Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Shadows of the Great Mountain Range (5)
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"Ah, this is that..."
Lilia's trailing voice grew serious as she spoke. Galen asked,
"You knew what it was?"
"I read about it in the Papal Court's library."
Lilia replied while flipping the corpse over to examine it closely.
"An evil spirit with the ability to control evil beasts... a Siren, right? It looks pretty similar, too."
"That's right. Come to think of it, you probably know more about this than I do now, Lilia."
"Even so, I wouldn't have recognized it without Bishop Myra telling me first."
No matter the organization, the quality of information accessible depended on one's rank. The Church was no different.
Information divided into tiers: known only to the Pope, disclosed up to the Archbishops, permitted only to Bishops... and so on.
During her two months at the Papal Court, Lilia had focused primarily on refining the Miracle of Selection under Julian's personal tutoring, but she'd also frequented the library in her spare time. It was Julian's directive to upgrade her knowledge, which had stalled at the priest level.
She still needed more practice to manifest it in reality, but Myra's point stood—she now knew more high-level secrets than her senior. The gap between Archbishop and Bishop was that significant.
"W-Well, then isn't this something we shouldn't talk about carelessly?"
"It's fine with Brother!"
"I-I'm grateful, but... is it really okay?"
"...Probably?"
"It'll be fine. The reason access to information is tiered is to gauge who can handle it. If you can't, who could?"
"R-Right! Brother's even spoken with the Pope. This isn't information we can't share with the man who vowed to fight demons tirelessly."
"In that case, I'm relieved."
He'd only asked to make sure Lilia wouldn't get in trouble for spilling secrets. If it was okay, he'd gladly listen.
Lilia, serious once more, prodded the fallen Siren's corpse as she began her explanation.
"Evil beasts originate from animals corrupted by demons. Evil spirits, on the other hand, are born directly from demons themselves... like their children."
"So evil spirits rank higher than evil beasts."
"In terms of raw power? Sure. But they're flawed creations that can't exist as a proper species, so they're not perfect superiors."
"What do you mean by 'proper species'?"
"Well, evil beasts can breed among themselves, eat each other, that sort of thing—like normal animals. Evil spirits? Nothing like that. They only come into being and vanish at a demon's whim."
"...This isn't a minor issue, then."
Galen let out a low groan, seeing straight through the implications.
"They can't increase their numbers through breeding, which means no new evil spirits arise naturally. So this one's either from a demon that was purged long ago and somehow survived... or it was born recently."
"The former's unlikely."
Myra took up Galen's words in a heavy tone.
"When a demon is purged, we don't leave its evil spirits behind. Practically speaking."
Demons and evil spirits shared an absolute master-servant bond. Betrayal wasn't even a concept.
Thus, evil spirits threw themselves forward as shields first in a purge—they weren't the type to survive until the end and flee as remnants.
Theoretically possible if a demon hid them perfectly, but demons didn't coddle their tool-like creations. If they were that meticulous, they wouldn't be called evil.
In short, the odds this Siren had been born ages ago and survived undetected were vanishingly low.
That left the latter: recently born.
Which meant the Church's core tenet—that all demons were sealed away in the hell beyond the Abyss in this era—was fundamentally wrong.
"...In the end, a demon has already descended somewhere we don't know about. With very high probability."
Galen muttered. Myra's expression darkened. It was the unease she'd sensed since spotting the ogre and troll packs, but hearing it spelled out hit differently.
"Let's think positively!"
Lilia, who had been quietly lost in thought, piped up energetically.
"Sulking here won't make the descended demon vanish, right?"
"Well, true..."
"If we'd arrived just a day later, we might not have saved Bishop Myra or found the Siren's traces. Isn't that a win?"
It wasn't ignorance of the gravity—she knew, which was why she chose optimism.
And she was right. They'd not only saved Myra but uncovered the evil spirit. Best possible outcome.
"True, better late than never. And with the Eastern overseer here, we save effort relaying the intel."
"Eastern overseer? Didn't Lilia say she hadn't taken a diocese yet?"
"Oh, not me being in charge of the East. Archbishop Daimus crossed the Great Mountains with me! He's in Abaka right now."
"...His Grace rode a wyvern over?"
"He seemed pleased with how fast it was?"
"Of course it'd be fast, but..."
Lilia was young enough that anything she did could pass as youthful vigor, but a seventy-something like Daimus flipping onto a wyvern's back? A bit undignified.
Daimus's down-to-earth nature let it slide, but a stricter archbishop might've been appalled.
Catching Myra's concern, Galen gave a wry smile and reassured her on his behalf.
"We didn't push wyverns on him out of nowhere, so no need to worry. He showed interest first and wanted to join, so we just made the introduction."
"Ah, I see. That's a relief, then."
