Aftermath (2)
Clearing out every last monster swarming the wheatlands took about a week and a day. That was one day longer than expected, mostly because the damn things kept diving into the river to escape and we had to fish them out.
Once the monsters were wiped clean, the clergy waiting on standby poured in their holy power. The Estire Kingdom held the God of Humanity, Inshin Caro, as its state religion, so the priests dispatched belonged to the Church of Inshin that worshipped him.
Freya, upon seeing them…
"Mmm…"
…wore an expression of pure discomfort. I was wondering why when Letisia came over and explained.
"Freya is the saintess of a church that doesn't get along with the Church of Inshin."
"Which one is that?"
"The Church of Myeongsin. Freya is the saintess chosen by Myeongsin Vita."
Myeongsin Vita.
A profoundly important god who bestowed lifespans upon living beings, and who utterly despised any disruption of the proper cycle of life and death.
Naturally, the faithful of the Church of Myeongsin who followed him also loathed the monster arts that manipulated the dead — necromancy — and pitied the undead born from such practices.
No wonder her prayers kept going on about rejecting the cycle of life and death…
By contrast, Inshin Caro, whom the Estire Kingdom worshipped, was a god who showered every kind of blessing upon humanity.
That was no small detail. The reason people in Dungeon in Evil were each born with different talents and appearances was the result of Inshin's blessing at work. Without it, most people would have lived with roughly equal abilities and looks.
He was remarkably human-friendly. When natural disasters or trials beyond human endurance struck, he would lend a hand. He even shed tears of apology for not being able to help with everything, since he couldn't interfere too much…
…At least, that's what the card description said.
In Dungeon in Evil, among the equipment you could equip were card artifacts, and of course the gods' cards were the absolute best in terms of performance. The catch was you could only obtain one or two of them in the extreme late game…
Even I had only ever laid eyes on four of the eight gods' cards.
Anyway, now I get why she's so uncomfortable.
Inshin Caro protected humans from things like natural disasters — and that could be seen as going against the lifespans Myeongsin Vita had granted. Under Caro's protection, humans who were supposed to die simply wouldn't.
So of course the two churches didn't get along…
"For all that, she doesn't seem particularly opposed to helping the Estire Kingdom."
"What sin have ordinary people committed?"
Freya turned her head toward us; she must have been listening.
"And the faithful of the Church of Inshin haven't sinned either. Even if their thinking — and Inshin Caro's — may be wrong, that doesn't make them guilty of any crime."
"…I see."
Surprisingly, she didn't blindly insist that her own church's doctrine was the only correct one.
"Everyone, it's time to head out, so gather up~."
"Hm? Where are we going?"
"The monster cleanup is done, so now it's that time."
Freya said it with a little smirk.
"Time to get our reward."
"…Ah!"
Compensation! The moment when our hard work would be acknowledged and we'd actually feel the payoff… in other words, time to get paid!
At last, a single ray of light was descending upon this destitute party…
"Let's go right now!"
"Heh heh."
"Someone's excited, Allen."
"So materialistic~♡"
And whose fault do you think that is?
But Ser-Aria and Thief were nowhere in sight. Where had those two gone?
"What about the other two?"
"They said to go on ahead~. Bathroom break. Ah, and don't even think about peeking~♡"
"I wasn't… More importantly, couldn't we just wait and go together?"
"We can't make everyone else wait, can we~?"
I looked where Erinn was pointing and saw Orlando's party and the paladins getting ready to head back.
"Those two are fast anyway, so they'll catch up soon."
"Erinn's right. Better to go first."
Fair enough… Both of them had agility stats at least double anyone else in the party. Honestly, speed-wise they might reach the royal palace faster than a horse. Endurance was the only real issue.
So whose horse was I supposed to ride? I'd originally planned on riding with Thief…
"Heojeop~♡"
Erinn called me over and lightly patted her saddle.
She clearly wanted me to get on, but I had a feeling I'd be subjected to every weird comment imaginable if I did.
"…Letisia, mind if I borrow your back seat?"
"Pardon? Erinn just called you, so why me…"
Because I don't want to hear weird stuff.
"Hold on…!"
I climbed onto Letisia's horse without waiting for permission. Once I was already up there, she couldn't exactly tell me to get back down.
"All right, let's go."
"…Heojeop, are you sulking~?"
"I'm not sulking."
I just figured you'd run your mouth the whole way. And having me ride behind you would only be a hassle anyway, right? Honestly, this works out better for Erinn too.
But Erinn just stared at me for a moment, then whipped her head away like she was somehow dissatisfied.
"…Allen."
"Yeah?"
"You're making Erinn feel awkward."
So what if she feels a little awkward? I'm the one who gets teased constantly.
"Don't care."
"Why are you suddenly acting like a child?"
