NOVEL NEXT Nothing has been resolved at all.
The demon that was spotted on the third floor of the catacomb is still there, untouched.
Fortunately, it’s been three days since the hunting party failed and returned, and there hasn’t been any movement.
But if a demon really appeared, this ain’t just a matter to sit back and ignore.
Lord Carteyn was deep in thought at his mansion.
Hasn’t it been quiet for a while now?
Demons and all that, haven’t we managed just fine by dealing with the usual monsters?
So why out of nowhere did a demon pop up?
And why in Evian, of all places?
It’s an issue arising in his territory, so it’s something he has to deal with, but demons also come with their own set of problems.
No matter how noble you are, there are limits to the resources you can throw at it, so you can’t just recklessly charge in.
Plus, since it’s a demon, you’ll need a priest, which means he has to request support from the cathedral.
And to request support from the cathedral, a hefty donation is required.
As he pondered why it had to be Evian, and why the hunting party had failed, he eventually reached the thought, why does my territory even include Evian? When a knock on the door interrupted him.
“Master, Bishop Poby has arrived.”
Upon hearing this, Lord Carteyn, who was groaning about his troubles, lifted his head.
The bishop had come, even though he hadn’t summoned him.
It was unexpected news that came while he was furiously trying to figure out what to do.
“Please have a seat.”
Without a sound, the door opened, and a stout man in a white robe with an amiable smile entered.
“Bishop Poby, it’s great to see you after so long.”
“Likewise, my lord. It’s been ages!”
“Please, sit here. I’ll have some tea brought in.”
“Yes, of course.”
The maid bowed and went to prepare the tea, while Poby glanced at her and sat on the sofa as directed.
Given his robust build, even sitting lightly on the sofa made it creak.
‘It’s expensive… you pig.’
As Carteyn noted this and sat on the opposite sofa, Poby flashed a sly smile.
“It seems you’re deeply troubled, my lord.”
“…Is it that obvious?”
What’s there to hide? It’ll show on his face anyway.
Carteyn rubbed his face with a hand and sighed deeply.
Poby maintained his smiling expression.
You can’t spit on a smiling face; it’s better than remaining expressionless.
“Though it hasn’t been confirmed yet… if it is true, do you wish to initiate the hunt?”
“It hasn’t been confirmed, but if it is true, do you intend to launch a hunt?”
“Isn’t that obvious? If a demon really has appeared, we should report it to the center and get some support.”
They had already sent over forty adventurers, twenty knights from their faction, and five priests, yet they couldn’t even confirm anything.
As soon as the adventurers entered, for some unknown reason, the door shut behind them, and then that goat-headed monster appeared on the second floor, causing significant damage to the adventurers.
It was impossible to drag them back in, so they faced losses while also compensating the Adventurer’s Guild and paying the rewards…
Kartain was left with nothing but losses.
“That being said, wouldn’t it be quite a significant loss for you too, My Lord?”
The maid, who had appeared like a shadow, set down a teacup before the two and gracefully withdrew.
A perceptive maid, indeed.
Poby glanced at her and lifted the teacup.
“What can we do? It is what it is.”
Though it would tarnish his reputation as an incompetent fool who couldn’t even handle things in his own territory—
what could he do?
It would be better to have a bit of a stain on his name than to make things worse by trying to manage something he couldn’t handle.
“How about if the Cathedral actively helps?”
“Help, you say?”
Kartain looked at Poby.
He couldn’t tell what Poby was thinking, but he still wore that goofy smile.
No matter how Kartain looked at it, he couldn’t understand Poby’s motivations behind this conversation.
“I will send five priests as is. And two more. Priest Vigrind and…”
“Priest Vigrind, you say…?”
It was a name he had heard before.
With flame-red hair and a small stature, he had a reputation for having a rather foul mouth, but his divine power and skill were truly overwhelming.
“Yes, as you know, he is a famous priest. They say if there’s Yona in the Adventurer’s Guild, then there’s Priest Vigrind in the Cathedral.”
Priests are versatile, capable of purification and healing.
Demanding in terms of cost, and they are treated with utmost respect.
It was incomparable to the healer, who could only heal and had to be in close contact to do so.
“And I will send Sister Aege along as well.”
