chapter 22
22. Kas! Kas!
A few days waiting for the announcement ceremony, the hero went in and out of the adventurer’s guild and took on various requests.
Most of them were short-term quests that could be done on a day trip, and there were also combat quests with a higher level of difficulty compared to their rank. Points piled up quickly as the hero roamed around.
And. The morning of the announcement day finally dawned.
“Hero, are you there?”
[Gee, people are rude early in the morning!]
“I’m sorry, but it’s noon now…”
Since I spent a lot of time with the sword, I can’t help but lose my sense of time. When I was embarrassed, the warrior suddenly opened the door and stepped out.
“Come, give me.”
“Yes. I will be waiting for you at the entrance of the inn.”
Speaking of an announcement ceremony, there was no complicated procedure. Originally, it was a little more complicated, but how could the tribe of warriors be so patient?
It’s just that this show is unusual, and the warriors from the previous generation were not easy to defeat. As a result, although the announcement ceremony was an event in which the hero was the main character, the proportion of the hero was not so great.
Just come out at the end of the event, receive the blessing of the saint, and show your face to the citizens and those in power. In fact, the announcement ceremony has already begun.
“What time was it until?”
[It is customary to start the ceremony when the sun is at its highest, so you should probably arrive within an hour.]
[Honestly, can I be late?]
A thrill. The hero glared at me, so I quietly withdrew. Yeah, that’s not okay either.
Certainly, I teased that the holy sword was useless, but she was definitely helpful in areas such as history and complicated noble etiquette. I must have learned something by watching the hero.
[Well, you don’t have to worry too much. The qualifications of a hero are basically recognized by the gods, so there is no need to bow down to the rulers of the world.]
“Don’t worry, I didn’t.”
[hahahaha. Yes. ]
For the first time in a while, the Holy Sword seemed excited because it had an opportunity to appeal to itself. Big. Certainly, in this area, I had no choice but to be pushed back by the holy sword.
[I can’t help it because I’m a green youth who hasn’t lived as long as the holy sword.]
[It’s rude to put her lady’s age in her mouth! Rather, you have lived for hundreds of years.]
[Ugh, no matter how old I am, I’ll wrinkle in front of the thousands-year-old Holy Sword grandmother.]
[Why are you doing this to me?!]
While me and the holy sword were arguing, the hero unpacked the bundle given to him by the adventurer’s guild staff. It contained things prepared for the announcement ceremony at the temple.
Among them was the sacral robe, the attire worn by warriors at public ceremonies. While I was preoccupied with the Holy Sword, the hero quickly took off his original clothes and changed into his sacramental clothes.
[Ah, I didn’t see this.]
[······ Low quality.]
I’m afraid of the holy sword’s heart to say that I’m going to be humiliated for the sake of my master’s chastity! Hearing my words, the warrior smiled.
“Show me?”
[What?]
Of course, the hero did not perform a striptease. The hero spun lightly while wearing his sacramental robe.
The sacristy dress was a dress with a sophisticated fashion sense reminiscent of a modern wedding dress. The dress itself was short, exposing the white forearms and thighs, but the translucent fabric and jewels embroidered like stars were added on top to create a mysterious atmosphere. Was saving
It was an extravagant outfit that a normal beauty would not be able to wear, but as a warrior-like beautiful girl wore it, the hair color matched well, and it could not have been truly dazzling beauty.
[Why the hell did you put a self-luminous function in your clothes!]
[The body of a person close to God cannot be seen carelessly… Well, I remember what it meant. It is a remnant of the old days.]
[I didn’t ask for an explanation! Gyaaagh!]
I didn’t look at that physically burdensome beauty for a long time and looked away. It might not have been a simple light, but it had an effect on me because it was mixed with divine power.
To those who have not attained a certain level, the warrior will look like a walking mass of light. I miss pretty clothes and pretty faces. A warrior isn’t necessarily a beauty.
[When I think about it, it was really funny during the announcement ceremony for former warriors.]
[Oh? Were you there at that time?]
[I didn’t see it myself, but I saw it in the memory of the previous owner.]
For your information, although men’s sacramental clothes are slightly different from women’s, they are the same in that they are made of the same light fabric. Too much exposure.
And the hero from the previous generation was a giant with a body that was more than 2 meters tall and looked like a half-orc. To the general public, it would have looked magnificent like a giant of light.
