Chapter 636
The Doubt Was Not Completely Dispelled. (2)
Ghislain turned his head and asked,
"Ereneth, what do you think about that statement? Do you understand what it means?"
He was about to add something but stopped. Ereneth’s expression seemed somewhat awkward.
However, as if nothing had happened, she soon twisted her lips into a smirk again.
"I heard you two were quite close, and it seems you really are best friends."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just amusing how both of you spout nonsense. Your delusions are extreme. Is that something friends pass on to each other?"
"……."
"I'm so dumbfounded that I don't even know how to react. The Saintess who saved the world suddenly appears before me and starts talking nonsense? Do you really think that makes sense?"
At those words, Ghislain shrugged.
They had too little information about the war a thousand years ago. They could only make judgments based on what they saw.
"Well... we don’t really know."
"I have nothing more to say. If it’s truly energy flowing from Arterion, then it's probably not a good one. Research it with the mages."
Ereneth pressed her forehead and closed her eyes. She looked utterly exhausted.
"I'd prefer if you left now. Listening to this nonsense one after another is giving me a headache."
"Ereneth."
"Enough. I don’t want to talk about this anymore."
"……."
"When you overthink, you lose sight of the essence. Find the Adversary and kill him. That will end everything. That is the only way to maintain peace."
With that, Ereneth turned her gaze back to the window, signaling that she had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Ghislain smacked his lips and spoke after a brief hesitation.
"Since it’s been a while since everyone gathered, why don’t you join the banquet?"
"I’ll just rest."
"There seems to be a lot of fresh vegetables, too."
"…Go."
Seeing no other choice, Ghislain shrugged and got up from his seat. He wasn’t sure why, but Ereneth seemed extremely upset.
As he turned away, his expression hardened.
‘Her reaction is awfully sharp.’
Whenever the topic of the past came up, Ereneth always became more sensitive than usual.
There was nothing logically wrong with her reasoning, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was still hiding something.
Which meant his doubts remained.
‘The only way, huh?’
Didn’t that imply that there was another way? There was no need to emphasize that it was the only way.
It felt as though Ereneth was desperately trying to capture the Adversary and end everything as quickly as possible.
Just like Arterion had.
Julien also turned to leave, following Ghislain. Since Ereneth claimed she didn’t know, they had to find another approach.
For now, the most plausible assumption was that the energy had been the force that bound Arterion. They would have to contemplate it further based on that premise.
Just as he was about to take a step forward, Ereneth spoke.
“Julien.”
Julien stopped and turned his head. Ereneth was still gazing out the window. Without shifting her gaze, she continued speaking.
“I have yet to completely dispel my doubts about you.”
“…….”
“If that energy… ever tries to consume you, come to me immediately.”
“…….”
Ereneth slowly turned her head, her eyes indifferent as she looked at Julien.
“Others will hesitate to kill you because they are weak-hearted… So, I will do it myself.”
“...Alright.”
As always, Julien answered plainly and left.
Even after the two had exited, Ereneth stood there for a long time, staring at the door. Eventually, she closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her forehead.
“This is exhausting….”
She no longer wished to discuss the past.
And…
She wished that the remnants of the Saintess would disappear from this world once and for all.
* * *
The banquet for the returning warriors had gradually turned into a grand welcoming celebration.
Nobles from the capital had desperately tried to attend, which caused the event to grow in scale.
The kingdom was still not in a stable condition, so the banquet table could not be lavishly set. However, no one seemed to mind.
They weren’t gathering for the food.
They were here to see the heroes who had returned.
“Oh, Your Highness! The blessings of the Goddess will surely be upon you for spreading her greatness far and wide!”
Now an Archbishop and the officially recognized Holy One, Porisco made a huge fuss in front of Ghislain.
He was the first to approach, eager to show off how close he was to Ghislain.
“Ever since we received the Goddess’s Revelation together, I knew this day would come!”
“Haha… ha…”
“And let’s not forget! We were the first to capture the Inquisitor of the Salvation Church together!”
“Well… that’s true.”
When the Inquisitor of the Salvation Church, Lavierre, first appeared in the capital, Porisco had been present during the battle.
Though he hadn’t actually helped capture him, he twisted his words skillfully.
Porisco was elated. The terrifying war had ended, and now he stood as both an Archbishop and the Holy One.
Ever since he had inadvertently saved orphans during Berhem’s tyranny, he had been endlessly praised by the people.
He had even excommunicated all the fleeing Archbishops and High Priests. Nothing stood in his way anymore.
‘Teaming up with the Duke of Fenris back then was the best decision I ever made! I was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!’
In reality, he had been forced into that alliance.
But that single decision had changed Porisco’s fate forever.
Porisco had always been skilled in navigating political affairs. He used the situation where he had been forcibly entangled with Ghislain to his advantage, ultimately securing his position as both Archbishop and Holy One, solidifying his power.
