Chapter 564: The Last Picnic
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 564: The Last Picnic
She saw no reason for pretense, nor did she have any intention of indulging in it. She went straight to the point.
Sinar blinked her striking green eyes. A breeze drifted past, brushing against her blonde hair, grasping and swaying the strands. The fluttering locks spread through the air like fine golden threads before softly settling back down.
People often spoke of her otherworldly beauty, but looking at her now, one couldn't help but wonder how such a face could even exist in this world. Even among elves, a visage like hers was a rarity.
No matter how comfortable a journey was, maintaining cleanliness was never easy, yet her skin remained completely flawless. While Encrid possessed a naturally clear complexion, her skin seemed to literally glow, reflecting the sunlight with a luminous sheen.
If Krang drew people's attention with his oratory and Encrid did so with his swordsmanship, Sinar possessed a beauty that could command the gaze of all, should she wish it.
She watched Encrid with a thoughtful expression for a moment before speaking. None of the three, including Audin, had stopped walking. Over the soft rustle of their footsteps, Sinar’s voice drifted in—a sound so melodic it felt like listening to a finely tuned instrument.
"My name is Sinar Kirhais. I am an elven knight, born and raised in an elven family. And yes, I wish to belong to your order."
Sinar did not speak of her limited lifespan, nor did she mention that she might eventually have to leave, or that the duty before her was heavy. Watching Encrid, she had learned something beyond how to see dreams and how to refuse to give up.
What was it that she had truly learned?
This man never jumped to conclusions about the future. Instead, he simply lived the present, the moment, and the day to its absolute fullest. Having learned that, Sinar chose to do the same. To enjoy today, the present, and the moment.
Because right now, she did not want to leave Encrid’s side.
"I don’t need to be the Vice-Commander. I am content with my current position."
She didn't even give him room to suggest she could leave if she wished. Sinar had stated her terms clearly. There was no reason for the order to reject her, and Encrid felt the same.
Sinar, the elf who loved to joke, had tried to save him even as her own body turned to dust. Encrid could never forget that day—the moment he was dying while activating Will, and the Sinar of that timeline.
Recalling that instant, Encrid nodded and made a silent vow. If there was ever something she desired and it was within his reach, he would repay her for every ounce of help she had given him, from that moment until now.
Having made that decision, something she said suddenly caught his attention. Had Sinar just said she was content with her current position?
"But what exactly is your current position?"
Had he appointed her to something other than Vice-Commander without realizing it?
"The Commander’s fiancée, and the mother of your future children. This much is enough."
The elf’s joke exploded without a single trace of laughter on her face. Beside them, Audin let out a small, involuntary chuckle. As the Commander, Encrid wanted to bark a reprimand at whoever dared to laugh, but he held back.
He, too, had let out a smirk.
"It is good to see you laugh."
A small smile graced the expressionless elf’s face. Sinar looked as though she could slay half the men on the continent just by slightly raising the corners of her lips. Of course, they would all die from that legendary plague known as lovesickness.
After Sinar, Encrid turned his question to Audin.
When asked what he wanted, Audin offered a brief prayer, calling upon the Lord Father, before turning his gaze to the distance.
"I wish to spread the teachings of the temple far and wide. I want to protect the unfortunate and deliver happiness amidst misfortune. I also wish to care for orphaned children. And, following the teachings of the Lord Father, I want to meet those who must be sent to the Father’s side. Well, how about it? Can’t all of this be done by staying by your side, Brother Commander? That must be why I am here. This, too, is God’s will. Above all, I believe that I am doing what I must do in my current position."
Hearing him rattle all that off, Audin might actually have been the most eloquent speaker in the unit—excluding Krais and himself, of course.
Come to think of it, Krais had also been accepted into the order. The superficial reason was that it would be easier to guard and protect him if he belonged to the order. Furthermore, his position would have been awkward if he weren't a member.
"Pleasure! Salons! Cities! Ladies! Gold coins!"
Krais had expressed his reason for staying in the order in just five words. Indeed, his dream was vivid and distinct.
Normally, an order of knights only accepted those who had proven themselves through martial might, but by that logic, Odd-Eye was a horse. He wasn't even human, yet he had been accepted. On top of that, they had accepted a witch.
It was perfectly fine to ignore common sense a little.
"Uh, right."
Encrid merely nodded.
Thus, with Krais included, they had become a bizarre order of knights, but it didn't matter since they hadn't formed this group to show off to anyone anyway.
Order of Madmen.
The name was truly fitting.
Encrid thought to himself as he continued walking. The three of them moved diligently, crossing open fields and climbing mountain paths. Ever since they had discussed their dreams, Audin had become quite talkative.
"When those who are overwhelmed or consumed by misfortune seek the Lord, He will be their strength. Just as you do, Brother."
