Chapter 49
"It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Erika Longdagger."
Erika offered a graceful bow.
I found myself briefly captivated by her form before bowing my head as well.
"I'm Shin Longdagger, Your Excellency."
Someone please give me credit for not showing a single emotion on my face when I called him "Your Excellency."
"I am Bival Vivarity, and I serve as Bishop. I'm grateful that you agreed to meet with me on such short notice and came all this way."
Despite being in charge of the Frontier Marquis's diocese, his demeanor was gentle, without a hint of arrogance.
If anything, he seemed almost overly polite toward mere adventurers—though maybe that's just my noble upbringing talking.
The Bishop invited us to sit on the sofa and personally prepared tea before taking the seat across from us.
For the record, Shara sat on our side, next to Erika.
When Shara tried to help with the tea, she was stopped with a hand gesture and looked a bit awkward about it.
Seeing her like that, a gentle wrinkle formed on Bishop Bival's face, reminding me of the old man—someone of a similar age.
Though honestly, I can't remember the last time the old man looked at me with such kindness.
"Now then, about the reason I asked you to come today..."
Bishop Bival wasted no time getting to the point.
Compared to the long-winded greetings, provocations, and probing exchanges I'm used to among nobles, this kind of directness is a blessing.
"Actually, I was the one who insisted on assigning Shara to your party."
Here's a rough summary of what Bishop Bival began to explain.
Assigning a sister or priest to a group of unknown adventurers with little track record—especially ones from another country—was almost unheard of, and most people thought we should wait and see.
But the Bishop overrode all that and made the decision on his own.
Since he'd effectively forced Shara into our group, he wanted to meet us directly to make sure we weren't being inconvenienced.
That was the gist of Bishop Bival's story.
Ignoring the finer details, it was a reasonable explanation.
From Bishop Bival's perspective, Erika Solnzari had come to them of her own accord.
Of course he'd want to tie a string to her, even if it meant pushing boundaries.
He must've known we weren't the ones trying to approach the Church.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Still, what exactly did he mean by wanting to talk to us in person?
He didn't ask us to hand over our weapons, so it's clear he wasn't trying to assassinate us.
And since he must know it's nearly impossible to poison someone who can use physical enhancement and magic, it's unlikely the tea is laced with poison either.
So then, what exactly is this Bishop's purpose in calling us here?
"Um... Shara hasn't been causing you any trouble, has she?"
Bishop Bival's expression was so sincere, it made me believe he truly meant what he said.
"Not at all, Your Excellency."
Erika answered in a calm voice.
"Just the other day, during the Forest Dragon subjugation, it was Miss Shara who landed the decisive blow."
"Y-Yes, I've heard that from Shara..."
Bishop Bival's face twitched slightly.
"I-I'm not doubting you, of course, but... is it really true that you defeated the Forest Dragon? I mean, I'm not doubting you, really. It's just... hard to believe, is all."
Ah, I see.
So that's what Bishop Bival is after.
He wants to gauge our strength.
That makes sense—naturally, he'd want to know what we're capable of.
He wants to judge whether the enemies of God he so despises are beyond their ability to handle.
It's incredibly insulting.
Erika doesn't even resent you people, even though the Church told her to die.
I realized I was about to grit my teeth and gently rubbed my jaw.
*
Erika then began to recount in detail how we defeated the Forest Dragon.
Hearing her describe how I fought made me feel a bit bashful, but I kept quiet. If I let my guard down, I'd start grinning like an idiot.
As he listened, Bishop Bival's expression shifted between surprise, admiration, and pride—especially when Shara was mentioned.
It was a perfectly normal reaction.
If I wanted to be cynical, I'd say he was a good listener, using the right demeanor to draw out our story.
"No, it's simply incredible. I may not look it now, but I once went on monster hunts with adventurers myself. So when Sister Shara told me the three of you defeated a designated Forest Dragon target, I honestly thought she was talking about a dream."
He could've just kept thinking it was a dream.
As I thought that, Bishop Bival turned and looked intently at Shara with serious eyes.
"Sister Shara, having to switch your faction to the Protector Subjugation Faction may have been unfortunate for you. But don't forget how lucky you are to have met the Longdagger couple."
Shara hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
Seeing that, Bishop Bival straightened his posture and looked directly at us.
I've got a really bad feeling about this.
"Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger, I have a favor to ask of you."
A really, really bad feeling.