Chapter 50
The double-barrier city of Hekatai has faced the brink of destruction twice in its past.
The first time was about ten years after the city of Hekatai was established by carving into the Demonlands, when it suffered a massive monster invasion.
The second time was about sixty years ago.
According to records, humanity had penetrated much deeper into the Demonlands than we have now.
There were even plans to build a new town, so the efforts of humanity back then were truly remarkable.
The one who spearheaded this endeavor was the bishop of that time.
He persuaded Marquis Tyner, the grandfather of the current Frontier Marquis, and proposed a plan to build a fortress under the name of the Church.
Looking at it now, the plan seems overly hasty, but the momentum and passion of Hekatai's town at the time were tremendous, and the Church construction project was executed with astonishing speed.
Thus, the Church was completed, and just as humanity was brimming with determination to begin anew the conquest and development of the Demonlands from this base, it appeared.
"Eight Legs, Three Arms," "Sword Legs," "Three Eyes"—known by nicknames, but lacking an official name.
This is because it was a monster never seen before, nor confirmed again afterward.
According to records, it was said to be a monster with the lower body of a horse made of eight sword-like legs, and an upper body resembling a human with a scorpion-like tail.
One day, it suddenly attacked the Church, which had become humanity's new frontline base.
It's said that many adventurers had gathered at the Church at the time, but they were ravaged by this single monster, suffering tremendous losses.
According to records, roughly half of the adventurers perished.
The fact that adventurers, who ventured to the forefront of the Demonlands, died in such numbers due to just one monster speaks volumes about its absurdity.
The massive casualties among the adventurers heading to the frontline were already a catastrophe, but the disaster didn't end there.
As if responding to its attack, a horde of monsters poured out from the forest of the Demonlands.
The swarm of monsters quickly overran the Demonlands territory humanity had carved out and reached the town of Hekatai.
I'll skip the details, but the desperate battle in Hekatai's town lasted several months, ultimately resulting in humanity's narrow victory with immense sacrifices, the defeat of the eight-legged monster, and the arrival of the joint knight orders of Faltarl Kingdom and Orclura Kingdom.
The damage from this assault was enormous, and it's said that while humanity was recovering from its wounds, they lost all the Demonlands territory they had claimed.
*
"That Church still exists in the forest of the Demonlands."
Bishop Bival said this as he concluded his long tale of the past.
I wondered what he was getting at when he started this story with a serious face, but it seems we're finally getting to the point.
Honestly, I really don't want to hear it, and if possible, I'd like to take Erika and leave right now.
No matter what he's about to say, I can only imagine it being troublesome.
"The bishop back then didn't propose building the Church on a whim. As proof, a divine relic is enshrined in that Church to this day."
The words that came out of Bishop Bival's mouth were astounding.
They were spoken so abruptly and matter-of-factly that I almost let them slide, but once I processed them, I was dumbfounded.
Seeing Shara with her mouth agape in shock, I realized I wasn't the only one surprised and regained my composure.
The idea that a divine relic of the Church is left behind in the Demonlands is an outrageous scandal.
I'm shocked that this has been hidden for over sixty years, but being suddenly told such a significant secret evokes more confusion than surprise.
Surely, this isn't meant as some kind of parting gift from the grave.
"As you might understand, if this leaks out, it would be a grave matter for both us in the Church and for the town of Hekatai."
Divine relics are famous as religious symbols, but even more so as the core of Hekatai's barrier device.
A barrier created by a divine relic can generate and maintain a powerful barrier without consuming vast amounts of magic stones, unlike other barrier devices.
"Does that mean the current barrier in Hekatai is...?"
It was less a question and more a doubt that slipped out of my mouth.
Bishop Bival shook his head as if unconcerned.
"No, there is more than one divine relic. Consider that a portion of it is installed in the Church. However, as a result, the barrier's strength seems to be lower than it was back then."
Either way, this isn't a story that should be leaked outside.
The fact that we're being told this means...
"Now, to get to the main point."
I resist the urge to cover my ears.
"I would like to ask you, Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger, to retrieve that divine relic."
*
"I'm sorry. It's because I spoke about you two to the bishop that this outrageous situation has arisen."
Shara said this with a gloomy expression the day after Bishop Bival requested us to retrieve the divine relic.
This happened in the library archive room of the Adventurer's Guild, where we had come to look for materials on the Demonlands.
Erika, who had half-pulled a book from the shelf, returned it and turned around.
"There's no need to worry, Shara."
Saying this, Erika gently enveloped Shara's hands with both of hers and smiled.
Her red hair swayed softly under the light of the magic tool illumination.
"We have our own goals. A designated request from the Church aligns with them, so it's not a bother."
With that, Erika glanced at me, seeking agreement with her eyes alone.
I suppressed a sigh that almost escaped and replied, "Yeah, that's right."
That's right—Erika had accepted Bishop Bival's request on the spot without a second thought.
Even Bishop Bival was surprised by this; he must have expected us to decline with some excuse or at least delay our response.
By the way, I was also greatly surprised.
When we got home and I asked why she didn't refuse the request, she gave a very cool reply: facing danger is the ordinary path of an adventurer.
As expected, the person I love is amazing.
She's beautiful and cool.
That aside, even with Erika's words and mine, Shara's gloomy expression didn't fully recover, though it improved a little.
Still, it really doesn't seem like she's acting.
Given the situation, it only looks like everything is going according to the Church's plan, so it would be natural to assume Shara's demeanor is an act.
Yet, I can't sense any hint of acting from Shara.
Despite appearances, I am a noble.
I'm aware I'm not good at it, but I thought I was somewhat accustomed to the art of deception.
However, I can't detect any such thing from Shara at all.
For a moment, the thought crosses my mind: could Shara not be acting at all? But I reconsider, thinking that can't be the case.
From the Church's perspective, being able to push a dangerous request onto troublesome people must be a great success.
We have to venture deep into the Demonlands, and due to the nature of the request, with only a small group.
The Church likely considers the chance of failure high, and if we fail, they'll probably find some fault to blame us for—or even hope we die.
And if we succeed, the Church loses nothing either way.
Honestly, I feel like we've been completely outmaneuvered.
But at the same time, I also think this:
What kind of faces will they make when we successfully complete this request for the Church?
"What is there to hesitate about in walking the ordinary path...?"
As I muttered Erika's words from some time ago while returning a book to the shelf, I noticed Erika and Shara looking at me.
Erika wore a satisfied smile, while Shara had an expression as if she'd seen something unbelievable.
"That's exactly right, my dear husband."
Erika said with a fierce smile.
"There's no such thing as an unreasonable ordinary path leading deep into the Demonlands."
Shara said with a face that looked like she was about to cry.