Only after Porisco, now boasting the greatest(?) influence in the capital, had stepped back did the other nobles finally get their turn to meet Ghislain.
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
“I cannot tell you how anxious we were.”
“I always believed Your Highness would be victorious.”
Countless people approached Ghislain, showering him with praise and flattery. Among them were many who had previously harbored disdain for him.
‘Tsk! There's no choice but to acknowledge him now.’
‘How did things even turn out like this?’
‘I need to get close to him, even if it’s just now!’
The very nobles who had once spoken ill of Ghislain behind his back at every banquet could no longer utter a single complaint. Saying the wrong thing could cost them their lives.
Public sentiment had shifted entirely toward the new dynasty. Neither power nor justification could be compared to Ghislain's.
Another notable change from before was that the noble ladies could no longer swarm around Ghislain as they once had.
‘Damn it… I should have caught him back then…’
‘Ah… now you’re too far out of reach.’
‘We should have forced a marriage while he was still a northern bumpkin.’
When he was still just a Count, they had aggressively pursued him. But now, he was a Grand Duke. Approaching him as before was simply too daunting.
Instead, their gazes turned elsewhere. Not just the noble ladies, but even the young noblemen followed suit.
After all, there were many renowned heroes present at the banquet. This was, after all, an event to celebrate their victory.
Naturally, the largest crowd had gathered around Julien. However, his naturally cold and sharp demeanor kept people at bay, making them hesitant to approach.
‘What the hell… how can a person look like that?’
‘Just looking at him makes my heart feel like it’s about to explode!’
‘A prince exiled from Turian? Oh my, his status is insane.’
The nobles surrounding Julien barely breathed, merely standing in awe. That side of the banquet seemed like an entirely different world.
Yet, in the middle of it all, Julien himself appeared indifferent. He quietly sipped his drink, paying little attention to those around him. He casually glanced around, and as his gaze landed on one noble lady, their eyes met.
“A-ah…”
The moment she saw his gaze, the noble lady clutched her forehead and collapsed. Overwhelmed by sheer ecstasy, she had quite literally fainted.
“What the hell?! Someone collapsed! Get help!”
“Why is that young lord next to her also fainting? What is this guy?!”
Julien’s charm seemed to transcend sex, rendering people breathless without discrimination.
Although Julien’s overwhelming presence was unparalleled, the others were no less remarkable.
Around Gillian, noble families gathered, eager to propose remarriage. Many sought to establish connections with him, hoping to forge ties with a Transcendent like him.
Tennant was no exception. Having been a well-established noble in the West, he skillfully navigated the nobles of the banquet hall.
Jerome, too, was experiencing a surge in popularity.
"Oh my, how adorable!"
"He's an 8th-Circle Mage, and yet he's this cute?"
"He looks like such a little rascal."
Unaccustomed to such attention, Jerome's face turned bright red, and he froze stiff like a statue.
"Uh, y-yes, uhm, th-thank you."
"Oh dear, why are you so nervous?"
"Uh, um, I-I don’t know."
"This must be your first time at a banquet like this, right?"
Many of the noble ladies approaching him were older than him, and Jerome found himself completely swept up in their practiced noble conversation techniques.
Meanwhile, Belinda was surrounded by an endless stream of young noblemen.
"Lady Belinda, would you grant me the honor of a dance?"
"It is a privilege to lay my eyes upon a beauty surpassing even the roses in the garden."
"Your radiance makes tonight's banquet shine even brighter. Hohoho."
"……."
Belinda took a step back, her face twisted in visible disgust. They were coming at her far too blatantly.
In the past, they would have ignored her as nothing more than Ferdium’s head maid.
But now, she was one of the heroes who had led them to victory in the war, a Transcendent. Most nobles could no longer even dream of standing on equal footing with her.
The number of young lords asking her to dance was suffocating.
‘This is insane.’
Belinda pressed her fingers against her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Their eyes burned with naked ambition. She and Vanessa were the only two female Transcendents in the kingdom.
Marrying either of them would elevate a noble house’s prestige beyond comparison. Naturally, the unmarried young lords swarmed them.
Belinda struggled to turn them down, but the suitors never stopped coming. There was nowhere to escape.
Vanessa was in a similar situation. Just like Belinda, she was surrounded by countless nobles eager to court her.
However, when someone brought up a question about magic, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
The young lord had intended to use shared interests as a conversation tactic, but Vanessa, as always, answered with the utmost sincerity.
"Oh, that? Well, you see, magical wavelengths resonate through space by transmitting vibrations, and their periodic nature across time and space is determined at a single point—"
"……."
"You're not following? Okay, so depending on the direction of propagation, the classifications differ, and the particles moving via mana transmission—"
"……."
