Chapter 89: Vol12 C2 Seeking Salvation Part 1

Seeking Salvation

Part 1

A lone girl walked the Kingdom's streets.

There was nothing adorable about her face. There was nothing about her looks that made observers want to do a double take. However, she still drew attention, albeit in a negative sense.

Her beady black eyes slanted upwards, giving the impression that she was constantly glaring at others, while the dark circles around her eyes made people think that she was the kind of person who hung around with criminals in seedy back alleys.

It was useful for walking among crowds, but once she reached city gates and other such places, she would receive intensive scrutiny and searches from the local authorities.

That girl, Neia Baraja, looked to the sky.

Above her, the sky was covered in dark clouds, giving observers the wrong impression that it was close to dusk when it was still daytime.

The heart of winter had passed, but spring was still a long way off.

Neia sighed tiredly, then marshalled the keen senses she had inherited from her parents and walked toward the street which led to the inn where she was staying.

The reason why she had to be so wary even in a city was because she felt a powerful sense of exclusion towards herself, an outsider, ever since she had entered this city.

Naturally, it was nothing more than the girl's imagination.

After all, when she wore a cloak with the hood drawn up over her head, there was no way to tell whether she was a foreigner. However, she had not been mistaken about the heaviness in the air. She peeked at the passers-by and saw that their faces were downcast and their footsteps were heavy. It was as though they wore the gloominess of winter around themselves.

Under normal circumstances, she might have thought it was because of the overcast weather. However, she felt that the sense of entrapment — or perhaps a nameless melancholy — which she felt here, in the capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom, ought to have stemmed from some other source.

Maybe it's because they were defeated in battle not long ago. Still, compared to the people of the Holy Kingdom, they're practically jumping for joy.

Although the southern bay region of the Holy Kingdom was still relatively safe, the northern reaches were essentially hell now.

To the Liberation Army — formed from the remnants of the Northern Holy Kingdom's army — and to her, who had come here as a member of an ambassadorial delegation, such news was of little comfort.

The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became, and Neia reached to her waist in search of salvation. The cool sensation of steel travelled up her hand.

It was the sword she carried, emblazoned with the crest of the Holy Kingdom's knight order, which served as proof of her identity.

Usually, a paladin's sword would be imbued with minor enchantments, but hers was not. That was because this was a sword of the sort issued to trainee soldiers.

Only after completing her training and being officially ordained as a paladin would her trusty blade be enchanted with magic. That was one of the rituals involved in donning the mantle of a paladin. While it was little more than a sharpened slab of steel until she officially became a paladin, it was still a personal weapon which had accompanied her through long years of training and practice. One could not fault her developing the habit of caressing it when she felt uneasy.

The sensation of steel calmed Neia down slightly, and she sighed a cloud of white vapor. Then she opened her cape and quickened her pace.

Her feet dragged every time she thought that she had to report bad news. However, it was because she disliked such things that she had to move quickly, to get this over with as soon as possible.

Finally, the inn where their delegation resided came into view.

It was a high class inn, with prices as lofty as its reputation. It was said to be among the top five in the Kingdom.

As she thought about the tragic state of her homeland, the northern Holy Kingdom, she could not help but feel guilty over how she was basking in such luxury while her countrymen were suffering. The truth was, the female leader of the ambassadorial delegation had opposed staying here precisely due to its decadence. She felt that they ought to reduce their expenses on this journey and use the leftover money elsewhere.

However, her opinion had been rejected, thanks to the suggestion of the male assistant leader.

"As representatives of the Holy Kingdom, if we do not lodge in an appropriate inn, people who see us might think that the Holy Kingdom is not long for this world. Therefore, we need to stay in a superior inn to show that our nation is still strong."

The assistant leader's logic was irrefutable. Nobody else in the group could deny him. However, their leader was driven by emotion and could not accept that proposal, and she stubbornly refused to go along with it. After a long deadlock, she was finally persuaded by all the other members of the delegation to reluctantly choose this inn.

