Chapter 124
Translator: uly
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Senior Hunting Season (1)
Holy Nation Monarch.
The northern Solproid Diocese, western Sordienude Diocese, southern Solsveji Diocese, eastern Solcrodite Diocese.
In the grand cathedral of Ravie, the capital where the head temple of the Church of Light—ruling over these four dioceses—was located, the 17th Pope Cassel Nicolaus received a guest.
A woman over two meters tall, clad in a black dress woven from crow feathers and widow spider silk.
Her skin was deathly pale, devoid of any blood color.
She was a monster covered in vicious horns sprouting from her neck, behind her ears, and around her eye sockets, who had entered the church's sanctuary known as the 'Spring'.
Antiope of the Yaoak (??).
She was the empire's infamous harlot, the sole survivor among the Four Great Evils.
"Here you go."
She bit deeply into an apple on the table with her torn lips and handed over a bundle.
When Cassel unwrapped it, he found something black and hard inside, like black iron.
He immediately recognized what it was.
It was the coffin of Carbias, the apocalyptic dragon that had perished during the Great War.
"Is this all?"
"Gathering even this much was incredibly difficult, you know? The telegrams sent by the empire's archmages are monitoring the entire continent. Just to find little old me. We're short on supplies ourselves, so you should be grateful for what we've given you."
If you had found Sacrear, you wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble. With that, she neatly popped the apple core into her mouth and crunched away.
Cassel's eyes narrowed.
What the church sought from Sacrear was neither treasure nor the Reincarnation Duke herself.
It was the bones of the dragon that had met its end in the nest it had made—specifically, the dragon whelp.
"And the hero?"
"We're looking. We suspect he's with the princess, so we've sent a saintess to Pharenchia."
"Hmm, the princess, eh. Well, that could be."
Someone must be watching over her from the shadows to keep her true form hidden.
She bit into another apple, juice squirting out.
She offered him a bite of it, but Cassel quietly shook his head.
"By the way, something interesting happened in Pharenchia recently. If you find him, let me know? We both have something to reclaim from that guy."
"We can't be sure he has the holy relic, and even the demon king's head might not be with him..."
"He has it."
Her snail-like protruding horns made it impossible to tell where she was looking.
But when she revealed her killing intent, Cassel suppressed the fear surging from the depths of his soul.
The Yaoak before him was the very monster that, alongside the Necromancer of the Blood Sea, had once annihilated the Holy Knight Order La Ruel during the Great War.
Even Penheim's grand duke, who had reached the pinnacle of magic, would need at least two others to stand a chance against her.
"He must have taken it to prevent the demon king's resurrection. For us demons, that's the most important thing."
Tap, tap. Antiope drummed her horns.
Seeing the scars and small cracks from the church's sacrifices, Cassel's expression twisted slightly.
"Are we done here?"
His tone clearly conveyed he had no desire to keep her as a guest any longer.
Understanding this, Antiope grinned.
"Yeah, got it. I don't want to linger in a holy place like this either. Well, I'll be off then?"
As the Yaoak rose from her seat, he finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
An immense karma that overwhelmed even him, the Pope of Monarch.
But Cassel wasn't intimidated solely by her demonic aura.
Clack, clack.
Antiope wandered the cathedral interior as if on a stroll, then suddenly asked Cassel in a very casual tone, as if it had just occurred to her.
"Oh, by the way, can I take a few more of those apples? They don't grow fruit like this in Helzev. Especially the ones from Monarch are extra tasty."
"...Those aren't."
Cassel fiddled with the ring on his finger, correcting her 'misunderstanding'.
"Those aren't apples."
"Oh? Really?"
"They're devotees of the church."
At his words, the empire's harlot flashed a chilling smile and licked the red juice from her lips.
"But the color's the same, isn't it?"
"..."
"So they're the exact same thing."
A mindset that would horrify any human with a beating heart.
But to her, a demon, there was no difference between the two.
Moments later, as the fresh pool of blood on the temple floor began filling the Spring, the leader of the Blood Rune Brigade, Pagaras, appeared behind him.
"I'll handle the bodies."
"Please do."
"Are you really letting her go like this? Inside Rubie, even a Yaoak couldn't use her full power."
The capital of the Holy Nation, filled with the divine power of the goddess Hella.
It was one of the few places where the Horus Lighthouse could conceal the karma of the Four Great Evils, but for a demon like her, it was the worst possible location.
"It's fine. Just let her go."
"But..."
"No need to worry, Pagaras."
Even so, Cassel chose not to fight Antiope.
It wasn't because their alliance with the filthy demons was so vital.
"She's doomed to die anyway."
He muttered while gazing at the dragon bones he had finally obtained and the Rubie altar where he could receive the goddess's oracle.
"If we summon the hero."
"Really? Caroline said that?"
"Yes. She couldn't find it."
"Hmm, well..."
Even in the library, finding an imperial secret manual wouldn't be easy.
Relieved that Lehel wouldn't be in danger, he felt at ease.
"Got it. Anything else?"
"Nothing much... Oh! She asked if we could get a Ouija board."
"Ouija board?"
"Yes. It's a kind of ritual tool rampant in Monarch—a wooden board for hearing the voice of God."
"Such a thing exists?"
"It's not used much because it can be branded heresy depending on doctrinal interpretation. But since His Holiness the 17th Pope, Cassel Nicolaus, didn't say anything against it, she must have requested one."
The word of God—revelation.
Known to be received only by saintesses, yet history records only a handful who actually have.
Even Eris had never heard direct words from Hella.
It didn't seem to come based on exceptional ability, so he hadn't paid it much mind either...
