Chapter 82: Marina Joins Unwelcome Company
Marina had joined some unwelcome company.
"Where have you been?"
"I went to say hello to an acquaintance."
"Please refrain from acting alone. This is a place governed by the laws of the Holy Empire."
The man stuck to her side was nominally her escort from the Union, but in truth, he was a watcher sent by the Holy Empire.
They're using the Union affiliation to exploit her however they please.
The Holy Empire exploiting the Silanatiell name? That would never fly back east. But this was the west. When orders came down in the Union's name, she had no choice but to obey.
"Governed by Holy Empire laws when it's not even the Holy Empire? How peculiar. Does the Holy Empire just sit back and allow that?"
The escort glared at her. Marina didn't look away. The knight broke eye contact first. He whipped his head around with a face full of spite.
"Hmph."
Marina savored her sense of superiority. He might be called an escort, but he was a knight weaker than her. She was confident she could take him even in a surprise attack from point-blank range. And yet he had the gall to act like her protector. Marina decided to keep the insane plan she'd just heard to herself. She had no intention of sharing it with these people.
Marhal had said it was about saving people. That didn't sound like a bad motive. It could be a lie, but a man who served as the Hero's guide wouldn't casually spout falsehoods.
Ah, contact.
She needed to inform the Empire that she'd found the Hero's guide. But she'd been dragged into Union business right after returning, leaving no time to send word. Marina's mood plummeted.
Union political games had kept her from fulfilling her Silanatiell duties. The Silanatiell name comprised most of her history. The thought that even a part of it was being denied made her stomach churn.
The place she arrived at with her escort was a massive church in the city center. Or at least, it looked like a church—but it wasn't one. Defrocked priests built structures mimicking churches and lived in them. If anyone else tried the same, an inquisitor would douse the place in oil and toss in a sacred torch without hesitation. But this building stood untouched. It was amusing that a real church was just a short distance away.
Marina entered the church-like building.
It only looks like a church on the outside; the interior is just a normal building.
Of course. Decorating the inside like a real church would waste too much space.
Marina met with Ales, the defrocked priest. Ales was the big shot who effectively owned the city, yet he met her right away. It was Ales who had summoned her here, even leveraging his Union connections.
"What business does a defrocked priest have with an imperial?"
"Watch your tongue, you lowly wretch."
"I'll throw those words right back at you. Ales, defrocked priest. A baseborn scum who was briefly elevated to chosen status, only to commit some sin and tumble back to the muck. Who do you think bears the deeper sin? Fascinating topic, isn't it?"
"Shut your mouth! I still carry out God's will. You're in no position to judge me, you imperial dog."
"If you're truly carrying out God's will, you won't need help from a lowly thing like me. Then I'll be on my way."
She'd met a few priests before. She'd endured their chosen-people ideology. But the arrogance radiating from this self-proclaimed priest put all the others to shame. Just looking at his smug face soured her mood.
As she turned to leave the room, her Union escort blocked her path.
"What do you think you're doing? Aren't you supposed to be my escort?"
"This is Union business too."
Marina took a long, deep breath. She couldn't leave the Union yet. She needed diverse experiences. And if she tried to quit, orders would come to return to the Empire. She would have to go back eventually, but not now. She had several puzzles to solve. She lacked surveying experience and needed to internalize the mysteries in Strekl's cooking. She hadn't found the relics she'd only gotten leads on. And she needed to learn more about this Marhal fellow.
"Fine. I don't know if a lowly thing like me can answer, but I'll at least hear why you called me here."
"The Union's top mage should know all about mysteries, right?"
"Naturally."
Marina realized one thing: Ales didn't know the significance of her name.
Those people are the weird ones.
Marhal and his crew, who recognized her just from her name, were the odd ones. It was impossible for Silanatiell and Egoman to end up together by coincidence.
"Then you should know what this phenomenon is."
Ales extended his hand. Soil sprouted from the wooden floor like a seedling and formed into a staff before his palm.
"Now, explain it."
Marina was speechless—not from ignorance, but sheer shock.
Ales was a priest. He had no history to wield such mysteries. It could be a relic's power, but if so, he wouldn't have called her. This was a power even Ales himself didn't understand. Crucially, the borderlands had faintly resonated when he used it. That was power manifested from the land's history. A force only someone who fully owned a piece of land could wield.
She knew the cause, process, and result. But she had no intention of telling him.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know."
"The Union's top mage?"
"Maybe it's proof you've truly been chosen by God."
"Hah, as if a pathetic mage like you could comprehend the power of one chosen like me. Get out."
Was he a genius for taking the mockery at face value, or just oblivious? Even knowing he wasn't incompetent, his attitude made her doubt it. Were pride and competence unrelated?
Marina followed her escort out of the building. Even the one who'd threatened her with the Union let her go without protest once Ales dismissed her.
"You're not following me back, are you?"
"If you wish, we can part here."
"Then let's end it here. There's a Union branch around here too, right? I'll sightsee while I'm at it."
"Understood."
The man left without lingering.
Of course.
What mattered to these people was her knowledge, nothing more. Once they borrowed it, they didn't care what happened after.
"Couldn't even get a cup of tea."
No matter what, wasn't a cup of tea the bare minimum for someone who'd come from the next city over? She'd had no expectations from church folk, but actually experiencing it pissed her off.