I didn't bother answering. Admitting I'd switched horses just because I hated being teased was a little too embarrassing.
"Well… I don't mind either way."
Letisia said that and took up the reins. Then she lightly patted her own waist.
"Hold on, Allen."
"Excuse me a moment."
I wrapped my arms around Letisia's waist. It was surprisingly slender — much more so than I'd expected. She hadn't looked it from the outside… so she'd been wearing loose, baggy clothes that didn't cling.
She might even be as slim as Thief…
We joined the return procession heading for the royal palace and, unlike the trip out, rode at a leisurely pace, following the column without any hurry.
There was nothing urgent, so we could take it slow. There were people we still needed to link up with, after all.
I was enjoying the scenery at an easy pace when Letisia asked quietly, almost in a whisper.
"Allen."
"Yeah?"
"When are you coming for your lessons?"
Ah. Right. That.
"We've been short on time, so… I was thinking I'd come once things free up."
"Then come the night we arrive at the palace. After the banquet."
"Banquet?"
"Yes. There's going to be a gathering to honor the efforts of our party and Hero Orlando's party. Of course there'll be a banquet as well."
Something I'd only ever seen in novels and manga was about to happen in real life. I felt a flicker of anticipation.
"But where exactly?"
"Where else? My room, of course."
"……Your room?"
"Guests of our standing will naturally be given private chambers, so you'll be able to take lessons without anyone noticing."
"Uh…"
That worked fine for me, but… was Letisia okay with it? I watched her reaction after she answered, but she didn't seem particularly bothered.
Right. So it doesn't matter to her… I wasn't sure whether to be grateful she trusted me that much, or sad that she didn't even register me as a member of the opposite sex.
"I really hope Allen learns properly so he can fight alongside us."
"Yeah? Didn't expect you to be looking forward to it."
"Why not? I'd be more than happy if Allen became useful in terms of raw combat power as well."
Letisia went on.
"It would mean you've truly changed so much from before."
"Hm? Before?"
"Ah… I mean before. You've already changed from how you used to be, haven't you? I never expected Allen would end up taking command."
"…True enough."
But the "before" Letisia had mentioned didn't seem to mean that. The nuance had been a little different.
Did something happen before I possessed this body?
If I took the "before" in Letisia's words as referring to the time prior to my possession… both the nuance and the phrasing suddenly made perfect sense.
"…Letisia."
"Yes?"
"Now that you mention it, there's something I've been curious about."
"Yes."
Thinking about it, there had been a few things that struck me as odd.
Erinn was always teasing me about forgetting everything. I had no memories from before the possession, so of course I didn't know — but Erinn and the rest of the party never found that strange.
Even the first time I saw Erinn move in that bizarre way and reacted with confusion, Freya had casually explained the reason, as if it were only natural. Not like she was wondering why I was seeing it for the first time.
Granted, you could chalk that up to me never having participated in combat…
But even the conversation about Freya right before we set out felt off in hindsight. That wasn't the kind of information you'd naturally need to explain to a party member you'd already spent months with.
Who doesn't know which church their own party member belongs to? And yet nobody found my ignorance strange — they just explained it completely naturally, as if filling me in was the obvious thing to do.
"You guys never seem to find it weird that I can't remember things."
"……"
Letisia suddenly went quiet. That sealed it. There was definitely something.
"Did something happen to me?"
"…No, nothing in particular. Allen just forgets things all the time anyway, so nobody thinks it's strange."
Having said that, Letisia asked,
"What is it? Don't tell me you really can't remember anything from before?"
"Huh?… Ah, no. Of course not."
"Then that's fine."
I'd blurted out a denial in a panic, terrified she'd realize I wasn't the original Allen — but Letisia's reaction had been strangely ambiguous.
It felt like something had happened that would make my memory gaps unsurprising… but she clearly wasn't going to tell me more even if I pressed.
Should I ask someone else?
It was curious, but not urgent… I could dig into it gradually later.
Surely nothing bad had happened, right? If it had, there was no way they'd be treating me this well…
…Are they treating me well?
The doubt crossed my mind, but I let it go. Dwelling on it would only give me a headache.
For now, I set out on the somewhat long journey with expectations for the banquet awaiting us at the palace and the magic lesson I'd be taking that night.
I hadn't noticed when we used transfer magic, but getting back to the royal palace took a considerable amount of time. Nothing much happened along the way, yet it still ate up nearly a full week. That did mean Ser-Aria and Thief were able to catch up without much trouble, though…
Two whole weeks had already passed. The deadline I'd promised Erinn now had only a month and two weeks left on it.
"Still…"
We were finally back. Stellium, capital of the Estire Kingdom.
As befitting the main stage of a major event, Stellium was a highly developed hub city and an important location even within Dungeon in Evil.
