Chapter 11 - Interlocking Plans
Chapter 11 - Interlocking Plans
“Heavenly Demon! Look! It’s Vain Castle!”
The Saintess excitedly ran ahead as the castle came into view in the distance.
“…”
Why are you so happy about this?
At any rate, it had been quite the journey.
Two weeks and four days since crossing into this world.
Finally, the end was in sight.
The journey after leaving the Adventurer’s Guild’s northwestern branch had gone smoother than expected.
First, the brainwashed adventurers had been far more proactive in carrying out my “orders” than I had anticipated.
No matter where I went, local guards or Radain Church paladins would circle around me, watching for an opportunity—
“Hey, Radain Church boys. Didn’t we tell you not to cause trouble in our territory?”
—but every time, the adventurers would step in like thugs, picking fights and obstructing them.
Though whenever I approached the adventurers, they would flee in terror, looking utterly bewildered as to why they were doing this in the first place.
Second was the Saintess’s persistent advocacy.
Auriel stopped at every town’s postal office to send lengthy letters.
The recipient? The Radain Church’s central diocese. The contents? Detailed accounts of our journey and lengthy explanations of how “harmless” I was.
At first, I suspected she was secretly reporting my movements like a spy—but after seeing how she always ended her letters insisting they should “engage” with me, that misunderstanding cleared up.
Instead, I started getting worried.
She was the Saintess, yet here she was, tailing some mysterious figure who emerged from a demon-summoning circle, passionately defending him to her own Church with “He’s not a bad person!”
…Isn’t she going to get fired for this?
Not my problem, I guess.
Either way, thanks to her, even when Church forces managed to slip past the adventurers’ “escort” and get close to me, they had no choice but to retreat with awkward expressions upon confirming her presence.
So aside from minor incidents—like being ambushed by a pack of thirty Snow Wolves in the snowy plains or nomadic tribesmen riding up and demanding everything we had at swordpoint—there were no major conflicts along the way.
And now, we had arrived.
The last fortress standing between us and the western border of the Radain Holy Nation.
We passed the guards, who reluctantly stepped aside upon recognizing us, and entered the castle grounds.
“It’s hot.”
The further we got from the heart of the Radain Holy Nation, the milder the climate became. By the time we reached Vain, there was hardly any snow left.
Instead of pedestrians bundled in thick coats, hurrying along to escape the cold, merchants in light clothing strolled leisurely, chatting with companions while actively hawking their wares.
“Doesn’t feel like a Radain city.”
“Right? The closer you get to the border, the warmer it gets and the more trade there is with other regions. The solemn atmosphere unique to Radain gets diluted.”
“‘Solemn’ is just a nice way of saying ‘stifling.’”
Small villages were fine, but the larger cities with cathedrals all had this… certain vibe.
A religious nation combined with the rough temperament of northerners—the result was something hard to describe.
Imagine crusaders mixed with Vikings—that should give you the right idea.
“…Can’t you at least try to speak more politely?”
“The world should be polite to me first. And for the record, this is me showing maximum consideration and patience.”
“Well… you have improved since we first met. At least now we can have casual conversations.”
“You were the only one around to talk to.”
“There you go again.”
Honestly, my attitude toward her throughout this journey hadn’t been exactly commendable.
In my own way, I had tried to be curt, sarcastic, and dismissive—
Yet somehow, she never seemed offended. If anything, she sometimes looked proud.
Lost in thought, I watched the Saintess’s back as she hummed a tune and walked ahead with light steps.
If we really did leave the Radain Holy Nation without incident, I might have considered her persistent suggestion of “formal engagement” with the Church…
“But something tells me it won’t be that easy.”
Especially given my abysmal luck.
“Did you say something?”
“Just talking to myself.”
Following the Saintess’s lead, we entered a rather luxurious-looking inn.
“Welcome—oh! Saintess!”
The clerk at the counter recognized Auriel and rushed out in a fluster.