Marina covered one eye with her hand. Her vision floated up, taking in the city's layout at a glance. With time, she could draw a map, but for now, she'd settle for memorizing the structure. Plenty of people would pay good money for it later.
After ordering his men to arm themselves properly, Ultekan secretly scouted the church where his wife was.
His wife was working at the church as usual. His daughter was kicking a ball around the churchyard with kids her age.
A trap?
Ultekan heightened his senses to the max. But nothing stood out. It wasn't a trap.
He was among the top warriors connected to the city's clerics. If there were a knight superior or equal to him, they'd have assigned that person instead of scorning him as a barbarian.
No one he knew could evade his gaze completely.
Ultekan crouched in a shadowed alley between buildings.
What's going on?
The church was a repulsive organization, but not a stupid one. If they meant to abandon him, his family would make perfect hostages. It was hard to understand why there was no watcher on them.
Ultekan withdrew for now. He lacked data to judge alone.
Rejoining his men, Ultekan heard consistent reports from them too. No signs of betrayal. No watchful eyes.
By this point, few possibilities remained.
[...We got played.]
It was absurd, but the best conclusion Ultekan could draw.
[But boss, is that even possible? We just met that guy.]
[Yeah. He didn't seem to know us either.]
His men spoke up. Fair suspicion. This was the first time he'd crossed paths with Marhal. He might have heard rumors, but pulling off such a con on a stranger based on hearsay was hard to believe.
But he'd already seen what Marhal was capable of. Marhal had smashed a tree with his fist and killed a monster that moved too fast to track with the eye.
Ultekan imagined fighting that monster himself. The prediction was simple: no matter what, he'd lose. He'd die.
Marhal had already accomplished the impossible. The man called Marhal was beyond Ultekan's judgment.
[I can hardly believe it myself, but that's the truth.]
[So what now? If we tell the church...]
[Forgot? We already killed their watcher. They'd use this as an excuse to tighten the leash. Anche's rebuilding would be doomed.]
[Then what do we do?]
[We leave the city as planned. Pack up and assemble at the rendezvous by the appointed time.]
His men dispersed. Ultekan sharpened his chakram blades and oiled them.
If the church was unaware of their betrayal, they might slip out safely. It stung to abandon their investments for Anche's rebuilding, but it beat living face-to-face with those nauseating church bastards.
Even if they survived this stroke of luck, Ultekan's future was bleak. He'd already killed a watcher. Would the church let a disobedient hound roam free? They'd bide their time and cull him.
He was now in a position to be discarded at any moment.
Funny how I brought this on myself.
It was laughable that one man's words had sparked it all—something his fellow Anche tribesmen pursuing the same goal would mock him for. But mockery required survival. Now was the time to move for his life.
The sun dipped below the walls, and the moon rose from the opposite side.
Marhal waited at the rendezvous with Ultekan and his men.
Then, an unexpected addition arrived.
"What brings Marina here?"
"She said she'd come at night."
Marina, appearing from somewhere, spoke up.
"You actually came? What do you even plan to do?"
"Save people, right? Wouldn't more capable hands make it better?"
"Not really."
"You don't need a top-notch mage's help? Are you sane?"
"What fresh logic is that? Someone might think magic's some all-purpose fix for everything."
"Magic is the all-purpose fix. There just aren't people who know how to use it properly. And I can handle most things."
Not entirely wrong. Marina Silanatiell had that capability.
"This could sour things with the church, you know?"
"Even better."
"...You serious?"
"Those church pricks deserve it."
If trouble erupted in the city he ruled, the blame would fall on that damned defrocked priest. Exactly what Marina wanted.
"...If you're that insistent."
It was hard to flat-out refuse someone willing to stand against the church. Having her would make things easier, too.
Time was up. Ultekan and his men assembled one by one.
[Ultekan, one's missing.]
[A traitor. Never thought a plains warrior would succumb to greed. But tell me one thing. Was that lie back then?]
[You caught on, huh. But now I'm a real traitor, so the outcome's the same, isn't it?]
Marhal was shameless. Even knowing the truth now, Ultekan could do nothing. His fate was sealed the moment he killed the church watcher.
Ultekan suppressed the urge to hurl his chakram. Drawing weapons here would only worsen things.
[What now?]
[Nothing changes for me. We proceed as planned.]
"Over a hundred soldiers heading this way."
Marina, covering one eye, reported.
Her vision picked out a few priests and armed soldiers.
"As expected. Kaban, can you do it now?"
"Right now?"
"Soldiers are coming. We won't lose a fight, but let's avoid needless deaths."
"Understood."
The prep work was done during the day. Kaban was a high knight and siege specialist. Demolishing and building walls was his style, his expertise. Toppling these shoddy walls would take just a few hours.
Kaban drew his sword and sliced a section of the wall. The ground below was already cleared. The wall had been scored in key spots to collapse easily.
His strike was the signal. Part of the wall came crashing down in a roar.
Even Marina couldn't tear her eyes from the spectacle of a massive wall crumbling from a single sword stroke.
A deafening crash echoed as shattered stone flew everywhere, embedding in nearby buildings. Outside the wall lay pastures. Fences splintered from debris, horses died, and the survivors bolted in panic.
[Ultekan, guide us to your wife's location.]
Marhal said to Ultekan, who stared blankly at the collapsing wall.
Snapping to, Ultekan gripped his chakram handle to steady himself.
[Follow me.]
The knight, plains warrior, mage, and outsider raced through the evening city, pursued by priests and soldiers.