Episode 36
“Hero~! We’ve arrived! Time to wake up now!”
“Huh…what?…”
“I said we’re here! Seriously, how deep were you sleeping?”
Chloe was shaking me awake. Unable to resist her urging, I got up, and the Saintess spoke to me.
“You were calling my name in your sleep~♡ Did you like me so much that I appeared in your dreams~?”
“…Me?”
“Saintess! When did the Hero ever do that?”
“Just kidding~♡”
…I thought you were serious.
“Are we here?”
“We’re almost at Athene. Are you going to get off the carriage looking all messy~? You’re the Hero, after all♡”
“…I’ll tidy up.”
After helping rebuild a village in the neutral zone, we boarded a carriage as soon as we reached the border. As the Saintess had mentioned, the Minerva Kingdom had well-developed roads, allowing us to travel very quickly by carriage.
We arrived in less than a day. I wanted to sleep more.
As I was smoothing out my hair with my hands, Chloe suddenly reached out. Instinctively, I flinched back, and Chloe, with half-closed eyes, said,
“Stay still. I’ll fix it for you. It’s still a mess.”
“…Okay.”
It’s kind of awkward being in contact with Chloe. She’s pretty forward about it, and every time she does, the Saintess gives me a sharp look.
…Stop glaring at me like that. If you have a problem, just say it.
Chloe gently fussed with my hair. Her soft fingers touching my scalp gave me a strange feeling.
“All done, Hero!”
“Ah, thanks.”
Not long after fixing my hair, the carriage stopped at a station. We had arrived in Athene. As we got off the carriage, the Saintess said to me,
“We’re heading straight to the Athene Temple. I’ll go inside alone, so you and Chloe wait nearby.”
Now she tells me without me having to ask. Her navigation skills have improved.
“We’ll wait at a nearby restaurant or something.”
“Sure, do that. Here’s some money, so eat whatever you want.”
“Whoa.”
Cheat day, cheat day! I’m gonna order all the good stuff.
The Saintess handed me a heavy pouch. Isn’t this too much?
“Keep it with you in case something happens. But don’t spend it all, okay?”
“I’m not a kid…I know that.”
“You always act like a child, so I worry~♡”
…When do I ever.
Chloe, standing beside me, said to the Saintess,
“Don’t worry, Saintess. I’ll take good care of the Hero.”
“Please do. Make sure he doesn’t wander off somewhere strange.”
“Okay, got it.”
Chloe seemed to agree with the Saintess’s words.
…This is ridiculous.
#
“Wow.”
“Be careful not to get lost, Hero~♡”
“I will.”
“Hero, want to hold my hand?”
…That’s a bit much, Chloe.
The city of Athene was much larger than Trakia or Lancaster, which I had visited before. There were far more people and buildings. But why is the capital of a kingdom bigger than the capital of an empire?
“Athene seems more developed than Trakia.”
Chloe explained after hearing my comment,
“That’s right. The Minerva Kingdom is stronger than the Mars Empire. With greater national power, the capital naturally develops more.”
“Ah, really?”
Then why is the Mars Empire called an empire?
“But why is this place a kingdom? If it’s stronger than an empire, couldn’t it call itself an empire?”
“It’s still weaker than the neighboring Vesta Kingdom. And the Minerva Kingdom’s national power isn’t enough to be called an empire.”
“Really? Then how did the Mars Empire become an empire? Its national power is weak now.”
“Although the Mars Empire’s power has declined now, it used to be the most powerful nation on this continent. Overwhelmingly so.”
Ah…so it’s a country past its prime. It’s a bit sad that my homeland is a has-been.
“Then the capital of the Vesta Kingdom must be even bigger than this?”
“Ah, not really. The capitals of both kingdoms are about the same size. The Vesta Kingdom has another major city besides its capital.”
“Oh.”
Like how the U.S. capital is Washington D.C., but the largest city is New York, the Vesta Kingdom must be similar.
I kept asking Chloe about the Minerva Kingdom and Athene as we walked to the Solaria Church’s temple. Chloe seemed quite happy explaining Athene and the Minerva Kingdom to me.
Must feel like coming home. She hadn’t been able to set foot in her homeland for a while after turning into a monster.
“How does it feel to be back, Chloe?”
“…Hmm, honestly, it doesn’t feel real…I can’t really grasp that I was a monster.”
“Ah, really?”
“When I was a monster, I lost my memories. So it feels like I just went on a short trip and came back.”
I see. Well, when she was a monster, she lost her human memories, so she probably didn’t feel any longing for her homeland back then.
“You two seem to be having a great time talking, and I’m completely left out.”
The Saintess’s voice was subtly cold.
…Are you sulking?
“It’s not like that, Chloe’s from here, so…”
“Yeah, I get it.”
…She’s sulking. But if I talk to her, she’ll just get annoyed.
Still, I thought it’d be better to placate her, so I spoke to the Saintess.
“Saintess, have you been to the Minerva Kingdom often?”
“I’ve been to the kingdom itself often, but this is only my third time visiting Athene.”
“Really? Even though there’s a church branch here, you haven’t visited much?”
“I mostly stayed at the Papal Office.”
The Papal Office? You mean the headquarters of the Solaria Church?
“Where is the Papal Office located?”
“In the Apollo Kingdom.”
Where’s that? Seeing my confused expression, Chloe explained,
“It’s a country north of the Vesta Kingdom. It’s famous for being the closest to the sun.”
