Chapter 331 - Invitation (2)
Adrian, who had lost his parents at a young age, was raised by his master.
For the first time in his life, he learned how to hold a sword.
Through hunting, he mastered how to procure ingredients, and by training both body and mind, he gradually awakened his innate talent.
For more than ten years, in his master's secluded hideout where no human footsteps reached… that was why, from the moment he first stepped into the world, Adrian was already strong.
His unique swordsmanship, making speed itself his weapon.
He had crossed swords with swordsmen who had made names for themselves in the provinces of the Central Continent, but few could respond to Adrian's swift blade.
Among his peers, he had absolutely no rival.
But that did not mean he was without flaws.
From childhood through to the later years of boyhood,since he had virtually no contact with outsiders other than his master, the foundation of his character solidified, mixed with the adolescent's peculiar self-absorption.
The arrogance and confidence born this way were not mere bluff, and that made it all the more real.
As a result, Adrian's social skills were gravely lacking.
An aloof pride that refused to bow his head.
Whether noble or king or whoever it may be, he had not the slightest sense of reverence, nor did he even use honorifics.
Anecdotes of how he once mocked and belittled a notorious ruler to his face were so famous that there was hardly anyone who had not heard of them.
Naturally, the ruler flew into a rage and sought revenge, only to be massacred along with his entire group that very day, wiped from the pages of history.
Such stories later contributed to Adrian rising to the position of one of the Central Continent's Four Strongest.
The only person Adrian followed was his master.
At present, his master no longer existed in this world.
But that absence was not empty.
For in his place stood Verden, comrade with the same goal, savior who had given him life again when he had died as nothing more than a tool, used and discarded.
That was why Adrian offered his sword of his own will.
Adrian was his first blade.
Unbending, unyielding.
"Did the theocracy not teach you manners, paladin?"
Adrian took a step forward.
The paladin was bigger in build, but their eye levels were the same. As their gazes collided, the atmosphere froze in an instant.
The paladin spoke firmly.
"You are not ones worthy of courtesy."
The Church of Luas acknowledges inequality.
Since not all humans are the same beings, a perfectly horizontal and equal relationship simply does not exist in this world.
"Is that what your precious doctrine says?"
"Watch your tongue. The doctrine of light that worships Goddess Luas, blessed by God's grace, is not some base logic that humans may dare disparage."
"That is the same for us. No one may dare be discourteous to my lord. Least of all some mere paladin."
…Mere?
The paladin, silent for a moment, clenched his fist tight.
"That insolent tongue of yours, it seems it needs correcting."
"Do you overestimate your own strength? You shall not achieve what you desire, but if you insist, I will grant you the first move, paladin. Not that you will so much as graze me."
A few words were enough to heighten the tension.
On a knife's edge, ready to explode.
The standoff was stretched taut, as if the old wooden building itself would collapse in its entirety the instant their clash erupted.
It could not be left unchecked.
Unable to bear it, Leira and Bishop Lena turned their heads aside.
"At this rate, the friction will only grow worse. Shouldn't we stop them now?"
"Um, could you do something…? You're that person's lord, aren't you…?"
"..."
Receiving their gaze, Verden looked straight ahead.
Certainly, preventing unnecessary conflict was the wiser course… but he had no intention of mediating.
To be frank, he did not like the paladin's tone either.
And more than that—
"I do not believe I need to step in."
"Pardon?"
Verden's blue eyes turned behind him.
Moments later, presences drew near, and two figures entered the building.
One paladin, and one old man.
"You arrived sooner than expected."
The voice was suffused with mercy.
Not exactly familiar, but one they had heard before.
"It is good to meet again, mage, Asher."
In Retia, capital of Estiria,within the mansion of Marquis Esperanza, in a three-way meeting with the master of the DarkWarton Magic Tower—Archbishop Joseph smiled benevolently.
***
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Two wanted posters were laid upon the desk.
Each bore a rough sketch and brief information.
