Chapter 412
An empty reception room in the cathedral.
A white-haired boy and girl were sitting apart from each other.
‘She seems kind of mad.’
Simon was watching Lete carefully.
Her legs crossed, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face. There was a cold aura that made it clear she didn’t want to exchange even a single word with him.
‘Maybe I should’ve just pretended I didn’t see her.’
There were hardly any chances to tease the ever-perfect Lete.
But the moment they reunited, her face turned crimson red and she came running at him yelling, “Aaaah!”, and her expression was just too funny. He couldn’t help but tease her about being a Saint.
“...What brings you here?”
Surprisingly, it was Lete who spoke first. Though, of course, her voice was icy cold.
“Oh, I came here on a request from Lady Israfil—”
“You seriously have no fear, do you?”
Her golden eyes stared straight into Simon.
“A Necromancer, and not just any Necromancer but a Legion Commander, entering the Grand Cathedral of the Holy Federation? Are you begging to get purified and die?”
“? Wasn’t you in the Dark Alliance too?”
“That’s totally different!”
Lete flushed with anger.
“At that time, I wasn’t a Saint yet, and more importantly, it was a matter of Miss Anna’s life. I had no choice!”
“Well, I had no choice either, since it’s a request from Lady Israfil who saved my mom.”
“You son of a b*tch, you really can’t let me win a single argument...!”
Snap.
Just then, Israfil approached, casting a soundproof barrier, and raised a finger to her lips while looking at Lete.
Lete flinched at the gesture and muttered in a meek voice,
“...You mustn’t try to win every single argument.”
“Pffft!”
Simon couldn’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing. Lete shouted “Hey!!” and raised her arm threateningly.
“Use beautiful and kind words, Lete. Speech is the portrait of the heart, and a reflection of one’s dignity.”
“...There’s no way I can speak beautifully in this situation.”
Lete pouted, her expression sulky.
Sigh.
Fine, if she were to make a huge concession, she had wanted to see Simon at some point.
Not because she wanted to see his stupid face, of course. It was because now that they’d become a Saint and a Legion Commander, they needed to determine who was stronger, compare life in Keyzen and Efnelle, and most importantly, she wanted to hear about Miss Anna.
But absolutely! She had not wanted to show him this shameful display, this black mark on her life.
“Alright, both of you, calm down now.”
Israfil soothed the fuming Lete as she spoke.
“I, Israfil, Saint of the Divine Sea, wish to give a mission to you both.”
It was the same story Simon had heard back home.
An evil presence was rising in the north, and in order to destroy it, not only holiness but also darkness would be needed.
“Lete, you’ll accompany Simon to the area where this evil dwells. Find out what’s going on there, and resolve it if you can.”
“...”
Lete bowed her head and bit her lip slightly.
“What’s wrong, Lete?”
“I want to go because it’s your request, Lady Israfil, but I... I have upcoming duties as a Saint—”
“Ah~”
Israfil smiled gently.
“If that’s what’s troubling you, don’t worry and go without hesitation. I’ve taken over your entire remaining schedule, Lete.”
“!!”
Lete’s head shot up.
“You’ve worked so hard, Lete.”
Israfil stepped forward and embraced her warmly.
“A Saint, even if she dies, is immediately succeeded by a new Saint. So many try to suppress and envy the new Saint. To convince the executives of both Efnelle and the Federation, I might have been a little strict with you.”
Her voice, as soft and gentle as a spring breeze.
Watching from the side, Simon saw in this moment nothing less than ‘the Saint’ herself in Israfil.
“I have no excuse even if you resent or blame me, but please know this one thing for certain: everything I did was truly for your sake. Lete, you had a bad reputation in Efnelle for your personality, and you needed to correct that quickly so people would recognize you.”
“...Ah.”
“These are hard times, but now and then, there are moments like this—good moments.”
She let Lete go and smiled benevolently.
“Who ever said a Saint must be bound by her role and duties? ‘Saint’ is merely a title. Lete is still Lete. I hope you can set aside your duties and enjoy some time simply as Lete Chardena.”
Lete’s eyes shimmered with emotion.
“Lady Israfil!!”
She ran forward and hugged Israfil tightly. Israfil staggered a bit, surprised, but chuckled and patted her on the head.
Simon also smiled as he watched the scene, and then Israfil quietly said,
“Please take good care of Lete.”
Simon gave a firm nod.
* * *
Now that he was in the Holy Federation, Simon once again felt how thorough Israfil’s preparations were.
Not only had she arranged for Simon, but she had also prepared a fake identity for Lete, along with full adventurer outfits.
“Your final destination is the village of ‘Escaille’ in the Kinber region.”
The Kinber region, located at the northernmost tip of the Holy Federation, was a restricted zone due to an old treaty. Intervention from Efnelle and central priests was strictly forbidden.
Therefore, Lete, like Simon, had to enter under a fake identity as a priest from another region.
“Remember this well, Lete. Revealing your identity as a Saint should only be a ‘last resort’.”
Israfil emphasized again.
“Sure, you might be able to overwhelm people with your status for a moment. But then they’ll shut their hearts even tighter, and they’ll hide the truth. What matters most is winning people over as your true self.”
“Yes, Lady Israfil.”
“Oh! By the way, do either of you like children?”
The sudden question made both Simon and Lete blink.
“...Well, I do like them.”
“You’ll both be going in as ‘teachers’. It’s the only way to enter the isolated village of Escaille.”
Escaille was extremely hostile to outsiders—but they made an exception for those coming to teach children.
Simon raised his hand.
“What are we supposed to teach them?”
“The continental language, basic arithmetic and common knowledge, as well as elemental and holy magic.”
