Chapter 321
Chapter 321
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.68 – The Knight Practices Instead of Asking for Permission (2)
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The kingdom's people were perplexed.
No, perplexed yet inevitably awed.
The reason for their bewilderment was that overnight, such a massive statue had suddenly been erected right there.
And what left them in awe was the certainty that nowhere in the world could they find a statue so enormous and majestic.
"What in the world is that...?"
It was truly a beautiful and grand sculpture.
They couldn't help but grow curious despite themselves.
Who had created this statue, and with what thoughts had they made it?
It was natural for such curiosity to arise,
"Why does it feel so sad?"
because despite its grandeur and magnificence, an inexplicable sorrow emanated from it.
The emotions of the sculptor had seeped into their hearts.
...And the mastermind behind this colossal statue that everyone wondered about was
drip, drip-.
"Ah, I wanted to make it even bigger, but time was short. Seriously."
sprinkling wine at the base of the statue.
If people had seen this, they might have understood why they felt that faint melancholy.
After all, this was an act of commemorating someone's death, and they had built a 'tomb' to ensure that death was never forgotten.
...A tomb for someone who no longer even had remains.
As Lee Han sprinkled the wine, voices came from behind him.
"There, satisfied now?"
"Even a king's tomb couldn't be bigger than this!"
The top contributors to this endeavor.
Lark and Maximus—those two had worked hard too.
Of course they had. They'd compressed earth and sand with raw strength, then meticulously shaped the iron-hard results with spears. How could anyone say they hadn't suffered?
Well, he'd assembled the handmade blocks, welded them with sword beams, and polished them with rebound energy blasts, so he could confidently claim his share of the hardship.
But neither Lee Han nor they had any desire to boast.
"I haven't poured it all out yet. Want some? The guy who gave it said it's pretty fine wine."
"...I'll have just one glass."
"Northerners never refuse a drink!"
Because for them, there was no room for pride in commemorating someone's death.
The three knights thus shared their drinks.
It was the first grand feast for these three knights.
...The nun's remains had vanished.
It was as if they'd melted away like a mirage, and those who witnessed it said...
- The Lord of Light took her away.
- Just like with the previous Great Saintess...
Legend had it that the previous Great Saintess's remains had also disappeared before everyone's eyes.
Ascension. A human chosen by the gods ascending to the heavens.
It was an achievement worthy of history books, but...
- What, taking her without even turning on the blinkers?
For an acquaintance who witnessed it, it was nothing short of bewildering.
- You should at least let us hold a funeral, come on.
It wasn't that the Confucian light slumbering within him had awakened.
It was simply regret over her vanishing so futilely, and a profound emptiness as if everything had been an illusion.
She'd left without a single trace, leaving only the friend from his imagination, preserved solely in his memories.
So what he thought was,
- Hmm... Should I make a really big tomb?
To prove she wasn't just an imaginary friend in his memories, he decided to build a tomb.
A truly enormous one—like, say,
- As big as a pyramid.
Even pharaohs built massive stone tombs for themselves upon death. For a Great Saintess who appeared once every millennium—no, one who made monumental contributions stopping high demons and sealed Hell's Gate—she deserved at least as grand, if not grander.
Thus, Lee Han resolved to build the tomb.
If any minister or advisor had heard this, they would've freaked out.
Why dredge up something that should stay secret?
But if such an advisor stood before Lee Han, his answer would've been,
- It's my whim.
Doing what he wanted without seeking others' permission was the least wasteful thing.
Besides, it was faster to act first and beg forgiveness later than to ask permission, and Lee Han
- decided to practice instead of wasting time on permission!
However, doing it alone would've taken forever. So he found simpletons to join his self-satisfying act, pitched the idea to the two simpletons, and—
- Are you insane?
- Haha, if we did that, my big bro the Grand Duke wouldn't let me off easy.
- So, what's your answer?
- ...Hmm, a statue might be better than a stone tomb?
- Getting chewed out by big bro is daily life anyway! Hahaha!!
And so the team assembled.
Three people boasting functionality and strength surpassing modern heavy machinery.
Progress after that was swift.
First,
- What do you mean, make? No, what are you asking for?
Thanks to the gray-haired tycoon who 'generously' bought them a 'mountain of stone', they secured materials for the sculpture.
- Land, you say? I have some real estate... Yes? What are you building right now?
The black-haired reincarnator who 'generously' provided prime 'real estate' with a great view.
- Instructor! It's been too long! What I brought as a gift is... Yes? Help move a statue? ...Heavier than a pyramid? ......H-how do you even move that?
And they secured a mage chick with top-tier mana to somehow, diligently, perfectly transport the finished statue.
Thanks to them, work progressed smoothly, finishing in under half a month.
And now,
"People made this?"
"And only three of them...?"
"Wow..."
"My god......"
"Humans really can do anything if they set their minds to it."