[Kingdom of Estiria Honorary Count. Male in his twenties, distinguished by ashen hair and blue eyes. Accompanied by a man presumed to be a knight-escort. Capture alive at all costs.]
[Bloodstained Sword, Leira. Mithril-rank adventurer. Wearing dark crimson full armor concealing her face, with long golden hair down to her back. Age unknown. Dead or alive.]
The reasons for the warrants: murder of Riverungr's mayor and Riverungr's Guardian, abduction of Bishop Lena.
In addition, accusations such as blowing up city-owned ships or theft, but those were hardly of note.
'No warrant for Adrian, huh.'
Well, when passing through Riverungr's gates, Verden had proven his identity with his title, and Adrian never even showed his face in the city, so it was only natural.
And Bishop Lena was not a criminal but a victim, so no warrant had been issued for her.
At his side, Leira stared silently at the posters.
"You must be captured alive, while I can be killed without consequence… I understand, but seeing it like this feels strange. This is my first time being placed under a bounty by a nation."
Verden, even if only honorary, was still a noble.
Should anything happen to him, it could easily escalate into an international dispute, hence the stipulation that he must be taken alive.
Before punishment or anything else, the truth of the incident had to be clarified first.
Leira, on the other hand, faced harsher terms.
'It couldn't be helped.'
A Mithril-rank adventurer is proof of overwhelming strength. Society understood such a person could not be captured so lightly.
Certainly, Leira's reputation as an adventurer weighed in, but it would hardly affect the matter right away.
The adventurer guild master of Riverungr must have intervened behind the scenes.
Hand in hand with the mayor, he had smuggled away the corpses of adventurers and demi-humans; naturally, he would want any related parties dead.
At any rate, the warrants had been issued, as expected.
But the important part was something else.
"These warrants cannot have been issued long ago, yet I did not expect news to have reached here already."
And it was not merely because of the posters.
From the very start, it was as though the paladin had been waiting to receive Verden's group.
Clearly, Verden's moving carriage had been faster than the spread of the wanted posters… yet the delivery of information was abnormally swift.
To Verden's natural doubt, Archbishop Joseph gave an answer.
"That is what I would call a miracle bestowed by Lord Luas. Just as magic power manifests inexhaustible mysteries, so too does divine power, in which God dwells, bring forth miracles."
So it was possible to communicate over long distances with divine power, or faith-based artifacts.
It was not surprising.
With certain artifacts, or magical items of similar nature, it was possible to exchange information across great distances.
The problem was that, due to several fatal flaws, such methods had failed miserably to become widespread.
Still, for someone of the Archbishop's standing, it was only natural to have access to anything.
"Even so, I did not expect to meet you here. Judging from the circumstances… I imagine the commission you entrusted to Leira is closely tied to you, is it not?"
Leira nodded her head.
"My encounter with Asher was by chance. But, due to surveillance at the time, I found the request difficult to proceed with, and had no choice but to ask for his help."
"I see. A coincidence in these very Kailiens… This too must be the guidance of the Goddess."
Joseph placed both arms on the table.
"As requested, I would like to hear in detail what happened in Riverungr, Leira, including the curse that is consuming Bishop Lena's right hand."
***
Though the situation was complicated, the report was not.
Leira, as a veteran adventurer, was skilled at cutting away the unnecessary, summarizing only the core.
Midway, Bishop Lena added supplementary remarks, offering perspective as a bishop.
"..."
Joseph closely observed Bishop Lena's hand.
A holier, vaster light than even a high bishop's radiated on all sides, slowly seeping into the curse. Bishop Lena shuddered at the tingling sensation.
Soon, the divine power subsided.
"A brand that clings to divine power… I can guess what sort of curse it is."
"Um, Archbishop… This isn't a dangerous curse, is it?"
"At the time it attached to the divine power, had it not been a cleric with divine power nearly rivaling that of a high bishop, flesh and bone alike would have melted away, ending in instant death. But the crisis was overcome. Since it was Bishop Lena who lifted the curse upon the mayor, that much was fortunate."
