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125. Childhood Friend – Gathering

“Priestess Ophelia, thank you again today. You’ve really been a great help.”

In the humble office, with not a single ornament in sight, Lena expressed her gratitude while packing up the ancient documents she had brought.

Since meeting Cardinal Michael, Lena had been preparing a thesis to break the church’s traditions.

Her exploration was about why priests were forbidden from marrying, which was quite a daunting task for a rookie in the educational institute of the Monastery Church. With regular classes starting in spring, she had been sacrificing her nights, sifting through documents from hundreds of years ago.

Veronian had been incredibly helpful. However, since he was also just a rookie like her, it felt wrong to take away his study time, so Lena sought advice from Priestess Ophelia, who had recommended her.

Priestess Ophelia readily agreed to assist her.

Not only did she provide consultation, but she even gathered reference materials, leaving Lena feeling a bit flabbergasted.

So, a couple of months ago, she asked,

“Thank you! I’ll also look for materials on the previous saintesses. But… why are you helping me so actively? I’m not saying I don’t appreciate it, but the topic I’m researching is a bit… you know?”

With a bright smile, Ophelia replied to Lena’s cautious question.

“No, I think it’s a good research topic. I never thought of it myself. Just between us, I also had someone I liked once. I broke up with him when I left to become a priest.”

As she gazed into the distance, lost in a moment of nostalgia, Lena exclaimed, “Oh my! Oh my!”

To think the poised and devout Priestess Ophelia had such a past.

When Lena asked excitedly, “Who was he?” Ophelia rolled her eyes slightly and said, “Just a neighborhood friend. He was a boy who swung around a rather shabby sword, declaring he would become a knight. I wonder how he turned out.”

“Ah! My friend was like that too! He brought a sword from somewhere and bragged about it. Can you believe he carried that heavy thing all the way up the mountain just to surprise me?”

“Oh my, how could my friend’s antics be so similar? Boys are… ”

The middle-aged priest close to the High Priest and the rookie dreaming of becoming a priest, the two momentarily shook off the heavy atmosphere of the Monastery Church and engaged in lighthearted girl talk.

They could be annoying sometimes, but boys were always an interesting research subject for girls. Especially if there was a crush involved.

“It’s all memories now. But I truly hope you achieve great results, Lena.”

The priest who had given up on love, Ophelia deeply empathized with Lena’s situation and offered her support.

However, that was until today.

As Lena packed up the documents, Priestess Ophelia said to her,

“You’ve worked hard. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you for a while. I’ll be going on a trip for a few months.”

“Ah? Where have you been assigned?”

“Not assigned, but… I think I need to go to the Orun Kingdom. I’ll come back as soon as I’m done, but I don’t know how long it will take.”

She hid the details.

Though she kept her mouth shut, it was a chaotic situation in the Monastery Church right now.

Contact with the Nevis Church had been severed.

Not only was the regular communication interrupted, but contact with the Holy Knights dispatched to the Orun Kingdom was also cut off. When they contacted nearby churches in Nevis, they discovered that Nevis was painted red all over. And that was the last they heard from the churches around Nevis.

“Oh dear… Please be careful while you’re gone. Is there anything for you to feel sorry about? I’m grateful for everything you’ve done so far.”

Though she felt disappointed, Lena sincerely hoped she would return safely and, after saying her goodbyes to Ophelia, the priestess sighed softly.

*

A few days later, Ophelia left Lutetia.

Not only her, but all the priests and Holy Knights from the Monastery Church set out together, and the scale was nothing less than enormous.

Nearly a thousand priests boarded dozens of carriages, with over four hundred Holy Knights providing escort.

It was a force so thoroughly gathered that the Monastery Church seemed empty. Priests who had been teaching the apprentices were all summoned, even retired Holy Knights.

The teachers of the educational institution were replaced by priests.

However, that wasn’t all. The numbers of the expedition team kept increasing as they traveled towards the border of the Orun Kingdom since Cardinal Michael was convinced of the emergence of the Apostle of the Evil God and rapidly called on priests and Holy Knights managing the churches in various regions as soon as communication with Nevis was interrupted.