However, everyone understood that they could not rack up any unnecessary expenses. In order to accomplish their tasks as soon as possible, even Neia, a squire, had been roped in to carry out missions.

The aim of the delegation's visit to the Kingdom was none other than to secure aid for the Holy Kingdom. Therefore, Neia and the other members of the delegation were running around trying to arrange appointments with the movers and shakers of the Kingdom.

Anyone could make an appointment, even a squire. There was no problem with that part of the leader's thinking.

However, Neia was the sole squire among the delegation. The others were proper paladins. Even if she made an appointment, what would the other party think in the future when they found out that others had been visited by paladins, but they had only merited a mere squire?

Surely they would be unhappy. Even Neia knew that much. However, despite her roundabout protests, the orders handed down to her had not changed. As a squire, there was little she could say about it. That said, Neia had not given up because of that.

If it was a personal failure, she could gladly accept it. However, doing so might lead to the ailing Holy Kingdom losing more aid from the Kingdom. Neia could not simply write off the possibility that her failures might lead to more of her countrymen dying with a simple, "Yes, I understand."

However, the fact that a mere squire had immediately rushed into action without waiting for orders had only made the leader even more unhappy. She seemed to think that everything was Neia's fault. Fortunately, the assistant leader had managed to smooth things over, but the delegation's leader had a poor impression of Neia now.

Neia had been selected for this ambassadorial party solely because of her keen senses, which had ensured their safety on the road here. Asking her to contribute in other ways would be a tall order.

But it's not like I can say that...

Neia looked to the sky and sighed Haaah. Then, she watched as the white mist she exhaled drifted slowly in the air and vanished. As she thought about the uncomfortable reception awaiting her at the inn, her gut began to cramp up.

The noble Neia was supposed to meet was not a very important person — he was not highly ranked in the Kingdom — so not being able to make an appointment with him was not a great setback, but even so her leader would gripe at her.

...Usually, even if you wanted to meet someone important right away, they'd still need some time to research your history and learn more about you. So the earliest you could have a meeting was in a week's time.

Well, at least that did not sound like she was just complaining about the other party's refusal.

According to our leader's instructions, we'll be leaving the Royal Capital in a few days... our leader, huh...

Their leader was now constantly on edge. She did not look like she could properly control her emotions.

In the past, she had not been that way. Neia knew that much. She had been an easygoing... or clueless person, if one were not inclined to be polite. However, ever since the battle where they had lost the Holy Queen, there had been a dramatic shift in her personality.

"...An unsatisfactory performance, huh."

As a squire, the only thing she could do about her leader's unreasonable scoldings was to bow her head and silently accept them.

Even so, this was nothing compared to how the surviving people in the Holy Kingdom were struggling. All she had to do was keep her head down and weather the storm.

After steeling herself for the worst — or perhaps she had given up — Neia reached the front of the inn.

She took a deep breath, pulled back her hood, and then pushed open the inn's fancy doors.

As one would expect of a high-class inn, she did not step into a lounge right away, but a small room. It would seem it had been designed for guests to clean the dirt off their footwear.

That said, the place she had just visited was in a high-end district, much like this inn, and it had been paved with stone. Neither had it rained, so there was nothing she needed to shake off.

Therefore, Neia went on to open the door before her.

A gust of warm air flowed out and washed over her.

The concierge lay straight ahead of where she had entered the room, while the bar was to her right, and the stairs were on her left. There were sofas used for receiving guests near them.

There were no heating stoves inside the room. However, the fact that there was still a temperature difference despite their absence was probably because of a magic item.

Magic casters in the Holy Kingdom were generally priests, and while they could make some magic items, precious few of them were useful in daily life. In that respect, the Kingdom was technologically superior to the Holy Kingdom. That being the case, how much more advanced was the Empire, which her father had once mentioned?

Although she might never have the chance to visit it in her life, Neia still harbored a vague sense of admiration for the Empire.

