Chapter 58
Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Archbishop (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
For a brief moment, Lilia panicked, but she quickly pulled herself together and charged into the fray with vigor, shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Everyone! Stop this right now!"
Her roar was no less impressive than that of the earth fairy woman who had been bellowing just moments before.
The woman's eardrums rang from the piercing voice, causing her to furrow her brow. She halted her hammer swing and took a step back.
The men, who had been slightly on the defensive, didn't bother counterattacking. Instead, they caught their breath and turned to look at Lilia.
Seizing the opening, Lilia strode forward purposefully. She positioned herself so that she, the earth fairy woman, and the men formed the three points of a triangle.
"Who the hell are you?"
The woman growled in a sharp tone. Lilia ignored her and scolded them as if they were children.
"You can't fight in the middle of a street where people are walking around! If you want to brawl, take it to an empty lot over there!"
She didn't tell them to stop fighting altogether. The woman blinked in disbelief for a second before finally noticing Lilia's clothes.
"You're from the church?"
"That's right!"
"What the hell are you thinking? Is this what you call mediation?"
"...Pardon?"
"Why aren't you keeping those humans in check? Why let them run wild?"
"That's exactly what I was going to say."
The man who had taken the woman's hammer blow head-on—likely her bodyguard or something similar—sneered.
"What's your game, causing a ruckus in the forge right in the heart of the city? Attacking innocent passersby."
"You lot started it!"
"Can't a customer even evaluate the merchandise? I never knew it was okay to swing a hammer just because someone said you made it poorly. No wonder you barbaric dwarves—"
"What did you just say?!"
The woman bristled. Lilia hurriedly grabbed her arm just as she was about to swing her hammer again.
"I said no fighting here!"
"Let go!"
The earth fairy woman snapped irritably, trying to shake off Lilia's hand. But her expression shifted slightly.
Lilia's strength, bolstered by the miracle of Fortification, was nothing to scoff at—not even for a seasoned warrior. It wasn't something she could just shrug off.
"You... a high priestess, despite being such a young human?"
The woman's face darkened.
"So you're taking their side that badly? Just because they're human like you?"
"Huh? Wait, I think there's a misunderstanding..."
"Save it. What misunderstanding?"
Grip!
Lilia's arm began to tremble and rise upward against her will.
"Wh-what?"
The earth fairy woman had forcibly lifted Lilia's arm with sheer power.
Despite her much smaller frame, her monstrous strength was absurd.
"Let go before I throw you."
"Please let go, Lilia."
Galen, who had been watching from a short distance away, interjected flatly.
"I told you not to arm-wrestle an earth fairy."
"I didn't expect her to be this strong..."
Lilia replied a bit dejectedly before meekly releasing her grip and stepping back.
Before leaving Belpas, Roald had given her a brief rundown.
The earth fairies' magic, 'Power of the Earth,' wasn't about kneading soil or clay. It was more like channeling some kind of energy directly from the ground itself.
They might look small, but they were as sturdy and heavy as iron ingots. Their fighting style leaned toward that of warriors.
Priests' strengths lay in versatility, not specialization.
While Fortification allowed her to play the role of a warrior, she fell short compared to a pure warrior of the same level.
And against an earth fairy, who outmuscled even pure warriors, a direct contest of strength was a bad idea.
'Even so, if a bishop's Fortification is getting pushed that hard... that earth fairy must be Gold rank.'
If her guess was right, then the man who withstood her attack had to be Gold rank too, to make sense of it.
What kind of city had Gold ranks rolling around like pebbles? Four of them right here.
"And who the hell are you?"
The woman's irritated voice snapped Galen out of his thoughts. He shook his head lightly and replied.
"I'm with her. We were just passing by and got curious about the commotion, so don't misunderstand. And you, sir?"
Ignoring whatever the earth fairy woman was about to say, Galen turned directly to the man.
"If you're not looking to escalate this further, why don't you just leave?"
"What? Who do you think you are?"
The man scowled unpleasantly. Galen shrugged nonchalantly.
"No matter who I am, if you two keep fighting, someone's gotta pull one of you away to end it, right?"
"So you're telling me to get lost?"
"You're the customer, aren't you? She's the owner. Does the owner abandon her shop for the customer? The customer should leave."
His words were so logically sound that the man had no retort.
He looked extremely displeased, but with Lilia beside Galen, he just twitched his lips without saying a word.
The man spun on his heel irritably and stalked out of the alley. His two bodyguards hurriedly followed.
Tsk.
Galen clicked his tongue briefly. It wasn't the smoothest resolution, but peace had been restored, at least.
"Haah..."
The earth fairy woman, who had been standing awkwardly, let out a deep sigh.
"Should've finished it before the interruption."
"Finished what? You two seemed pretty evenly matched."
"I was holding back! What does a kid like you know?"
She grumbled something utterly unconvincing on the surface. Galen replied perfunctorily.
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, why were you fighting in the first place?"
"I told you! That jerk insulted my work!"
Still fuming, she stomped back into the forge, returning not with her hammer but clutching several swords.
"Look at these. Huh? Something's off? Yeah?"
"I don't know much about swords."
"Wow! Your sister made all these?"
Galen remained indifferent, but Lilia eagerly drew a few blades, testing them out excitedly. She flicked the edge with her finger, making it ring.
"These are amazing! Great sound, perfect balance. Best sword I've ever handled!"
"Right? Right?"
The earth fairy woman's face brightened for the first time. She puffed up proudly.
"Made 'em just to kill time, but I still put real effort in! And that guy nitpicks the finish and balance? Unbelievable."
