Bravado

Diocesan Bishop.

In my past life, I'd had zero interest. Here, I only knew it as a title sometimes attached to the head of a temple when a major religion's grand temple was located in a large city. I was grateful for getting a second life, but that alone didn't give me any particular calling toward religion. I just lived every day grateful, that's about it.

But by the same token, I did know they were only in 'large cities.' And while Ogwen was certainly developing the character of a city, it was still a place with flaws that kept it from being called a large city.

Even the number of clergy had drastically increased. The clergy of the Holy Light Cross Order were mostly combatants as well, so they were generally in good shape, and on top of that, I saw several times more of them bustling about in basic armor than usual. The atmosphere felt less like they were protecting a saintess and more like they were about to launch an intense purge operation at any moment.

Sniffing out the familiar scent of an incident from that unusual sight, I arrived at the reception room, which, like the current temple, was completely different from my memory.

"A brother came just a moment ago and delivered the news, anyway. I'm glad you returned safely, Eldmia."

Except for the chair and desk where Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena sat and the simple cot placed behind them, the room was completely packed with bookshelves, documents, and piles of paperwork. It was organized as neatly as possible, but the sheer volume was anything but small, and thanks to that, I had no trouble inferring her current state.

"...You look busy and tired, Diocesan Bishop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hiseyena."

"Mm, that's a title I'm not at all used to."

At my single sentence offered in lieu of a greeting, Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena, clearly showing signs of fatigue, smiled gently from behind her glasses.

"I am indeed tired, but hearing that you completed your request and returned safely gives me a little energy. Did you deal with the demon?"

"It won't even dare to think about crossing over to this side ever again."

I pulled the demon byproduct from inside my coat and placed it on the desk. Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena began examining it carefully. Even though it was only the remains of a dead creature, someone devoted to religion might reasonably have found it unpleasant, yet she inspected it piece by piece with an utterly calm and composed expression. After scrutinizing it for a long while as though she were examining not just the surface but the inside as well, Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena slowly opened her mouth.

"Eldmia. Do you know the conditions under which a demon leaves a byproduct?"

"No. I've only heard a hypothesis that it might occur during the process of hastily constructing a body."

"Seeing that you're aware of a theory that's only recently been presented in those academic circles, you must have a connection to a theoretical mage."

Hm. She runs her own library and pours effort into research, so I guess I could call her a theoretical mage. Still, since it wasn't exactly accurate, I maintained an appropriate silence. Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena placed the demon byproduct on the table and continued.

"That hypothesis is roughly correct. However, there is one more condition."

"...A condition?"

"When the demon wishes to quickly escape its situation through death. In the end, the story goes that whether the demon is incarnating or wishing to die, if it hurries, a byproduct corresponding to the power that demon held is left behind."

Looking at her answer with such absolute certainty, I couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Mages are researching this stuff, and it's still just a hypothesis, yet she confirms it outright? Isn't this an order secret?

"Heh heh. Your expression changes moment by moment."

"If I'd just heard something I wasn't supposed to, I'd normally have a hard time keeping a straight face."

"For something like that, you look utterly annoyed at the world."

"There's no reason to be immediately terrified as if the world is going to end just because I heard classified order information."

Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena smiled broadly and abruptly changed the subject.

"A byproduct of this size would sell for an incredibly high price. You didn't necessarily have to bring it back as proof of the demon's extermination. You could have just requested a certificate of sale from a reputable trading company or the Magic Library and brought that. Why go out of your way?"

"Well, it's not that the thought didn't cross my mind. I even had an opportunity to get a high price in Englem, so I was tempted."

"And yet you deliberately brought it."

"I was simply aiming to make absolutely sure the request was completed rather than chasing personal gain. I don't like getting caught on some dubious technicality for no reason."

"...Right. You were always the one doing the nitpicking, never the one being nitpicked, weren't you."

Damn. Guess it's because we go back to the days when this was a small town; she remembers all sorts of things. While I stood there dumbly without finding anything particular to say, Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena pushed the demon byproduct toward me and spoke.

"I suppose my honest impression is that it's astonishing. The demon byproducts reported to the order are smaller than this. Significantly smaller."

"Looks like I was lucky."

