Ch.169Chapter 169. I’ll Do That For You

Francesca.

By now, she had become affectionately known as “Flan” and served as the expedition’s reliable housekeeper and informant, as well as my mentor.

She played such a crucial role in this expedition that safe travel would have been impossible without her.

Although she transferred her credit to me, making other members and outsiders view me as the protagonist, I constantly reminded myself that she was the true MVP of this expedition.

“Um, Flan.”

“Shh. Please stay still for now.”

Despite being such a grateful figure, she occasionally did troublesome things.

Having been suddenly dragged away from my meditation, I expressed my bewilderment to Flan as she pulled my arm, leading me toward the village.

“I’m in the middle of meditation…”

“Working hard is good, but taking care of your body is important too. The expedition is over now, so it’s okay to rest for a day, isn’t it?”

“That may be true, but just because the expedition is over doesn’t mean everything is finished…”

“If you find drinking gatherings burdensome, at least take a light walk. This is an order from your mentor, so obey quietly.”

Flan was leading me firmly, even using the word “order” which was unlike her.

Of course, she only appeared to be a cute girl on the outside; inside resided a guardian who had protected humanity for over a thousand years.

Even though we had established a somewhat master-servant relationship, Flan always maintained the upper hand in our relationship.

“…Can a maid give orders to her master?”

“Sometimes, a loyal servant’s duty is to disobey orders for the sake of their lord. If you really don’t like it, you can behead me right here.”

“Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll follow you, Master.”

So it’s going to be like this again, I thought as I reluctantly allowed myself to be led by Flan.

But I couldn’t help feeling anxious in one corner of my mind.

Although I now led the expedition team with the highest achievements, even after half a year, I still doubted whether my strength was sufficient.

“…Is this really okay?”

“I guarantee it.”

Flan glanced up at me as I unconsciously expressed my anxiety.

Then, with a faint smile on her lips, she gently embraced my arm with both of hers and spoke softly.

“You’re strong enough now. I’m confident that there’s no human stronger than you on humanity’s side.”

“Really?”

“Truthfully, I wish you wouldn’t push yourself so hard… but if you must become stronger, you need to build enough power to remain unbroken no matter what happens.”

Unable to choose the best option, I settle for the lesser evil.

That mindset often manifested in her concerned expressions when she saw me overworking myself.

Her role was to protect and assist humans, but teaching me was essentially harming a human she was supposed to protect with her own hands.

“…That’s right. I’ve worked hard.”

When she acknowledged my efforts and recommended rest, how could I refuse and turn back?

Accepting the situation, I entered the village, and Flan released my arm, smiling brightly as she began walking beside me.

At our destination, we found villagers performing a modest ritual in front of a statue located in the center of the village.

“Friga, please grant us peace and tranquility.”

Praying before a divine statue was something commonly seen in the empire, so I could immediately guess what they were doing.

“The world must be tough; it seems like there are more people praying everywhere we go.”

Although I wasn’t religious, I could understand to some extent.

With monsters everywhere and the empire collecting heavy taxes for hero summoning, even daily life had become difficult.

In such circumstances, people needed to rely on religion to comfort their impoverished spirits—that was the situation humanity faced.

In that sense, Friga, the empire’s state religion, could be seen as playing a role like hope, uniting humanity.

“Ahem, ahem.”

While contemplating humanity’s circumstances, Flan cleared her throat inexplicably beside me as she gazed at the ritual scene.

The way she glanced at me sideways afterward suggested she was expecting some kind of reaction from me.

“Are you interested in Lady Friga, Master?”

“…Lady Friga?”

“Ah, well, she is humanity’s deity, so from my position, she deserves respect, right?”

Well, as humanity’s guardian, I suppose she would be interested in religious matters.

But why was she stammering so uncharacteristically?

Although her first impression and current self were quite different, I thought she still maintained her serious and dignified demeanor.

“W-well, if you’re interested, maybe you could share your thoughts? Just as casual conversation…”

“Sure. Casual conversation?”

Whatever it was, her heightened reaction meant she wanted something from me.

Thinking it was nothing to be concerned about, I quietly gave her my answer.

“My thoughts on Friga…”

“Your thoughts?”

“I don’t have a very good impression. I’ve seen too many people who believe in Friga committing atrocities.”

While religion provides hope to people, the problems it causes remain the same in both my previous world and this one.

Just a year ago, a cardinal who entered the sect led by Jaseong was involved in all sorts of illegal activities, and after his death, other sect members fought over his position rather than seeking revenge for him.

Additionally, they oppressed other religions believing Friga was the only true deity, demanded excessive donations from people seeking healing by overvaluing their divine powers, and considered non-believers impious due to their chosen people mentality…

With the power they held, both in quality and quantity, they committed acts that far surpassed the religious extremists of my previous life.

“…Do you dislike Lady Friga, Master?”

As I was about to continue, I noticed Flan’s dejected appearance.

With her head bowed and drooping posture, she showed none of the pride she had when serving the expedition members.

