7. Death
Where in the world had she gone?
The search had gone on without pause through the night. We combed every corner of the castle until the sun stood high overhead, and still my daughter Ardel was nowhere to be found.
"Knight Commander Ribeon."
"Your Majesty."
"Mobilize every last knight in the order and search every inch of ground beyond the castle walls."
"…"
"Not merely the Kingdom of Fernia—if it comes to it, turn the whole of the Solios Continent upside down! Ardel must be found!"
Ribeon's eyebrows rose a fraction.
"Searching the entire vast Solios Continent is impossible, Your Majesty." He weighed my mood before continuing, careful and measured. "Your anguish over Her Highness the Princess—how could I possibly fail to understand it? But Perna has been annihilated by the demons that have returned. The knight order must be divided among the other cities. We must stop the damage from spreading."
"…Ribeon."
"Your Majesty."
"Are you refusing my command?"
"That is not my intent."
"Did you not report that the dwarf hunter Brakan and the priestess Sernil had gone to Torgadin? Perna is a border city of the kingdom, close to Torgadin. The heroes will see to the demons on their own."
"They may yet need aid. Reinforcements should be dispatched in advance. And there is every chance demons will appear in other cities as well—"
"Silence!"
I glared at Ribeon. "You are no mage. Spare me your useless counsel. Ribeon—have you forgotten the oath you swore to me as a knight?"
"…No, Your Majesty."
"I am not turning my back on the people's safety. You are a father with a daughter of your own, are you not? There is no way you cannot know what I feel right now. Are demons attacking at this very moment? Are you telling me to abandon the search for Ardel over something that has not even come to pass?"
"Your Majesty, I only—"
"Just because your daughter married my son, you think that makes you my equal?"
"I would never dare presume such a thing."
Ribeon dropped to one knee at once, bowed his head, and said nothing more.
"Your Majesty!"
Two of the knights I had dispatched as execution escorts came sprinting in and dropped to their knees before me.
"While escorting the condemned Carniel to the Magic Tower, we came under attack by a demon. Joining forces with Tower Master Magellini, we succeeded in slaying it, but…"
Perso caught his breath and spoke.
"The condemned Carniel lost his life in the battle."
I lied.
…No. I didn't lie. Carniel and the Princess did share a night of love, didn't they? She really could be pregnant. We simply don't know yet. Given time, the lie will prove itself true.
…It's all right even if I cannot understand. I swore to believe in the Goddess and serve Her always.
Every hero on the Solios Continent is a soul chosen personally by the Goddess. And above them all, Lord Zieghart is the hero who bears Her favor most strongly.
How could the likes of me ever fathom the Goddess's deeper design?
I remembered what Lord Zieghart had said to me before the trial.
"Sernil. Testify at the trial that Ardel is pregnant."
"…Th-that's a lie, though?"
"The Goddess Herself said it was permissible. Look—the gem of the Holy Sword is glowing."
If Lord Zieghart had been lying, the gem of the Holy Sword would never have shone.
You don't need to feel guilty.
I even advised him, didn't I? It was Carniel who ignored my counsel. So whatever verdict the court handed down, whatever suffering he endures now—all of it is Carniel's own burden to bear.
…That's right.
I bear no responsibility. No fault at all. The Goddess gave Her permission, didn't She? I merely did as the Goddess commanded.
"…What are you brooding about over there for so long?"
"Lord Brakan! Forgive me—I was lost in thought and didn't hear you. Could you say that again?"
"I said we have to settle the grade of stone and timber for the temple first. The materials decide what caliber of dwarf craftsmen we'll need to hire."
"A temple to house the Goddess must be built with the finest materials, nothing less!"
"Hahaha! That's our priestess for you—a heart as grand as her character! I'll introduce you to dwarf craftsmen myself, the kind who can raise you a temple fit for a palace."
Lord Brakan's laughter boomed across the road.
This was after the trial. He had caught me just as I was setting off to return to the Holy See.
"Sernil. Walk with me a moment."
"Of course. What is it?"
"Come to Torgadin with me."
"…Torgadin?"
The journey sounded tedious. I was worn thin from fighting the demons. And I had to return to the Holy See and report my merits in person…
"I'm grateful for the invitation, truly, but there are people wounded by the demons who need my healing—"
"The one who'll be master of the place ought to lay eyes on it herself. I mean to build a new temple of the Goddess—one you'll preside over and manage."
"…I beg your pardon?"
Did he have any idea how much gold a single temple devoured?! "You would build it for me free of charge, Lord Brakan?"
"No, no." Brakan shook his head, grinning. "Ziegh's footing the whole bill."
I couldn't fathom why Lord Zieghart had so suddenly offered to build a new temple of the Goddess. I wanted to ask, but he had hurried away the moment the trial ended, and the chance never came.
He received a great deal of aid, after all. This must be his way of repaying it.
Only what you'd expect of a hero under the Goddess's blessing. Was there any real need to think it over?
