episode_0044

Oh, oh? The person who will guide you, no! No! That’s right… The kind person who will guide you is none other than the saint?

All four people who had been waiting looked surprised.

“How are you? Good morning. Welcome to the Cathedral of Marcelino. Please come in slowly.”

Just like yesterday, the saintess with a calm and gentle expression welcomed them. Unlike before, when she had welcomed Glenn and his party at her mansion, today she welcomed them in the saintly manner of the Marcelino Cathedral.

Behind them, several of the cult’s attendants were visible. A man in monk’s attire with a hood pulled down, and a woman in nun’s habit with a hood pulled down. As usual, Glenn and the guildmaster greeted them and went inside the side door.

Briwen, who first met the saintess, looked a little stiff. Even Locke looked a little nervous. Wow, that calm Locke, frozen in place. This is quite precious.

“Good morning, Saint. Did everything go well yesterday? I was very worried because you left Glen alone.”

“Master!”

What are you talking about! Do you think you’re my father?

Glenn sent a look of protest to Guild Master Rashford, but the Guild Master only winked his right eye.

Ouch! What a wink, a wink! Saint Milicia answered with a bright smile.

“Haha. Glenn was always so kind to me. Could you introduce the people you were with, Guild Master?”

“Yes, of course. Let me introduce you to Briwena Crowsong, a mid-level adventurer in the guild, and Locke, one of my attendants.”

“Ah, hello, your majesty. I am Briwena Shadowsong. It is an honor to participate in this quest.”

“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Locke, the guildmaster’s attendant.”

Glenn almost burst out laughing at Briwen’s slightly nervous greeting, but barely managed to hold it back. If he got caught wrong, he could end up getting hurt twice as much later. In contrast, Locke put away his nervous expression from earlier and greeted her politely. Saint Milicia treated the two guests with a kind expression.

“I hope you are well. Welcome to the Cathedral. I remember seeing you at the guild last time, Briwena. Are you, by any chance, a friend of Glenn?”

“Oh, yes. We’ve done a few missions together. Please call me Briwen.”

“Hoohoo. Yes, Briwen. It’s nice to meet you too, Locke. I heard you were in charge of the escort with Chris, who came with the guild master before…”

While chatting like that, the guild party entered the cathedral guided by the saintess and her two attendants. As they had seen before, the cathedral was filled with many buildings. Of course, there was the main cathedral building, but also a monastery, a convent, a hospitality building for welcoming guests, and even a mission schola where the children of some nobles could cultivate their faith and learning.

As Glen walked away, he whispered quietly to the guildmaster, unable to resist the urge to ask him about the topic that had been on his mind just a moment ago.

“Brien also dragged in…who else did I drag in? Who will be our companion on our journey? Guildmaster?”

“Hmm? Do you think that the only capable adventurers in your guild are those who are close to you? That’s too much prejudice. First of all, among the people who are leaving in two days, the only one you know is Briwen. The rest have already left on other missions. The one who will deliver the message and the sign to the upper-level adventurers. ”

“Huh? Didn’t you say you were going to use the Jeonseogu?”

“It is possible for those in the Northern Kingdom. However, it is not possible for the three in the Western Mountains, Central Continent, and East. I don’t know exactly where they are. So, I sent people first. I sent Grimes, Tiller, Meni, and Syca to the East. Grimes really liked it. He said that if you make connections with the elves and do well, you can meet the elf lover of your dreams… I think so. ”

That guy, I wonder if he won’t break down after struggling in his dreams. Glenn asked again, trying to erase Grimes’ future slowly but surely.

“Oh, Grimes… aside, Tiller, Manny, and Syca? Aren’t they too short on experience?”

“So you’re going with Grimes? It’ll be a good stimulus for them too. And Montaro and Hansk were dispatched to the west to find Slade, and Killdon was dispatched to the center. Once we can find the high-level adventurers, the rest will be easy.”

