Chapter 50 — The Goddess Comes to Me and Brings Words of Wisdom (1)
Chapter 50 — The Goddess Comes to Me and Brings Words of Wisdom (1)
"Helen grew up in the Order, from a young age."
Held in Roan's arms while having her head stroked,
Grünent seemed languid. And in a rather fine mood.
She began to speak of matters Roan had not even asked about.
The Order's knight commandery had invaded Evirgio.
They were invaders who could not complain even if they were summarily executed.
Even considering their hostile position, the Commander had been utterly insolent. It would not be strange if Roan executed the entire knight commandery at once.
And so, Grünent likely wished to explain that Helen meant Roan no harm, in whatever way she could.
'Politics' informed him that Grünent was striving to spare Helen's life somehow,
and 'Attentive Hearing' conveyed her hope that Roan would surely come to know the harmlessness of the Helen she so cherished.
Roan found himself genuinely pleased.
Because Grünent's affection was adorable.
Besides, I had no intention of killing Helen, either.
"She was originally an orphan, I'm told. She grew up in the Order's orphanage, where she was remarkably bright.
Above all else, her holy power manifested suddenly."
"And so she was selected."
"Yes. So she was set to become a nun."
An H-Scene where she was beaten while wearing a nun's habit and then dumped would have been far more hazardous.
If that had been the case, it might have even drawn legal action.
"The previous Commander of the knight commandery happened to see her swinging a broom."
"Hmm. A broom."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I was the game's greatest power (currently, perhaps), so by comparison it might have seemed otherwise, but truly, even the Saintess was out of the ordinary.
How, exactly, did you swing a broom such that a Knight Commander scouted you on the spot?
"If she was conspicuous with a broom, she must be an exceptional swordswoman herself."
"Yes. However, within the Order, there are limits to the swordsmanship a woman may learn."
"Why is that?"
"The Church of Laurecia is an order that devotes and serves the Goddess. Originally, all the old priests were said to be male."
So the Order used to be crawling with nothing but men?!
...If I were the Goddess, I might have hated that!
was what I thought for a moment,
but upon further reflection, if I were a god and all my priests were women, I might actually have found that rather admirable.
"And so even now, a woman cannot ascend to a high position within the Order. In truth, the very fact that Helen rose as far as the rank of Vice-Commander in the knight commandery is because she is exceptionally special."
"Is it because she is the 'Saintess,' as you mentioned before?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What, exactly, is a Saintess?"
Deciphered literally, a holy woman.
In reality, a holy deceased personage canonized for her deeds.
In an erotic fantasy, the target of a corruption route.
Yet in Merde, the term might have held its own distinct meaning.
"She is the one closest to the Goddess."
Grünent continued her supplementary explanation.
"There have been those throughout the generations who pray and receive answers, who hear the will of the Goddess directly as if receiving an oracle, and who perform miracles through the power of the Goddess. Such a person is called a 'Saint.' They wield holy power vastly surpassing that of any ordinary priest."
It seemed this had similarities to the religion of the world I originally lived in.
"To begin with, until a few decades ago, it was said there were no female Saints—no 'Saintess.' But then..."
"Suddenly, female priests possessing a great amount of Laurecia's holy power appeared?"
"Yes."
Grünent now even had her eyes gently closed as she savored Roan's caresses.
Her expression was so peaceful, one could scarcely believe they were discussing such political matters.
"And Helen, among them, is a bearer of the greatest holy power in history. In an Order that inherently determines hierarchy by the measure of holy power, her level rivals that of the Pope."
"...What?"
Her tone had been so utterly leisurely that Roan's surprise came a beat late.
But Grünent did not open her eyes.
Like a cat that did not want its nap disturbed.
"However, the Order simply could not grant the position of Pope to a woman. For they feared shattering a tradition of over several hundred years.
Fortunately for them, Helen, half by her own will, half by others', chose to become a knight rather than a priestess. And the knighthood is a collective that prioritizes swordsmanship over holy power."
The organization's atmosphere now roughly sketched itself in Roan's mind.
It was a male-only organization. He could broadly envision the drift its culture had taken over the long years.
Especially with some of its members wielding weapons.
Into such an organization, an orphan girl suddenly appeared, wielding a power too immense to be acknowledged.
"Yet they could not hide her away from the outside world, either. So they made a figurehead out of Helen."
