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232. Childhood Friend – An Odd Companionship

An awkward atmosphere flowed.

Reb, seated on the right side of the carriage, sat silently with his arms crossed, while Cardinal Michael on the left quietly read a book about agriculture and livestock.

The carriage jolted and stopped. It was mealtime. Reb and the Cardinal disembarked together.

Cardinal Michael stretched out. He was surprisingly healthy for his age, not once rubbing his back as he searched for the captured Holy Knights around him.

Three Holy Knights were sitting on the back of the carriage.

They had been brought in with legs dangling outside, but their condition was decent for captives. Their limbs were unbound, and they had received treatment. They could eat freely, so at the Cardinal’s cheerful words, “Everyone, let’s eat~,” they jumped out of the carriage.

They weren’t prisoners, after all. They had lost their weapons and armor, though.

“Thank you.”

The Cardinal offered a prayer before the shared meal. Reb sighed as he watched the gathered knights, realizing that things had really gotten messy and thinking about how they should proceed. Above the heads of him and his disciples hovered the white mark of holiness.

Yesterday, Reb had captured the Holy Knights who aimed to kill Euta’s grandmother and an old priest.

That part was fine. He thought that annoying brats could easily be dealt with by breaking an arm or two and erasing their mark. However, he soon discovered the priest’s true identity, which was overwhelming.

It was Cardinal Michael.

The same man who had been a cardinal forty years ago and was even of royal blood. Information from the Noble Society revealed the old man’s glorious past.

In his days in the secular world, his name was Khmian de Tatalia, the first prince of the former Belita Kingdom. Uncle to Duke Astroth, King Caroman de Tatalia, yet he had not been chosen as the heir despite being the first prince. This was quite rare in the Belita Kingdom, which placed great importance on legitimacy.

Perhaps due to that shock, Khmian de Tatalia suddenly left the royal family just before his marriage to the princess of the Orun Kingdom and entered the Cross Church. Then, in just two years, he shed his apprentice status and gained fame as the greatest theologian of his time.

There was no way to break the arms of such a bigshot. Reb clicked his tongue and weakly apologized, “Oh dear, my bad.”

And this was the result.

Unable to let this stubborn troublemaker go or intimidate them, Reb proposed a gentlemanly agreement.

He wouldn’t kill them right away, on the condition that they wouldn’t escape or act against them. If they complied, they wouldn’t be harmed, and Reb would look for an appropriate moment to release them—a vow taken in honor. Cardinal Michael, who had been gazing at Reb, accepted.

But there was a condition.

The Cardinal promised to leave their swords and armor behind and not attempt to escape on his own. However, he declared that if situations arose that Reb couldn’t control, he would act of his own accord.

It was a reasonable proposal that Reb couldn’t refuse, and that was the reason the Cardinal could be so relaxed.

The marks of holiness had been branded upon the heads of these dubious criminals. Having the mark of holiness within the Holy Kingdom meant they couldn’t act at all.

Holy Knights certified as criminals.

Cardinal Michael knew that wherever Reb and his group went, be it a city or a village, the agreement would be broken as soon as they were overheard. Even if they fled through mountain paths, they would soon be sought by the Cross Church, so there was no need for concern.

Thus began the odd companionship between Reb and Cardinal Michael’s group.

Reb quickly left the Uena Tribe village, which was too fearful of the church’s revenge, and Euta’s grandmother decided to move to her deceased daughter’s hometown in the Hatata Tribe with her grandchildren.

“Well, this worked out nicely.”

That was Euta’s grandmother’s sentiment.

She thought it best for Euta to learn how to hunt and live in the Hatata Tribe, where hunting was a trade. Reb turned away, looking complicatedly at the family of two who were leaving in a small cart.

And now.

Reb, similarly receiving rations and biting his lips, pondered, ‘What should I do now?’ The concern weighed heavily since he couldn’t just get to Lutetia like this.

It was autumn, and Leo Dexter and Lena Ainar were almost at Lutetia. However, there was no way to contact them, and if he entered Lutetia with the mark, it was a death sentence.

“I am a Swordmaster!” —sure, he could try to show off, but what about his disciples? And would that Cardinal really stay quiet? That was quite worrisome.

Should he just kill him?

Honor this and that… when did he ever care about such things?

Reb briefly considered secretly killing the Cardinal and waiting outside Lutetia for Leo to come out and take him away, but soon got blocked by the thought.

By then, Lena Ainar would likely be newly pregnant. Whether it was late or early, once he knew that fact, Leo Dexter would return to Abrival Castle, and Reb had no confidence to persuade that friend. Aside from the fact that Leo was uncooperative with Minseo, there was no other choice but to be in that situation.

He also thought about sending a letter. It was possible to hire someone with money from outside the castle.

But would Leo Dexter, following the actions of the last chapter, awaken merely from a letter? If he didn’t respond, it meant losing his chance at help.

He was in a corner.

Reb pressed his throbbing head while finishing his meal. Most likely, this was also the {event} that Minseo mentioned…

It was just too much.

He hadn’t done it with any intentions of reward, but he had done a good deed, so meeting the Cardinal and repeatedly facing death sentences seemed a bit unfair.

If it were Minseo, he might have grumbled, “It’s not a one or two-day thing, but I’m fed up,” but after finishing his meal, Reb was able to shake off his regrets with a couple of deep breaths.

Euta’s grandmother was also a grateful figure to him, so helping that person who would’ve faced repeated death sentences at the hands of the Cardinal was not unjust. Rather, Reb worried more for

‘Enen just got rid of her monsters, and now how should I help Grandma?’

That thought was more troubling.