“The children can use magic too?”
“Yes, apparently they can.”
This time, Lete raised her hand.
“Wait a moment! Then the teachers who were sent before us...”
“As expected, you’re sharp, Lete.”
The smile vanished from Israfil’s lips.
“They went missing. We still have no idea where they are. Not the teacher before you, nor the one before that.”
Missing persons?! Simon’s expression turned grave.
“And the only teacher who survived from that place, even recalling the experience makes her face go pale and sends her into seizures, refusing to give any kind of testimony.”
Israfil held out two photos.
One was of a woman in priest’s robes, wearing glasses and smiling brightly. The other was of a woman with darker skin and a mole near her eye.
Both photos had the word <Missing> attached to them.
“If you happen to come across any trace of the former teachers during your investigation, please let us know. Their families are waiting for news.”
Simon nodded and took the photos.
...Just what on earth is going on in that village?
“Figures.”
Unlike the stiff-faced Simon, Lete scoffed with a bitter smile.
“If they try anything shady, we’ll just wipe them all out.”
“The investigation and resolution of the evil presence is the top priority, Lete.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
And the village of Escaille, their destination, couldn’t be accessed by teleportation magic due to its extreme year-round cold climate.
They would first have to travel to a city called ‘Coola’ at the base of the mountain range, and then climb from there.
At that point, while listening to Israfil’s explanation, Lete suddenly interrupted.
“Coola? Isn’t that a super famous resort town?”
“So you knew about it too, Lete!”
Israfil smiled brightly and clasped her hands together.
“From the city, you can see the snow-covered mountain in full view, and beside it spreads an emerald sea. It’s a very beautiful port town.”
Both Simon and Lete lit up with delight.
“I’ve already made reservations. Lete, you’ve been through a lot as a Saint, and Simon, you must be tired from your long journey from the Dark Alliance. I thought it’d be nice if you spent about three days sightseeing in the town, and gathering information about Escaille and the evil presence before heading out.”
“Sightseeing!”
Lete trembled with joy, but upon looking at Simon beside her, her expression cooled a little.
“It would’ve been perfect if it weren’t for this guy tagging along.”
“...Still not over it?”
Simon gave a wry smile.
“Now, here.”
Israfil took off the chalk-shaped necklace she was wearing and handed it to Lete.
“This is an artifact that seals the power of the Saint. It only seals the power, so it shouldn’t affect your use of holiness too much.”
“Ah, I’m saved.”
Lete laughed as she accepted the necklace.
“Those stupid stars kept popping everywhere. It was driving me crazy.”
“...Stars?”
“Excuse me for interrupting.”
At that moment, the escorting Paladins entered the room, informing them it was time to head to the next event.
Israfil stepped forward and explained that she had received permission from Heaven Island and would be going in Lete’s place.
The Paladins dropped to the floor in awe, praising her mercy with tearful faces.
“...Those bastards never bowed down like that for me.”
Lete grumbled.
Thus, parting with Israfil, Simon and Lete changed into adventurer attire and left the Grand Cathedral, preparing to head for the resort town of Coola.
Israfil had prepared a teleportation circle right nearby.
“Whew.”
Now in comfortable adventurer clothes, with her hair tied up, Lete wore a very refreshed expression.
Her speech and mannerisms had already reverted to the casual, bold Lete that Simon was used to.
“...What are you staring at? Wanna lose those eyes?”
The problem was that she’d gone too far back to normal.
Simon could hardly believe she was the same person who had smiled serenely and bestowed blessings on believers just a short while ago at the cathedral.
“Lete. Can I ask you one thing?”
“Don’t ask.”
“That whole ‘stars popping everywhere’ thing, what was that?”
“I said don’t ask, you jerk!”
She sighed deeply, placing a hand to her forehead.
“...You really wanna know that badly?”
“Yeah.”
Expressionless, Lete held up a finger and pointed to her own forehead.
‘?’
Simon blinked, wondering what she was doing. Suddenly, she flicked the finger off her forehead.
Pop!
A star-shaped effect made of holiness burst forth with a flash.
“This crap.”
Simon was moments away from bursting into laughter again.
He struggled desperately to hold it in.
“That's funny to you?”
As if giving up, Lete began doing tiny, exaggerated hops in place. With every bounce, more star-shaped holy effects popped around her.
“Ugh, what is this? I’m not some magical princess.”
Muttering in annoyance, Lete fastened the black chalk artifact from Israfil around her neck.
Now, the star-shaped effects no longer appeared. Even the faint remnants of the star shapes that had hovered when she used her Saint’s powers disappeared.
“Congrats on regaining your freedom.”
Simon smiled.
“How funny. The kind of freedom you can only get by sealing something away.”
She said it flatly, but the corner of her lips, turned away from Simon, curled up ever so slightly.
And so, the two of them arrived at a clearing about ten minutes away.
There, the teleportation circle and Israfil’s close aides were waiting.
“Then I’ll activate the circle right away.”
“Yes!”
As Simon and Lete stepped onto the platform, the teleportation circle flared with a brilliant light.
* * *
Moments later, the sight that unfolded before Simon left him speechless in awe.
The famous resort town of the Holy Federation, ‘Coola’.
On its pristine streets stood rows of adorable houses with blue roofs, like something out of a fairytale where little pixies might live.
The cold winds of the mountain range were sealed off by magical flows, making Coola’s climate generally mild. The town’s biggest charm was that you could enjoy a day at the beach in a swimsuit while admiring the snow-covered mountain peaks of the north.
However—
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
‘It’s freezing!’
Despite its reputation as a beach resort, a harsh cold wave was tearing through the region.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters