Chapter 460

“…I guess I should go.”

Lacey, pale and shaken, muttered blankly. Clearly, she had lost her composure. She hadn’t imagined that the manifesto she spread would lead to such bloodshed. Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.

“What are you going to do if you go?”

“Of course, I’ll stop it!”

I exhaled bitter smoke and shook my head. It was nonsense.

“…It’s probably already too late. Think about the time it took for this letter to arrive and the time it’ll take for us to get to Arad… By the time you get there, it’ll already be over.”

What Lacey would see upon arriving in Arad would be the charred corpses of protesters who had already been suppressed.

In the first place, even if she went to Arad, there was no way for her to intervene. What justification would she have to stop the Astraea Church Order, which was suppressing rioters to maintain order?

From my perspective, it was an extreme method I couldn’t agree with, but the Astraea Church Order was carrying out a legitimate suppression operation—at least by their standards.

For Lacey to stand in their way would be tantamount to the Elpinel Church Order declaring war on the Astraea Church Order. Instead of preventing conflict, a city-wide issue would escalate into a full-blown clash between church orders.

After hearing my explanation, Lacey bit her lip and lowered her head. She hadn’t thought that far. If it were the usual Lacey, she would’ve realized it immediately.

It seemed the shock of her plan being exploited, leading to mass casualties, had hit her hard. When she confidently wrote the declaration, she probably never imagined things would turn out like this.

“…But I still have to go. Their deaths happened because of the seeds I sowed. So, I have to stop it somehow…!”

“No, this is already beyond your control. Even if you go, it’ll be too late, and it’ll be meaningless.”

Lacey looked at me with an expression that said she couldn’t accept it—no, that she didn’t want to accept it.

“But…!”

Her face twisted with responsibility and desperation. Her trembling eyes revealed the psychological shock she was feeling. What could she possibly do in this state?

I let out a deep sigh, stubbed out my cigarette in the ashtray, and stood up. It seemed she wasn’t in the mood to listen to reason. There was only one thing left for me to say.

“So, just wait here quietly.”

I swung my shoulder armor over my shoulders and walked out without looking back at Lacey.

“I’ll go.”

I didn’t need to hear her response.

—

After leaving Lacey’s room, I told the others that I’d be going to another city for a while and instructed them to protect Lacey in my absence.

If I were Lacey’s enemy, I wouldn’t miss the chance to strike while the strongest member of the group was away. These were the only people I could trust.

“Hersh, I’m leaving the stealth surveillance to you. Be thorough. It’s your specialty, so I trust you.”

“Yes, yes! I’ll do my best!”

Good answer. While she might be the weakest in direct combat among the group (except for Rana), her skills as an assassin were solid, so I could rely on her.

“Milia, Damien. You two… just keep guarding Lacey and Agnes as usual. If you’re short on combat power, call Leonor and Nigel from the Holy City, or just retreat from Nasiriya and return to the Holy City.”

Once they retreated to the Holy City, the paladins there would handle the rest. Bels, Richard, Nigel, and Leonor were there too.

“Halshal. I don’t know what you’re planning, but are you sure you’re okay going alone…? Your injuries have healed, but you haven’t fully regained your strength yet.”

…That’s true. But still.

“Don’t worry. My strength has diminished a bit, but I’m not exactly weak, am I?”

I chuckled and reassured Milia. Unless the entire Grimnir Church Order came at me like before, there was little danger for me.

Even if something like that happened, as long as it wasn’t an underground area with no escape, I was confident I could get out.

—

“Be careful, Halshal.”

Damien didn’t seem to have much on his mind. As always, he just offered a routine farewell.

“You should be more careful than me. So, keep training even if I’m not around. You’ve gotten stronger than before… but from what I see, you’ve still got a long way to go.”

It wasn’t that Damien was weak. In fact, for his age, he was incredibly strong. People who reached Damien’s level at his age could be counted on one hand.

The problem was that the twisted story had him facing enemies far too strong for him early on. If things had gone according to the original story, he’d still be at the academy, training and hunting weak monsters. Instead, he’d been dragged into the Holy Kingdom and had to face high-ranking clergy.

While Damien’s growth had accelerated as the enemies grew stronger… he was still far from adequate.

If only he could get his hands on the Holy Sword, things might improve. But there’s been no time to go looking for it. Maybe after this is over.

—

The final hurdle before leaving for Arad was convincing Rana, who was vehemently opposed.

“You just got all messed up and injured not long ago, and now you’re going somewhere again! And alone!”

“…Sorry for breaking my promise. I’d like to take you too, Rana… but I need to get there as fast as possible, so there’s no other way.”

I smiled soothingly as I patted Rana’s head, who was clinging to my waist.

If we could all go together, I’d have chosen that option. But this was urgent, and there was no other way. Taking a carriage to Arad would take days, and we didn’t have that kind of time.

