Chapter 164: Border(4)
Chapter 164: Border(4)
‘Lina is Elpis’s hero?’
The party could only stare blankly at Lina. They had figured there was some reason for her confidence, but they had never imagined this.
The moment Lina opened the carriage door and stepped out, a voice cried out.
"Hero!"
It was one of the priests who had come out to see what the commotion was about.
Kerry could see cavalrymen surrounding the carriage, their swords pointed at Lina, their bodies tense.
Despite the sharp blades aimed at her, Lina stood tall, not retreating an inch.
"What are you doing! This woman is the Hero!"
A priest who seemed to know Lina came running.
He pushed past the swords and knelt before Lina. At the sight, the cavalrymen began to look flustered.
The gathered crowd also began to murmur at the scene.
The man who appeared to be the captain of the cavalrymen spoke. It was the same one who had argued with Natasha.
"Hero? These people are spies who entered the Empire illegally. There must be some mistake..."
Before the cavalryman could finish his sentence, the high priest walked out of the temple.
"No. That woman is Lina Knightley. She is indeed the hero of our Astria. I swear it on the name of Elpis."
"!"
The cavalrymen and the crowd stirred.
The words of a high priest carried weight.
Even if he was only the high priest of a village temple, his position in the church gave his words authority.
Lina, looking resolute, walked toward the cavalrymen who still had their swords aimed at her.
With her righteous gaze and dignified air, she looked like a figure from a painting.
Lina’s natural aura was overwhelming the soldiers.
She walked calmly between the swords pointed at her.
Overwhelmed by her presence, the cavalrymen could do nothing.
Lina passed through their ranks with ease and ascended the temple steps.
Then, she shouted to the gathered crowd.
"My name is Lina Knightley. I am the hero chosen by Elpis, the guardian of Astria. I came here once before, a year ago. Does anyone here remember me?"
A voice rose from the murmuring crowd.
"It's the Hero! I remember her! I've never forgotten that beautiful face, not even in my dreams!"
"Is she really the Hero?"
"I saw her too! She definitely bought flowers from my shop!"
The high priest, who had approached Lina’s side, took her hand and raised it high.
At that moment, a roar erupted from the crowd.
""Waaaaaah!!!""
““It’s really the Hero!””
""Long live the Hero! Long live Elpis!""
Only then did the cavalrymen grasp the situation.
Their faces were hidden by their helmets, but their flustered state was obvious to anyone.
The cavalrymen dropped to one knee to show their respect.
Just as Lina had promised, the situation was resolved.
Kerry stepped outside and looked around.
"Incredible..."
He had never seen a sight like this in his life. The gathered people were cheering for Lina.
It would be hard to find anyone who looked more suited to receiving the praise of the people than Lina.
‘Now she really feels like a hero.’
In the Empire, Lina’s name wasn't well-known, so it had been hard to feel it.
But now that they were on her home turf, he could clearly see it.
People cheered at her mere appearance, and their faces filled with emotion just from making eye contact. She was as popular as an idol.
And with that, the situation was over. The priests approached and guided the party.
"You must be the Hero's companions. Please grant us the honor of providing a place for you to rest today."
The priests guided them with a politeness that was almost burdensome.
Kerry could see the cavalrymen who had been pursuing them still kneeling on one knee, their heads bowed.
Natasha went up to the cavalryman she had argued with during the chase.
"So, who's the spy now?"
"...."
Natasha puffed out her chest, looking triumphant.
"Natasha, it was an understandable mistake. Don't be too hard on them."
"Yes, Husband~"
Just as Natasha clung to Kerry's side, the cavalry captain, perhaps emboldened by Kerry's words, spoke up.
"Uhm... if you truly are the heroes, may I ask why you entered illegally from the Empire? I have to file a report... Of course, I have no intention of obstructing the Hero's great cause over this matter."
Lina answered on their behalf.
“We were on the front lines, a hair-trigger situation where the smallest friction could lead to war. Our appearance alone could have become the spark that ignited it. We also didn't have time to explain our circumstances to everyone.”
Lina knew.
She knew that members of that organization were working between the borders to drive a wedge between the two nations.
They were using wicked sorcery and the undead to plant hatred for each other in both countries.
There was no way they wouldn't take advantage of Lina appearing on the front lines. The Empire's hero turning out to be Astria's hero? There could be no greater source of confusion.
‘Breaking through the dungeon was unavoidable.’
It was the fastest way and the one that minimized unnecessary risks.
Of course, Lina had faith that her party could safely conquer the dungeon.
The cavalryman nodded at Lina's words.
He looked like he had a mountain of questions, but since he was at fault, he didn't seem to be in a position to ask them properly.
Kerry stopped Natasha, who was still teasing the cavalryman at his side.
"Natasha, stop teasing the soldiers and let's go meet the goddess."
Elena was a garbage goddess.
What kind of goddess would Elpis be? Kerry felt a mix of anxiety and curiosity.
*
Lina's party received the utmost hospitality. They were shown to a clean and magnificent room, likely for guests.
Every piece of furniture in the room felt like a considerable work of art.
Even the Saintess, the queen of extravagance, remarked that they had spent quite a bit of money on the room.
‘Religious businesses really rake in the cash, don’t they?’
As the number one religion of a nation, there was no way they weren't making money.
In that sense, the Saintess's value was truly immeasurable.
This was why Elena couldn't just give the Saintess back, even if she offered a legendary-grade item in exchange.
‘After we stop the Great War, should I use the Saintess to make a quick buck?’
Making money would be easy with the Saintess. As Kerry was imagining a rosy future, the high priest entered the party's room after announcing himself.
The high priest personally asked the heroes if they were uncomfortable in any way, diligently taking care of them.
