Chapter 424: Her Gospel

…Rebel soldiers rose in the walled city of Garoua Maria. I hope you can advise me on a plan to stop them in the eventuality of my death.

What this message delivered by Ann? That was all there was as an overview. It was as if she was predicting her own death.

From the perspective of the person who sent the messenger, it seemed to have been sent in a hurry. Moreover, a long time had passed since the sent date. It seemed that the messenger soldier took a detour to reach the royal capital in order to escape from the rebel soldiers.

The uprising of Saleino, the elder statesman of the Heraldic Order, and his followers. According to the contents of Ann’s message, the city of Philos was about to be sieged.

It wouldn’t be strange if the situation was already at its worst. The imaginary scene of a worst possible scenario danced behind my eyelids.

This was not just a problem for the city of Philos, but also for the Heraldic army that resided in the royal capital.

In the unlikely event that the city of Philos, which was our relay point, were to fall, we would be left alone in this royal capital. Once trapped in the royal capital, which had not yet been established as a base, an unmistakable crushing death would appear before us.

That alone had to be avoided at all costs.

When I stepped into the stables, the smell of straw hit my nostrils and the sound of the horses’ breathing hit my ears. The creaking sound of my foot stepping in the floor echoed throughout the structure.

The stables owned by the royal capital were now in a pitiful state. There was no trace of the majesty that once housed the impressive military horses. The facility was in disrepair, with only the Heraldic Order and the Gharast soldiers’ horses still being kept there.

There was almost no culture of riding horses among demonic beings, so the horses were not managed, and some were used as food, so it was the worst. They really didn’t understand the value of things.

I could earn more money with just one military horse than if I were to go out and work all year round. Well, there was no point in trying to explain such things to demonic beings.

The large number of military horses that were originally supposed to be here were moved to the north when the Gharast national army fled the royal capital. But, of course, that didn’t mean they could take them all at once.

After all, the decision to move north was made in a hurry. There would’ve been hardly any food for the horses, let alone food for the humans.

Horses required much more water and food than humans. That being the case, there were quite a lot of military horses that had to be abandoned.

Although most were not lucky enough to escape the claws of demonic beings, it was still a blessing for the Heraldic Order, which was always in short supply of military equipment.

One of the horses was being prepared by a soldier who put the reins. While thanking him, I gave some money to his hand.

I knew this because I had done it myself. Despite the fact that managing a stable was extremely hard work, it usually didn’t pay much in return. I wouldn’t be punished for showing this much respect. As always, there was no harm in receiving kindness.

By the way. What I was going to do now was something that would make it difficult to receive comprehension.

「…Lugis. Are you here? How are the preparations going? 」

The first thing I heard as soon as I left the stables was Matia’s voice. Seeing her, the soldier beside me immediately jumped his shoulders and stiffened his back.

At first glance, Matia’s appearance was as usual, but there were dark circles under her eyes. She was probably trying to hide them with makeup, but it was to no avail.

To be honest, it didn’t look like a good idea to show herself in public. After making the soldier step aside, I looked at Matia and opened my mouth. Her eyes were clearly filled with impatience, and her usual saintly demeanor had disappeared.

「Yes, I’m going now. It’s about Ann after all. You might say that it’s too late for me to take care of everything myself, but I’m a hero now, Lord Hero as Ann would say. 」

I shrugged my shoulders and said those words as if they were nothing. However, Matia’s expression remained stiff.

She couldn’t help it. After all, she wasn’t facing an external enemy this time, but an internal conflict that bled, so it was natural for her to have a bad disposition.

Moreover, from Matia’s point of view, it was a situation where a blade was thrust into the neck of the person who was her right-hand person, and in a sense, her dearest friend. If I thought carefully about it, I realized that Matia was facing this crisis with a lot of courage.

「I’ve asked Filaret to protect you here. If something happens, please rely on her. 」

I finished those words while looking up at the sky and pointing far above our heads. Matia could see a shadow if she followed my fingertips straight ahead.

Someone swayed in the dark hollow and danced through the sky in a trajectory that was impossible for a bird. I only knew of one person who could do such trick.

Jewel Bar Agathos.

The magical devilish being, who had borrowed the body of village girl Leu, had been glaring at us from the sky ever since the Controller Drigman had passed away.