Typically speaking, a village girl would only be able to see her village throughout the course of her life. Since Neia lacked any distinguishing qualities as a warrior, she might spend her entire life serving her nation and never get the chance to visit other countries.

In that case, perhaps the chance to travel abroad which this trip afforded her might be a faint silver lining on a grim, dark cloud.

These thoughts ran through Neia's head as she climbed the stairs, toward the room on the second floor where the delegation was staying. The people in the inn seemed to have remembered Neia's face, as none of them shouted for her to stop.

Considering the matter of expenses, only the leader and the assistant leader ought to be staying here; the other members should have stayed in cheaper inns. However, pinching pennies like that might make the other side think that there was no future for the Holy Kingdom. In the end, the assistant leader had managed to convince their leader of the wisdom of his words.

Neia reached the door of her superiors' room and knocked on the door, whereupon it opened slightly. Within were the paladins stationed within the room for protection.

The person they were guarding was the strongest paladin in the Holy Kingdom, who was the leader of their delegation. In that case, they would be more of followers than protectors. Going by that logic, would it not have been wiser for herself to stay behind? Of course, Neia knew the meaning of the phrase "the nail which sticks out gets hammered down," so she did not comment on that.

"Neia Baraja, reporting back."

The door opened, and she entered the room.

Before her was a large room. There was a long table in the middle, where her Captain sat.

Captain Remedios Custodio and Vice-Captain Gustavo Montanjes were both seated there. And of the seventeen members of their delegation, more than half of them stood at attention along the walls.

She snuck a peek at the documents piled on the table before them. Most of them had been crossed out.

"Captain. Neia Baraja has returned."

She puffed up her chest, adjusted her posture, and stated her name.

"—How did it go?"

"My deepest apologies. They declined because of a lack of time. They said they would like at least two weeks."

"Tch," Remedios clicked her tongue.

Neia's gut cramped. Was she expressing her displeasure at Neia, or rather, at the nobles who had rejected them? While both the former or latter seemed likely, she dared not clarify such a frightening matter.

"Really now. Thank you for heading out amidst the cold. Go back to your room and rest, then."

"Yes!"

Neia suppressed her sigh of relief at Gustavo's words. While she wanted to leave right away, Remedios called out and stopped her in her tracks.

"...I wanted to ask you before, but did you really tell them that we wanted to open negotiations as soon as possible?"

"—Huh? Ah! Yes! Of course I tried to ask them, but unfortunately they said no..."

"So it wasn't because of your poor negotiation skills, then?"

"Ah, that, that's—"

That's not true, she wanted to say, but who would dare say it? In addition, she already knew that she would not be able to escape this reprimand no matter how she answered.

"...Captain. It is not just the nobles she asked who refused. Other nobles have rejected the request for a meeting in the same way. Among them were some nobles who indicated they could not lend aid to the Holy Kingdom, but who wished to speak nonetheless."

Remedios glared at Gustavo, who seemed to have spoken up in order to interrupt their conversation. No words passed between them, but the tension built in the air.

"—Neia Baraja."

"Yes!"

So she was still gunning for her, after all. While Neia had mentally rounded her shoulders in defeat, she did not express it externally, instead responding in a timid tone.

Gustavo had now moved to stand between the two of them, but Remedios paid him no heed and continued glaring at Neia.

"While we are wasting time here, many of our people are being slaughtered by the demihumans led by Jaldabaoth. In addition, four major cities have already fallen, in addition to many more smaller and villages."

The four cities in question were, respectively: the capital Hoburns, which housed the Great Cathedral that was regarded as the high temple of the Holy Kingdom's faith.

The port city of Rimun, which lay to the west of the capital.

The fortress city of Kalinsha, which was the closest to the wall, and the first to be attacked by the demihumans.

And then there was Prart, the city between Kalinsha and Hoburns.

In other words, most of the major cities of the north were now under the control of Jaldabaoth's demihuman hordes.

"In addition, they've captured many of the survivors, who they have imprisoned in camps made from captured villages and cities. Just the mention of being sent there is enough to chill one's blood."