"The size of the byproduct is ultimately gauged by how much Magic Power the demon held in its body, so being unlucky would be more correct. Even from our side, if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the force sent hadn't been holy knights but holy warriors, massive casualties would have been a certainty, given that level."

For a moment, I had the illusion that her eyes, previously filled only with a gentle smile, flashed sharply.

"Describing that as luck must mean you had no great difficulty in the fight. It's practically unbelievable as the martial prowess of a fifteen-year-old boy."

"I had plenty of companions."

"...Hm. And the tools we gave you?"

"......Ah."

Fuck.

I'd forgotten.

For the first time in a while, the thousand and one Eldmias in my head started running wild, screaming that I was fucked. Only now did I realize I'd been so blinded by rage while fighting that demon bastard that I'd completely forgotten about it. I was sure I'd carefully tucked it away somewhere in Asilie's luggage.

If I'd known the demon was this highly rated, I should have at least used that holy grenade-like tool once, or at least pretended to!

"Well..."

Even so, with the byproduct, proof that the demon was reasonably powerful, right here, saying something like 'The bastard was so weak I didn't need to use them' now would only invite needless suspicion.

"I forgot..."

"Don't tell me you're saying you had so much leeway against a demon this powerful that you completely forgot about the anti-Archdemon armament we provided? After asking for and receiving it personally yourself?"

Fuuuuuuck.

"No. If anything, I was too hard-pressed to..."

"And yet up to now, you've consistently acted as though it was nothing serious, while sounding completely certain it'd never manifest again."

"...Isn't it the way of things that the pain of the past blurs and gets embellished over time? Including a bit of that nasty bravado unique to adventurers."

Naturally, Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena wore a doubtful expression, pressed the bridge of her nose with her right index and middle finger, and began looking at me. I had to break out in a cold sweat.

Should I come clean about the Magic Power here? Should I say I took its head off with Magic Power, found it piss-easy, beat the bastard like a dog, and then killed it? While I kept racking my brain without coming up with a decent solution, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena gave a peculiar smile and spoke first.

"Well, I'll consider it a trade secret."

Then she straightened her back and lightly tossed the demon byproduct to me like a game of catch.

"You've been unusual from an early age, so I don't think it's strange for you to have one or two hidden trump cards. As someone serving the order, I'd like to know for the sake of training the next generation... but for some reason, I get the feeling hearing it'd do me no good."

As I internally sighed in relief and fumblingly put the byproduct away, Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena adjusted her glasses and continued.

"In exchange, I'd like you to take on one more request."

"...That's an unfair trade."

"I mean 'I'd like you to take it' literally. Whether you accept it or not is your choice, but I'd prefer you took it if possible. It was originally something I was going to ask of the Empire's Hero, but I was refused."

"Siegfried refused you?"

When I reacted reflexively to the sudden mention of that Zeke bastard, Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena's eyes glinted again. Oh shit, fuck. My mouth had no filter.

"...Now that I think of it, there were rumors going around."

"Whatever rumors you heard, every last one of them is bullshit."

"The rumor was that the attendant who accompanied the Margrave of Levien to the Empire defeated the Hero in a sparring match. Then, after returning, that attendant was so enraged by the false accusation against the Margrave that he beheaded Envelde, who was plotting treason, right in his mansion."

"Wow, that sounds like something out of a novel kids would read."

"I heard it became such a major incident that, after the attendant was detained for those actions, a White Star personally paid a visit—apparently because the trip to the Empire had established such a successful friendly relationship. People even call you the Guillotine of Levien and say ten heads fall the moment you draw your sword."

"Haha. As expected of silly rumors, it's utterly absurd. Where in the world would you find such a guy?"

"I never said it was a man."

Still spouting transparent excuses, I finally squeezed my eyes shut and slapped my forehead. What the hell was wrong with me today? I slipped up once and just kept doing it. Duke Lesrom was one thing, but was some Confucian dragon sleeping inside me forcing me to respect my elders and ruining my whole act every time?

"So there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one. 'Such a guy.'"

"Haah... I'm miserable, so just tell me your business, please. For reference, that last one is really bullshit."

"Good heavens. Does that mean everything except the last one is true? I naturally assumed most of them were false rumors?"

Diocesan Bishop Hiseyena's genuinely surprised reaction made me want to cry for no reason.

I let it slip. I let it slip. I'd better wrap this up quickly and get some rest today.