Ch.423City of Pure White

The holy city of Alhebron looked as if a hundred people with obsessive-compulsive disorder had been gathered together, forced to kill each other, and the last survivor had been tasked with designing the city.

The architecture itself seemed to have been entrusted to madmen harboring an endless hatred for curves.

Every district was meticulously arranged with perfectly straight angles, as if measured with a ruler, and everything—walls, ground, and roofs alike—was painted in pristine white.

Moreover, all these white surfaces reflected the sunlight brilliantly without a single stain.

Can you believe it? Even the ground where people walked was spotless!

Even master cleaners with forty years of experience would scream and flee if ordered to work in such a city.

This city was, quite literally, a symbol that revealed the inhumanity of the Holy State just by existing.

“Alhebron… it used to be called the City of Blind Lambs, the sacred ground of the Church of Elpinel. It’s been quite a while since I returned here.”

Lacy prayed with her hands clasped together, her expression deeply nostalgic.

My companions and I could barely look at the blindingly bright city, so we tilted our heads up to gaze at the sky instead.

At least the sky was still blue.

City of Blind Lambs?

I could understand why it earned such a name.

Anyone living in this place would surely go blind within a week.

“The light… is really… blinding.”

“Ah, please use these.”

Hearing my quiet complaint, Lacy suddenly remembered something and pulled out a bundle of fabric from her luggage, handing them to us.

They were veils made of dark silk.

The veils effectively blocked the painfully bright reflections while still being thin enough to see through without much difficulty.

“That’s better now.”

Sunglasses would have been even better, but that would be asking too much.

Regrettably, I had to be content with just the veil.

“In Alhebron’s streets, everyone wears veils like these. The radiance of the divine is too bright and brilliant for human eyes to bear.”

How uncomfortable to live like this.

—-

Only after donning the veils Lacy provided could my companions and I finally appreciate the cityscape properly.

“My field of vision is somewhat narrowed, but it doesn’t seem to be a major hindrance.”

“I never knew Alhebron was like this. I heard it was a pure white city, but I thought that was just a figure of speech… I wonder if Matthias stayed here too.”

Nigel kept adjusting his veil awkwardly, while Leonore murmured in a melancholic voice as if reminiscing about her younger brother.

Since Matthias belonged to the Church of Saulite, he probably stayed in Arvil rather than Alhebron.

“It’s all so white…”

“I know. How do they maintain it?”

Lena and Millia were simply looking around everywhere, fascinated by the pristine white city.

“……”

Demian was scanning various parts of the city with sharp eyes; judging by his expression, he was probably identifying suitable positions for his leaping attacks.

What a leap-obsessed maniac. His fixation with the air was something I could never understand.

“Um… is it really okay for me to be here…?”

Hush trembled with her shoulders hunched, her face clearly showing anxiety.

Well, to her, this entire city must feel like a banquet hall full of butchers desperately wanting to torture and kill her.

And that’s not far from the truth.

“Wearing a slave mark should prevent major problems… but avoid showing your ears. Collecting scattered body parts and finding the culprit for compensation would be quite troublesome.”

“Hiiieek…!”

At Bells’ explanation that she would be torn to pieces if her ears were discovered, Hush swallowed a scream and convulsed.

Whether this was an exaggerated threat or what would actually happen couldn’t be known without experiencing it… but Alhebron had already been imprinted in Hush’s mind as a slaughterhouse that supplied fairy meat.

“…Stay close to me. I’ve acquired a useful slave, and it would be a loss to me if I lost you pointlessly.”

“Y-yes!”

Hush nodded and was about to stick close to me when she caught Lena’s gaze and took a step back.

Yes, maintain exactly that distance. Getting too close would just be a nuisance.

—-

The streets of Alhebron had an atmosphere similar to a funeral procession.

People passing by walked quietly with veils similar to ours, and even when conversing with each other, they kept their voices low.

It felt less solemn and more like the vitality had been stripped away.

Perhaps I felt this way because I lacked religious devotion.

