novelraw Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Chapter 67
*
The lord of Marquis Makikomarclow's Border Territory, a noble standing at the frontline against the Demonlands in Hekatai.
Comsas Dotwill was in his mansion in Hekatai, clinging to the desk in his room as he endured stomach pain.
The fact that healing magic had no effect meant it was something mental.
He knew the cause.
It was due to that marquis's daughter exiled from Faltarl and her nominal husband.
It was fine that they defeated the Forest Dragon, a designated target of the Adventurer's Guild; they were the kind of people who could take down three Golden Ogres by themselves.
They would probably manage something like that.
That much was fine; he had a mountain of things to say, like weren't they supposed to live a quiet, secluded life in Hekatai, but he could still somewhat understand up to that point. After all, they were adventurers; such things could happen.
But still.
How could a human who received a death sentence from the Church and was exiled accept a designated request from the Church in another country—what kind of reasoning was that?
Moreover, being requested to retrieve a divine relic left behind in the Demonlands, a secret of the Church, made no sense at all.
Both the ones making the request and the ones accepting it were absurd.
When Bishop Bival, the highest authority in the Frontier Marquis's diocese of Marquis Makikomarclow, personally asked for cooperation with that former marquis's daughter, Comsas almost asked if it was assistance for an assassination.
Comsas couldn't comprehend either the Church or the former marquis's daughter.
It went beyond mere inconsistent behavior; it looked like they were insane while still appearing sane.
Even cotton fluff dancing in the wind seemed more orderly.
And on top of that.
Comsas groaned, clutching his aching stomach, and looked out the window.
Somewhere, a fool must have set off fireworks in the city despite it being prohibited, as he could hear popping sounds.
And they actually succeeded...
Comsas, aware that the voice in his heart sounded pathetic, endured the pain and let out a sigh.
Moreover, according to the urgent report submitted by the guild, the adventurers were apparently celebrating the former marquis's daughter or Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger as heroes for recovering the divine relic.
Last night, upon reading that, Comsas instinctively slammed the report onto the floor.
It was the result of his emotions exploding from not understanding the situation.
Even Comsas, who was unfamiliar with central politics, could tell.
Normally, a noble who lost in courtly struggles and was exiled wouldn't try to stand out like this.
Whether familiar or not, Comsas thought this was a matter of common sense.
For Comsas, a cautious man who disliked the unexpected or unplanned, Shin Longdagger and Erika Solnzari were beings completely beyond comprehension.
Just imagining such a bomb in his precious city was terrifying.
But even so, Comsas Dotwill was a realistic man.
If the adventurers risked their lives to stop the monsters overflowing from the Demonlands, and they believed Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger were the ones who put an end to it, then not rewarding them would be a bad move.
No matter how he tried to reward a former marquis's daughter exiled from another country, it seemed like nothing but a source of trouble, but he couldn't avoid doing it.
For now, alongside the announcement of the divine relic retrieval from the Church, he made alcohol free in the city as a way to reward the adventurers who fought in the defense battle in the Demonlands.
It was planned to be free for two days, but during that time, Comsas fantasized about Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger disappearing somewhere, sighing as he knew such a wish wouldn't come true.
Even so, Comsas couldn't help but wish for it for the sake of his own peace.
*
Bishop Bival Vivarity, the highest authority in the diocese of Marquis Makikomarclow's Border Territory, was offering prayers in the church in Hekatai.
In deep prayer, he gave thanks to God.
Not for the success in retrieving the divine relic, but for Shara Lansra's safety.
Strangely, in his mind, the retrieval of the divine relic was already a done deal the moment he entrusted it to Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger; it was something that would succeed.
Therefore, his thanks to God were for sending those two to this land and for Shara's return.
Well, it might be a bit of a stretch to call it safe when Shara, who returned, kept insisting she heard the voice of God, but at least she was physically unharmed.
When Church members act together with adventurers, falling into such delusions is relatively common, so Bival thought Shara would calm down after a while.
Well, imagining that girl calming down was a bit difficult.
That aside, Bival realized his thoughts had strayed from prayer as he recalled his own embarrassing past, and he released the prayer posture.
God demands nothing from us humans, but if one offers prayer, it must be sincere—that was Bival's belief.
As his thoughts drifted from prayer, Bival suddenly thought of Shara.
For that unfortunate girl to have coincidentally gained acquaintance with Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger was truly fortunate.
Bival had dedicated his life to God with no regrets, but not having children was something that stirred feelings close to regret within him.
Perhaps because of that, he tended to look at Shara as if she were his daughter.
Entrusting Shara, a sister who was terrible at healing magic and overly unique, to noble adventurers was the perfect choice.
If they had received noble education, they would surely be able to use healing magic themselves.
Bival thought he was quite sharp for trusting his intuition when he received a report from Shara about receiving an outrageous amount of donation.
He felt like praising his memory for vaguely recalling that the family name Longdagger belonged to the husband of the aforementioned Erika Solnzari.
No, rather, it was Shara who was amazing for gaining acquaintance with such adventurers.
Our sister is amazing, Shara is great, Bival nodded to himself.
Perhaps affected by the outside atmosphere, his thoughts were scattered, and Bival gave a wry smile.
It was because he recalled his past of fighting monsters alongside adventurers.
To reward the adventurers who dealt with the horde of monsters that suddenly overflowed from the Demonlands, the lord made alcohol free, turning the city into a sudden festival uproar.
In the past, after completing requests, he too would drink heavily with comrades at the tavern, and Bival felt nostalgia at the city's liveliness.
In the chapel, far removed from that liveliness, Bival had been kneeling with scattered thoughts, and as he tried to stand, he paused and returned to his position.
He remembered that praying to God wasn't only for giving thanks.
Bival took up the prayer posture again and offered a sincere prayer.
He prayed for the Faltarl Kingdom, which had lost Erika Solnzari and Shin Longdagger, for the peace of its future.