390. The Naming Festival (1)
390. The Naming Festival (1)
- 1 -
After the cheers subsided, the plaza of Hylash sank back into silence.
The eyes of the populace turned toward the representatives of each nation.
Once the true identities of the archbishops had been exposed, not a single one of them could raise their head.
"... We shall comply."
The first to raise a hand was the Kingdom of Rugnis, which had long been regarded as one nation with the Holy Kingdom.
Following came Kakia, Norn, Zenota, and even numerous smaller states.
Every nation that had been crying out for 'heresy extermination' just days before now bowed their heads and signed the agreement.
"We deeply apologize for the misunderstandings of the past. Such things will not happen again."
"Let us move forward together for peace."
The delegation from the Holy Kingdom's mainland even departed with such words, smiles on their faces.
The world's order had changed overnight.
The enemy of yesterday had become the companion of today, and that strange day came to an end—on that very evening.
'How nice....'
I had left the city behind and was soaking my body in my own private hot spring.
I entrusted my entire body to the hot water and gazed up at the starlight of the night sky pouring down overhead.
It was a leisure I was enjoying for the first time in a long while.
I could derive tranquility from the midst of the battlefield...
But that was nothing more than calculated behavior, not genuine rest.
"Haaah...."
The hot steam formed white clouds in the sky before scattering.
I swam through the hot spring, leaned my chest against the edge, and gazed across to the other side.
The first thing that caught my eye was the dark forest stretching out below.
The Ironwood Forest of the Mistheim Plateau.
It was the nest of the Myrmekians led by Orea, and now the forest where the 'ironwood' that had become a precious specialty of the Orbis Alliance grew.
The place where I now soaked my body was far higher than that plateau—near the summit of the tallest peak in the Eisenlight Mountain Range.
'I really did a good thing, making this.'
After stabilizing the ground of this dormant volcano, I had drawn up the heat that dwelt infinitely within it and created my own private hot spring.
A small yet grand luxury for a secret retreat.
It was small because it hadn't cost a single coin.
It was grand because it was a special extravagance that no one else in the world could enjoy.
I wasn't the extravagant type, but I didn't regret it either.
If it weren't a place where privacy was guaranteed like this, an outdoor hot spring bath enjoyed bare-bodied beneath the moonlight would be nothing but a dream.
"Hm?"
At that moment, I spotted a warm glow rising from far below and focused my eyes.
The scene down there gradually grew clearer.
A small campfire and people chatting as they sat around it.
They seemed to be travelers who had been caught by nightfall on the highway.
'In the old days, this would've been unthinkable.'
Lighting such a conspicuous fire in a wilderness where the threats of monsters and bandits lurked.
Veteran adventurers would have smacked them on the back of the head for it.
But at the same time, it was also a scene that had become very common within the Allied territories.
After all, the security within the Alliance's internal territory was the best on the Eastern Continent.
Even while battles raged against the Holy Kingdom coalition, not a single report had ever come in of bandits newly running rampant within the Grakheizen region.
'A splendid land.'
And all of this peace was mine.
A road where one need not worry about monsters and bandits so long as one stayed on the highway.
The clearest proof that my power and rule had properly taken root in this land.
That fact satisfied me beyond measure.
Swish.
I leaned my back against the edge of the hot spring and lifted my hand above the water.
Between the glistening droplets, skin as transparent as crystal was revealed.
My beautiful skin, shining like a jewel through the white steam.
...As I was thinking that far, I suddenly felt I understood what sort of feelings others experienced when they looked at me.
And on top of that, I also felt slightly embarrassed.
'Hasn't my narcissism gotten a little... worse lately?'
It couldn't be helped, really.
A life where everyone who saw me continuously extolled me, saying 'Amazing!' 'Beautiful!' 'The best!'
Living such a life, wasn't it inevitable that one's self-love would grow stronger?
"As always, you are beautiful today as well, Master."
Just like this moment.
When I turned my head toward the direction from which the gentle voice came, my saintess stood there.
"Ash."
Ester Kantes Orpina.
Former saintess of the Celestial Church, now the high priestess of the Sun Church.
My loyal servant, my lover, one of my life companions.
"You are the pretty one."
"...You flatter me."
She had removed her black holy vestments and wrapped her body in a single large white towel.
But that piece of cloth could not conceal her figure at all.
The explosive volume clearly revealed its voluptuous curves even as the towel wrapped around her body, and her exposed arms and legs bore the distinct marks of training.
If Evangeline's body was like a perfectly sculpted statue, her body was more sensual and overflowing with powerful vitality.
It was truly paradoxical.
A body ill-suited to the name of 'saintess' as the world knew it, yet she was still more saintly than anyone else I knew.
As I slowly swept my gaze over her body like that, she asked with a blushing face.
"May I... come in?"
I readily nodded.
"Of course. This is a space for the two of us, is it not? Right now, at least."
"...."
Esther approached in silence.
She gauged the temperature with the tip of her foot, then slowly submerged her body while still clutching the towel.
I continued to gaze at her as she sat down beside me.
Even the sight of her body, faintly glowing in the moonlight as it sank beneath the water's surface, was as beautiful as a work of art.
"So, how do you feel?"
"...Much more at ease."
At my question, she nodded with a small smile.
Not long ago, she had achieved half of her 'second vengeance.'
She had seized the Holy Kingdom's archbishops and exposed their true identities before the world, dragging the Holy Kingdom's prestige to the very bottom.
As a result, the Holy Kingdom was now suffering a severe upheaval.
