Chapter 616: Visitors from All Sides
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 616: Visitors from All Sides
In the Lower District, inside a certain small shop.
Anna stepped into the shop, bathed in sunlight. She swept her gaze across the interior, which looked as if not a single thing had changed, and reached out to ring the bell on the door.
The old man in the rocking chair remained in a light doze.
"I’ve been gone for so long, and you don't even have a greeting for me?"
"You come back, and the first thing you do isn't to see your adoptive father, but to find that lover of yours. And you have the nerve to ask me for a greeting?"
The old man seemed to be talking in his sleep, yet his voice was laced with deliberate sarcasm.
"What’s the matter? Did you come back with your tail between your legs because you didn't see him? Heh... it seems you, a Sword Bearer, still can't compare to Her Majesty the Empress."
"You’re at that age now; you shouldn't say things that only serve to upset yourself."
Anna found a chair and sat beside the old man. She reached out and took hold of his arm, which was already covered in age spots. The darkness behind her shifted slightly as an invisible force sank into the old man's body.
After a careful examination, Anna’s beautiful features relaxed, and she smiled.
"It seems your health has been quite good lately. You haven't wasted all those precious magic potions I sent you."
"Heh, the potions were average. It’s just that now that I’m retired and free of burdens, I spend my days playing cards and chess with old friends. Naturally, my health improved."
The old man finally showed a hint of a smile, looking far less cold and rigid than he had during his tenure as a Sword Bearer. He opened his clouded eyes and shot a sideways glance at Anna.
"So, what’s bothering you?"
"Bothering me? I wouldn't call it that. I’m just once again marveling at a certain someone’s ability to cause trouble."
Anna ran a hand through her hair with a look of slight helplessness.
Outside the shop, beneath a large tree not far away, several elderly people were chatting. Although they were whispering and trying to be discreet, their conversation reached the ears of Anna and the old man with perfect clarity.
"Hey, hey, have you heard? The son of some big noble in the Upper District—I think his name is Muren Danbell—is having an affair with an Evil God!"
"I know, I know! They say it’s a love triangle! He abandoned the first Evil God, and now she’s screaming about wanting to kill him!"
"I heard about that too, but wasn't his name Muen Campbell? I heard the guy was a total player; he even knocked up several Evil Gods!"
"Eh? How terrifying!"
"Pah, what a scumbag!"
"..."
The idle gossip of the common folk always strayed a bit from the truth. However, the fact that even the neighborhood aunties were discussing it meant that the Bugard family’s report of Muen Campbell colluding with an Evil God had already become the talk of the town.
Whether it was true or not didn't matter. What mattered was that the situation had reached a point where no single party could suppress it. It would inevitably go to the Imperial Tribunal for a Tripartite Trial.
"Heh, interesting."
Though the content of the gossip left the old man stunned for a moment, he quickly grasped the underlying cause. He glanced at Anna with a touch of schadenfreude and laughed.
"I knew that kid would get hauled away sooner or later. So, as a Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau, what do you plan to do?"
"What do I plan to do?"
Anna thought for a moment, then rested her chin on her hand, her charming eyes brimming with an infinite, sultry grace.
"What else can I do? Do you really think I’d have the heart to let him come to harm?"
*
"Archbishop, this was sent by the Campbell family."
"Oh? Has it finally arrived?"
Archbishop Canterbury did not let his joy show on his face. Maintaining his dignified air, he leisurely accepted the gift box from the nun.
The box was unadorned and looked quite ordinary, but a sharp glint flashed in Canterbury’s eyes. He was clearly full of anticipation.
He opened the box. There wasn't much inside.
Only a land deed and a Black Crystal Card issued by the Imperial Bank.
"Good. That boy didn't break his word after all."
Canterbury stroked his beard with satisfaction. It made his grueling fight with the Indra King—where he’d nearly had his beard plucked out—worthwhile. Now, he could finally build another Grand Cathedral in Belland under his own name!
"By the way, Archbishop, the messenger from the Campbell family also asked me to pass on a message..."
"Fine, fine, I already know what’s going on. That boy just can't stay out of trouble. Don't worry, I’ll lean slightly in his favor during the trial."
Archbishop Canterbury waved his hand dismissively, clearly lacking much interest in the matter itself. He muttered, "An Honorary Holy Knight personally appointed by His Holiness the Pope... how could he possibly collude with an Evil God? By spreading these rumors everywhere, isn't the Bugard family just slapping the Church in the face?"
"Then I shall respond accordingly."
The nun bowed and withdrew.
However, before Archbishop Canterbury could even take a closer look at where the land for his future cathedral was located, the nun came rushing back in.
"You dismissed the Campbell messenger that quickly?"
"...No, someone has come to visit."
The nun looked at the Archbishop with a hint of nervousness. "Someone from the Holy City!"
"What?"
Archbishop Canterbury froze for a moment, then abruptly stood up.
"At a time like this... who is it?"
The nun didn't answer.
But for her to rush in and report so quickly, and even imply that he should go out to meet them...
It meant the visitor from the Holy City held a status similar to his own, or perhaps... even slightly higher.
*
"I didn't expect you to come to Belland personally, and yet I received no word of it."
Archbishop Canterbury looked at the figure outlined behind the curtain with a complex expression, sighing, "Please forgive me for failing to welcome you properly."
"No, there is no need for such formalities, Archbishop."
From behind the curtain came a voice as clear and melodious as a lark.
"My trip to Belland was intended to be quiet. As the Archbishop knows, if my arrival were known to certain fanatical believers, it would surely place a great deal of pressure on Belland, which has only just restored order. I have no wish to see chaos descend once more upon this long-suffering city."
"Your Highness is merciful."
Archbishop Canterbury bowed slightly, then asked, "So, may I ask what brings Your Highness here?"
"With such a major event occurring in Belland, I naturally had to come and see for myself."
"But those matters have already concluded. It seems Your Highness has arrived late."
"Yes, I am late."
The voice behind the curtain carried a faint note of regret, but then the tone shifted.
"Speaking of which, I heard there is another matter recently that has caused quite a stir in Belland..."
"...As I suspected."
Canterbury’s eyelid twitched. He sighed, having expected this. "Regarding that matter, it would be inappropriate for Your Highness to intervene personally. It would only be counterproductive. If outsiders were to think the Saintess traveled thousands of miles just to show favoritism to a man, the fanatical believers would tear that boy to pieces without anyone else lifting a finger."
"I... I of course wouldn't intervene personally! Who said anything about intervening? Shouldn't his fiancée and that senior of his be able to settle everything for him?"
The curtain swayed. Though it was only a voice, one could almost picture a vibrant, beautiful girl looking quite huffy.
But the huffiness didn't last long before her tone shifted again.
"However... just to be safe, I should probably go and take a look. Don't you agree, Archbishop?"
"..."
You’ve already said this much, why even ask me?
If I said no, would you actually stay away?
Archbishop Canterbury grumbled inwardly, but he responded calmly, "Then everything shall be arranged according to Your Highness's wishes... For this Tripartite Trial, you shall personally represent the Life Church."