"Hiiik…!"
She had nearly died.
Realizing that fact, Bishop Lena hiccupped.
She had done what she ought to do as a high bishop.
Therefore, she had no regrets. And yet, she did not wish to die just yet.
Her future days stretched longer than her past life, and she could not quite claim with certainty that she would be admitted to the side of God Luas, confident in a spotless, righteous life.
She was still immature.
Leira asked.
"Then, it can be lifted safely?"
"Of course. With enough time, I can erase it cleanly right away. So you need not worry about the curse."
"You heard him. That's a relief, Bishop."
"Y-yes…"
Bishop Lena let out a small breath.
Normally, she might have rolled on the floor whining or wailing, but in the presence of Archbishop Joseph, she dared not act lightly.
The unfamiliar tension made her feel almost sick.
Archbishop Joseph rose from his seat.
"Leira, Bishop Lena, Asher, and the unknown gentleman as well, you have done well. Thanks to you, we have learned of the corruption in Riverungr, and cut away even the outward roots. As for the wanted orders, if you wait, the Church of Luas shall resolve them for you."
With that, Leira's commission was concluded.
But Joseph still had business left.
"Asher, may I speak with you privately?"
***
Verden and Joseph strolled slowly through the center of the village.
Two paladins and Adrian shadowed them at a distance, maintaining strict protection without hindrance.
Only the sound of footsteps lingered, when Joseph finally spoke.
"Do you know why I called you aside?"
"I believe it is because of the Glory of the Dead."
Verden's guess was the correct answer.
"So, you had suspected as much."
Joseph, smiling, soon let his expression fade.
"Since last year's undead incident in the Kingdom of Estiria, our Church of Luas has secretly pursued the Glory of the Dead. To leave such a wicked cabal of necromancers unchecked would, someday, return as countless innocent deaths. Following its trail, it led us here, to Kailiens."
"You mean the demi-human overflow."
"Precisely. Look at this."
Joseph produced a white stake.
Its surface was rough, its size easily hidden in one hand. Whatever it was, it gave off a palpable sense of repulsion.
"This is a stake made by necromancy, one that injects life force. Under its influence, every physiological activity multiplies several times over—eating… and breeding as well."
The first place this was discovered, was in the body of a Goblin Mother.
One of the highest-tier goblins. Its combat ability was negligible, but it could birth dozens of goblins in a matter of days, making it an extremely dangerous entity.
Left alone, the forest would become goblin territory.
And in the back of such a Goblin Mother's neck, this stake had been driven.
Its reproductive ability, already feared by the Adventurer's Guild, had been multiplied severalfold. The aftermath was nothing less than catastrophic.
"Three such stakes have been discovered so far. Thus, the number of demi-humans appearing in Kailiens will sharply decrease, but still, there must remain some affected by these stakes in the forest. Paladins have been dispatched there as well, so it will soon be resolved."
Verden listened attentively to Joseph's words.
Why had the Glory of the Dead flooded the land with demi-humans? Why had they controlled Riverungr's mayor, and transported demi-human and adventurer corpses somewhere?
Inevitably, countless questions arose.
But what he truly wished to know was different.
"Why are you telling this to me?"
"Because you are not an outsider. In the kingdom's expulsion of the Glory of the Dead, your magic played a great part. Likewise in aiding Leira and Bishop Lena."
Just because he was involved, just because he was a helper, Joseph shared this?
Of course not.
An Archbishop of Luas would never disclose such information without necessity.
Something was being hidden.
And something was being sought.
Sensing Verden's look, Joseph stopped walking.
"…The curse upon Bishop Lena's hand is what is called the
"…Which means, an attack could come at any time?"
"Calling it a simple attack would be too narrow. For them to target even an archbishop like this… there are too many parts that feel crude, or make no sense."
At that moment, Joseph turned his gaze outward, beyond the village.
Almost at the same time, Verden's senses reacted sharply.
"It seems, we shall know very soon."
From outside the village, a presence of death could be felt.
The undead were coming.
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