101 – Chapter 34. Fortune – 2
– 102 –
“Here I am.”
“Thank you.”
I received a special permission to go out from my homeroom teacher, Armion.
In the meantime, when I went to work on weekdays, I went out halfway through the principal, Curst, ignoring the rules, but today the king has officially called me.
Of course, after going through the legal and due process, I got an official permission to go out, and I skipped all the remaining classes and went to the royal palace.
After all, the class after the joint training was about a post-war operation analysis and reflection meeting, so it was not meaningful to participate.
A luxurious limousine sent from the royal family was waiting in the parking lot, not the military vehicle that I usually ride when going out.
Hermera, who was waiting by the limousine, greeted us politely and then opened the door.
“This limousine, was that last time?”
“Yes? Yes. Right… ….”
The future saint who sat next to her was restless and only looked at me.
Am I scared? I thought we were pretty friendly.
Whether she noticed my thoughts or she just couldn’t stand the awkward mood, Ireana opened her mouth first.
“Hey, I’m sorry.”
“Huh? What?”
Come to think of it, she was cautious from the first time she spoke.
Ireana lowered her head slightly and spoke softly.
“I heard that my father and my brother asked for an unreasonable request, and she got angry.”
“Oh, that.”
Is it a story when it comes back and not long after?
No, I reminded Kirst of it relatively recently.
I decided to only be involved in the elimination of enemies and demons who invaded this kingdom, and the purification of demonic tokens.
So when she told me to get rid of the gravturm she got mad.
It wasn’t because someone was threatened with his life, or because he didn’t get up and attack.
But now I wondered what’s the use of asking such a thing.
Have you found space in your mind because you have found almost all of your memories?
Or did I gradually come to realize that this kingdom is where I live?
“It’s okay now.”
Ireana’s expression brightened at my words.
Looking at that expression, the king was a little upset. To put pressure on a cute junior for being close with me.
If you’re a king, be like a king, ‘Oh, I’m sorry I messed you up last time. I’ll give you a generous reward, so let’s work together.”
It didn’t get any better by grumbling here.
I should have a conversation with the king face to face.
A limousine with a security vehicle slipped through the city.
In the distance, you can see the royal palace that I have only been to once.
It was still grand and old-fashioned.
Ireana’s shallow sigh is heard.
I thought I’d be comfortable when I got home, but the way I looked around her anxiously didn’t bother me.
After a simple checkpoint, the limousine headed towards the center of the palace.
The central palace where the king stayed was not as glamorous or large as expected.
It is said that it is because Selmeier has been there since it was a small kingdom.
“Come this way.”
We were ushered to the back gate of the central palace.
Users who met while passing through the hallway bowed to Ireana and greeted her.
The interior of Jungang Palace was neat and old-fashioned, but as I looked at the paintings on the walls, I arrived at my destination.
It was an ordinary room that you can see everywhere.
“Then I’ll just leave.”
“Huh? We didn’t go together… Yo. This?”
Since it was a royal palace, I noticed that Ireana was talking nonsense.
Ireana shook her head and patted my back slightly.
“There is no story that I should go to. And it seems like we’re going to have a close conversation, so we have to leave soon anyway.”
Having said that, Ireana nodded her head and escorted her back, leaving her behind.
I have to go in alone.
I’m a little nervous.
As I was tidying up my clothes, the user knocked.
I was told to come in soon, and the user opened the door and stepped aside.
When I entered the room, suppressing the tension, two men were sitting on the sofa, looking at me.
A man with a lot of wrinkles on his face, but his eyes are alive in an upright posture.
That person must be the king.
It was a little kid sitting on the sofa opposite him.
Isn’t that the age where it’s hard to get into the military academy even if you catch a lot?
If you see him playing solo with the king, he’d be unusual, so it’d be best not to talk to him recklessly.
He bent towards the king and grabbed the hem of his skirt and raised it.
When she lifted her head, there were two people looking at her with interest.
“Welcome to the Royal Palace, Erif-sama.”
Saying so, the king extended his hand to the sofa opposite him.
The boy sitting there smiled and moved his seat to the side.
As soon as she sat down on the sofa, the boy next to her held out her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Misfire.”
“Who are you?”
When I said alertly, he smirked and bowed his back skillfully while sitting on his side.
“Ah, my introduction is late. I am the head of the Holy Kingdom, Pope Roheln.”
“… Yes?”
The boy who looked unsuitable for the position made a face that found something interesting.
“And a half-human half-spirit like you.”
“Yes??”
It was the beginning of a golden hour.
If it was a humanoid spirit like me, there was no way Arumanan and his colleagues would not have mentioned his name.
