Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Third Condition - 1
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If it's cold, just light a fire. There's even a skill that raises the surrounding temperature.
That skill had come in pretty handy during the journey to defeat the Demon King. Especially in frigid zones.
Remembering that, Claire's eyes widened as she looked at me, then she nodded in a fluster.
"Ah, aaah. R-right. That's right."
"So that's it for today. You can go."
Claire nodded slightly in the end and left the tent. Once she was gone, I lay down on the prepared bed. It was quite plush, probably meant for high-ranking officers.
Rustle.
I was just about to sleep when I heard a sound from outside.
An enemy?
Or the Hero Party folks?
I gripped the dagger at my waist lightly and waited for the footsteps outside to draw closer.
"Sage. Do you have a moment?"
A familiar voice—the adjutant. What was she doing here at this hour?
"You can come in."
At my permission, the tent flap opened shortly after. The wolfkin woman in light armor entered with a polite demeanor, gave a slight bow in greeting, and spoke.
"You've had a hard day today. And..."
"I'm heading to the battlefield tomorrow too, so please have the knights and soldiers drill the tactics from today."
"Eh? Is that alright?"
She must have come to ask if I'd join the training tomorrow too. Her tension eased into a bright smile at my words.
Yeah. Even a wolfkin looks good when she smiles.
"That's what I'm here for, after all."
"I'm relieved. I was worried it might be a burden on you... Oh. And if there's anything inconvenient..."
Inconvenient, huh. If I had to pick one, it was the Hero Party getting too close...
She seemed aware of it too, hesitating with an awkward expression.
"Um. The Hero Party members..."
"I know the situation. I get that you're not in a position to give them orders."
Claire, Leventia, and Evangeline had defeated the Demon King, after all. A mere adjutant couldn't command them.
Even if she told them not to approach me, it wouldn't stick.
I had no intention of pressuring her to handle things beyond her pay grade, and I could deal with that part myself anyway, so no need to burden her.
"Haa. Thank you."
"No trouble. Unless General Leoden shows up, it's unavoidable."
"Yes..."
"Just leave them be."
"I'm truly sorry once again. General Leoden should arrive within the week..."
The adjutant, who had been saying she'd suggest reassigning them when Leoden arrived, flinched with a shudder.
Yeah, it'd be tough to reassign them now. This area was the most dangerous spot on the battlefield, where their strength was needed most.
She probably figured even suggesting it to Leoden would get shot down.
"Don't worry about them. I'm going to rest now, so please head out."
"Yes. Have a good night."
Once the adjutant bowed and left, the tent fell silent again. I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, continuing my thoughts.
The Pale Moon event has quite a few branches, but the overall flow is similar.
First: A land where many lives have been lost.
With all the deaths on the battlefield already, that condition's met.
Second: The queen assassination attempt.
That's done too...
Now for the third.
It'd start soon anyway, so no need to worry—just sleep.
A week passed with nothing special: no nighttime raids, no new monsters, no knights or soldiers going berserk from failed stress management.
Today, after joining the soldiers and knights for Pale Beast subjugation training and returning, the camp seemed quite bustling.
"General Leoden must be back."
One of the knights who'd been supporting me lately said with a joyful expression.
Leoden was returning with reinforcements, so yeah, plenty to be happy about. Even knowing the strategy, taking down Pale Beasts was no joke in terms of fatigue.
As we headed deeper into the camp, new faces were visible here and there.
"Sage. There you are."
General Leoden, who had been talking with a knight, greeted me. He glanced toward Claire and Leventia, who were hesitantly entering the camp from afar, then lightly gripped my shoulder and asked.
"Find anything?"
"Nothing major. Just where the new monsters are spawning, the Pale Moon Cult remnants behind it all, and the site they're using to summon the Pale Moon."
Of course, this was straight from the game's攻略. No reason to hide it or any plans for it, so I told General Leoden outright.
His reaction was about what I'd expected.
"...You really know everything."
"I just know what I know."
"I see. Impressive, indeed. Anyway, good timing. The kingdom's officially branded the Pale Moon Cult a heresy and pledged full support for their extermination."
That's probably why he brought all these reinforcements. At Leoden's gesture, Claire perked up and scurried over.
"W-what is it?"
Did she think she'd be operating with me?
She kept glancing my way as she asked.
As the flushed girl spoke, General Leoden let out a small sigh.
"I assume you know what happened at the White Rock Palace."
"Y-yes..."
"Hero Claire. By order of Her Majesty the Queen, I'm assigning you to search out and eliminate the Pale Moon Cult. Will you accept?"
"If it's with the Sage... I'll do it no matter what!"
Claire shouted gleefully, and I replied flatly.
"No need to come with me."
"...Huh?"
The Hero Party, led by Claire, was the strongest force on this battlefield. So General Leoden, who meant to attach them to me, tilted his head, while Claire openly pouted.
But I really didn't need them.
Clearing this event easily didn't require powerhouses in the first place.
"You need troops then? In that case..."
"No troops needed either."
