episode_0038

The mind is like an arrow.

Once you get off track, you go astray.

Even if you shoot again, there will be a scar at the spot where you already shot.

The scars never go away.

Even if you try to make it disappear, it’s meaningless.

Because that pain is something that cannot be endured, but cannot be forgotten.

– Preface to “On Pain” by Paulette –

Three days had passed since the duel, too shameful to be recorded in history, had come to an end. Rumors of the duel had spread throughout the capital, but most of them ended with ridicule towards Bronkhorst. There was no such thing as top secret information such as the saint’s second coming, or the saint temporarily losing and then regaining her power.

Rather, the story about a meteor suddenly appearing in the sky was more widely spread. The story that it fell on the Basilica of Marcelino and disappeared soon spread by word of mouth. Many people thought it was a sign of something.

And then, despite having witnessed all of this, a man who had kept his people silent visited the palace. People called him the Bishop. He was the de facto head of the Church of Airgrants, and the man who had led the old man to bow his head to the saint to ask for forgiveness.

He was now, in his magnificent episcopal attire, with the tiara properly placed on his head, and he was approaching the king with a dignified air. To the worried-looking king of the kingdom of Alcrea.

“I see. Is that all there is to the Air Grants doctrine report?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The saint is able to act as a saint again. And, according to the prophecy, she will be the last saint of our time.”

“Ugh…”

The king sighed at the things he had expected but had not thought would actually come true. Next to him, a middle-aged woman who had lost most of her beauty, though not as much as a saint, looked at her husband with a worried face. On the other side, a woman with a pure appearance was looking at her father with the same feelings.

She was the queen and first princess of the Kingdom of Alcrea. In the King’s audience room, there were only the three of them, some servants and guards, and the bishop. It was practically a private meeting.

“Your Majesty, the saint has made up her mind. She has decided to use her newly-conferred powers to fulfill the oracle. If Your Majesty permits, the saint could set out tomorrow.”

“I see. If it is a formality that is possible in the royal court, then we can proceed at any time. But that is not all, is it? In addition to allowing the saintess to make a pilgrimage across the continent, there seems to be something else you require. Isn’t that right?”

The bishop smiled gently. Originally, it was almost impossible to meet the king except for the officials working in the palace or some people who had been granted permission. And those people, no matter what their title, had to bow their heads and show the utmost respect. It was also impossible to speak except for those who had been given permission in advance.

The only exceptions were a very small number of people, such as Bishop Abraham, who were the true leaders of the Church of Airgrants and were treated as high-ranking nobles. Of course, they were not completely guaranteed the freedom to express their opinions.

“I am very grateful for your consideration of my feelings. Your Majesty. As you know, even if the saint has decided so, there are serious limitations to what we at the Air Grants Church can do to help him in his footsteps. The Church will send two members selected after careful discussion, but we cannot provide any more support than that due to doctrine. Your Majesty is familiar with the doctrine, so you will know well that pilgrimage is originally a solo journey and no more than two attendants can be sent together. In addition, anyone who has their body or mind in the Air Grants Church cannot do so. ”

You are like a snake. That is why you appeared before my eyes, you. The king wanted to click his tongue. However, he did not forget to maintain his dignity. The bishop’s words were clear. We have done everything we could to support the saint, so now it is your turn. Support the saint so that she can safely travel around the continent.

Of course, the bishop was not a fool to make such a direct request. However, if you think about it, you can see that it was a rather rude and reckless request. If it were someone else, it would not end with a yelling, but would be punished.

But at the same time, it was a request that only the bishop, the head of the Church of Airgrants, could make. And he was also full of confidence. The king was well aware of the necessity of this pilgrimage.

Already, a few days ago, in the depths of the night, the royal family had been somewhat aware of the situation through a secret meeting with the kingdom’s guildmaster, Dolores Rashford. The strange phenomena around the world and the sudden awakening of the saintess meant only one thing.

The possibility of the Demon King’s second coming.

In that case, the most urgent thing is to investigate and purify each place where such abnormal phenomena occurred, and prevent the Demon King’s resurrection. However, the problem is that this must be kept a secret. Because…

“I am also deeply aware of the gravity of this situation. I am also keenly aware of the reason why it must be kept secret. If the story of the Demon King’s resurrection is spread throughout the world before he has even been resurrected, the world that was barely rebuilding will fall into chaos again. In particular, the Northern Kingdom of Stellaria is highly likely to continue its own path without cooperating with us. In that case, we must overcome the crisis by secretly packaging it as a pilgrimage, but sadly, the reality is not easy. I would like to ask for help from the Knights, but they do not have enough time, and if we send a large number of attendants such as soldiers, we will need an enormous amount of supplies. Above all, the justification for a pilgrimage will be diminished, and attempting to enter the Northern Kingdom with a large number of people could cause serious problems. In the end, the number of people we can send on the journey can only be limited to a small number, and only those with guaranteed skills can do so. Also, the problem is our kingdom’s warrior… As you know, Bishop, the warrior is currently dispatched to the Northern Kingdom due to a diplomatic request. He sent word that he will stay for another month due to the personal request of the King of Stellaria. If we were to honestly convey this to the Northern Kingdom and request his return, you know very well what they would do. ”

The bishop nodded heavily. In the past, when the Demon King was in power, the Northern Kingdom, unlike the Southern Kingdom, which surprisingly suffered relatively little damage from the Demons’ all-out attack, often engaged in fierce battles with the Demons.

