Chapter 335 - Reason (1)
No one could know what kind of life Surdmil's mayor had lived.
However, in the will he left behind, one could clearly feel the sincerity he held until the very end for his city and its citizens.
Death can be seen anywhere.
The stories contained within it are countless beyond measure.
The case of the mayor who had just died was no different.
The selfishness of sacrificing someone else for the sake of what one wishes to protect, that is nothing more than a worn-out excuse, rampant throughout the world.
Even so, no one despised the mayor, nor looked down on him.
Each had their own reason.
Joseph brought his hands together, overlapping them.
Then, withdrawing his gaze, he bowed his head, pressing his forehead and thumb together.
"Luas, I pray you save these wretched dead."
Holy power blossomed.
Flames formed of light soared, latching onto the blood, the bones, and the flesh left behind by Surdmil's mayor.
They were flames without heat.
Thus, nothing turned to ash nor evaporated. The mayor's corpse slowly vanished, together with the lingering fragments of black magic.
The same was true for the corpse Joseph and Verden had just spoken with.
That body, once human, had merely been manipulated by the Glory of the Dead.
Joseph opened his eyes.
Having finished his wholehearted prayer, he spoke to Verden and Adrian.
"From this moment, we will leave Surdmil and head for the Beldirn Republic."
Though five mayors still remained in Kailiens, they could not travel to other cities to save them.
The Glory of the Dead would move faster than they could.
If he so much as flicked a finger, the mayors would be slaughtered.
Perhaps, with high probability, they had already outlived their usefulness and were dead.
Such is the terror that a high-level curse carries.
Whatever the case, it was far wiser, and far more rational, to head for the Republic and strike down the one who had engraved the curse.
"Asher, and you who remain unnamed, what will you do?"
The original commission was only until Surdmil.
Even if they had not subjugated the Glory of the Dead, the contract was concluded.
Thus, a new verbal agreement would be necessary.
Verden, as lord, answered immediately, holding not only his own choice but also Adrian's.
"We two will continue the commission."
"Truly?"
"Even if we did not accept, we would inevitably be caught up in it. Our destination overlaps."
"Overlaps, you say… So that is why you asked him about the Republic."
Joseph pulled in his chin.
"Then, the compensation you were to receive from Leira, in exchange for aiding her, must also be related to the Beldirn Republic."
"We had agreed on personal assistance, and so we planned to accompany her to the Republic after finishing the matter in Kailiens. Of course, the commission itself still needs to be discussed separately."
Well, even as he said so, there was no need to force it. He could already predict how Leira would respond.
Even had it not been a promise with Verden, she would readily accept the Archbishop's commission, he was certain.
With the demonic curse carved onto her face, she constantly required the aid of the Church of Luas, and, being a high-ranking adventurer of renown besides…
'And also, she is one of the candidates for the Ark.'
Moreover, judging from what he had seen of Leira's character, there was no way she would stand idly by while one like the Glory of the Dead carried out his deeds.
In any case, the journey with the Archbishop would continue a little longer.
"With three more companions, it could not be better. Our direction has been decided, so let us move quickly."
With that meaning in mind, there was something he wished to ask.
"Your Excellency, do you truly intend to use the vessel prepared by the mayor?"
It was none other than a means of travel interfered with by the Glory of the Dead.
There was no telling what might have been done to the ship itself, and even if nothing had been, the problem remained.
The route along the Hein River was limited, their path easily read. It would be as if they willingly leapt onto the enemy's palm.
"Of course, I have not the slightest intention of moving according to his will. I have already prepared several methods, so there is no need to worry about entering the Republic."
So from the very beginning, he had considered not only Kailiens but also the Beldirn Republic.
'In that case, there will be no need to scour the bottom from scratch.'
Surely, he had already sent forces into the Republic.
They would not be moving blindly, without the least bit of information.
That was the power of an organization.
'I still have more questions…'
But there was no need to seek answers here.
