being in a bar I had never frequented before.

“I’ve heard the rumors. That there is someone who admirably supports the Master of the Sotern Kingdom.”

“…Is that so? I’ve actually committed many embarrassing acts, yet my reputation seems quite good.”

I responded as humbly as possible, feeling awkward at the flattering praise.

I wasn’t crazy enough to act arrogantly before the king of another country, but above all, I felt respect for the king’s unpretentious demeanor.

If he had subtly provoked me to anger, I would naturally have put an edge in my voice.

After exchanging various small talk for a while, the Ecclesiastical King was the first to harden his expression and speak in a low voice.

“Well. As you may already know, Mr. Krauser, those who receive divine grace directly are special. They are extremely rare, and finding them across the entire continent is never easy. Even among those who received grace, some may have lived and died without knowing it.”

“Yes. I heard this from the priest who blessed us.”

“And their abilities vary greatly as well. However, from the perspective of our theocracy’s people, we don’t rank them according to their abilities. Regardless of what kind of grace it is, the most important thing is that God directly intervened.”

Even if the effect of the grace is insignificant, the connection to a divine being cannot be denied.

As someone who serves God, the Ecclesiastical King focused on this point and revealed that other clerics in the theocracy shared the same view.

“So it’s like receiving a revelation?”

“That’s one way to see it, and to put it in more understandable terms… one who receives God’s grace can be seen as God’s child. Of course, strictly speaking, it’s different, but this should help you understand it simply.”

Perhaps it’s similar to how a king’s son receives special treatment.

I nodded, feeling that the previously ambiguous relationship was becoming clearer.

If they regarded me as the child of a divine being, their fuss was understandable.

From my perspective, the explanation made perfect sense.

The Ecclesiastical King seemed short of breath after speaking at length, so he took a brief moment to catch his breath before continuing.

“So normally, when our theocracy’s people find someone born with divine grace, we invite them and strive to treat them with the utmost respect. If they wish to walk the path of clergy, they are naturally welcomed, and as long as they don’t cross certain boundaries, we try to offer even small assistance to help them do what they want. However…”

The Ecclesiastical King’s face darkened as his voice trailed off, and a heavy sigh escaped between his tightly closed lips.

They say one way to drive people crazy is to leave sentences unfinished, but fortunately, I wasn’t driven to that point.

I could imagine what he wanted to say.

“I suppose it’s because I’m a companion to a duke of the kingdom, making it difficult for you to take sides easily.”

“…You are correct. If I were in the position of an ordinary believer, I would devote myself wholeheartedly even at the risk of excommunication, but being responsible for the people of the theocracy makes that difficult.”

“Yes. I understand that too. Being in a position of responsibility for many people, you can neither make rash decisions nor abandon them.”

In a way, I had fallen for a bait-and-switch where they only pretended to offer benefits, but I wasn’t boiling with anger or greatly disappointed.

Partly because I hadn’t expected much, and partly because seeing the Ecclesiastical King apologizing so profusely made me feel sorry for him.

However.

“If Your Holiness feels apologetic… could you secretly dispatch a few high-ranking clergy? We have a monastery in our duchy, and there are clergy who protect it.”

“That would be possible… but would that be sufficient for you?”

More than sufficient.

I nodded while slightly raising the corners of my mouth.

Having skilled clergy within the territory would be a great help, so I thought it was more than enough.

“Yes. It’s sufficient. However, if you feel it’s inadequate…”

.

A promise to secretly dispatch senior clergy and cooperate in researching Eve’s divine power.

Although unofficial, it was a promise from the Ecclesiastical King’s own mouth, and I even obtained a document proving it.

While it was essentially confidential and couldn’t be openly announced, it was quite a significant achievement.

Moreover, it came unexpectedly like a windfall, so there was no loss.

“The next dispatch was in a year and three months, wasn’t it?”

Helena, who was driving the carriage, muttered while Zion slept soundly in the luggage compartment.

They could have stayed one more night, but following Zion’s suggestion to leave immediately since there was nothing else to do, the carriage had already left the theocracy’s capital and was rolling along a quiet road.

“Yes. Some people stay rooted in one area, but usually they change dispatch locations on a three-year cycle.”

Eve, sitting next to Helena, answered.

Ellen sat on Helena’s left, and Eve on her right.

Originally, one of them had wanted to stay by the sleeping Zion’s side, but Helena had sternly forbidden it.

While there was consideration for letting the tired person sleep peacefully, that wasn’t the only reason.

She also didn’t want to see another woman clinging to him while she drove the carriage.

