Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The High Priestess's Request
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She smiled faintly and made an exaggerated gesture, drawing attention once again to certain parts of her body.
It sent a chill down my spine, making me think that if this was intentional, she was playing a dangerously high-level game.
"I need your help. With your strength and knowledge, you could save thousands of lives."
She said with a serious expression.
"Someone who's not affiliated with the Empire or the Holy Kingdom, yet possesses extensive knowledge of teleport gates. On top of that, from the Border Count family of the Bata Kingdom, which maintains political neutrality between nations. As far as I can tell... uh... well, in my opinion, you're the only one who fits all those criteria."
Her slight stammering felt like she'd memorized her lines beforehand.
The Saintess probably wasn't used to diplomatic meetings with various countries, so maybe that was to be expected.
But from the perspective of a high priestess, it was a total failure.
Was she even trying to hide her true identity?
I fell into thought. Listening to the rest of her story would surely drag me into this mess, but the weight of thousands of lives wasn't something I could ignore lightly.
"Hoo... Alright, I'll at least hear you out."
"There's a small nomadic tribe on the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom."
Tribe? Ah, right. I'd heard there were nomadic tribes there.
The Hael tribe and the Barbarian tribe were famous ones.
They had larger builds and tougher bodies than average humans. If you really thought about it, they were no different from other non-human races.
Of course, they looked just like tall humans on the outside, so distinguishing them by appearance wasn't easy.
I'd heard there had been endless debates for ages about whether to call Barbarians humans or not.
"You mean the Hael tribe?"
"Yes. There might be a war between the Holy Kingdom and the Hael tribe."
Her bombshell statement was on a massive scale.
"Pretend I didn't hear that."
Getting involved in a war would bring nothing good. Just as I was about to shut it down without hesitation...
She spoke urgently.
"I'm not asking you to help with the war. But with your technology, we could prevent a war from breaking out between the Hael tribe and the Holy Kingdom."
At her words, I stopped rising from my seat and nodded.
"I'll at least hear the story."
Putting together the rest of what she said, there had been growing tensions between the Hael tribe attached to one side of the Holy Kingdom and the kingdom itself. It had escalated to the point where voices calling for war were emerging even within the Holy Kingdom.
"They're honest people. Not the sharpest, but stubborn and they never lie. If we interact with them, we could get along just fine with the Holy Kingdom."
"Can the Holy Kingdom look favorably on the Hael tribe, who believe in shamanism?"
"I'll make it happen."
The determination in her eyes. I asked,
"So, what exactly do you want from me?"
"The teleport gate. I heard you created one. I even saw it on my way here. Can you... make one on demand?"
"If we're just talking possibilities, yes. The materials are expensive, that's all."
Her eyes lit up at my answer.
"The Holy Kingdom will provide the materials. In my name. So please help. Connect a teleport gate between them and the Holy Kingdom to foster exchanges, hold formal talks to clear up all the accumulated misunderstandings, and we can avoid bloodshed."
She spoke of mutual understanding.
If she truly believed that, she'd be naive. If she knew it was impossible but tried anyway, she'd be optimistic.
I didn't hate that kind of thinking.
Of course, that didn't mean I'd grant her request without getting anything in return.
"This isn't a small matter. Even for a high priestess, it doesn't seem like something Lady Navel could handle alone."
"Th-that's..."
Yeah, figures. Only someone of Saintess rank could overstep like that.
She was desperately trying to hide her identity.
And I understood her intentions.
But I'd forgotten about Luna, who was licking her ice cream right beside me.
"High priestesses these days have that much divine power?"
"Pardon? What do you...?"
"Just the visible divine power is dozens of times that of an ordinary priest."
Her expression hardened at those words.
"And these days, priestesses even tattoo the mark of the god on their chests?"
"Ah!"
She reflexively covered her chest area.
Ah, the stigmata—the symbol of the Saintess and the source of her power—was there?
Of course, her outfit was a pristine, elegant white priestess robe with virtually no exposure.
Realizing she'd been tricked, her delicate brows furrowed.
"H-how rude."
"I only said what I saw. I apologize."
Luna's behavior—utterly lacking in tact, or rather, with no intention of hiding anything—was a bit different from usual.
There was a subtle wariness, hostility, or some complex emotion directed at her.
Considering Luna rarely picked fights with others.
"Leon, I'm going to rest."
She abruptly stood, yanked open the fridge, and left.
"...Sorry about that. Luna must be in a bad mood."
