Journey to Heden (1)
"...N-nice to meet you, Priest-nim."
They exchanged awkward greetings and sat opposite each other on the sofa.
I never imagined that the temple's head priest would come looking for me.
It seemed I had garnered quite a bit of attention for defeating Roxanna.
"Thank you for making time to come. The reason I sought out Sister Rene is none other than the Fragments of Parma."
"...Is there a problem with those fragments?"
The two fragments Roxanna possessed had been handed over to the temple immediately through Daygan.
Could something have gone wrong with them?
"No, the fragments were all safely delivered. It's just that I felt we should no longer conceal secrets from Sister Rene, who has already faced danger twice."
A hidden secret.
It sounded as if the Fragments of Parma and the Azure Sky Order were connected.
"Please tell me."
As he said, I had every right to be involved in this mystery.
When I replied resolutely, Priest Remilios continued his story.
"The Fragments of Parma were originally a holy relic of our Order. More precisely, it was the Mirror of Parma. Wicked heretics stole that mirror, shattered it into many pieces, and injected it with dark magic. All for their own ambitions."
Now I understood the full story.
The reason why, despite bearing the sacred name 'Parma,' the aura it exuded was so unsettling.
It was because cultists had tainted the fragments with dark magic to suppress the relic's true nature.
Even though it was shattered into tiny pieces, a holy relic was still a holy relic.
If it hadn't been corrupted, it would have been incredibly difficult to handle.
"Are the wicked heretics you mentioned the Sephirot worshipers?"
"That's right. They are minions of the devil, craving forbidden knowledge. They are the kind of people who would sell the world if it meant satisfying their intellectual greed."
Priest Remilios shook his head as if utterly fed up.
Indeed, from the Order's perspective, they would be sworn enemies.
Come to think of it, Roxanna had introduced herself as the 17th Seeker.
Even she was such a powerful mage, so just how terrifying would the higher-ranking Seekers be?
If they could even steal a holy relic from the Azure Sky Order, their influence in the kingdom must be considerable.
"I will not make excuses. It is entirely the fault of our Order for losing the holy relic. I sincerely apologize for the harm you have suffered, Sister Rene."
Priest Remilios stood up and bowed deeply to me for a long time.
Indeed, I had faced death twice because of the Fragments of Parma.
Archibald and Roxanna.
If they hadn't underestimated me and let their guard down, I wouldn't be sitting here right now.
However, even that overconfidence was, in the end, a part of their capability.
Regardless, the one who ultimately survived and emerged victorious was me.
"It's alright. It's all in the past now."
"Thank you for your generous acceptance, Sister Rene. Even so, we cannot simply let it pass with mere words of apology."
He reached into his priestly robes, pulled out a luxurious silk pouch tied with silver thread, and placed it on the table.
I recognized it instantly. It was a pouch reeking of money.
"This is compensation for the Black Magic Book and two Fragments of Parma, as well as an apology payment from the Order. Please accept it."
"Thank you."
I reached for the pouch, maintaining a calm expression. Then, as I tucked it into my clothes, I discreetly checked its contents.
Roughly 20 Denar's worth of gold coins, I estimated.
True to a temple said to have more money than the king, it was an incredibly generous sum.
"And please accept this as well."
I respectfully received the item Priest Remilios handed me with both hands.
It was a necklace with dozens of small silver beads strung on a thin silver chain, adorned with an emblem featuring intersecting sun and lightning patterns.
This unique pattern was the symbol of the chief deity, Sol Lanus.
It seemed he had gifted me a rosario from the Azure Sky Order.
"Minions of the devil may approach you again, Sister Rene. If you face a Dark Mage or a monster, hold this rosario high to the sky and seek the chief deity's mercy. If you do so, the area will be filled with divine power, preventing any dark arts from being used."
Did he mean it would deploy a divine domain that suppresses dark magic and Magi?
More than that, "hold it high to the sky and seek the chief deity's mercy."
True to a religious person's gift, its usage was a bit vague.
Still, given his confident assurances, it seemed he had given me a truly remarkable item.
"Furthermore, if you ever find yourself involved with demon worshipers again, please visit our diocese or temple before the guild. We will support you in every way, both materially and spiritually."
I glanced at Daygan, who was standing nearby, and he nodded.
This must have already been discussed with the mercenary guild.
As of today, I had a direct line to the Azure Sky Order.
Although I was a pawn of the demons, there was no harm in forging ties with the Order.
