Holy Sword Struggle - Part 3

After the academy group had all departed, I let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the woman burying her face in a black earthenware pot inside the gukbap shop where the mysterious woman and I had come alone. That small frame had already emptied five bowls.

"Eating commoner food like this is quite presumptuous!"

"Puhaha...!"

"Syuen of the Tetra family...! I believe a restaurant like this is necessary even in the capital!"

"Is it that delicious?"

Syuen nodded vigorously. She poured out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her frustrations about the grueling three-day journey.

"I ate nothing but jerky for three days—I thought I was going to starve to death! It was cold, I was hungry, and I had no money!"

"I see."

"It was awful! I never expected to run into commoners along the way!"

"Hmm."

I hadn't expected to meet her here either. It was pleasant to watch Syuen eat so heartily, but seeing a noble discard all dignity and devour her meal so ravenously stirred a strange pang of pity in me. I placed some side dishes onto the spoonful of rice Syuen had scooped up and asked,

"I never thought I'd run into you here either, Lady Syuen."

"I never thought I'd see a commoner here either! As expected of a jobless bum—you really do turn up everywhere!"

"I'm here on business, actually."

"Oh?"

Syuen nodded and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Busier than you look, aren't you?"

"What exactly did you take me for to say something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like that?"

"A bum, obviously."

"..."

I let out another hollow laugh and shook my head. She wasn't entirely wrong. "Shall I order you another bowl?"

"Yes, please!"

"Understood."

Seeing Syuen cleanly finish her bowl was satisfying enough that I didn't mind. It was something I heard often anyway, and she hadn't meant it maliciously. Honestly, I still had no idea why Syuen had come all the way to the north. In the novel, Syuen was a character who exited the story early—rejected by Mikhail and then sulking her way offstage. I couldn't begin to guess why she had suddenly appeared in the north, especially at the exact time the Holy Sword was being retrieved. It didn't seem like she had come for the Holy Sword itself.

"It's delicious!!!!"

"...Heh."

Whatever the reason, it didn't matter right now. I set down my spoon and asked Syuen the question that had been bothering me. The best way to satisfy curiosity was simply to ask.

"Lady Syuen."

"What is it, commoner? I haven't finished this bowl yet...!"

"Why did you come to the north?"

"Eh...?"

At the sharp question, Syuen flinched and began to fidget with her lips while glancing at me.

"Well..."

"Yes?"

"It's..."

"Take your time."

"It's...!"

I gently wiped the grain of rice from the corner of her mouth and smiled. Syuen's heart was racing like mad.

'...A-arrhythmia!'

"You had some rice on your face."

"Th-this is indecent!!"

"Pardon?"

"In-indecent...!"

She seemed to have short-circuited. Watching the malfunctioning Syuen, I chuckled and patted her head. It looked like I wouldn't be getting an answer about why she had come to the north after all.

'It can't be because of the Holy Sword. Syuen is a mage, after all.'

Once Syuen had calmed down, she picked up her spoon again and looked me straight in the eye.

"What did you come to the north for, commoner?"

"Me?"

"Yes!"

"I'm afraid that's business confidential."

"Then mine is a secret too."

With a huff, Syuen turned her head away. I nodded and spoke in a low voice.

"Still, don't go up the snowy mountains in the north."

"Why not?"

"Monsters live there. They say ghosts come out at night—spirits who lost their way on the mountain..."

"Eeeeeek!!!!"

Syuen leapt from her chair and thrust out her fingers in the shape of a cross.

"Begone!"

"Hah..."

She really was an amusing person. After chatting a little longer with Syuen, we said our goodbyes. We both had things to do. I paid the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bill, of course—there was a brief incident where Syuen insisted on paying and ended up trembling at the sight of her own wallet, but overall it had been a pleasant encounter.

Anyway, tomorrow was the day. From early dawn, the procession of those seeking the Holy Sword would begin. Judging by how packed the nearby inns were, the imperial family had sent considerable forces. Since I couldn't sense Loewen's presence, it seemed he would arrive around dawn tomorrow. Considering that the empire's sword couldn't leave its post carelessly, it wasn't a bad addition to our strength.

Above all else—

'Saintess. Elysia is on our side.'

'She's here.'

I turned my head toward the sound of the voice. When I saw the robed woman sitting on the bench with her face hidden, I swallowed hard. She sat with a pious posture, like a saintess awaiting her god—black hair, alluring eyes. Even with the hood pulled up, her presence was impossible to conceal. I knew at once who she was.

'The Apostle of Benevolence.'

The moment I took a step toward the bench where she sat, space itself began to distort. It was as if she were preparing a space just for the two of us. The trees crumpled like threads, yet none of the passersby noticed a thing. The street transformed into a desolate space containing only her and me.

'...A monster.'

I felt it anew—she truly was someone who held the title of Apostle.

"Hoo..."

I approached slowly and sat down beside her on the bench. After a moment, a voice that didn't reach my ears began to echo.

—I have been waiting.

'Telepathy.'

I nodded and asked Elysia,

—Were you followed?

—I handled it on my end.

—Saintess.

—That title—

—Is there no way to drop it?

—...

—I suppose not.

I let out a short breath and asked Elysia,

—Before we begin, there's something I want to confirm.

—...I will answer any question.

—Then I'll ask without holding back.

—Nod.

—Whose side are you on, Apostle?

—...

—The empire's? Or the cult's?

—I am,

Elysia clasped her hands together and answered without the slightest tremor in her voice,

—on the Saint's side.

—...

—Not on anyone's side but the Saint's. The Saint is my pillar.

I nodded heavily.

'My side, huh.'

I still couldn't fully trust Elysia, yet her words felt sincere.

The convenient affinity window revealed her true feelings. What mattered was that we had gained an enormous asset for this operation. Even if she merely stood by and did nothing, the academy group would receive a massive boost in strength. If Loewen, who had held off two Apostles in the novel, were to face the Apostle of Temperance alone, we might actually be able to eliminate one Apostle this time. I nodded and clenched my fist.

—Understood.

Now that we had confirmed our mutual trust, it was time to move on to the main topic. As if reading my thoughts, Elysia began relaying information about the cult through telepathy without the slightest hesitation.

—I have located the Holy Sword.

—Faster than expected.

—Yes. I haven't found the exact location yet, but I have confirmed that a temple where the Holy Sword sleeps lies at the edge of the Andes Mountains.

—We can't enter it right now.

—The cult members are breaking through the barrier.

—Using them as test subjects, I see.

—Correct.

I asked Elysia the most important question.

—How many forces do they have?

—...

—Two Apostles and one Archbishop?

Elysia shook her head.

—Two Apostles. Five Archbishops.

—...Five?

—Yes. And...

—...

—Roughly one hundred ordinary cultists.

I forced my trembling heart to calm and asked,

—Have they lost their minds...?

One hundred people—except they weren't people anymore. Over a hundred madmen who had lost their reason. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that were the case, the imperial army would be tied down dealing with the cult's forces, leaving the Archbishops to face the academy students directly. The imperial army was formidable, but without elite troops, we couldn't expect much from them. Then...

'This is dangerous.'

I asked Elysia in a trembling voice,

—Don't tell me...

Elysia nodded with a heavy expression.

—It seems Temperance has noticed. And...

—It looks like they're trying to appoint a new Apostle.

'Damn it.'

—Temperance seems to have found someone to replace the vacant position of the Apostle of Benevolence.

A variable. A variable I hadn't accounted for. If more than two Apostle-level powerhouses participated in the Holy Sword struggle, our forces wouldn't be able to handle it. In that case... we might have to give up on the Holy Sword after all.