"That's so unfair! Any sword user can tell how good these are. It was obviously on purpose!"
"Exactly! You should've backed me up instead of stopping us!"
"I-I didn't know back then..."
Lilia's voice shrank under the scolding. The woman, still muttering complaints, suddenly tilted her head.
"Wait a sec. How come you didn't know?"
"Huh?"
"A high priestess who uses Fortification—should recognize quality work. Aren't you with the church?"
"I am with the church, but not from the Mezaia diocese here..."
"What do you mean?"
"We're from out of town. Just arrived today."
Galen supplemented the explanation. The woman's mouth fell open slightly.
"Oh... that's what it was? Sorry. Thought you were playing dumb on purpose."
"What happened, anyway?"
"Me and that guy from earlier? Not on good terms."
"Anyone could tell."
"I'm just staying in the city temporarily. Borrowed this forge on short notice. Of course, I cleared it with the church. But that jerk shows up picking a fight, and when the church steps in to stop me, it makes me look like the bad guy."
"We had no idea! You just looked stronger, so we tried to calm the tougher one down!"
"Hm. Unlike that human, you've got good instincts, kid."
Lilia, of all people, getting called out of touch. Galen's expression turned subtle, but the earth fairy woman grinned warmly and headed back into the forge, emerging with a few more swords.
"Sorry for the misunderstanding. Take 'em all!"
"Huh? All of them?"
"Honestly, not my best work, but still plenty usable!"
"One's enough for me!"
"No greed, huh? Fine, your call. Or grab a couple spares."
"Okay!"
"Uh... you can pick one too. For chasing that jerk off, anyway."
"I'll pass, thanks. I don't know swordplay."
"Yeah, you don't look the type."
After testing several, Lilia settled on two swords that caught her eye.
"These ones!"
"Good choice. If we meet again, I'll make you a real top-tier blade next time!"
"Sounds great!"
"For a price, of course."
It was a bit ambiguous whether it was pure goodwill or not.
Considering how rocky the start had been, though, it wrapped up pretty well.
After parting with the earth fairy woman, they headed back to the church.
"Gotta ditch the old swords right away!"
She was referring to the two remaining swords out of the three they'd gotten from the Dawn Archipelago.
She didn't carry them daily, but kept them in her bag for emergencies when a real weapon might be needed.
"That big a difference?"
"About the gap between a draft horse and a warhorse?"
"Huge."
"Now I get why warriors obsess over good weapons. They say earth fairies have tons of master smiths—turns out it's true!"
"We'll stock up more next chance we get. We've got the coin."
The archbishop had returned in the meantime. Their request for an audience was approved quickly.
"Come in, come in."
A elderly man with neatly groomed silver-streaked beard welcomed them warmly.
Archbishop Daimus, as he introduced himself, had a humble, easygoing air unbefitting his station.
He personally poured tea and chatted casually—asking if the journey was tough, how Belpas and Abaka were—loosening the mood with small talk.
"First, I'd like to speak with Lord Galen alone, if that's alright, Bishop Lilia?"
"Of course!"
"Thank you."
Daimus smiled gently and began.
"Lord Galen."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Even if half the report is true, your feats are hard to believe. Ah, not that I doubt it—purely amazement."
"I appreciate the high praise."
"Not trying to flatter you. It's your sense of purpose... that really impresses me."
"Pardon?"
"Mercenaries or nobles—they're predictable. Trace it back, and it's all about gains: money, fame, influence."
Daimus took a sip of his half-empty tea and continued.
"But you... you're unpredictable. And yet, your unpredictable actions always align with the church's teachings."
"I-Is that so?"
"Leading the charge against evil beasts, fearlessly hunting demons instead of cowering, smashing magic cannons without temptation. Hasn't it all benefited the people?"
Sheepishly, he thought of how he'd just been chasing levels by blasting everything in sight, but the praise was nice.
Galen forced a wry internal smile and replied.
"To be honest, I didn't act out of grand ideals. Pure personal interest, and it just happened to turn out that way by coincidence."
"If following your heart led to good outcomes, doesn't that deserve even higher praise?"
"No, that's not—"
"Hahaha, not trying to pressure you. Just means you're not one to fall for mere material temptations. That's my judgment, and why I think you're perfect for this commission."
"What exactly is this commission? I heard something about territorial friction."
"Close enough. Understand we can't reveal all details before you accept. Simply put..."
Galen listened intently to the explanation that followed.
After a few questions and answers, he mulled it over and nodded slowly.
"Alright. I'll do it."
"Thank you. If you're fine with it, we can bring in the involved parties now."
"Pardon?"
"You'll be meeting them soon anyway—no need to delay."
"Sure, why not."
Galen nodded. Daimus smiled and summoned a subordinate with instructions.
"Now, shall we chat until they arrive? Bishop Lilia, must've been boring just listening."
"N-No, not at all!"
Lilia denied hastily. Daimus chuckled knowingly.
Soon, an outpouring of virtuous advice—like a headmaster's speech—rained on Lilia. Thankfully, Galen had stepped back and could tune it out.
As Lilia endured the ordeal, her ever-bright smile even quivering slightly...
"Your Excellency, the guests have arrived."
"Good. Send them in."
The involved parties had finally arrived. The office door opened.
Lilia let out a quick breath of relief. Galen glanced back, stifling a laugh.
His eyes widened in surprise—he'd had no expectations.
The entering guests reacted the same way.
"What?"
"W-Why the hell are you here?"
The earth fairy woman and the man who'd picked a fight with her.
One human and one fairy stared at Galen with very different expressions.