Come, Hero! Let's Wander the City!
“Hero-nim! We’re here! You can stop sleeping now!”
“Ugh... huh?...”
“We’ve arrived! Really, how deeply were you sleeping?”
Chloe shook me awake, her urging impossible to ignore. When I finally rose, the Saint spoke to me.
“Calling my name like that in your sleep~♡ Were you dreaming about me so much?”
“...Me?”
“Saint! When did the Hero ever do that!”
“It’s a joke~♡”
...I was supposed to think it was real.
“We’ve arrived?”
“We’ll be in Athens soon. Are you going to step out of the carriage and let everyone see you looking a mess~? You’re the Hero, after all♡”
“...I’ll clean up.”
We had just finished helping rebuild a neutral-zone village, and the moment we reached the border we boarded the carriage. Thanks to the well-developed roads of the Minerva Kingdom, as the Saint had said, we could travel at a blistering pace in the wagon.
We arrived within a day of climbing aboard. I would have loved to sleep longer, though.
As I ruffled my hair with my hands, Chloe suddenly reached out. Instinctively I flinched backward, but she tilted her head with a sleepy look and said,
“Stay still. I’ll fix it. You’re a complete mess right now.”
“...Okay.”
Touching Chloe felt a little uncomfortable. She was coming on strong, and every time she did something like that, the Saint shot me a jealous glare.
...Why don’t you just say you’re annoyed if that’s the problem?
Chloe gently ruffled my hair with soft fingers. When those fingers brushed my scalp, I felt a strange shiver run down my spine.
“All done, Hero-nim!”
“Ah, thank you.”
It wasn’t long before the carriage stopped at a relay station. We had reached Athens. As I stepped down, the Saint told me,
“We’re heading straight to the temple right now. I’ll handle everything inside alone, so wait nearby with Chloe.”
She didn’t even ask anymore. Navigation had definitely upgraded.
“We’ll check out some restaurants nearby.”
“Yes, please do. I’ll give you some money, so eat whatever you want.”
“Oh.”
Cheating day! Cheating day! I had to order every delicious thing.
The Saint handed me a heavy pouch. Was she giving too much?
“Just in case something happens, keep it on you. I’m not saying you should spend all of it, okay?”
“I’m not a kid... I know that much.”
“You’re always such a child, Hero-nim, it worries me~♡”
...When am I ever a child?
Chloe beside me spoke to the Saint.
“Don’t worry, Saint-nim. I’ll take good care of the Hero-nim.”
“Please do. And make sure he doesn’t wander off somewhere weird.”
“Yes, of course.”
Chloe sounded like she was agreeing with the Saint even as she said it.
...This is ridiculous.
#
“Wow.”
“Make sure you don’t get lost, Hero-nim~♡”
“I won’t.”
“Hero-nim, will you hold my hand?”
...That’s a bit much, Chloe.
Athens was far larger than either Thracian or Lancaster City. The streets bustled with far more people and buildings. Why was the capital of a kingdom bigger than the imperial capital?
“Athens seems more developed than Thracian,” I said.
Chloe explained what I asked.
“That’s right. The Minerva Kingdom has stronger national power than the Mars Empire. When a country is powerful, its capital naturally develops faster too.”
“Ah, I see.”
Then why does the Empire call itself an empire?
“Why is this place a kingdom, though? It’s stronger than the Empire—why not call itself an empire?”
“It’s still weaker than the neighboring Vesta Kingdom. The Minerva Kingdom’s power isn’t strong enough to claim empire status.”
“Is that so? Then how did the Mars Empire become an empire? Its power is weak.”
“The Mars Empire’s power is declining now, but back in the day it was the most powerful nation on the continent. Overwhelmingly so.”
Ah... this was a nation that had once been at its peak. Hearing my own motherland called a declining country made me a little sad.
“Then the capital of Vesta Kingdom should be even bigger than this one, right?”
“No, it’s not. The capitals of the two kingdoms are about the same size. Vesta has one additional major city beyond the capital.”
“I see.”
Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States, but New York is the largest city. Maybe Vesta Kingdom is similar.
I kept questioning Chloe about the Minerva Kingdom and Athens as we walked to the Solaria Church temple. Chloe seemed genuinely happy explaining everything to me.
She must have felt like she was coming home. After all, she had spent so long turned into a monster she hadn’t even set foot in her homeland.
“How do you feel now that you’re back, Chloe?”
“...Um, honestly, I can’t really wrap my head around it... I still can’t fully feel that I was a monster.”
“Ah, I see.”
“When I was a monster, I lost my memories of being human. So it feels more like a short trip and I’m back.”
That made sense. After all, when she was a monster she had lost her memories of humanity, so she probably hadn’t missed her homeland back then.
“You two are just chatting happily while I’m completely ignored.”
The Saint’s voice was quietly cold when she said that.
...Was she jealous?
“It’s not like that. It’s just that Chloe is a local here. So...”
“Yes, I understand.”
...She really was jealous. But the moment I tried to talk to her she would be all cold again.
Still, I thought I should calm her down and spoke anyway.
“Saint-nim, have you visited the Minerva Kingdom often?”
“I’ve been to the country itself many times, but this is only the third time I’ve visited Athens.”
“I see. Even though the church branch is here, you don’t come often.”
“I usually stay at the Papal Palace.”
The Papal Palace? That must be the headquarters of the Solaria Church.
“Where is the Papal Palace located?”
“In the Apollo Kingdom.”
Where was that again? When I looked confused, Chloe beside me explained.
