The Journey (20)
Getting inside the territory was the easy part…
But where was I supposed to go? Heading to Master’s place felt awkward this late at night. The temple would be safer, wouldn’t it?
Silence hung over the streets. It was so quiet that the rattle of the carriage wheels sounded almost deafening.
“Shall we head to the mansion?”
“That’s…”
I hesitated. I shot Sister Mary and Priest Daniel a look that begged for a little help, but either the darkness hid it or they simply didn’t catch on.
“I’ll go to Master’s house.”
I couldn’t make out the Young Master’s expression in the dark, yet I still felt a flicker of disappointment from him.
“Then allow me to escort you the rest of the way.”
It took a little while to reach the old bookstore, but dawn was still a long way off.
“Please go inside and rest.”
“Yes. You rest well too, Young Master.”
I carefully saw him off.
Once we stood in front of Master’s second-hand bookstore, we got moving at once. Priest Daniel first secured the carriage and horses nearby while I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Master…?”
Was he already asleep? I brought everyone in and guided them to whatever empty rooms I could find.
“Julian? Is this really all right?”
“Probably? It should be fine.”
Fortunately no long-term boarders were staying, so the rooms were free. The layout was a bit awkward, so I sent Priest Daniel off to one room while my older sister and I shared another.
“We’re exhausted. Let’s sleep first and talk tomorrow.”
All we’d done was ride in a carriage, yet my body felt completely wrung out. For now… rest.
I slept deeply and rose early. When I stepped out of the room, Master was already there.
“Master!”
“Ah, so you’ve come.”
“Yes. I actually wanted to see more of the world, but something came up and I had to hurry back.”
“Is that so? And after looking around that wide world, did anything leave an impression?”
Master wore his usual kindly expression. Somehow it put me at ease.
“Yes. More importantly, this place might be in danger.”
I told him everything that had happened in the capital, along with the possibility of a large-scale offensive from the Lindel Kingdom—or rather, the barbarians.
“Ah. So that explains why the territory has been so restless of late…”
Apparently the war preparations had stirred things up here as well.
“Yes. That’s why I came back with the Young Master.”
Master looked faintly puzzled.
“You mean Young Master Meyer?”
“Yes. That day he suddenly suggested we travel together… It was hard to refuse, so we ended up going around together. He’s… quite sharp and knows a lot, so he was a real help.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. When he said he was returning to protect the territory, I came back too.”
“Planning to mobilize the Church, are you?”
“No? I mean… I’ve managed to create quite a few things with alchemy, haven’t I?”
I went back into the room, pulled the notebook—no, the book—from my bag, and held it out with open pride.
“These are your research results?”
“Yes. Would you like to take a look?”
I offered my findings with high expectations. Master began reading slowly.
“Hoh…”
Whenever Master focused like that I always grew a little nervous. While he was still reading, Sister Mary emerged from her room. She started to greet us, then stopped, quietly stepped to the side, and waited.
“Remarkable. Soap, poison, iron… the variety is almost too much.”
Master gave a slightly helpless laugh as he looked at me.
“Truly a talent chosen by the Goddess.”
“I-I’m embarrassed…”
He shook his head.
“I used to dismiss the old techniques as nothing special. You’ve completely surpassed my imagination.”
I couldn’t hold back the awkwardness and twisted in place.
“Hehe.”
“Well done.”
Master gave my shoulder a few firm pats.
Once our conversation wound down, Priest Daniel had already come out and joined Sister Mary to offer his own greetings.
“So you two are my disciple’s attendants?”
“Yes. By order of the Church, we assist the Saintess.”
Master’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He seemed to know the Church well enough that the arrangement felt completely natural to him.
“Very well. Take good care of my disciple.”
He told us we were welcome to stay as long as we liked.
After that I woke my older sister and we all ate breakfast together—Sister Mary had prepared it herself.
Once the meal was finished, Master and I talked a little more.
“Your magic has improved a great deal as well.”
“Hehe. Researching alchemy means I end up using magic more often than you’d think.”
“By the way, it seems you still haven’t announced your research results. Is there a reason?”
Asking that now, of all times.
I briefly explained how the rumors about the Saintess had spread through the capital.
“If the Church suddenly starts circulating items like these, the rumors will harden into certainty—into truth.”
“That does make sense.”
“Yes. Once my life settles down a bit and the gossip dies, I’ll release them then.”
I poured out all sorts of stories from the journey. Sister Mary thoughtfully brought tea, Priest Daniel went to check on the horses and carriage, and my older sister sat beside me, quietly enjoying the tea and snacks.
Master listened to my rambling tales with a warm, contented smile—exactly like a grandfather watching his granddaughter.
“I never expected you to return in less than a year.”
“Ahaha… I was worried about the village.”
“Near the outpost, you said?”
“Yes. I can’t keep my older sister—who’s supposed to protect the village—here forever, and everyone in the village is family to me.”
That was the biggest reason of all.
The foster parents who had carefully raised an abandoned child, the villagers I had lived alongside for more than fifteen years—every one of them was family to me now.
“If that’s what you want, then so be it. With your abilities, even if the barbarians invade it shouldn’t be a problem.”
