episode_0149

At least, Prince Leopold kept his promise to repay me.

Viscount Median.

Originally, it would not have been strange for him to be given the title of earldom, but since the Ernst faction was desperately opposed to it, viscountcy was the limit.

I also didn’t expect to reach the throne.

In the first place, I heard that it is rare for an imperial noble to ascend this quickly.

Not only in my case, it is said that the imperial family has been quite stingy in giving titles for generations.

Of course. There was a limited amount of land available for fiefdoms, and they probably did not want the influence of the nobles to become stronger.

Instead, the letter Leopold sent was accompanied by no less than a thousand gold.

A thousand gold. It was an amount that made it possible to forget about worrying about money for the time being.

Even that amount was reduced due to the consolation money to be paid to the bereaved families of the 3rd Corps.

Leopold has a lot of money.

First, I need to pay off my debt to Lacey and save the rest.

Although I still owe Asha… I said I could pay it back slowly, so it wouldn’t matter.

In the end, it was good to say that almost all of the goals we wanted to achieve through this project were achieved.

I had a bit of trouble… I saved Leopold, and the reward was sufficient.

With just one battle, I have already become the core force of the 1st Prince Sect.

Either by force or by fame. In the first place, fame was caused by force.

Stories of my activities had long since spread throughout the island through word of mouth among the returning soldiers of the 3rd Corps.

A superman who single-handedly achieved the feats of five or six masters.

There was even talk that at that level, he would one day become a powerhouse comparable to the Empire’s First Sword.

Imperial First Sword, Marquis Wallenstein.

A military officer who maintains complete neutrality and is loyal only to the emperor.

I didn’t really see it in the original either.

Since he is close to seventy years old, it is rare for him to come to the forefront.

By the time Hershela attacked the empire, she was already dead.

A character who is only shown as being strong and never appears, leaving only the backstory of him dying from old age.

What’s more, is the nickname that users call the Empire’s Best Bubble?

—-

Two days later, Friede returned.

Taking Damian, Millia, and Lana, who were in trouble.

… I said take the priest, but I didn’t mean Lana.

What they needed was not efficient healing techniques, but various miracles of blessing.

It must have been quite a forced march, and none of the three seemed to have the energy to have a conversation, so we only said a quick hello and parted ways.

Frieda, I guess she was still fine, but she came to my room to hang out as soon as she washed up.

The hostility of our first meeting was nowhere to be seen in the way he sat on my bed and drank a glass of wine as if it were his own without permission.

“You did a great job while I was away? Do you know that I hear your story wherever I go these days? ‘Knight of the Goddess’, ‘God’s Punishment’.”

“… What?”

At the absurd word, I dropped the dagger I had been spinning on the floor.

“Faith, punishment? What is that… ? What kind of person would say such shameful nonsense… .”

It was a jaw-dropping naming sense.

It’s God’s punishment.

Childishness aside, isn’t that blasphemy?

If the church found out, it would feel like an inquisition.

I don’t know who came up with that nickname… He must be a very thoughtless little guy.

“What do you mean, these are words you wrote yourself. They said it was written in blood on the wall of the village where the women were raised. The investigation team found it.”

It was me.

Now that I think about it, I’ve definitely done something like that… ?

“… I thought that area was completely burned down.”

” Even though the village was completely burned down, the blood stains on the wall remained? The Elfinel Church inflated the rumor. The fact that only the wall remained intact among the burnt remains, and the fact that the text written in blood was not washed away despite the rain, is proof that Elfinel’s will was in place.”

I held my forehead because of the migraine that was coming.

I felt like the nonsense I had written anonymously on the Internet had been exposed to the world.

No, what were you thinking?

At the time, I guess it was because of the discomfort I had accumulated in many ways, but I was excited and ran wild as if I was drunk… .

Anyway, there was no need to write something like that.

Even though it didn’t disappear, it remained?

That is clearly a strange phenomenon to anyone who sees it.

Elfinel? Elfinel, who is believed to be observing me from the sky?

May I ask why you did that?

I won’t answer anyway.

“And this time, you helped the church completely eradicate the monsters, right? In the eyes of ordinary people, it is no wonder that he is truly a knight of God.”

That was to save Leopold from being killed.

Did it appear that way in the eyes of other people?

“From a beast-human predator, it is God’s punishment… . Have you achieved success? Even though the Elfinel Church didn’t announce it, they seem to admit it internally, so they will be welcomed if they go to a holy country.”

“Somehow, maybe that was the reason why Lacey was acting so strangely friendly… .”

Obviously, it’s not a bad thing… .

When I imagined that in the future, when other people would call me, they would call me Hashal, ‘God’s punishment,’ my vision became dark and my head became dizzy.

“Isn’t it a good thing? No matter what you do, as long as you don’t do evil, it will be treated as God’s will, and the tone is also nice. ‘God’s punishment’… . I should have written something on the wall too.”

You think that’s cool? God’s punishment?

sincerely?

I am… I can’t keep up with the emotions of this other world… .

Friede grinned.

I can’t tell if you’re kidding me or what.

“Ha… .”