…What to do? Clear it.

Reb steeled himself.

If this Childhood Friend chapter was to be the last, it would be fine. Since the last Beggar Siblings chapter was cleared, he had the option to choose the next scenario, it meant that he simply needed to avoid selecting the Childhood Friend scenario going forward.

Therefore, he had to succeed this time. Reb stood up and approached Cardinal Michael, intending to find out why he had met this man.

“Did you enjoy your meal? Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“Yes, it was delicious. Nothing uncomfortable. All of this is thanks to the Lord’s care for us.”

…Not because Vann cooked well?

Reb thought this Cardinal was quite displeasing but nodded in agreement.

“Though the circumstances have shaped it this way, I believe there is no reason for us to blush at each other. Were you on pilgrimage, Cardinal?”

“Yes, indeed. But are you a knight? Or a noble? You don’t seem like a person from our kingdom.”

“Yes, I’ve come from a different country. I’m traveling quietly with my disciples. You may consider me a knight.”

“…I see. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what crime you committed?”

“I killed a person. Ah, Vann. Thank you. You should get some too, Cardinal.”

Vann Bijan brought out dessert.

Reb handed the little wooden treat he received from her over to the Cardinal. It was somewhat rudely crafted…

Egg pudding!

Where she learned to make such a nice dessert was unknown. Reb took a bite and casually asked. It was food that couldn’t be fixed if it failed, but thankfully, the pudding was sweet and tasty.

“By the way, Cardinal, what business did you have in that remote tribal village? It hardly seems like a place you would come to. An outbreak isn’t afoot.”

“Is there a distinction between where a pilgrim should go and where he should not? One goes where the Lord leads.”

“…Is that so?”

It didn’t seem like that at all.

Reb knew this man had set out on his pilgrimage with a clear purpose. Before coming here, he had met Count Simon and overheard part of their conversation while in Leo Dexter’s body.

‘Special crops,’ was it?

He had said something about starting some kind of project as soon as they were found. And Count Umberto Simon had looked somewhat tired during their exchange.

The Cardinal must have made some kind of request. Reb subtly turned the conversation.

“It seems you plan to be on pilgrimage for a while. I noticed you brought some books. Do you have an interest in agriculture or livestock?”

The Cardinal casually answered while handing the pudding to another Holy Knight. Omitting dessert, he only rinsed his mouth with plain water.

“Yes. Actually, there is a land that is somewhat neglected. It’s located southeast of the Bomere Volcano, but in the summer, clouds from the volcano obscure the sunlight, preventing crops from growing. It’s around the time when the sunlight should be the strongest.”

“…It must be due to the dunnock winds. Ah! So you visited the Uena Tribe that grows mushrooms.”

The Cardinal nodded.

On this continent, different winds blow in accordance with the four seasons. In spring, the wind circled the continent in a clockwise direction, and in summer, the wind blew in from the sea. In autumn, the wind blew counterclockwise, opposite to spring, and in winter, it blew out to the sea.

Among them, the winds blowing in summer and winter are unique.

In summer, winds blew in from all the seas surrounding the continent, where they met at the center of the continent, Orun, creating strong updrafts that rose high into the sky.

Conversely, in winter, winds blew out from every coastline of the continent, at which time strong downdrafts pushed down on Orun.

That’s why summer winds were called ‘dunnock winds,’ and winter winds were referred to as ‘cold winds.’ It signifies that the Lord inhales in summer and exhales in winter.

Anyway, southeast of the Bomere Volcano… Reb’s mind grew complicated.

That was where the Baron Agnak family used to be, and he had passed through there during the previous engagement chapter. Since he had been preoccupied with trying to break off the engagement with Lena, he hadn’t looked around much.

Yet, he knew one thing for sure: the Baron Agnak family had fallen to Count Simon’s attack.

How the powerful Count Simon and the poor Baron Agnak family had ended up in a territorial conflict was a mystery. However, he knew that after annihilation, Count Simon had been governing the territory of the vanquished Baron Agnak.

‘Wait, something smells fishy here?’

Unless he held the title of a Marquis, it’s illegal for a single family to own two territories. It might be reasonable for a temporary governance after a territorial conflict, but one had to choose between merging two territories or pledging them to the Frederick Royal Family ruling the Holy Kingdom.

Yet, the fall of the Baron Agnak family was over thirty years ago.

That indicated that Count Simon had been ruling over Baron Agnak’s territory for such an extended period, which shouldn’t happen in a normal kingdom.

In a normal kingdom, that is.

‘The Cross Church… This Cardinal must have done something.’

The Frederick Royal Family was a mere puppet controlled by the Cross Church. Reb was convinced that this Cardinal and Count Umberto Simon made some sort of secret pact.

And that it must be something illegal…

Reb licked his lips, feeling regret.

Not that he had run out of egg pudding, but he regretted not thoroughly inspecting Count Simon’s and Baron Agnak’s lands during the previous engagement chapter. Of course, he hadn’t had the mental space for it back then.

‘I need to meet Count Simon.’

Reb got up, shaking off his seat. Having wrapped up the conversation with the Cardinal, he determined his next course of action.

However, he didn’t head straight to the Count Simon estate in the north.

He couldn’t just go empty-handed.

The nine young men rode horses and escorted, while the Holy Knights onboard the back of the carriage dangled their legs as the carriage continued for two days. Finally arriving at the expansive plains, Reb gestured to Hatu, who was driving the carriage, to come to a stop.

“I’m going to catch that.”

A monster was standing far away where Reb pointed his finger.

A black horse peacefully munching on grass.

It was a Black Horse Monster.