"It's an honor."
"I, too, am delighted to have met such a devout person as yourself, Sister Rene. With this, all matters of delivery are concluded, but before we part, I would like to bestow a blessing upon you."
"A b-blessing, you say?"
I couldn't hide my bewilderment at the unexpected offer.
Could my body, imbued with demonic power, truly accept divine power?
It might cause a rejection reaction, or he might even realize the power of the Seven Deadly Sins residing within me.
"Yes. Though I am unworthy, I wish to be of help to you, Sister Rene."
"...Then I will gratefully accept."
I desperately wanted to refuse, but I had no good reason to.
Instead, it would only raise unnecessary suspicion as to why I was refusing.
Right. Even if something went wrong, I could just pass it off as an aftereffect of Roxanna's dark magic.
As I swallowed dryly and tensed up, Priest Remilios approached me.
He reverently made the sign of the cross, then gently placed his palm on the crown of my head.
"May Father Sky watch over you, and may the sun's radiance and the thunder's might fully protect you."
Brilliant golden divine power emanated from his hand.
That hot, tingling energy flowed down my head and spread throughout my entire body.
I had cowered, my neck drawn in, but it felt surprisingly normal.
A simply cozy and gentle feeling, I suppose.
"It is done."
The aura of light vanished, and Priest Remilios removed his hand from me.
I quickly checked his expression, and it was still serene, without the slightest change.
Fortunately, my worries seemed to have been groundless.
The temple's head priest held a position that wasn't extremely high, but certainly not low either.
Since I had avoided his suspicion, I no longer needed to worry about being exposed.
"Then I look forward to seeing you again. May peace be upon both of you under the sky."
Priest Remilios, having concluded his business, bid farewell and departed.
In the office, now left with just the two of us, I turned to Daygan with a tired expression.
"Phew. It's over."
"You didn't commit a crime, so why are you sweating so much?"
Daygan chuckled and handed me a glass of cold water.
I quenched my parched throat with it and replied, almost defensively.
"...Most priests are from noble families, you know. Priest Remilios-nim seems like a good person, but it's still a bit uncomfortable."
"Well, I agree with you there. It's the inherent sorrow of commoners."
I took another sip of water, then remembered something and opened the magic pouch at my waist.
From it, I took out a sack of goblin ears that hadn't been settled before.
"It seems you've swept another place clean. I'm tired of being surprised now."
"It looks like you've finally gotten used to it."
I immediately received the subjugation reward from him. It was about 50 Arshen's worth of silver coins.
Staying longer without reason would be a nuisance.
Just as I was about to get up, Daygan handed me a letter.
"Here. The Bluea Merchant Group sent this to you a while ago. They're quite influential, you know. Do you have some connection with them?"
I opened it immediately to find neat handwriting on luxurious stationery.
It was from Etiya, the manager of the Bluea Merchant Group, whose life I had saved before.
It was a personal letter she had written and sent to me herself.
"I once rescued a manager from their merchant group from bandits. She wants to repay me and also request a commission."
When I briefly summarized the contents, Daygan nodded.
"A manager from Bluea, you say. That's good. There's no harm in building connections."
"I suppose so, right?"
I gazed for a moment at the Bluea Merchant Group's emblem stamped on the paper.
It was a vivid blue, exuding luxury, as if made with dye ground from lapis lazuli.
That was proof of how wealthy the merchant group was.
To exact Rubyia's revenge, I had to confront the Chevika family.
They were one of the few ducal families in the kingdom, a great noble house with knights under their command.
Even though I had the favor of demons, I was still just an individual.
Meaning, my strength alone was insufficient to deal with them.
But what if I used Etiya as a starting point to make the entire Bluea Merchant Group my ally?
It might be a premature ambition, but if possible, it would be a great strength to me.
"Daygan. I'll be going now."
"Farewell. I wish you good fortune today as well."
I bid him farewell and immediately headed to the location written in the letter.
The Rivaid branch of the Bluea Merchant Group.
I entered the building, which occupied a large space in the commercial district.
"Rene-nim? You've come!"
Guided by an employee, I arrived at Etiya's private office.
As soon as she saw my face, she greeted me with a warm smile.
"Hello, Etiya. It's been three weeks since we last met."
I returned her greeting and sat down on a plush sofa with her.
Mary, the maid I had rescued along with Etiya during the Red-Nose bandit subjugation, served me black tea.