“Huh?”
Not the first place the sun rises, but the closest to the sun? What does that mean?
As I was pondering the meaning, the Saintess chuckled and said,
“Pfft♡, Hero, you look like a monkey trying to figure out when to eat a banana♡”
A monkey…well, at least I’m closer to a human than a goblin. Progress.
I really can’t figure out the deeper meaning of that statement. So, I asked Chloe.
“What does it mean to be closest to the sun?”
“Well, the highest mountain on the Gaia Continent where we are now is in the Apollo Kingdom. Most of the empire’s territory is also on high ground.”
“Ah, I see now.”
It’s like a literary metaphor. Saying it’s the country closest to the sun makes it sound impressive. Cool.
“So, that’s why the Solaria Church’s Vatican is here.”
“Exactly. The state religion of the Apollo Kingdom is the Solaria Church, after all.”
“I see.”
The name Apollo seems to be derived from Apollo, who symbolizes the sun, so it’s a country with many connections to the sun.
“We’re here.”
“…Is this the Athene Temple?”
It’s huge. It feels even bigger than the Lancaster Temple I saw last time.
“It’s really big.”
“The Athene branch is one of the largest among the Church branches. It’s in the capital, and it also manages the archdiocese here.”
“I see.”
“I’ll be right back, so please wait nearby with the Hero and Chloe. It might take two or three hours if it’s long.”
“Okay.”
The Saint looked back at Chloe and said.
“Don’t cut in line while I’m gone.”
“Ah, I won’t!”
…What’s with the sudden talk of cutting in line?
“Then, I’ll be back. Don’t get lost while I’m gone, Hero♡”
“…That won’t happen.”
After the Saint left, I glanced at Chloe. Lately, she’s been particularly aggressive, and now we’re alone together. Am I about to step into a crime scene?
I need to do something quickly. With that in mind, I tried to suggest something first.
“Chloe, since we’re probably hungry, let’s go to the restaurant….”
“Hero! I want to explore the city.”
But Chloe cut me off and jumped in. Suddenly wanting to explore the city, I was a bit flustered and asked again.
“…The city?”
“Yes. As you said, it’s been a long time since I’ve been back. So, I’m curious about how the streets have changed, what’s trendy now, and all that…”
…When you put it like that, I can’t refuse.
“…What about food?”
“We can eat street food while we walk around!”
“…Alright.”
Yeah, she probably couldn’t enjoy herself like a human because she turned into a monster. I just need to be careful.
“Then, excuse me!”
“Huh?”
Chloe quietly moved closer to me and then suddenly linked arms with me.
“What are you doing!?”
“Why? We’re on a date, aren’t we? You can allow this much, right?”
Don’t make me a criminal!
“No.”
“That’s stingy.”
“What do you mean stingy….”
Chloe puffed her cheeks slightly and let go of my arm. But she didn’t give up on staying close, walking almost glued to my side.
…If I say anything about this, she’ll probably get upset.
“What do you want to do first?”
“Let’s just walk around! We can sightsee and snack!”
“…Alright.”
Not bad.
#
At the moment Abel and Chloe decided to explore the city, Estelle, who had entered the temple, headed to the office of the cardinal in charge of the 4th Archdiocese, which included Athene.
As Estelle entered the office, a man who looked younger compared to Antonio stood up as soon as he saw her.
“Long time no see, Cardinal Johan.”
“Johan, a faithful servant of the Goddess, greets the Saint.”
He held the cross around his neck and bowed respectfully. This man was Cardinal Johan, who oversaw the 4th Archdiocese of the Solaria Church.
Estelle asked him about what Antonio had requested earlier.
“Did you find out anything?”
“About what Cardinal Antonio requested. As per his instructions, I investigated the distribution route of the Transformational Stone.”
Johan rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled out a neatly sealed document envelope. He handed it to Estelle and said.
“This is information on the flow of funds within the capital Athene. Looking at it, the amount of money flowing in is strangely high compared to the grain, especially barley distribution. It seems that the funds for trading the Transformational Stone flowed in there as well.”
“Thank you. You must not have had much time, but you managed to gather this much information…”
“If you follow the barley distribution route, you might be able to meet those who distribute the Transformational Stone.”
“Thanks to you, I can solve this quickly. Thank you.”
Johan smiled slightly and said.
“It’s the Saint’s request, so of course, I had to do my best.”
“Ah, Cardinal Johan. By the way, is it possible for us to enter the Royal Magic Academy?”
“The Royal Magic Academy? There’s no reason why not. We can inform the school that the Saint is visiting for an observation purpose.”
“Hmm, can the Hero come along too?”
“Yes, of course.”
Estelle nodded. That way, she could wrap up Chloe’s matter sufficiently.
“Then, could you arrange that?”
“Understood. What about the date?”
“I’ll let you know after investigating the distribution route. You can request it from the school then.”
“Understood, Saint.”
Johan was still smiling as he looked at Estelle. Estelle, noticing his gaze, asked first.
“So, Cardinal, what do you want me to do for you?”
“There’s a weekend mass today. It would be a better time if the Saint could attend.”
The Saint had a ‘of course’ expression and said.
“There has to be give and take. Alright.”
“Thank you, Saint. The believers will be delighted.”
It seems like it will take a bit longer to get back to Abel.
‘I hope that black cat isn’t doing anything to our Hero.’
Estelle felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