The only NPC who handled secondary-option enchantments for card artifacts was here… so if you cleared the Canal event in the kingdom's northeast with a contamination level of 700 or higher, the kingdom would stagnate and Stellium's development rating would drop. Then that NPC would leave Stellium entirely, locking you out of their services for the rest of that playthrough.
An absolutely vicious gimmick. The first time, I hadn't known and cleared the event at a leisurely pace — and ended up never getting proper use out of my card artifacts.
And as a developed city, it would be incomparably larger than any of the villages I'd seen so far. Not modern-city large, of course, but I was still curious.
Last time we'd come close but turned back without getting a look around.
"I wonder what kind of place it is…"
"It's quite peaceful. Almost warmly charming, to a degree that makes it hard to believe it's a kingdom's capital."
"Really?"
"Probably a reflection of the temperament of a people who worship the Church of Inshin."
So believing in a human-friendly god made them gentler by nature.
I entered the capital with a fair amount of anticipation, and was soon left impressed. By modern standards the development was nothing special, but it was the largest city I'd seen since possessing a body in Dungeon in Evil.
If anything, being just the right size gave it a theme-park kind of charm that worked for me.
The moment we entered Stellium, Orlando spoke up.
"We'll go to the palace first to pay our respects to Her Majesty, then you may rest before attending the banquet."
"Sounds like Grandma's feeling better~♡"
"She is quite well, I'm told."
The way he took Erinn's mischievous jab in stride suggested that, as General Grinaldo had said, Orlando himself didn't have any personality issues.
Still, a commander going off and acting on his own because he didn't trust the field leadership was not behavior I could look kindly on. And it absolutely was not because the guy was handsome and I was jealous.
"It's been so long since I've seen the queen here!"
Ser-Aria said it like she was genuinely happy to see her again. So she'd met her once before. Maybe that was when they'd first become acquainted with Orlando's party.
Then why don't I know about it?
Had these girls not even taken me along to occasions like that…?
"…That's a little harsh."
"What is?"
"Ah, nothing. So we can rest right after meeting the queen?"
"Yes, that should be the case."
"Pwahaha, Allen! You must be exhausted!"
Of course I was exhausted. Even riding a horse right now was hard. But my party members had been fighting on the front lines themselves, so I was in no position to complain to them.
"I'm just a little tired, that's all."
"Funny, for someone who asked about resting first thing~?"
Erinn snickered as she needled me. One wrong answer here and she'd be teasing me for ages…
"Not me — you all need the rest."
"……Huuung~? Look at you saying something sweet~♡"
"……Allen, that's kind."
Apparently the answer had been a good one. Erinn looked pleased, and Thief went so far as to praise me for being kind.
Orlando watched us for a moment, then said,
"The audience will be brief. The formal recognition of your merits will take place during the banquet, so you'll likely just exchange simple greetings and be able to rest soon after."
That was good. As long as it didn't drag on like a principal's morning assembly speech, we were fine.
We arrived at the palace shortly, and the moment we dismounted we were met with a grand welcome. Palace attendants, maids, even the ministers had all come out to express their gratitude to us upon our return.
I found it a little overwhelming, but everyone else in the party — except Thief, whose self-esteem was perpetually in the gutter — looked completely used to it.
…Yeah. This is how a hero's party is supposed to be. You've got to have at least this much payoff to make the hero gig worth it.
I squared my shoulders a little as I walked. As we passed through the procession, a noblewoman in neat attire bowed her head in greeting.
"Greetings, Hero Erinn and her companions. I am Catherine, Head of Internal Affairs for Cheonrang Palace, and I will be attending to you during your stay. Please make yourselves comfortable while you are with us."
Hadn't they said the audience came first? I tilted my head at being shown to our lodgings first, and Orlando explained.
"Please unpack before the audience. We can hardly go meet Her Majesty while still carrying our luggage."
"I can handle that alone. Erinn, I'll get everything sorted — you all go ahead to the audience without me."
That was a porter's job, after all. While the others met the queen, I could just stay behind and unpack, right?
"Lord Allen must attend as well, of course."
"Pardon?"
"You were the architect and commander of this operation. Her Majesty has specifically expressed her desire to meet you."
"Uh…"
"So please unpack first, then come to the audience chamber. We will wait for you there."
With that, Orlando headed off toward the rooms where his own party was staying. Apparently they were lodged somewhere separate from us.
"All right, let's unpack first."
"This way, please."
We followed Head of Internal Affairs Catherine toward the section called Cheonrang Palace. It wasn't where the queen resided, of course — the master of this palace was the queen's consort… in other words, her husband.
Entrusting the reception of guests to the prince consort suggested they wanted to give us the best possible treatment. We followed along until a palace of pure white marble with a blue roof came into view. It felt a bit like looking at a medieval palace on a European trip.
"That is Cheonrang Palace."
