Chapter 286

I had made up my mind to head north, but that didn’t mean I could just hop on a carriage and leave right away.

First, since I’d accepted the teaching position, I had to inform the academy that I’d be heading north for a while and prepare cold-weather gear to endure the freezing temperatures.

On top of that, I also needed to gather the people who’d be coming with me.

—

After informing the academy’s administrative staff about my trip north, I immediately went to find Lacey.

Finding her wasn’t hard. Despite having risen to the high position of Archbishop, she was, as usual, in her office at the shelter, buried in paperwork.

It was a relief. If she’d been at the cathedral, I would’ve had to go there myself, and the place would’ve been swarming with people who’d probably start cheering the moment they saw me.

But that was the only good thing about the situation.

“The north, huh…? I’m really, really sorry, but… I can’t go with you.”

What?

No way, the person who’s been dreaming of exterminating beastmen day and night is refusing to go north?

I never imagined Lacey wouldn’t come, but here we are, facing that very reality.

“Why not?”

“The Holy Kingdom has been flooding us with protest letters about the establishment of the Archdiocese. With the witch hunts concluded, they must think now’s the perfect time. Threats range from dissolving the Archdiocese or else facing excommunication and stripping of the Saint candidate position, to letters demanding I return to the Holy Kingdom to explain myself, or even compromise offers like giving up the title of Archbishop in exchange for being recommended as the Empire’s next Elector. Quite the variety, huh.”

Lacey sighed and pointed at the mountain of letters piled up.

From the moment we created the Archdiocese—an organization no one had ever heard of—both Lacey and I had anticipated the Holy Kingdom’s backlash… but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

“So, are you planning to go back to the Holy Kingdom?”

“Given the high likelihood that there are witch collaborators hiding within the Holy Kingdom, I’ll have to return someday… but not now. It’s as clear as day that I’d either be assassinated or imprisoned.”

Despite her near-fanatical faith, her distrust of the Holy Kingdom was evident—no, blatant. It was a change from her old self.

Then again, it wasn’t just anyone; even confidential information known only to cardinals had been leaking straight to the witches. It’s only natural she’d be deeply disappointed in the Holy Kingdom.

“I have no intention of returning to the Holy Kingdom or dissolving the Archdiocese, but I can’t just ignore their demands either… So, for the time being, I won’t be able to move. Since I was the one who spearheaded the establishment of the Archdiocese, it’s only right that I take responsibility for the problems that have arisen because of it.”

“Well, then there’s nothing we can do…”

If she’s reacting like this, it means the conflict with the Holy Kingdom is just as serious as the beastmen attacks.

“But still, it’s truly frustrating… To have such a perfect opportunity right in front of me…!”

Yeah, I get it. The frustration is sky-high.

Seeing her glare at the pile of letters like they were beastmen she wanted to kill was something else.

In the end, I had no choice but to give up on taking Lacey with me.

Instead, she introduced me to a priest skilled in healing miracles.

What was the name again, Florence or something?

Sounds like the name of a healing expert, at least.

—

Nigel was also out of the question.

While his injuries could be treated on the way, the situation in the east was too unstable for me to just drag him off to the north on a whim.

Honestly, even Marquis Ludwig probably isn’t thrilled about me heading north at this point.

With Orhan’s attack looming at any moment, it’s like I’m just disappearing to the north after saying I’d fight him.

Orhan…

He’s definitely going to attack, but when exactly does he plan to strike?

The east has been eerily quiet lately, which is suspicious in itself. Five thousand troops were utterly destroyed, after all.

Even Hersela said she had no idea what Orhan was thinking. In the end, all we could do was stay vigilant and keep watching.

[More importantly, you haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you? Neither my revenge nor the handling of my subordinates has been settled yet. Since you seem to care deeply for those three, I’ll let it slide this time… but there won’t be a next time. Remember that.]

Hersela also threw in a sharp remark, clearly not pleased with my trip north.

I guess I should be grateful she didn’t outright oppose it.

That agreement has gotten me a lot of help, but now that I think about it, it’s such a headache.

Revenge is one thing, but how am I supposed to handle her subordinates? The ones in Ordos, I mean.