After a few words of greeting were exchanged, Lina finally got to the main point.
"What has become of the Goddess?"
The high priest shook his head. What? Weren't they going to meet Elpis now?
Lina, as if she had already expected it, looked disappointed.
‘What’s going on? Let us in on it too.’
Seeing the curious expressions on the party's faces, the high priest spoke.
"The Goddess, due to certain circumstances, will not be able to see you..."
Before the high priest could finish, Lina raised her hand.
"You can speak honestly to them. They are all trustworthy."
"...I see. My apologies. To tell you the truth, Lady Elpis is currently absent."
"Absent?"
"Lady Elpis disappeared without a word, so even I, the high priest, do not know the exact reason. I am sorry."
Did the goddess go on a picnic or something? That couldn't be it.
While the rest of the party looked puzzled, Kerry was beginning to have an idea.
It was thanks to his knowledge that Lina was a regressor.
Just because she was a goddess didn't mean she was an omnipotent god. Kerry knew that well.
‘An omnipotent god wouldn't handle things so poorly.’
It was simple if he thought about Elena.
‘Due to some restriction, Elena can't even save the Saintess from my grasp.’
But Elpis had managed to make Lina regress from reality.
If the two goddesses were considered to be on the same level, then that wouldn't be balanced.
‘Lina's regression was an interference that was practically cheating, and maybe Elpis is paying a heavy price for it.’
The goddess's annihilation felt a bit dramatic, but it wasn't a possibility he could ignore.
At the very least, she must be in a state serious enough that she couldn't even greet her own hero.
Nothing was certain, but he decided to stick with that as his tentative conclusion for now.
The high priest asked Lina.
"Did you come here to destroy the Black Monolith?"
Lina nodded.
The party had already been told.
The second Black Monolith was here.
They had to destroy all three Black Monoliths to stop their enemies' plan and prevent the Great War.
The high priest slowly looked over the party.
"As expected of the hero's companions, you all have a formidable spirit. Even to my humble eyes, you all seem exceptional. I believe this person must be the famous Saintess of the Empire."
The Saintess became smug as the high priest acknowledged her.
"Hmph. It seems my fame has reached Astria as well."
"I was born with a unique constitution that allows me to sense divine power with great sensitivity. I can feel a mighty divine power worthy of a Saintess. It is truly remarkable."
"It's nothing special."
Of course it wasn't. All the Saintess had done was whine to Elena.
Wait. Didn't he just say something about a unique constitution?
"And this gentleman as well... are you a priest? Two priests in the party. It's not surprising."
The high priest was clearly pointing at Kerry.
The party's gazes instantly focused on him.
‘Hey. Why is he leaking my personal information without permission? He's crossing a line!’
Kerry began to recite the excuse he had prepared in advance, just in case a situation like this arose.
*
When Lina's party crossed the border, that organization wasn't the only power meticulously observing the hero.
There was also the Imperial Family of the Empire. To be precise, the Emperor.
The Emperor was a blond man who still looked young.
He was playing chess with an old knight who exuded the aura of a seasoned veteran.
It was the moment the Emperor, deep in thought, moved a piece.
The old knight spoke.
"The hero is said to have crossed the border into Astria."
The Emperor's eyebrow twitched slightly as he moved the chess piece.
"She really left for Astria without so much as a greeting to me?"
"...That is correct."
"How arrogant. So arrogant it pierces the heavens."
"..."
"Hurry up and make your move. What are you doing?"
"I cannot turn a blind eye even if you move your piece while pretending to be angry. The moment a piece is placed, it's final."
The old knight moved the piece the Emperor had subtly shifted back to its original position.
"No mercy, huh."
The Emperor chuckled at the old knight's attitude.
"It seems the hero isn't as easy to handle as the Saintess."
"According to my subordinates' reports, she has the looks and character of a hero from a painting."
"I heard. That she's a peerless beauty."
"You don't remember anything else, but you remember that part perfectly."
"I remember other things too. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the Saintess had joined the hero's party."
"I felt the same."
The old knight moved a chess piece without hesitation. The moment it was placed, the Emperor's face contorted.
It was a brilliant move that signaled his defeat.
"There's a man in the hero's party too, right?"
"Yes. His name is Kerry. He was an ordinary adventurer, but he is now a person of considerable influence within the hero's party. I've told you this several times already."
"I know. That man left a deep impression on me too. I have no idea how he ended up as the lone man in a party full of women. And a party of peerless beauties at that. Did he save a country in his past life or something?"
"...."
"Honestly, his life seems so much more interesting than this boring life of an emperor. I'm so jealous it hurts."
"...The position of Emperor is by no means lacking."
"I know, I know, but..."
The Emperor sighed. There was nothing to be gained from dragging this conversation on.
The dark cloud that had hung over the Imperial Family for ages.
His goal was to clear it away, but that goal felt higher than a mountain.
‘That infuriating shadow bastard. I'll only be able to become a true emperor of the Empire once I do something about him.’
The old knight, as if understanding the Emperor's heart, wore a slightly bitter expression, though his words said otherwise.
"Checkmate, Your Majesty."
"What? Wait a minute, how did this happen? You're really merciless."
"It's a match."
The old knight was serious when it came to competition. Though he had aged, the competitive spirit of the Imperial First Sword had not faded.
The Emperor scowled, glaring at the chessboard.
No matter where he looked, he couldn't see an escape route.
The king on the chessboard was just like his own situation—bound hand and foot, unable to move.
He possessed absolute power, yet there was nothing he had achieved with his own hands.
The Emperor did not like that.
"...This is annoying. Should I just start a war or something?"
"Because you lost at chess... a war?"
The old knight stared at the Emperor with a look of disbelief.