Chapter 124
Chapter 124
The deepest reaches of the Holy Palace were a place where the most powerful barrier in the Holy Kingdom was spread, fending off the intrusion of all manner of impure things.
It was usually used as a final refuge, but at times like today, it was also used as a place to hold conversations that would be troublesome if others were to hear them.
And now, there were a total of three people seated there: the Holy King, the Saintess, and me.
“…….”
The Saintess’s eyes were swollen. Because of her rash remark, Paladin Aion had been left half-dead, and relations with the Empire had nearly collapsed.
Moreover, the identity of the Hero had almost been exposed, so her crime could only be called grave.
The Holy King seemed to be taking this as an opportunity, as he harshly scolded her.
He was probably trying, on this occasion, to correct the stubborn Saintess’s temperament, and by showing how far he was willing to scold his own granddaughter, to evoke even a little sympathy.
If it had been someone other than me sitting here, they might have been softened by the Holy King’s attitude or the sight of the Saintess welling up with tears, but there was no chance of that.
“Yes, Saintess. Just as the Holy King said, you committed an enormous mistake this time.”
Cutting in over the Holy King’s words as he glanced at me and continued to berate his granddaughter even more ruthlessly for show, I also rebuked her. Then I pulled out a neatly folded bundle of parchment from my bosom and tossed it onto the table.
“…What is this?”
Both of their gazes focused on the parchment. I gave a crooked smile at that and opened my mouth.
“The Hell Archduke Aloken whom I encountered during the Academy exam, the two demons who controlled monsters to invade Britain, the group of Majin who overthrew Demedrio and halted the Academic Festival, and even the Demonic Realm Duke Gremory who appeared in South Yorkshire, along with the Majin who moved monsters as they did in Britain to attack Leipzig.”
The parchment contained information on the Demonic Realm forces I had fought so far. At those words, the Holy King’s eyes widened like oil lamps.
“The Holy Kingdom was also checking on those fellows behind the scenes, wasn’t it?”
“…….”
He closed his mouth for a moment.
Even before this, the combination of my personal combat power and the existence of the Hero had been more than enough to give me leverage in negotiations, but with me coming out like this, the situation changed completely.
“I already knew about the Hero’s existence and had taken her under my wing to protect her. Knowing that if her status were exposed she would naturally become a target for the Demonic Realm bastards hiding all over the continent, I kept it strictly secret. While doing so, I slowly investigated the Demonic Realm forces. Like this, I fought them as well. Evidence? If you want evidence, these are it.”
I placed part of the demonic energy crystals I had taken from Chris when leaving the Academy onto the table.
Within them were contained the ranks of the Hell Archduke Aloken and the Demonic Realm Duke Gremory. The Holy King realized that the demonic energy contained in the crystals was anything but ordinary and let out a silent groan with a grave expression.
“I had planned to share this information and fight together while I was here in the Holy Kingdom. I can’t hand over the Hero since she’s my person, but I thought we shared the same enemy. But.”
Bang—!
I put strength into my fist and slammed the table.
Shattered fragments scattered in all directions. The Saintess flinched at it, but the Holy King, realizing what they had done, closed his eyes and let out a soundless moan.
“You ruined everything on your side. We had the advantage of possessing the Hero’s existence and information, so we could check, fight, defeat, and drive away the ones moving around in various regions. But now even that has become impossible. Fortunately, it isn’t known that she is the Hero, but my side has been exposed to the world. From now on, dozens, hundreds of eyes will cling to my every move.”
In truth, it wasn’t quite that serious, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. To think that a plan I had carefully laid over several months since coming to this world had been shattered by a few words from a childish Saintess.
It had been possible to clean things up, but it had become several times more difficult than the path I had originally intended to walk.
‘Of course, this is a story of this world.’
Personally, I didn’t really have a problem.
I was going to be at the Academy for the time being anyway, and at worst, the upcoming developments would just be twisted a bit and increase in difficulty.
That much was no issue with my current strength.
