Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Spire Demon
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Loan, not wanting to interfere, watched from a distance, concealing his presence.
A black mage fired a glowing black sphere at Aul.
Archbishop Fabian stepped forward and swung his fist, dissipating the sphere.
Then Aul, leaping over the archbishop with its long legs, brought its beak down on the black mage’s head, ending the situation.
As Aul looked down at its small nest and began to preen it with its large beak, Loan stepped forward.
“Archbishop.”
Fabian, who had been quietly catching his breath, brightened at the sight of Loan.
Aul also strode over to Loan, rubbing its head against him and pressing its body close.
“Oh… I was just about to head back in, but it seems you’ve handled things on your own.”
“Yes. The black mages are dealt with, and the demon has been vanquished. But…”
* * *
Loan recounted the events that had transpired in the black room.
Dekara’s identity and objective were information the archbishop needed to know. After all, the fallen monks who had become Dekara’s hosts were spread throughout Cion.
Recognizing the gravity of the story, a furrow appeared between the usually unflappable Fabian’s brows.
“Hmm… If demons are growing inside the bodies of fallen monks, then incidents like this could happen again and again.”
“Yes. We don’t know how many of them have gotten out, so complete eradication won’t be easy.”
“If Norfork in the north is an immediate threat, then these fallen monks are a latent one. A very serious one at that. I must return to the Grand Cathedral at once and prepare countermeasures.”
“I agree. If left unchecked, this won’t remain just Cion’s problem. That’s why I sent a message to the Union headquarters. The seniors dispatched to Cion will take some form of action for now.”
His words were incredibly reassuring.
It was also surprising that he had already made contact.
Fabian took both of Loan’s hands in his and said,
“I never imagined we would receive so much help from you, Loan. I feel quite ashamed.”
“…”
Loan was at a loss for words in the face of the archbishop’s sincere gratitude.
“And yet, to say I’m returning to the Grand Cathedral at a time like this weighs heavily on my heart. I’d like to ask you to accompany me, but I feel it would be far too shameless.”
“Ah…”
Loan reassessed the outcome of his self-appointed mission.
There were two ways to overcome the influence of the dark mana: the Convection Loan used and the pure light emitted by the archbishop.
Of the two, the latter method seemed difficult for Loan to grasp, let alone share with others.
It appeared to be a domain of power that even Commander Hans was unaware of.
Thus, for now, he had to conclude that Convection was the answer.
His other achievements were experience and growth, for which creating the second circle was more than enough.
All in all, he had to consider the mission accomplished.
“I’ll need to hear about my next mission after the headquarters receives my message, but I think the Commander of the Honor Division is nearby, so I was thinking of heading to Schwerin.”
“The Commander of the Honor Division… you must mean Lady Magda.”
“…Yes. It’s been confirmed that Brien’s suicide squad is in northern Schwerin, and it seems to be connected to this black building as well.”
“The Union is truly incredible. No, is it you who is incredible, Loan? Our priests have much to learn. I’ve never seen such dedication.”
Unsure how to react to the continuous admiration and praise, Loan watched as the archbishop took it a step further, stepping back and gazing intently at him.
“By the way, Loan. You seem… different somehow?”
“Pardon?”
“I can feel a very powerful and strong energy from you. It’s unlikely your mana increased in such a short time, which makes this quite surprising.”
It was clear he had been immensely curious and had only just managed to ask.
Even so, it was difficult to explain the complex details.
Loan scratched his head.
“I’m not sure myself, but maybe it’s because I’m at a growing age. People often say that when they look back, I’ve changed so much they can barely recognize me… or so I’m told.”
The archbishop couldn’t help but laugh at the ambiguous answer.
“Hahaha, I’m very much looking forward to seeing how much more you’ll grow. For now, let’s go to Arosa together. There should be a path to Schwerin from there.”
“Aul!”
Aul immediately returned to its original size and settled on the archbishop’s head.
Having overheard their conversation, it seemed to have been secretly disappointed at the thought of being separated from its nest.
Loan sealed the tunnel entrance tightly with ice, bringing his southern mission to a self-declared close.
On the way back to Arosa, Loan peppered Fabian with a relentless stream of questions.
As expected, Fabian’s ability to drive out the dark mana with light was a form of divine power.
He explained that it involved channeling holy power not just through his fists but his entire body, a feat that required long years of faith and training.
“So holy power also requires training, in the end.”
“That’s right. Just as one cannot cast magic simply by understanding it.”
Loan fell into thought for a moment.
And then.
“I wish everything could be understood as clearly as magic.”
“The ways of the world are not so simple. That is what makes judgment so difficult. Even I have things to learn from you, Loan. There is no end to it.”
The two of them nodded in unison.
Aul didn’t complain, even as its nest swayed.
Fabian smiled and said,
“Perhaps that is why we need a standard to guide us. Just as the Orthodox Church thinks only through faith, doesn’t the Union also have such a conviction?”
“You mean the livelihood of the people and peace.”
“Isn’t that the reason it has been able to stand firm for so long?”
“Yes.”
“That must be why the Union’s Governor-General prioritizes the character of its members above all else. To control such absolute power, one must first be able to understand others.”
“Understand others…”
“That is what it means to look after the people, I believe. To put yourself in another’s shoes, to pity their misfortune, and to share in their pain. That is the beginning.”
