Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Party Invitation to the Saintess
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We made our way to the lord's mansion at a leisurely pace.
Murmurs from the territory's residents echoed from all directions.
"Wh-what the hell was that just now?"
"A fireball drops from the sky, then it gets smashed to pieces."
"Mom, did you see that rainbow earlier? It was so pretty!"
"Sob sob. O God, Saintess, thank you so much."
"Son, are you feeling better now? Are you fully healed?"
Rennel, who had been pretending not to listen while perking up her ears, whispered to me.
"You don't have to tell anyone?"
"About what?"
"About smashing that meteor. You basically just saved this whole territory. How much do you think that's worth in gold?"
"There are things in this world that money can't buy."
"Sure. Even bigger money."
Someday, I swore I'd pin her down and have a deep talk about her values.
"Even if that's true, how do you plan to prove it? Does it even make sense that someone could smash a meteor with just a sword?"
"You know you're not exactly normal yourself."
"More than anything, fame won't help much in hunting down the Erosion Demon King."
Rennel shook her head.
It must have been incomprehensible from her perspective, where wealth and glory were life's goals.
I added one more thing.
"Still, there's at least one person who'll know I smashed that meteor. That's enough for me."
"Huh? Oh?"
In that instant, Rennel's face flushed bright red.
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean all of a sudden?"
"...?"
"Saying that knowing is enough for you. Don't just swoop in like that out of nowhere; it doesn't make me happy at all, you know?"
"...?"
"Ahem. But if you think that highly of me... fine, I'll let it slide this time."
...?
I'd been talking about the Saintess.
That I'd smashed the meteor and she'd handled the debris.
I was planning to say let's keep achieving feats like this together (as fellow party members).
But that's when Chris cut in.
"Rennel, I witnessed it too, you know."
"Oh, right. Dai-il, apologize to Sir Chris. He must feel left out."
"No, that's not what I meant. I was saying Dai-il might not have had us in mind..."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing."
Surprisingly wise of Chris, he deftly changed the subject.
"More importantly, Dai-il. I overheard something you can't just brush off. You're planning to take down the Erosion Demon King, the number one threat, the Demon God himself?"
"Come to think of it, I never told you."
"No, you didn't! That kind of pie-in-the-sky dream is your goal?"
"The bigger the goal, the better."
"It's been fun."
"If taking down the Erosion Demon King isn't someone's goal, then who else could rescue your brother? Don't forget—he was kidnapped by an Arch Demon King."
Chris clamped his mouth shut with a groan.
After a long pause, he finally mumbled something like a baby's babble.
"That's just a guess, not a certainty..."
"God's treasures can't be broken by anyone less than an Arch Demon King."
"Ugh."
"Instead of worrying about that, figure out what excuse to give the Saintess. We need to tell her the mirror's been smashed soon enough."
Chris's face turned ashen.
Just then, we arrived at the mansion.
When we asked the knight dispatched from the Papal Court for an audience with the Saintess, he paled in shock and rushed inside.
And not even a minute later, he came back to guide us in.
"The Saintess is waiting."
We followed him in with utmost confidence.
Opening the door, we saw the Saintess.
Unlike a few weeks ago, her face was rigidly tense.
"Good work. You may go."
The knight bowed without a word and left.
The Saintess spoke.
"It's been a while."
"Yes. I hope you've been well."
"Until recently. Until that meteor fell from the sky."
"..."
"This meteor incident... it's connected to the Disease Demon King, isn't it?"
I glanced at Rennel and Chris.
They both nodded, handing the floor to me.
"Let me explain from the beginning."
I slowly recounted our adventures so far.
Discovering the Sloth Demon King's seals. Breaking them one by one.
The pissed-off Disease Demon King appearing before us and freezing him solid.
And finally, the Sloth Demon King dropping the meteor—and me smashing it to bits.
Each part was shocking in its own right.
She must have been confused about where to even start unpacking it all.
But oddly, the Saintess's first question was offbeat.
"You said the Sloth Demon King asked if you were the Hero? What's a Hero?"
"Pardon? You're asking that first?"
"Ah, um."
The Saintess blushed slightly and started twirling her hair with her index finger.
"They're all such massive events... I figured I'd start with the least crazy one as an appetizer."
"..."
"I've never heard the word Hero before. Is it like the heroes from novels or heroic tales?"
"No idea there either. First time hearing about Heroes for me too."
"Got it. Back to the main topic."
She cleared her throat lightly and continued.
"So..."
"..."
"Oh, just one thing. Is a Hero like the prince on the white horse from fairy tales?"
Still the same. What an airhead.
For some reason, the Saintess was hooked on the Hero thing, but she soon regained her composure and returned to the main issue.
She meticulously and seriously analyzed my report.
"So the Sloth Demon King was the Disease Demon King's backer. And some Arch Demon Kings have factions."
"I didn't confirm the faction part myself. It's just what Rennel deciphered from ancient texts."
"To think such documents exist. Rennel, may I ask where you obtained them?"
Rennel hesitated enormously.
Seeing her troubled expression, the Saintess waved it off.
"Never mind if it's sensitive. The higher-ups probably know the gist anyway."