“But…”

“It’s that important. It’s something I absolutely have to do. So, just bear with me this once.”

“Just this once… you always say that. Why does it always have to be you who suffers like this?”

Good question. Why is that…?

…Only one reason came to mind.

I raised my left hand and pointed at Damien, who was watching from behind.

“It’s because Damien’s too weak. If he were stronger than me, I’d send him instead.”

“Wait, it’s because of me…?”

Damien, caught off guard by the sudden accusation, asked in disbelief.

Yeah, it’s because of you. Your weakness is the problem, Damien.

“Right. So, Rana, you should bully Damien on my behalf. Got it?”

“…Okay. But you have to come back without getting hurt. Promise? Absolutely!”

Rana, who had been hanging her head, reluctantly let go of my waist. She really didn’t want to let go, but she couldn’t hold me back for her own sake. It was both pitiful and admirable.

“Okay. I won’t get hurt. Don’t worry.”

I tilted Rana’s head back slightly and smiled at her, meeting her eyes. Rana smiled back, her face still tearful.

—

The carriage was too slow, and riding a horse in this weather would only lead to becoming a corpse before getting far. My only option was my own two legs.

In fact, that was the fastest way.

I ran like a white meteor, leaping over everything in my path, charging straight toward Arad at full speed.

The winter wind, mixed with heavy snow, shattered against my white fur leather. With each step, the snow piled on the ground scattered like a storm.

The sprint of a hero carrying great feats. No mere beast like a horse could keep up with this speed.

This was also why I had to leave the others in Nasiriya. If I ran at full speed, they wouldn’t be able to keep up—not even Hersh.

That’s why I had to go alone. If it were me, I could reach Arad in three days.

—

Using Ryurik’s hide as a sleeping bag, leaning against a tree to rest, and filling my stomach with the rations I’d brought, I ran for three days. After a brief stop at a small village, I finally arrived in Arad.

A city stained with blood and screams, a city of chaos.

—

======[ Alhebron ]======

The cardinals were baffled. The bloodshed in Arad was an event none of them had anticipated.

The messenger who arrived at the meeting room reported the situation in Arad with a voice on the verge of breaking. The protesters with torches, Archbishop Wilhelm’s response, the ensuing riots, and the involvement of the Kranuus Church Order.

The cardinals’ gazes immediately turned toward Ernliter Zaisers. Their eyes demanded an explanation for the mess he’d caused.

Cardinal Zaisers took a sip of the black tea in front of him and calmly met their gazes.

“Wilhelm’s response was justified. They ignored two orders to disperse and even attempted to attack him. What else would you call them but rioters? To maintain the city’s order, we had no choice but to mobilize the paladins to suppress them.”

“If you had compromised with them, it could’ve ended without bloodshed. Your overly harsh response only escalated the situation.”

“There is no compromise in the law of the scales. The moment we compromise with those who follow sin and indulgence, order and justice lose their meaning. If Wilhelm is to blame, it’s only for not suppressing the protesters sooner. And that’s because the Kranuus Church Order’s branch, which co-governs Arad, joined the rioters instead of calming them, further fueling the chaos.”

Zaisers glared sharply at the empty chair. The chair of Erich, the cardinal of the Kranuus Church, who had plotted an absurd conspiracy and then committed suicide in an even more absurd manner.

“So, you’re saying the Astraea Church Order bears no responsibility?”

Cardinal Reicher sneered as he mocked Zaisers.

“That’s an overinterpretation. I said there’s no guilt, not that there’s no responsibility. Since this happened in a city under our jurisdiction, of course, it’s our responsibility. So… once Judge Seilon returns, we’ll form a tribunal and dispatch it to Arad. They’ll be more than capable of calming the situation.”

Zaisers stated coldly and calmly that they would restore order, even if it meant reducing Arad to ashes.

Some cardinals frowned at the thought of such a horrifying act, but they had no grounds to oppose Cardinal Zaisers’ decision to take responsibility for their city in their own way.

To a cardinal who prioritized order over people, arguing that people should come before order would fall on deaf ears.

“Indeed, we can’t solely blame the Astraea Church Order. These are people who’ve been shouting about overthrowing cardinals and archbishops to lead the Holy Kingdom themselves. We can’t just let them be, can we? Think about it. If something like this happened in a city you govern, would you willingly accept their demands?”

No one could nod in agreement.

Some didn’t want to relinquish their authority and power. Others feared the chaos that would follow.

Their reasons varied, but they ultimately had no choice but to agree with Rosof’s words.

—

A few days later, Seilon returned to the Holy City.

After receiving his report, the cardinals officially declared the Grimnir Church Order a heresy and widely publicized it. Not just in the Holy Kingdom, but throughout the Empire and the surrounding kingdoms as well.