Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Frontier Zone (1)
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Galen and Lilia stepped out of the tent for now. They couldn't just stand around chatting in a place where patients kept pouring in without doing any treatments.
"Is it really okay to just leave like this?"
"I told them to handle things back there, so it's fine!"
"...Hmm."
"Normally, each treatment tent has one acolyte and one priest. There's also a supervising priest on hand for critical patients."
Jenny, who had been waiting until then, joined them smoothly and spoke up in her place.
"Sister Lilia was handling treatments in the acolyte's stead on her own, so stepping out just brings things back to normal. No need to worry."
"That's reassuring, then."
"It wasn't on my own..."
"Hush. That last patient looked like they were fleeing for their life. What was the issue?"
"They weren't sick at all!"
"Ah, got it. You handled that well."
Chatting casually as they left the treatment area, the group headed deeper into the church grounds. The spacious plot allowed for a separate building dedicated to hosting guests, it seemed.
The three picked an empty reception room and settled in. Jenny brought tea. Galen expressed his thanks but couldn't help feeling puzzled on another note.
"By the way, Lady Jenny, are you involved in this request as well? Feel free to go if you're busy."
"She's like a big sister to me!"
"...I've been looking after her since she was little. For now, think of me as Sister Lilia's dedicated acolyte and aide."
"Understood."
Priests and acolytes formed a sort of apprentice-master bond, pairing up as needed rather than sticking together permanently.
But someone of Lilia's caliber was surely a treasured gem under diocesan watch. Assigning her a dedicated acolyte made perfect sense—especially given her unpredictable nature.
'She seems more like a nanny than an aide, but if she's cared for her since childhood, that's natural. Makes her all the more reliable as a supporter.'
While Galen mulled this over, Lilia merely wet her lips with the tea and set her cup down. The barrage of stares made it impossible to savor the aroma.
Galen took a proper sip to quench his thirst and set his cup aside. As if she'd been waiting, Lilia spoke up.
"Come to think of it, I haven't asked your name yet! And I haven't properly introduced myself either. I'm Lilia. I was ordained as a priest in the Abaca Diocese."
"I'm Galen. I was working as a mercenary in Nijerte until recently. Just arrived in Abaca yesterday."
"Nice to meet you, Brother Galen! So, where's Nijerte?"
"It's a port city in the southeast."
"You've come a long way! Oh, did you hear rumors about my request?"
"I only learned of your existence yesterday, Lady Lilia..."
"W-Well, I just learned about Nijerte now too, so we're even!"
Galen had no idea what she meant by "even," but before he could dwell on it, Jenny calmed Lilia and turned to him.
"Let's get to the point. You mentioned wanting details on the request earlier, right, Brother Galen?"
"Yes. I looked into it, but the ones who took it have long since left town. All the hearsay was pretty much the same."
Donny's warning had been the gem among them: join a mercenary guild, close your eyes, and grab any request at random—it'd be less grueling and pay better than Lilia's.
Of course, Galen didn't bring that up here, but Jenny seemed to grasp what he'd left out. She sighed and nodded.
"It's exactly as you've heard. Something like an indefinite... no, ongoing fiend subjugation until Sister Lilia says otherwise."
"Personal leads on subjugations are rare. Is this a church-led operation?"
"If it were, the reputation wouldn't be in tatters like this."
"Tatters? What do you..."
Jenny silenced Lilia's protest with a look and continued.
"Truth is, no matter who organizes a subjugation, as long as the pay's right, people will take even the toughest jobs. The problem is Sister Lilia's request doesn't deliver on that."
"If you knew, why not just pay properly?"
"I-I did pay! I've never stiffed anyone!"
"Sure, no stiffing. You just never specified the exact amount, so it wasn't a lie. Not a lie."
From their conversation, Lilia clearly wasn't some malicious exploiter.
With pure intentions, she'd earnestly sought mages to hunt fiends alongside her, offering "reasonable" pay. She'd pooled church activity funds and side income to make ends meet as best she could.
The issue was that her schedule felt like outright abuse to most mages, and the compensation came off as "passion pay." A mere priest couldn't afford top-tier mage rates to begin with.
"I told them everything upfront... They all said it was fine and accepted... Then they complain later!"
"Those mages have issues too. You don't take a vague request then gripe afterward—you sort that out yourself upfront."
"Right? Right?!"
"Of course, issuing a vague request in the first place wasn't smart."
"Eek."
"This setup isn't really employer-employee anyway... More like partners."
Yes, that nailed it.
Like-minded comrades or fellows. A club, even.
What Lilia wanted wasn't someone hung up on pay, but a companion to tag along.
"Posting it on a mercenary guild board where money's king was a poor fit..."
"But there's nowhere else to post it..."
"True... You might've had better luck recruiting cheap warriors."
"I can handle a warrior's role myself, so no need. What I want is mage support!"
No arguing that. Warriors and mages filled different roles, so no substituting one for the other if mages were specified.
Galen turned to Jenny.
"The church offers no support at all? Seems like they'd indulge Lady Lilia's wishes."