It sounded remarkably similar to Encrid’s own vow to watch over their backs.
"Why did you follow me, then?"
When Encrid asked, Audin showed an awkward smile. Even putting aside his desires, there was no real reason for him to tag along. Was he trying to escape the prison of delusion, just like when he followed him to the capital before?
If so, he had expressed his desire to join them far too actively. Even now, his face showed he didn't want to talk about it. What other reason could there be for such an expression? He definitely had a reason for following.
Still, Encrid did not press him. What was the point of prying when the man clearly wanted to keep his thoughts to himself?
Walking north for two days was becoming tedious. Though they reviewed their battles, trained, and sparred, they hadn't seen a single monster or demonic beast. Even though a safe road hadn't been established in this area yet, it was strangely difficult to spot anything.
It was only natural that there were no bandits, as a kingdom-wide extermination order had been issued. Besides, rather than becoming bandits out of desperation, it was far better to risk one's life migrating to the Border Guard. Rumors had spread across Naurilia that no one would starve if they went to the Border Guard.
This was the work of Krais and the Gilpin Guild, which had now evolved into a proper information guild. After all, rumors only spread faster the more they were passed along.
That didn't mean criminal organizations had completely vanished. In every city, there were still brotherhoods of scoundrels. Among them, some pulled stunts similar to bandits while claiming a grand cause, while others doubled as information brokers. No matter how good life became, there would always be those who operated in the shadows. As long as humans existed, crime could not be entirely eliminated.
However, in Encrid’s eyes, there was a line that must never be crossed.
Crossing the line meant doing horrific things like kidnapping and dissecting people under the guise of researching spells, using them for drug experiments, or tying a child up in the forest as an offering to a god. He didn't care if they engaged in idolatry, but he could never understand such madness.
There were so many bastards doing unspeakable things, and if he ever ran into them, he would cut them all down. Extortionists who collected protection money were far better; those armed with madness or bizarre beliefs deserved nothing but death.
At any rate, perhaps bored by the lack of monsters, Audin finally revealed a part of his inner thoughts.
"Do you know what a Saintess actually is?"
"A symbol of divinity designated by the Holy Church."
"You are quite cynical, Brother."
"Am I wrong?"
Sinar chimed in. She, too, knew that the current Holy Church had its share of rot and decay.
"A Saintess is someone born with a truly special divinity. The same goes for a Saint. If it is a girl, she is revered as a Saintess; if a boy, a Saint."
Indeed, there were currently a few Saints and Saintesses within the Holy Church.
"Among the children I knew, there was one who was called a Saint."
It was a story that piqued their interest. Since they still had a few days' walk to the city and there were no monsters around, they were bored anyway. Audin quietly began to recount his past.
* * *
"My name is Fildin. What's yours?"
It was autumn back then, too.
Beneath a tree where countless brown leaves had fallen to form a plush cushion, a child sat. One didn't need to look twice to see the clear exhaustion on his face.
Audin had been visiting the monastery for the first time in a long while. It was a secluded spot, a place where Audin himself had prayed and wrestled with his thoughts alone since childhood. In that very space sat the child.
His dark brown hair looked almost black, and his eyes were a dull, muddy brown. Yes, those eyes looked incredibly lifeless. It made his exhaustion stand out even more, making him look like an old man worn down by the hardships of life. Perhaps that was why his informal speech didn't feel out of place.
Audin answered readily. "I am Audin Pumrei."
"Oh, are you from the monastery?"
"I used to stay here."
"A Martial Monk?"
He was referring to those commonly called monks. It was a natural question, as the monastery Audin had stayed at also trained martial artists. It was also a question that naturally came to mind upon seeing Audin’s physique.
"Yes, I was."
"But not anymore?"
"Currently, I work as an Inquisitor."
It was a short leave, and he had come to soothe his troubled mind.
"The ones who catch heretics? Ah, I see."
"And what do you do, Brother Fildin?"
"Me? I make medicine."
He was not an alchemist. Anyone could see that. There wasn't even a hint of such an aura about him.
"I spend all day in the basement making medicine. I feel like I’m going to die like this, but that’s how I live."
Fildin, that child, was a Saint belonging to the Temple of Abundance.
Abundance also symbolized the Mother Earth. When the God of Scales, who ruled over the sun and moon, split into two—dividing into Radiance, Holy Light, and the darkness of the underground—the God of Abundance, who formed the earth, accepted and embraced the underground. Such were the teachings of the scripture.
And since the God of Abundance was said to be the master of the fallen fruit that drops to the earth, they never neglected the duty of caring for orphans. Aside from that, eighty percent of the Divine Power potions supplied across the continent came from the Temple of Abundance.
