The Expedition (3)
"A knight from a noble house knew about you?"
Er's eyes went wide as she listened to Ain's story.
"How?"
"Beats me. The crest on his chest was the Karpe family's, and he was wearing a knight's uniform."
Ain said, recalling the brown-haired knight who had left them with those meaningful words the night before.
"...Well, it's not like me being a priest is some huge secret. Everyone who needs to know already knows at the Adventurer Guild, so I don't really care."
"What's strange is how sharp his eyes were. You were all bundled up yesterday."
"That's what I'm saying. I had my hood up — you couldn't even see my hair, and my face was barely visible. I have no idea how he picked me out on the spot."
An acquaintance could have recognized him by voice alone, and a few people could have identified him just from the way he moved. But that knight had been a complete stranger. If Ain had ever met a knight that well put together, he wouldn't have forgotten the man. He would have remembered him clearly. Having someone who didn't exist in his memory act as though they knew him was more unsettling than he'd expected.
"...Still, he's a Karpe knight, so it should be fine, right? The Karpe Knight Order is famous as one of the few actually competent orders around."
"...That's true."
The Royal Knight Order, where politics had long since overtaken actual skill. The other noble houses' knights, who gathered up every last scrap of deadweight and slapped gleaming armor on them. There weren't many knight orders in the kingdom that actually trained and managed people worthy of the title.
"...Let's think about that later. Doesn't seem like he's going to do anything to us right now."
"Alright. We'll do that... Was there anything else?"
"Hmm, not really... Oh — Crown Prince Licht, was it? I heard a bit about him too."
"...Crown Prince Licht?"
Er's expression soured as she repeated the name, and Ain, looking uneasy himself, said,
"Yeah. Him."
"...Ain, you really shouldn't talk about that anywhere."
Just like the brown-haired knight the night before, Er dropped her voice, and Ain frowned at her.
"What, is he He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or something? What's going on?"
"What he did when he vanished is basically the main reason the Temple and the royal family are at each other's throats."
"The Temple and the royal family?"
Thinking back, even when Ain had first entered the Hall of Holy Fire to begin his training, the atmosphere between the Temple and the royal family hadn't been good. He'd assumed it was simply the crown keeping the Church in check as its influence grew. Maybe there had been another reason all along.
"I don't know the details either, but I remember my father walking around with a grave look on his face back then. And he told us not to talk about His Highness the Crown Prince..."
"You two, what are you talking about so seriously?"
Jina cut across Er's words as she appeared. She had finished breakfast and a quick wash before they packed up camp, and she flicked the remaining water from her hands as she spoke.
"I thought I heard something about the Temple?"
"A knight recognized me yesterday. We were talking about how he could've done that."
"And the Crown Prince thing?"
"...Jina, keep your voice down. Nothing good comes from talking about the Crown Prince loudly."
A glint entered Er's eyes as she went on.
"Whether it's the former Crown Prince or the current one."
"..."
"Both of them are people commoners like us are better off not getting involved with."
"Er, you're not a commoner."
"I am now. I was cast out of my house."
Even so, that bloodline wasn't going anywhere. Even just that eye-catching gold hair of hers was nothing a normal person would have. Ain had kept his hood up ever since the expedition started, so Er was the only one whose hair color really stood out.
"What's the current Crown Prince like?"
"...The public consensus is: the pinnacle of incompetence. A slave to greed... that kind of thing."
"...That's not the kind of evaluation you pin on a prince of a nation."
Er glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then dropped her voice until only her companions could hear.
"He just lucked into the position when Crown Prince Licht disappeared. He was the only male left in the royal family, so even as an illegitimate son, he got the seat."
"Illegitimate?"
"Yes. His Majesty's queen passed away after giving birth to His Highness Licht. By the time another concubine conceived, His Highness Licht had already come of age."
"Hmm..."
"Under normal circumstances, he never would have sat on the throne. So after he took the position, he did every dirty thing imaginable to secure it."
Ain, vaguely realizing that Er's own past fell into the category of those dirty things, closed his mouth. Beside him, Jina — who had been listening — gave an awkward laugh.
"L-Let's drop the heavy stuff. We've got today to worry about."
"We're boarding a ship today, right?"
"Yes. The investigation found that the black mages' stronghold is on an island. We'll be taking a warship there."
"The sea, huh... Landing could be dangerous."
"Yeah. Getting attacked while we're still on the ship would be bad."
"That's why they called Haru away first thing this morning, right? There are probably mages in the Karpe Knight Order's magic corps, and among the capital's reinforcements too. They'll handle it."
"Then what about us?"
"Who knows?"
"What are melee fighters supposed to do... Just sit there and ride."
Neither Jina with her martial arts nor Er with her sword would be of much use in a naval battle. The soldiers would handle the cannons, and unless it came down to close-quarters combat, they wouldn't even get to swing a blade or throw a punch.
"Should we pick up some bows?"
"Would that even help? When have we ever used those?"
