Chapter 196 - Chapter 195: The Priest's Resolve, The Archbishop's Resolve
※This time, the protagonist is absent.
Late night at the Great Cathedral.
Wagnare walks, led by Kararebas, down a dim corridor lit only by moonlight.
Kararebas had come to Wagnare, who was resting in his private room.
It was rare for this timid Chief Priest to take such a rash action as waking Wagnare from sleep, yet he showed no sign of fear whatsoever.
If anything, the intensity in his eyes seemed to urge Wagnare to wake up quickly, making Wagnare himself feel like he might shrink back.
They were led to the Archbishop's office.
Light leaking from under the door revealed that the office was already illuminated.
"What on earth is this, Kararebas?"
Wagnare asked, but Kararebas did not answer.
Silently, Kararebas opened the office door, stepped aside, and bowed to Wagnare.
Wagnare entered the room, wary of his subordinate's behavior, which was unlike anything he could have imagined.
Two figures were inside the office.
One was a knight.
He stood behind the sofa, waiting.
The other figure was obscured by the knight's shadow, but it was clear they were seated on the sofa.
When the knight turned around, his position shifted slightly.
As a result, the back of the person sitting on the sofa became clearly visible.
Seeing that back, Wagnare gasped sharply.
Rare, silver hair.
From the slender build and petite stature, it was easy to guess she was a woman, likely still a girl.
"...No, surely not!?"
Muttering like a groan, Wagnare stood there.
Behind him, Kararebas closed the room door.
Then, with quiet grace, he gestured for Wagnare to go to the sofa.
Wagnare was paralyzed by conflicting emotions: a desire to confirm it quickly, yet a fear of doing so.
Still, gathering his willpower, he took a step forward and moved toward the seat in the back.
As he passed the girl, he glanced sideways, and there, as expected, was the person he had anticipated.
The girl sat silently with her eyes closed.
"......Saintess-sama......"
As Wagnare began to kneel right there, Kararebas stopped him.
He then urged Wagnare to sit in the seat facing the girl.
"Kararebas. What is the meaning of this?"
Once Wagnare was seated, Kararebas sat beside him.
Taking a deep breath, Kararebas asked the girl in a serious voice.
"I will tell you everything. Is that alright?"
The girl did not answer Kararebas's question.
Taking her silence as consent, Kararebas began to quietly recount everything he knew.
Meeting the Saintess in Sarbengeal a year ago when called by Cleiria.
The current situation in Runesarm.
And the fact that he had nearly been murdered by a bishop.
Even the boy who had saved such a Saintess.
"It seems that boy is currently imprisoned in the Royal Capital's church."
"A boy? For what reason?"
"It seems they intend to put him through the Inquisition......"
"Hah!?"
Hearing Kararebas's words, Wagnare was struck dumb.
At that moment, Nerisfeene opened her eyes for the first time and spoke to Wagnare.
"It has been a long time, Archbishop."
"......Saintess-sama."
Nerisfeene, addressed as "Saintess" by Wagnare, shook her head slightly.
"I am no longer a Saintess. I have parted ways with the Church."
"That is......"
Nerisfeene stated it firmly, leaving Wagnare with nothing to say.
Wagnare was already aware of the general situation that had occurred in Runesarm.
Given what she had endured, it was only natural that Nerisfeene would choose to sever ties with the Church.
Still, the shock was immense.
The reality that the Saintess had abandoned him.
"...I suppose I haven't told Kararebas either, have I?"
"What is that?"
"How I was saved by Mika-sama."
Smiling gently, Nerisfeene spoke.
Those hellish, dark days.
That nightmare-like suffering.
Everything of the abyss of despair where Nerisfeene had been.
When he had explained it before, he had told Kararebas that she was in a state where death would not have been surprising.
But he had not specified exactly what condition she was in.
Nerisfeene quietly spoke of the curse she had received.
She calmly described how her entire body was twisted and crushed by the curse, losing its human shape.
The "Legion," a composite undead monster, had infested her.
In a darkness devoid of any light, a despair so intense it felt like madness.
There was nothing left to wish for anymore... only the arrival of death.
From those days of despair, Mika had saved her.
And because Mika was there, it had taken only three months.
If Mika had not been there, would she still be in that darkness now?
Or perhaps, she would have finally died by now, she wondered.
The three who heard the story lost their color, unable to comprehend the hell Nerisfeene calmly described.
They couldn't even imagine how much suffering that entailed.
Even after Nerisfeene finished speaking, no one opened their mouths.
They simply could not say anything.
"...You have decided to stop wandering the wrong path, haven't you?"
A light voice, ill-suited to the heavy atmosphere, echoed.
Nerisfeene's straight eyes turned sadly toward Wagnare.
Hearing those words, Wagnare was startled.
Words exchanged long ago resurfaced in his mind.
'You are lost on the path, aren't you?'
'You are convinced there is only one path.'
He had been seen through to the very depths of his heart, which he had hidden away for so long.
Wagnare had been troubled for a long time.
For decades.