While the Priests of War had no interest in making potions, claiming that spitting on a wound would heal it, the Priests of Abundance were different. They manufactured and supplied a vast quantity of potions.
As a side note, there was no actual teaching among the Apostles of the God of War to literally spit on wounds. Rather, their doctrine was to train until the body could heal itself. Wasn't the technique born from that philosophy the Regenerative Body?
"You do not look happy."
"Why would I be? It’s not fun at all."
As Fildin spoke, he conjured Holy Light at his fingertips. It was an astonishing sight. To manifest divinity and make it visible with such a simple gesture was remarkable.
"Mmh." Audin let out a low groan of surprise.
Just then, voices calling out "Lord Fildin! Lord Fildin!" echoed from behind.
"It seems you must return," Audin said.
"I don't want to be a Saint," the child replied.
There was a discordant air to his words, like music played on a broken instrument, but the Audin of that time did not pay it much mind. He, too, had once hated monastery life. It had felt suffocating. He was around thirteen or fourteen then. For reasons he didn't know, he had just wanted to run away. He didn't particularly dislike the temple or the teachings—in fact, he liked them—but he had simply felt that way.
Was Fildin going through the same thing? Even if he wasn't, what could Audin possibly do? Nothing. What right did a mere Inquisitor have to question the Holy Church?
At that time, Audin could not even wield divinity with ease. The child named Fildin wore white clothes made of fine fabric, his hair was neat, and though he looked tired, his body was well-fed. He looked a bit frail, so it would have been better if he lifted some rocks and trained, but that was also none of his business.
"Wouldn't it be better to just die?"
A child’s tantrum. Audin thought so. No, he chose to think of it that way. Because standing against the Holy Church was unimaginable to him back then.
Soon, those searching for Fildin arrived. They scolded the Saint with polite words, telling him he shouldn't leave his post and that he would get into trouble. Audin watched them from a distance, then turned away.
Their encounter was brief, but it was the spark that began Audin’s growing distrust of the Holy Church. Later, Audin heard news of the child.
"Saint Fildin has died. I heard he passed away while treating a plague."
A plague? Where? He had never heard such a rumor. Supposedly, a disease had broken out in some rural city, and Saint Fildin had sacrificed himself to eradicate it.
Audin had been on his way back from capturing a suspected heretic. Since he was in a period of deep anguish, questioning right and wrong, he visited the city Fildin had supposedly saved.
In that city, no one knew the name Fildin.
"A plague? Oh, well, a few people were sick, but they got better quickly."
That was it. Fildin’s story did not exist there.
Should he have questioned it? He should have. Did he regret it? He did. But the gloom that enveloped Audin at the time prevented him from taking action. Yet, a single doubt continuously tormented him, like a storm raging in the darkness.
"Why did you pretend not to know? You knew. You knew I was going to die. You knew I would be sucked dry of my holy power and wither away."
It was a nightmare he had dreamed hundreds of times. Fildin wept tears of blood, blaming Audin.
And now, Audin stared directly at the hallucination of Fildin, visible only to him, and spoke.
"I do not know if that child’s death was an accident or if there was another reason. But to me now, with my doubts having grown into a monster, the appearance of a Saintess does not feel like a coincidence at all."
Borrowing Audin’s phrasing, Encrid spoke. "So you think the Lord Father has given you a revelation?"
Audin replied with a faint smile. In his eyes, the illusion of Fildin was still visible. "Yes, indeed."
Audin wished to stay by Encrid’s side, but he had no intention of releasing his restriction.
"You abandoned me back then, and now you’re going to release the restriction?" Fildin’s illusion accused him.
Even if that weren't the case, he would not release the restriction. This was true even though he had set out with the resolve to give his life if it could be of even the slightest help. Unlike Encrid, who had set out with a light heart, Audin was dead serious.
For right now, Audin was facing his own flaws, mistakes, and sins. No matter how it ended, Audin would do what he believed in.
"Alright, let's go."
Encrid felt Audin’s resolve. So, what could he do for him?
Nothing. But if such a thing had truly happened, and if those blocking their path were indeed that kind of people, he would draw his sword regardless of who they were or where they belonged.
There was no need to summon his Will with all his might, nor did he need to raise his sword in his mind beforehand. No resolve was necessary. That was simply how Encrid had always faced the world. He was naturally this kind of person.
Audin knew this well, which was why he had stepped forward. If any trouble arose, Encrid would protect that child. And in the process, perhaps there would be a moment where he himself would have to step in.
When he had first arrived at the Border Guard, he couldn't even imagine stepping outside again. Yet, he had ventured out twice in the capital alone. Once to fight, and once to step out of the prison of delusion on his own.
Audin walked, fully savoring the scent of autumn that colored his surroundings. If this was to be his last picnic, he wanted to enjoy it to the absolute fullest.