“Surprised you picked such a nice place.”
“The Church sent funds.”
“…”
“Don’t you think it’s time to let go of your suspicions? Nothing happened on the way here.”
“The moment an enemy extends a hand of peace is when you should be most wary.”
“Seems you still need more guidance…”
Turning the corner of the hallway toward our assigned rooms—
“…!”
—we found a woman I’d never seen before waiting for us in the corridor.
The first things that caught my eye were the tail swaying at her waist and the pair of perked-up cat ears atop her short red hair.
“Emily!”
“An acquaintance?”
“Yes. My bodyguard.”
“Bodyguard?”
I studied the beastkin woman again.
A tight leather jacket, hot pants, and a dagger at her waist—the typical outfit of an adventurer, specifically a rogue.
A far cry from the white robes or golden armor always worn by Radain Church personnel, regardless of rank.
“Haha! I’m an adventurer. I’m technically affiliated with the Radain Church to guard Auriel, but yeah.”
She answered before I could voice my suspicions, as if reading my mind.
“Nice to meet you. So… ‘Heavenly Demon’? I’m Emily, the Saintess’s personal guard.”
At first glance, her demeanor seemed carefree.
But her disciplined posture and well-trained physique suggested she was anything but lightweight.
She was undoubtedly stronger than any adventurer I’d encountered so far—probably even that A-rank Red Moth guy.
Keeping my guard up, I asked,
“So… what’s your business?”
“Heavenly Demon, wait a second!”
“Haha~ Relax. I’m not here to fight. What chance would I have alone against someone who took down the Saintess and paladins by himself?”
She handed me a scroll.
“A letter from Cardinal Birka of the Radain Church. The gist is simple: the Church acknowledges your existence, Heavenly Demon, and promises no further hostilities.”
“!”
The Saintess snatched the letter from my hands and unfurled it hastily.
“…It’s true. Even the Cardinal’s personal signature…”
She reread the letter several times, disbelief written all over her face.
“This is wonderful! Heavenly Demon!”
“…”
“We can’t just stand here forever. Why don’t we continue this in your room?”
Without waiting for my answer, Emily pushed open the door to my assigned room and slipped inside.
“That adventurer, Emily—?”
“He should have made contact with her by now, carrying the letter.”
Inside a tent in the woods about 3 km from Vain Castle, two figures conversed.
This was the command tent of the joint Heavenly Demon subjugation force, formed by three paladin orders under the Radain Church.
“But is it really necessary to camp this far from the castle?”
Inquisitor Erden, the force’s commander, fixed his subordinate with a silent glare.
“S-sorry! That was an unnecessary question!”
“That man possesses a unique ability to detect lifeforms. According to testimonies, its range exceeds even a mage’s detection spells.”
The inquisitor’s cold gaze, honed to pierce through evil, showed no mercy even to allies.
“Next time, familiarize yourself with the reports before speaking.”
“Understood!”
As the pale-faced subordinate hurried out, Erden mentally reviewed the operation.
The subjugation force was currently divided into four units.
One blocked the path from Vain Castle to the border, while the two units under his command surrounded the castle from the opposite side.
The moment the Heavenly Demon left the castle, they would pursue and encircle him from three directions.
There would be no repeat of the Hakram Cult cave incident.
150 paladins and four times as many regular soldiers had been mobilized.
Moreover, based on gathered intelligence, they had thoroughly prepared countermeasures for his unknown abilities.
The only variable was the Saintess.
She had consistently maintained a favorable stance toward the Heavenly Demon.
But a fourth unit stood ready to isolate her. If all went according to plan, there would be no issues.
“Purify evil with light. Save the corrupted with light…”
Quietly reciting his favorite passage from scripture, Erden steeled his resolve against the evil that had tainted the Saintess.
And high above the tent, unseen, a presence watched over them.
“At last… my chance has come!”
Vertus trembled with joy as he gazed down at the sacrifices willingly delivering themselves to him.