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239. Childhood Friend – Wrinkles

“Not great?”

Lena Ainar turned around. The firm-textured green dress suited her well.

But her thick, straight eyebrows clashed with the dress’s overall impression. Even though she had clumsily attempted to groom them, it didn’t help.

Indeed, Lena looks better in armor or a uniform, Rev thought, while Leo Dexter beamed broadly.

“Who are you?”

“Don’t joke around. This color doesn’t suit me, does it?”

Right. Red suits you.

Boldly blazing like a flame…

“No, it suits you too well. I almost didn’t recognize you. Did you put on makeup?”

“Yeah…”

Lena turned her head shyly. The faint smile on her face mixed with relief.

The hours spent on grooming didn’t go to waste. She had never really been good at decorating herself—she had never tried before.

But now she would have to get used to it. To live as an ordinary woman, not as a knight. Lena felt grateful to Leo, who was generous with his compliments despite her obviously messy appearance.

The flame has extinguished, leaving only ashes. Thank you for not stirring it up.

Leo gently wiped the makeup smudged on Lena’s lips. Rev, watching the scene speechlessly, called for two carriages and got into the front one. Decorated Lena and Leo followed in the carriage behind.

The two carriages crossed the neat streets of Lutetia, headed for the royal castle. Upon arrival, Lutetia Castle was bustling with noble carriages.

While this sight was quite common in other kingdoms, it was a rare spectacle here. The nobles of the Holy Kingdom didn’t concern themselves with a royal family bound by the church’s laws.

The heads of each family stayed in their territories, and in Lutetia, only young heirs mingled among themselves, so there’s nothing more to say.

However, two days prior, the Frederick royal family abruptly dismissed the etiquette officials and holy knights involved in various court ceremonies from the castle.

Then, Prince Cleo de Frederick casually mentioned he had reached marriageable age and held a modest banquet—though it was just a pretense, everyone understood the royal family was preparing to make some sort of announcement.

Still, a pretense is a pretense.

The goal was to spy on the Frederick royal family’s intentions and inform one’s own family, yet each family’s heirs came elegantly dressed to the banquet hall. The ladies’ blushing cheeks adorned with makeup and delicate attire had never looked so splendid.

Rev’s group received a special invitation from the prince. Noticing the beautiful noble ladies, Lena must have lost her confidence as she clung tightly to Leo’s arm.

“Did you hear? It seems a major incident has erupted in the Conrad Kingdom.”

“Oh my, I heard too. They say Lean de Yeriel and Reriana de Yeriel are alive. That’s fascinating enough, but the stories are intriguing! They say Eric de Yeriel was actually a terrifying monster, and Lean de Yeriel defeated him…”

“That’s probably just a boast. I found it hard to believe there was such a monster, and apparently there was almost no damage. But still, he’s royal, and the excuse for executing Prince Eric seems like something fabricated.”

“Really? Still, it’s been quite a while since I heard of such an interesting incident. What do you think, Your Highness?”

“In my opinion…”

In the grand banquet hall. A vast hall without pillars where young nobles were chatting here and there. The prince was among them, and upon noticing Rev just entering the hall, he quickly wrapped up his conversation and approached.

“You’ve come! Haha, I’ve been waiting so long. First, go meet my father.”

Rev flinched for a moment, not replying.

His sudden concern was whether the king here might be an apostle of Ashen, but surely that was not the case.

No matter how little fear an apostle of Ashen might have of being discovered, this is the Jerome Holy Kingdom.

It was unthinkable for Ashen and his apostles to act here in front of the Monastery Church, so Rev didn’t take Leo Dexter with him.

Leo and Lena remained in the banquet hall, which was just beginning to light up, while Rev headed to the audience room with the prince. With the prince’s words about having expelled all the holy knights he disliked from the palace, Rev grew even more anxious…

[ Achievement: King 5/7 ]

[ Achievement: Baptism of the Saint – Grants Leo the ability {Divine Insight}. ]

The worrying scenario did not unfold.

The king he met in the room for audiences, where the king waited before entering the banquet, was an ordinary human. If one could dare to call a king ordinary, that is.