"You are correct, Your Majesty. Your insight is as keen as ever."
Grünent slowly opened her eyes.
An unidentifiable emotion glinted in her blue eyes.
"And so she is the black sheep of the Order."
"...."
The countless emotions embedded within that brief statement
reached Roan through 'Attentive Hearing.'
Anger, sorrow, a sense of kinship, pity, hope.
Was that hope directed at me?
"The rescue force was a good excuse. If it succeeded, it would be an opportunity for the Order to make a grand leap forward, wielding me at the fore; if it failed, the Saintess would be martyred."
"So they deliberately thrust you into a fatal situation. To dispose of the inconvenient Saintess, and simultaneously to remind everyone once more that I am the enemy of humanity."
"That is correct, Your Majesty. Yet Helen is..."
As if she could not bear to watch, Grünent closed her eyes again and burrowed into me.
"She is... so foolish."
"Because she threw herself into mortal danger to rescue you?"
"Yes."
And then, abruptly, something like a tiny glass bead fell from the corner of her eye with a plop.
It was Grünent's tear.
"But a life like that is all that Helen knows."
"Because she grew up in the Order?"
"Yes. Obey, follow orders. Serve the Goddess."
"...."
All that a girl raised in a unit full of men knew was the world inside that unit. I imagined what it would be like: about to enlist, fortunately entering a military academy, living a military life therein.
A girl who knew nothing but military life her whole life long.
Ugh, how dreadful.
Roan shuddered involuntarily.
And then, a wave of pity washed over him.
"If she holds any attachment to the world outside the Order... quite arrogantly speaking, I would be the only one."
Tears began to drip from Grünent's eyes. Roan drew out a handkerchief and wiped them away.
"And so, she threw herself into it for your sake."
"Yes. Like a fool."
A thought suddenly occurred to Roan.
Perhaps, Helen's disposition for masochism stemmed from the same cause.
Orders she must follow unconditionally in an environment where defiance was unthinkable.
Whether something was unjust or not was not for her to decide.
If it was pain she had to accept in any case, perhaps it was better to feel pleasure.
Watching Roan silently wipe her tears, lost in thought, Grünent spoke in a choked voice.
"Your Majesty. Please... spare Helen's life."
"Hmm."
The Demon King's silence stretched long.
So long that even Grünent, who trusted him, began to feel anxious.
And then Roan opened his lips.
"Could Helen become a traitor to humanity?"
The smile that surfaced on his face was both decadent and alluring.
His face, pale as the moon, and his luminous violet eyes seemed to ensnare her very soul.
'If the Devil existed, he might look like this.'
Grünent thought.
"Just as you have."
And then Roan gently buried his forehead within the locks of Grünent's hair.
Like a gesture of affection between cats, he smiled and rubbed his forehead against her head, displaying his intimacy.
To the strange, even beguiling scent emanating from him, Grünent replied as if spellbound.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I shall make it... so."
"If Helen can be of use to me."
Roan's whisper tickled her ear.
His voice was quiet and low.
"I will spare her. Your friend, at least."
*
And so Helen fell into deep thought.
The Demon King's hospitality exceeded all imagination, and Grünent's condition looked well.
The food was unpoisoned, and the sleeping quarters were comfortable.
Even the normally boisterous Commander was shut in a separate room from her.
Truly, it was a peaceful span of time.
That was, until Grünent came to see her with the Demon King.
"You speak... of organizational management, Your Majesty?"
"Mm. From what I hear from Grünent, it is the place in Merde where discipline is most rigorously upheld."
Let me gild the lily a bit first.
It can't hurt.
"Yes. In order not to sully the august name of Goddess Laurecia, our knight commandery observes strict discipline."
For some reason, Helen answered with a look of pride.
Here, the name of the Goddess 'Laurecia' was taboo, but since I was a magnanimous Demon King, I would let it pass.
With that, Roan got to the point.
"I intend to request an armistice, and in the long term, to put an end to this war."
Helen's eyes trembled.
"I had heard it from Lady Grünent, but truly...."
"However, I must persuade my lords."
"...."
"Or, alternatively, crack some skulls together."
Helen's expression grew more and more perplexed.
"Are you saying, Your Majesty, that the commanders under Your Majesty... do not follow your orders?"
"Regrettably. And so I am seeking the counsel of those of knightly background with experience in leading units and organizations."
Because Roan had been a common soldier, he was not well-versed in the command and management studies that officers learned.
