Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Merchant of Bennetsa 1
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Bennetsa Republic's Merchant 1
The road to Bennetsa wasn't all that treacherous to begin with.
Most of it consisted of plains, and the roads were well-paved, so pulling a carriage should've gotten us there in just a few days.
However... right now, Kazeros and I were struggling through hardship with Bennetsa practically right in front of us.
-Kwarrrung!-
Lightning flashed across the sky.
And along with it came roaring winds and torrential rain pouring down in buckets.
In the sudden typhoon that had hit us out of nowhere, the two of us were desperately dragging the carriage along.
"Ugh... What kind of weather is this..."
"Y-Yeah... You're right. Even when we left, it didn't look good, but this is way worse than I thought."
Of course, there was no such thing as a weather forecast in this world.
With no way to predict how the weather might change, shifts in the atmosphere were pretty much dictated by the whims of the heavens at any given moment.
Naturally, being a fantasy world at its core, there were things like so-called "mana" and the various "spells" powered by it.
And among those spells, there were rumors of ones that could predict the weather—but those were abilities only a handful of grand mages in major cities could wield, if that.
On the other hand,
the Aura we Holy Knights wielded was quite effective at purifying... or in other words, dispelling such magic, but honestly, it wasn't much help beyond that.
It was decent at healing wounds and usable to some extent in combat, but that was about it.
There was virtually no room for growth in other areas, so special abilities like weather prediction were nothing but a pipe dream.
In other words, when hit with unexpected foul weather like this, all we could do was grit our teeth and tough it out with our bodies.
'Damn it. This is exactly why Holy Knights aren't popular... You'd think after 1,600 years, there'd be some damn progress!'
I was convinced that the uselessness of this Aura was one reason the church's continental dominance was about to crumble soon when—
"...Kazeros, over there."
"Huh?"
A faint light appeared in the darkness.
We hurriedly headed toward it.
With the rain and wind intensifying, we couldn't keep moving any further—we needed a place to hole up, even if just for a bit.
The spot we dragged our carriage to with great effort turned out, fortunately, to be a small inn.
"What a relief. Now we can finally rest."
"Couldn't agree more. Let's stay here until the storm passes."
Judging by the distance we'd covered so far, Bennetsa wasn't too far off, but pushing through the typhoon had left both of us utterly exhausted.
With that, Kazeros and I tied up the carriage, grabbed our coin pouches, and headed straight inside the inn.
*
-Kwarrrung!
-Shwaaaaa!
Thunderous booms and the roar of rain echoed outside the window.
But rather than dampening the mood, that harsh weather outside only made the inn's cozy atmosphere feel all the more surreal.
A warm log fire crackled brightly in the hearth, and a fair number of patrons had gathered in small groups, claiming tables.
Among them were travelers from afar, as well as locals who'd rushed in here to escape the sudden storm.
And the one drawing the most attention with his tale was a traveler from the northern regions—from the heart of the continent, no less.
"Is it that bad?"
"You have no idea. The Holy Empire right now is like a powder keg ready to blow at any moment."
The traveler's firm words left incredulity on the faces of his listeners.
Holy Empire.
The nation at the center of the continent,
boasting the widest territory, largest population, and the mighty national power that came with it—a traditional powerhouse.
Though its vast lands meant enemies on all sides, and its prestige had waned somewhat since its heyday, it was still undeniably one of the continent's true superpowers.
For rural folk like farmers and small merchants living in backwaters like this, the idea of unrest brewing within such a colossus was hard to swallow.
"You've all heard the rumors, right? Lately, heretics have been stirring up trouble up north."
"Yes, we've heard bits and pieces. They rebel against the church and His Holiness the Pope, inciting riots."
"But that's just minor disturbances at best, isn't it? No matter how much the heretics rise up, they're nothing but bandit rabble before the might and authority of His Imperial Majesty the Holy Empire's Emperor."
"That's... not quite how it is. Apparently, the heretics' forces are stronger than we think. I haven't seen it myself, but word is several northern nations have already declared they're turning their backs on the church."
"No way it's gotten that far..."
"Hmm... If that's true, it's no ordinary problem."
The anti-church faction—known collectively as the heretics—had been gaining ground for over a century, remaining a hot-button issue for rulers everywhere.
Thanks to the church's various corrupt practices, like selling indulgences, it had lost the people's trust en masse. Meanwhile, the heretics who rose up decrying those very abuses rapidly expanded their influence.
Rooted in the ideologies of so-called religious reformers like Luther and Calvin, the heretics' sway spread beyond one region, earning spiritual support from nations across the continent.
And that allowed them to swiftly seize control of the northern nations, where the church's grip had never been strong to begin with.
The Calmar Union, a cold northern nation.
The Kingdom of Briton, an island realm across the sea.
And even the Loren region—not a formal nation, but one that had maintained de facto independence against the Holy Empire since ancient times.
Nations that had at least nominally bowed to the Pope now seized the chance to cut ties completely, and the heretics' momentum was already reaching into the Holy Empire's northern borders.
"At least the current emperor, His Majesty Huz Matis, has been pursuing moderate policies... but if he passes away, expect a storm. They say the emperor-in-waiting is no ordinary man."
"What kind of person is he...?"
"I don't know the details, but he's brimming with ambition and fanatically devout. Just hearing that much tells you plenty about the chaos ahead."
"That's worrying... Even our Bennetsa Republic might get dragged in."
"Hah... What a world. No peace even for a day. Just when the eastern heathens quieted down, now the northern heretics are rampaging..."
Such were the people fretting over harms they might suffer from the world's grand currents.
And... sitting nearby, quietly listening in, Kazeros' face began to cloud with deep concern.
"The situation doesn't look good. I've heard the rumors too, but now I'm really worried something might happen. I just hope nothing as awful as war breaks out..."
"Tell me about it. Things really seem off with the state of the world."
As a cleric, Kazeros simply wished for peace in worldly affairs.
Unfortunately for her, I knew all too well that the future wouldn't unfold anything like her hopes.
I couldn't exactly blurt it out here, but much of what that merchant said was spot-on—and the worries he wasn't yet certain of would mostly come to pass.
'According to the original story, Emperor Matis of the Holy Empire dies soon. Then the new emperor who succeeds him plunges the empire into chaos.'
The next emperor of the Holy Empire, the central superpower.
Sisyphus Ferdinand.
The 30 years of hell he unleashes form the core catastrophe of the original dark fantasy novel, The Fallen Holy Knight—and I knew the unimaginable horrors that unfold in the process.
Even my attempts to avert that disaster's spread, rooted in basic human decency, had come to naught. Now, it was all but 100% certain to happen.
Unable to tell Kazeros the truth, I could only swallow a bitter taste inwardly.
'If I'd rolled the snowball right, maybe we could've contained the damage somehow... but in the end, things went to hell.'
Of course, the church had brought this apocalypse on themselves, so fretting over it now was pointless.
Pushing aside regrets about the coming calamity, I slowly stood with Kazeros and headed to the counter.
But... at that moment, I had no idea.
That disaster was a lot closer than I'd thought.
"We'll call it a night. We'd like a room."
"Sure thing. We've got exactly one room left—with a single bed."
"...What?"
"Oh..."
A disaster from the most unexpected place left Kazeros and me exchanging bewildered looks for a moment.