I’ve searched through my memories, but I can’t remember hearing this boy’s face or name.
Ah, is it a humanoid spirit that has been ‘created’ after the Shinma War?
Then how should I deal with it?
I’m a senior, so can I talk nonsense?
“Do you not know me? I have worshiped a god long before you.”
“Ah.”
I’m probably older than you.
Suddenly it became awkward to deal with.
The king, who was sitting on the sofa across from him, was holding his head with various complexities, and said with a smirk.
“Stop making fun of Erif-sama, Sungha. Mr. Erif. This is not your kind, so there is no need to panic.”
You deceived me.
Looking back at the Pope in a sense of betrayal that is difficult to describe, he held out his hand again with a light laugh.
“Ha ha. The reaction was so good that I stopped knowing it. Excuse me, Misfire.”
“This… ….”
The cursing almost came out of its own accord, but like an adult, I held out and grabbed his outstretched hand.
“Well, it is not true that I am half human and half spirit.”
Looking for another word, the pope smiled perplexed.
“If you are a spirit close to a human, I am a human close to a spirit.”
The power of the pure element was felt through the connected hands.
It’s probably because of the high divine power.
That’s why it felt similar to Ireana.
“It’s amazing. If you think of it as a human, you’re like a human, and if you think of a spirit, you’re like a spirit.”
The pope tilted his head slightly toward me.
“Do you feel that way too?”
I shook off his hand and turned his head.
“Not really. Ireana is more like a spirit.”
The pope laughed loudly at my words.
The king smiled at us, cleared his neck and opened his mouth.
“The reason we have these two here is because we have something to discuss about the current movement of demons around the world.”
My and the pope’s expressions became serious at the same time.
We followed the king’s gaze and looked at the map placed on the large table between the sofas.
Iland continent where we are located, the Pavis continent across the western sea, the Easel continent in the north, and the floating archipelago mainly concentrated in the south of the ocean.
The pope pointed to the north of the continent of Ireland.
“An ominous sign is appearing in the Eitian Empire, which borders our holy kingdom, Levalan. The whole country is in turmoil due to the current economic downturn, and even the emperor’s health has deteriorated.”
The king nodded, but I tilted my head.
“What does that have to do with the Asmodian Jundong?”
The pope grinned and took two of his coins from his pocket and placed them on top of the Aitian Empire.
“The economic downturn or the health of the emperor itself is a common occurrence. Its aftermath is something the country has to endure. But… ….”
The pope blurted his words and turned his gaze to the king.
The king caressed his white beard with a deep frown on his face.
“An ominous sign is a different matter. The two coins the Pope has put here represent two princes.”
The king picked up one of his coins.
“I will keep the explanation concise. Currently, the emperor has not decided on a crown prince, and the first prince with legitimacy is supported by the nobles around the capital. The second prince with great abilities is supported by the local nobles.”
“Are you talking about the possibility of a battle for the throne?”
“That’s right. Although it is a country that is a bit far from us, the Republic of Estial in the north is in fact the land of the empire, so we cannot rest assured.”
“Besides, it borders our Holy Kingdom.”
“Well. So why is that with demons…….”
As I tried to ask the question again, an ominous thought crossed my mind.
“Is it possible that one of the two princes had contact with the demons?”
The two nodded at the same time.
The king held out a blurry picture.
“This photo was taken by our kingdom spies. According to the testimony, he said he saw demons, but he failed to secure evidence. Instead, I took this picture.”
The king’s words passed through his ears.
In the photo, luxurious aircraft used during the Shinma War were lined up on the runway.
And the blurry people gathered in the middle.
When I saw In-young, who was exceptionally short and had pure white hair, without realizing it, strength went into my hands.
I hope.
No, it may not be very rare for a girl with white hair to fly an aircraft.
I’m driving a helicopter, a type of aircraft, with hair that can be said to be white right now.
But my intuition was that I knew someone who was hazy and couldn’t even see a face.
The vampire I thought I defeated last time.
Were you alive?
When I made an impression, the king was surprised and gave further explanations.
“It is a remote place in the northern part of the Eitian Empire, but strangely, they heard that construction was active and soldiers were passing by. And the person who directed the construction…….”
“He was the second prince.”
“That’s right. And these new fighters are the kind that even Canael doesn’t have. Besides, there are parts similar to the fighters of the demons during the Shinma War in the records.”
I glanced at the picture.
Some of the aircraft shared with Arumanan looked similar, but none of them looked the same.
Besides, a girl who seems to be giving instructions to everyone in the middle.
It wasn’t hard to see a blurred face, but the more I looked, the more certain I became.
