novelraw Chapter 121 : Domain Management (1)
Chapter 121 : Domain Management (1)
Domain Management (1)
[Anyway, if you’re thinking of approaching Setram, you’d better prepare yourself in every way.]
At Grancesia’s words, I stared at the ring on my finger with a strange look.
‘Don’t tell me, are you worried about me?’
[Why, what. Can’t I worry about you?]
Grancesia’s voice rose slightly, as if she were a little embarrassed.
That detail was amusing, but at the same time, it was surprising to see Grancesia so wary. Normally, she tended to take things lightly, regardless of whom she was dealing with.
That was likely confidence stemming from the transcendent realm she’d attained.
But in Setram’s case, even Grancesia was cautious.
‘Is it because of the Inquisitor?’
[That’s part of it... but the influence Altair can have on the ground is greater than you think. They can’t easily descend to the ground, but through the pontiff as a medium, they can exert quite a bit of authority.]
I’d heard about the pontiff before.
The pontiff, who could be called the ruler of Setram, also known as the Holy Emperor.
Not only was his holy power remarkable, but he was also the deputy of God Altair.
In simple terms, he could incarnate the power of God in his own body and wield a fraction of that authority.
Of course, it was normally impossible for a human to endure a god’s power, so even the pontiff had to risk his life to use it...
[…And my memories are hazy.]
‘What?’
[In the past, I never questioned why I was inside the ring. But after meeting you, I keep thinking about it.]
She groaned, as if she didn’t know the reason herself.
[My body still remains, and I’ve spent countless years without questioning anything. Why is that? Even for Altair, it shouldn’t be easy to influence me. Why was I trapped inside the ring?]
‘Is that why you’ve been quiet lately?’
[Yeah, that’s right. I may not look it, but I’ve been pretty serious these days.]
So she’s been worrying about that on her own.
Ever since meeting Damian, Grancesia would frequently fall into contemplation.
She must have been thinking about her situation a lot, even if she never said it to me.
“Count, what do you intend to do now?”
At that moment, Jade, who had been waiting quietly for me to speak, opened his mouth.
It looked like he was asking whether I’d pursue Sehenz right away, or do something else.
“I’ll have to go to Setram.”
“When do you plan to leave?”
“I’ll leave right away.”
“That’s quicker than I expected. You don’t even pause to rest.”
Jade looked slightly surprised.
But I chuckled and shook my head.
“It’s just a short trip. What’s the big deal?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m just planning to fly to somewhere nearby and come back.”
“…I don’t understand what you mean.”
Jade looked at me in confusion, but I only shrugged my shoulders instead of giving a direct answer.
I had no way of explaining it.
‘There’s still time before the incident begins.’
Mount Tylaris didn’t have a specific synopsis, but fortunately, I’d managed to obtain some hints from a few characters.
That’s because in the profiles of Kisea, Teo, and Sehenz, there were details about the next episode.
‘First, the incident is set to happen in autumn.’
Since it was only just early summer, there were still a few months to go before autumn arrived.
[Autumn? That’s quite a while from now, isn’t it?]
‘Fabian needs time to get stronger, after all.’
In the original work, this was around the time Fabian had just parted ways with Damian.
It was the period when he should be busy learning the Moon Severing Divine Sword he inherited from Damian.
Most likely, with Sehenz’s help, Fabian was able to learn the Moon Severing Divine Sword even faster.
Since Sehenz was one of the Seven Heroes, he’d have been more than capable of teaching Fabian swordsmanship.
I figured Teo and Kisea probably met during that process.
‘Still, it’d be best to check the synopsis just to be sure.’
Having come to that conclusion, I noticed Jade was still giving me a puzzled look.
“But... isn’t Setram too far to just pop over real quick? Besides, the magic towers near Setram are strictly controlled by priests, so it won’t be easy to get in.”
They say “near Setram,” but in reality it means any area within Setram’s sphere of influence.
In short, you couldn’t really use a magic tower anywhere in the eastern continent unless you got explicit permission from Setram.
Which meant, to travel from here to Setram, you’d have to allow for about a month.
“No need to worry about that. Three days will be enough.”
“What? Wait, but...”
Jade, who’d begun answering with a confused look, opened his slit eyes wide, clearly bewildered.
It was rare to see him make such an expression.
But it was only natural for him to be surprised. Jade would be well-informed about the new guests staying in our domain.
“...Don’t tell me, you’re not—?”
Naturally, what he was guessing was correct.
* * *
The Holy Kingdom of Setram.
Aside from the Asktalin Empire, it was the most influential kingdom on the continent, practically ruling the entire eastern continent.
What was frightening was that their authority extended not only over the eastern continent, but, through the “Order,” all across the continent.
That’s why even the Empire, the so-called overlord of the continent, couldn’t meddle in Setram’s affairs easily.
“I never thought Sir Jerta would actually become a martyr.”
“I’m sure the Seven Heroes did something. You can’t trust such worldly groups.”
The magic towers near Setram were all under the control of priests, with a few Holy Knights and priests stationed at each one.
Their job was to root out any rats or heretics hiding in Setram.
One Holy Knight guarding a tower looked up and muttered, staring at something flying in the sky.
“Hmm? What’s that? A bird?”
He stared intently at the clear sky.
What he’d first thought was a small bird grew larger and larger as it drew closer.
“Wh-what is that?!”
“It’s a dragon! A dr-dragon is flying this way!”
Even for the elite Holy Knights of Setram, in front of a dragon they were still mere humans.
