Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Archbishop (3)
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A short while before the guests arrived.
Slightly earlier than the moment Lilia was floundering in waves of flattery.
As Daimus spoke with Galen about the request, he finally broached the subject.
"It's about some ruins."
"Ruins...?"
"That's right. The kind called ancient ruins."
"Wait, those actually exist?"
Lilia's puzzled tilt of the head matched exactly what Galen was thinking.
Ancient ruins.
One of the favorite topics gossips loved to chatter about.
A hidden ancient site shrouded in mysterious magic. Monsters swarming inside. And treasure.
Of course, just like legends about magic weapons or rumors of fairies, it had zero credibility...
'...Hold on?'
Come to think of it, magic weapons and fairies both turned out to be real.
So didn't that mean ruins could exist too?
Daimus smiled faintly at their reactions.
"It's rare for something that doesn't exist at all to keep floating around in people's conversations. Usually, there's at least a sliver of truth to it. How much do you two know about these ruins?"
"A place hidden by magic, crawling with monsters, where treasures are found. That's all the rumors I've heard."
"Same here!"
"You're almost entirely correct."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Ruins really do have unidentified powers lingering around them, strange creatures roam inside, and valuable things turn up from time to time."
Galen and Lilia blinked in unison. Daimus continued with a hazy smile.
"I'll explain the details later. Right now, the important part is the last bit."
"That treasures are found there?"
"Exactly. If you have the strength to explore the ruins yourself, you can make a fortune with one go. That's the root of this conflict."
Roald had mentioned it was a territorial dispute.
If he connected that to the ruins being a treasure trove...
"A kind of ownership dispute?"
"More precisely, it's a fight between the earth fairies and humans over whose territory the ruins are in."
"Is this a request to go help the human side, by any chance?"
"Not at all. The church is in the position of mediating between both sides. The conflict started as an ownership dispute but escalated to the brink of war."
"Then..."
"As a result of the agreement, both sides will jointly explore the ruins and split the spoils evenly. The church will dispatch overseers to supervise the process."
"The entire exploration and distribution? The overseers are going into the ruins too?"
"That's the only way to monitor properly."
"That won't be easy."
"I won't deny it. Especially stuck between two sides that keep grinding against each other. I'd much prefer to handle it internally within the archdiocese if possible, but..."
Daimus let out a faint sigh.
"This case is tricky. We don't have enough justification to throw our weight around by force, and authority alone won't cut it."
The church's mediation usually relied on its authority.
The problem was that this wasn't human versus human. The church's authority wouldn't hold much sway over earth fairies, a different race entirely.
Still, since they weren't completely ignorant of the church's power, an agreement had been cobbled together somehow.
But it was just a forced patch-up, so there was no guarantee the tension wouldn't flare up again during the exploration and loot distribution.
To prevent that, authority wouldn't suffice—they'd need to bring real force to bear.
Having the archbishop step in, or even a few bishops, would create administrative gaps—not to mention how bad it would look.
Against parties who had outwardly accepted the church's mediation as the 'good' ones, pouring in full force like they were purging demons would spark massive backlash. Everyone would cry that the church was finally meddling openly in secular affairs, kicking up all kinds of chaos.
And leaving it solely to the local diocese? Even mustering everything—a single bishop and a few dozen priests—their forces were too shaky for this job.
"That's why I'm sending you two. It avoids giving the impression of the church going all-in, while actually deploying formidable strength."
"Would it be okay for me, an outsider, to serve as an overseer?"
"With Bishop Lilia there, it is. We'll handle it as a pilgrim cleric and her mercenary companion who heard the situation and volunteered to help."
"They won't buy that."
"Of course not. It's a warning to them. The church is paying this much attention, so don't try anything foolish."
Galden's eyes narrowed slightly. He spoke slowly.
"And if, despite that, they do something foolish anyway?"
"Then... I'll leave it to the judgment on the scene."
"...Is that okay?"
"If you act as you have up until now, I won't hold you accountable."
Daimus gave a weary, bitter smile.
"It's far more likely those fools will screw up before you do."
He'd been told the request wouldn't exactly be peaceful.
But Galen's deliberation didn't last long.
When had he ever sought out peaceful jobs? They'd all been adventures chased for experience points.
He didn't want to miss this chance to meet earth fairies and venture into ruins.
So he accepted the request. When Daimus said he'd call in the relevant parties, Galen agreed.
"What?"
"Yeah, why are you here?"
He never imagined he'd run into them again here.
Lilia, turning belatedly, also widened her eyes.
"Old acquaintances?"
Daimus, the only one out of the loop, asked curiously.
Galen recovered first and gave a hollow laugh as he answered.
"It's a bit iffy to call them that, but... we did bump into them by chance on the street earlier."
"Didn't they say they arrived in Mezia today?"
"That's right."
"What a coincidence. Such connections do exist."
Running into people you'd shared a meal and a stroll with again here was indeed remarkable.
But thinking about it, it made perfect sense.
Fairies wouldn't live in a human city. The woman herself had said she was only staying briefly.
So why was she lingering?
If it was because she was involved in this request, everything clicked.
'But this means the patch-up is already half-undone, huh?'
And sure enough.
The man recovered next and spoke in a voice that didn't hide his displeasure.
"Your Excellency, Archbishop."
