Episode 134 Continental Summit (2)
"Welcome to the Roselia Cathedral, Lord Rapori, Lady Cecily. It's been a while. It's unfortunate that we're meeting under such circumstances."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Saintess."
"Hello, Saintess. I'm Cecily Granwood, a High Elf from the Elven Kingdom."
The Elf girl, who had been a bit special when they left, had now become a proper High Elf and formally greeted the Saintess.
Liesta, feeling a strange sense of pride, warmly welcomed Cecily, and a friendly atmosphere was created.
Actually, Cecily, the Elf, was older than her, despite her appearance, but that wasn't important right now.
"Hahaha, I also thought my last mission would be my last external duty, but things turned out this way."
Rapori chuckled awkwardly and shrugged.
It was inevitable for Rapori to personally lead the envoy because this matter was so serious.
But it was quite unexpected for Cecily, who should have been diligently studying in Drasha, to also participate in the envoy. It was the result of her strong desire to return to the Ion Continent.
'I won't get many chances to cross the continent like this. I can use this opportunity to fulfill my promise to properly repay Harley.'
And the Elven Kingdom's leadership accepted her opinion.
The envoy itself wasn't dangerous, and it could be a good experience as part of her education.
"I heard the news. Sir Heinrich became a Saint? I thought he was extraordinary back then, and when I heard the news, I thought, 'As expected'."
"Hehehe… He'll also be happy to see you. He's currently busy re-examining the cathedral's security."
Their reunion, which took place after a long time, didn't last long because of the Saintess's busy schedule, as she was welcoming others.
The Elven Kingdom's envoy was guided to their lodging, where they would stay until the meeting began.
Everyone was satisfied with the smooth schedule, but there was one person who was subtly dejected…
"Wh-what? I'm not disappointed or anything. I knew it would be like this from the beginning!"
Harris didn't say anything, but she seemed startled by his gaze, as she fidgeted with the belts around her body.
"O-of course? There's no way there would be any problems with an envoy of this scale, right? This is just in case…"
He still didn't say anything, and Shapiron just kept making unconvincing excuses in a small voice.
'Well, it's the mature thing to do to pretend I don't know.'
Harris just looked at her with a warm gaze, and Rapori, who was subtly glancing at him with an amused look, did the same.
Naturally, he was also an accomplice, as he didn't stop her.
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Envoys from various forces started to arrive at the cathedral one after another.
Of course, not a single one was absent.
'Actually, it's only natural because not participating in such a large-scale event is practically declaring diplomatic isolation.'
It wasn't called a 'summit' for nothing.
It was unthinkable to be absent now that everyone was gathering with one mind, even though it might have been a different story before the event was confirmed.
And with the convenient transportation method of the gate, the tight schedule wasn't an obstacle.
And so, time passed without any major problems.
Finally, the day of the 'Continental Summit' that everyone had been waiting for arrived.
Knock, knock—
Deep inside the Roselia Cathedral, which was heavily guarded by holy knights stationed everywhere.
Heinrich, dressed in armor that was even shinier than usual, lightly knocked on the door.
"Saintess Liesta? It's Heinrich. It's time to go to the conference hall, are you ready?"
"Yes! I'll be right out!"
Immediately after the answer, the door opened, and she carefully approached, dressed in a formal robe, along with her female priest attendants.
She couldn't help but be conscious of her appearance, as it was a formal occasion…
'She seems a bit nervous. Well, it's her first time at such a big event.'
Liesta approached him with a stiff expression.
She had been active as the face of the Main God Church, but she was still just a nineteen-year-old girl.
Naturally, it was her first time at an event of this scale, and anyone would be nervous in such a situation.
Of course, Heinrich, the master of emotional control, didn't show any signs of anxiety.
He pretended not to notice her nervousness and casually spoke to her.
"Many people came from various places this time. It's my first time seeing people from all over the world. You must have a lot of experience with this, Saintess?"
"Th-that… Ahem, yes. It's been over seven years since I became the Saintess. I'm used to meeting various people, but…"
"And it's all thanks to your hard work, Saintess. It's a gathering made possible by your efforts to unite people from all over, so it must be a new experience for you."
"…It was my duty. You've also worked hard, Saint! You must have been busy inspecting the holy land's security lately."
As they walked towards the conference hall with their attendants following at a distance, a conversation naturally flowed, and he could feel the Saintess's tension gradually easing.
She had holy magic to help her maintain her composure, so the reason she was nervous was purely because of the mental burden.
She was the face and representative of the Church in this situation.
'But now there's also Heinrich, the Saint, so she doesn't have to bear the burden alone.'
The Saintess also seemed to realize that and gradually let go of her burden as she talked to him, who was nonchalant, and by the time they reached the conference hall, she had returned to her usual self.
"But many others have already inspected it several times, was there a need for you to personally inspect the security, Saint? And even wearing armor instead of your robes."
"I'm also a holy knight and a hero who will fight the Immortal King directly. Wouldn't this appearance be more reassuring? And this place's security is a matter of the Main God Church's prestige, so we have to thoroughly check it."
Not only high-ranking officials who had been entrusted with full authority from each country on the continent, but also representatives from minor religions that worshipped the Sea God, the Earth God, and so on, and major forces like the Magic Tower Alliance and the Mercenary Guild were present.