What was important here was that, because of this fact, I could saddle the Holy Kingdom with an enormous debt. That was why I deliberately lowered my voice and looked at the two of them with cold eyes.
“…I have no excuse.”
“Grandfather!”
The Holy King bowed his head to me, hands braced on his knees while still seated. The Saintess was startled and tried to stop him, but he bowed even deeper and spoke as if sighing.
“My granddaughter lost her parents early, so I raised her with too much affection. Even knowing she was going astray, I indulged her childishness—that is my fault. I will take responsibility for everything.”
“No, Grandfather! It’s all my fault! I’ll do anything! Please……!”
At the Saintess’s earnest plea for him to raise his head, the corner of the Holy King’s mouth curled up slightly while his head remained bowed.
He was a shrewd old man. As I had said earlier, this performance was meant both to rein in his granddaughter and to evoke sympathy from me. That was why I snorted softly and waved my hand.
“An apology made of words alone carries no meaning. Even if it were from my father, His Majesty the Emperor.”
“…Is there something you want?”
“That was poorly phrased. You should first tell me what you can do for me.”
At that, the Holy King’s eyes narrowed. He must have realized that he couldn’t underestimate me even in rhetoric. But the situation had already tilted to my side.
“As long as it isn’t something that harms the Holy Kingdom, I’ll do anything. But we are currently preparing for war with the Demonic Realm. No matter how indebted we are to you, we can’t do something that would erode the Holy Kingdom’s strength.”
So that was the line of what he could accept. Well, I hadn’t planned to demand anything unreasonable anyway.
“First, there are the holy relics for the Hero. I’ll take those first.”
“…Those are only for those who pass the trials.”
“I know they’re nothing but hollow trials, so you’d best not try any tricks. To begin with, they can’t be used by anyone other than the person chosen by the Goddess.”
“…Very well.”
The Holy King looked at me as if asking how I could possibly know even that. Who did he think I was? I was someone who knew this world far better than they did.
“Second is the right to use the Sacred Lake.”
“The Sacred Lake… is that because of Excalibur?”
“I heard it expended a great deal of power in past battles. Using the main body itself isn’t a problem, but if her personality isn’t awake, she can’t receive support.”
“Very well. I’ll have things prepared to match your schedule. Then, does this mean we’ll be able to receive the information you possess?”
The Holy King first showed interest in the information I had. At that, I shook the parchment and gave a crooked smile.
“What are you talking about? What I just mentioned was the price for the Saintess’s mistake. The value of this information is something we’ll have to discuss separately.”
Originally, I had planned to share the information under reasonable conditions, but given how things had turned out, I intended to wring out everything there was to be wrung.
After finishing my discussion with the Holy King, I turned my steps toward my room.
I had squeezed out everything I could from him. In the end, the Holy King even wore a hollow expression as he looked at his own granddaughter.
But I demanded all of it without a single concession, and he accepted it all, forced to swallow it like eating mustard while crying.
They were people with plenty of money anyway, so taking a little wouldn’t even be noticeable. I, too, had received proper compensation, so my conscience felt clear.
When I arrived at the room, I could sense that there were still presences inside. It seemed they had been waiting for me. As I opened the door and stepped in, the voices stopped, and all eyes turned toward me.
“You were still here, all of you?”
“…After you left, such a commotion broke out. There was no way we could not wait.”
Everyone asked if I was all right. In response, I shrugged my shoulders and pointed behind me.
“First, let me introduce her. This is the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom, the cause of all these problems.”
At those words, everyone’s gaze shifted to the back.
“…Hello, everyone. My name is Silvia. Though unworthy, I was chosen by the Goddess and bear the name Saintess. While Bayern Academy is holding the exchange event, I will be assisting you at your side, so I ask for your kindness.”
“…Whew.”
At her appearance, Werner broke into a broad smile. Diark also lost himself in the Saintess’s looks, only to have his foot gently stepped on by Maria.
Are you two actually dating?
Around the time the negotiations with the Holy King were coming to an end, I looked at the Saintess.