Above all, the Southern Kingdom was mostly flatland with granary areas scattered here and there, but the Northern Kingdom was mostly mountainous, centered around volcanoes. This made it easy to defend, but the food situation was more difficult than in the Southern Kingdom.

Things were relatively good during the ancient times when it was one nation, but after the emergence of the Demon King, the devastation of the central continent, and the division of the kingdom, the situation rapidly worsened.

Fortunately, they were able to improve their food situation compared to before by focusing on aquaculture through the North Sea and reclaiming as much land as possible in the volcanic region. However, due to the Demon King’s continued invasions, the people’s lives were in shambles as they were mobilized to supply the military.

Because it overcame such times and has come to this day, the Northern Kingdom has put much more effort into technological development and talent cultivation than the Southern Kingdom. It is no coincidence that the Northern Kingdom is mostly responsible for everything from the development of new products using various magic stones to the publication of books of various genres.

And, they did not just leave the visit to the Northern Kingdom of the warrior, who could be said to be the best talent on the continent, alone. They made the warrior, who was supposed to stay for only about two weeks, stay for a whole month under the pretext of being a ‘temporary instructor at the academy’.

Of course, there was another real purpose. In particular, the intention was clear in that he continued to send unmarried noble ladies to the warrior. The bishop opened his mouth, deeply sympathizing with the king’s words.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Northern Kingdom will definitely try to keep you for all sorts of reasons. They will make you stay for at least another half a year. The reason is probably… for the sake of those who inherited your bloodline, and to protect their country. The Northern Kingdom’s attitude is understandable, but… it is also undeniable that it is difficult for us, who have to investigate and purify all abnormal phenomena within a year, to accept. However, if we bring the warrior back and include him in the trip by any means necessary, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Northern Kingdom will object or work to prevent him from doing so. ”

At those words, the king nodded heavily. Then, the first princess, who had been listening quietly from the side, muttered something.

Poor Luna… that was the name of the second princess.

Luna d’Alcrea. Bishop Abraham remembered that she was a lively girl with a talent for magic who clearly had a heart for warriors. He had personally blessed her with wisdom. And then the king spoke again.

“Yes. If your will and mine are in agreement, we must proceed with the plan through the remaining options. We must devise and proceed with a completely new plan that excludes the warriors. We must secretly include a small number of elite agents on the saint’s pilgrimage journey to support the real purpose of this journey. Those who have the ability to help overcome this grave situation and also keep it a secret. ”

In fact, the king’s words just now were not much different from what had been expected. No, it could be said that they were not at all different from what had been discussed in advance. The bishop nodded. And he cautiously asked the planned question.

“I will accept that without any hesitation, Your Majesty. Then, who will accompany you on your journey? Is it possible that one of them is Knight Commander Redford?”

“Hmm, I don’t doubt his skills, but… he’s too old. He’s even a famous person with a high reputation in the Northern Kingdom. If I send one, it should be someone younger, someone who has contributed to the country, but can move relatively freely, and someone less noticeable. And. It would be safer to include at least 7 people.”

As expected, the bishop took a deep breath. So as not to be caught.

He had long since guessed who the King was referring to. And then the King began to recite the names of the candidates one by one.

“I will grant this glorious mission to the seven high-ranking adventurers of the Kingdom Adventurer’s Guild, who have been personally awarded gold badges by our royal palace. I will now call their names. Belzeph Strauss, Elsadus Schwenheiser, Elderis Schwenheiser, Estil Sabre, Blacksmith Slade Graham, Magical Roselia Glacier, and…”

You called out that name at the very end, you’re still being mischievous. The bishop barely managed to suppress his laughter.

Finally, after a brief pause, the King announced the name.

“…Red-Eyed Glen. I hereby issue an edict to the seven high-level adventurers, ordering them to serve as the Saintess’s ‘Escort Knights’ for one year and complete their missions. In addition, I hereby order that all details of this plan be judged at the Saintess’ discretion. ”

After a brief pause, the King muttered something important as if he were talking to a passerby.

“For example, if you meet a warrior or his party on a journey and accompany them, it is up to the saintess to include or exclude them in the mission. That’s it.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Huh?”

Today, as usual, Glenn was getting dressed and about to go outside when something caught his foot. When he looked down, it was a letter.

This pattern, the guild master again? What is it this time?

Glenn bent down, reaching out, but then stopped. Oddly enough, he felt as if he were to pick up the letter, take out its contents, and read them, he would be involved in something bigger. Of course, he was puzzled by his own sense of this, since he had neither grasped nor foreseen the contents.

Saintess, Milicia Airgrants was absent from the mansion after the duel, so he couldn’t meet her. Glenn felt sorry, but he understood. In fact, Glenn himself was just as busy as the saintess. He ignored Grimes’ ridiculous demands, got involved in the adventurers’ drinking parties, and met a black-haired, red-eyed girl who claimed to be his sister, and even helped her find a job.

The saint’s commission fee? Since he had already received it, there were no issues related to any contract. In other words, from now on, visiting the saint and doing whatever he wanted to do was all an act of Glenn’s selfish desire. Well, he didn’t meet her, though.

Anyway, for Glenn, who had wasted over a week like that, the letter suddenly thrown under the door was enough to increase his anxiety. First, he grabbed the letter with his hand and took out its contents.

Oh, it wasn’t a letter, it was almost like a note.

“As soon as you see the text, go to the first floor immediately. – Guild Master Dolores Rashford – ”