22 – Post-War Cleanup (2)
It took about a week to completely clean up the demons that had infested the songbird area. It took one day longer than expected because those damn monsters tried to escape by jumping into the river.
After clearing away the demons, the clergy members of the Order who had been waiting exerted their divine power. The Estelle Kingdom considered “Inshin Karo” as its national religion, so priests were dispatched from the Inshin sect to worship them.
Freya, upon seeing them…
“Hmm…”
They had an uncomfortable expression. I wondered why and Letizia approached and said:
“Frae is a saint of the Insaeng-gyo, a sect with whom relations aren’t that good.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s the Myeongsing-gyo. Frae is a saint chosen by the god of life, Vida-sshi.”
Vida-sshi.
A very important god who gives life to living beings and extremely abhors when the cycle of life and death isn’t properly fulfilled.
That’s why even the followers of Myeongsing-gyo have deep empathy towards undead creatures born from the magic of devils that deal with deceased people known as necromancy.
“I recall them rejecting the cycle of life and death in their prayers… they talk about such things.”
On the other hand, Karo, the god worshipped by the Estelle Kingdom was a deity that bestowed various blessings on humans. This was an extremely important factor and one of the results of how the blessing worked in the ‘Dungeon In Eve’s citizens growing up with different talents and appearances. If this had not been the case, most people would have lived with equal abilities and appearances.
Karos has a very human-friendly nature, and when natural disasters or trials that humans can’t bear come, he helps them. Even shedding tears out of sorrow for not being able to interfere too much… “It was written in the card description.”
In ‘Dungeon in Eve’, there is a card artifact that can be obtained through character equipment, and of course, the god’s card was the best in terms of performance. However, I could only see four of the eight cards of the god.
“I understand why you’re so hesitant.” Karo protecting humans from natural disasters may be an act of defying the life span granted to them by the other gods. Under Karo’s protection, humans who were originally supposed to die might not die.
So of course the relationship between the two denominations is not good…
“I don’t really oppose helping the Estire Kingdom in that case.”
“What crime could people have committed?”
It seemed like Frey was listening to our conversation, and he turned his head and said,
“And there’s no sin for the followers of the Inshin Church. Even if their beliefs and Inshin Karan’s thoughts were misguided, they haven’t committed any sins.”
“…I see.”
Surprisingly, he doesn’t blindly insist that his denomination’s doctrine is correct.
“Everyone, it’s time to leave, so come this way~.”
“Huh? Where are we going?”
“The monster cleanup is done, and now it’s time for that.” Pray said with a smirk.
“It’s time to receive the reward.”
“Ah!”
Reward! It was time to receive the reward that will acknowledge our hard work and make it feel worthwhile… So, it was time to get the money!
Finally, a ray of light was coming down on this beggar party…
“Let’s go right away!”
“Ho ho.”
“You’re excited, Allen.”
“You’re materialistic~♡”
Who do you think I’m doing this for?
But I can’t see Ser-Ariaha and Dogeoga. Where did those two go?
“Those two?”
“They left first ~ They said they were going to the bathroom. Oh, don’t even think about sneaking a peek ~ ♡”
“Isn’t it better to just wait and go together?”
“We can’t make everyone else wait, can we?”
As Erin spoke, she looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that Orland Party and Paladins were preparing for their return.
“Anyway, those two are fast, so they’ll
Well…, they are party members whose agility stat is twice as high as others. Honestly, if we only consider their speed, they might reach the palace even faster than riding a horse. It’s a matter of endurance.
Then, who should I ride? I was originally planning to ride a donkey…
“You incompetent~♡”
At that moment, Erin called me and lightly tapped on the saddle.
It seems like she’s pointing over there, but I have a feeling that if I ride there, I’ll hear strange noises.
“… Leticia, let me borrow your seat.”
“What? Erin called me, so why me…”
I don’t want to hear strange noises.
“Just a moment…!”
I impulsively responded to Letizia’s words. Since I had already gotten on, Letizia couldn’t tell me to get off again.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“…Are you sulking?”
“No, I’m not.”
It’s just that I feel like you’ll keep complaining along the way. And it’s only bothersome for me if I ride behind you, isn’t it? I actually think it’s better for Erin too.
However, for some reason, Erin looked at me silently and then quickly turned her head. It seemed like she was dissatisfied with something.
“Allen.”
“Yeah?”
“If we do this, Erin will be upset, you know.”
How about feeling a little uneasy. I’m always being made fun of.
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you suddenly acting like a child?”
I didn’t bother to answer. It was a bit embarrassing to say that I came here because I didn’t like being made fun of.
“Well … I’m okay.”
Leticia said that and took the reins. Then she lightly tapped her waist and said, “Hold on, Allen.”
