Homeward Bound (1)
It was a day no different from any other.
Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary day for anyone else either. One of the major guilds in Celia had vanished in an instant, so I could only imagine the chaos outside.
The Lindel Daily had been giving the story plenty of weight lately, so there was no doubt that every tavern in the city was buzzing about Ito Souta and the Yamato Guild.
Every one of the Yamato Guild members in the royal city had been executed together on the day Ito Souta died.
The armies of the Benigore Church, joined by the Yozora Guild, the Black Swan, and the Red Mercenary, simply ran them over, and the people of Celia could only stand there and watch the absurd spectacle unfold.
Not all of them died, of course.
Those judged to have extenuating circumstances were spared, but they were the minority by far.
Most of those with combat ability, or those who had maintained close ties to Ito Souta, lost their lives.
For having backed the wrong horse, the outcome was brutally lopsided.
Tch...
I hadn’t been on the scene, so I only knew of the Yamato Guild’s end through reports. I couldn’t say exactly how things had played out, but either way, it was a gain for us.
It restored Cha Heera’s pride after the Lindel terror incident, and it let us show the Holy See a good face.
Formally concluding an alliance with the Yozora Guild was another major achievement.
This alliance of free cities, which included the Black Swan, the Red Mercenary, Yozora, and our Blue Guild, sent a considerable ripple through the Holy Empire.
Wasn’t this a first?
Free cities had traded and talked before, but this was the first case of such a tightly bound alliance.
It had only been possible because everyone had been willing to make concessions and present that beautiful image of mutual cooperation.
And that wasn’t the only first to come out of this.
“S-so then, does that mean Oppa is becoming a priest?”
“Probably, yes.”
Another first: among free citizens, I was the first to receive a post from the Holy See. That was me, Lee Kiyoung.
Beautiful.
Given Cardinal Basel’s influence, I had thought it might be possible, but the title was even more solid than I’d expected.
The title of Honorary Bishop, almost on the same level as an archbishop, was frankly more than this side deserved.
Compared to royal ranks, it was close enough to count as a count’s authority.
Wherever I went, I would be treated well. The Honorary Bishop of Benigore, the main goddess among the gods in this land.
Even imagining it had a beautiful ring to it.
After thinking about other things for a moment, I looked forward and found Jung Hayan had gone pale, as if she were terribly uneasy.
I had a rough idea what she was worried about. Better to explain before the problem grew any larger.
“Don’t worry. It’s exactly what it sounds like: an honorary position. No responsibilities, only privileges. You won’t even need to attend prayer meetings or keep running back and forth to the Holy See.”
“Ah...”
“Of course, marriage and dating are still possible.”
“Ah!!!”
That, apparently, had been the issue after all.
It was probably the most important concern in Jung Hayan’s world.
Unlike the priests in the free cities, priests serving the goddess Benigore are forbidden from marrying, but that doesn’t apply to me as an honorary bishop in the status of a free citizen.
“There is a condition that I have to distribute Holy Wine periodically, but there aren’t any other restrictions. It’s not like I’m supplying it for free, either... if anything, I make money off it, so it’s a good deal.”
“R-right.”
“Getting closer to the temple is a good thing. Especially in the Holy Empire...”
“Then exactly what’s good about it?”
“A number of things. The most obvious is that you get treated well.”
“Ah.”
“An archbishop in the Holy See is high enough that, by title alone, he’s in the top four. If you think of the Pope, cardinals, patriarch, and archbishop, you can get the picture, right? Of course, there are things like the head inquisitor or the commander of the Holy Knights in between, but within the Holy See, military forces are always only second priority.”
“I see.”
“Right. The Honorary Bishop title I got is effectively on the same level as an archbishop.”
“That’s incredibly high. Hehe.”
The privileges were almost too many to count, but the one I liked most was that I could command the inquisitors and the Holy Knights.
Basically, if something happened to me, I was allowed to use them freely.
Of course, taking them into dungeons or using them in some private war was off-limits.
Still, that alone was something.
Being able to call on the Holy See’s military forces if I ever found myself in danger was very advantageous for me.
If I ever rise to cardinal level...
The three Templars the Holy See possesses would react to my danger.
I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes yet, but since they were monsters the Holy See was proud of, they had to be at least on par with Cha Heera or Victor Hart, if not stronger.
Maybe a little less.
I was still a free citizen, so there might be limits to how far I could rise as a cardinal-ranked priest, but that was the sort of thing that could never be predicted.
Who would have guessed I’d end up with a title equivalent to an archbishop this quickly?
If I kept grinding for about five years, a seat might open up, and if it did, I could slip through that narrow opening.
To put it simply, it was worth hundreds of times more than some shiny noble title from a kingdom.
The real nobility was not on the emperor’s side, but the pope’s.
That didn’t mean I should reject the imperial faction, of course.
I believed the way to win the game was to take care of both the main base and the alternate route.
They’ve fed me plenty, too.
For one thing, just as Victor Hart had said, the royal city had issued me a griffon.
A pure white griffon, a little different from Cha Heera’s.
It felt like they had taken my Honorary Bishop rank into account. Religion here, too, was a symbol of pure white.
When I glanced to the side, a creature of a rather awkward size to call a grown beast came into view.
It was smaller than Cha Heera’s, but there was no problem flying on it.
I couldn’t help feeling oddly proud.
The satisfaction was a little like owning an expensive imported car.
Come to think of it, considering how valuable griffons were in this world, there was no way to compare them to mass-produced goods from a factory.