There was nowhere to use her immediately.
Still, it felt a bit wasteful to just let such an opportunity slip by.
Then, at a sudden thought, I voiced my third demand to them.
“It’s sudden, but this is my third request. During our journey in the Holy Kingdom this time, I want the Saintess to help us.”
“Hm.”
The Holy King quickly grasped my intent. This was a proposal beneficial to both sides. Naturally, he nodded without hesitation.
“Very well.”
“Grandfather?!”
“This is the mistake you committed. Stay by Prince Leios’s side, serve with a repentant heart, and devote yourself more earnestly to your training.”
The Holy King issued the order with a stern expression. Because she was at fault, the Saintess couldn’t argue back. She merely looked at me for a moment, then bowed her head deeply.
“I will obey.”
And now, she was standing in the middle of the room, receiving the full attention of the group.
“Wow, it’s almost silver hair. Can I touch your hair?”
“Your skin is really nice. Is it true that holy power is good for your skin?”
“Ah, you’re one year younger than us, right? Then it’s okay to speak casually, isn’t it?”
The women, with their characteristic friendliness, closed the distance with the Saintess in an instant. She, too, didn’t look particularly displeased with the situation.
She probably hadn’t been able to be close with peers her own age because of her status.
And then.
“…Are you the Hero?”
“I had no intention of revealing it, but.”
Alice tossed out a remark laden with sharpness and shrugged her shoulders. At that, the Saintess bowed deeply to her.
“I’m sorry. Because of my short-sightedness, I nearly put you in danger.”
An apology from someone who was a Saintess. The others looked slightly surprised by it, but Alice, like me, wasn’t someone easily appeased.
“Just with words?”
“…Yes?”
At that question, the Saintess flinched and lifted her face. Alice shook her head with an expression that said no way.
“I don’t really like apologies that are just words. Surely someone who’s a Saintess wouldn’t do something like that, right?”
“…What should I do, then?”
“Hmm…….”
Alice began to ponder, rubbing her lips. Then she sent a sideways glance in my direction.
‘That’s the look of someone who’s found an interesting toy.’
When I nodded, meaning she should handle it as she saw fit, she grinned and spoke.
“Then let me hit you once.”
“…What?”
“I mean, I’m not the type to hold a grudge, and dragging it out is ugly, so let’s settle it with one hit. Clean and nice, right?”
At the completely unexpected suggestion, the Saintess’s mouth fell open.
“Hmm, but the face is a bit much, right? If we want it not to show, maybe the abdomen would be good. Have you eaten anything? If you hit low, nine times out of ten people almost throw up. Ah, but you have holy power, right? You can heal injuries instantly? Then the face is fine too. I’ll control my strength, but it feels like a few teeth might get knocked out. You can reattach those too, right?”
At that vicious line of thought, the Saintess came to her senses, her face turning pale. Soon, her eyes welled with tears as she turned her gaze toward me, but all I could offer was a simple piece of advice.
“If you avoid the really painful spots, it’s bearable.”
At that, the Saintess looked even more distressed, as if asking how I could say something like that.
“Then close your eyes.”
Alice’s hand swung. The Saintess’s growth was more noticeable, but their heights were similar, making it a good distance to strike.
Whoosh—!
At the brutal sound of air being torn apart, the Saintess squeezed her eyes shut. Immediately after, Alice flicked her forehead with a single sharp snap.
“……?”
Struck by the sudden flick, the Saintess opened her eyes wide and brought a hand to her forehead. Alice spoke with a prim expression.
“I’ll let it slide this time, but if you do it again next time, don’t think it’ll be so easy.”
The Saintess wore a dazed expression for a moment. Alice nudged her as if telling her to say something, but soon the Saintess’s eyes filled completely with tears that spilled over.
“Hic…….”
She tried to hold back the tears, even biting her lip, but thick tears flowed down her cheeks.
At the sight of her covering her face with her arms and sobbing, Alice turned her head toward me with a flustered expression.