"For just hiring a few mages now and then? Sure. But finding someone to work at the level Sister Lilia wants? Too expensive. No real gain."
Jenny answered flatly.
"Expanding the frontier, defending expanded frontiers—land has value in itself, so those requests make sense. But Sister Lilia's? It's just killing fiends for the sake of it. Then what? They keep coming no matter how many you kill."
Far in the future, once the basin was fully settled and overpopulated, maybe they could muster hundreds of thousands to sweep the mountains clean like a broom.
For now, a handful of priests and mages wouldn't make a dent. No matter how rich the church, they couldn't pour gold into a bottomless pit forever, Jenny said.
Galen quietly agreed. Nijerte was different—fiends only lurked in small numbers at the Partlas Mountains' edge. Not here. With fiends outnumbering humans by far, cleaning them out was impossible.
Glancing at Lilia, her pout was surprisingly subdued. Probably because she'd heard this spiel a million times.
"Lady Lilia seems to understand, so why insist on subjugations so fiercely?"
"Better than doing nothing!"
Lilia declared proudly, her face taking on a teacherly expression.
"Every fiend I kill saves someone who might've died to it later, right?"
"Fair point."
"Ten fiends save ten people, a hundred save a hundred. The more I kill, the more lives saved. Right?"
"Well, you could see it that way."
"Tending patients in the rear? Other brothers and sisters can do that. But going to the front lines? That's just me. So that's where I go!"
"It's not like no one heads to the front. You charge straight into fiend nests, turning everything upside down."
"Anyway!"
Undeterred by Jenny's jab, Lilia finished her explanation.
"I see."
Galen nodded slowly.
The church wouldn't fund it but wouldn't stop it either—likely because it stemmed from good intentions. Reality aside, the mindset of helping others was admirable and noble.
'...Or maybe they got tired of trying to stop her and gave up.'
Either way, hearing the full story confirmed his initial guild impression: she was the perfect partner.
Someone calling to smash fiends for pure, wholesome reasons wouldn't bat an eye at Galen spilling blood—he'd probably cheer her on. She might even nag him to keep going when he wanted a break.
Galen met the contrasting expressions of the two waiting priests and spoke.
"Truth is, I need to kill a lot of fiends myself."
"Really?!"
Lilia's eyes sparkled at the affirmative. Jenny sighed silently.
"I believe a mage's skills grow best through real combat, not study. That's why I came to the eastern frontier."
"I think so too! No wonder you seemed extraordinary from the moment I saw you, Brother Galen!"
"...The other mages who came said pretty much the same thing."
Jenny pouted, raining on the parade. Fair enough—post-reputation, anyone taking this request was either combat-crazed or faking it to get close to Lilia.
"No, Sister Jenny! Brother Galen is genuinely skilled! I saw it in the tent!"
Lilia mimed poking the air with her finger.
"Drawing water straight from thin air, shaping it into smooth spikes, controlling speed with precision! At least Silver rank—maybe even Gold?"
"Not Gold yet—just a Silver aspiring to Gold."
Galen pulled out his mercenary badge and handed it over. Jenny examined it closely and nodded.
"Confirmed. But at Silver rank, you could take far better requests..."
"This is the best one right now. If I change my mind later, I'll find something else. As you said, Silver opens any door."
"I'll treat you right! Don't bail already!"
Lilia blurted out. Galen shrugged at Jenny's lingering skepticism.
"No need to overthink it, Lady Jenny. Couldn't find a mage for ages, then I show up?"
"And?"
"Without one, did Lady Lilia sit idle?"
"...She kept heading out for subjugations anyway."
"See? More strength never hurts for what you're doing anyway."
"Fair point. Fair point."
Jenny sighed.
"I hope that resolve holds. Or maybe change your mind quick and find a better gig?"
"I'll give it my all until then."
Galen said with a smile.
The departure was set for four days later—the regular transport from Abaca to the frontier zone.
Nothing special to prepare; just pack like a normal trip. Galen, whose gear was already sorted, truly had nothing to do.
He mostly lounged by the river. Abaca was upstream, so the flow wasn't huge, but ample enough to supply the city.
His level 35 spirit, incomparable to Nijerte days in capacity, guzzled water like mad. Dropped alone in a desert, he'd never thirst again.
He toured the city moderately, shared meals with Donny, and fully enjoyed his vacation.
On departure morning, Galen left the gates early.
"Brother! Over here! Here!"
As if fearing he'd bolt, Lilia waved frantically. Galen rode over.
Lilia and Jenny in white robes, five ascetics in gray— all mounted.
"Whew, what a madhouse."
Galen joined and whistled at the sight.
Hundreds already swarmed the open field beyond the walls. People alone made it chaotic; add horses, wagons, carts—it was packed. Without their distinctive garb, finding Lilia's group would've taken ages.
Still, this many together beat traveling solo for safety. That was the point of caravans.
Terti had said as much: fiends went berserk at human sight, but overwhelming numbers made them hesitate instinctively.
...Galen had thought that way once too.
Screeeeeeeeech!
Three days out from Abaca.
"Ambush!"
"Again?"
Galen grimaced.