Ch.7Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

On the way to the Church’s Council of Ministers.

A gentle breeze tickled my forehead.

The weather is really nice.

As I looked up at the sky filled with fluffy clouds, thinking about what kind of day it would be,

“Uweeeeeegh—!”

…the Hero began to vomit.

“Pull yourself together, Hero! You can’t pass out!”

Pippin shouted while patting her back. Judging by her pale blue face, she seemed to be feeling just as queasy.

“Pippin, are you okay?”

“My stomach’s churning too, Ma—I mean, Major.”

“What a mess.”

Go take some medicine and rest.

Pippin ran toward the infirmary, her short hair fluttering. Watching her scurry away like a dog with its tail on fire was quite a sight.

“Excuse me! Ms. Camilla Rowell! Are you conscious?”

“I… I think I’m losing my mind…”

With those final words, Camilla Rowell’s head drooped.

I gently shook her shoulders, but she didn’t move at all.

“Hello?”

Seems like she’s fainted.

Episode 2 – Heroes of the Continent

After laying the limp Camilla Rowell in the infirmary, I returned to the deck.

There I found a pale-looking Pippin and Jake, who was curiously looking around. As if sensing my presence, Jake turned his head to look at me. His blond hair made him look like a meerkat.

“How is the Hero doing?”

“Is the Hero more important to you than your superior?”

“Hehey! I know Major Frederick doesn’t get seasick, so that’s why! You’re quite sturdy, aren’t you?”

He shot back with a smirk. His words were annoying, but I knew he was just playful and a decent guy, so I took it as a joke.

“You little bastard. Yes, your beloved Hero is lying in the infirmary. How’s Pippin?”

“She just took some motion sickness medicine and is resting now. Her stomach seems better, but…”

I followed his trailing gaze to look at Pippin’s face. She was one step away from death’s door.

Is this her first time on a boat? I didn’t know she got seasick.

“Jake, let’s take Pippin to the cabin. Staying on deck makes seasickness worse.”

“Yes, sir.”

I took Pippin and Jake to a spot near the infirmary. Pretending to go to the bathroom, I looked around to check for anyone watching or any rats eavesdropping. I also checked on the Hero in the infirmary, but it seemed she would take some time to wake up.

No people, plenty of time, and good security. I entered the cabin, locked the door, and approached the guys sprawled in the corner.

“Hey Pippin, are you feeling better?”

“Yessir. I think I’m okay now.”

“Good, good. Actually, I have something to say about this business trip. Gather around.”

The three spies huddled together and began whispering. The spy with the major’s insignia spoke first.

“We’re going to be traveling abroad for a bit, right? We’re heading to the Church now, but after we finish our business there, we’ll probably move on to the Empire.”

“You mean the Kien Empire?”

“Jake, are there two empires on the continent? Of course it’s the Kien Empire, you idiot. Anyway, as soon as the Saint candidate joins us at the Church, we’ll be heading to the Empire. The Hero’s companion is at the Magic Tower.”

“Magic Tower? Ah, the one in the Kien Empire.”

“There’s an alchemist there. That person is also the Hero’s companion. They’re the lowest-ranked successor at the Magic Tower. There’s a lot of commotion about the succession issue, so it’ll probably be difficult to extract them right away.”

Jake, who was cracking peanuts from the cabin’s supply, tilted his head.

“If we’re staying until the successor selection is complete, won’t we be in the Empire for a long time?”

“I don’t know the exact duration either. It’s an internal Magic Tower matter, so I don’t know how things will unfold.”

“You were originally in charge of the Kien Empire, right? And the Magic Tower matters are handled by another department.”

“You know your stuff. Anyway, the important thing is that we’ll have to stay in the Kien Empire for a long time. We don’t know when we’ll leave, so we’ll have to sit tight and wait.”

Pippin, whose color had returned, stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“Isn’t it dangerous to stay in the Kien Empire for too long? Even though diplomatic relations have improved lately, they were still our enemy. You might be fine, Major, but we’re from the Intelligence Bureau.”

“You’re all disguised as diplomats, so there shouldn’t be any immediate problems.”

The blond, tanned rascal Jake slightly raised his hand.

“Um, Major. I don’t know much about the Empire, but…”

“Go ahead. What is it?”

“That’s where it is, right? The Imperial Guard Bureau.”

“Yes.”

Jake and Pippin turned deathly pale.

The Kien Empire’s Imperial Guard Bureau is a famous organization known even to ordinary people.

The Sword of the Imperial Family.

The Shield of the Empire.

The Graveyard of Spies.