"Speak, Lord Beron."
"I came after hearing that the overseers dispatched from the archdiocese had already been selected."
"Correct. It's these two."
"One of them doesn't even seem like a cleric."
"What does it matter if they meet the criteria for overseers? I've known them for a while, and I believe they have ample ability and credibility. They have no ties to either side, so they'll maintain a neutral stance."
"Neutral, you say?"
Beron, listening grudgingly to Daimus's explanation, twitched the corner of his mouth.
"If I may, Your Excellency. Those two are already leaning toward the other side."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I had a minor scuffle with that dwarf... er, earth fairy earlier."
Whether slip or intent, the half-spoken word made the earth fairy woman's brow twitch. Beron pressed on regardless.
"They didn't even bother hearing the full story and chased me off right away. Can people like that truly perform a neutral role?"
"Hm. Is this true?"
"Well, if we're judging truth from falsehood, yes, it's true."
Galen snorted at Daimus's question.
"But I never imagined you'd bring it up here. Are you saying they're not neutral just because they didn't take your side?"
"What?"
"I don't know when 'stop fighting and go your separate ways' became a biased remark. Oh, would you accept it as neutral if I beat you both down equally?"
"How dare you—"
"Enough."
Daimus cut off Beron just as he was about to roar.
Daimus remained unflappable even as Beron glared with boiling eyes.
"I understand Lord Beron may have suffered some injustice. But what of it?"
"Pardon?"
"Does a personal friction with you mean they shouldn't be dispatched as overseers? I'm worried how you'll react if conflicts arise on-site."
"...I was simply concerned. That they might unilaterally side with the earth fairies."
"That won't happen, but if it does, report it to me. I'll investigate strictly and punish if it's true."
Beron fell silent, at a loss for words.
Partly bowed by Daimus's authority, but mostly because it was irrefutable logic.
The agreement to accept church oversight was already in place, and selecting overseers was the church's prerogative. Whether Beron liked it or not was irrelevant.
If the overseers truly favored the earth fairies in the ruins, that would be a problem—but nothing had happened yet, so what nit could he pick?
Having neatly shut down Beron, Daimus turned to the others.
"No objections to the selections, then. Let's at least exchange introductions."
The earlier argument had left the mood awkward. Lilia caught Galen's glance right away.
"I'm Lilia! I was just ordained as a bishop, but since I'm on pilgrimage, I don't have a fixed assignment yet!"
"Galen here. A gold-rank mercenary who's mainly worked the east, currently in service to Bishop Lilia."
At "bishop" and "gold-rank," Beron's eye twitched faintly. He spoke in a subdued voice.
"...Beron Steelwall, second son of the Steelwall family."
"Akanksha of the Red Rock Alliance! Nice to meet you!"
The earth fairy woman, by contrast, greeted them brightly. Partly from their prior encounter, but mostly pleased at seeing Beron stymied before Daimus.
"Now that the overseers are here, no need to wait any longer. You can depart tomorrow if you like."
"We're good anytime!"
Lilia jumped on Daimus's addendum—it had been pre-arranged.
They hadn't come all this way to sightsee, so leaving right away was fine. Tourism could wait until after the job.
"Sounds good to me."
"...Me too."
Akanksha agreed first. Beron followed reluctantly, then asked Daimus.
"Is the overseer introduction over now?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll take my leave. We don't have to travel together, so I'll go separately."
"Very well. Safe travels."
Beron stood first, bowed to Daimus, and left the office without a glance at the others.
"No wonder I can't think well of humans when the first proper one I meet is a jerk like that."
Akanksha grumbled at the closed door, then turned to Daimus.
"I'd like to borrow a carriage like on the way here. Possible?"
"Of course."
"But these folks are church affiliates too, right? Do they ride the church carriage as well?"
"That's up to them. We can lend one if they want, or they can use whatever else."
The casual back-and-forth between what looked like grandparents and grandchild felt oddly out of place.
Galen, listening awkwardly, spoke up quickly.
"We'd be grateful to borrow one. Procuring separately is a hassle."
"Consider it done."
"Great! Wanna go together?"
Akanksha blurted out.
"Pardon?"
"Our destinations are the same anyway? No need to split up. Traveling alone's boring."
Galen glanced at Daimus, who nodded slightly.
"As long as you're not riding the same carriage. That could stir talk. Simply traveling together is fine."
"Sharing a meal should be okay, right?"
"If you're companions, sure."
"Awesome! Then I'll swing by the church at sunrise tomorrow. See you then!"
Akanksha left the office, saying she had to wrap up at the smithy.
A long moment later, Galen spoke.
"By any chance, Your Excellency, was the 'foolish act' you mentioned more a concern about the human side than the earth fairies?"
"Still just a possibility. Of course, I won't deny Lord Beron's attitude was unbecoming."
Daimus replied calmly.
"But don't make the mistake of assuming all earth fairies are allies like Akanksha. If they were, it never would've reached the brink of war."
"Yeah, I get that. That's why you're leaving it to on-site judgment."
Galen had no intention of simplistic black-and-white thinking.
What mattered was that, whatever happened later, Akanksha was someone he could talk to right now.
'She even suggested traveling together first—left a good impression. And that nuisance Beron bailed on his own.'
Time to dig into earth fairies.