*
“Sounds good. Let’s immediately form a hunting party.”
“I’ll gather the expedition team.”
The look on his face was as if he had just met the Celestial God in hell.
Poby reflected on his expression while riding the carriage back to the cathedral.
It was such a ridiculous laugh that it almost made him snort.
When the rumors first spread about the appearance of the demon and the assembly of the expedition team, Poby had been away on a little trip.
And when he returned to hear that story, how he wished he could beat the ground in regret!
When he learned that the expedition ultimately failed and that they returned not even knowing if it was really a demon or not,
He cheerfully declared that the Celestial God had not yet abandoned this faith.
The Church of the Celestial God.
A religion that worships the Celestial God.
There’s a pope and even a saint; a religion that worships a real god.
But although there is a pope, there is no saint.
Since the records of the long-gone saint Sonia, who had married a dark-haired hero and stepped down from her position, the Celestial God has not given any revelations about appointing anyone as a saint.
Yet, everything has gone on without a hitch until now.
The Demon King hasn’t shown up, and although there have been wars among humans on the continent, no cataclysmic disaster affecting all humanity has appeared.
Amidst all this, news of a demon has spread.
If they could exterminate that demon—
“It wouldn’t be impossible for a saint to emerge from the Evian Diocese.”
With Aege, who was already far too old for saintly business, and sending Vigrind, the finest priest at the Evian Diocese, to purify the demon—
Unless the Celestial God had really gone off the deep end, a priest who purified the long-peaceful continent’s first demon in ages would certainly be made a saint.
If the Evian Diocese produced a saint to fill the vacancy since Saint Sonia,
Poby’s ascension to the post of pope after the current aged pope passes on wouldn’t be just a dream.
It would undoubtedly come to be.
Poby felt as though he was already a pope.
*
“Is this a person?”
“Seems like it, but they definitely don’t look like they’re of the Ain race.”
Carlson and Yona peered at the fallen man.
The man, with dark brown hair, seemed to be dead, eyes closed, yet surprisingly showed no visible wounds.
Still cautious, Yona placed her hand on the man’s chest and infused him with divine power.
In that moment, the man suddenly opened his eyes wide.
As soon as he did, he grabbed Yona’s wrist, which was resting on his chest, with both hands.
“Ughyaaaah?!”
That power was so strong I thought my wrist might snap at any moment.
Seeing Yona scream and fall back, Carlson took a step back and drew his sword.
“W-What the hell is this guy?!”
But the man didn’t even glance at Carlson.
His gaze was burning, fixed on Yona who was sitting on the ground, clutching her wrist as if it were on fire.
“Are you… a Priest?”
“Let… me go…!”
It hurt.
It hurt so much I thought my wrist was going to break.
Of course, even if it did break, it would heal quickly, but Yona twisted her face in pain.
“Let me go! Let go! Let go you bastard! Let go!”
Yona kicked at the man’s chest repeatedly, but he didn’t even blink.
And then, Carlson aimed his sword at the man’s neck.
“You, what the hell are you doing? Not letting go of Yona?”
Carlson threatened the man with his drawn sword, looking like he might slice his throat at any moment.
The man briefly glanced at the sword, but then turned his eyes back to Yona, who was struggling.
“Let… me go! It hurts!”
No matter how much she struggled, the man was as immovable as a statue.
“You are the woman who wields this divine power?”
“I’m not a woman…! Just let me go…!”
The man watched Yona for a moment before finally releasing her.
As he let go suddenly, Yona rolled back with a thud.
“I’ve let go. Clean up this toy.”
The man casually pushed the sword aside with his bare hands.
Ironically, the sword that Carlson had so meticulously prepared before departure was pushed away without even the man’s fingers getting cut.
“What are you?”
Carlson tightened his grip on his shield.
Depending on the answer, the fight could start at any moment.
At Carlson’s signal, Yona quickly stood behind him, while Irene, Viola, and Misquot carefully took positions opposite him.
“I am a Hero.”
“…W-What?”
Carlson, caught off guard by the man’s unexpected answer, asked in a dazed voice as the man casually brushed back his long bangs.
“I am a Hero. A Hero. My name is Ludvik, just call me Rude.”
Great, now we have another crazy person.
Yona thought.