“It can’t be helped, but isn’t this a bit excessive? At this rate…”

Ophelia couldn’t help but worry. The expedition team had brought a divine artifact from the Monastery Church for smooth communication, and since she was in charge of communication for the expedition team, she had been keeping track of the situations quite closely.

Priests from all over the continent were summoned. This was for immediate action against the Apostle of the Evil God and to prepare a second team in case of failure.

However, gathering priests to this extent was risky.

Priests were not just clergymen. They served as teachers and healers in each village. If they were to vanish, an unexpected crisis such as an outbreak could lead to significant casualties due to failures in the initial response.

The more serious problem was the lack of awareness of such issues.

Communication across the continent was handled by priests. Due to the convenience of the church’s communication system, the postal system in this world was somewhat insufficient.

It was true that they couldn’t avoid the Apostle of the Evil God, but thinking about the disruption in communication across the continent, Ophelia felt anxious.

Fortunately, the Apostle of the Evil God had not yet moved. The saintess left in the Monastery Church had provided information about the location of the Apostle through communication, and for some reason, he hadn’t left the vicinity of Nevis for several months.

When the Apostle began to move north, it was the sweltering summer, and by that time, they were nearly done with preparations.

Most of the priests and Holy Knights near the Holy Kingdom had arrived.

Moreover, the Frederick Royal Family, governing the Jerome Holy Kingdom, heeded the Cross Church’s call and mobilized not only the royal knights but also the noble knights and squires.

Thanks to this, the expedition force assembled at the border of the Orun Kingdom numbered over four thousand troops…

“I’m terribly sorry. May I use the communication? This time I want to contact Lord Bokali of the Orun Kingdom.”

Prince Cleo de Frederick politely asked Priestess Ophelia. Ophelia frowned slightly but proceeded to contact the church in Lord Bokali’s territory.

The prince was leading the order of knights sent by the Frederick Royal Family.

At first, it puzzled her why the prince had come all the way here, but now she had an inkling of his intentions.

“It’s connected. Would you like to convey the same message as last time?”

“Yes. Please tell the heir of the lord that our Frederick Royal Family is very concerned about the disappearance of Lord Bokali and is ready to offer help at any time. Furthermore, I, Cleo de Frederick, would appreciate it if you could let them know that I’m in the border area and would love to meet them if possible.”

The prince was trying to draw the nobility of the Orun Kingdom over to the side of the Frederick Royal Family.

During the Acaian Empire period, the Frederick Royal Family was originally the “Duke of Jerome,” who had been loyal to the imperial family, controlling the western part of the empire.

However, around seven hundred years ago, the Acaian Empire began to waver. The thousand-year-old empire was likely at the end of its fortunes, and a series of famines erupted. Two heroes, “Maunin” and “Letiz,” appeared in the north of the empire, uniting the oppressed barbarians to establish the “Asran” Kingdom.

This Asran Kingdom was the northern kingdom before it was split into the Austin and Aster Kingdoms.

The military tactics of Maunin and Letiz were astonishing, but an even greater calamity was that the two princes of the Acaian imperial family were clashing over succession rights.

After their fierce internal struggle, the empire split again into the central and southern empires, and the imperial family members who fled into the eastern swamps escaped while establishing the “Icel Kingdom” with the help of the “Cornell Magic Tower,” which was experiencing a revival of magic.

It was a time of extreme chaos.

The Duke of Jerome sought independence amid this turmoil. However, although the central Acaian Empire had fallen, it was still powerful, and the duke sought help from the Cross Church.

The church had no reason to refuse.

The Cross Church supported the duke’s independence, and he named himself “The Frederick Royal Family,” establishing the Jerome Holy Kingdom in the western continent.

Of course, there was a price to pay.

Independent with the church’s help, the Frederick Royal Family was subjected to church interference in every matter, and over many years, it had degenerated into a mere outlet handling the church’s secular affairs.

Prince Cleo de Frederick was very dissatisfied with this.

A puppet king. He didn’t want to be a plaything of the church like his father.

However, the royal family, bound by the law, was powerless, and the nobles preferred to stick to their own territories rather than associate with an unremarkable royal family, leaving no means to resolve the situation.

Greatly disheartened, Cleo de Frederick lamented the state of the royal family and his fate as he went hunting every weekend… when an urgent document arrived from the Cross Church.