"Never mind whether it'd help — we didn't even bring any."
Ain shot down Er's suggestion and went on.
"So let's just kick back and enjoy the ride. Nothing's even confirmed to happen, right? It might go by without a hitch."
"...We're in trouble."
"Can Haru use something like underwater magic?"
"...What is with you two."
The moment they heard Ain speak, the two of them started worrying openly, taking turns.
"Every time you go running your mouth like that, Ain, something actually happens."
"...There's no harm in being prepared."
"What am I, some kind of jinx!?"
Unlike Ain, who recoiled in horror, the two of them kept fussing over preparations with worried faces — until Haru, looking half-asleep, returned to the group and stopped them.
"Sleepy... Hungry..."
"How'd it go? The thing they called you for?"
"Warships... four of them... One of them, I got assigned."
"Just you?"
"With five idiots..."
"...Idiots?"
"Morons who learned magic half-assed..."
Haru's usual contempt for modern magic welled up again as she scowled. Ain gave a wry smile and put a hand on her shoulder, then channeled a faint trickle of Divine Power into her so no one else would notice.
"So when do we leave?"
"Soon, probably... Once camp's packed up, we head to the port."
"We board right away?"
"I heard the preparations are already done. The longer we delay, the more time the black mages have to set up countermeasures."
That was what they said, but nobody actually believed the black mages would sit on their hands while a force this large was on the move. It was obvious they would try something at sea, where a land army was at its most vulnerable — and the expedition had prepared thoroughly for exactly that.
"I heard something too. They're going to deploy tamed sea beasts."
"Those dolphin-looking things?"
On top of everything else, they were even deploying tamed sea beasts — elite assets. You could feel how serious they were about wiping out the black mages. The expedition commander was Viscount Karpe, wasn't it? Ain had never seen the man, but he'd heard he was the type who focused on actual work rather than politics. If he could pull sea beasts out of a port city, he was probably more capable than Ain had given him credit for.
"All units, prepare to move!!"
"Ain, looks like we're heading out."
"Let's get moving too. We didn't leave anything behind, right?"
"Got everything."
The bigger gear like tents was handled by the expedition's supply soldiers, so all they needed to carry was their personal weapons and consumables. Ain took his hand off Haru, whose expression had improved somewhat thanks to the Divine Power he'd given her, and slung his pack over his shoulder.
"Whatever happens, it's not like we can run away now, right? It'll work out somehow."
"...You're right. It's an official operation run by a noble house. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Exactly, exactly! That's what I'm saying!"
Watching Ain and Er talk like that, Jina felt a nameless sense of dread and muttered under her breath.
"...Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?"
A port city at the edge of the Karpe territory. Four warships lined the harbor there, painted a deep blue and cutting an imposing figure against the water.
As Ain's party stood in line at the docks waiting to board, someone approached them.
"U-Um..."
It was a young man who still hadn't quite shed his boyish looks. Judging by his gear and the spear in his hand, he looked like a freshly enlisted recruit.
"...What can we do for you, soldier?"
Ain asked, watching the young man struggle to get the words out.
"Are you really a priest of the Church of Light?"
"...And if I am?"
The young man asked timidly. Ain wanted to demand where he'd heard that, but he had a pretty good idea where the rumor had started. The bearded adventurer he'd stood night watch with. He'd looked like the type who loved to talk. Odds were he'd been spreading the story around.
Despite Ain's irritation, the young soldier's face lit up at the confirmation.
"Th-Then I have a request for you, Father!"
"A request?"
"I-I know it's presumptuous, but a blessing...!"
"...A blessing?"
Ain's eyes sharpened.
"Ain, it's not that. You mean a blessing for a safe return, right?"
"Y-Yes, that's it!"
Jina stepped forward, casually shoving Ain aside. She winked at the man she'd just pushed out of the way, then said,
"That's easy enough. I'll do it. I'm an ordained priest too."
"Th-Thank you, Sister!"
She lifted the rosary around her neck to show him — and that was all it took.
"A priest?"
"There's a priest of Light here?"
The people around them started murmuring. Then the dam broke.
"Sister, a blessing for me...!"
"I have a little daughter waiting for me to come home...!"
"Please, pray that we make it back safely!!"
Adventurers and soldiers crowded around Jina, and a commotion erupted on the docks. Even if it was only words, Jina was startled by how many people wanted a blessing for a safe return from a priest of the gods. Her voice trembled as she tried to hold the line.
"W-Wait? If you could just line up in order...!"
"...Er, Haru, let's make a run for it. We've still got time before the ship leaves, right?"
"I-Is that okay?"
"Ain, that's cowardly..."
"It's not cowardly. Look at that crowd. If we stay, we'll just get in the way."
"Ain, you're a priest too..."
Jina must have overheard them, because she bellowed across the dock.
"Ain!!! Don't you dare run!! Help me!!"
Ain flashed a wide grin at the shouting Jina.
"Well then, good luck!"
"You bastard!!"