Before anyone realized it, Vanessa had launched into a full-fledged magic lecture.
The nobles gathered around her dared not interrupt and found themselves forced to sit through the lesson.
No one at the banquet was bold enough to interrupt a Transcendent mid-speech.
While some struggled with the overwhelming attention, one person was thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Puhaha! So I just swung my dual swords wham! and sliced off the dragon’s head!”
“Oh my, how incredible!”
“Wow, Sir Kaor, you’re truly strong. I want to be as powerful as you one day.”
“Of course, of course! I’m the strongest! Even that old man is no match for me!”
Kaor was reveling in the attention being showered upon him. He drank freely and bragged about his achievements, enjoying the moment to the fullest.
He was, without a doubt, the easiest to approach. He answered every question and played along enthusiastically. Seeing this, the nobles began to gather around him, eager to win his favor.
Aside from Kaor, the nobles also swarmed the other key figures from the war. Though they were not Transcendents, they were still war heroes and contributors to the kingdom’s victory.
However, there were exceptions.
Parniel and Piote, being priests, were approached only for polite greetings. Nobles knew that maintaining good relations with the clergy was enough there was no need for further scheming.
Of course, not everyone understood this.
“Lady[a][b][c][d] Piote! Would you care to join me on the terrace for a drink under the night sky…?”
“No, no, I’m the better choice! Let’s sneak away from the Goddess’s gaze for just one night—”
“Lady Parniel! I’ve always preferred taller women….”
A few drunken noblemen, having lost all sense, crossed the line and were promptly dragged away by the Temple Knights.
Watching the scene unfold, Ghislain sipped his drink and chuckled, seated beside Zwalter. They conversed, catching up on lost time.
“Fighting is good and all, but sometimes, you need a break like this.”
While many seemed troubled, this, too, was an experience worth having.
Just then, a nagging feeling crept into Ghislain’s mind something was missing. He tilted his head in thought.
“Huh? Why hasn’t Alfoi shown up yet?”
He was at the peak of his fame and popularity, yet he still hadn’t made an appearance.
Normally, by now, he would have been strutting around, showing off and gathering nobles around him.
“And Claude isn’t here either?”
Since he had gone to meet Ereneth before heading to the banquet, Ghislain had expected to run into him here. Yet, there was no sign of him.
At that moment, Zwalter cleared his throat.
“Ahem, Ghislain. About that Alfoi fellow.”
“What? Did he cause trouble again?”
“Well… his reputation is so terrible that people are struggling to deal with him. He’s been bothering everyone so much that it’s become a real problem.”
“…Ah.”
“Even Tower Master Delmud can’t control him. He is a war hero, but you might need to have a word with him.”
“Phew….”
Ghislain leaned back in his chair and sighed. Of course, the moment Alfoi was given any freedom, he caused trouble.
Sensing the need for a change in subject, Zwalter shifted the conversation.
“Well, at least you have your Chief Overseer.”
“What about Claude?”
“He’s… quite a diligent man.”
“…Huh?”
“The moment he returned, he threw himself into his work. He’s already gone back out, handling bandit suppression and law enforcement. Since you weren’t back yet, I gave him the order to set out.”
“…That guy?”
“Yes. I remember seeing him before, and he struck me as a lazy… well, never mind. I never imagined he’d work so tirelessly.”
Ghislain folded his arms and furrowed his brow. Claude was competent, but he was far from a workaholic.
Gesturing behind him, Ghislain beckoned one of his aides, who approached and whispered discreetly.
“We were planning to report this after the banquet, but… the investigation is already complete.”
The aide pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to Ghislain. He skimmed through them at lightning speed before smirking.
So, in short—
The trouble caused by Alfoi had been taken care of by Claude.
And now, Claude himself had gotten into trouble and was running around frantically trying to clean up his own mess.
Ghislain chuckled and gave his aide an order.
“Leave them be for now. Pretend we don’t know anything. I think it’ll do them some good to suffer a little.”
“Understood.”
Alfoi would be struggling in the eastern region, while Claude would be losing sleep trying to scrape together military funds.
In short, the two fools had brought this upon themselves. It was best to let them be for now.
Ghislain and Zwalter continued their conversation, catching up after so long.
At one point, Zwalter grew curious about Ghislain’s plans and asked,
“I heard you’re organizing a pursuit team to track Duke Delfine and Gartros. It’ll take some time to find them so what do you plan to do in the meantime?”
Ghislain had already made up his mind about that. A sly grin spread across his lips.
“I’m going to wipe out the Forest of Beasts.”
The forest had long plagued his domain.
And a thousand years ago, it had even been known as the Demonic Abyss.
It was time to erase that cursed land once and for all.
[a]is this a joke or a mistranslation, can't tell
[b]I assume a joke
[c]maybe
[d]seems a joke.