033. A Paladin's Regret
Fran, the paladin who trusted Rundel despite her regrets, recalled the conversation she'd had with Eden at their first meeting. She wanted to erase it completely from her mind, but it lingered, clear as ever. Back then, the two of them had been gazing at Neb while they talked.
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
"...Tell what?"
"That she looks a bit dimwitted?"
And to Eden's question, Fran had nodded without thinking.
"...Yeah, definitely."
The memory didn't end there. Fran remembered every conversation she'd had with them over the few days of traveling together. Most of them were memories of her disparaging Neb as an evil goddess.
Fran turned her head toward Neb. The sister of the Sun God, merely used by a demon through her name—even a sacred being who had descended to the mortal world and scolded the Sun God herself.
"......"
Her thoughts reached that point, and without hesitation, Fran slapped her own cheek.
Thwack!
Her plate gauntlet clanged against the visor, twisting it sideways. The already dented metal crumpled further. Despite the heavy impact, she didn't stop punishing herself.
Yes. This is my atonement.
It was the only thing Fran could do.
"What the hell are you doing all of a sudden...!"
Neb, watching from the side, was so startled that she tried to stop her—with considerable force.
"S-stop it!"
She looked around for someone to help restrain her, but the former priest, who had been listening along with Fran, had his hands clasped in prayer.
"Almighty Rundel, forgive this lowly mortal. Almighty Rundel, forgive this lowly mortal. Almighty Rundel, forgive this lowly mortal..."
He seemed lost in his own world as well. Eden just watched the scene peacefully, shaking his head.
"Don't just stand there gawking—help me stop her!"
It looked like it would take quite a while for them to calm down.
Contrary to expectations, there were no questions about Eden. One might think they'd question the barbarian who treated the Sun God's sister so casually.
"Who'd wanna talk to a barbarian who cleaved a demon in half with one axe swing?"
"......"
"...Y-you're joking, right? Stop it!"
Eden couldn't deny Neb's joke. He just stretched her cheeks like taffy.
Fran watched the familiar exchange from behind her visor and smiled faintly. The barbarian's insolent attitude toward a goddess didn't bother her at all—her heart felt serene. Or maybe she'd simply given up.
She cleared her throat softly to draw their attention and began.
"I'm heading to the capital to meet the archbishop."
"You mean the imperial capital?"
"Yes. There's the grand cathedral of the Sun God there, after all. That's where I set out from."
After answering Eden's question, Fran glanced at the church basement. Beyond the dented visor, the paladin's eyes held doubt and suspicion.
"That priest... um..."
"His name is Payron."
As the former priest Taim added, Fran nodded slowly and continued.
"Right. That fallen one named Payron said the church was built on a site where a demon had been from the very beginning. And so long ago that no one knows when."
Fran's voice trembled slightly. She seemed pained by the current situation, forced to suspect fellow believers.
"...And that's not the only suspicious thing. Even if a demon's influence reached it, it would have taken a long time for the goddess's name to be branded as an evil god."
She was suspecting corruption within the church itself. And from Eden's perspective as an outsider, her suspicions seemed justified. He'd already found it odd that a novice paladin like Fran had been entrusted alone with the vital mission of finding the relic of the evil god.
I don't know how long the Sun God has been slacking off...
But it hadn't been short, so the church's internal rot must run deep.
Neb, who had listened properly to Fran's explanation, seemed to have grown fond of her over time. She tugged gently at the hem of Fran's cloak.
"...Why don't you come with us later? Once Rundel learns the truth, it'll all be resolved in no time anyway."
Hearing Neb's earnest plea, Fran shifted awkwardly as if troubled, then knelt and looked up at her.
"I'm sorry. I can't do that. But I have to confirm it myself."
Just then, the emblem of Rundel engraved on Fran's armor gleamed in the sunlight. She was devout enough to slap her own cheeks in atonement, but ultimately, the one she devoted her faith to was Rundel.
Fran rose with firm resolve. Knowing she couldn't stop her, Neb quietly released the cloak.
"I was only trying to clear you of the stigma of being worshippers of an evil god, after all."
"I seem to remember you saying at first that if we didn't come with you to the church, you'd bash our heads in with your mace."
"Be quiet."
Like she had an on/off switch for her tone, Fran shot back curtly at Eden's unnecessary remark. Her deadpan response drew a chuckle from him.
They finally felt like a proper group.
"I'm leaving right now."