Including their attendants and bodyguards, a huge number of outsiders had entered this place at once.
Naturally, the cathedral's security was tighter than ever.
Not only were Paladins and Archbishops mobilized, but it was even considered natural for Heinrich, the Saint, to personally lead them.
'And the Heresy Inquisitors are secretly monitoring the participants just in case.'
There might be those who infiltrated with malicious intent.
Fortunately, they hadn't found anyone yet.
"Ah, you've both arrived. Then, shall we go in?"
They finally joined Cardinal Cordelia, who was waiting to assist with the proceedings, in front of the conference hall.
They heard that everyone else was already inside, so the meeting would begin as soon as they entered.
The 'Continental Summit' that would decide the future of this world.
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The grand conference hall prepared inside the Roselia Cathedral.
In the center, seats were arranged in a circle for the representatives of each force and their attendants, and seats were prepared on the outside for the members of the envoys who accompanied them.
Most of the seats were filled as it was right before the summit began, but the atmosphere varied subtly depending on the relationship between each force.
'Whew, this is tough. I hope we can get something out of this meeting.'
And among them, the one who was most busily moving around and contacting various envoys was…
Prince Dennis Rohan, the heir to the Rohan Duchy.
He first approached the Empire, their closest ally, to ask for support, but the Crown Prince, who was representing them, just seemed annoyed.
He said it was difficult to dispatch troops right now and that they would continue to provide military supplies like they had been doing so far, so they should just endure a little longer.
He had hoped that things would be different if he asked in person, but it was no different from what they had already discussed through official channels several times.
'Of course, I'm grateful for the material support, but hundreds of people are dying every day…! We don't have enough people to use them.'
He understood that the Empire was also struggling because of the monsters, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
The Rohan Duchy was hanging by a thread, unlike the Azeria Empire, which was holding out relatively well.
Dennis slowly looked around the spacious conference hall.
It was a spectacle in itself, seeing the forces that ruled the continent gathered in one place.
It was unfortunate that there was no one among them who would help his country.
'…I couldn't even talk to the non-human races. Well, even if things went well, they wouldn't have been able to send troops because of the distance.'
His gaze turned towards the envoys from the Enamel Continent, who were gathered together.
The 'Elven Kingdom', the kingdom of Elves who worshipped the World Tree,
'Titania', the nation founded by Dwarves who worshipped the 'God of Fire and Metal'.
And others who believed in their own indigenous religions, such as the beastmen alliance 'Wild Land' and the lizardmen community 'Central Swamp'…
They were mostly non-human races who weren't friendly towards humans, except for the Main God Church, so it wasn't even easy to approach them.
Most of them wouldn't have even attended if it hadn't been for the Church's request.
'Unlike the Ion Continent, which is in chaos, the Enamel Continent is relatively peaceful.'
Of course, they would provide support at the continental level to prevent the fire from spreading, just like in the previous Immortal King incidents, but what the Rohan Duchy, whose country was in danger, wanted wasn't at that level.
They desperately needed more immediate and practical military power.
'The Zepia Republic, which has a bad relationship with the Empire, didn't even want to listen to us. It can't be helped since our duchy is pro-Empire…'
But he couldn't find any other country that showed a positive response, even after all his efforts.
Not only the Talia, Sharotti, Tulk, and Lesque Kingdoms, the four-kingdom alliance in the west, which suffered less damage because there were fewer undead appearances,
But also the Wizet Magic Kingdom, an island nation in the southeast where the Magic Tower Alliance's headquarters was located, and the Calcos Tribal Federation in the south.
It was natural for them to be reluctant to send their forces outside in this chaotic situation, but he couldn't help but feel resentful.
'The minor religions don't really have any combat power to speak of. The Mercenary Guild promised to introduce large mercenary groups, but I don't know how long it'll take to negotiate with them.'
That's why the results of this summit were important.
The Main God Church was already supporting the Rohan Duchy by dispatching holy knight orders and even Paladins.
They would properly understand how serious the situation in the duchy was.
It would probably be dealt with as a high-priority issue.
If a continental allied force was created and helped the duchy, they would be able to overcome this crisis.
As Dennis Rohan was racking his brains,
Clank—
The door to the conference hall opened, and the Church's representatives finally entered.
Everyone's gaze focused on them, and those who had been chattering unconsciously shut their mouths.
Quite a few people entered at once, including those who would be assisting with the proceedings, but the only ones who stood out were the two men and women at the front.
"Huh— As expected of those who are loved by God. It's like the space around them is a different world."
"That's the newly born Saint…"
"Hmm… I saw him briefly before, but his presence is truly overwhelming."
The envoys started whispering among themselves after a moment of silence.
Unlike Saintess Liesta, who was already well-known for her various external activities, everyone's attention was focused on Saint Heinrich, as this was his first official appearance.
No, they couldn't help but focus on him.
He was a man who naturally exuded a fierce aura as hot and intense as a burning flame, unlike his gentle and benevolent smile and the devout atmosphere surrounding him.
He was the hero and hope of this era, the one who would confront the Immortal King and end this chaos.