"Maybe she's trying to gain recognition within the church somehow? Even a small revelation would lend weight to the saintess's words."
"Could be."
After finishing his conversation with Ansen, Pharenchia's walls came into view in the distance.
The students were already itching to unload their luggage.
As the magic train stopped at the station, Lehel reminded them not to miss the report deadline after training camp.
He headed to the spot for carriages to the academy from the station.
There, Liv, who had gotten off the train early and waited for him, naturally fell in step beside him.
Erzebet, who had shared the cabin with him, did the same.
"Louis, heading to the canteen?"
"Yeah. What about you, Your Highness? Don't you Liv in the dorms?"
"I have afternoon classes. It's excused until today, but it's still good to attend."
Not to be outdone, Liv said to him,
"I'll come too, Boss. I have business at the library."
Liv knew who the trading partner was for the armored soldier production method.
However, even as a princess of a nation, the looks directed at her weren't kind.
"B-Boss! Take me too!"
Just then, Lehel, the last off the train, joined, filling the four-seater carriage.
Relieved at the reduced personal cost, he gladly agreed.
But a problem arose.
"Sorry, but there's already a passenger. One of you will have to go separately."
The last remaining carriage already had the red-haired saintess aboard.
Still displeased with him, her face soured the moment their eyes met—a sight to behold.
"What if five squeeze in...?"
"This carriage seats four. Any heavier and the horse can't move."
Five people.
Four seats.
One had to be left behind.
A very awkward situation.
"Then we'll go later, Boss."
"Huh? Uh..."
As the coachman gruffly replied to Erzebet, Liv made the first move.
She naturally wrapped her arm around Louis's waist and headed to the end of the line where other students waited.
Even if it was just a guardian-princess relationship, no one could ignore the implications between man and woman.
A skirt brushing in the cramped carriage from a bump.
Or hands overlapping from losing balance—then guardian becomes family (??), family becomes husband (??) in an instant.
"Louis? If it's not urgent, wait a bit. I'll send a carriage from my villa."
From the opposite side, Erzebet called to Louis.
She didn't want to ride with the saintess, nor be left alone here.
Louis was her hired bodyguard, after all!
He should stick by her until they returned to the academy.
"I-I... want to ride too..."
Lehel, still sorting her thoughts, subtly grabbed Louis's hem from behind.
Teleporting away in one go wasn't hard for her, but somehow it felt wrong to do so here.
"We can go separately, no problem."
"How long to wait in that line, Miss Liv? Don't you want to get back and rest quick, Louis?"
"Boss. Don't you just want to go fast...? Want to hold hands and go right now?"
Caroline watched the subtle battle over Louis from inside the carriage in disbelief.
At this point, she suspected he was spraying pheromones or something.
With a sigh, she lightly waved her hand in the air.
A horse stamina enhancement spell.
A self-buff used by the brigade in battle, alongside mental manipulation types.
"Made it so five can ride. Let's go? I'm tired and want to rest..."
"Ah, understood, Saintess!"
"That's how it is. Hop on quick!"
Louis, relieved at escaping the awkwardness, scooped up the ice duck and boarded.
But as he reached out to Erzebet, about to board second after stepping on the footboard—
Neigh!!
"Wha—!? Y-You damn—!"
"B-Boss—!"
The horse suddenly bolted, and the carriage took off.
Only then did Caroline clutch her neck and mutter.
This damned revelation again...
"Whew, almost fell. Ah..."
Finally regaining balance and closing the door, Louis realized he'd left the other women behind and was now alone with her in the carriage. He was at a loss for words.
To him standing awkwardly, Caroline eyed the opposite seat.
"What're you doing? Sit."
"Got it."
As the carriage passed through Pharenchia's streets, the two barely spoke.
Opening the window and pulling out a cigarette, Caroline noticed Louis's gaze fixed on her hand.
"...Want one?"
"I'd appreciate it."
He took it without hesitation, clearly taken with it.
Lighting it was her job too.
As she brought her finger, white holy flame alight, to his lips holding the cigarette, Caroline unwittingly pulled back.
Seeing his head naturally follow, a mischievous urge struck her.
"What...?"
"What'm I doing?"
She wiggled her finger; his brow furrowed.
Pulling it slowly toward her body, he leaned in—it was amusing.
A faint smile she hadn't noticed crept onto her lips.
Probably the first pleasant feeling since transferring to the academy.
"Stop teasing and give it."
"Eek!?"
Louis grabbed her wrist and pulled it to his mouth; her ample chest jiggled as her waist lurched forward.
Caroline covered it with her other hand, waiting awkwardly for the flame to catch.
The part that had earned her 'vulgar' labels since becoming saintess.
She didn't want eyes focused there.
"Thanks."
But Louis showed no interest in her chest until releasing her hand, only expressing gratitude.
"You forced it on me."
"Not that."
"...!"
Exhaling deeply drawn smoke, he said no more.
But Caroline knew his thanks referred to that final moment in Uzet.
"No need to worry about you."
"Wasn't worried. Hah, thinks he's something to me."
In the end, she awkwardly crossed her arms and turned to the window.
She didn't want to admit aloud that she cared about Louis, including the Sacrear incident.
As the carriage neared Pharenchia Academy grounds,
Caroline nudged Louis's foot, who was petting the dozing ice duck.
"Hey."
"What?"
"They holding a daytime BBQ party here or something?"
"What're you—... Huh?"
Louis looked out the window in surprise too.
The Pharenchia Academy grounds emerging in the distance were billowing thick smoke, like the cigarettes in their hands.