Chapter 15: Cowards (5)

[15] 2. Cowards (5)

Axolotl is a city that needs no myth.

Even without borrowing the names of gods or the epics of heroes, its 40-meter-high wall is a testament to its grandeur.

Every visitor to this city gawks at the wall that seems to swallow half the sky. Sometimes, when the sun sets behind it, some even kneel with awestruck expressions.

It was a sight that explained why the church had taken control over the city from the Empire.

If a priest proclaims that the wall is a manifestation of the Heavenly God’s glory, who would dare to disbelieve?

The religious people of this world seem to have a good understanding of the concept of ‘landmark’.

However, landmarks are only impressive to tourists.

To the locals, it’s just another part of everyday life. No, going beyond that, it’s often a nuisance.

I looked up at the extremely high wall. And then, pressing my temples, I looked at the people beneath it.

The grime-covered members of our mercenary group, that is.

“So, you’re saying the bishop in charge recently changed, and this new one has banned all outsiders from entering the city?”

“…Yes, brother.”

Big-nosed guy, also covered in grime, nodded. The dark circles under his eyes indicated it’s been a while since he’s slept under a roof.

“And you’ve been camping outside the walls, despite all our guys arriving, because of that?”

“…Yes.”

I could feel my blood pressure rising.

“Did you guys even think of offering a bribe?”

“Of course we did!”

It wasn’t Big-nosed guy, but Feya, who answered my question. Feya, who had been stuck to me like glue ever since we were reunited, had a frustrated look on her face.

“But there’s something strange about those guys! I offered them twice the usual rate, but they wouldn’t budge, and when I asked to at least meet the bishop, they said no to that too…”

Feya pouted.

“They were so stubborn, like a bunch of idiots, so we couldn’t do anything about it.”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Who was in charge of the negotiations?”

“Clevens.”

“Well, then it’s no wonder. That idi-”

“Clevens, sober.”

I couldn’t help but stiffen at her words.

‘Sober Clevens’ was synonymous with ‘perfect priest.’

But he failed the negotiation?

I thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

“Let’s go to the gate. I want to see just how idiotic they are.”

***

I once dreamed of becoming a Holy Knight. Back when I was Clara’s lackey.

This was because it seemed like they were doing nothing but getting paid a lot.

Even back then, my ultimate goal was to coast through life. And being a Holy Knight seemed like the perfect way to do that.

But that dream was short-lived.

Clara enlightened me.

‘Are you stupid, Rem? You can’t be a Holy Knight. Only those who’ve mastered holy magic can become Holy Knights.’

‘Then how do I master holy magic? Are you kidding me? No one would teach holy magic to a handless orphan.’

‘Oh, and I should probably warn you, just in case. Don’t even think about learning holy magic secretly. Not only you, but also the one who taught you, would have their eyes gouged out.’

…That incident taught me one truth about the world.

Religious people, except for Clara, are all either idiots or assholes.

“You shall not pass.”

And to this day, I’ve yet to find a counterexample.

I faced the Holy Knight standing guard at the gate.

His armor emanated a faint light, but because he was standing in the shadow of the wall, it seemed brighter than it actually was.

He looked as if he was draped in holiness.

I could feel our guys shrinking back. But I remained unfazed.

This was because I knew they spent most of their training time on appearances.

Raising my chin, I asked,

“Why?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“You suddenly locked down the city, and now you’re saying that you can’t tell us why? Does that make any sense?”

The Holy Knight’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

“Those are the Bishop’s orders. Go away, mercenary.”

I could feel my face twitching. But I forced myself to remain calm and continued,

“We’re currently carrying out the Empire’s orders. I can show you proof if you wish.”

It wasn’t a lie.

We weren’t directly ordered by the Empire, but we were helping the hero party, who *were* ordered by them.

“…”

The Holy Knight was silent for a moment, but only for a brief moment.

“…The church is not a subject of the Empire. The Bishop’s orders take precedence.”

He drew his sword and tapped it against the ground.

“So get out of my sight, right now. If you don’t disappear by the time I finish counting to ten, I will consider you heretics and cut off your heads.”

I was speechless.

But the Holy Knight began to count slowly.

As I watched him. Only one thought came to mind.

Should I just charge at him?

“…I understand.”

But in the end, I chose to respond rationally. I shook my head and turned around.

It was a bad idea to make an enemy of the church.

Even the most skilled mercenary has to go to a church if they get hurt.

I had to retreat.

That was when it happened.

“Rem~ ”

I looked at Clara, who was walking towards us from afar, confused.

Didn’t she tell me that she had something to take care of…?

As if reading my mind, Clara smiled brightly.

“I just came because I was bored. We can go into Axolotl now, right?”