“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
Allen placed his arms around Leticia’s waist. Surprisingly, her waist was more slender than expected. It didn’t seem that way at first… She had been wearing loose-fitting clothes that didn’t cling to her.
Perhaps it’s thin to some extent, similar to silk…
As we joined the return convoy to the palace, we moved comfortably and slowly along with the convoy, unlike when we arrived.
There was no urgent matter, so we could leisurely proceed. There were also people who needed to join us.
While leisurely admiring the surrounding scenery, Leticia whispered quietly.
“Allen.”
“Yes?”
“When will you come for our lessons?”
Ah, I almost forgot.
“I didn’t have time until now… I thought I would go as soon as I had time.”
“Then when we arrive at the palace, come in that night. After the formal reception.”
“Reception?”
“Yes. There is a gathering to honor the efforts of us and the knight Roland. Of course, there will also be a reception.”
It felt like something from a novel or comic book. I had some expectations.
“But where to?”
“Where else? To the room.”
“…Room?”
“Of course, as honored guests like us, they will provide private rooms, so you can take classes without being noticed by others.”
“Um….”
It’s good for me, but is Letitia okay with it? I asked and glanced at her reaction for a moment, but there was not much of a response.
Yeah, it doesn’t matter…I don’t know whether I should consider it fortunate that you’re entrusting this to me, or feel sad that it doesn’t even feel rational.
“I hope Allen learns properly so he can fight alongside us.”
“Oh? I didn’t expect you to have hopes.”
“Why not? I think it would be great if Allen could help us both in terms of strength and strategy.”
Leticia said.
“It’s really different from before.”
“Huh? Before?”
“Oh…, right, before. It’s still different from before, isn’t it? I didn’t expect Allen to take charge.”
“…That’s true.”
However, Leticia’s “before” seemed to have a different meaning. The nuance felt slightly different.
“What happened before I possessed him?”
When I think of the time period mentioned by Letitia’s words as “before my possession”… both the nuance and the wording become more natural.
“…Letitia.”
“Yes?”
“Come to think of it, there was something I was curious about.”
“Yes.”
Actually, now that I think about it, there were a few things that seemed questionable.
Erin, who constantly teased me for forgetting everything. Since I have no memories before possessing him, I don’t know, but Erin and the party members don’t find it strange either.
When I first saw Erin exhibiting strange movements and found it odd, Frey naturally explained the reason without questioning why I was seeing it for the first time.
Of course, I could explain this by saying that I did not participate in the battle…
But when I think back to the conversation I had with Frey before we left, it was strange. It wasn’t natural for me to casually give information to party members I’ve been with for months.
I don’t even know which faction our party members belong to. But instead of finding that strange, it was as if it was perfectly normal to talk about it.
“Do you think it’s strange that I can’t remember anything?”
“…”
Leticia suddenly became silent. I was certain something was up.
“Is something wrong with me?”
“No, there’s nothing really wrong. Allen often forgets things, so it’s not strange that you don’t think much of it.”
Letícia spoke and asked.
“What is it, don’t tell me you really don’t remember anything from the past?”
“Huh?… Ah, no. Of course not.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Okay then.”
Although I was startled that she might find out that I wasn’t the original ‘Allen’, I denied it and tried to brush it off, but Letícia’s reaction was peculiar.
There seemed to be something significant enough for me to not remember, yet I didn’t feel like discussing it with her.
“Should I ask someone else?”
It wasn’t urgent at the moment, but I could gradually figure it out later.
Could there possibly be something bad going on? If so, they wouldn’t treat me well…
“…Is it really something they’re doing well?”
Although the question crossed my mind, I let it pass for now. Dwelling on it would only give me a headache.
Once I arrived at the palace, I looked forward to the grand gathering that would take place and the magical lessons I would attend in the evening, despite the slightly long journey.
I didn’t realize it when I used teleportation magic, but it took quite a while to return to the palace. Except for nothing out of the ordinary happening during the trip, it took almost a whole week. So, even though I could easily meet up with Ser-Ariaha and Doh through a detour…
Already, two weeks have passed. The promised time with Erin is now only a month and two weeks away.
“Still….”
Finally, I have returned. To the capital of the Estire Kingdom, Stellaum.
As the main stage of a significant event, Stellaum was a highly developed hub city and an important location in the ＜Evil Dungeon＞, where one of the equipment, Card Artifact, was responsible for enchanting options.
Because there was only one NPC who handled the enchantment of Card Artifacts, if the contamination level of the kingdom’s northeastern tunnel event cleared to over 700, the development of Stellaum would decline as the kingdom falls into stagnation. In that case, there was also a mechanic where the NPC would leave Stellaum and permanently disable the NPC’s function for that session.
It was a very malicious mechanic. I remember vaguely clearing the event carelessly without knowing about it properly and not being able to utilize the Card Artifacts effectively.
And being such an advanced city, it must be incomparable to the villages I’ve seen so far. Of course, it wouldn’t be as big as modern cities, but I was curious.
I came close to it last time, but I couldn’t even take a look and had to go back.
“I wonder what kind of place it is….”
“It’s quite a peaceful place. It’s hard to say it’s the capital of a kingdom, rather it has a slightly quaint feeling.”
“Really?”
“Perhaps it’s the result reflecting the nature of people who believe in a benevolent deity.”
I suppose it means they are inclined to be mild-tempered towards humans.
With some expectations, I entered the capital and couldn’t help but exclaim. Compared to modern cities, it may not have been anything special in terms of development, but since I had become a part of ＜Dungeon In Evil＞, it was the largest city I had seen.
On the contrary, it gave off a pleasant feeling, like a moderately large theme park.
As soon as we entered Stellium, Orlandor spoke.
“First, let’s go to the royal palace and pay respects to Her Majesty. After that, you can rest and then attend the banquet.”
“Is Grandma feeling better now~♡”
“She is fine.”
—
Seeing how well Erin received malicious remarks, it seemed that Orland was not bothered by his own personality, as the general had said.
Still, it was an unacceptable behavior for a commander to act arrogantly, even in the battlefield. It wasn’t like he envied the guy just because he was good-looking.
“Oh, Your Majesty, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you here!”
Sera-Aria spoke as if she was glad it had been a long time. Perhaps they met once before. Was it when Orland had a party and received gifts?
“Then why don’t I know about it?”
I wonder if those two didn’t invite me to such occasions…?
“…That’s a bit too much.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, no. Can I rest immediately after meeting the Queen?”
“Yes, of course.”
“hahahahaha, Allen. You look tired!”
If I’m tired, then I’m obviously tired. Even riding this horse is exhausting right now. However, since my party members next to me fought directly, I couldn’t complain to them.
“I’m just a little tired.”
“Why don’t you start by asking if tired people can rest~?” Erin asked with a sly smile. If I answer incorrectly here, she’ll probably tease me for a while…
“It’s not me but all of you who need to rest.”
“…Huh~? Saying something noble~♡”
“…Allen, you’re kind.”
The answer seemed appropriate. Erin had a face that seemed to please her, and she even complimented me for being friendly.
Orlando listened to us quietly and then spoke.
“Your duty will be over soon. The official commendation will take place during the banquet, so you will probably only have to give a simple greeting and then you can rest.”
That’s good. As long as it doesn’t drag on like the principal’s lecture, it’s okay.
As soon as we arrived at the palace and got off our horses, we received a grand welcome. The court officials, maids, and even the servants all came out to thank us.
I felt a little burdened by this, but apart from me, the other party members, except for the modest Erin, seemed familiar with such situations.
…Well, this is how an adventurer party is. There has to be some sense of accomplishment to be called an adventurer, right?
I also straightened my shoulders and walked. As we passed by the procession, a well-dressed lady bowed her head and greeted us.
“Hello, Erin, the warrior, and your companions. I am Catherine, the head of the Cheonrangu Palace. I will take good care of you during your stay here.”
Didn’t Alan say he would go first? When he saw her guiding them from their lodging, Roland said,
“Before guiding us, you should unpack our luggage first. I cannot go to meet her Majesty while carrying our things.”
“I can do it alone. Erin, I’ll handle the unpacking, so you and Alan can go meet Queen Alhyeon.”
That’s the job of a luggage carrier, after all. While the other party members meet the queen, I just have to unpack the luggage, don’t I?
“Alan, you must go as well.”
“What?”
“You are the planner and the commander of this operation. Her Majesty really wants to meet you.”
“Uh…”
“So unpack the luggage and come to the Alhyeon room. We will wait for you there.”
Orlando finished his story and they headed towards the room where they were staying. They seemed to be staying somewhere else, not with us.
“Shall we unpack our luggage then?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Following Catherine, they headed towards a section called Cheonrang Palace. This place is obviously not where the queen resides; rather, it is where the owner of this palace, the Queen’s husband, stays.
Seeing that he entrusted the reception of guests to the palace manager, it seems like he wants to treat us well. As we continued walking, I saw a palace with a blue roof made of pure white marble. It felt like visiting a medieval castle during a trip to Europe.
“That is Cheonrang Palace.”
“It’s magnificent.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Catherine led us into the palace as she said.
“Since His Excellency has already gone to the Reception Hall, you may greet him there. Just start unpacking your luggage.”
“Where should I use the rooms?”
“You can choose the room you desire. Just remember that the left corridor is for male guests, and the right corridor is for female guests.”