"Not intentional, but it worked out perfectly. We can respond immediately now."
"I'll go report to him!"
Lilia clenched her fist.
"Your group's horses are all gone, so new ones... no, a carriage would be better."
The ogre's rock throws had wiped out Myra's mounts, and Galen's two horses couldn't carry ten people.
From here, sending Lilia alone to Abaka for a carriage and back was faster than everyone walking—even round trip. If she didn't mind the effort. And she didn't.
"Brother, you'll stay and hold the fort?"
"I will. Don't worry."
"Thanks! Bishop, you rest. I'll be as quick as I can!"
"A-Alright. Be careful."
"Yes!"
Lilia dashed down the slope with a cheerful wave. Soon, her horse cleaved through the darkness and vanished.
Myra watched with a mix of wry amusement and pride, then glanced aside.
Galen's eyes were fixed on the receding light, his face purely fond—unlike Myra's.
It said it all. Myra spoke softly.
"My greetings are late. Thank you for coming. You saved my life."
"N-No, really."
Galen snapped to, demurring.
"Lilia did it all. I just showed up late and mopped up."
"You caught an evil spirit we didn't even know was there, and that's your take?"
"Well... haha."
"I was baffled hearing you'd hit Gem rank, and now Lilia's an archbishop too. Care to explain?"
"Didn't Lilia send letters? How far did you get?"
"Up to leaving the South for the Southwest. That one mentioned Archbishop Varga certifying you as Gem."
Fair enough—Myra's shock made sense. Galen had just hit Gem, and now Lilia dropped from the sky as an archbishop.
Galen summarized neatly.
Investigating a Southwest plague, they encountered an evil gem mage. In defeating him together, Lilia awakened.
"Glad you're both safe. So after that, Central for ordination?"
"Minus minor detours, yes. Straight here after."
"I see..."
Myra nodded slowly, fell silent, then spoke.
"Bit awkward timing, but might not get another chance soon. Mind if I ask now?"
"Go ahead."
"What do you think of Lilia?"
"..."
Galen paused at the sudden question. Myra's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Not as a bishop—as the one who raised her."
"...She's a good person."
Galen answered quietly.
"Kind, bright, cute, pretty."
"...That's all?"
"Anything more, I should tell Lilia first, not the bishop."
"Fair point."
Myra chuckled.
"Nearly two years together now. You're not oblivious to her feelings. Still holding back?"
"She's twenty now."
Galen smiled faintly.
"Church counts eighteen as adult. But does two years more make twenty a full adult?"
"Still immature. Yes."
"Exactly. No rush. She could mature more, make different choices. Don't want to force it as foregone now—she might end up unhappy later."
"So considerate."
Myra teased with a laugh.
"Hard to imagine time changing her mind about you, though."
"Then no need to rush—the outcome's set."
Galen shrugged lightly.
"True, if you're both content, pace doesn't matter. I get where you're coming from."
Myra's expression softened as she murmured,
"Take good care of her, from here on."
"I will. Thank you."
Galen bowed politely.
A few hours later.
Two carriages arrived at the site, heedless of the late hour past midnight.
"Y-Your Grace?!"
"They saw the mess."
The priests gasped and bowed at Daimus's personal arrival, while even the non-Church warriors instinctively straightened for the bigwig.
As two priests and five warriors split into the carriages to wait, Lilia—who still preferred her horse—guided Daimus.
Galen and Myra remained on the slope, apart from the group.
"You came yourself."
"Had to for something this big. Glad you're safe, Bishop Myra."
"My apologies. My shortcomings troubled Your Grace."
"Nonsense. How can I blame someone who did their duty?"
The brief exchange ended there. Both knew why the archbishop had come without sleep.
"Hrm."
Daimus groaned at the Siren's corpse. Lilia had briefed him en route, but seeing it firsthand still shocked.
"Appearance matches records, and the ogres' and trolls' pack behavior confirms it: definitely a Siren."
Daimus nodded slightly at Myra's words, then drew a radiant spear from his hand.
Pfshk!
The spear pierced the corpse. Dark red blood gushed out.
Sizzzz!
The blood hit the spear and evaporated in foul wisps of black smoke.
An unnatural lifeform. Born of a demon, its flesh eroded under holy power.
Watching grimly, Daimus spoke.
"Evil spirit confirmed. Time to divide tasks. Bishop Myra, take your group back to Abaka. The city and church need a commander."
"Understood."
"Scouting the pioneer zone falls to—"
"Me!"
Lilia stepped up.
"It's my hometown, and I know the terrain best."
"Then I'll tag along with Lilia."
Galen chimed in smoothly. Daimus asked,
"You sure? Evil spirits are walking siege engines. Not like brute-force evil beasts—tricky bastards."
"All the more reason."
Galen grinned.
"Means they're worth playing with."