The First Adventurer
"So."
The priests who had tasted defeat at the hands of sixteen-year-old Sisilia on Mount Liannen lost all will to fight. The sight of the Sword Master they'd thought unbeatable soaring into the sky from a single blow was too shocking.
In the end, they decided to withdraw without gaining anything. Up to that point, everything was perfect. It was just as Lydia had planned.
But...
'How did it come to this?' Lydia sighed and asked once more.
"You want to naturalize?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty! In all my years, I've never seen such a prosperous kingdom! Please, let me offer this body of mine to etch my name into history!"
'...What a liar.' Lydia narrowed her eyes faintly.
Cardinal Iham. She could sense his obvious ulterior motives.
'Is he seriously planning to start a fan club or something?'
Lydia glanced at Sisilia, who stood there with an utterly blank expression.
"Sisilia."
"Yes."
"I'd like to hear your advice."
In truth, Queen Lydia already had her answer. But she'd asked Sisilia purely out of curiosity.
"We need a cathedral."
Sisilia stated it resolutely. Lydia was surprised by the unexpectedly grand response.
"Why?"
"The battles ahead will be tough. With new beings arriving and war breaking out, the casualties will be beyond counting."
Sisilia's expression turned distant for a moment.
"We've managed with potions made by mages so far, but newbies can't afford expensive ones."
She clenched her fist.
"A cathedral offering free healing would be a huge help to the newbies— the beginners!"
Sisilia argued fiercely. Her words struck a chord in Erterion's heart.
'Sir Chiron. You've raised at least one good daughter.'
A heart that considered the weak. It was hard to find in a child who'd shown such tremendous achievements from a young age until now.
"But Sisilia. You know what building a cathedral means, right?"
"Yes."
"Tell me."
Lydia watched with amusement.
"Your Majesty has strictly forbidden religion. Reversing that overnight would cause massive confusion. People would be yelling 'Down with the Queen!' left and right."
"The solution?"
Queen Lydia's smile grew deeper, impossible to hide.
'The more I see, the smarter she gets.'
Sisilia's occasional flashes of brilliance were too sweet. Even now, she was casually voicing exactly what Lydia had pondered alone.
Lydia loved that about her.
'As expected, the perfect leader for the beings to be summoned from the other world this time—'
The queen's intuition pointed to three: Chiron, Sisilia, Edward.
Any of them would yield great results, she was sure. But factoring in the 'process' made it a tough choice.
Yet if Sisilia gave the exact answer Lydia expected here, she'd decide without hesitation.
In Queen Lydia's expectant gaze—
Sisilia recited flatly.
"That's for Your Majesty to figure out."
"......"
"......"
The audience chamber fell silent.
The cardinal was shocked that Sisilia could speak so boldly to the monarch, while Erterion was purely surprised by how right she was.
Lydia spoke in a wilted voice.
"......I accept Cardinal Iham's request. However, I forbid preaching doctrine. If you object, we won't accept your naturalization."
Sisilia nodded in satisfaction. Her attitude, as if she'd swapped places with her queen, made Lydia's chest tighten.
"D-does that mean no proselytizing?"
"Yep. Obviously. The Liannen Kingdom is my domain. Interpreting the goddess's will must follow my discretion."
In short: healing the injured only, nothing else allowed.
Cardinal Iham bowed deeper.
"Of course, we'll do that. But to build a cathedral and heal the wounded, I can't do it alone."
"I permit like-minded individuals to naturalize with you."
"......If I may be so bold, spreading the goddess's word is like breathing to a priest. I have no guarantee they'll obey my command."
As Queen Lydia's eyes grew colder—
Sisilia raised her hand with a bright smile.
Lydia eyed her suspiciously for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Kill all the men and bring only the women."
"......"
"......"
It was a method even Lydia wouldn't stoop to. And it was utterly unrelated.
The problem was Sisilia looked so innocently sincere, without a hint of deceit.
Male Cardinal Iham trembled and cried out.
"I will carry out Your Majesty's command no matter what!"
Indeed, flashing a blade convinced better than a hundred words. It spared needless debate.
Lydia smiled warmly at Sisilia.
"You've helped me again. You handled the mission perfectly, so ask for anything you want."
"Hand over the Windsor Knights' budget to me."
"......No."
Sisilia's world crumbled.
But only Sisilia's ambitions crumbled.
Including Cardinal Iham, sixty priests naturalized in the kingdom. Controversy abounded.
The main issue raised was that.