“A year and three months. To avoid suspicion as much as possible, when should we start approaching?”

“After letting things simmer for about a month, it would be best to start visiting little by little.”

“Little by little. That’s quite vague yet accurate.”

While the monastery provided a good environment for research away from prying eyes, it wasn’t a place people frequently visited.

Therefore, if visits suddenly became frequent, it might raise suspicion.

Helena and Ellen exchanged questions and answers to resolve this issue.

“Still, it’s fortunate we haven’t completely cut ties. Since we just received a blessing for the child, we could use that as a pretext to visit gradually, which would seem plausible.”

“Hmm. Using the child as a pretext…”

Using the child as a pretext. Even the child as a pretext.

Helena thought that this casual remark from Ellen sounded very aristocratic.

She sensed it had strong political undertones.

Suddenly, Ellen detected Helena’s displeased expression and flinched.

Feeling she might have crossed a line, she frantically tried to think of an appropriate excuse.

Helena stared at Ellen for a moment, then said with a slight smile:

“Ellen. Why are you so fidgety?”

“What? But, that’s…”

“It’s fine. It’s not a bad idea at all. Actually, it’s good, so don’t worry.”

Having endured the pressure of the ducal family through sheer diligence, Helena would escape it if she could.

She was still of this mind, which is why she dwelled on the remark Ellen had made.

Setting aside personal feelings, Ellen’s suggested pretext sounded quite plausible.

“…I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry. The child hasn’t even been born, let alone conceived, so what does it matter?”

Helena smiled as she patted Ellen’s shoulder, and only then did Ellen sigh with relief as if she had overcome a hurdle.

I need to calm myself after that sharp reaction.

Helena thought this as she silently drove the carriage. She tried to compose herself by focusing straight ahead while driving.

This was possible due to her calm temperament when issues didn’t involve Zion.

Then, Helena suddenly wondered what it meant to be born as a noble’s child.

While Helena herself had only felt the burden of being educated as an heir, other children were different.

They knew their birth was different from ordinary people, they could draw lines based on class in advance, and some became arrogant without knowing their place.

That was common unless they received specific education otherwise.

Even Cain Krauser, whom Helena had killed, had such tendencies.

In the end, Helena Krauser’s way of thinking was different from other noble children.

However, this allowed her to seriously consider the issue of raising a child properly.

“Ellen. If you’re going to look so dejected, at least answer my question. It’s a somewhat sensitive question, so let’s call it even with this.”

As Helena broke the ice to comfort the dejected Ellen while also satisfying her curiosity, Ellen nodded eagerly as if she had been waiting for this.

“I haven’t asked about how dark elves were treated because I can imagine, but I’d like to hear about your past.”

“My… past?”

“Yes. Tell me about elven education methods.”

As the awkward atmosphere gradually softened, Eve, who had been crouching quietly, perked up her ears with interest.

She felt no need to pretend not to hear and thought it was okay to show her curiosity.

Suddenly talking about old stories.

Ellen cleared her throat awkwardly a few times before slowly beginning to speak.

“It’s probably not much different from humans. I obviously don’t remember what happened when I was just born, but…”

Elven children grow up through processes similar to humans, but Ellen was a dark elf.

Therefore, she grew up drinking herbal extracts instead of milk and learned elemental magic around the time she could speak and walk.

Although it was a considerably harsh environment compared to other children, fortunately, she didn’t starve to death.

This was because parental affection hadn’t completely disappeared.

There were many times when they fought like teenagers clashing with their parents, and after her younger sibling was born, she faced discrimination.

If Zion had been awake to hear this story, he might have had the absurd thought of a black child born to Asian parents, but fortunately, he was asleep.

“That’s quite deep-rooted.”

“It was. But looking back now, I don’t see much difference from other families. At least during the childhood the Duke mentioned.”

When this suddenly mature statement emerged, Helena turned her gaze away with an embarrassed expression.

She felt ashamed, as if she were pretending to be wise about life in front of a woman with rich experience.

“Still… if I weren’t as happy as I am now, I probably couldn’t talk about it so casually.”

“…Right. As long as you’re happy now, that’s what matters.”

“Yes.”

This time, Ellen gave Helena, who was feeling awkward, some space, and Helena quickly responded as if she had been waiting for it.

Thanks to this, the unintentionally heavy atmosphere gradually brightened, but then:

“…I think there are bandits again. I can hear the sound of weapons clashing in the distance.”

Upon hearing the news that bandits were approaching to target their carriage, the three women sighed in unison.

They couldn’t understand why bandits were so prevalent near the theocracy’s capital.