…Her Holiness, Pope Sernil.
The current Pope was advanced in years. The day he must choose a successor was drawing near. Soon the conclave would gather, and my name was already being spoken among the candidates.
Young as I am, my record is overwhelming. The priestess of the hero party that felled the Demon King—that achievement alone all but places the next Papacy in my hands.
And on top of that—if a new temple were raised, and I were set to govern it personally? One more merit heaped upon an already unassailable pile?
The next Pope will be me. Not a soul will dare object!
"Sernil. How about we stop by Perna for a bite before Torgadin? I'm hungry, and Lesha's looking peckish too."
Lord Brakan pointed a thumb at Lesha, the Spire Mountain Snow Bear hauling our carriage. He had raised her from a cub with his own hands. Even in battle with the demons, Lesha had never once left his side, and he never tired of calling her family.
"Sounds lovely. I was just thinking I could eat."
"Lesha! Full speed! We are not missing mealtime!"
—Grrrr!
Lesha kicked off the earth with a thunder of muscle, and the carriage shot forward like an arrow.
On the road to Perna we traded stories of our days together as the hero party. As if bound by some unspoken pact, every trace of Carniel had been cut from the conversation, snipped away as cleanly as thread beneath scissors. Caught up in the old tales, I lost all track of time.
"…Why does Perna look like… that?"
The city was engulfed in flames, roaring as though doused in oil. Buildings had caved in on themselves, heaps of ruin. And riding on the wind came a stench that clawed at the back of my nose—the smell of human beings burning.
"Sernil. It seems…"
I nodded without a word.
"Lesha, let's go! Demon hunting—pre-meal workout!"
—Krrrr!
I followed in the wake of Lesha and Lord Brakan as they charged ahead.
…This is all Hwarin's fault.
That fool of a spiritist. I should have known from the moment she chose to trust spirits over the Goddess. She said the demons would appear in a month, didn't she? Then why are they here now?! It's all your fault—every bit of it! If your precognition had worked properly from the start, I would never have had to betray Carniel!
…
No. No, that's not it.
The Goddess said it was all right to lie about Lady Ardel's pregnancy, didn't She? She said it because we would be fine without Carniel. The me who first faced the demons and the me standing here now are two different people. I've grown strong enough to kill demons on my own. I only have to keep doing what I've always done. And Lord Brakan is right beside me…!
—WHUMP!
Lord Brakan's axe sheared clean through a demon's neck.
—Rrrrumble.
The head of the two-horned demon rolled across the ground.
"Sernil! What are you doing standing there with your head in the clouds?! Heal Lesha—hurry!"
"I-I am healing her! I have been this whole time!"
I clenched my teeth and forced more holy power up through my body. My head swam. My fingertips had gone numb and tingling. And still—no matter how much divine light I poured into her, Lesha's wounds refused to close.
"She cannot die! Do you hear me? She's family—she's guarded my side my whole life!"
"…L-Lord Brakan, your wounds are far too deep as well. You need healing!"
Brakan's side had been laid open, blood streaming down without pause. Between the torn flesh, a shattered rib showed white.
"Pouring any more healing into Lesha is meaningless—"
"Hang me—save Lesha first! You're a priestess, aren't you? And not just any priestess—the priestess who's going to be Pope!"
I had seen Lord Brakan in a rage more times than I could count. But I had never once seen him shed tears.
…Me becoming Pope has nothing—nothing—to do with this.
It isn't that my healing falls short. As a priestess, I have done everything in my power. You and Lesha pushed too far, bit off more than you could chew. These are wounds the two of you carved yourselves. If I cannot mend them, then the fault is not mine—!
I-if Lord Carniel were here… would it be different…?
Carniel slew the Demon King single-handedly. Lord Zieghart, blessed by the Goddess Herself, barely managed to defeat a single legion commander of the Demon King's army.
…Then doesn't that mean the Goddess is weaker than one mere human mage?
Why—why have I spent my entire life, from the day I was born, believing in a god like that? Would it not serve me better to enshrine and believe in Lord Carniel instead?
…N-no… that can't be true!
All the years I've devoted to the Goddess cannot have been for nothing! While the others courted and played, I was always in the temple, praying… I offered Her my body and my soul. And it was all wasted…?
Th-that's insane! I can't accept it! Because if I accept that, then I… I…
…Whew.
Steady your heart. You are a priestess who serves the Goddess. Even if you cannot understand it right now, you must trust in Her greater will.
…Yes. That's it. This happened because there were only two of us. If the rest of the party had been there, nothing would have gone wrong at all.
I have lived by the Goddess's will all my life, and it has carried me well. Lay down your own will, keep believing, and salvation will surely come. You will have nothing to regret. Nothing at all.
One demon. A single demon had erased an entire city from the earth.
So why was it my faith in the Goddess that had to be put to the test?
Magellini and Carniel were making for the Magic Tower.
And hurtling straight down toward them, a demon cradled in its burning heart, came a Red Comet.