I reflexively looked back at the asshole Holy Knight. He was still counting, inflexible as ever.

I clicked my tongue and looked back at Clara.

“I’m sorry, but I think we should leave.”

The smile disappeared from Clara’s face.

“…What do you mean?”

“It seems like the new Bishop of Axolotl really hates outsiders. He’s telling us to leave now.”

I explained the situation briefly and smiled awkwardly, leading her away.

“So let’s just retreat for now and…”

“It’s okay, Rem.”

Clara cut me off and took hold of my hand. With a bright smile, she said,

“I’ll handle it.”

“…What?”

And then, before I could stop her, she walked towards the Holy Knight.

The Holy Knight looked her up and down, and said,

“A woman of the church. But I still cannot let you in. These are the Bishop’s orders, and…”

“Make way.”

Her tone was completely different from when she spoke to me.

She might have been speaking formally, but her voice was laced with a chilling disdain.

Perhaps sensing that, the Holy Knight’s voice grew heated,

“How dare…! Do you even know who I am to order…”

Clara smiled faintly and took out a necklace from her pocket. It was a gold plate with the engraving of a woman praying.

The Holy Knight’s eyes widened as he saw it.

*Thud-*

And then, in the next moment, he was kneeling on the ground. Unable to even raise his head, his voice trembled,

“I-I, a lowly servant, greet the daughter of God… I-I apologize for not recognizing you, the esteemed one…”

“Do I have to say it twice?”

The Holy Knight’s body trembled once more. Clara’s cold voice washed over him.

“Make way, Holy Knight.”

“…But, Bishop Artreus…”

Clara placed her hand on the Holy Knight’s helmet, tilting his head upwards, forcing him to look at her.

“Is the name of the god you worship Artreus?”

“H-How could that be…! I am merely a humble servant of the Heavenly God…”

“And yet you call me the daughter of God, but prioritize the words of a mere Bishop over mine.”

The Holy Knight’s hands started to tremble. Clara’s red eyes gleamed as she said,

“I’ll say it one last time. Make way.”

Then, smiling brightly, she added,

“Before I make you and your family blind and force you to crawl on the ground.”

And then, as if she had finished what she needed to do, she turned back to me. She wiped her hand, which had touched the helmet, with a handkerchief and smiled brightly.

“It’s taken care of, Rem.”

I could feel our men gawking at the scene. I understood them.

They probably only knew her as a beautiful priest.

But I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me. No, it was more than just nostalgia.

I finally felt like I had been reunited with Clara.

Arrogant and tyrannical, but…

A girl whom no one could defy.

The one chosen by God.

She grabbed my arm, just like she used to.

“Didn’t I say it would be fine?”

***

“I’ll be meeting the Bishop for a moment. You guys go on ahead.”

As soon as we passed through the gates, Clara said that and disappeared somewhere with the Holy Knights.

And so, we were left behind.

But we didn’t have time to just be standing around.

Because the most important part of this job still remained.

I started by renting out an entire inn and kicking out all the guests. And then, bolting the door shut, I turned to our men and the remaining hero party members.

No, to be precise, I looked at Parsley.

“So, who has it?”

Parsley, who had seemed anxious, flinched. Then, she asked back, feigning ignorance,

“What do you mean?”

“The cargo. We’re done as soon as we hand it over.”

Only then did a flicker of understanding crossed Parsley’s face.

If my memory served me correctly, only the Captain and Parsley knew the real location of the cargo.

And now that the entire mercenary group had arrived in Axolotl, there was no reason to hide the cargo’s location any longer.

Hearing my words and realizing that, our men stared at Parsley with wide eyes. It was obvious that they were eager to finish the job and get some rest.

Fortunately, Parsley’s answer was what we expected. Smiling faintly, she snapped her fingers.

“You’re talking about this, right?”

A long, black box appeared out of thin air.

It was the same one we checked before we set out.

So, it was the hero party who was transporting the cargo, after all.

I nodded and said,

“Then who do we hand it over to? Is there someone we need to meet separately?”

Parsley shook her head.

“No, they said that someone would come to retrieve the cargo. They must have heard the commotion we caused at the gate, so they should be here soon…”

*Tap, tap*

The sound of something tapping on the window.

Our eyes turned to a pigeon, bobbing its head in front of the window. If I remembered, it was Irene’s invisible pigeon.

“…Please wait a moment.”

Sure enough, my memory was accurate. Irene opened the window and let the pigeon in. After untying the note from its leg, she scanned it.

“…!”

Soon, a look of shock spread across her face.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Don’t tell me…

Irene turned to us, her face pale, and said,

“The person who was supposed to receive the cargo has passed away. They were found dead in their home…”

It was as if I could hear the grinding gears of fate taking a turn for the worse.