Only a sigh came out.

What can I do? I’m self-employed, so I can’t blame anyone.

“Don’t sigh when you look at this. Magic candle smoke is flying.”

Friede grumbled and waved her hand like a fan to disperse the smoke.

—-

Fortunately, there was no one who openly called out that nickname.

Except for Friede.

As expected, it was right to make fun of it.

—-

After that, about 15 days passed quickly.

It was a hectic fortnight for me and the Empire.

Starting with the Einfeld subjugation war, the number of monsters appearing in various places began to increase rapidly.

Even though it was not enough to form an army like Einfeld, the knights of the empire had to endure heavy work every day, forgetting about the leisure time they had had.

Remnant Academy also could not be free from that trend.

No second- and third-year students remained at the academy, and the dispatch of first-year students was also greatly expanded.

In fact, the role of educational institutions is almost completely halted.

They say they plan to expand staff on a large scale… It was none of my business.

Requests for dispatch were pouring in to me as well.

3 Aside from the suspicious requests sent from the prince’s faction, I rejected requests that were too far away or would take a long time, such as clearing a dungeon.

That’s right, who wouldn’t want an all-round warrior who can definitely solve a problem when asked for it?

After leaving half-hearted requests to Friede, he only picked out tasks that required at least an expert warrior.

About once every two days.

Thanks to this, Nigel looked happy these days.

That’s because I was able to accumulate a tremendous amount of practical experience that I lacked.

My reputation was skyrocketing as well.

Subdue grave predators twice.

It wasn’t difficult because I tried it once.

Nigel seemed to have gotten the hang of it too.

The murder of a ghost knight who appeared in the Duchy of Vienne.

Unlike the guy I saw before, he could be said to be a simple master.

It was a good experience that allowed me to reflect on swordsmanship, which I had neglected recently.

The Duke of Vienne paid a generous amount of compensation. Is this the same Leopold?

Investigation of monsters lurking in Mount Asten.

Even the knight who went to investigate disappeared and it was assumed that it was the work of monsters, but when they went to find it, it turned out to be the work of thieves.

By the way, what’s so disappointing about a man with proper knight-level skills that he acts like a bandit leader?

Looking at the women who were locked up in the den, it was easy to understand the reason.

Defeat a flock of spider birds that appeared in Orc Tears Canyon.

Spider bird.

Rather than a bird, it is a monster that looks like a mixture of a praying mantis, a spider, and a dragonfly.

Dozens of flying creatures were encamped in the canyon and running rampant, making it difficult for even the knights to deal with them.

Even a knight would have no way of surviving if he fell down a ravine.

I was supplied with fifty javelins, pounded them into the ground, and threw them one by one.

Those who attacked me directly without fear turned into pieces of meat.

—-

Anyway, I spent 15 days like that.

As someone said, it was an idyllic day of slaughter.

—-

“Hashal, are you going to go to work again? I haven’t had a day off yet… .”

At the sight of me taking out a new letter, Lana, who was sneaking a snack from the table, whined.

I put down the letter and looked at Lana.

Lana, who made eye contact, gently put down the refreshment she was holding as if she was embarrassed.

“If you eat like that, you will gain weight.”

“Is that possible? I’m worried that I’ve lost a lot of weight after following my sister around. What if I don’t grow taller like this?”

“Okay, eat as much as you want. Don’t just blame me.”

Lana sighed and smiled slyly.

Maybe it’s because we stayed and stayed together for 15 days, but now she’s treated me very warmly, as if I were my own sister.

No matter how good I am, wounds don’t heal on their own, so I persuaded Lana to take me with her… As expected, the effect was excellent.

Thanks to this, neither I nor Nigel were left with a single wound during this forced march.

Lana, thanks to the recognition of her achievements while with us, will be appointed as an official priest in the next week or so.

As you can see, I have now moved to my room.

Because I had to follow my schedule, I spent less than four hours a week back at the church dormitory.

I honestly had doubts about whether my request to live with a prospective priest belonging to a religious denomination, and a classmate at that, would be approved… .

Rather than rejecting it, he readily allowed it.

I still vividly remember the expression on the face of the priest in charge who immediately filled out the documents.

It was a truly refreshing expression, full of relief at having let go of a complex of sorrows.

Still, he seemed to be worried, so he occasionally visited my lodgings.

Well, at first it felt like my own little space, but now anyone can come and visit.

The table was moved to one wall and a small bed was brought in.

The empty bookshelf next to the desk was filled with the books Lana brought, and even a statue of Shaulitte was placed in one corner.

The only things I had in the room were a sword, armor, and a closet with a few clothes hanging, so there was plenty of free space.

Lana’s baggage wasn’t that much either.

Lana found it awkward at first, but she got used to it within three days and was now praising the cuisine of the special restaurant.

In the first place, priests seemed to adapt quickly because they were used to communal living.

Thanks to this, Lana was like my exclusive potion these days.

Since you are satisfied with it, there is no problem, right?

“Anyway, it’s a little different this time. It won’t take long, Lana, you can rest here.”

“Sister, are you going alone? What’s going on?”

Lana tilted her head.