A World Without a Hero (1)

    A World Without a Hero (1)

    On his way back after parting with Evangeline, Lore slowly pondered his past in his mind.

    Bell Lore was a soldier of the Solaion Holy Nation.

    A soldier, not a knight.

    Although he had graduated top of his class from the Knight Department of Polaris Academy, could use the breathing technique and aura blade exclusive to knights, and was confident he could fight against a hundred soldiers without losing, he was nevertheless a soldier.

    It was because he had not studied theology.

    Within Polaris Academy, there was no one who would not recognize him as a knight.

    However, in the Holy Nation, only those who study theology and wield swords according to God’s will are called knights.

    In other countries, knights who have devoted themselves to the path of faith are specifically called holy knights, but not in the Holy Nation.

    In the Holy Nation, it is naturally considered that a knight should walk the path of faith, and thus at Polaris Academy as well, only Knight Department cadets who have studied theology are treated as knights.

    That’s why Bell Lore could not become a knight.

    Despite being an honor student who graduated at the top of his class from the Knight Department of Polaris Academy.

    Despite being an elite who served as an instructor in the Knight Department of Polaris Academy after graduation.

    He could not call himself a knight, could not be called a knight, and could not be treated as a knight.

    Even in the Human-Demon War, which he had decided to join with the sole determination to protect his country, he had to be treated as a soldier, not a knight.

    Lore thought.

    The scripture says that under the name of God, all humans are equally entitled to believe in God and receive salvation.

    Why is it that in the Holy Nation, which should be more faithful to God’s will than any other country, one cannot properly study God’s words without money?

    Why do they ignore the scripture’s teaching to rightfully protect fellow countrymen, secretly employ a deserter from the neighboring country, and use him in their own country’s war?

    Why is this country so unholy?

    Perhaps if he had studied theology, he might have been able to come up with his own answer to that.

    But Bell Lore had no money, and therefore could not study theology, and thus could not answer his own questions.

    Instead, he fled. To Polaris Academy.

    More precisely, it would be more accurate to express it as returning.

    He was certain. That he would never set foot on the Holy Nation’s land again as long as he lived.

    Since he had received nothing from the country in the first place, he had no patriotism either.

    He just wanted to forget everything. He wanted to grow old and die teaching students here at Polaris for the rest of his life.

    Then, he heard the news that the famous Princess Knight Evangeline was coming to this Polaris Academy.

    At first, he found it strange. He couldn’t understand why she was enrolling as a student, not an instructor.

    But the Evangeline he met for the first time was not here.

    She was by no means a person with the composure to teach someone.

    Her body was merely in this Polaris Academy. Her memories still remained on the bloody battlefield where humans and monsters killed each other.

    Lore thought she would implicitly resent him.

    Because the Holy Nation, where he had served as a soldier during the Human-Demon War, had employed Earl Cornelio, who had deserted from the Kingdom, as a soldier and allowed him to operate on the Holy Nation front.

    Indeed, his personal strength, seen right beside him as a comrade fighting on the same battlefield, was extremely outstanding.

    Lore had been proud of his own strength until then, but if Cornelio was his opponent, he couldn’t be confident of victory.

    However, regardless of that, this was not right.

    He was a wartime criminal from another country, a criminal who had committed the serious crime of wartime desertion.

    The Holy Nation should have extradited him to the Kingdom.

    But the Holy Nation did not do so. Instead, they chose to hide Cornelio’s existence and use his strength as a piece in their war.

    Moreover, none of the leadership raised any objections to such a decision.

    It was clearly not right, but opposing opinions were all ignored in the face of the pretext of it being for the Holy Nation.

    Whether he was disillusioned with such a decision, or thought it was not right. There was nothing Lore, who was just a soldier, could do.

    At the very least, revealing all the facts to her without concealment was the minimum atonement he could make in his own way… or at least that’s how he planned to excuse himself to her.

    But she said she didn’t resent anyone.

    Not even Cornelio, who had fled, leaving the Kingdom’s defense line.

    The hero who had saved hundreds of thousands of lives said that she didn’t have the right to resent anyone.

    Despite asking him about Cornelio’s whereabouts in such an emotional and urgent manner.

    Having seen a side of the hero he had thought was only brilliant, Lore felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

    Perhaps that was why. Although he could have simply ignored someone who had been following him since earlier, Lore deliberately turned his head back with an irritable expression.

    “Would you stop following me, Student Alice?”

    “Eek.”

    Alice Basildar, who had been hiding behind a street tree, let out a startled hiccup.

    “What were you doing there?”

    “Well, that’s, I mean.”

    Lore asked Alice, and Alice, who had been hesitating, shook her head and then shouted:

    “I-I’m sorry! But I, I saw it!”

    “Saw what…?”

    “Well, that is.”

    Alice, who had been mumbling and hesitating, eventually lowered her head deeply and said:

    “I accidentally saw P-Princess Evangeline and you, Instructor, having a secret meeting!”

    “…What?”

    Several days later.

    Outside the carriage window, the scenery passed quickly like a running horse.

    The inside of the carriage was decorated in pure white without a speck of dust, and the only thing that wasn’t white was the transparent glass window through which the outside could be seen.

    In the distance, the separate building where the Saint resided could be seen.

    The 13th Saint of the Solaion Holy Nation, Corfe Lilac.

    Previously, after expressing her wish to meet me through Oswald and getting properly rejected.

    She sent an official letter written in her own hand, once again expressing her wish to meet me.