"It's magnificent."
"I'm glad it pleases you."
Catherine ushered us inside as she spoke.
"His Highness the Prince Consort has already gone ahead to the audience chamber, so you may offer your greetings there. For now, please simply unpack."
"Which rooms will we be using?"
"You may each choose whichever room you prefer. Just bear in mind that the left corridor houses the rooms for male guests, and the right corridor those for female guests."
So I needed to take the left corridor. I briefly parted from the party and headed left. Then I simply stopped in front of the first door and asked,
"Is this one free?"
"All of them are vacant, Lord Allen."
The attendant who'd followed me answered. Guess we were the only guests.
I pushed the door open with a click and immediately let out a breath of admiration. The room was vastly larger than any inn I'd stayed in since the possession, and the interior and furnishings were excellent.
And the bed was enormous. So enormous I felt a sudden urge to just flop down on it right then and there. I set down my luggage, sorted it roughly, and stepped back out immediately.
"Hm?"
But nobody else had come out into the corridor. They shouldn't have had more luggage than me, so there was no reason for them to take longer.
"Did they already leave without me?"
"No one has come out yet, Lord Allen."
Then what were they doing…?
I walked toward the corridor with their rooms, and Head of Internal Affairs Catherine greeted me.
"Have you finished unpacking?"
"Yes — but what are they up to?"
"Ah, well…"
Catherine gave a light laugh. Not the kind that said she was reluctant to explain — more like she'd just seen something amusing. At that look, I hesitated, then pointed at a door.
"Whose room is this?"
"Hero Erinn went in there."
The instant I heard that, I pounded on the door.
"Erinn, what are you doing in there instead of coming out?"
"…Huuung, we can take our time a little. Why are you acting like a puppy begging for food~♡"
"What are you talking about? We have an audience to attend."
I was so incredulous I yanked Erinn's door open. There she was, rolled up in a blanket with her eyes closed, lying on the bed.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
"What~?"
"I held back the urge to lie down and came out, and this is what the party leader is doing?"
"Why are you talking like I did something wrong~?"
If she was pulling this and refusing to come out… were the others the same? The idea that everyone except me had zero interest in going to meet the queen left me speechless.
Then Erinn let out a soft little laugh. She flung the blanket open and beckoned to me.
"Then you come in too, Heojeop~♡"
"…What?"
"I said come in here~? Or can you not hear properly anymore~♡"
For a split second that voice was so alluring my mind went blank. But then I saw Erinn snickering and snapped back to my senses.
"…Are you insane?"
"Puhu♡ Fine, I'll get up~."
Erinn got out of bed, brushed past me, and stepped out into the corridor. I slammed the door shut behind her.
"What about the others?"
"Beats me? Maybe they all have something to do~."
"…They're not all lying down like you, are they?"
"Puhuhu, maybe~♡"
Just in case, I checked — and aside from Thief, who was organizing her concealed weapons, every single one of them was doing exactly that.
"The bed just looked so soft…"
"Pwahaha, same here!"
"…I have no excuse."
You absolute disasters…
"Is it really okay to keep a queen waiting like this…?"
"That grandma will understand~♡"
If I were the queen, I don't think I'd feel very merciful toward someone who called me grandma. This party truly did not have a single normal person in it.
"Hurry up and let's go."
When we reached the audience chamber, Orlando and his party members were already waiting. Erinn addressed them.
"Sorry we're late~."
"It's quite all right. Cheonrang Palace is a fair distance from the main palace, after all."
Orlando glanced at me, then looked back at Erinn. Why had he just looked at me?
"Shall we all go in? Her Majesty and the Prince Consort are waiting."
Orlando invited Erinn to enter first. Offering us the first entry into the audience chamber was unexpected. It was as good as Orlando himself acknowledging that our party's contributions far outstripped his own.
This was a meeting with his own country's monarch — he would have been well within his rights to ignore that and go in first.
So he really just didn't trust the porter, huh.
The sorrowful life of a porter.
Ser-Aria and Letisia followed behind Erinn, then Freya and Thief, and finally me — after which Orlando's party entered.
An audience chamber. A place where one met the sovereign of a nation.
Even as a modern person, meeting the head of a country was something almost no one ever experienced. You mostly just saw it on the news.
Maybe that was why.
…Whoa.
She was definitely an elderly grandmother, but her presence was no joke. Her eyes alone weren't the kindly gaze of old age… they were the eyes of a charismatic ruler.
The moment our gazes met, I tensed up completely.
Erinn walked to the center of the red carpet laid across the audience chamber and stopped. The queen, who had been quietly observing us, opened her mouth.
The instant the voice of the elderly woman who ruled the Estire Kingdom rang out—
"Ohoho~ Welcome, everyone~."
……All that unnecessary tension drained right out of me.