The middle-aged king spoke.

“So, you are the swordmaster said to have been bestowed by the heavens. It’s my first time seeing you in person. Nice to meet you.”

“I am Krington de Frederick, the ruler of the Jerome Kingdom. I am Reb Bijan.”

“The Jerome Kingdom…”

The king laughed heartily, crossing his legs and striking his knee with a very down-to-earth demeanor.

“The prince may leave now. Sir Lloyd, you may leave as well.”

The prince and the royal knight exited.

However, it was simply the knight escorting the prince who left while the royal knights guarding the king remained. Rev hesitated to speak before them.

“There’s nothing to worry about. They are all knights who are practically my friends… Yes, I’ve heard from the prince. First, I should express my appreciation.”

“I’m glad to have been of help.”

“However,”

The king straightened up, looking intently at Rev.

“I cannot know what you wish. Young swordmaster, what brings you to my land?”

“…I came to find a friend. It wasn’t intended, but since things have turned out this way, I have a request as well.”

“Speak on.”

What a straightforward character. Realizing Krington de Frederick’s directness, Rev got to the point.

“I wish to become the king of the Orun Kingdom. I hope the Jerome Kingdom will assist me in this. Of course, if I ascend to the throne, I will offer a corresponding reward.”

It may be a dangerous confession.

But now that the king had a reason to break free of the church’s interference, wouldn’t he rat me out?

As expected, Krington de Frederick showed no particular reaction.

“A king… What assistance do you seek?”

“If you provide military support, I couldn’t ask for more, but selling me supplies at a reasonable price would also suffice.”

“Hmm!” The king stroked his chin. It seemed he was contemplating for a moment, but he answered before his hand even dropped.

“Both are excessive.”

“…Is that a rejection?”

“Not at all. I simply wonder if the deeds you’ve done for our royal family are truly so valuable. Thanks to the disappearance of the naggers, I can sit comfortably, but without a word from me, such acts seem a bit audacious. It doesn’t strike me as particularly wrong that the church made a pact with Count Simon to claim that palm-sized land.”

“…I am honored to say, but I believe that undermines the foundation of the Frederick royal family?”

“The lives of the people have not changed, have they? If anything, it’s for the better.”

What the…

Rev retracted his judgment that this king had a straightforward nature. It felt as if he had swallowed thousands of serpents.

Whether those words were sincere or not, the king was belittling the value of what he had done.

That’s the basic etiquette of negotiation.

At the same time, he was firmly establishing his position as a benevolent king, prioritizing the citizens, making it difficult to agree to demands like military support or selling supplies for cheap.

As a lord of a nation, that would be the attitude he should maintain, but Rev felt fatigued.

“But the prince seemed quite pleased.”

“He would be. The prince wants to take the reins of governance himself. Whether he receives assistance from the church or governs entirely on his own, I don’t think it is important for ruling the country… Anyway, I apologize. Please make another proposal.”

In any case, that meant a rejection. After a moment of pondering with his arms crossed, Rev spoke again.

“I am a commoner. Please grant me the authority to become a king. And I would be grateful if you could allow me to meet the saint.”

“Meeting the saint is not difficult, but authority? What is it that you seek from me?”

Rev lowered his voice.

The king nodded, and soon the two stepped into the hall where the nobles were gathered.

“Presenting His Majesty, King Krington de Frederick of the Jerome Holy Kingdom and the Great Swordmaster, Sir Reb Bijan!”

All the nobles turned their gazes toward Reb. It was the moment when Reb Bijan’s name became known as a man standing shoulder to shoulder with the king of the Jerome Holy Kingdom, the continent’s fourth swordmaster, yet it wasn’t particularly moving.

Since becoming a swordmaster, it had been something he could do whenever he set his mind to it, so Reb was more concerned about the ripples caused by his name being revealed.

However, even though only his name was mentioned, neither his birthplace nor surname was noted, so it seemed he wouldn’t suffer any losses. In contrast, Marquis Evni Dragin, who rejected the revolutionary call, claiming a commoner couldn’t become a king, would regard him differently.