Wagnare had also been young once.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
Because of that immaturity, he had thought he could do anything.
Those who broke precepts and belittled others had infested the Church.
With a simple, honest heart, he had thought, "I cannot forgive this."
"One day, I will sweep them all away."
He had burned with such ambition.
If he rose to the top, he could eliminate those people.
He had purely believed that.
But the higher he went, the more reality came into view.
Things that were invisible from below became visible.
The great tree known as the Church was not rotting in its branches or leaves.
From the roots to the trunk, from top to bottom, everything was rotten.
And thus, he learned an inescapable reality.
The top was controlled by the rotten ones, and there was nothing to be done.
This great tree would collapse.
Whether in ten years or a hundred, he did not know.
He had considered corrupting his own half, slipping in among them, and aiming for the top.
Then, when he reached the summit, if he were pierced by the sword of condemnation along with his own body, perhaps he could rebuild the Church.
There were trustworthy people he could entrust the future to.
But he could not choose that path.
His own petty pride had rejected it.
Recently, he had told Cardinal Blahoslav to "kill the Pope faction," but it was nothing new.
It was something Wagnare himself had been thinking about for a long time.
Unless he did that, he felt they could no longer be saved.
And so, Wagnare had stopped thinking.
He had given up.
Gathering information now was merely for self-defense.
He no longer thought of sweeping away the corruption.
"I came hoping to get your help to save Mika-sama......"
Muttering that, Nerisfeene stood up unsteadily.
"It seems futile now that you have decided on a single path."
Bowing her head, she continued.
"Please forgive my sudden rudeness. Time is short, so I must take my leave."
"W-wait, Nerisfeene-sama!"
Kararebas jumped up in surprise.
Confused by how easily Nerisfeene was withdrawing, Kararebas was at a loss.
There was no persuasion, nothing.
He had only explained the situation.
If this was the case, it meant there was no point in her having come all the way from the Royal Capital in such a reckless manner.
"What do you intend to do!?"
"I am doing nothing. I will return to the Royal Capital and save Mika-sama."
"But that is the method!"
It was a natural question.
But Nerisfeene looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I will simply go to the Great Cathedral and save Mika-sama."
"Hah!?"
Not only Kararebas, but even the knight standing behind them were struck dumb by Nerisfeene's recklessness.
"If you do such a thing, even you, Nerisfeene-sama, will be killed! N-no, they don't know you are the Saintess! You will definitely be killed!"
Merely trying to sneak in wouldn't make the Temple Knights guarding the Great Cathedral slash at you, surely.
But if they judged it too dangerous, they would draw their swords and attack for real.
"If I die alongside Mika-sama, it is my wish. In fact, I have no intention of living comfortably in a world without Mika-sama. It would be just right to go ahead and wait for him."
Kararebas was stunned by Nerisfeene, who said all this without any hesitation.
"But... even so, can you really return to the Royal Capital in that state? Surely......"
The knight interjected, seeing that Nerisfeene was struggling just to stand straight.
It was impossible to go to the Royal Capital in this condition, he implied.
But Nerisfeene looked at the knight and smiled brightly.
"I fully understand that I am causing you trouble...... Please take care of me."
When she had said she would accompany the forced march from the Royal Capital, he thought she was being reckless, but compared to what she was saying now......
As Kararebas and the knight fell silent, Nerisfeene, though slightly unsteady, headed for the door.
"Wait!"
It was Kararebas who called out to Nerisfeene.
Kararebas, as if making a decision, took a step forward, went before Nerisfeene, and knelt.
"Please entrust that role to me."
"......Kararebas."
The one most surprised by Kararebas's action was Wagnare.
Kararebas, who was timid, should have been the furthest from such actions.
"Do you have the resolve to bear Mika-sama's life and your own?"
Nerisfeene asked in a light tone.
But her eyes looked straight at Kararebas.
Kararebas trembled slightly, yet he pressed his lips together, clenched his fist, and looked up at Nerisfeene.
"Yes!"
"Kararebas! Do you know what you are saying!?"
Wagnare raised his voice at Kararebas, who nodded strongly.
Nerisfeene, who had been watching Kararebas closely, smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Kararebas. I am glad for your feelings, but it is still a bit too heavy for you."
"That is not true! I am----!"
"Enough, Kararebas."
Wagnare stopped Kararebas's recklessness.
However, Kararebas remained kneeling, turned around, and glared at Wagnare as if piercing him.
"No, I will not stop! If I let the Saintess-sama go like this, I will regret it for the rest of my life! I will lose faith in the gods......!"
"Kararebas......"
It was not unexpected.
Where had such strength come from in Kararebas?
Feeling the strength of a heart he had never imagined, Wagnare felt his heart tremble.
Both Nerisfeene and Kararebas would simply die if they went.
There was no plan, nothing.
They would only plead for the boy's release.
They were risking their lives for such a thing.
Suddenly, Wagnare's throat made a "khh..." sound.
"......You stay here, Kararebas."
"Your Eminence! I am----!"
