novelraw Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Chapter 104
The moment we accepted the Empire bastards’ proposal, the Lord’s Council was as good as over.
He himself said it — he wouldn’t expand his power any further and would conduct business as usual.
If we weren’t planning to drive the Empire bastards out of Levelium, there wasn’t much left to discuss.
“Are they really trusting them, or just pretending to?”
Still, perhaps they weren’t completely brainless — the proposal to send troops to Saint remained.
It seemed they thought it would be good to maintain influence over the neutral city of Saint.
Though they claimed it was to protect Saint, somehow, that part felt secondary.
“This Lord’s Council itself was completely different from what I expected.”
I thought we’d at least find some common ground, but the meeting was far less united than I’d imagined.
‘In the end, the only thing we gained here was some kind of harmony with the Dog Tribe, huh.’
To think this was called a Lord’s Council.
How grand and inspiring.
“But what’s going on with Deron Level? That guy’s the weirdest one here, if you ask me.”
“Ah, that guy.”
At first, I wondered what on earth was going through his head.
But after thinking it over, I could somewhat figure out what he might be plotting.
“The Council — the sides were too clearly divided.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was split into three factions. Other than the three High Lords, no one voiced a separate opinion.”
“I guess… that’s true?”
“The central and southern powers of the Ribella Peninsula have already hardened into three factions.”
We were friendly with Haken, yes, but our territory was still neutral.
We weren’t the only neutral territory, but most of the Lords present were already aligned with one of the three groups.
And these three factions held roughly equal military strength.
“If Deron Level’s ambition is to become king, then he’ll need some kind of variable.”
“That variable being the Empire bastards?”
“If the Empire grows stronger, Deron Level’s argument that the entire Ribella Peninsula must unite will gain weight.”
“But the New Level faction doesn’t really have any advantage over the other High Lords, does it?”
“Not for now, but…”
There had to be some scheme in play.
If he could suppress either Vines or Haken, the balance would tip entirely in his favor.
“Whether Deron Level is the hidden mastermind, or if another one is lurking behind him, I feel like he’ll pull something snakelike.”
New Level would surely stir something up.
That’s why I told Yuria we should dig a little deeper into their situation.
“So we’re heading back now?”
“After meeting with the High Priest.”
“Right~ They did summon us.”
Right after the Lord’s Council ended, the High Priest called for us.
Probably to give an answer regarding our request for a Priest dispatch.
Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from that.
Even I doubted any Priest would willingly volunteer to come to our territory.
But Elline’s reaction had been quite suggestive.
It felt like there was something I didn’t know — so, I was a bit curious.
“Fortunately, there was a Cleric willing to be dispatched to Johnson Territory.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Wow, really?
There actually existed a masochist who’d willingly choose such hardship?
I guess this trip to Saint wasn’t entirely meaningless after all.
If we managed to bring back a Priest, the journey here would’ve been worthwhile.
“…Are these the ones?”
“Yes. The Brito brothers and their Priest Warriors. I was worried since it’s a dangerous place, but with them, you can rest assured.”
“Ah, yes.”
The High Priest introduced me to Priests clad in heavy iron armor.
Knights, really — wearing thick armor and giant maces at their waists.
They were called Priest Warriors, but to me, they looked unmistakably like Knights.
The closest equivalent I could think of was something like Holy Knights.
This was the Grand Temple of the Order of Mercy, after all.
And the Order of Mercy had once been the kingdom’s state religion.
Even now, many citizens still believed in it.
So having something like Holy Knights wasn’t exactly surprising.
And yet, I couldn’t hide my shock…
—They’re from the Rabbit Tribe!
All of the Priest Warriors introduced by the High Priest were from the Rabbit Tribe.
‘Now that I think about it, this place is really close to the Forest of Illusions.’
If you went southwest from the southern edge of the Forest of Illusions, you’d reach Saint.
When we escaped from Levelium leading the Rabbit Tribe, we followed that same route — turn south from the forest, and you’d arrive right here in Saint.
So it made sense that some of the Rabbit Tribe had migrated here.
‘But wait, can Beastmen even become Priests of a different Order? I thought Beastmen only worshipped Lord Bestia?’
—Why wouldn’t they be able to? The Goddess of Mercy and our Lord Bestia are both broad-hearted beings.
‘Well, I mean…’
So they acknowledged dual faith?
‘Truly merciful, just like her name — that Goddess.’
When I thought of temples, I always imagined inquisitors yelling “Die, heretics!” or something.
That’s why this idea of dual faith came as quite a shock.
‘And that Rabbit Tribe man… is he really a Rabbit?’
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
The so-called Priest Warrior of the Rabbit Tribe standing before me — Brito, one of the brothers — was a huge, musclebound man.
Even his gait was completely different from the Rabbits I knew.
‘He’s even bald.’
Seeing those long rabbit ears sticking up from a smooth, shiny head — my brain just froze.
It was a truly shocking sight.
“I heard you’re the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe.”
“Ah, yeah. That’s right.”
“Oh! Then the brothers of the Forest of Illusions…?”
“Yes. I took them in at Johnson Territory. They’re all living as residents now.”
“My goodness!”
The other party looked just as astonished.
He somehow already knew I was the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe, and upon hearing that the tribe had settled in our territory, he rejoiced loudly.
He even mentioned that the Rabbits of Saint wanted to migrate to Johnson Territory, and seeing the High Priest nodding in approval, it seemed the arrangements had already been made.
“By the way, where did you hear that story?”