Once some time had passed, it would not be too late to resolve those doubts.
For now, leaving Surdmil was the first priority.
Joseph thought the same.
"Then, let us descend."
Archbishop Joseph took the lead, leaving the mayor's office.
Behind him, the paladin, Railver, stood armed, guarding firmly.
Then, Verden turned his head.
His clear blue eyes gazed at the empty mayor's office.
"..."
The traces of Surdmil's mayor, completely erased by the sacred flame.
In the void he left behind, shattered tableware, knives, and forks lay scattered.
On the table where the last supper had been taken, only one dish remained, stained with oil and sauce.
"My lord?"
"…Let's go."
Verden withdrew his gaze, stepping forward, and Adrian followed after.
Presently, the door closed, by Telekinesis.
Boom.
Silence descended.
***
Thanks to the measure the mayor had spoken of, they left without hindrance.
They retraced the road by carriage.
Ignoring the empty ship moored on the Hein River, they galloped along the highway.
And, unlike at Riverungr, they managed to leave Surdmil quietly, without being mistaken for the mayor's assassins.
'Though, who knows what will happen later.'
With the mayor vanished without a trace, great confusion was inevitable.
Even if they tidied up later and issued a wanted order, it would mean little.
By then, they would already be gone from the vicinity.
He did not know what means of travel Joseph would use, but since the Archbishop himself had assured them, it was trustworthy.
Clatter, clatter.
The carriages, led by the faithful, raced down dirt roads into the forest.
Even when the road vanished, they did not stop. They pressed into a deeper, uninhabited place.
During that time, Verden, Adrian, Joseph, and Leira sat in the same carriage, conversing.
Sharing the information gained in Surdmil, and the new commission, with Leira as well.
"I will accept His Excellency's commission as well. No matter what happens, it seems impossible to avoid conflict with those black magicians."
As expected, Leira accepted without much hesitation.
"But I do have a few questions… May I ask them?"
"Of course. If it is within my power to answer, I shall."
"From the start, did the Church of Luas expect that the Glory of the Dead would be in the Beldirn Republic?"
...!
Just then, that was one of the very questions Verden had been about to ask.
It seemed Leira, too, had formed the same doubt while listening.
'In that case… perhaps all of them are the same.'
No need to ask twice.
Thinking it a relief to be spared the trouble, Verden silently listened.
Joseph spoke.
"Various complicated reasons are intertwined, and explaining them all would be too lengthy. So, to put it simply… yes, we expected it."
He acknowledged readily.
"Already, several within the Church of Luas are preparing within the Republic. Moreover, through a special supporter invited from outside, we are tracking the enemy's movements."
"A special supporter…?"
"Not of the Church of Luas, but a most trustworthy person. Especially in such matters. You will know them when you meet them."
Not just trust, but reliance could be felt.
'For the Archbishop to trust someone to such an extent…'
Verden could not begin to imagine who it might be.
He was knowledgeable in magic, but when it came to the internal workings of the Church of Luas, he was no more than an outsider.
The question moved on.
"That group, the so-called Glory of the Dead, the ones who caused terror in the Kingdom and in Kailiens… what is it they want?"
A natural question.
For a group to be founded at all means, by itself, that there is some purpose behind it.
No matter how petty it may be.
"As you all know, in this world there are countless shadows that defy understanding. It was so in the past, and it remains so now. The Glory of the Dead is one of them."
Joseph laid his hand upon his necklace.
He carefully caressed a crucifix of special shape, wrought through many refinements.
"Their purpose reaches back to the distant past… a revival of that ancient age when they rejected coexistence with the Light, and when wicked black magic held sway. The reason they wield ancient curses, and seek forgotten places, is none other than this."
The ancient curse laid upon the mayors of Kailiens.
The ancient ritual field that had been used in the Kingdom of Estiria to summon the Grim Reaper.
The Archbishop's words about the purpose of the Glory of the Dead matched perfectly with these.