Haa...
Who would have thought I’d be leaving here with a griffon?
And not just one.
Two of them.
The other one wasn’t so much a gift as something I’d taken.
It had belonged to Ito Souta.
I worked hard to smuggle that thing home.
His floating treasure pile had been enormous, but this was the item I’d wanted most of all.
I hadn’t openly claimed ownership, but after subtly spreading the rumor that I had my eye on it and making a little not-quite-flattery toward Cha Heera, it naturally ended up in my hands.
The reason I’d dragged it away was obvious.
We need to take care of our Hyunsung.
It was the perfect gift for our regressor, who had suffered alone.
The burly black one definitely gave off male energy. Since my griffon was female, maybe the two of them could be paired off and build a happy family.
Maybe in five years... griffon breeding could become possible. I’d heard it was theoretically impossible, but whether something happens depends on whether you try or not.
I was absurdly happy.
“Ah, Oppa. Cardinal Basel has arrived.”
“Ah... right.”
Just as we were about to set off, seeing him appear made it clear he really did have a soft spot for us.
Even after talking with him until late last night, the fact that he had come out to see us off like this was something I could only be grateful for. And more people had come as well.
Duchess Katrin, Lady Marlin, Countess Elise, Archbishop Jessica, and the Heresy Inquisitor Leader Helena.
There were a few others too.
The first to greet me, naturally, was Cardinal Basel. His face carried an unmistakably regretful expression.
“You haven’t left yet, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Haha. I’m still waiting for the Mercenary Queen.”
“Ah...”
“To tell the truth, I’d been hoping Cardinal Basel would be the one to see me off.”
“Hohhoho. Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, as always, you have a way with words. Hohho.”
“I’m truly grateful that you came out this early in the morning to see me off.”
“It would be strange not to see off Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung of all people. I just worry that this old man kept you too long.”
“Not at all. I enjoyed myself more than enough. I’ll come visit again before long, Cardinal Basel.”
Cardinal Basel was clasping my hand tightly, and the sight was genuinely amusing.
What shone in his eyes was a level of trust no one else could touch.
If this old man became Pope, maybe I could become a cardinal too, and that thought made me squeeze his hand right back.
Of course, Cardinal Basel wasn’t the only one feeling regret.
“Lee Kiyoung.”
“Ah, Duchess Katrin.”
“It feels like you arrived at a slightly unfortunate time, so I’m the one who should apologize. I don’t think you were able to fully enjoy the social gatherings and all...”
“Not at all. I was a little busy before, but these past few days were truly fun. Meeting the people you introduced me to and talking with them was a delight as well. I feel like I’ve met everyone I’ll ever need to meet in my life. All thanks to Duchess Katrin.”
Even Lady Marlin seemed to be crying for some reason, and that caught my eye too.
What’s wrong with her now?
For a moment, Kasugano Yuno from the other day came to mind.
I remembered how she had burst into tears before I left for Celia.
I had only managed to calm her down by promising to visit once a month, but it had been exhausting.
I could understand her feelings, though. It was only natural to be heartbroken at having to stay apart.
Still, Kasugano Yuno had things she needed to do in Celia, so I couldn’t bring her to Lindel.
“Sob... sob...”
“Lady Marlin seems very disappointed, doesn’t she? Hoho.”
“L-Lee Kiyoung! Y-you have to come back, o-okay? Hic...”
“Yes, Lady Marlin. Of course I’ll come see you again. I’ll visit whenever I have the time, so you don’t need to be so upset. Let’s be sure to meet again, Countess Elise.”
“Yes.”
“And let’s make sure to see Archbishop Jessica and Heresy Inquisitor Leader Helena again as well.”
“Yes, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung. We’ll come visit Lindel ourselves.”
“That’s an honor.”
There were so many people here that it was hard to greet them one by one.
I mostly worked my way through the higher-ranking people first, but there were still plenty of other important figures.
There were nobles with excellent distribution networks, and promising knights with great potential for the future.
The problem was that there wasn’t a single person I could afford to discard.
Managing a human network was definitely difficult.
I did feel as though I’d become popular in an instant, though...
I’m a little tired.
But I couldn’t show it.
“If this is your first time riding a griffon, we can have the Holy See assign a knight to escort you separately.”
“Hahaha. I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine, Cardinal Basel. I’ve flown through the sky a few times already, and I seem to do all right. I suppose that’s thanks to the goddess helping me.”
“For Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung, that sounds entirely plausible.”
“You flatter me, Cardinal Basel.”
Just when I was starting to think this was getting dull, Cha Heera arrived at the griffon launch point with Victor Hart.
She was greeting people all over the place too.
After she caught my eye, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
“Ready to go, babe?”
“Yeah. Thanks for seeing us off, everyone.”
“You’re always welcome at the Holy See, Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung.”
“Haha. Thank you truly, all the way to the end.”
Once I climbed lightly onto the griffon’s back, sure enough, Jung Hayan took the seat behind me.
Cha Heera mounted her own griffon, and over Ito Souta’s griffon, one of the Red Mercenary Guild’s executives climbed on as well.
It looked like he was going to handle the drive back to Lindel for us.
After a slight nod, the griffons began beating their wings slowly.
I’m going home.
As the scenery around me shifted, the place I thought of as home changed too.
It was a little disappointing, but not a bad change.
For no reason at all, I suddenly wanted to see the family waiting at home. No, more than that, I wanted to see our regressor’s reaction to the different gifts.
Hyunsung! Your brother’s coming!