Yes, she definitely looked downcast to anyone who saw her.

“Yes, I suppose that could be the case… yes.”

…Damn, I always think this, but the gap between her first impression and reality is too severe.

When we first met, I thought she was a calculating, cold-blooded person, but even though she’s loosened up now, her thoughts are completely transparent.

“…Well, just because the top is corrupt doesn’t mean everything below is wrong. It’s the fault of those who exploit people’s faith and hope.”

Still, I couldn’t completely defend the church when its leadership was clearly corrupt.

Flan, who for some unknown reason cared about Friga, quietly nodded at my words, seemingly unable to defend that aspect either.

“Yes, that’s right. Even the most noble group can move in a direction contrary to its intentions depending on the circumstances.”

Though she seemed to understand intellectually, her gaze at the statue still reflected complicated emotions.

From the perspective of humanity’s guardian, perhaps the deteriorating state of the church, seen as humanity’s hope, appeared concerning?

“…Come to think of it, that statue was modeled after the deity, right?”

Whatever the case, remaining dejected wasn’t good.

Thinking I needed to change the subject, I tried to shift the focus from the church to the deity it served.

“Yes. It’s modeled after the goddess Friga.”

Flan responded immediately, her voice regaining vitality.

This applied to her subsequent explanation as well.

“Lady Friga is known as the guardian deity who has protected the nation since the Orion Empire was established. Those who have seen her describe her as loving, reliable, and someone they want to depend on.”

“I see. That’s how she is in mythology?”

“I too am striving to live up to such expectations.”

“…Why are you talking about living up to expectations when we’re discussing the goddess?”

“Ah, no, I… I meant I want to emulate her. It doesn’t mean anything special.”

Well, I suppose as humanity’s guardian, she’s just projecting her aspirations onto her idol.

Thinking this, I shifted my gaze back to the statue, and the goddess’s features became clearer to me.

A beautiful face with an elegant figure. And a voluptuous body…

“Aren’t there some aspects that are impossible to emulate due to inherent limitations?”

“Inherent limitations?”

Questioning my words, Flan glanced at the statue, then followed my gaze downward.

Realizing I was looking at her own modest chest, she began glaring at me with half-closed eyes.

“……”

“…Are you angry?”

“No, I’m not.”

“You look angry.”

“I am not angry at all.”

Hey, your speech has become formal.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s just my fault for not being excellent enough to satisfy your preferences, Master.”

“No, Flan has been doing more than enough so far…”

“But didn’t you say inherent limitations cannot be overcome?”

“……”

“…Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Because lying to get out of this situation seems too pathetic.

But I can’t let her remain upset.

“If you stop being angry, I’ll do that for you.”

As soon as I raised my hand with my secret weapon ready, Flan’s body trembled.

Right, we’ve hardly had the chance lately since training has become more self-directed.

“N-no, I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“Well, being angry…”

“Didn’t you just say you weren’t angry?”

“No, that’s… eep!”

I placed my hand on her head and gently stroked it.

That was all that was needed.

Stroking her head and expressing sincere gratitude to her who had always been there for me.

“Thank you for always working so hard, Flan.”

For a doll whose mission was to serve humanity, that was all she wanted—something I had realized thoroughly over the past half year.

To the point where I worried if I was using her too conveniently.

“…You’re treating me like a child again.”

But that seemed to be enough, as Flan finally calmed down and accepted my touch.

“Do you dislike it?”

“I didn’t say I disliked it.”

She then covered my hand with both of hers and brought it to her cheek, taking time to savor the sensation.

As if trying to deeply engrave that touch into her skin, to never forget it.

“Rather, like this…”

Bringing my hand to her face, she looked down and spoke in a bitter voice.

“I wish these days could continue forever.”

Continue forever.

Expressing a wish she believed could never come true, Flan then maintained silence.

Perhaps she vaguely anticipated the future awaiting at the end of this expedition.

“…Let’s head back to our lodgings. We need to sleep early if we’re leaving tomorrow.”

The relationship between mentor and disciple, the formality of master and servant.

After returning to the empire, these would likely be distorted into forms we didn’t want.

***

But no matter what happens afterward, we can’t pretend nothing happened.

I just hope the strength I’ve cultivated so far will help me handle whatever comes next.

Holding onto that thought alone as I boarded the carriage for the return journey, Sanson, who was managing the soldiers, rushed toward me and urgently said:

“Ah, wait a moment, Hero. There’s a place we need to visit before going to the empire.”

“A place to visit?”

“Yes, there’s an instruction that those who participated in the subjugation must go to a specific area for a purification ritual before returning to the empire. Since we’ve been involved in subjugation for a long time, we might have been exposed to evil energy.”

Evil energy.

I don’t particularly feel anything like that, but I suppose I should respect the ritual and traditional aspects to some extent.

“So, where do we need to go?”

I sensed that this place would be our next destination for such a ritual.

Sanson answered my question:

“Frigalah.”

The Sacred Realm—Frigalah.

The city that serves as the headquarters for the Friga Order, the empire’s state religion.