Reb listened to Prince Cleo declare that he would henceforth refuse the church’s excessive interference.

There was no helping it, for in the distant corner of the banquet hall, Lena was watching Rev and Leo interchangeably with wide-eyed amazement.

– “Is this scrawny little thing the person you mentioned? Doesn’t look that impressive…”

Lena squinted her poor judgment to shut it out, and wondering why one always loses something upon gaining another, Reb could only smile bitterly. Amidst this, King Krington de Frederick’s satisfied advice only complicated Reb’s emotions further.

“By the way, why do you want to ascend to the throne? If it’s not for the people, that position holds no meaning.”

I wish you hadn’t said anything at all.

*

Name: Maryel.

Occupation: Head of the Cross Church.

Commonly known as: The Eighty-Seventh Saint.

A few days later, Reb was reviewing the history of Saint Maryel inside the carriage heading toward the Monastery Church. Not reading any specific documents, he was recalling information on {Noble Society}.

Saint Maryel was born as the daughter of a humble noble family in the Asran Kingdom and became a saint.

The way a saint is born in this world is quite straightforward. The noble goddess of sacrifice, ‘Boar,’ wearing a thorny crown, opens the heavens and shines light down upon the one meant to be a saint, a phenomenon felt across the entire continent.

She is in her late thirties. Of course, unmarried. Likes and hobbies include prayer. Dislikes…

Having memorized the numerously stereotypical and painfully predictable details of the saint, Reb turned his head. Beside him, Leo Dexter sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

“I heard Lena wants to try learning to cook? I have an apprentice, Vann, who has great cooking skills—should I introduce you…”

“Don’t talk to me right now.”

“…”

Leo Dexter’s nagging had been the same since their first meeting, so Reb just brushed it off. In truth, this was Leo’s way of venting his frustrations.

He wasn’t taking it out on Reb. To others, Leo Dexter appeared polite and well-mannered. He simply didn’t hide his feelings with Reb.

There was no reason to hide them.

As Reb guessed the reason for his bad mood, he kept quiet. In the quiet, the carriage arrived at the Monastery Church.

“We’re here to see the saint. The king must have made an appointment.”

“One moment. Your name is… Sir Reb Bijan, right? Please come this way.”

The holy knight guarding the main entrance guided Reb and Leo inside.

Still tight-lipped, Leo remained silent, so Reb couldn’t even ask what he should inquire of the saint as they traversed the majestic Monastery Church.

Finally, they faced the white church.

With spires reaching high as if yearning for the sky, this place surrounded by a plaza was the main hall of the Monastery Church.

The outer walls were adorned with intricately woven patterns reminiscent of spiderwebs, evoking a sense of solemnity, and a massive round stained glass window high above reflected the warm winter sunlight.

Statues placed here and there looked down sanctimoniously upon visitors, but Reb had no interest in them. He was both hopeful and anxious about possibly meeting Leah. Fortunately or unfortunately, {Tracking Skill} pointed elsewhere.

“This way.”

The saint’s room was deep within the main hall on the first floor.

But they weren’t going to intrude into the saint’s personal space, so they walked through the spotless, brilliant corridor and paused before a grand door.

It was the audience chamber of the saint.

The holy knight who guided Leo and Reb reconfirmed the appointment with a holy knight inside and then left. The grand door opened, and at last, the two could meet the saint.

Seated on a pure white bishop’s chair, the saint welcomed the visitors with a smile that seemed to convey whether she caught on or not.

“Welcome.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Reb Bijan, and this friend here is Leo Dexter. He wanted to accompany me to meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. But…”

The saint smiled playfully at Reb.

“This is actually my second time meeting you. Isn’t that right? Apostle of Barbatos.”

Dumbfounded. Reb and Leo stared blankly at the saint. The dazzlingly beautiful saint just smiled, revealing her white teeth.

Saints usually don’t live long.

On average, they pass away around fifty, yet for decades, the saint remains breathtakingly beautiful regardless of their origins, only to age rapidly in the last few years before death.

Saint Maryel.

Age: Late thirties.

She should still be preserving the beauty given by God, yet there were faint wrinkles etched in her forehead.