"Yes!"

Those camps were surrounded by walls, and nobody had personally witnessed what was happening inside because nobody had managed to infiltrate the interior. However, the rumors said they were guarded by demihumans. Those people who had probed as closely as they dared said they could hear groans and screams of agony from within.

In addition, what was more convincing was the fact that nobody felt Jaldabaoth, as a demonic ruler, would grant any form of humane treatment to his human prisoners.

"So knowing all that, you still came back with results like this? Did you really try your best? Normally you'd have something to show for it if you did, no?"

"Yes! My sincerest apologies!"

Indeed, she was right. Remedios was correct. However—

The thought that welled up in Neia's heart refused to fade away.

In that case, what good is the Captain of the Holy Kingdom's paladin order if she failed to rescue those prisoners?

She dearly wanted to retort with those words. However, as a squire of the Holy Kingdom, she could not possibly say such a thing.

"Since you feel sorry, what do you plan to do? What can you do to show concrete results?"

Neia was at a loss for words.

At the heart of it, Neia was just an ordinary citizen of the Holy Kingdom. She had neither a noble peerage, power, or wealth. She was not even a paladin, just a squire. There was nothing which Neia, as she was, could offer a noble of the Kingdom which could appeal to them. In that case, all she could do was—

"I'll work harder."

—Psychology. However, it would seem that answer did not meet with Remedios's approval.

"I'm asking you how you intend to work harder. Futile effort is—"

"—Captain."

Gustavo interrupted Remedios as she was about to say something.

"Why not leave things as they are for now? After all, it's about time we began our preparations, no? The esteemed members of Blue Rose will be arriving soon. If we take too long welcoming them, we will upset them, won't we?"

"Indeed. Squire Baraja, work harder and do better next time."

"Understood!"

Remedios made a shooing motion with her hand. In other words, she was saying Hurry up andget lost.

"My apologies, Captain Remedios!"

Even though she was tired, Neia was shouting All right! in her heart and trembling with joy as she made to leave the room. However, her ally from just now transformed into her most dire adversary in an instant.

"Captain, may she be present when Blue Rose arrives?"

Gustavo's words made Neia's vision black out for a moment. However, this was a topic that involved her, since she was a squire.

Remedios looked at her adjutant. It was completely unlike the way she had looked at Neia. Her eyes were so caring that it seemed like she had changed personalities at some point, and it confused Neia.

"Really? Well, if you say so... but why?"

"The main reason for bringing her along as a squire was because she has exceptional senses. Perhaps there might be things which only she can notice."

Many paladins and squires had died during the battles with Jaldabaoth. However, quite a few of them had survived. Even so, the reason she had been chosen to accompany their group was precisely because of her senses.

While paladins were excellent fighters, they were little different from the average commoner in other respects. On this mission, there might be a need for someone to pass unseen, spot the enemy at a great distance, pass through encirclements, and perform other such tasks, which meant that they would need someone who possessed such reconnaissance skills.

Under normal circumstances, one would call on an adventurer or hunter, but most of them were already dead, and the remainder had already fled to the south or to other countries. Therefore, with no more experienced candidates to choose from, Neia had been selected.

While she was far inferior compared to her father, she harbored some pride in the fact that her senses were sharper than those who had only been trained as paladins. She was very happy that her talents could serve her nation, but that feeling was steadily being worn away. Now, she was starting to resent the fact that she had been chosen.

"Really? ...Well, if you think so, then that's fine. I'll allow it."

"Thank you very much, Captain."

"...Squire Baraja. Like we just said, you will remain in the corner of the room and listen to our conversation. If anything happens, inform us. ...Now go back to your room and freshen up before coming back."

"Understood!"

Finally, I'm free, Neia thought, but then Gustavo followed behind her just as she made to leave. After they left the room, he spoke quietly to her.

"Sorry about the Captain."

Neia halted in her tracks, turned around, and then she voiced the doubts she had been harboring in her heart all this while.

"...Did I do something to upset the Captain? I mean, I've heard that the battle where we lost that city changed her completely, so what happened?"

"...Many paladins died in the battle with Jaldabaoth, including the Holy Queen-sama and the Captain's sister."

I know that. But so what?

The same thing had happened to Neia.

Both her father and mother were dead. People like this were hardly uncommon throughout the Holy Kingdom. Of course, she could not actually say that.

"Without a place to vent the grief and anger she felt from that, the Captain chose to take it out on you. I think the reason why she did not do so with us paladins was because we fought and suffered with her."

What the hell, Neia grumbled in her heart.

In other words, all this was because Neia had not taken part in that battle.

This was just unfair.

Half of Neia's fellow squires had travelled to the same city and many of them had ended up dying. The reason why Neia had not been in that half was due to her luck, and not because of any choice Neia had made.

"Let me also say this: please bear with it. Right now, the Captain is irreplaceable to the Holy Kingdom."

"...Even if she takes her anger out on others and gives them a hard time, then?"

"Indeed."

Gustavo looked at her with a pained look in his eyes.

Anger raced through her body. She wanted to shout at him. Neia knew that woman was strong, but still, Neia had also done her part in getting them safely to the Kingdom. She had spotted the demihumans' lookouts and she had been more careful than anyone else when they pitched camp at night. Neia had a role in getting the ambassadorial party to their destination. That being the case, Neia did not feel she was any less valuable than that woman.

However, Neia quashed her feelings as they boiled up.

She had to bear with this for the sake of the people suffering in the Holy Kingdom. Allowing any of them to be lost, and thus prolonging the plight of countless people, was the most foolish course of action imaginable.

In addition, she would be free of this duty once she returned to the country. Thus, all she would have to do was bear with it for a while longer.

Neia smiled and nodded.

"Understood. If it is for the sake of the Holy Kingdom, I will endure it with a smile."

♦ ♦ ♦

Blue Rose arrived at the inn not long after Neia returned to the room.

Neia waited, among the paladins who stood motionless by the walls.

Soon, the door opened, and a group of people entered.

She was not a fangirl of theirs, but their reputation still shone brightly in the Holy Kingdom, and it made Neia's heart flutter. These were great people of her gender who had ascended to heights which she herself could not reach. Personally, she would have liked to ask them all kinds of questions. That said, she could not do such a thing.

They're... one of the three adamantite ranked adventurer teams in the Kingdom. Blue Rose... they're awesome...

While she had heard their descriptions and names from rumors, this was the first time she had seen them in the flesh. There was quite a big discrepancy between how she had imagined them from their stories and how they actually were.

Standing at their head was Blue Rose's leader. She was a priestess who bore the holy symbol of the Water God, the wielder of the demonic blade, Kilineyram — Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.

Her beautiful features were such that even her fellow females might fall in love with her, and it was hard to believe she was a top-class adventurer of the like which only fighting geniuses could be. If she wore a dress, she would be the very picture of a princess from the dreams of a commoner like Neia

That beautiful woman spoke with a gentle voice that matched Neia's image of her.

"Thank you for your invitation. We are Blue Rose."

Remedios, who had stood up to welcome them, nodded slightly to express her gratitude.

"I cannot thank you enough for accepting our invitation, honored members of Blue Rose."

"We are the ones who are grateful to receive an invitation from the paladin who bears a holy sword and who has skills to match, Remedios Custodio-sama."

Their exchange contrasted Remedios's formulaic greeting and somewhat stiff tone against Lakyus's natural way of speaking. It would seem she really was a noble heiress.

"Ah, I'm the one who should be happy to meet the wielder of a demonic blade like yourself. Ahem. Please take a seat. The people around us are all paladins of the Holy Kingdom. It would be good if we could all listen in. Erm, if there's time after that, I would like very much to see the demonic blade."

"Gladly, and the chance to behold your holy sword would delight me as well. Then, let us do as our host bids and take a seat, everyone."