The strong men who had built up a level enough to see through the hero’s true face had a hard time holding back their laughter. Of course, since I saw it through flashbacks, I couldn’t hold back and laughed heartily.
[It is bad to demean others based on their appearance.]
[So you didn’t laugh?]
[Poohup. That, sure.]
[Not convincing dude.]
Anyway, that hero is the former owner of the Holy Sword, so can he make fun of his former owner?
“Slowly, let’s go.”
[It’s already that time.]
Anyway, the hero seems to be giving quite a bit of meaning to this sacrament. We left the inn room and headed to the central square of Hair where the sacrament was held.
*
“Maybe another long night will come. A plague may rot everything in the land, and an endless winter may freeze the whole world. When the snow stops, the corpses buried under it may belong to our family, friends, and lovers.”
I don’t know if the hero intended it or if it was just a coincidence, but we arrived at just the right time.
“But even though God is far away, His mercy will always be with us. The sunlight and moonlight shining down on the whole world are proof of that, and the answer of stigmata coming down to the servant who served him diligently is proof of that.”
A man was giving an impassioned speech in a calm voice on a podium in the central square. Rather, that contradictory voice had the power to attract the audience.
The crowd, who seemed possessed and focused on her speech, slowly splits. Overwhelmed by a being that exudes unbearable divinity from its entire body, it instinctively retreats.
As if the person giving the speech saw it, her eyes stayed on us for a moment. However, instead of being taken aback by the sudden appearance of the warrior, she continued her speech without wavering.
[No. I can’t help it because the hero shines so much.]
Originally, the plan was to blend in with the crowd and go to the back of the podium.
It was inevitable since it was already noticed, so the hero silently moved towards the podium. She made her way, with people following her steps and stepping aside.
“Above all, the noble soul that God created and sent down to earth is proof of that! That is why we are not afraid. It is because they know that even if the wolves outside the fence reveal their teeth, a shepherd will come to protect the sheep from the touch of darkness and finally light up the night.”
The voice was still cold, but the tone became quick and urgent. Like a bud budding through the winter snow, and a flower blooming, she cried fervently.
“Hero!”
Those who gathered to watch the announcement split. Even those who were bored with long speeches and those who dozed off in the warm afternoon sun all had the same faces just now.
The expression of facing a miracle right in front of your eyes. Among those made of cloth, the man made of light was alone and complete. When she said nothing, her people shut her up.
Hero. Warrior. Only her cry from the woman on the podium echoes, and in silence, the warrior finally stands on the podium.
At that moment, a murmur spread through the silent crowd as if the magic had been broken. As with any announcement ceremony, this time the hero made himself known in the most authentic way in the world.
“Meet the warrior sent by God.”
“·······.”
Since the Holy Sword advised not to say anything to the hero, the hero only nodded and was greeted.
The woman who swiftly bowed to the warrior raised her head again. The stigma engraved on her shoulder began to emit the cold moonlight in the midday sun.
The host of the announcement ceremony is certainly not a role that anyone can take on, but this time he was quite a big man. If this divine power is equal to that of the hero, it is probably the saint of the moon.
Originally, these ceremonies were supposed to be presided over by the Saint of the Sun or the Pope, but since we’re not on good terms with the Saint of the Sun, it seems she came instead.
“Look, and open your eyes!”
The moonlight instantly increased its size as it pushed away the sunlight falling on the plaza. A cool radiance different from that of the sun soon surrounded the entire plaza.
The expression of overwhelming divine power that even a saint achieved with the assistance of several sacred objects, which is impossible with a single person. The holy power of the moon that had not yet frozen was poured into the hero.
[Sir bara!]
The saint’s blessing is just a summary! You said you sprinkled holy water a few times and it was over! This damn holy sword!
The hero wore only the sacramental robe, but other than that, he was dressed as usual. That is to say, not only the holy sword was hung on the waist, but also me.
The halo of the sacral robe was just a light mixed with divine power, so it was unpleasant, but not to the extent of harming me. However, the divine power pouring out in such a large amount is a different story!
Sure. What I did was force majeure.
[Let’s see you later!]
Because the shrewd hero wrapped me in the divine power, and because I poured out my power from the blade, the part that hadn’t been sealed yet, I was not fatally damaged.
However, the magic I had accumulated over hundreds of years was terrible, and it was not easily washed away even in the tidal wave of divine power. Magi and divine power mixed in a turbid way, and gray mist swirled in all directions.
The shepherd who will light up the night has called the night.