His words resonated.
They lingered in Loan’s ears and seemed to etch themselves upon his heart.
Feeling that this would become an important guideline for his future judgments, he bowed his head deeply to Fabian.
“Oh my, what’s this for now?”
“I have learned so much. Not just words from the heart, but words that will remain in my heart.”
“Haha, it seems this journey was a great help to us both. What a memory this will be.”
Amidst the blinding blizzard, their warm conversation and laughter continued without end.
And so, they arrived in Arosa.
The day after Loan received permission from headquarters to go to Schwerin,
Archbishop Fabian visited Loan’s room before setting off on his journey.
“Something has been bothering me.”
“Yes?”
As Loan tilted his head in confusion, the archbishop pointed to the right side of his chest.
“Those badges. I felt I would be very disappointed if Cion was not among them.”
“Ah…”
Fabian took a step toward the abashed Loan.
He pinned a badge to Loan’s chest and said,
“I had one of my cufflinks reshaped at a general store. It is all I can give, but as a personal item of an Orthodox Archbishop, it should be helpful to you in various ways.”
“…”
Lowering his gaze, he saw a badge in the shape of a round, full moon.
The phases of the moon, waxing and waning, were all engraved on it in a faint pattern, and it exuded a strange energy, making him wonder if it was a magical artifact.
“It is the moon, which signifies the benevolence of the Great Mother Goddess. It will surely light up your nights as well, Loan.”
Loan expressed his deepest gratitude to the archbishop.
He also didn’t forget to call Aul to share a farewell.
“Aul!”
Aul briefly climbed onto its nest and rolled around, performing its own little ritual.
The archbishop bid farewell to Loan and Aul, and even as he walked away, he didn’t fix his hair.
Loan headed south, circling around Whitepeak Mountain.
The mountain that had been so high and cold to climb was simply beautiful when viewed while walking along its base.
The low-lying path around it was gentle and warm compared to the ascent.
Relatively speaking, of course.
By an ordinary person’s standards, it was just as rugged.
He recalled what an Orthodox priest in Arosa had told him.
‘Because Whitepeak Mountain serves as a border, not many people travel this route.’
Thinking that must be the case, he quickly passed through the rough sections.
He had heard that he would be almost in Schwerin when the surrounding scenery changed drastically.
He took off his coat, thinking.
‘The atmosphere changes completely, like two sides of the same coin.’
The snow-covered mountain had transformed into a colorful one, brimming with the essence of autumn.
Perhaps because the texture of the air had changed, a sense of peace and stability seemed to pervade the area.
However, that feeling could only be found in nature.
‘This is the right way to Schwerin…’
A worn-out sign confirmed this was the road between Schwerin and Cion.
But even after traveling for a good while, he hadn’t met a single person.
Even for a sparsely traveled route, this was a bit much.
Since Brien, who was active in Schwerin, had established a hideout on Whitepeak Mountain, this area couldn’t be completely unaffected. He spread his [Barrier of Perception] wide, searching for life itself.
As he ran, he saw smoke rising from a house not far away.
A dry notice was written on a worn sign at the village entrance.
[Border Village, Zbel.]
It didn’t have many households or commercial facilities, but a village was a village.
Judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem to have been affected by Brien.
The people out on the street showed curiosity at Loan’s appearance.
From their whispers, he could tell it had been a very long time since an outsider had visited.
A moment later, a man with a sturdy build greeted Loan.
“Are you really from the Union?”
The man, who called himself the village chief, recognized Loan’s attire. Which was why he couldn’t hide the suspicion in his eyes.
“Loan, Runner of the Union’s Faith Division.”
He paid careful attention to the vibrations and waves of his voice so that it would carry to the onlookers and even those inside their homes.
Just as the demon Dekara had done, making it sound not loud, but trustworthy.
“Oh… It’s true.”
He hadn’t done anything else to prove his identity, yet the atmosphere changed in an instant.
Loan looked around and said,
“It’s quite quiet for a border village. The road is deserted, too.”
“It served as a border long ago. Not anymore. We can’t cross that pass.”
Loan tilted his head.
He thought the man was talking about Whitepeak Mountain, but he was pointing toward Schwerin.
“Isn’t that Schwerin territory?”
“It’s a Schwerin border village.”
“Is there a problem over there?”
“There’s a demon.”
“A demon?”
“We call it the Demon of the Spire. This area used to be the land of a noble who ruled these parts, but after the demon was born, the family was completely ruined.”
“Born, you say?”
It was different from the patterns he had known so far, so he asked again.
Was it a symbolic term for a human who had done evil deeds, or had a demon truly been born from a human body, or was ‘born’ simply a way to describe the demon’s appearance?
“She was originally the lord’s daughter. Pretty face, good personality, she was loved by all.”
“You mean she was originally human? So she was possessed?”
“I don’t know about that. She did change, but I don’t know if that’s what it was. Anyway, it was on her wedding day.”
“Her wedding day?”
The chief moistened his lips and continued.
“She was supposed to marry into a noble family from Cion, but they say she turned into a demon at the wedding ceremony. A bride covered in shaggy fur like a beast. I can only imagine how horrifying it must have been…”
Watching the chief shudder, Loan was reminded of a fairy tale he had read as a child.