The specter, which I couldn’t finish due to my immaturity, appeared again.
Of course I had to see the end.
“Then when do you plan to attack?”
“Yes?”
“First, we have to make a surprise attack and kill all the demons.”
The king and the pope both looked puzzled at the same time.
“Ha ha. Mr. Erif. It’s good to be motivated, but there’s no evidence that they are demons. Maybe they found relics like us.”
I shut my mouth to say something.
I was dealing with demons in the spirit world, and I couldn’t deal with it clearly, so it was difficult to understand if I had to explain that he came to the material world.
“We just have to wait. If a civil war broke out in the Empire, it would be enough to support the First Prince. If you use the power of demons to invade neighboring countries, you will have to step forward.”
The king nodded at the pope’s words.
If the policy had already been set, I had no choice but to question it.
“Then why did you call me here? Afterwards, if you give me an ‘order’ as usual, that’s it.”
As I sarcastic without my knowledge, the king’s expression darkened.
He cleared his throat as if uncomfortable, and lowered his head.
“I’m sorry, Erif-sama. At that time, I didn’t understand the meaning of humanoid spirits coming to our kingdom. There will be no such unilateral orders in the future.”
The king gently raised his head and lit his eyes.
“But I believe that you will not avoid battles that depend on the protection of your own people or the fate of mankind.”
“That’s right.”
Now that the king bowed his head and apologized, all of the old things should be wiped out.
“Did you two shake off all the sediment? Then the real discussion begins.”
Are we finally getting to the point?
The pope made a blatant request with his smile.
“Erif. Would you mind sharing the knowledge you shared with others with the Holy Kingdom?”
I remember what I heard and what happened shortly after I came back to this world.
From nob le mt l dot com
Proving my sanctity by having the Holy Kingdom sell relics and minor copies of weapons and make them attack Gravtrum.
Thanks, the image of the Holy Kingdom was not very good.
It was only to the extent that Ireana was not hostile to becoming a saint.
When I shoot silently, the little pope put his hand on the back of his head as if in embarrassment.
The king did not know the English language, he was just squeezing his eyes, he let out a long sigh and told me why.
“There’s no guarantee that we won’t trade wars with the information I gave you.”
“Erif-sama, that’s…… !”
The king was embarrassed and tried to refute my words, but the pope held up his hand and stopped him.
“Yes. I will not deny that Korea has done such a thing not long ago. However, people’s perceptions have changed with the actions of the demons.”
The pope took a cup on the table and drank a glass of water.
“I also became a pope not long ago, so I searched for related materials. It was terrible. The Ten Years’ War between Kanbal and Selmeier-Kanael might not have happened if the Holy Kingdom had not traded weapons.”
After pouring out his bitter feelings, he filled a cup with water and drank it at once, then stole the corner of his mouth.
“But this time is different. The demons have appeared in earnest, and in the midst of a global crisis, they don’t trade. Trust me just once.”
The pope grabbed my arm and waved it back and forth.
It looked like a drunken adult, but how vividly it smells of alcohol…… No, it wasn’t water, it was alcohol, right?
“Why did you bring alcohol here?”
“Heh heh. To treat the two of you with the good things I have…….”
When the king laughed happily, the pope stumbled over his body and poured alcohol into his cup.
“Have a drink too!”
“Thank you, Holy Father.”
The king and the pope were getting drunk, giving and receiving a glass of wine.
Bewildered by the sudden start of drinking, I grabbed the two of them.
“Can the young priest just drink?”
The king answered my question with a grin.
“Erif. The Holy Father is a lot older than he looks.”
“Okay! It’s been several years since I became an adult. Right. It’s been over 30 years.”
After a few drinks, the pope’s tongue was twisted and he began to wonder whether the words of the pope were true or false.
You look like you’re in your early to mid teens no matter how you look at it.
After emptying the glass again, the pope leaned towards me and muttered.
“I mean. I hate this look. After being hit by some damn demon’s time magic, it’s getting younger and younger. And the memories…….”
Time Magic? Memory?
The pope did not speak, then lay down on the other side and crouched down.
I couldn’t help but be surprised by the pope’s words.
Because it was as if the symptoms I experienced were reversed.
From his words, I could vaguely know what had happened to me during the last battle.
I was probably struck by time magic, and my memories were blown away.
Similarly, Bartiers, who said that he had been to another world, had a good memory, so he must have been subjected to space magic.
Now that I have almost recovered my memory, it doesn’t help much to find out, but it seems to have solved my uneasy curiosity.
Then the remaining problem.
“… ….”
The pope sleeping on the sofa and the king sitting and dozing off.
The current problem was how to get rid of the two people who were difficult to deal with.