Since horses and carriages were prohibited within the city, we had no choice but to walk the streets. Fortunately, since everyone wore veils, we didn’t attract undue attention.

There was some commotion when passing through the city gates as they verified visitors’ identities, but that was all.

Surprisingly, the paved roads throughout the city remained pristinely white without a single stain, even when walked on with dirty feet.

Lacy explained this as a miracle of Elpinel, but I suspected they were probably maintaining cleanliness by mobilizing idle priests to pour sacred power into it.

We headed toward the Cathedral of Elpinel, taking in the sterile, alien city as we went.

The walls of the regularly arranged buildings were adorned with various church emblems, and many buildings had crosses and other symbols mounted on their roofs.

It seemed even the architectural forms were standardized, as most buildings had similar appearances and maintained a height of about two stories.

The only exceptions were the cathedrals. Rising majestically among the horizontal rooflines like rare gems, these massive cathedrals were both alien and magnificent.

Perhaps it was due to the extreme difference in height.

It felt as if the other buildings were bowing their heads toward the cathedrals.

“It reminds me of Landenburg.”

Nigel shared his calm impression.

Indeed, Ludwig’s domain had a similar design philosophy.

In the sense that it was a colorless city pursuing extreme practicality. Though it wasn’t quite this inhuman.

“True. I wonder if you’ve been here before?”

Perhaps Lord Ludwig had visited Alhebron and been deeply impressed.

“That might be the case.”

Nigel smiled in agreement.

—-

After walking for about an hour under the beating sun, we finally arrived at the Cathedral of St. Elyunel, where the Cardinal of the Church of Elpinel was said to reside.

This cathedral with its tongue-twisting name was built before the era of Carlos the Great to honor a saint who had spread Elpinel’s will on earth. It was said to be so majestic and holy that only the Extrashafel Cathedral could rival it.

The gleaming white walls were engraved with scriptures of the Church of Elpinel and reliefs depicting the era of the Great Divine Religion, while dozens of marble statues on the roof looked down upon those gathered before the cathedral.

The largest statue in the center depicted a goddess with twelve wings spread wide, dressed similarly to Lacy’s saint’s habit.

It was said to be a statue based on Elpinel’s appearance as described in the scriptures.

Well, strictly speaking, calling it a goddess statue would be incorrect.

Although the appearance resembled a woman, Elpinel was essentially a complete being, not actually a goddess but a primordial form from before the concept of male and female diverged…

Lacy’s explanation was so abstract that it was difficult to understand, but I supposed it meant the deity had both aspects.

On either side of the Elpinel statue were sculptures depicting angels, followed by statues of armored knights and priests in sacred vestments.

The knight statues’ identities could be guessed without explanation.

Twelve knights with their faces hidden by helmets, and one man in splendid armor with his face revealed. Anyone could see these were sculptures depicting Carlos the Great and his Twelve Knights.

Carlos the Great’s statue was particularly impressive.

[“I am no prophet, but I can be certain of this one thing! I can clearly see what will happen to Leopold’s head in the future! Don’t you agree?”]

Hersella burst into laughter looking at the completely bald statue.

‘Indeed. I thought he lost his hair from stress, but it seems it was definitely a hereditary issue.’

Carlos’s statue, befitting an ancestor of Emperor Leopold, radiated a brilliance that far surpassed Leopold’s.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the magnificent, halo-like gleaming head.

—-

As we approached the cathedral entrance, the paladins guarding the door slightly blocked our way and addressed us politely.

“May heaven’s grace remain with you. Welcome to the Cathedral of St. Elyunel. May I inquire about your identities?”

“It’s been a while. Would you please inform Cardinal Drexler that I have returned?”

Before I could answer, Lacy stepped forward and slightly lifted her veil to reveal her face.

Although she had changed from her saint’s habit to an ordinary nun’s habit after hearing the news of her candidacy for sainthood being suspended, there was no one who wouldn’t recognize that face.

“L-Lady Elmaine!”

The startled paladin jerked his upper body dramatically, like Demian preparing for a leaping attack.