"Even if you go, nothing will change. Calm down, you fool."
Saying that, Wagnare stood up.
"I will go."
"Is that alright? That seems to differ from the path you have set for yourself?"
"It does not matter."
Wagnare walked to before Nerisfeene, but did not kneel.
"Do you have the resolve to bear Mika-sama's life and your own?"
At that question, Wagnare grinned.
"Such trivial matters. It is nothing significant."
"Hah, Your Eminence!?"
Hearing Wagnare's reply, Kararebas let out a sound involuntarily.
"All I can do is blow the top of the Church off, or blow it off from the roots. I cannot worry about one or two lives caught in the crossfire."
"My!"
Nerisfeene's eyes widened at Wagnare's answer.
"It may not be enough as just the Marquis of Leventein, but we will think about that along the way. ......It seems the boy will be more useful alive. So, let's save him."
"I see. Then, please."
Since Wagnare had accepted, it seemed it would lead to a better result than if Nerisfeene went alone.
In this case, "better" meant looking at only one point: Mika's survival.
"If that is decided, we must prepare immediately. Since he was captured on the Day of Fire, the procedure will likely be completed by the next Day of Fire at the latest. There is a risk the Inquisition will open immediately."
Wagnare stared sharply at the void and muttered.
Then he looked down at Kararebas, who was kneeling at his feet with his mouth agape.
"How long do you intend to stay like that? I am leaving you in charge of the Great Cathedral (here) while I am away."
Wagnare twisted the corner of his mouth and sharpened his gaze.
"You can do it, can't you? After all, you managed to hide the Saintess's survival. You must have known that I was desperately gathering information."
At Wagnare's words, Kararebas flinched.
A menacing aura began to drift from Wagnare.
It clearly contained anger.
"I am glad you have learned to read the air. Say, Kararebas."
Where had the firm posture from before gone?
Kararebas, as if escaping Wagnare's gaze, clicked his teeth and lowered his head.
■■■■■■
While Kararebas trembled at Wagnare's anger.
In a room of the Leventein household, Cleiria was also trembling.
"...What!? Father! No matter how you look at it, that is too much!"
Cleiria raised a pained voice, but Rubalwarus did not seem to care.
For Rubalwarus was already thinking of something else.
"The timing is a bit harsh, but it cannot be helped. ......Surely, I cannot be optimistic about returning in just a week."
He did not think the Gronoir invasion would happen immediately, but there was no absolute guarantee.
For now, there were no direct signs.
More importantly.
"......I must find a way to explain myself to His Majesty."
He would be crossing a very narrow bridge.
If he suddenly led troops to the Royal Capital without any prior notice, he could not complain if they suspected him of rebellion.
Prioritizing speed, he would take only about ten riders.
If the number exceeded that, there was a possibility they could not exchange horses at relay points.
Plans to expand the relay points were underway, but they were not yet ready.
Being a small group of cavalry, there was a possibility they would not be judged as rebels.
But then again, rumors would spread that this delicate situation was influenced by this.
War with Gronoir.
How would those passing through the roads or towns along the roads view this group of cavalry?
They would likely be seen as a group delivering news that Gronoir had moved.
"Father! Please, please reconsider!"
While Rubalwarus was lost in thought, Cleiria raised her voice loudly.
But Rubalwarus looked at Cleiria coldly.
"Cleiria, you should think carefully. Is there any other way?"
"T-that is......"
With Rubalwarus's single sentence, Cleiria suddenly felt suffocated.
Perhaps another method could work somehow.
But perhaps it would not.
And if it did not work, the consequences would become a problem for the Marquis of Leventein's house.
Therefore, Rubalwarus's plan to take the best possible measure was the most logical.
Cleiria understood that.
She understood, but......
"Leave the rest to me. Cleiria, get some rest. You have been quite reckless. Rest well and return to the Royal Capital slowly. By then, I will have everything settled."
Saying that in a gentle voice, Rubalwarus stood up.
He called for a maid to order her to let Cleiria rest, while he himself envisioned a plan for the forced march to the Royal Capital.
"Perhaps it would be beneficial to take the Archbishop with me regarding the Church? He said he is going to persuade them, so I might as well drop by."
It was late at night, but waiting until morning would be too late.
He would just show up; if they were not ready, he would leave them behind.
If they were fully prepared and still couldn't make it, it would be better to be halfway prepared and make it.
Rubalwarus immediately thought of the knight to accompany him and ordered the mansion's guard knights to send a messenger to the Domain Army headquarters.
"......Annoying me with such trivial matters. I will show those arrogant monks a thing or two."
As he changed clothes, Rubalwarus muttered.
Cleiria stood staring blankly at the door Rubalwarus had left.
She hugged her hands in front of her chest and trembled violently.
"...I, I am...... Such...... What should I do......"
Her only desire was to save Mika.
And yet.
"Sorry... sorry...... Mika... Kistil-san... Nerisfeene-san......"
Cleiria's lips trembled, and she could not stop her body from shaking at the terrible consequences of her own actions......