“Ah, the Priestess of the Dog Tribe told me. She said that the Guide of the Rabbit Tribe accepted the Rabbit Tribe as residents of the territory.”
“So that’s what happened?”
As expected, it was Elline.
No wonder she acted like she knew something—she must have already known that the Rabbit Tribe had settled here.
Even the fact that there were Priests among them.
—You plan to accept them, right?
‘Of course. The Rabbit Tribe is more than welcome.’
There weren’t that many of them—about three hundred or so.
The more Rabbit Tribe members there were, the better.
After all, few residents were as devoted to the territory as they were.
“Then I’ll leave my brothers in your care.”
Thanks to the High Priest’s active cooperation, the Rabbit Tribe who had been living in Saint safely came under the protection of Johnson Territory.
The Priest Warriors of the Rabbit Tribe as well.
In return, they decided to donate a considerable amount of Mana Crystals to the temple, but that much was manageable.
There weren’t many of us heading for Saint.
About ten Knights in total.
From Johnson Territory to Rubina, and then from Rubina to Saint.
This route wasn’t particularly dangerous.
From Johnson Territory to Rubina, we had already cleared the area ourselves during our regular patrols.
Of course, it helped that most of our Knights and Warriors had been dispatched for the evacuation mission in Hawrun Territory.
That was a dangerous operation that could easily escalate into armed conflict.
Even though the force included Leisha and Limond, the more troops the better.
Escorting people safely back to the territory was no easy task either.
We set out with just around ten people, but by the time we returned, our numbers had increased greatly.
Because over three hundred Rabbit Tribe members and a dozen Priest Warriors joined us.
Though, these so-called Priest Warriors were suspiciously like brawny, musclebound Knights straight out of Johnson Territory—which made escorting the Rabbits much easier.
—Truly, they’re Priests perfectly suited for Johnson Territory.
I agreed.
It was still shocking that Beastmen born as faithful followers of Bestia also served the Goddess of Mercy, Solua, but the fact that they could use Divine Recovery made it all the more welcome.
They looked strong enough to fight, and they’d surely be a great help in defending the territory.
In a territory filled with the Rabbit Tribe, there was no reason for Rabbit Priest Warriors to hold back.
‘Rabbit Tribe members who can use Divine Recovery, and they’re muscular Warriors on top of that. What kind of combination is that supposed to be?’
—Ah, this too must be the grace of Lord Bestia.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’
Could that also be the power of their “Adaptability”?
Even our own Rabbit Tribe residents in the territory were strangely becoming more like Johnson people, so it wasn’t too strange that those from Saint became Priest Warriors.
Maybe the Rabbit Tribe’s “Adaptability” was far greater than I had imagined.
“Training Priest Warriors, huh? Doesn’t sound impossible.”
“Really?”
“In the end, it’s all about faith, isn’t it? I, too, worship Lord Bestia, but I also carry Lady Solua in my heart.”
“Oh, really?”
They said that as long as the faith was firm, it wasn’t impossible for a Rabbit Tribe member to manifest Divine Power.
It mattered less whom you served, and more how sincerely you served.
Even without worshiping the Goddess of Mercy, one could become a Priest by devoutly serving Bestia alone.
‘The Rabbit Tribe’s faith in Bestia is incredibly strong. This might actually work.’
Ever since I took them in, praise for Bestia never ceased among the Rabbit Tribe.
Every morning, the small Temple built for them filled with Rabbits offering prayers to Bestia.
As the Guide appointed by Bestia, I had led them to live better lives, and that deepened their faith even more.
With this atmosphere, it wouldn’t be strange if a Priest of Bestia appeared someday.
“But without formal education, they can’t truly be called full-fledged Priests.”
“Still, they can perform Divine Healing, right?”
“Yes, that’s possible. Once they grasp the basics, Divine Healing only requires Divine Power.”
“Then that’s good enough.”
They said they couldn’t become perfect Priests.
To do that, one needed medical knowledge and even surgical techniques—things they couldn’t teach.
Meaning, even they only had a basic understanding of such skills.
‘Well, they feel more like Warriors than Priests anyway.’
The Priest Warriors dispatched to our territory were, true to their name, “Priest Warriors”—not Priests specializing in healing.
Their abilities leaned more toward combat and basic Divine Healing.
Sending weak Priests into a harsh land where the frail couldn’t survive was simply unrealistic.
—So, are you dissatisfied, Master?
‘Not at all.’
Quite the opposite.
Where else could you find specialized troops capable of both Divine Healing and combat?
Given our territory’s situation, this was far more efficient.
“Anyway, I wonder how things are going over there. We haven’t heard a thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about the forces sent to Hawrun. We haven’t received any word from them.”
“No news probably means good news, right?”
“I sure hope so.”
On the way back to the territory with the Rabbit Tribe, my steps felt light—perhaps because I’d witnessed their new potential.
But that’s how it always goes with people, right?
Things can’t always go smoothly.
That’s when I suddenly realized we hadn’t heard a single report from Hawrun.
There should’ve been updates along the way, yet nothing had come through.
A creeping sense of unease rose in me.
—Lord Iron.
“Oh, Sir Irene. What’s going on?”
At that moment—
My Mana Communicator, which had been silent until now, began to flicker.
Irene, who’d stayed in the territory, was sending me a message.
—It’s terrible!
“…What happened?”
—Well, it’s Sister Leisha…
Leisha, Limond, and Rudick—
The so-called Muscle-Brain Trio who’d been dispatched to Hawrun—had caused some kind of trouble.