He had glimpsed such things over his shoulder in his unit.
Yet still, skill in command and operations, perhaps even more rudimentary than what the human knights here possessed.
The Church of Laurecia's knight commandery was, reportedly, an even more stringent organization than the knight commands of Merde, so there might very well have been something worth hearing.
And I could, in turn, use that as a pretext to confidently keep Helen alive.
"Then, Your Majesty. In commanding a separate military force, the regulations must be..."
Helen, about to answer, abruptly closed her mouth. Grünent, who had been listening, wore an expression of regret for a split second. She had almost crossed over!
Seeing that face, Helen smiled bitterly.
"My apologies. It is difficult for me, in my foolishness, to speak presumptuously. Your Majesty."
"Hmm."
"Commander Matthias, more than I..."
All three of them simultaneously wore expressions of doubt that asked, 'Would he do it?' The one to compose her expression the quickest was Helen, who wished to believe her own words.
"...possesses greater knowledge. Your Majesty."
"Hmm. I see. Very well."
For now, Roan decided to take a step back.
Let's not be hasty. Let's not be hasty.
"If, later on, you happen to recall anything worth advising me, would you let me know, even if it is but a trifle? I shall listen with gratitude."
Helen's eyes went round.
She had barely ever heard anyone speak in such a fashion, even within the Order. Gratitude, of all things.
"I... understand. Your Majesty."
And so, the words Helen appended were sincere.
"Forgive me that I am not of help. Your Majesty."
A smile spread across Roan's expression at those words.
At the change that came over his icy, beautiful face, Helen swallowed her breath.
For some reason, Grünent wore a triumphant smile, and the two left Helen's guest room.
And a short while later.
Helen finished her deliberation.
Having concluded her thoughts, she rose to her feet and eased the door open a crack.
"What is it."
The Noll knight guarding the antechamber spoke in a sharp voice. Helen felt relief that he was not wearing his helmet.
Helen leaned her body out a little further.
At this, the Noll canted the spear he held and furrowed his brow.
"Halt there."
"Sir."
Under ordinary circumstances, the Noll would have simply stretched his spearpoint toward the sequestered guest and waited, without so much as a reply.
Yet the Noll answered.
Something compelled him to answer.
"What."
Helen's eyes glimmered.
"Sir, I am unarmed."
"I see."
"And I cannot best you by force, sir. Divine magic is primarily for healing, so I have no way to attack you."
"I am aware."
Helen tossed out trifling words, and the Noll knight answered her, every single time.
Listening only to their conversation,
there was no sense of incongruity.
But the Noll's expression was not so. As if he might be swallowed up at any moment, he had somehow drawn his face close to hers.
Though one might well feel intimidated by the Noll's great bulk, Helen spoke composedly.
"Therefore, permit me to see my superior for a moment and return. Even with two of us, escape is impossible. I shall only speak briefly."
And the Noll nodded his head.
"Fine. Just a moment."
It was a sight as if by magic.
Thus, Helen raised both hands to indicate she was unarmed, and under the Noll's watch, she knocked on the door of the room right next door...
"Crazy bitch. Come in."
Before Helen could even knock, the door slammed violently open.
The Commander spoke, his face full of irritation.
"Are you planning to broadcast that wicked skill of yours all over the neighborhood?"
"I apologize."
"What is it, so suddenly."
"I come to report."
Matthias's expression suddenly shifted.
The scowling face was suddenly replaced by an expressionless mask, as if devoid of all emotion.
In an icy voice, the Commander said.
"Speak."
"His Maje—... the Demon King."
Helen barely managed to correct her form of address.
"Demanded information on the knight commandery. Commander."
Matthias's eyes narrowed sharply.
"So."
"When I refused, he simply departed."
The Commander furrowed his brow again.
"Simply?"
"Yes."
"Just what sort of disgraceful conduct have you done that the Demon King came to interrogate you for information?"
Helen cast her gaze downward.
"I apologize."
"So you're just as easy here, too."
Matthias's eyes blazed with fury.
Yesterday's humiliation had not yet subsided.
And now the Demon King had outright ignored him and was trying to extract information from the Vice-Commander?
"Just how have you behaved that the Demon King thinks he can take you lightly?"
"I apologize, Commander."
"Here, too, you..."
Matthias's gaze glinted.
"need to 'reflect' on yourself."