“Haa. Those three seem to be having the hardest time. Especially Montaro and Hansk, they’re going to have a hard time, really…”

Glenn also knew the ruggedness of the Western Mountains well, having personally experienced it. If an ordinary person were to hide in such a place, it would be hard to find them, so how much harder would it be for those skilled people? It was strange that they had not been stripped of their high-level adventurer status until now, when they had gone abroad on an important mission for the country and had disappeared almost without a trace.

However, Glenn himself felt a pang in this, so he didn’t say anything about it.

After finishing the conversation with the guild master, the saintess approached Glenn, who had arrived at the building where he was supposed to receive guests. She whispered in Glenn’s ear without any hesitation, as he flinched at the sudden contact with the militia.

“Uh, sir…militia?”

“Glen? Can we talk for a minute after you finish today?”

Whoa! The Saint’s whisper, so awesome!

Glenn was on the verge of losing his mind and of being so shocked that his mouth fell open, but he held it all back and nodded slightly as he answered.

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

“Thank you. I’ll be waiting. My Glen.”

My, my, my Glen!

Thank you. God, thank you! Today, today is the day I will say it! I will definitely, definitely say it!

Glenn made that pledge as he fiddled with something he had been preparing for several days and kept hidden in his arms.

“That kid…”

‘Hmm?’

I heard someone muttering in a voice I had never heard before.

Who is it? It was hard to tell because the voice was so small, but it was one of the Militia attendants with their hoods pulled down. It was definitely a woman.

Did I mishear you? It must be my fault, my mood? Glenn tried to ignore it and smiled as he spoke to the saintess again.

And Glenn had no idea that there was one person who was absentmindedly looking at the backs of those two people with emotions tinged with bitterness and defeat.

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There were quite a lot of guests visiting the cathedral. From nobles and royalty to priests dispatched from the Northern Kingdom, religious figures from other races, etc. This building, the Hospitalium, was built to provide peace to guests from far away, and it boasted an exterior and interior structure that were completely different from those of other cathedral buildings.

As the four guild members entered the building, two people wearing hoods revealed their identities. Glenn and Briwen were slightly surprised to see one of them. It was a face they had seen somewhere before.

“How are you? I am late in introducing myself. It is an honor to meet you. My name is Esther, and I serve at the Marcelino Convent. Please take care of me. Guildmaster.”

A woman with short brown hair that did not reach her shoulders, black eyes, and a black nun’s habit bowed politely. Next to her, an old man with a face I had seen before cautiously bent down toward the group.

“How are you? I am an old man who has come to help you on this journey. I am Benedict, a shabby old man who has dedicated himself to God. Please take good care of me.”

Although he was said to be old, he was an old man who looked quite healthy, wearing monk’s clothes. However, his bald head and gray beard made it possible to recognize him as an old man. The saint acted as a guide for those who were seeing them for the first time.

“Guildmaster? These are the Benedictine monks and Sister Esther who serve the Church of Airgrants and will be my attendants on my upcoming pilgrimage.”

“Oh, yes. This is Guildmaster Dolores Rashford. Nice to meet you.”

Aha. So that’s what Milicia was talking about yesterday.

When we were enjoying lunch together, Milicia had mentioned that the Airgrants Church would also send two attendants. First of all, the old man, Benedict, knew Glenn and Briwen. He looked exactly like the person who had judged the duel that day, the day of the saint’s duel. And Benedict looked at Glenn with a rather kind and grateful expression.

Ugh, I know what that expression means, but it just adds to the burden. Really. But it was definitely the first time I saw a nun. However, Glenn felt like the nun was wearing a mask in the way she looked at him and the way her expression was.

“It must be Glenn. I would like to thank you again for helping the saint and preventing the crisis of our Air Grants Church.”

“Yes, it is an honor. I just did what I had to do for the Lady.”

The Benedictine monk did not forget the incident and thanked Glenn. Sister Esther next to him also bowed and saluted. However, the monk was fine, but the nun seemed like a doll moving. It was a prepared greeting, and I couldn’t shake the feeling.

What the. It was as if he was trying to express through his body language that he didn’t want to show respect to Glenn, but he had no choice because it was the right place to be.

“Haha. With you by my side, I feel more secure than ever on this journey. Sister Esther and I will also risk our lives to support you.”

