Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Holy Kingdom - 2
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I sat down in my seat.
And in front of Helen, who had just introduced herself, I gave a brief introduction of my own.
"Hunter Sian."
"Thank you for making time for me, Sian."
"Skip the pleasantries. Let's get to the point. Why did you come looking for me?"
"There was an oracle from Hestia."
"Hestia?"
"Yes. Didn't you personally pray to Hestia?"
"......"
Right. I had prayed to her.
Asking her to protect my family.
Thanks to her miracle, I was actually able to save Elin.
So deep down, I was grateful to her. But to stab me in the back like this?
"I never imagined you'd leak a devotee's personal information like that. I thought you worshipped the goddess of love and family. Color me disappointed."
"If I've caused you any discomfort, I apologize on behalf of the goddess's servant."
Even though we were meeting for the first time today, Helen was incredibly kind to me.
Even when I deliberately threw around the name of the goddess she served.
"What's your angle?"
Unable to hold back, I asked, and Helen gave me a benevolent smile.
"No angle. I simply wish for you to protect your own family, and extend that protection to the families of the weak."
"I don't like beating around the bush. Be straight with me."
"Hestia has named you the hero to end this endless winter."
"Hah?"
I was floored by this absurd fantasy-style forced conscription.
"What's the difference between that and nobles drafting peasants into their selfish wars?"
"We'll provide proper compensation."
"It's not about compensation. You show up out of nowhere talking about oracles and ordering me to do some weird task—who'd just go along with that?"
"I understand it's sudden. But no one else can accomplish this but you, Sian."
"You sure? There aren't any skilled people on this vast continent besides me?"
"There aren't. Hestia named you for a specific reason."
This is insane.
Conversation's running parallel lines because of this damn religious nut.
"Whatever. I'm not following your oracle, so get out of this village."
"I can't do that. It's just a harsh winter now, but who knows what disaster might strike later."
"Not my problem."
"If you don't help, there'll be massive casualties. Including your own family."
"Hey."
Furious at her low blow, I drew Robera and pointed it at Helen's neck.
"You think threatening me like that will make me bow my head and obey?"
"It's not a threat—it's a fact. This place, so close to the north, could be engulfed in disaster at any moment."
Part of me wanted to slice her throat, but she stood firm against my killing intent, speaking confidently. She didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, and at the same time, I sensed the current situation was dire.
"Sigh... Fine. You win."
"Thank you for understanding."
"Save the thanks. Explain the situation."
"Then, to help you understand, let me show you this."
Gauging my mood, Helen pulled something like parchment from her bosom and tore it in front of everyone. Miraculously, an image appeared.
Is this magic?
Some kind of scroll?
"A troll inhabiting the snow mountains has broken the seal on a relic of one of the Forgotten Gods, 'The Walker of the Deepest Depths.' The aftermath has brought endless winter from the north all the way to the south."
"Forgotten Gods?"
"Outer gods defeated by the Twelve Gods in their final war."
"Are there a lot of these relics?"
"Not really. Most have been recovered and resealed by our Holy Kingdom. However, lands beyond our influence haven't been fully cleared."
"And the northern snow mountains are a prime example?"
"Exactly."
Helen explained kindly, but I wasn't warming up to her friendliness.
"So, I just go into the snow mountains and kill the troll?"
"It's not that simple. If the seal on the relic is broken, it must be resealed."
"How?"
"We need [Burning Ice], the artifact of Oronak—the indigenous god once worshipped by the northern tribes who drove back 'The Walker of the Deepest Depths.'"
"So northern tribes' help is essential, then?"
"Yes. Hestia's oracle revealed that you can gain the northern tribes' aid, hunt the troll in question, and reseal the relic."
No, if you know the solution, why not do it yourselves?
Why drag an innocent guy like me into this?
'Hold on.'
Thinking it over again, the oracle's contents made a certain degree of sense.
For starters, Vivian—who'd come here from the north bypassing the snow mountains—was right by my side, and Sylvia could interpret for the northern tribes. With their help, we could secure the tribes' cooperation.
And I'm a hunter.
With proper preparation, taking down one troll was doable.
If Hestia had grasped that much, her oracle wasn't entirely wrong.
But there was one major obstacle.
"The snow mountains' cold is harsher than you imagine. It's not a place to casually talk about hunting."
Whether due to the god's relic Helen mentioned, the temperatures there defied imagination. Even northerners like Vivian said you could freeze to death.
"No need to worry about that. I'll handle it with Hestia's miracle."
"Miracle?"
"The same category as the family protection miracle and contraception miracle you received from Hestia."
"Ah, uh... I see."
At the mention of the contraception miracle, Clara next to me gave me a lingering look.
Damn Hestia. Respect your devotees' privacy.
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat to change the subject and asked Helen another question.
"Ahem. So, what'll you reward me with if I complete the oracle?"
"From the Holy Kingdom: ten platinum coins, a baronetcy, and a national treasure."
Her words left my jaw on the floor, but I barely held it together.
Platinum coins.
Each worth a hundred gold—ten of them? With three gold being a farmer's yearly income, it was an astronomical sum.
'I don't know about the national treasure, but probably something on Robera's level.'
But one thing bothered me.
"You're giving me a title?"
"Yes."
"Is that even possible? This is Empire Astiren territory. I'm a free citizen, but an Astiren subject. The domineering Empire won't recognize a foreign title."
"It seems you don't know much about our Holy Kingdom, Sian."
"Not really interested in other countries."
"It's not another country. By pact with the founding emperor, the Holy Kingdom is the only nation recognized by Empire Astiren, and our leader the Pope is a direct descendant of the founding emperor."
"???"
"In other words, the Holy Kingdom's will is the imperial family's will. We twelve apostles act on the Pope's behalf, representing the imperial choice."
"......"
I figured she was high up, but higher than I thought. Spine-chillingly so.
Any sane person would start treading carefully from here, but ironically, I wasn't quite sane.
"If you're that important, why not handle it yourselves? Why hassle an innocent guy?"
"I apologize. But the world is more chaotic than you realize, Sian. We can't pour all our resources into one disaster."
Helen bowed her head at my lashing. Their situation must be worse than I thought, relying on a guy like me.
'The initiative's mine.'
In the current circumstances, I couldn't rashly refuse their request.
Not just because she wasn't some pushover I could defy to her face, but because—as she said—Lugeron Village wasn't truly safe either.
"Sigh... No helping it. For my family's sake, I'll follow the oracle."
"Thank you for your decision, Sian."
Taking the family and fleeing was an option, but with the weird climate and Chloe heavily pregnant, going far away was burdensome.
Better to ally with the group solving the problem at hand.
Plus, I'd secured the rewards. Best-case scenario for me.
'With that much power, they won't screw me over after it's done.'
That said, I wasn't settling for just what's offered.
"I'll take one thing upfront."
"Upfront? What do you desire?"
"Training."
"Training?"
"Yeah. I want to learn about aura from your knight captain."
"You haven't mastered aura yet, Sian?"
"Yeah. What's the problem?"
"Nothing. Just surprising. To receive the goddess's choice without mastering aura... Perhaps you're even more special than I thought."
"Whatever. Can you make it happen?"
"Yes. But we can only give you three days. Delaying longer is risky."
"That'll do."
I've always been good at learning things, even in my past life.
Depends on the teacher's skill, of course, but stealing knowledge from an expert is easy.
Dad didn't call me a genius for nothing.
So I'd been excited to learn aura from that female knight I'd seen earlier.
"It seems the hero has a constitution that makes mastering aura impossible."
"???"
No, what the fuck?!