"Pardon?"
"The Pope and cardinals keep plenty of secrets from me."
"Uh..."
"Anyway, moving on. Hm."
After that, the Saintess picked up on details like how the Disease Demon King moved in an orbital path like drawing stars, or what magic froze him where and how.
"You said it'd take a hundred years to thaw the magic?"
"Yes. Feel free to check it yourself."
"I will, but I can't sense or handle mana... I'll have to ask the lord here for cooperation. Borrow a few mages to verify it. Don't take it the wrong way."
"Of course not."
"Thank you. Now, the most important question."
Whoosh.
There, the Saintess turned to me.
Her gaze was clearly on me, but Chris—feeling the heat—suddenly interjected.
"Whew. It's time. Saintess, about God's Mirror..."
"How are you so strong, Dai-il?"
"Oh, not the mirror? Carry on then."
Rennel stared at Chris with an indescribable expression.
Ignoring the two, the Saintess continued to me with pure sincerity.
"There's one part of your report I can't believe. Smashing a meteor with a single sword. Compared to that, the Sloth Demon King sounds like a joke."
"Didn't you block the meteor debris yourself, Saintess? That golden rainbow was your doing, right?"
"Calling it my work sounds like blasphemy. I merely borrowed God's power briefly."
"No matter the source, you're the only one who can wield such a spell. So it's fine to call it your work."
"Enough about me."
The Saintess easily sidestepped my deflection and returned to the point.
"People grow stronger through trials and crises—that's the law of this world. But there's a limit. No trial I can imagine would make a human strong enough to smash a meteor."
The Saintess stared straight into my eyes.
"What trials have you endured? You."
Damn. I'd tried to deflect that exact question.
It was the same one Chris had asked before.
Rennel and Chris looked at me.
They were probably plenty curious too.
'My trials, huh.'
I recalled Mother's dying words: never speak of the Quad Wrangle.
So I cleverly changed the subject with a sly grin.
"I have a question too."
"..."
"How did you take down the Disease Demon King ten years ago?"
"I didn't take him down."
"Temporarily, at least. He seemed to have a real grudge against you."
"Well, that was..."
She hesitated a moment before answering.
"A secret."
"Then mine's a secret too."
"..."
"But someday we'll reveal our secrets to each other. If you grant my request."
"Request?"
"The quest I mentioned first."
The Saintess fell silent briefly, then chuckled.
She must have read the resolve in my eyes never to spill it.
She shrugged and said,
"The quest to capture the Disease Demon King alive without killing him? We'd need to confirm the frozen site first for the reward, but..."
"..."
"You don't seem like the lying type. Alright, tell me. What do you want?"
I answered casually, like it was no big deal.
"Join our party."
"...?"
"And together, we'll crush the Erosion Demon King. That's my reward."
In that instant, Rennel and Chris's eyes went wide.
Their faces screamed, 'Even if it's you, how can you ask the Saintess to join an adventurer party?'
To think I could read minds from expressions alone. Cheers to that.
Meanwhile, the Saintess's face was a sight.
She looked as shocked as the other two, but I caught the faint excitement and anticipation beneath it.
Cheers again.
"Did I hear that right?"
"Probably."
"A party? You want a Saintess like me to become an adventurer?"
I found her reaction odd.
In my previous life, hadn't she summoned us and begged to join our party?
'Ah. She mentioned a revelation back then.'
Maybe she hadn't received it yet.
As I pondered, the Saintess continued.
"And the Erosion Demon King, no less. Is that your party's goal?"
"Yes."
"Not mine. Don't include me."
"Not mine either."
"As you can see, it's our party's unanimous top priority."
Rennel and Chris protested, but I let it go in one ear and out the other.
Meanwhile, the Saintess fidgeted with her fingers, mumbling to herself.
"Well, of course I'd be thrilled... but no way. The Pope would never allow it."
"..."
"But would an opportunity like this come again? No normal person would accept me anyway."
"Saintess, I can hear everything."
The Saintess snapped her head up to look at me.
"Your proposal is intriguing, Dai-il, but I must decline. I'm not free to move about, nor can I affiliate with any group or faction."
I put my twice-honed perceptiveness to work.
'She seems desperate.'
No way?
I tilted my head and opened my mouth.
"Can't be helped then. We'll be on our way..."
"W-wait!"
"Yes?"
"Ah, um... the reward! You have to take a reward."
"You just rejected the one I asked for."
"That's why you need something else instead."
"I don't want anything."
"Just wait. One week—no, three days. Just three days."
This sealed it.
I scratched my head and said,
"We're in a hurry."
"Two days..."
"Sorry."
"Fine. One day. Just one day. Come back tomorrow at this time, okay?"
Rennel and Chris blinked in confusion.
I sighed as if giving in and replied,
"Alright. See you tomorrow."
"Thank you. Really, thank you."
"We'll take our leave then."
"Yes! You have to come back tomorrow. Promise?"
And so we withdrew from the Saintess.
On the way out and back to the inn, no one spoke.
It wasn't until we were nearly at the inn that Rennel finally snapped out of it and muttered,
"Feels like our positions got switched somehow."