Besides, it’s not like they’d welcome or follow me in my current state.

I’ll have to discuss this issue again later…

We’ll need to find some kind of compromise.

—

Next, I went to Asha’s workshop.

“Ah, you’re a bit late, Haschal. You’re heading north, right? I’ve already prepared everything, so you just need to take it with you.”

That was the first thing she said the moment she saw me.

“Uh… yeah, but did you already know what I was going to ask for?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Securing cold-weather gear and repairing your armor, right?”

“The repair should take about 30 minutes, and the other equipment is stored inside.”

It was the right answer.

Maybe it’s because I always came to her whenever something went wrong?

Now, Asha had reached a level where she anticipated my arrival and prepared in advance.

Asha nodded at me and led me inside the workshop, handing over a pile of equipment.

“Breastplate, cold-weather gear, a dagger… and since you’ve been using a spear more often lately, I prepared one for you too. This should be enough, right?”

While Asha repaired my armor, I carefully examined the items she handed over.

Like the pauldrons, the breastplate was made of thick fur with added scales, and there was even a full-body fur cloak.

There were also tops and pants that completely covered my arms and legs, perfectly tailored to my size.

If I put all this on, I’ll look like an Eskimo.

It might be a bit heavy and cumbersome… but considering where I’m headed, this level of preparation isn’t overkill.

If I went around with just my chest covered, exposing my arms and stomach like usual, I’d freeze to death without a doubt.

The dagger and spear were made of silver-plated black iron, which was surprisingly light for black iron.

Upon closer inspection, there were fine cracks along the blade.

It’s unlikely that Asha handed me a defective product or made a mistake in crafting a simple weapon, so those cracks must be intentional.

I’ll ask her about it after the repair is done.

30 minutes later, Asha returned, sweating profusely, and handed me back my armor.

“Something feels a bit heavier, doesn’t it?”

It also seemed a bit thicker.

“I added an extra layer of lining and stuffed it with cotton and feathers. You can’t expect much in terms of cushioning, but it should be a bit warmer. Do you like the breastplate?”

“Yeah, it seems warm and sturdy. But that fur… it’s from a Suin, right?”

It definitely looked like Suin hide.

In fact, the cloak seemed to be made from a wolf Suin’s hide, complete with the head still attached as a hood.

“Of course. In terms of durability and warmth, nothing beats Suin hide. This is purebred hide directly from the north, so the quality is guaranteed!”

I see…

If I wear this and meet some Suins, they’re going to go berserk.

I’ll be wrapped head to toe in the hide of their kin, even wearing the head as a hood.

“…Anyway, thanks. And about these weapons, there are some strange cracks. What’s up with that?”

“Oh, I meant to explain earlier but forgot. Those weapons are disposable. Since you have the Jin sword from Hashalleur, the spear and dagger are just backup weapons to throw at enemies, right? If you’re going to throw them anyway, I figured it’s better to focus on lethality rather than durability.”

Not a bad point.

I’ve swung a spear from horseback a few times, but I’m more comfortable with a sword.

“If the blade receives a strong impact, it’ll shatter and scatter in all directions. With Hashalleur’s strength, it’ll be like a gunpowder explosion.”

So, it’s like a grenade with a blade?

“…That’s definitely powerful, but wouldn’t the wind pressure from throwing it cause it to shatter right in front of me?”

If it explodes the moment it leaves my hand, it’s basically suicide.

“Hmm… it takes about 1 to 2 seconds to shatter… so it should be fine, right?”

Asha tilted her head and smiled, nodding as if to reassure me.

That should be enough time to avoid it exploding in my face… but I won’t know for sure until I try it.

I only have one spear, but there are over ten daggers, so I’ll have to test one along the way.

—

Even though I received a lot of stuff, in the end, I only achieved half of what I came to Asha for.

Asha also refused to go north herself.

With the fairies acting suspiciously, Asha mentioned she might return to Himmell for a while.

The dwarves possess excellent skills, but their population is extremely small, so each fighter is a valuable asset.

With Ferne’s warning and all… damn those fairies, are they really planning to start a war?

It’d be a waste of resources, but they’re not the type to listen even if you tell them…

They’re really such an unhelpful race.