"No no, don't get the wrong idea. Only those guys could pull that off. You'd die trying to copy them."
"......"
Acquaintances who couldn't hide their amazement, like people seeing a pyramid for the first time, came into view.
They were the ones who provided big and small help in placing the statue.
"Master...!"
"Ah, you worked hard. Must be tired from travel, and I dragged you into this. Hm, want a drink too?"
"N-no hardship. I just leveled the ground."
"Yeah, that's a ton of work."
Excluding them, if picking the top contributors to this plan, you could count about seven more.
Beyond the two boy tycoons providing resources and land, or the mage moving the structure, there were four others.
Perhaps the Sword Saint who handled the architectural design,
or the enslaved professor from the magic faculty who cast reinforcement spells for ten days straight without sleep (forced).
Or the head of the Hundred Ghosts who hid the statue's transport with spirit power,
but in Lee Han's eyes, equal top contributor was the blue-haired girl who, in their stead, controlled the workers to perfectly level the land without a millimeter of error and finish the construction.
'Managing people is hellish enough, but doing it flawlessly? That's next level.'
He knew from construction site experience.
Good groundwork alone keeps buildings standing for centuries, even millennia.
"Thanks. This stands because of you."
"No need. B-but Instructor, is this really okay? Problems will arise..."
"What, we're not building on private land without permission. The dark-skinned guy got all the permits, right? No issue!"
"I don't think that's the problem..."
The girl reminiscent of hydrangeas, Levy, smiled brightly.
From what she'd heard, her beloved master had gone through something big again.
He seemed to have suffered a lot.
So she understood his emotions in erecting this statue, and found it admirable.
...Even if
'He'll probably get yelled at big time later...'
Levy's guess was that the higher-ups hadn't wanted this revealed to the public.
At least for ten years?
They had zero intention of disclosing it until then.
'The kingdom's chaotic externally and internally.'
Economy or temple issues aside,
the key was...
'Their own gains.'
Some might say hero worship could unite the kingdom, but nobles would desperately block it.
'No noble wants the temple's authority revived.'
Temple collapse brought problems, but nobles had secured their profits.
Bashing the temple boosted public support; revealing the saintess's sacrifice would hit them like lightning from a clear sky.
Sure, the temple ignored her pleas for decades, but...
'That won't matter.'
Humans are easily swayed, brainwashed by skilled agitators.
Unity? Impossible.
Even if the masses united, it wouldn't mean political unity.
They'd just keep biting each other.
'That's the nature of the powerful.'
No matter the crisis or the kingdom's doom, humans crave power and greed unchecked.
Even his adoptive father and grandfather, mere nominal nobles, clung to power until penniless on the streets.
Thus...
"I infused our resolve deep into this with me, the spear guy, and the big lug. It'll withstand earthquakes, and no ordinary cannon can destroy it. So, how about [Indomitable Saintess Statue]? Not a bad name, right?"
"...Hehe."
Levy just found her master respectable and amazing.
He acted on pure gratitude alone.
And in a way that didn't break laws—
"...You're truly incredible, Master."
"Hm? Oh, the statue? Nah, you haven't seen real masterpieces yet. There's a 330-meter iron tower... Oh, not here."
"1,038 feet? Such an amazing structure exists?"
"......"
"Master?"
"...Converting to feet on purpose is a weird talent."
"Huh?"
"N-nothing..."
"??"
Thus, people gazed up at the structure they'd built for a long while, until soldiers arrived.
─It was a lively, joyful farewell rite, neither melancholic nor sorrowful.
"Wow! Mister, look at that! It's huge!"
"...Louise, can't you start calling me Daddy yet?"
"Huh?"
"...We have the same eyes and hair, so why won't you believe me...?"
"Um, it's still the suspicion phase. Santa said not to trust people too easily. Lots of face-changing scammers out there!"
"...He really drilled that into you thoroughly... Too thoroughly, uselessly."
"Hehe."
"I'm not praising Sir Santa..."
The border baron grumbled openly, hiding neither his sorrow nor his pondering of 'how to get her to call me Daddy?'
However, one secret the girl held: she already knew he was her 'daddy'.
But she couldn't call him that yet because...
'It's embarrassing.'
The word was still too awkward to say.
So, even feeling a bit sorry, Louise couldn't call him Daddy right now.
She just needed a little more time.
'Is this okay, Mommy?'
The child looked at the woman clinging tightly beside her.
The precious woman's spirit, felt so clearly since who-knows-when—from Louise's infancy to now, always watching over her.
And the woman smiled and nodded.
[Hehe...]
As if saying it was okay to tease him a bit longer.
Louise wore a mischievous smile like the woman's, then looked back at the statue.
And the child, her gaze reaching the statue's pinnacle...
"Ah!"
flailed both hands with all her might.
As if joyfully greeting someone.
"Hehe."
The child grinned innocently.
Because she who waved back with a kindly smile felt so very dear.