The Viper's Den (1)
"We're here, Saintess."
As the capital came into view, Celereja's breathing grew a little uneven. The thought of entering the church headquarters and facing the archbishop was clearly making her tense. It was like a lowly foot soldier stepping into the commander's office.
"Don't worry. I'm going with you."
"I still can't help but feel nervous... Hoo..."
They passed through the gates and headed straight for the Great Temple, the church's headquarters. It was a colossal stone edifice rare even on the continent, its history measured in millennia. They said that back when the Vengeful King had pitched his field tent on these Verabche Plains and continued his heroic campaigns, the Great Temple hadn't been here—it had stood somewhere else entirely. No one knew how they'd brought such a massive structure. Rumors swirled of hundreds of long-extinct giants carrying it across the continent, or ancient grand mages levitating it through the air, according to some records.
As far as I knew, the place where the Great Temple once stood was called the "Holy City," and the church had wielded immense power there. They called themselves men of faith, but in truth, they acted like nothing more than thugs and ruffians, making the continent's nations groan under their heel. Anyway, the church had desperately tried to bring the up-and-coming Vengeful King under their influence. But what kind of man was the Vengeful King? The one who cleaved mountains, tamed giants like horses, and forced the world's most dangerous monsters and wicked demons to their knees. He wasn't the type to be swayed by a bunch of mere human priests.
When the Vengeful King ignored all the church's meddling and so-called "suggestions," they resorted to force. Thousands of temple knights and battle priests marched out to smash his field tent, only to be annihilated by the Vengeful King, who had come out to greet them. Our ancestor then charged straight to the Holy City, toppled the Great Temple, dragged the pope through the mud, and made him lick his boots. The pope was deposed, and the church issued a statement pledging support and sponsorship to the Vengeful King, effectively surrendering. The Great Temple before us now was newly built here after that. And the papal seat has remained vacant ever since, with the archbishop representing the church instead.
This is the real history passed down only in our family. All that talk of giants and mages is just fanciful nonsense.
They crossed the vast plaza in front of the Great Temple and approached the main entrance. Towering columns so high you had to crane your neck to see the tops, and doors large enough for a dragon to walk through upright. White-robed battle priests in plate armor blocked their path.
"What business brings you here, brother?"
"We're here to see the archbishop. Tell him the owner of the inn in Rosens has arrived."
"Pardon...? We need to know the exact nature of your business."
"I've brought the head of a greater demon."
"A greater demon...?"
He flashed the head of Bepahr in the sack to the baffled battle priests.
"Gah?!"
The battle priests jumped back in alarm.
"I-Is that really a greater demon...? Why would a gentleman like you have such a thing...?"
"This isn't the place to explain."
"R-Right...!"
The battle priest scrambled up the stairs and into the Great Temple.
"Listen up, Saintess. I'm planning to tell the archbishop that you and I took down this demon together."
"But you did it, Bertrand."
"You weren't just standing around idle. Anyway, that's the story, so don't say anything else, got it?"
"Um... Okay. I understand."
The battle priest who had gone inside returned and led them in.
The interior of the Great Temple was majestic, the very air infused with holiness. Sunlight streamed through the high clerestory windows, softly illuminating the space. White priest robes, purple saintess garments, and gray nun habits glided silently about. Bertrand, in his everyday clothes with a sack slung over his shoulder, felt like a dirty stain on a crisp white shirt. They crossed the grand hall and proceeded deeper into the temple. Soon, ornate wooden double doors swung open, revealing the archbishop's office.
Having received word in advance, the archbishop stood waiting in the center of the room, with Chief Saintess Blaze at his side.
"Welcome, Balder."
The archbishop greeted him with a kindly smile.
"It's been a while, Archbishop. And Chief Saintess."
Blaze gave a slight bow, and Celereja hurriedly bent at the waist, nearly touching her forehead to the floor.
"I heard an unbelievable report from the battle priest. You brought the head of a greater demon?"
"Right here."
He set the sack on the floor and opened it, revealing Bepahr's grotesque head.
"Hmm..."
The archbishop and Blaze leaned in for a closer look. After scrutinizing Bepahr's face, Blaze asked,
"This face looks familiar... Balder, who is this greater demon?"
"Bepahr, Margas's younger sister, who appeared in Al-Jasha."
"No wonder it rang a bell."
Blaze nodded, and the archbishop went to a bookshelf, pulling out a thick, weathered tome.
"Bepahr... Bepahr... Ah, here it is."
He opened to a page and recited the entry on Bepahr. She belonged to the lineage descending from the greater demon Gordannon, a demon involved in lust and reproduction.
"That explains it. When we first met, she was in the middle of an orgy with male goats disguised as humans."
"Makes sense. If my guess is right, she probably did it with her brother too."
"Spot on, Chief Saintess. When I asked about it, she flew into a rage, ranting about avenging her brother."
The archbishop closed the book and asked,
"But where on earth did you capture this greater demon?"
"I went to Al-Behbad, and the coffee seeds had dried up. Turns out the coffee trees had all withered amid strange omens, so I figured it out."
Flocks of crows, blood-red sunsets, goats breaking free and fleeing, newborns that didn't cry.
"Those are classic signs of a demon's emergence. So you set out to hunt it?"
"Yes. I beat the lesser demons possessing the city's mothers and newborns, and they spilled everything. Saintess Celereja here played a huge role."
Celereja's ears turned bright red as she floundered.
"Oh, th-that's... I-I mean, I didn't do it alone..."
"The Saintess personally exorcised the lesser demons with her powerful holy power. Of course, for the greater demon, we did it together."
"Splendid work, Sister Celereja. My judgment in entrusting an entire diocese to you was sound."
At the archbishop's praise, Celereja panted as if on the verge of fainting. She froze up like this in front of Elua last time too—high-ranking folks really got to her.
"I'll make sure to remember the good you've done, Sister."
"Ah, y-yes... Th-thank you...!"
The archbishop remembering meant promotions and benefits were on the way. Celereja would likely be promoted soon.
"Sister Celereja, is this your first time at the Great Temple?"
"Y-Yes... It is, Chief Saintess..."
Blaze smiled brightly and took Celereja's wrist.
"Then let me show you around."
"N-No, that's okay!"
"Come on, this way."
Celereja was dragged out of the office by Blaze like a clerk on probation.
Once alone, the archbishop spoke up.
"Balder. Did that little saintess really help take down the greater demon?"
"I softened it up, but she delivered the finishing blow."
"Hmm... I see. But why go all the way to the central plains for coffee?"
"I opened a cafe on the bathhouse roof. That's where we'll serve it."
The archbishop perked up noticeably. As a top church official, he apparently shared the refined hobby of coffee drinking.
"By the way, Archbishop, remember what I mentioned before? About Saintess Celereja's mother."
"You brought it up briefly last time."
"Do you know where she is?"
The archbishop shook his head.
"No idea. Rogue saintesses hide from church enforcement, so tracking them is incredibly difficult."
"Hmm... Might be impossible, then."
"Probably."
The archbishop also asked if the Goddess had given me any revelations. I didn't mention watching the dragon fight from the sofa with cookies and cider. It felt wrong to casually reveal the Goddess's descent, and above all, it was embarrassing. The supreme deity of this world, worshipped by nearly all humanity, turning out to be a lazy good-for-nothing who loved to play—it was too shameful to say aloud.
"Speaking of, how's the atmosphere in the royal palace these days? I hear lords are getting assassinated left and right."
"You can imagine. Any king faces instability early in his reign, but this is extreme."
"Think civil war's brewing?"
"Something's bound to blow up, big or small. Since you're in the capital, why not stop by the palace? You can report the greater demon kill too."
Hmm. I'd been planning to visit anyway. There was that promise with the chamberlain, and I needed to gauge the kingdom's state.
"Take care, Archbishop. Take the head too."
"I was planning to display it anyway."
Bertrand left the archbishop's office and set out to find Celereja.