Episode 157 The Aftermath of the Capital Invasion (1)
Since it was a long distance, the envoys from the Enamel Continent, including the Elven Kingdom, were the first to leave the Roselia Cathedral after the summit ended.
After quickly moving east with the cooperation of each temple, they arrived at the forest at the eastern end of the continent in a day, and were currently heading towards the Enamel Continent through the 'Forest Path' operated by Rapori and Cecily.
"In the end, we were only in the eastern forest and the temple in the Ion Continent, and spent the rest of the time inside the temple. It's only natural since we didn't come here to play, but still..."
Shapiron muttered softly as she walked through the forest path with Harris.
Her attire was much lighter than when they came, and all her luggage was neatly stored in the subspace magic tool on her wrist.
He felt a bit sorry for her, seeing her like a child who had realized reality…
But that was how everyone grew up.
"Still, it's not often that you get a chance to meet people from all over the world. And they're all in positions that are difficult to meet normally."
Rustle, rustle—
Harris comforted her in a gentle voice and handed her a bag of popcorn.
"Hey, I'm not a child! Why do you always give me food whenever I say something? I know it couldn't be helped!"
She complained again, as if she was dissatisfied with the treatment, but of course, she didn't refuse the popcorn in her hand.
And then Shapiron, who was quietly walking through the forest path and munching diligently, suddenly looked back at him.
"Come to think of it, you didn't have a chance to look around the city either, where did you get this? Did you sneak out alone?!"
"Ah! It was a gift. From that big guy we met a while ago. He packed a bunch of stuff in a subspace magic tool and gave it to me before we parted ways."
"Ah… that, unique person, right? I thought he was related to the beastmen. …Huh? If he's a Dragonborn, that's not entirely wrong, is it?"
He had casually changed the subject to avoid a difficult topic, but she was completely fooled and tilted her head, lost in thought.
But at that moment, someone intervened to solve her problem.
"No, no! Beastmen and Dragonborn are completely different, missy."
A beastman approached them, speaking casually.
He had a lion's mane and a massive physique, although not as big as Harley.
It was Lionel, the lion beastman representative of Wild Land, who had participated in the fight against the Immortal King.
"Beastmen are just born that way, and Dragonborn are artificially created beings by dragons. Of course, Dragonborn can pass down their blood to future generations through reproduction, but their roots are different."
He had been silent throughout the meeting, only rampaging during the fight, so it was hard to believe he was the same person, as he spoke to them so kindly.
"But what's that in your hand, missy? It smells delicious."
…He probably wasn't approaching them because he was tempted by food.
He seemed a bit interested, though.
"Ah, this?"
And Shapiron widened her eyes at his blunt question and handed him the popcorn bag she had been rustling.
It seemed like Harris had been mistaken about her being a glutton, as she didn't seem to mind sharing it with him at all.
"I already ate it all, but do you want to smell it?"
"…No, it's okay, missy. I have a good nose."
It seemed like he wasn't interested because it was just an empty bag.
He hesitated for a moment, seemingly flustered by her shamelessness, and then cleared his throat and continued.
"Ahem, anyway, I'm indebted to the Elven Kingdom in many ways. Thanks to that guy, we were able to defeat the Immortal King, and now we're even receiving help with intercontinental travel."
"It's good to help each other out. But I heard you were also seriously injured back then, Lionel, are you okay now?"
"Huh? Ah! Of course. How could I still be groaning after all this time? And I received intensive treatment at the cathedral, so if I couldn't recover quickly, I wouldn't be a beastman!"
It was the pride of a beastman, who was born with a strong body.
"Tsk, we need to build a Main God Church temple in Enamel soon. You heard the news, right? Something big happened in the Empire's capital."
"…Yes, the Immortal King attacked Jeron."
But they couldn't do anything because they were already traveling through the Forest Path.
And in the first place, they came here as envoys, not for combat support, so it would have been difficult for them to do anything.
"If we could travel through the temple's gate, we could have responded more quickly… Actually, it was discussed 300 years ago, but it fizzled out after the Immortal King was defeated."
Of course, there were priests among the non-human races of the Enamel Continent who prioritized the Main God over their own religions, but their religious facilities were limited to large temples.
Naturally, there wasn't a single temple that met the minimum requirements for installing a gate.
And to build a temple, they needed not only various materials but also high-ranking priests, so the cooperation of the entire race was needed to meet all those conditions in the Enamel Continent.
'But it's awkward for them to help when they have their own national religion, even if they respect the Main God.'
They wouldn't interfere, but they wouldn't actively help build a temple either.
The fact that the need arose 300 years ago meant that it wasn't really necessary for the following 300 years.
'But everyone showed a positive response at the summit. I'm sure it'll be decided after the non-human leaders discuss it among themselves when we get back.'
Then they would be able to quickly build a temple with support at the continental level.
The High Elves would probably be in charge of bringing the necessary high-ranking priests from the Ion Continent.
'…It seems like the need for them as a means of transportation is only increasing.'