"...H-Hyunwoo! Y-you're going alone again? But... but it's dangerous..."
"Alone?"
I shook my head.
It was about time for the third one to kick off.
"Not alone."
As Claire bit her lip hard at my answer—
"General Leoden!"
The adjutant came rushing from afar and shouted urgently upon arrival.
"The Church's heresy inquisitors have arrived!"
At the report, Claire's face stiffened further, and I smiled.
The event's third condition.
The participation of the heresy inquisitor, Cardinal Veronica.
This world has religious orders. The group called the "Church" worships light, like any other, composed of those who pray for peace and safety in the world.
In other games, this Church often stirs up trouble, but in this one, they almost never do.
Well, except for achievement events and quests.
That's why you needed decent trust with the Church past a certain point, and I knew quite a few priests as a result.
Veronica, the key figure in this event, was one of them.
As they entered the camp—clad in silver plate armor, Divine Marks, large spears, and shields—the knights and soldiers reacted variably: some knelt and made the holy sign, others openly scowled.
But the silver holy knights ignored them. The accompanying priests simply sprinkled holy water and bestowed blessings around.
Rough count: hundreds of holy knights and priests. Leading them at the front was someone dressed differently.
Not silver and white, but a pitch-black robe covering even her head.
A woman in form-fitting black priestly robes that accentuated her slender figure, with a vicious-looking mace ill-suited for a priest at her waist.
The moment they saw her, Claire gnashed her teeth, and Leventia clenched her fists.
Evangeline was absent, but she wouldn't look pleased either.
A woman on bad terms with the Hero Party.
The Church's most famous heresy inquisitor approached General Leoden, who wore a complicated expression, made the holy sign, and removed her robe.
Cascading silver hair, a stern and cold impression masking delicate beauty—General Leoden sighed deeply upon seeing her.
"What brings Her Eminence Cardinal Veronica Inquisitor all the way here?"
"May the Light bless your path. I heard the heretics I'd been tracking since Baek Eun Village have holed up here."
Her curt reply was followed by a glance at Claire. As Claire averted her eyes, Veronica continued calmly.
"Back then, I received the Sage's aid, but we lost their trail. It pains me to have let those heretics who razed a village for their wicked ritual escape, so I've pursued them relentlessly."
General Leoden looked puzzled.
Fair enough. Veronica was renowned among inquisitors for exterminating heretics on sight.
"Even with the Sage, you lost them? Must've been tough customers."
"Yes. More or less."
As she glanced at Claire again, about to say something, I spoke first.
"Long time no see, Veronica."
"...Oh. Sage. Indeed it has."
Veronica approached me with an odd smile.
The distance was unmistakably closer than to Claire, Leventia, or Evangeline—and I had no reason to stop her.
We were on decent terms, and she was one of the few sane people in this world.
"May the Light bless your path. How've you been?"
"Same as always."
"I heard. Became the princess's mentor? ...I've told you countless times there's a spot for you under me."
True story.
After grinding Church quests and events for achievements, she'd offered me an inquisitor position.
"Hey. Better to solo than work under a friend."
Priests under the cardinal directly could oversee a whole city, with hefty income to boot.
The honor was huge too—tons of priests dreamed of serving Cardinal Veronica.
But I turned it down for one reason.
"Still the same, huh."
As she glanced at the Hero Party again, on the verge of a satisfied smile—
"Wow! It's the Sage! Sage! Long time no see! You been well?!"
"Ooooh! A performance on the battlefield! If I can unleash my de.stroy.er's show right here, I'd even die hap.pi.ly!"
Amid the murmuring crowd, headache-inducing faces appeared.
Adventurers—eccentric types with nothing better to do but skills worth respecting—were entering the camp.
"Adventurers?!"
General Leoden hadn't predicted this and looked flustered. Veronica seemed puzzled since she hadn't brought them, and I was baffled too.
Why the hell are they here?
Fighting monsters on a battlefield was something adventurers avoided.
To my straight-ball question—
The lizardman musician with a cockscomb head and wildly different musical tastes from mine, Lark, swept back his long hair and replied leisurely.
"The royal princess commissioned us. To protect you, Sage."
Hm...
Looks like I raised my disciple well.
Unexpected reinforcements.
"The reward?"
"Heh. She'll slot us as the main event at her birthday party celebration. Ha. Proof of this Lark's musical worth right here?"
Watching him strut smugly, I thought:
I gotta be anywhere else that day, no matter what.
Author's Note
Hello, this is Malmulmalmul.
It's been a while since I greeted you.
Sorry for worrying you with my absence.
No matter what I say, it'll sound like an excuse, but I couldn't update because my chronic depression relapsed, and I couldn't even look at the novel.
I've been seeing a psychiatrist during that time, and I'm feeling better now, so I'm resuming serialization.
Thank you always for waiting.
From Malmulmalmul.
See you tomorrow.
P.S.
Depression is a scary illness, so if you think it's serious, don't worry about others' eyes—go to the hospital right away.