They’re experts at torturing countless political criminals, rooting out spies, and preventing rebellions. A notorious counterintelligence agency that has controlled the information network across vast territories for hundreds of years.

In some ways, they’re even worse than Colonel Clevins.

So this reaction is only natural.

“I’m sorry, Major, but do we really have to go there?”

And I answer like this:

“Yes.”

I’m your superior, you little shits.

*

Like all subordinates in the world, Pippin and Jake had no choice but to agree.

If you don’t like it, get promoted. What else can you do? Our salaries don’t fall from the sky—they come from taxpayers’ money.

“Stop looking so grim and cheer up. You’ll get various allowances and good pay, so that’s nice.”

“I didn’t know it would be hazard pay.”

“Did you think you’d get free money from the country for nothing?”

“Being a wealthy unemployed person is my dream.”

“Good grief, what nonsense. Stop talking rubbish and focus.”

I scribbled on the back of a piece of paper spread on the floor. I drew a large circle for clarity.

I put one word at a time inside it. Church and Empire.

“We’re not going on a vacation abroad; we’re gathering the Hero’s companions. The second companion is Priest Lucia, a Saint candidate in the Church. The alchemist I mentioned earlier is next in line.”

“Why is the Saint candidate the second companion?”

“Aren’t I the Hero’s companion? So I’m the first. Anyway, let’s skip the alchemist and talk about the priest first. Listen carefully.”

I scribbled under the circle labeled “Church.” Lucia. Saint candidate.

“The important thing is that this woman is currently a Saint candidate. You know what a Saint is, right?”

“Yes, a holy person of the Church. Someone with the highest aptitude for holy power is recommended as a candidate, and they’re elected through votes by the bishops.”

“Right, it’s an elected position. Similar to electing representatives.”

“But isn’t there already a Saint? I thought there could only be one holy person.”

“Originally, yes. It’s not legally mandated, but having only one Saint is a kind of tradition. Tradition.”

Saint Veronica. Tradition. Only one.

I scribbled these three words. Jabbing at Veronica’s name with my pen, I continued.

“This woman is the current Saint, as you know. Her name is ridiculously long, but everyone knows her as Veronica. Anyway, what did I say earlier?”

“That not electing more than one Saint is a Church tradition?”

“Right. That’s correct. It’s been a tradition for hundreds of years, solidified as law. But now it’s been broken.”

I erased “tradition” with my pen and wrote “special clause” next to it.

“Why do you think that is?”

“…The oracle designated her. As the Hero’s companion.”

“Correct.”

I underlined “special clause” and added the word “oracle.”

“We all know religious people are crazy, right? Either crazy about faith or crazy about money.”

“Some are crazy about power too.”

“Saint Veronica is a noble from the Kien Empire. As Jake said, there’s no one in the Church who dislikes money or power. That’s why they elected Veronica, who has the Empire backing her.”

“Election interference?”

“Yes. Circumstances suggest the Empire interfered with the election. I don’t know exactly who was involved.”

“Hmm…”

Pippin closed her eyes thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand.

“Since I grew up in an orphanage at a monastery, I heard something. Someone from the Church came? I overheard them talking with the nun for a long time.”

There’s something here.

Instinctively sensing this, I quickly jotted down Pippin’s words on the paper.

“I heard something when Veronica was still a Saint candidate. Jake, do you know what a daejabo is?”

“Daejabo? Those notices that students and intellectuals post in public squares?”

Pippin gently opened her eyes. Her pair of eyes gleamed sharply.

“Yes… There was a daejabo posted, not at our monastery but at the Church. It said someone had poured money into the election. That bishops had received bribes. That was definitely the content…”

“Pippin, tell me more details.”

“It said someone had interfered with the Saint voting process and distributed bribes to the bishops… High-value art pieces, jewels, things like that.”

Hmm.

The content is more specific than I expected. Even accounting for memory distortion, it seems credible.

“Art pieces and jewels are easy to launder. Doesn’t the Church hold art auctions for charity?”

“Each diocese holds annual charity events for orphans. And the central Church also holds regular auctions.”

“Do many people from the Empire attend?”

“Money has no nationality. They’re all glory-hungry pigs.”

Pippin tilted her head and sneered cynically. It was a bitter lament about the harsh reality.

“But I remember there were a lot of rich people from the Empire. The Empire has many traders. There are many people handling large sums of money, and many businessmen who profit from connections with them.”

Jake, who had been listening intently, spoke up.

“So people who wanted to make Veronica the Saint bribed the bishops with money?”

“I don’t know that for sure.”

“Let’s get back to talking about the Saint candidate.”