In the old days cavalry had been strong—still was, really—but nothing compared to a mage. One solid area-of-effect spell could wipe out cavalry with ease. That was how decisive a mage’s presence could be…
“Well, if it’s you, just flinging magic around would keep the cavalry from even getting close.”
Master laughed heartily.
“Would that really be enough?”
“Of course. Even a well-trained horse will panic if powerful magic keeps crashing down around it.”
Oh. Now that he mentioned it, that made perfect sense.
After chatting with Master I rested comfortably for a while.
Sister Mary and Priest Daniel kept giving me looks that clearly said we should visit the temple, but I ignored them.
Still… I probably ought to go at least once.
“Julian?”
When I sat up from the sofa, Sister Mary reacted at once.
“Let’s go before the sun sets.”
She understood immediately; her eyes lit up.
“Understood. I’ll prepare right away.”
Was she that happy? The corners of her mouth curved into a bright arc. My older sister, on the other hand, showed no interest in coming along.
We bundled up warmly and left the bookstore.
“Don’t be too shocked when you reach the temple.”
“Pardon?”
Master said something odd.
“You’ll understand when you see it.”
Hmm…? It felt like he was teasing me, but I’d find out soon enough.
For the first time in a long while I walked on my own two feet instead of riding in a carriage.
“My body feels so heavy…”
Was it because I’d gotten used to traveling in comfort?
Had I put on weight after all? As I walked I poked at my arms and stomach. The thick clothes made it impossible to tell by touch, yet I still had the distinct feeling I’d gained some bulk.
Before heading home I’d at least moved around a little. But during the month-plus journey back?
What had I done? Lounged in the carriage, watched battles from the sidelines whenever they happened… and kept eating steadily the whole time…
“I-I might need to be careful…”
“Julian?”
When my steps slowed, Sister Mary called out.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Winter was nearly over; I needed to start morning training again.
Right. Let’s just treat this walk as exercise!
Fortunately Meyer Territory wasn’t especially large, so it didn’t take long to reach our destination—the temple.
The temple…
The temple…………
“Huh? Wh-what is this?!”
I arrived at the spot where the temple had always stood and froze in shock.
How could I not be shocked?
The Metis Church temple of Meyer Territory that I remembered had been small and modest.
The temple standing before me now was nothing like that.
Barely nine months—maybe closer to ten? Not even a full year had passed, yet the change was enormous.
“Julian?”
“Ah, no… I mean, the temple I knew wasn’t this big. It was definitely a small temple…”
In less than a year it had transformed completely.
Calling it a mere “change” felt inadequate. It was brand-new. An entirely different place.
Now I understood why Master had told me not to be surprised.
First of all, the temple itself was more than four times larger than before.
And that wasn’t all. The temple grounds had expanded to over five times their original size. I didn’t even need to ask what had happened to the surrounding buildings. They had all been torn down and rebuilt, of course.
“Is that so?”
I had visited many of the Church’s temples, but a scale like this… had there been many?
Actually, quite a few, now that I thought about it.
Sister Mary and Priest Daniel had only ever served at large temples, so this probably didn’t feel special to them.
“Ahem. Anyway, the temple’s gotten bigger.”
“It is the place where the Saintess was found, after all.”
W-was that it? Still, it had changed far too much…
Stepping onto the grounds made the transformation hit even harder. The buildings gleamed, and there were so many of them…
“Ugh…”
Maybe because everything felt so different, my feet refused to move forward at first.
Ahem! Time to act like a man and go in.
Once I was inside, I saw just how much had truly changed. The chapel seemed to be in the same spot, yet somehow everything else had been completely remade.
One small mercy: the woman who came out to greet us was someone I knew well.
“Welcome. We are glad to have you home, Saintess.”
Even she had learned my identity; her manner was far more respectful than before. I returned the greeting with an awkward smile. So they already knew I was coming back, did they?
Just what was this Church of ours up to?
Inside the temple I spoke with the person in charge. Perhaps because the place had grown so large, a bishop had been assigned—where once only a handful of priests and nuns had managed everything.
I also heard the reason for the expansion, and that part at least was a relief.
“This is where the Saintess was born and raised, is it not? Of course we must protect it.”
The Church had been carefully watching the movements of the Lindel Kingdom and the barbarians, and they already understood the danger here. Since they had planned to expand the temple because of me anyway, they had taken the opportunity to enlarge it and, under the pretext of protection, stationed twenty Holy Knights.
“The Church really is something else.”
To expand a temple this much in only nine months…
“Still, I’m a little worried.”
After we finished our business and left the temple, Sister Mary voiced her concern.
“The Church suddenly expanded the temple here… won’t that draw suspicion?”
“That part shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Pardon?”
Both Sister Mary and I looked at Priest Daniel in surprise.
“As far as I know, temple expansions are being carried out in several places at the same time.”
Ah… so that meant…
“There will be many other temples being expanded as well, so that alone shouldn’t raise suspicion. The movement of the Holy Knights, however, might still give us away.”
I had just started to relax when his little addendum left me speechless again.
“Then we can’t really feel safe, can we?”
Priest Daniel offered an awkward smile.
Ugh. Still, we had done what we needed to do… Now it was time to head back to the bookstore and rest.