Sisilia stepped up here.
For some reason, she'd burned every female priest who ignored her words and only accepted those who didn't cause trouble. (Men weren't even given a ride.)
Thus, the sixty naturalized priests—all women except Iham.
But this wasn't just Sisilia indulging her whims.
Most low-ranking priests were women to begin with.
'For those soft newbies, no corrupt officials allowed.'
Distinguishing corrupt ones was simple: pick low-rankers from the start. Corruption needs power to commit.
Then select one high-rank priest to control them, and monitor just that one.
The high-rank priest was Iham, and his monitor was—
"Th-thank you. Truly."
Bishop Lumen of the secret cathedral.
The only one who'd witnessed Sisilia's 'true name reveal mode' with his own eyes.
"Finally, I can pray to the goddess openly. Sob. How can I repay this grace?"
Fear. And grace.
The perfect way to dominate a person.
But it needed a little kick.
Sisilia's silver eyes gleamed.
"Is the goddess statue still tilted at 45 degrees?"
"Y-yes."
"Look forward to the day your prayers turn her back to face front."
"......!"
That was the moment Bishop Lumen began to revere Sisilia.
'Gotta double-lick the first healer newbie.'
Sisilia wiped her mouth.
Freedom of job choice must be respected.
Of course, lifestyle newbies wouldn't escape Sword Princess Sisilia's gauntlet of justice.
But not everything went Sisilia's way.
Unexpected setbacks arose.
"You're late. Out."
"I strongly object. This is blatantly unfair—the goddess herself says so."
"......Don't lie."
Sisilia clasped her hands and closed her eyes.
Then, without hesitation, she looked at Edward.
"Just got landing clearance."
"Sisilia."
Normally, he'd back off here. Sisilia was impossible to reason with!
But Edward couldn't yield this time.
"What's your rank?"
"Vice-captain (provisional)."
"Don't be ridiculous."
Sisilia bit her lip hard.
'Playing the seniority card, sneaky.'
"......High knight."
"Right, High Knight Sisilia. I'm vice-captain. You gonna disobey a vice-captain's order? You tiny brain knows Windsor rules are absolute."
Edward smirked.
Sisilia mumbled and unleashed her ultimate move.
"I'm telling Dad."
"Talking like you don't have parents."
"!"
Chiron's Authority SSS lost to Lydia's Authority EX!
"Um."
Mari, watching from the guild counter, couldn't hide her pitying look.
"We're busy on opening day."
But the two still glared, growling at each other.
"First adventurer registration goes to Sisilia. It's in Liannen Kingdom Amendment Constitution Article 1!"
"Our kingdom has no such amendment constitution!"
"Then make one!"
Sisilia argued fiercely.
'I have to defend this no matter what. A guild card stamped NO. 001 is ultra-rare!'
No compromise here.
And Edward felt the same.
'It's for history. Can't back down.'
Edward had grown quite attached to this guild idea. He was convinced it'd play a huge role in Liannen Kingdom's future.
His name had to go down in history.
"I got here first anyway. Guild rules say cards issue in order. You gonna break the rules?"
"Why does royalty even need a guild card? This is blatant commoner oppression!"
"Talking like you're a commoner. You're nobility too, Sisilia. A duke's daughter even!"
"Ugh."
Cornered logically, Sisilia teared up.
Edward grabbed her arm in a panic.
"......I saw you rub herbs in your eyes."
"Y-you're writing scenarios now."
Pro gambler Sisilia panicked.
"Half-informal now? Getting bold?"
Of course, Edward stretched her cheeks in instant punishment.
"......"
Mari watched with dead fish eyes.
Edward turned to her.
"Receptionist. You saw the whole process. Decide whose card to make."
"Yes."
'Anyone not an idiot knows who's being unreasonable.'
But that moment—
Sisilia's cheek-stretched lips curled up slyly.
'I got played!'
As Edward tried to correct himself—
Mari pointed at Sisilia faster.
"Sisilia."
"......Collusion."
Edward never dreamed Mari was Sisilia's maid. Defeat.
Sisilia invoked winner's rights.
"Mortal."
"......"
"Trash."
And so—the glory of first adventurer registration went to Sisilia.
......Or so it seemed.
"Your Majesty, what's that?"
"Oh, this?"
"......A guild card?"
"Your Majesty."
"Cute, right? Sisilia's designs are the best. Maybe I should go adventuring sometime—"
Erterion trembled with rage.
"Please, Your Majesty. Act your age."