In that case, I should go down the left corridor. I briefly parted ways with my party members and headed towards the left corridor. Then, I stood in front of the first room and asked.
“Is this one empty?”
“All of them are vacant, Allan.”
The servant who followed me informed. It seemed like we were the only guests.
I opened the door with a click and couldn’t help but be amazed. The room was incredibly spacious compared to the inns where I had stayed before while possessing exceptional interior design and furniture.
And the bed was huge. It made me feel an immediate desire to lie down. After placing my luggage down and quickly tidying up, I immediately left the room.
“Hmm?”
But there was no one else coming out into the hallway besides me. They shouldn’t have more luggage than me, so there’s no reason for them to come out later.
“Did they perhaps leave before us?”
“No one has come out, Mr. Allen.”
Then what are they doing…?
As I walked towards the hallway where their rooms were, Chief Catherine, who is in charge of the palace, greeted me and said,
“Are you done packing?”
“Yes, but what are they doing?”
“Oh, well…”
Catherine smiles lightly, as if she has witnessed something amusing rather than something difficult to say. Contemplating her appearance, I hesitated for a moment and pointed at the door.
“Whose room is this?”
“Erin the warrior went inside.”
Upon hearing that, I immediately knocked on the door.
“Erin, what are you doing in there?”
“Well, I can take it easy for a bit, right? Why are you acting like a hungry puppy begging for food~♡”
“What nonsense. We have to go to Alhyanha.”
I was dumbfounded and forcefully opened Erin’s door. Then I saw Erin lying on the bed with the blanket wrapped around their body, eyes closed.
“Hey, what are you doing!”
“What~?”
“I also came out because I wanted to lie down. Is that guy called the party-goer saying such things?”
“Why are you talking as if I did something wrong~?”
If she’s not coming out because of this… are other kids feeling the same way? It’s ridiculous that everyone except me seems to have no desire to meet the queen, so I’m dumbfounded.
At that moment, Erin lightly laughed and then opened the blanket, gesturing to me.
“Then, even you, a mediocre person, come in~♡”
“…What?”
“I’m telling you to come in here~? Can’t you hear well anymore~♡?”
For a moment, her voice was incredibly mesmerizing, and my mind went blank. But soon, when I saw Erin giggling, my senses snapped back.
“…Have you gone crazy?”
“Puhoo♡ Alright, I’m getting up~.”
Erin got out of bed and walked into the hallway. I closed the door and said, “What about the others?”
“Oh? Let’s see, they’re probably just lying around like me~.”
“…Are they all just lying around like you?”
“hehehe, they could be~♡”
I wondered, so I checked and found that everyone except for the few who were reviewing for the oral exam were indeed doing just that.
“I guess the bed looks too comfortable…”
“hahahaha, I felt the same way!”
“…It’s embarrassing.”
You bastards…
“No matter what, is it right to make the queen wait?”
“If it’s that grandma, she’ll understand~♡”
If I were the queen, I don’t think I’d have any mercy for that guy who calls me grandmother. This party is truly abnormal.
“Let’s go quickly.”
Upon arriving in front of the Royal Chamber, Orlando and his party members, who had arrived first, were there. Erin spoke to them.
“I’m sorry I’m late~.”
“It’s okay. Cheonrang Palace isn’t too far from the main palace, is it?”
Orlando looked at me with a smirk, then looked back at Erin. Why did he just stare at me?
“Everyone, let’s go inside. His Majesty and the officials are waiting.”
Orlando urged Erin to go in first. It was unexpected to be told to enter the Alhyeon Chamber first. It was no different from Orlando himself acknowledging that we were much superior in terms of our contributions to the party.
It wouldn’t have mattered if I had entered first, disregarding such things as meeting the king of my own country.
“Is he really just an ordinary porter?”
A desolate life as a porter.
Erin walked ahead with Ser-Aria and Letisia following closely behind, and with Frey and Dok-gu behind them, and I, lastly, followed them to enter the Oran-do party.
This is a meeting with the ruler of the country in the Alhyunsil.
Even modern people do not often have the experience of meeting the head of the country. It is something that is seen frequently in the news.
Maybe that’s why…
‘… Wow.’
Although the old lady in front of her was certainly old, her presence was no joke. It wasn’t the gentle eyes of an elderly person, it was the charismatic eyes of a ruler.
As soon as their eyes met, Erin began to tense up.
She walked all the way to the center of the red carpet in the Alhyunsil and stopped. Then the queen, who had been watching us quietly, opened her mouth.
At the moment when the voice of the elder who ruled the Estelle Kingdom flowed out.
“Ohohong ~ everyone come on quickly.”
…All unnecessary tension disappeared completely.