Harris, the High Elf candidate, made a subtle expression.
It wasn't someone else's problem anymore.
While a major incident was unfolding in the Ion Continent,
The non-human envoy, including Harris, was leisurely walking through the peaceful forest path without any problems.
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Roselia Cathedral, Third Central Dining Hall.
"Hahaha—! I'm finally full! I was starving after that intense workout. It's a bit lacking, but overeating isn't good, so I'll stop here."
The one who confidently left the dining hall, patting his stomach with a satisfied expression…
"They said it was fine to just season and grill it, but as expected of the cathedral's chefs, their skills and dedication are top-notch! I enjoyed the meal."
Was Harley, the barbarian warrior who had returned to the holy land after supporting Jeron.
And the kitchen inside the dining hall was like a battlefield, with the chefs all exhausted and catching their breath.
"…He's a tough opponent. He was even worse than before today."
"He just came back from a fierce battle outside, so it's only natural."
"Hehehe, but we won't lose. Our Third Central Kitchen is the cathedral's elite…"
"Um… Head Chef?"
The head chef cautiously interrupted him as he was enjoying their victory.
Of course, he could understand the head chef's feelings.
He had almost lost his will to live when the food he had painstakingly prepared disappeared down Harley's throat in a few seconds.
But this was one of the places responsible for feeding the cathedral.
They had a high tolerance for big eaters, as they dealt with hundreds of holy warriors and holy knights every day.
But that was the problem.
"It's almost dinner time. We're already a bit behind schedule, so if we don't start preparing now…"
"…Right."
Providing a meal for Harley, who had helped the Church, wasn't a pre-scheduled task.
In other words, their original task… satisfying the countless hungry mouths of those who had been starving after intense training, hadn't even begun yet.
"Whew, right. We can't be discouraged by this much. Hurry up and move, you guys! How long are you going to slack off? We're the Third Central Kitchen, the best in Roselia!"
"Yes, Head Chef!"
They dragged their tired bodies and started preparing for a new battle.
They had just fought a tough opponent during their break time, so some might collapse after everything was over…
But even if that happened, it wasn't a problem.
After all, this was the Roselia Cathedral, which boasted the best medical facilities on the continent!
"Uh— Should I have eaten a bit more? I'm already a bit hungry…"
Harley left the kitchen, where determination was swirling, muttering something that would make the chefs grab their necks if they heard it, and walked down the cathedral's hallway.
He could just eat the meat he had stocked up in his subspace, but it was only natural that the food prepared by chefs was more delicious.
It might have looked like he was just shoving everything down his throat to others, but his transcendental sense of taste didn't miss even the slightest nuance in those brief moments.
'No, it's fine. I ate more than usual. It would be shameless to ask for more, even if it's free.'
He had consumed a considerable amount of energy after dealing with Hans and the immortal army, but he was priding himself on being the last conscience of this era, so this much consideration was basic.
'…Anyway, it seems like Heinrich still needs some time.'
Harley, who was just a guest, was able to return immediately after finishing his work in Jeron.
But Heinrich had to stay there to clean up the mess, and it was difficult for him, who could be considered the highest-ranking official of the Church, to leave immediately because of the gravity of the matter.
'And the Jeron Cathedral is short-staffed because of the dispatch to the Rohan Duchy and this incident.'
Still, the distance between Jeron and the holy land wasn't that great, so they had enough leeway to send Harley back.
The working-level staff from the Roselia Cathedral had already left for Jeron, so Heinrich would also be able to return soon.
'Anyway, this incident is over.'
After the Immortal King's invasion of the capital,
The entire capital, from the imperial family to the lower rungs of society, including back alley organizations, was struggling to clean up the mess.
Fortunately, there were no further casualties in the imperial palace because the barrier hadn't been destroyed…
But many members of the knight orders who had to directly face the Immortal King were killed or injured, and even the captain of the Imperial Guard, a master-level knight, was seriously injured and had to recuperate for a while.
The situation was no different for the noble families and other organizations that were attacked.
The immortal army, which had become subordinate to Hans and was able to accept a part of his magic power, was mercilessly cleaning up, having been granted a part of "Abyssal Eye"'s ability, the so-called evil karma detector.
'It's difficult for Olivia to control them all by herself. Of course, the standards have become harsher than usual.'
Well, it couldn't be helped.
If someone had to be sacrificed, it should be the evil ones, that was his usual belief.
Of course,
He had already realized a long time ago that he wasn't 'good' either.
'…Anyway, Isea seemed to have a strong bond with the princess. I expected it to some extent, but she was more active than I thought. And now I have to take care of the hostages, so this…'
"Ah, Harley? You're here. Can we talk for a moment?"
As Harley, lost in thought, was heading towards the training ground for some post-meal exercise, someone suddenly approached him and spoke.
It was the secretary general of the Mercenary Guild, who was in charge of the guild's practical matters in place of the 'Mercenary King', one of those who had recommended him for the expedition and brought him here.