“You must not risk your life, Benedict. We are on a journey to save lives.”

Sister Esther smiled and said her typical lines next to her. Glenn felt that way again.

What the heck. Since a little while ago. It seems like you’re the kind of person who has a lot of complaints about me but can’t seem to say anything!

The party, including the saint, Douglas, and two attendants of the Airgrants Order, arrived at a room where, as is typical of the Airgrants Order, simple tea and refreshments were prepared.

The interior was quite spacious, and certainly looked like a room that would welcome guests. And it felt a bit like the Saint’s mansion.

“Please sit down and wait a moment, the bishop will arrive. He said he would like to bless our journey and that he had something to say.”

“Oh, yes?”

“Lord, is the bishop giving the blessing himself?”

It was quite surprising news. The bishop himself came to see me.

Even the guild master stuttered as if he was a little surprised by this situation. Of course, considering the gravity of this matter, it would be strange for him not to show up. Glenn sat down and sipped his tea as the saintess instructed, and carefully looked around at the people he would be joining.

Oh, wait a minute… something feels strange.

“Hey Guild Master, so the people who are leaving for the trip in 3 days… are these all?”

Briwen asked the guildmaster in an anxious voice.

Oh, that question… I had deliberately not asked it, hoping it wouldn’t be Glenn either. But Briwen struck first.

Please, Guildmaster. Can we get some additional support? A pilgrimage with just five people? This is ridiculous!

Of course, shatter other people’s expectations to the fullest extent is one of the specialties of Dolores Rashford, the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Of course. You’re sharp, Briwen. ”

‘What are you bragging about so proudly!’

The guild master had gone mad? Glenn couldn’t help but think so. Just five people, traveling the entire continent to identify and purify the anomalies, embarking on a massive mission?

Of course, once you set off on your journey, if all goes according to plan, other adventurers are expected to join you… but until they do, it becomes a horrifying story of how the five of you will have to somehow survive.

Besides, even if there were monsters, it was obvious that bandits or thieves would attack you to the point of being annoying. Think about it. Bandits and thieves don’t have much regard for gods or religions. To them, whether you are a believer or not, you are just a target for making money.

Moreover, there were only three women in the group. The risk of being attacked was extremely high. One of the men was short and might be treated as a child, and the other was an old man.

Imbalance, irrationality. This is certainly what a third party would think of the first expedition.

“Oh, uh, we’re recruiting additional adventurers to join us, right? Guild Master? ”

Glenn asked cautiously, just in case. Beside him, Briwen also had a secretly desperate expression.

Yes, Briwen, you too have realized this ridiculous and reckless decision. So please, Guildmaster! Come to your senses! Can’t you grasp the situation?

But I guess you really don’t understand the situation.

“Huh? What are you talking about? Recruitment is already complete. I’ve distributed all the tasks and assigned them to the appropriate positions. Who else do you need?”

‘You need us, you need us!’

Glenn and Briwen cried out in unison. Glenn put his hand to his face, and Briwen began to mutter something in a very small voice.

“If I knew this would happen, I would have made an excuse and gotten out…”

“More than that, what on earth have you done?”

“Um, yes?”

Suddenly, the guild master lost his relaxed expression and began whispering to Glenn with a face like when he encountered something difficult. Briwen, who had sharp ears, must have heard what he said as well, her ears perked up.

Over there, the members of the Adventurer’s Guild began to whisper, leaving three members of the Airgrants Church chatting and enjoying refreshments.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden, Guild Master?”

“Since morning, a group of nobles who have power in the province, called the Viscount Leicht, have come to the guild. Do you know why? They came to see you. It’s a good thing I’m staying in the guild. They insisted on sending you to the Viscount Leicht immediately. It took some convincing. What have you done? Did you break the leg of a member of the Viscount’s family?”

“Glen, you… are swinging your fist carelessly again?”

“Okay, wait a minute. You’re the Viscount Leicht? By any chance…gasp!”

Glenn’s expression, which had been vehemently denying it, turned pale in an instant.