The Holy Knights hurriedly prepared for a possible dragon attack. Clutching their swords, they shook with fear until a massive shadow swept past above their heads.
“…?”
But the dragon simply soared past the magic tower and flew toward where Setram’s capital lay.
The Holy Knight, who’d been dumbfounded at the sight, hurriedly sent a message to Setram’s main castle.
“Emergency! A dragon is flying toward Setram’s main castle! Emergency, emergency!”
It was rare for a dragon to reveal itself.
But there are always exceptions.
The dragons, commonly called “dragon,” would sometimes show themselves to the world and terrify mankind.
Setram’s Holy Knights declared an emergency throughout the kingdom, and naturally Setram became a scene of chaos.
* * *
“Geez, what a bunch of scaredy-cats.”
I, the very culprit of this commotion, was leisurely enjoying the view from atop the dragon.
[…So this is why you brought a dragon?]
“Well, I didn’t intend to use it this way, but it seemed handy enough.”
Riding a dragon was a refreshingly new experience.
Especially watching the Setram priests below run around in confusion, their alarms blaring, made me chuckle.
「Hyung—no, Sir Clay, how is it? Comfortable enough?」
“Yeah, let’s keep going like this. Fly past and make a quick stop above Setram’s main castle, then we’ll head back.”
From Mersaya’s back, I kept checking the synopsis.
There could always be details I’d missed.
‘Just as I thought. I knew it.’
[What do you mean, as you thought?]
‘Just as you said, Altair is the enemy.’
God Altair.
Supposedly the deity who protects humanity... but the reality was different.
‘It looks like the temple’s been up to some shady business lately.’
Sehenz’s trip to Setram wasn’t solely because of the demonkin issue, but also to observe Setram’s movements.
The Altair Order had been increasing the number of Holy Knights recently, and experimenting with a special secret art on them.
‘They plan to apply Sacred Arms to ordinary knights as well.’
[What? Ordinary knights couldn’t last even a few seconds before dying!]
‘They must have weakened the power. Dressing it up as divine strength, they kept engraving it onto the Holy Knights’ bodies.’
[They’re insane.]
Grancesia muttered, genuinely disgusted.
[Even the Altair Order has sunk this far?]
‘Not all of them. It’s probably the pontiff and Altair’s doing. The ordinary priests and Holy Knights have no idea and are just being manipulated.’
Their ultimate goal was to make the whole continent a single faith domain—in other words, to turn everyone into Altair’s puppets.
‘And…’
[What, is there more?]
‘I’m not certain yet... but something else is going on.’
I’d have to get to Setram’s main castle to find out more.
But as I approached the capital, Mersaya began to slow.
「I don’t think I can go any further.」
“Hm?”
Flying, Mersaya spoke in a tense tone.
That’s when I noticed the barrier spread out near Setram.
‘That transmission speed is incredible.’
I’d heard Setram’s communication magic was advanced. It looked like the rumors were true.
‘This is as far as we go.’
If I stubbornly forced my way in and got caught riding a dragon, I’d never live it down.
‘Well, I’ve confirmed the most important things.’
Most importantly, I’d checked out the key episode.
==
Chapters 267~273, “Michelle's Help”
Chapters 274~280, “The Ninth Calamity, Divine Disaster Altair”
==
The episode was about the ninth calamity.
I never imagined that Altair—a supposed god—would be included among the calamities driving humanity to extinction.
The confusion was enough to make my head ache.
This time, more preparation would be needed than ever before.
“Mersaya, let’s go back.”
「Yes, sir!」
Mersaya circled proudly near Setram’s capital, then flew back toward the Vanhart territory.
* * *
Recently, the flow of people in Vanhart territory had greatly increased.
There were many reasons, but the biggest was surely that one of the Seven Heroes was now the lord here.
In the past, there were many stories about looking for knights in the Vanhart domain, but most knights turned their noses up at it.
No matter how much it was rising in prominence, no one wanted to serve in a fallen noble domain.
Now, the situation had completely changed.
The lord of the Vanhart territory, Clay Vanhart, was not only the real power behind the Talua Kingdom, he’d also become one of the Seven Heroes.
It was a great honor to become a knight under the Seven Heroes.
For all knights—especially in Talua, a land known as the country of knights—there could be no greater honor.
Naturally, all sorts of unaffiliated knights and accomplished mercenaries began to flock to the Vanhart domain.
“Those whose names have been called, please step forward.”
Of course, not everyone who came here could become a knight in the Vanhart territory.
Most were eliminated through strict document screening, but even so, there was still a considerable number left.
“Alright, that’s it!”
One knight, his name called, headed excitedly to the designated place.
Some knights looked at these excited ones with clear displeasure. Not everyone could accept the judging process.
“Hey, miss. I can’t accept the reason I was rejected.”
A rough-looking man shouted at Maria, standing on the platform.
Judging by his appearance, he was clearly an experienced mercenary.
He glared at Maria, a girl of youthful appearance, with contempt and rose roughly to his feet.
“Sit.”
At that moment, a beastkin man standing beside Maria spoke quietly.
Of course, the mercenary only sneered at the beastkin’s words.
“Hah! What’s a lousy beastkin like you trying to—Gah!!”
Before he could finish, something hit him and sent him flying several meters.
The previously noisy area fell deathly silent at once.
“S-Sword Master…”
There was only supposed to be one Sword Master in the whole kingdom—yet that very girl had a Sword Master as her guard.