It was not like she was going to blindly intervene, but it didn’t look like she was going to leave the royal capital’s sky either. It felt as if she was anxiously waiting for something. It was extremely eerie because I didn’t know what her purpose was.

However, there was nothing we could do for now since bows, arrows or even magic had limitations in the sky. In the end, the conclusion was that all we could do now was wait and see. She was always bit chaotic in the past, but now she was someone whose logic of action was even harder to understand.

Of course, that didn’t mean we wouldn’t prepare even if we had to wait and see. If there were any beings in the Heraldic Order that could compete with that demonic being, they would be Caria, Filaret and Eldith.

However, Eldith’s wounds had not healed yet, and she also had responsibilities as Queen of the Elves. Therefore, I had hoped that Filaret, and originally Caria, would prepare for any attack coming from Jewel.

Apparently, both of them were dissatisfied with this. The old man had come up with a strange proposal, so I wondered if he was feeling under the weather. In fact, from their perspective, it could be a dangerous proposal. They were feeling uncertainties ever since I went to the frontlines, and even more so after the old man visited me.

However, there was no way I could leave this matter to others.

After all, I was the cause of this civil war. How could I avoid that problem and go to sleep peacefully?

There was no way I could avoid it. No matter what happened there, I had to face it directly.

Therefore, I had to go no matter what. What if Ann had been killed by the rebel soldiers?

…Yes, I had to do what I had to do. That was a responsibility I had to accept.

Filaret reluctantly agreed to stay in the capital, perhaps out of concern for Leu’s safety, but Caria was totally in no mood. She was determined to come with me.

Well, I felt like I couldn’t help it this time.

Caria had also known Ann for a long time. Considering her personality, the act of simply worrying often reached the boundaries of human comprehension. It was a bit annoying for me.

It was her nature to want to see everything through her own eyes.

I said a few words and told Matia that she had nothing to worry about. I thought it would be good for her if I could reassure her.

Matia opened her mouth with her teeth lined up beautifully.

「I’m sorry, Lugis. If only I had been more worthy of being a Saint. This wouldn’t have happened…I have no excuse. 」

Unexpected words leaked from Matia’s lips.

Apparently, this situation was hitting her heart more seriously than I thought. I wondered if the reason why she came to the stables was because she couldn’t handle the office work.

I was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.

Back in the day, when I was an adventurer, there were people everywhere who gained rewards by betraying or deceiving their comrades. Perhaps such things were rare within the Heraldic Order.

After all, they were originally people who were solidified in their faith. In addition, given that they were constantly forced to crawl in the mud and persecuted by stone, it was natural for them to unite and cooperate under those harsh times.

Now, they held spears and even hated each other. They were devouring each other’s blood and flesh. Matia’s feelings were easy to understand.

But Matia couldn’t behave this way. The royal capital was already in turmoil. The Heraldic religion, the Gharast soldiers, and the nobles’ intentions were intertwined in a chaotic chain, and it was still unclear who would take the lead.

Under this unstable situation, anxiety could spread like a disease within the Heraldic Order if they were to find the Saint acting like this. I had no doubts about it.

Matia was a woman with a spirit as strong as a tree with deep roots, but now her roots were being eaten away. In a situation like this, Ann would be the one to take the reins to help Matia, not me.

My eyelids blinked, and Matia’s gaze intertwined with mine. Then I spoke in a way that only she could hear.

「Ah…do you remember our conversation in Belfein? It seems you’ve forgotten. 」

Yes, a talk we had in the mercenary city of Belfein. I remembered that I behaved selfishly and was criticized by the Saint. I remembered her words well.

Those were scolding words, but they were also a form of salvation.

Just like that time in reverse, I held Matia’s shoulders and spoke. Her eyes were like crystals, emitting a faint glow.

「If you were not the Saint, I wouldn’t have associated myself with the Heraldic Order. If there’s anyone who can do it better than you, please let me know…Matia. Why don’t you start being proud of yourself? 」

I said, “as you took my hand back then, I shall take your hand now”. I opened my mouth as if to profess exactly what was said before. I shrugged my shoulders abruptly since I felt somewhat embarrassed.

Matia looked up at me with her eyes widening for a moment. Her lips were even trembling.

「…You did remember, Lugis. I get it now, yes. Right here, right now. 」

There was something that stirred my heart. Matia said so, trying hard to adjust her expression and even smiling in the end.

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Go Lugis! Go save the day!

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