The members of Blue Rose each sat down in their own way. Some of them had already folded their arms and grasped their elbows. It made one wonder if their bold attitude came from knowing their strength or if they were simply acting in a manner that best fitted it.

"Shall we start by introducing ourselves?"

The Vice-Captain answered, probably to help Remedios out.

"No, there's no need for that. News of your exploits has made its way around the Holy Kingdom. Ah, and while it's a little late for this, I'm the Vice-Captain of the Paladin Order, Gustavo Montanjes."

Lakyus smiled gently at Gustavo's answer.

"Really now. It would be good if that news was flattering."

"Ah—"

"—Yes. We've heard nothing but good things about you. In truth, your heroic exploits make my heart beat faster in excitement."

It would seem Remedios wanted to say something, but Gustavo had interrupted her. After that, he smiled to Lakyus like nothing was the matter.

"That is quite pleasing. While I wish to ask about the details of those thing you heard, we are here today to fulfill a request. It is not our intention to waste our client's valuable time. That being the case, let us discuss the particulars of this request."

"Hmm~ Before that, I'd like to ask the name of that girl—"

Neia jumped in fright as she realized one of the twin thieves was pointing at her. The other one was also looking at her in interest.

The two of them ought to be the twin thieves known as Tia and Tina. Despite being members of Blue Rose, which was famed even in the Holy Kingdom, there were no rumors or tales of their deeds. They were a pair of mysterious individuals.

And now those individuals were pointing at her.

She felt like she had suddenly been shoved into the limelight from the shadows of an audience seat. Thoughts like why, what is this, what's happening and other such phrases bounced around inside her mind.

"That girl doesn't have a warrior's body. Different from our musclehead's."

"Oi! What was that supposed to mean!?"

The person who had spoken up was Gagaran, the lady warrior who was built like a brick shithouse.

"Exactly what I said. ...She's not a warrior, no matter how you look at it. Now this is a warrior."

"Oi oi, you can train your body with experience, you know."

"So you're going to evolve then, Gagaran?"

The thieves' faces quietly hardened.

"Don't be mean, I feel sorry for that girl."

"Hey! Is it me or have you gotten full of yourself since you went training with me? Oi!"

"Nothing's changed. It's just that my sides hurts when you grab me with your ridiculous strength when I'm sleeping—"

"—That's enough out of the two of you... I'm sorry, that's just how we are."

"Please pay it no heed. Her name is Neia Baraja. She has keen senses, and she's made a lot of contributions during our journey here."

"I understand."

The reply was flat and emotionless, not cute in the slightest.

"...Mm. Well, while that was our fault, we haven't made any progress at all. If nobody minds, shall we begin discussing the matter? Also, there's no point talking like fancy nobles, is there? Let's get right to it, shall we?"

"Evileye," Lakyus said in a reproachful tone.

That was the arcane magic caster Evileye. Clad in her mask, she could use powerful spells, but she never removed it under any circumstances. She had a very petite frame — some rumors said she might be from a small-bodied species.

"No, that's fine. I'm not good at all this plotting stuff myself."

"Captain..."

"...Fufu. Well, the other side's boss has given their approval — how about ours? Besides, once they've paid the appropriate fee for the information, they'll be our clients. Let's not bother with feeling each other up and get to the question of money. Won't it be better to seal the deal sooner rather than later?"

"Haaah," Lakyus sighed, and Evileye continued, seemingly sneering at them.

"Well, our boss has given her okay too, so shall we firm up the details before we talk about payment? I take it you want to talk about the one who's been running wild in your country. Jaldabaoth?"

"You knew?"

"OI oi, do you think we wouldn't know something the nobles did? The Kingdom has traders who use sea routes too, you know. Plus, the Adventurer's Guilds do exchange information as well. That said, how about it? Want to share what you know, too? Frankly speaking, we'd be happier to obtain information than money."

"Mm... may, may I have a moment to discuss this with Gustavo?"