It was a request for help due to the appearance of the Apostle of the Evil God.

Though not confirmed, the document relaying the brutal death of the royal family of the Orun Kingdom lit a spark of excitement in Cleo’s eyes.

Perhaps! It might be a chance to liberate the royal family that had been bound to the Cross Church for hundreds of years.

He rushed to his father to obtain command over the knights and joined the expeditionary force in hopes of rallying the nobles of the Orun Kingdom who had lost their royal family.

Prince Frederick asked,

“I have one question. Have there been any movements from the Conrad Kingdom?”

“…Are you asking if they’ve sent reinforcements?”

“I would appreciate it if you could inform me about that. But I was asking what movements the Yeriel Royal Family is making regarding this situation.”

“…The Yeriel Royal Family has also sent reinforcements. I hear they dispatched two knight orders. And… it seems there is nothing to worry about. Prince Eric de Yeriel is rushing his coronation.”

“Hmm! I see. Thank you.”

The prince left with a satisfied smile, but Ophelia pouted slightly, displeased with the prince’s political maneuvers even in the face of the formidable enemy, the Apostle of the Evil God.

Nevertheless, it was true that the prince’s arrival had increased the power of the expedition, as he not only brought hundreds of knights with him but also drew many knights from the Orun’s nobles who had responded to the prince’s call.

The church wasn’t in a position to give orders to the prince right now.

“It can’t be helped…”

Sighing, Ophelia murmured.

At this moment, she wished for just one more knight. The Aster Kingdom and the Aisel Kingdom were too far to send reinforcements, and the neighboring Belita Kingdom and Austin Kingdom were at war, responding that they had no knights to dispatch.

The only available forces were the four thousand man strong team assembled here… and she had no idea when the knight order from the Conrad Kingdom would arrive.

Ophelia stepped outside for a moment. Those like knights and squires might not sense it, but the priests and Holy Knights endowed with divine powers were painfully aware of an approaching wrongness.

Something sinister was drawing near.

From over the distant southern mountains, a strange distortion was felt.

The Apostle of the Evil God was not far away.

“Sir Corin, here you are.”

As she anxiously patrolled the camp, Ophelia spotted the elderly Holy Knight and approached him.

He had escorted her last year when she moved to the Monastery Church, and she greeted him warmly, but it seemed he was too engrossed in staring at the south to hear her.

“Sir Corin, hello…”

Ophelia hesitated to greet him again. Upon coming closer, she realized Sir Corin’s expression was severely contorted.

No, he was staring south with a pained expression.

It was the first time Ophelia had seen this particular look on the war-hardened elder.

She knew him as a stoic person who fulfilled his duties without fail…

“Priestess. How do you do?”

Sir Corin turned around as if sensing her presence.

The old man, who had hidden that pained grimace and reverted to his usual stoicism, looked somewhat tragic.

“…Is something wrong?”

Ophelia cautiously asked, trying not to touch the pride of a warrior before a great battle, and the old Holy Knight paused for a moment.

“It’s nothing. I think I’ll go in now. It’s hot out.”

“…”

It’s hot out.

That wasn’t incorrect, but Ophelia noticed that Sir Corin had just been rambling. He wasn’t the kind of person to spout idle chatter.

Sir Corin lumbered back to his tent, and Ophelia couldn’t hide her confusion as she gazed at his receding figure for a moment.

Since then, Sir Corin’s odd behavior continued.

He was often seen aimlessly wandering the camp, and instead of maintaining his weapons and armor, he prayed more frequently. Concerned about him, Ophelia often visited and silently stayed by his side.

Days passed, and as the prince frequently visited to communicate with the nobles, a group finally arrived from the east just as the southern mountains had begun to bloom red, despite it not yet being autumn.

Among them was a familiar face.

“Priestess Ophelia! It’s been a long time. Ah, you’re a priestess now. Have you been well?”

“Ah!”

Having hurried here, the elderly man looked a bit disheveled. Ophelia rushed to him and bowed deeply.

“Your… no, Cardinal! It’s truly been a while! You brought reinforcements, I see.”

It was Cardinal Berg.

He was now a middle-aged priest and smiled broadly at his former student.