“It’s a country north of Vesta Kingdom. It’s famous as the closest nation to the sun.”
“Huh?”
The sun doesn’t rise there first. What does “closest to the sun” even mean?
I was still pondering the meaning when the Saint gave me a wink and said,
“Pufu♡, Hero-nim looks like a monkey trying to figure out when it should eat a banana♡”
A monkey... still, she was far more human-looking than a goblin. She was evolving.
No matter how long I thought, I still couldn’t understand what she meant. So I asked Chloe.
“What does ‘closest to the sun’ mean?”
“The highest mountain in the Gaia Continent we’re on is in the Apollo Kingdom. Most of the Empire’s territory is also highland.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
She was using a literary metaphor. Saying “closest to the sun” sounded impressive. Cool.
“So the Papal Palace is in the Apollo Kingdom, then.”
“Correct. The Apollo Kingdom’s national religion is also the Solaria Church, after all.”
“I see.”
The name Apollo also came from Apollo, the god of the sun. This country had a lot of connections to the sun.
“We’re here.”
“...This is the Athens temple?”
It was enormous. It felt even bigger than the Lancaster temple I had seen last time.
“It’s huge.”
“The Athens branch is the largest among the church branches. Since it’s located in the capital, it also manages the entire archdiocese.”
“I see.”
“I’ll be gone for a while, so wait nearby with Chloe. It might take two or three hours.”
“Okay.”
The Saint turned to Chloe and said,
“Don’t sneak out while I’m gone.”
“Ah, I won’t!”
...What was that about sneaking out?
“I’ll be back soon. Just don’t become a lost child because I’m not here, Hero-nim♡”
“...That won’t happen.”
As the Saint left, I glanced sideways at Chloe. It had been a while since we were alone like this—especially after she had gotten so boldly aggressive lately. Was I about to step into a crime scene?
I needed to do something fast. I decided to try suggesting something first.
“Chloe, your stomach must be empty. Let’s go to a restaurant and—”
“Hero-nim! I want to wander the city!”
But Chloe cut me off and jumped in. Suddenly being told to wander the city made me a little flustered, so I asked,
“...The city?”
“Yes. It’s been so long since I’ve returned home. I wanted to see how the streets have changed and what trends are new... that’s why—”
...If I said no like that, I couldn’t refuse.
“...What about lunch?”
“We’ll eat street food while we walk!”
“...Alright.”
Yeah. After turning into a monster for so long, I couldn’t have had fun like a normal person anyway. I just needed to be careful.
“Then I’ll get in your way for a bit!”
“Huh?”
Chloe quietly stepped closer and suddenly wrapped both arms around mine.
“What are you doing!?”
“Why? We’re on a date, aren’t we? You should allow at least this much, right?”
Don’t turn me into a criminal!
“No.”
“You’re so cold.”
“What does cold have to do with it...”
Chloe puffed her cheeks and released my arms. Still, she didn’t stop standing right next to me, keeping us almost touching as we walked down the street.
...Saying that would probably make her sulk.
“What should we do first?”
“Let’s just walk around! We’ll look at the shops and eat street snacks!”
“...Sure.”
It didn’t sound bad.
#
At the exact moment Abel and Chloe decided to explore the city, Estelle entered the temple and headed toward the residence of the Cardinal in charge of the Fourth Archdiocese, which included Athens.
When Estelle stepped into the office, a man who looked younger than Cardinal Antonio rose from his chair the moment he saw her.
“It’s been a while, Cardinal Yohan.”
“I am Yohan, loyal believer of the Goddess, greeting the Saint at this time.”
He took the cross hanging from his neck and bowed his head respectfully. This man was Cardinal Yohan, who oversaw the Fourth Archdiocese of the Solaria Church.
Estelle asked him about the favor Cardinal Antonio had requested.
“Did you find anything?”
“About the Mutation Stone smuggling route, as requested by Cardinal Antonio.”
Yohan rummaged through his desk drawer and pulled out a neatly sealed document envelope, then handed it to Estelle.
“The information on fund flows inside Athens. Looking at it, the money flowing in is strangely excessive compared to the volume of grain, especially barley. It seems the Mutation Stone transaction funds are mixed in.”
“Thank you. It must have taken a lot of time to gather this much information.”
“If you look into the barley distribution routes, you’ll probably run into the people handling the Mutation Stone.”
“That should let us wrap this up quickly. Thank you.”
Yohan smiled gently.
“It’s a request from the Saint. Of course I’ll do my best.”
“Ah, Cardinal Yohan, one more thing. Could our side visit the Royal Magic Academy?”
“The Royal Magic Academy? Of course. I just need to tell the school that the Saint will be visiting for an inspection.”
“Um, can the Hero-nim come with us too?”
“Yes, of course.”
Estelle nodded. That way she would have plenty of time to finish Chloe’s business.
“Then please arrange it?”
“Of course. What about the date?”
“I’ll let you know after I scout the distribution routes. Then request it from the school side.”
“Understood, Saint-nim.”
Yohan still wore a smile as he watched Estelle. She asked first, curious about his expression.
“So, Cardinal, what would you like me to do?”
“There’s mass on this weekend. It would be a better time if the Saint attended.”
Estelle gave the expression of “that makes sense.”
“Of course I’ll go. I understand.”
“Thank you, Saint-nim. The faithful will be happy too.”
Probably, returning to Abel would take a bit more time.
I don’t know what that black cat is doing to our Hero-nim...
Estelle felt a vague sense of unease.