"Yes. There's no benefit in delaying."
Her voice carried unyielding determination. No matter how you looked at it, she was a true paladin—hardly suited to the (prostitute-like outfit-wearing) Sun God. Though she had her ditzy moments.
Fran bowed her head to Eden. She traced the holy symbol of the Sun God over her plate armor.
"I won't forget the virtue you showed in helping the villagers we encountered on our journey. In the name of Françoiss Le Muain, and in the name of the Sun God I serve."
Françoiss Le Muain. That was her full name. Eden's lips quirked up at hearing Fran's full name for the first time.
As she prayed in the god's name, a soft light enveloped the paladin's armor. Watching, Taim traced the holy symbol as well.
"...A miracle of the Sun God, said to be usable only by paladins. It's been a while since I've seen one in action."
The blood and dirt on Fran's armor vanished, leaving it pristine. Eden and Neb nearby felt the effect too—their bodies even felt refreshed.
No wonder it stayed so unusually clean.
They hadn't traveled just a day or two, after all. It made sense how she could move in full plate armor. Eden felt a twinge of guilt for thinking of her inwardly as a 'filthy one who doesn't even use the bathroom—etc.'
He slowly extended his fist toward Fran. She tilted her dented visor quizzically.
"Is this a Torgard barbarian greeting?"
"No."
Arguably, it was more Harlem-style. Fran stared at the silent Eden, then laughed in exasperation and bumped her fist lightly against his.
"Well then, see you later."
"Yeah."
Eden scratched his chin, watching Fran's retreating back. It wasn't like when he'd parted from that bald guy. He'd be lying if he said there was no regret at all, but he'd see her again someday anyway. If not, he could always head to the grand cathedral in the capital later.
Partings follow meetings—that much Eden knew well.
With Fran gone and the former priest off to clean up the church aftermath—demon corpses, cultist bodies, and all—Eden and Neb lingered by the open door, savoring the bittersweet moment.
Then Claire, duchess of the Ksaruna region, approached them.
"So, are the goodbyes done?"
"...Yes."
She'd waited at a distance until their conversation with the group ended. There was no need to tell Claire, who had inserted herself midway, the truth—unlike Fran and Taim, who had witnessed everything. Officially, it was just farewells among companions.
Even though it was blatantly obvious, Claire's expression showed no change. She feigned composure with natural grace. She'd seen Rundel's massive finger in the sky too, yet she asked Eden nothing.
She just stared piercingly with an enigmatic smile.
...She's intense.
Her innocent appearance hid a den of vipers.
"Any other business to attend to...?"
"None."
"Hehe, good thing we can leave right away."
Claire continued without taking her eyes off Eden.
"The journey's long, after all."
Plenty long enough to seduce a barbarian. Her eyes locked onto her prey like a serpent's.
The group was at the edge of imperial territory. Ksaruna was a long carriage ride away. Claire had brought only one carriage, and it wasn't large. More precisely, it was small enough for knees and shoulders to touch directly.
And who knew what history might unfold in such close quarters.
Claire was resolute. She couldn't let a barbarian who could single-handedly turn the tide of war slip away.
Absolutely not.
...And I really am grateful, to be honest.
Did he know? Ever since learning of the barbarian, shocking romance novels titled 'Barbarian and Noble' had started appearing in the young duchess's collection of favorites.
Surprisingly popular genre, too.
Anyway. Even with that fox-like girl stuck to the barbarian's side, Claire was confident.
...She might be just a tiny, very tiny, extremely tiny bit prettier than me.
But who was Claire? The duchess of Ksaruna, famed as a singular rose of beauty.
No match for a mere pretty country girl.
Finishing those thoughts in three seconds, Claire hid her smile behind her wide fan.
"Shall we depart, then?"
The journey already promised excitement.
But.
She'd overlooked one thing. Eden and Neb had woken in the dead of night to fight demons, so they naturally needed to catch up on sleep and food.
Zzz.
For Neb, it was sleep; for Eden, a taste of home cooking.
Claire eyed them with a mix of exasperation and irritation, all pretenses gone. She was almost snappish.
"...Hah."
Leaning on each other's shoulders, they showed no sign of waking. Even the jolting carriage didn't rouse them.
Her stomach churned. The cramped space meant the barbarian's knee kept brushing uselessly against her, annoying her enough to kick it unconsciously.
"......!!"
Now her leg hurt too.