A few days after the battle in Titis Forest, I was still staying in the city of Ishka.
Originally, I should have left for Berka long ago, but I had to change my schedule due to unexpected events such as the attack of the undead and the appearance of the pope.
One of the reasons why I decided to do so was that there was no need to hurry to secure the horn of the beast king Behemoth.
According to her Holiness the Pope, the horn of the beast king Behemoth is a tool that enhances and maintains the barrier, but it is not necessary to cast the barrier.
The barrier magic can be activated as long as the formula and personnel are in place. With this visit to the Canaria Kingdom, hundreds of clergy from the Holy Kingdom will come, and her Holiness assured me that there will be no problem with the strength and maintenance of the barrier for the time being.
However, it is impossible to keep such a large number of priests – high-virtue clergy who stand on the front line in the Holy Kingdom – in another country for months, years, or even longer because of a poison that may disappear at any time.
In the end, I still needed to get the horn of the beast king Behemoth or something to replace it. It’s just that it wasn’t a matter of urgency. I heard that the Temple of Law had already started searching for the beast king Behemoth, so there was no need for me to rush around by myself.
So, what I did while I stayed in Ishka was to help with the construction of the barrier magic. Specifically, I took her Holiness on board Clau Soras and flew over Titis Forest.
We looked at the distribution of poison from the sky, calculated the best locations for the base points of the barrier, and set up the base points on the spot. This is something that I think the advance team should have done with all their might, but her Holiness did it quietly by himself. Of course, I helped out when there was any physical work to be done.
Oh, speaking of the advance team, I thought there would be some complaints about me acting with her Holiness alone, but there was no such reaction at all. On the contrary, I was bowed down by the older captain and asked to take care of her Holiness.
When I asked him indirectly if he had any complaints, he showed a blank face that didn’t suit his age, then realized what I meant and laughed heartily.
“I feel respect for the warrior who single-handedly destroyed the king of the undead, and I have no resentment. Especially if her Holiness wishes it, what objection could I have?”
After saying that, the middle-aged church knight lowered his voice and added this.
“To be honest, I was skeptical about the feat of killing a dragon. But now that I have seen your martial prowess, I have no room for doubt. If you are willing, I would like you to become her Holiness’s guard as it is.”
If you do, the rank of holy knight might not be a dream – the captain said that jokingly, but his eyes looked quite serious.
The king of the undead was such a troublesome monster.
By the way, I got more information about Shalamon and the night party from her Holiness after the previous meeting. When I asked her about the possibility of another attack, her Holiness shook her head and answered.
“Those who belong to the night party are generally cautious. Shalamon, the third-ranked one, was destroyed outside the holy city without a barrier – they will not act immediately in front of that fact.”
In fact, the three kings of the undead that Her Holiness had destroyed in the past had each challenged her individually and had not cooperated with each other.
Well, to put it bluntly, for those who have attained immortality, the threat will disappear if they wait for Her Holiness to grow old and die, so they don’t feel the need to hurry and act. However, they still find her annoying, so they will attack her if they see an opportunity, like Shalamon did this time. That’s what I thought the situation was.
――And I commented on it as if it were someone else’s business, but would I be involved in that conflict in the future as well? When I asked her about it, Her Holiness tilted her head slightly and looked at me.
“You have the merit of destroying a king of the undead. If that merit becomes known to the world, the night party will surely turn their attention to you. I can only guess what kind of color that attention will have, but you are their natural enemy with a blade that reaches the underworld. And I don’t think there is a king of the undead who can tolerate the existence of a natural enemy.”
“So, that’s how it will be.”
What Her Holiness said was reasonable. I would be even more likely to be hostile to those who had a connection with Shalamon, since I would be their enemy.
I have nothing to fear from the night party or whatever, even if they become enemies – for me. However, the king of the undead is a threat to the people around me. The magic that Shalamon used to burn down Titis Forest, I can’t sleep peacefully if something like that is fired at me from afar.
“So, I’d like you to keep the fact that I killed Shalamon or whatever a secret.”
“Are you sure? I hate to say it, but the only reason someone like me, a young and inexperienced person, could ascend to the position of pope was because I killed the undead. You have not only killed the undead, but also a dragon. It’s a feat that surpasses anything in the whole continent.”
Are you going to throw away that glory with your own hands – she asked me that and I nodded casually.
The reason I created a clan and wanted fame in the first place was because I wanted a position where I wouldn’t be oppressed by the Adventurer’s Guild. In that sense, the fame of killing a dragon is more than enough. If I get praised by Her Holiness herself for killing the undead, I’m sure I’ll get more trouble than benefits.
The result I got from that battle was the safety of Lunamaria and Miroslav. I didn’t want anything more than that.
While I was having such a conversation with Her Holiness, I also talked to the members of my clan. I mainly listened to what had happened while I was away, but I also asked them some questions.
What bothered me was that Lunamaria and Suzume sometimes showed signs of impatience on their faces. They also looked a bit obsessed.
As proof that it was not my imagination, they both insisted on accompanying me to Berka with an unusual eagerness. If they were their usual selves, they would have added that they respected my decision even if they wanted to accompany me, but this time they didn’t.
I felt something different from before in their desperate expressions, and I accepted their request to accompany me. At the same time, I felt the need to hear more details.
They were both serious by nature, and Lunamaria felt a strong sense of guilt towards me, while Suzume felt a deep gratitude. They tended to keep their mouths shut even if they had something to say.
If this were a daily matter, I could have waited until they opened their mouths, but it was not good to wait and see for them now. I felt that somehow.
And in this kind of problem, postponing it usually leads to bad results.
With that in mind, I took Suzume with me to the garden that same day. Then I sat down on a bench near the trees. It was the usual place for me to talk with Suzume alone.