"That lady is...?"
"Luna Basilyn Raphaelria. She's our family's live-in guest and my healer, but basically family."
She tilted her head at my answer.
"Luna Basilyn Raphaelria?"
"Something wrong?"
Come to think of it, Luna was an angel. The Holy Kingdom worshipped gods.
So there must be some connection between them.
Was she recognizing the name? Since Luna never talked about her past, I felt a spark of curiosity—maybe I could learn something about her.
"Raphaelria... Raphaelria... It sounds so familiar..."
Thinking back to how I met Luna, it was anything but ordinary.
A rift from the blue box, a fallen angel sealed inside.
"Do you know the name?"
"Ah... n-no. Must be my mistake. Anyway, back to the main topic..."
"Understood."
I agreed readily, and she flinched.
"Yes?"
"I'll help. Thousands of lives are at stake, right?"
She looked at me suspiciously, then her face brightened.
"Thank you so much..."
"In return, the Holy Kingdom will pay an appropriate price, I assume?"
My cold smile startled her, and she couldn't fully hide her guarded expression.
"But so many lives..."
Was this woman a master player, or just an empty-headed fool?
"Lady Navel, I said I'd help. You know this is like offering a poisoned apple that could kill me, right?"
She tilted her head at my question.
"What do you mean?"
"The teleport gate hasn't even finished safety testing—who knows what could happen. There's a high chance of casualties if something goes wrong. Honestly, I wasn't planning to use it for real for at least a month. And if this goes south, it could escalate to war."
"That's..."
Her face darkened.
"Even so, I said I'd help. But I'm no saint preaching non-possession. Give me fitting compensation, and I'll consider it positively."
She seemed too inexperienced to counter my logic. If she'd had a goal, she'd have come prepared with something anyway.
"You're right. Morally speaking."
"And this outcome would benefit you too, Lady Navel. Isn't someone who demands fair pay more trustworthy than one who helps for inscrutable reasons?"
She stared blankly at me, then smiled faintly.
"Hehe, you're a wise one, Young Master. So, what do you want?"
She's hooked.
I let out a short sigh and licked my lips.
I needed to make her as cooperative as possible.
"As you may have heard, the previous Cascadia Count couple—my parents—and my youngest sibling met their end at sea to a Kraken."
"Th-that..."
"We still haven't properly recovered the three bodies."
I had a rough idea of where the bodies might be trapped.
But the location was the problem.
"The sea floor where my parents and little sister went missing is impossible to explore."
"Impossible? What does that mean?"
I handed her a letter as she focused intently.
Having more money meant I could commission broader searches.
Melissa had even hired mermaids for the effort.
This sea race, neither hostile nor friendly to humanity, existed in small numbers but had established contacts.
Average height around 50 cm, they resembled humans but with finned lower bodies and gentle natures.
We'd given them descriptions of my parents and Arsha, along with their possessions, and they scoured the seabed where the Kraken vanished.
The results were bad news.
[The three bodies could not be found anywhere in the sea area. Even if devoured, traces should remain, but none do—presumed to have drifted into the forbidden zone. The forbidden zone is inaccessible per treaty with the Holy Kingdom and due to its dangers.]
Not far from the accident site was a dangerous sea.
A place designated forbidden by the Holy Kingdom.
A location no one could enter without an ancient divine relic held by the Holy Kingdom.
"You're asking to borrow a divine relic...?"
"Just for the search period."
Her eyes reddened at my words.
"Got it. I'll help. No—let me help. For something like this, I'll do whatever it takes to find the three of them."
Did she know? A mere high priestess couldn't authorize access to the forbidden zone.
It would be fine for the Saintess, but tough for a regular high priestess.
Yet she was offering it.
I grinned and extended my hand.
"Then let's give it a shot, Lady Navel."
"Yes, may the Archangel's blessing be with us... Pleased to work with you, Young Master."
Our houseguest really hated that Archangel, though.
The Saintess—no, High Priestess Navel—left, saying she'd return once things were sorted.
"It's a relief that you'll help, Young Master."
"I haven't given a firm yes yet."
"I know. So I'll definitely secure the divine relic and bring it to you. In the meantime, please focus on the safety tests. If you need anything, I'll cover it from my personal funds."
I wasn't so desperate as to gouge her that hard.
It wouldn't even cost much anyway. Accepting "support" would just invite meddlers and hassle.
Watching her ride off on a gryphon with her holy knight, I flopped into the chair in my room.