episode_0003

“Lies… right?”

…

…

The knight, who had always been unwavering, bowed his head in silence at the scene of great turmoil.

In his heart, he wanted to say that the healing would take a little longer, but soon he would return to the capital.

But what use was comfort obtained through lies?

The knight simply faced reality calmly.

“I heard that… there is a letter from Sir Allen to you. It must be delivered only to you…”

!

A glimmer of hope bloomed before the crumbling knight.

‘Maybe Allen also left a letter to quietly live like me. A letter hoping to find himself.’

With just one letter, the knight quickly regained his composure and soon returned to his usual posture.

“Your Majesty. I think I should go.”

“Hmm… it might be too much to do right now.”

“… Why is that?”

“There are still many procedures left, it seems.”

The Emperor said so with a puzzled smile.

‘The situation is turning quite interesting.’

While his lips formed a smile, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Having discovered the knight’s only weakness, how could he not be pleased?

Seemingly unaware himself, Allen had become a significant presence for the knight.

If one rules over all, political skills must also be possessed.

The Emperor was clear about what he had to do.

“Your Majesty. I have sacrificed for the empire all this time. Are you trying to hinder even my search for companions?”

“That’s not my intention.”

‘He hesitates.’

Unlike usual, Irene, who spoke bluntly, made the Emperor understand the situation.

“For now, calm down and listen to the plan. The process shouldn’t take more than a month. Fulfill your final duty as a knight and then leave, won’t that suffice?”

“… Understood.”

With a completely unconvinced expression, Irene replied.

Though seething with anger, the justification lay with the other party.

‘I must protect the letter.’

‘I need to secure the letter first.’

The knight and the Emperor, who looked at each other with seemingly calm expressions, had eyes that seemed to pierce each other like sharp blades.

Finally, as the knight left the hall, the Emperor quietly called his guards.

“Guards.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Kneeling before the Emperor like a shadow, the guard accepted the Emperor’s command.

“Secure the letter that Allen left for the knight.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Always lurking in the shadows and discreetly protecting the Emperor, the guard accepted the Emperor’s order as his own mission.

Soon, the shadows flickered again, the guard’s figure disappeared, and the Emperor smiled coldly.

***

“Jenny.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

Unlike Irene, who was tormented by the Emperor for being a knight, Jenny was enjoying the festival as a member of the Knight’s Party.

After all, Jenny was just a member of the Knight’s Party, not a knight.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“… A favor? From you?”

The word “favor” was quite common in everyday life, but Jenny swore she had never heard Irene use the word before.

“Do you remember the church we left Allen at?”

“Of course I remember that?”

As if questioning why she was asking such a thing, Jenny shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“Go to that church right now and guard Allen’s letter. It would be better if you could bring it.”

“… What’s all this sudden talk about? Can you explain from the beginning?”

After adding a little explanation, Jenny finally understood the situation.

“Allen disappeared… That article isn’t lying, is it?”

“Whether it’s a lie or not, we’ll find out when we go. As you know, I can’t move right now.”

“I see. So you’re not ordering me around by using the word ‘request’?”

“Not ordering, but asking for a favor…”

“That’s the same thing.”

Jenny held her glass in her hand and pondered for a moment.

The festival had been going on for two months, but there wasn’t enough time to wash away the past misdeeds.

Yet, it felt somewhat wrong to refuse the request of her precious colleague and friend, Irene.

“Alright. But you have to buy me an expensive bottle of liquor later.”

“…Thank you.”

“And don’t worry too much. Allen isn’t the type to abandon us and run away, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Sigh. I didn’t even get to enjoy it much, and my festival is already over.”

She grumbled as she got up from her seat to embark on a long journey.

“Is it because of the Emperor that you said ‘right now’?”

“Yes.”

“Got it. I’ll leave right away.”

At that moment, Jenny’s figure blurred like a mirage.

Before long, in the vanished mirage, Irene realized that Jenny had embarked on a challenging journey.

“…Thank you.”

Unable to say it directly to Jenny, Irene quietly smiled as she uttered those awkward words.

“Oh, Saint has arrived.”

“Hello!”

“Nice to meet you.”

Allen entered the mercenary guild building as usual and was greeted by the mercenaries calling him “Saint” with half jest and half respect, which lightened Allen’s mood a bit.

Being called Saint with respectful eyes felt burdensome and guilty at the same time.

“Are you here today to take all our jobs again? Hahaha!”

“We’ll be unemployed again today! Hahaha!”

Although Allen almost monopolized expensive requests, the mercenaries did not look at him with hostility.

Instead, they always looked at Allen with eyes filled with respect and often joked around with him.

Humans are inherently treacherous; most people want to live kindly but cannot do so.

Nevertheless, even if they cannot live kindly, they still respect those who practice kindness.

If a person does not admire the Saint who suddenly appears in a remote village and practices kindness, then that person must be a demon crawling up from hell.

“Welcome!”

Naturally, the receptionist at the mercenary guild also greeted Allen with a friendly gaze.

“Nice to meet you. Do you have any expensive requests?”

“Yes! Please wait a moment!”

Initially skeptical, the receptionist, who used to reluctantly handle expensive requests brought by a man who looked like a saint, now knew his abilities.

Thud!

“Here you go!”

“You have a lot today as well.”

At a glance, the requests laid out by the receptionist seemed to exceed 100.

“Even if the Demon King is defeated, monsters continue to appear steadily!”

“That’s true.”

Nodding respectfully, Allen slowly began to examine the requests, ignoring the receptionist’s admiring gaze.

“Today, I’ll choose these three.”

The requests Allen chose were ones that no one else had chosen, with additional fees attached to them.

Near the village, there are monsters that reside, but if you don’t intrude into their territory, they are quiet and strong, asking for help to subdue even dirtier strong monsters.

“Ugh, those monsters will finally be caught.”

“Ah! If it’s Saint’s skill, they’ll be sliced with a single sword!”

That’s why mercenaries couldn’t hate Allen.

Allen could handle expensive and comfortable requests in large quantities without caring about the mercenaries’ livelihoods.

Despite that, he stubbornly insisted on only high-paying requests that others mostly didn’t touch, showing even the slightest consideration, making him someone worthy of being called a saint.

“I am not someone worthy of being called a saint.”

Walking his own path, Allen, who thought he was being hypocritical, gave a bitter smile.

“I’ll be back before dinner.”

“Take care!”

“Saint, fighting! Hahaha!”

“Fighting!”

“Thank you for your support, everyone.”

Allen expressed his gratitude with a small smile at their support.

Even though what he was doing was hypocritical, knowing that he could maintain people’s smiles through that hypocrisy made Allen’s heart a little warmer.

Finally arrived.

In front of the church erected in the remote small village, Jen let out a sigh.

If her memory serves her right, the church where Allen was treated was indeed here.

“I just wish I could deliver the letter and leave.”

If she could receive the letter, she could return to the capital and enjoy the festival again.

“I’m sorry, but Allen requested that you hand it to the hero.”

“No, I’m part of the Hero Party! I came at the hero’s request!”

“He asked you to hand it to the hero. By the way, isn’t Allen also a member of the Hero Party?”

“Oh, this is insane!”

Jen’s hope of quickly finishing the work and returning to enjoy the festival was ruthlessly shattered.

Considering the hero’s schedule, she would have to stay here for about a month.

“Aaaargh!!!”

“I’m sorry. Still not possible.”

A month with a priest who had no flexibility would certainly not be happy for Jen.