"I have summarized it, but was my answer sufficient?"
"Yes, of course."
Leira nodded.
Joseph's explanation was simple enough that there was no need to ask again.
And Verden felt the same.
One of the doubts he had harbored… now turned to certainty by Joseph's answer.
"Is there anything more you wish to ask?"
"One last thing, regarding the means of reaching the Republic…"
"Ah, that, I believe there is no need for me to tell you."
Joseph glanced lightly outside.
"Once night falls, you will see for yourselves."
"Night…?"
Verden, Leira, Adrian.
Among the three, none immediately grasped what the Archbishop meant.
Presently, even the spectacle of sunset passed.
The carriages halted, deep in a forest where no speck of light touched.
Paladins and priests disembarked, standing in formation outside.
Then—
Fwaaaaaahk.
From the pitch-black sky, a soft radiance blossomed.
At the same time, something was sensed above them, where before nothing had been felt.
Verden's party all lifted their heads at once.
And they beheld the hidden means prepared by the Archbishop.
"…An airship?"
A vessel emblazoned, for all to see, with the symbols of the Church of Luas, overflowing with holy power.
Joseph introduced it.
"One of the airships of the Church of Luas, granted only to the Seven Archbishops, the 'Lustrous'."
The path he chose was not land, nor river, but sky.
***
The Lustrous is wholly unlike ordinary airships.
It uses neither mana nor magic circles, but solely holy power as fuel.
So then, what replaces the mana stone engines?
The answer was relics.
Literally, sacred objects.
In magical terms, they would be interpreted as divine artifacts.
According to Archbishop Joseph, the Lustrous is powered by relics that naturally recharge with holy power.
Thus, though its operation time is limited…
'In other words, aside from time, nothing else needs to be consumed.'
Viewed in part, it was nearly infinite.
One could feel, firsthand, why the Church of Luas was one of the world's great religions, such was its might.
'And to think, not only concealment, but even spatial teleportation through holy power is possible.'
An advantage beyond words.
But as great as its strengths were, its weaknesses were plain.
One, the use of spatial teleportation consumed nearly all holy power, rendering it soon inoperable.
Two, neither intercontinental nor truly long-range teleportation was possible.
'Even so, the mere ability to cross space itself is astonishing…'
Still, he could not help but feel it a little lacking.
Perhaps it was inevitable, having seen and experienced the facilities of the Ark, the base of the candidates.
At any rate, it was enough that they could cross into the Republic with ease.
Clack.
Verden entered his private cabin.
Night was deepening, and everyone was resting in their assigned quarters.
With this personal space, he finally had leisure to read his tome of spatial magic.
The moment he drew the book from subspace…
Knock, knock.
Someone tapped on the door.
The presence was familiar enough that there was no need to check.
With Telekinesis, he turned the handle.
There stood Adrian, holding in one hand a bottle of liquor he had never seen before.
"My lord, I came across what seems to be a fine drink here, would you care for a glass?"
He had not particularly intended to, but—
Seeing a drink unknown to him, curiosity stirred.
"Come in."
At the table set to the left of the cabin, the two sat facing each other.
Adrian and Verden.
They filled each other's cups in turn.
As for food, they made do with the finest jerky left in subspace.
Then, Verden spoke.
"So, what is it you wished to ask me?"
"I wish to know why you are pursuing the Glory of the Dead."
Despite the suddenness of the question, Adrian showed no sign of surprise, only curiosity.
"I told you, because our path overlaps with theirs."
"I seek not the outward reason, but my lord's true intent."
So, he had seen through to his heart.
Well, it was Adrian, after all—of course he had.
In any case, there was neither reason nor thought to conceal it.
"To put it simply, there are three reasons."
Verden lifted his cup.
The first.
"The Church of Luas is hiding something regarding the Glory of the Dead."
The questions Leira had asked the Archbishop.
In those, Joseph had not spoken of everything he knew.
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