I tapped the paper with my pen, drawing the attention of the two.

“Lucia, the Hero’s companion and Saint candidate, is currently undergoing an election in the Church. More precisely, she’s going through the candidate verification process.”

“When is the voting date?”

“I don’t know exactly. It’s an internal Church matter, so we don’t have that information. What’s important now is that Lucia is being attacked externally. Conspiracy theories, smear campaigns, that sort of thing.”

“Church elections aren’t much different from ours.”

Jake made a disgusted face. At least Church people don’t deliver bombs.

I continued my explanation, tapping the paper with the end of my pen.

“We need to take this candidate with us, right? Regardless of the process. Whether she becomes a Saint or not. We must take this woman Lucia with us. But someone keeps attacking her.”

“Someone is trying to tarnish the Saint candidate’s name.”

“What do you think will happen if Lucia joins the Hero’s companions in this situation?”

We’ll all be covered in shit.

“If she joins now, she’ll be criticized for fleeing without verification, and even if she’s elected as Saint, there will be gossip.”

“The Hero might get criticized too?”

These friends have quick minds and good reasoning skills.

Or maybe they’re just used to this kind of thing and it comes automatically.

“As you know, the Hero was summoned by our kingdom. I can’t tell you the details because it’s confidential, but think of it as the high-ranking officials in the kingdom caring a lot about the Hero.”

It was just a few days ago that the kingdom’s high officials were shaking hands and taking photos with the Hero.

And now the Hero’s image might be damaged because of a companion issue? That would be a big problem. The kingdom that summoned the Hero would be criticized too. Whether there’s guilt or not, the Empire would make it so. Slander is usually baseless anyway.

It’s unfortunate for Lucia, but the Saint candidate being criticized isn’t our concern. What’s important is ensuring that the Hero’s or the kingdom’s image isn’t damaged.

We must prevent that.

“Hmm. So we need to prevent the Saint candidate and the Hero from being criticized together?”

“Yes. That’s exactly our job. The Hero isn’t being criticized right now, so we’ll observe the situation and intervene when necessary. Understood?”

“Yes. Pippin and I will start gathering information as soon as we arrive at the Church.”

“Good, good. I’ll walk around with the Hero and assess the atmosphere.”

*

I fiddled with the communication device while facing the incoming wind.

A familiar voice came through.

-‘…That was better information than I expected, Major.’

“Is that so.”

-‘You have good subordinates. I was feeling uneasy and looking into it, but the witness was closer than I thought. Isn’t that right?’

That’s true.

-‘Anyway, we’re currently investigating the people involved. And we’re also using agents planted in the Church to find out more. For now, you should also act according to the situation on your end.’

“Is it okay for us to work in this situation? I’m worried that our activities might cause trouble during the ongoing election.”

-‘Who would question the Hero’s companion wanting to do some work in a place that believes in God? Have confidence, Major. As long as you don’t cause a scene, everything can be managed.’

Work but don’t show off too much—that’s what he means.

But the Colonel saying he’ll handle a problem that erupted in Church territory? Something feels off. I looked around and whispered in a crawling voice.

“…The kingdom didn’t distribute money to the Church, did it?”

-‘Do you really want to know?’

“No. I don’t.”

-‘A wise choice.’

It’s best not to know what you don’t need to know.

“Once we arrive, I’ll follow the official schedule and assess the Church’s atmosphere. And I understand that formal orders will come after you’ve finished analyzing the information you have.”

-‘Yes. Somehow you seem to bring in more work as soon as you leave the Intelligence Bureau. I should have kicked you out earlier.’

He made a savage joke with his usual laugh. But I couldn’t take offense, so I just laughed along.

“Anyway, I’ll hang up now.”

-‘Alright. Just one question. When will you arrive?’

“Probably in the morning. Maybe by lunchtime. And please don’t treat the monastery people too harshly. They’re like family to a subordinate I care about.”

-‘I understand. I’ll hang up now too.’

“Rest well.”

The connection was cut.

I stared at the darkened screen for a moment before folding the communication device into my pocket.

Stars were flowing in the gently flowing river. Just like the Milky Way.

Looking at the river like this always reminds me of that day. The battle on the day I received my medal.

“…Sigh.”

I turned away from the railing and headed toward the cabin. My coat fluttered in the breeze, and in the distance, Pippin and Jake were waiting for me.

“How much longer?”

“We’ll dock in about 6 hours.”

“We’ll be up all night then. You two go in and get some sleep.”

I pushed them into the cabin.

And so.

The boat carrying four people arrived at the Church.