    It was a letter in a definitely more courteous form than before, with an expression of intent to apologize on behalf of her servant’s attitude, and a clear indication of the specific date and place to meet.

    ‘You understand, right, Princess?’

    But Delphina, as if she couldn’t feel at ease at all, told me.

    ‘If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, just flip the table.’

    ‘Ah, but isn’t that a bit much no matter what…?’

    ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s not the first time the Holy Nation people have behaved like this, and the international community won’t react coldly just because you respond a bit firmly.’

    According to Delphina, the Holy Nation’s external image was quite a mess.

    It’s one thing for them to treat their own head of state, the Saint, like an incarnation of God, but they’ve repeatedly imposed such an attitude on other countries as if it were natural.

    About 5 years ago, at a summit with the Empire, that attitude was so excessive that it almost led to a physical confrontation with the Empire.

    They’ve got guts to face the Empire, which is no less than the Holy Nation in terms of the absolute power of the head of state.

    However, although Delphina implored me so earnestly… originally, since I was a person who had been moving from battlefield to battlefield from the time I had started to adapt to this world.

    I had absolutely no connection to headache-inducing matters like diplomacy, politics, and interests.

    It’s not like the Failon royal family was so dysfunctional that they would send out a 12-year-old kid who hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony to an official occasion.

    ‘If you feel they’re crossing the line, just flip the table right away. You have to be tough with such people!’

    …Moreover, it seemed that Delphina, as an aspiring holy knight, had considerable negative feelings or prejudice against those from the Holy Nation after rubbing shoulders with them in various ways.

    Who knows, maybe only the underlings are fanatics and the Saint herself is surprisingly normal.

    “We have arrived.”

    At that moment, the carriage stopped and the door opened.

    Since it was a levitating carriage without wheels, I didn’t even realize it had stopped.

    This has better ride quality than most cars, doesn’t it?

    “This is the separate building where the Saint resides.”

    Oswald said with a bow.

    “I will guide you.”

    He began to walk forward with heavy steps. Due to his large build, his strides were very fast even when walking at a normal pace.

    The separate building I entered, following him almost at a brisk walk, seemed much larger than the separate building where Delphina and I lived.

    Well, I’m just a princess, but the Saint is a proper head of state.

    I wonder if it’s okay for a head of state to be attending an academy, but it seems that most of the actual politics are carried out by the Senate, which consists of high priests.

    “We have arrived.”

    Oswald stopped in front of a large door painted pure white, deep inside the separate building.

    “The Saint is waiting inside.”

    “…Do I just open the door and go in?”

    “Please wait a moment.”

    Oswald, standing in front of the door, raised his pot-lid-like fist and lightly knocked on the door.

    -Click.

    From inside the door, the sound of some heavy mechanical device turning could be heard.

    Along with a creaking sound, thick hinges rotated and opened, and the massive door moved on its own, slowly opening to the left and right.

    Oswald silently stepped aside and extended his hand.

    “Let’s go in.”

    I silently moved my steps inside the door.

    The room looked even larger than it appeared from the outside.

    At the opposite end of the door, immediately visible as one entered, was a huge window where sunlight shone brightly.

    Everything in the room was pure white.

    It could be said that the only things that weren’t white were the skin colors of people.

    In the middle of the room, the Saint was sitting primly with her hands folded in front of a round table, waiting.

    And behind her, two knights in medium armor stood at parade rest, lined up on either side.

    At a glance, they were so still in their posture that they looked more like statues than people.

    At the sound of the door opening, the Saint sitting at the table raised her head.

    “…I’ve been waiting.”

    The Saint said so and smiled gently.

    Simultaneously, my gaze and the Saint’s met in the air.

    The moment I saw the Saint’s eyes, I was slightly surprised and unconsciously opened my eyes wide.

    Blood-red eyes were looking at me.

    At the chilling gaze that seemed to rummage through and look into the other person’s mind, I unconsciously frowned.

    The Saint, who was staring at me intently, opened her mouth first.

    “…Previously, we caused you inconvenience on our side.”

    And then, she slightly bowed her head toward me.

    “I have already cautioned that child.”

    That child… probably referring to Oswald?

    “However, the failure to properly manage one’s servant is also the fault of the master. I would like to express once again that I am sorry for the discourtesy.”

    “It-it’s okay.”

    I nodded awkwardly and thought.

    If it were Delphina, she would probably have said things like, ‘It’s good that you know you should be sorry,’ or ‘Are you going to let this slide with just words?’

    Thinking inwardly that it was fortunate Delphina had not come along to this meeting, I sat at the table opposite the Saint.

    The Saint rose and personally poured tea in front of me, then opened her mouth.

    “It’s a rare tea leaf that grows only inside the churches of the Holy Nation.”

    “I’ll ea… no, drink it well.”

    Glancing at the Saint who was smiling benevolently, I brought the tea she had poured to my lips.

    ‘Surely, she wouldn’t have pulled some kind of trick…’

    Such suspicions did cross my mind, but I could withstand most ordinary poisons anyway.

    ‘By the way, those two in the back are really unsettling.’

    Without moving a hair except for blinking, the two large men stood like wooden figures.

    I was even doubtful whether they were breathing properly.

    While sipping tea and occasionally glancing at the large men, the Saint opened her mouth.

    “The reason I ‘invited’ the Princess Knight is because we on the Holy Nation’s side have an urgent request to make.”

    “A request?”

    The Saint emphasized the word ‘invited’.

    “Evangeline. Would you become a hero?”

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