"Rene-nim. This is the proceeds from the sale of the spoils you requested, and a gratuity from me. I deeply thank you once again for saving us back then."
"Don't mention it. I'll gladly accept."
Etiya handed me the money pouch with utmost respect.
I had asked her to sell tin ingots and dried herbs for me.
In truth, those items wouldn't be worth much.
The real value was the price of Etiya's and Mary's lives.
I checked the amount and found gold and silver coins worth 10 Denar and 70 Arshen.
I had been handling so much money lately that, while generous, this amount was more than enough as a gratuity.
"...I know it's not enough. If you just give me time, I will continue to make regular offerings to Rene-nim—"
"No, no. You don't need to go that far. I'm satisfied just having a good relationship with you, Etiya."
Although Etiya was elegantly beautiful, she wasn't truly a noble.
Likewise, her position as manager was part of the executive staff, but not particularly high-ranking.
As a commoner merchant, she had done her best to repay me.
When I waved my hand, refusing, Etiya repeatedly bowed her head with touched eyes.
"Rene-nim, your heart is as vast as the ocean. I will never forget this kindness until the day I die."
Her gaze was resolute, like a knight swearing an oath to their lord.
Judging by her demeanor, it seemed she would jump into a death trap for me.
At this point, it was starting to feel a bit burdensome.
I gave a reluctant nod and quickly changed the subject.
"More importantly, shall we talk business? You mentioned you had a commission for me."
"Ah, that's right. I was wondering if you could accompany us as an escort on our trade journey to the city of Heden."
The trade city of Heden.
As far as I knew, it was a place that took more than ten days to reach, southwest of Rivaid.
In that case, it would be quite a long journey.
As I pondered for a moment, Etiya's voice, tinged with nervousness, reached my ears.
"I promise Rene-nim five times the usual reward. This trade journey is large-scale and quite dangerous, so I truly wish to have Rene-nim accompany us."
"...Quite dangerous, you say?"
Outside the city gates, all sorts of dangers lurked, such as bandits and monsters.
However, creatures bold enough to attack a caravan escorted by armed forces were rare.
"Actually, there's news of a monstrous beast appearing on the road to Heden. They say it's a wild boar corrupted by Magi, and with a body as large as a house, it smashes every passing carriage."
"Huh. That's a terrifying story."
A creature with the size and ferocity to smash carriages.
It certainly deserved to be called a monster.
It might even be stronger than a dire wolf.
Regardless, it was an interesting commission.
Since its notoriety would be widespread in the area, Heden must have put a bounty on it.
I wasn't sure if I could subjugate it, but it was a commission worth accepting, even just for maintaining my relationship with Etiya.
"I'll do it. When is the departure?"
"It's in one week! Thank you for accepting, Rene-nim!"
Seeing Etiya so brightly happy made me feel good too.
It was always gratifying to be of help to someone who needed me.
After parting ways with her, I focused solely on prostitution at the Grace of the Rose for a week.
I would be away for nearly three weeks, so I had to do as much as I could while I had the chance.
Thanks to that, the Lust points I had steadily accumulated were now close to 20,000.
Soon, it would be possible to evolve Lilith's Scent to Level 2.
However, I also felt a bit uneasy.
What if some bizarre and monstrous ability was added again?
I was done with useless charm pheromones or heat curses.
All I could do was hope that Lilith, the Lust Demon King, had some conscience.
* * *
The day of departure arrived swiftly.
After bidding farewell to Madam, Anethsa, Jenna, and even Lord Balkan, I left the establishment.
Heading straight to the assembly area near the city gates, I saw people moving busily.
It was indeed a large-scale trade journey.
There were six cargo wagons alone, and over twenty laborers.
Including the accompanying merchants and escorting soldiers, the entire party must have numbered at least fifty.
"Wait! Only load coffee beans there! Saffron and nutmeg go here!"
Etiya caught my eye, directing the laborers and giving instructions.
She seemed to be working hard since early morning.
Since she seemed busy, it would be better to greet her later.
Just then, other hired mercenaries were also gathering one after another.
As I looked around, wondering if there were any familiar faces.
My eyes met with a man whose face seemed somewhat familiar.
"Gasp...!"
The mercenary flinched as if he had seen a ghost the moment he saw me.
I stared at him with lukewarm, cold eyes.
How long was he going to be afraid of me?
I had been a little glad to see him, but that feeling completely vanished.
Still, I should acknowledge him.
I walked towards him to exchange greetings.