The Anselm faction had collapsed, and its place was being taken by the forces of the saintesses who had cooperated with me, such as Adriana and Lucia.
The power that the old authorities had held was being transferred to the saintesses who had cooperated with me.
However, Esther had refused to stand at the center of that power.
[The place where I belong is the new temple built here... beside you, Master, and nowhere else.]
To her, worldly power no longer held any meaning.
Only the place where I was mattered.
"Haaah...."
I looked at her face as she let out a sigh.
Her expression was very comfortable and warm, but to my eyes, the trace of shadow she was hiding was plainly visible.
'There's no way it could be completely resolved.'
In the first iteration, Esther's 'excommunication' had been carried out under the leadership of clergy whose desires had been amplified by Astaroth.
The fundamental root of the evil was the obsessive Grand Duke, Astaroth.
Since that bastard was still striding about the world, her vengeance was not yet over.
Slosh.
I quietly reached out and wrapped my arm around her waist beneath the water.
"M-Master...?"
Esther, flustered and blushing.
Laughter came naturally at her reaction. Truly, she was so utterly adorable.
Wearing a mischievous smile, I whispered into her ear.
"We've seen everything there is to see of each other, yet you're still bashful."
"I can't help it. ...Because I love you, Master."
Though she slightly bowed her head in bashfulness, she leaned her body closer to me without resistance.
A lovely contradiction—shy, yet not rejecting me.
That gently stirred something within me.
The sensation of her ample chest and her warm body heat transmitted vividly through bare skin.
'I'm in no position to talk about others.'
I felt a heat quietly blossoming from within.
Whether it was from the heat of the hot spring water or her body heat, a warmth I couldn't distinguish struck my heart.
I took her hand and lifted it.
"Why...?"
"Just a moment."
Simply caressing her hand, trained yet pale and delicate, gradually lifted my mood.
And it seemed the same was true for her, as I felt her breathing grow rougher beside me.
"I...."
"Yes."
A face drawing near. Lips coming closer.
Esther whispered.
"Haa... so..."
"You don't have to hold back."
The touch that burrowed in was exceedingly desperate. And it was the same for me.
It was difficult to tell which of us was the saintess and which was the demon.
But it was fine.
If love was something that built up while caring for each other and bloomed carefully, our affection had already become a sturdy citadel, and within it, had magnificently come into full bloom.
If one were to name that flower, it would likely be a thousand-year bloom.
- 2 -
The next morning.
"How was your night, Teacher?"
"You ask mischievous questions, Sonia."
"Fufu. You look good."
Seeing Sonia enter the room with a fragrant cup of coffee in hand, I set down the novel I had been holding.
On her slightly flushed face, irrepressible playfulness had surfaced.
On the bed she glanced at with a sidelong glance, Esther was still soundly asleep.
With her body covered by a faintly see-through blanket.
Though she possessed strong power and a high state of being, as a human she inevitably recovered stamina more slowly than I did.
"Yes. What is it?"
"Ah, the prisoner processing has been completed... so I brought the results report."
"Thank you."
I took the documents from her and quickly scanned them with my eyes.
Those who had gathered as the Holy War Army and been taken prisoner numbered a staggering 80,000, and the regular army prisoners from each nation numbered around 70,000.
Among them, the nobles and high-ranking officials alone numbered 146.
And, including the 4 archbishops of the Holy Kingdom—this was the total number of prisoners gained from this war.
"Let's hear about the Holy War Army first."
"Yes. You can read this page."
Here, half of the Holy War Army had paid their own ransom and been released, and of the remaining half, another half had their ransoms paid by the wealthy who had been released.
Most of those who remained were taken by the Holy Kingdom, and finally, roughly 5,000 chose to remain in the Alliance and swore to become followers of the Sun Church.
'As easily as they were converted, they can't be deeply trusted... but they'll be useful for spreading the faith for now.'
They were people who had rushed in with swords and staves the moment the holy war was declared.
Since their initiative had been proven, one only needed to worry about how to hold their leash.
"What was decided for the regular army side?"
"It was decided that each nation would alternately provide roughly 20% of the number taken prisoner for labor service."
"Soldiers?"
I chuckled. Because I couldn't believe my own words even as I spoke them.
Those greedy nobles would never normally do such a thing.
"They'll probably conscript slaves or commoners to fill the quota... but it's not something we can concern ourselves with."
Sonia, too, merely added the words with a small sigh.
I tapped my chin with my finger, then relayed instructions to her.
"Tell Yurena to make a strong request of them. Ensure that regular soldiers must be included. Then we can at least tie down about half of them."
"Yes."
Even so, I couldn't let all of them do as they pleased.
If the 'punishment' for the enemy who had invaded first wasn't properly carried out, the trust of the people within the Alliance would drop.
I didn't want to permit even the slightest possibility of that.
"...Good. You've organized this splendidly. Well done."
I beckoned to Sonia, and as she approached blushing, I briefly pressed a kiss to her forehead.
And instead of withdrawing, I whispered lowly into her ear.
"Now that I think of it, you heard, right? This evening, set aside your time and don't think of anything else."
"Yes, I heard. ...I'm looking forward to it."
Sonia softly raised the corners of her lips. An expression full of fluttering anticipation.
Seeing that, I felt a new sense of anticipation welling up in my chest as well.
Today was December 25th.
In my original world, it was a holiday commemorating the birth of a saint.
Tonight, I intended to gather as many of my subordinates as possible here and hold a party.
December 25th in this world would become a new commemorative day for the 'Sun Church.'
A day celebrating the beginning of a new era.