~Knock, knock
As I gently tapped on the door, the hero soon came out and opened it for us, allowing us to enter the room. Inside,
Olivia and Agnes had already gathered.
As soon as we entered, we asked them what they had been discussing before we arrived.
They replied that they were having a small debate about the reason why mana had disappeared from the land of Viln, and from their answers, we understood the cause of the heightened voices we had just heard.
The reason Olivia’s voice had been raised was trivial; it was simply a difference of opinion with the hero.
The disagreement was as follows: Olivia argued that the current situation made no sense and insisted that they should go investigate the agricultural land immediately.
According to her, this was not merely an issue with the land, but there had to be another reason behind it.
However, the hero responded that rather than rushing to investigate, it was more important to first sort out the chaotic situation in Viln.
He pointed out that their purpose in coming was to prevent the spread of a suspected heretical religion, not to resolve a natural disaster.
As their opinions diverged and ran parallel, they began to persuade each other, but the stubbornness of the two did not lead to any compromise, resulting in the loud argument we had just overheard.
“So Olivia, you’re saying it’s impossible for mana to disappear from the land of Viln?”
“Right.”
“But it’s gone now?”
“That’s why it doesn’t make sense! Viln is one of the few areas with mana flowing through it!
Moreover, mana from the surrounding area gathers here, so it’s absolutely impossible for the mana to just disappear.
That’s why this place is called a blessed land!”
“But you saw it vanish.”
“Exactly!
That’s what’s strange.
Vast amounts of mana are supposed to be flowing through the land, yet it suddenly disappears?
It’s ridiculous!
Even if the vegetation here changed bizarrely, that could be explained, but this isn’t the case.
If what you’re saying is true and mana just disappeared, something should have replaced it.
When mana is used, it creates a corresponding cost.
That’s the law of the world.
But what’s here?
Nothing at all.
Therefore, this clearly indicates that a different problem has arisen. It’s not just a normal natural disaster.”
“Who doesn’t know that?!”
“Then, Dane, let’s go check it out tomorrow. I need to see it for myself. There must be something we’ve missed.”
“But we came here to resolve that—”
“Seriously! There might be a way to fix the cause right now, so why should we worry about that?”
Olivia shot a piercing glance at the hero.
“Ha… then let’s listen to others’ opinions and decide.”
The hero said this to Olivia and then turned to us.
“What do you all think?”
At the hero’s question, Bliss stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought, before speaking up.
“We plan to report to the Holy Kingdom at the church in the morning. After finishing the report and praying, we can gather information from the priests here… I think we should be ready by the afternoon.”
“I share the same thoughts as Bliss.”
I raised my hand in agreement with Bliss’s suggestion.
The hero nodded at our words and turned to Agnes.
“What do you think, Agnes?”
“I don’t mind what we do first.”
Well, that’s unanimous, except for one person.
“Then let’s all go to the problematic agricultural land in the afternoon. Olivia, is that okay now?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s wrap up for today and plan to head to the agricultural land when Bliss and Ruina return tomorrow afternoon.”
With the hero’s words, our schedule for the next day was set, and our late-night meeting concluded.
The next morning, Bliss, Reina, and I left the lord’s castle and headed to the church nearby.
As we entered the church, a mid-level priest named Liam welcomed us, and we were able to hear what had happened here.
During our conversation, I noticed that, unlike other places, there were strangely no nuns in the cathedral.
When I asked why, I learned that security had worsened recently, leading to the deployment of more male guards.
One important piece of information came to light:
“Are you saying that an Inquisition has been dispatched here?”
This was the news that an Inquisitor had been sent to this very place.
“Yes.”
Liam nodded at Bliss’s surprised comment.
An Inquisitor, as the name implies, is a special person tasked with identifying heretics and guiding them back to the right path; as far as I know, it is usually the Holy Knights who take on this role.
After all, if there is a religion suspected of heresy, it would be natural to dispatch an Inquisitor.
However, Bliss didn’t seem to think so.
“Who exactly was dispatched?”
Bliss asked Liam in an urgent voice, his face pale with anxiety.
Why is he reacting like this?
Isn’t an Inquisitor a significant figure within the religion?
And soon, I understood why Bliss was behaving this way.
“Oh, here comes Arto…”
Just as Liam was about to answer Bliss’s question,
~Bang!
The church door burst open with a loud sound.
“I’m back, Liam! The Knight of Justice, Artorius!”
A man clad in silver armor with golden hair entered, loudly announcing his arrival.
“Welcome back, Artorius! What took you so long?”
Liam greeted him warmly.
I doubted my ears.
The reason was that he was one of the Paladins.
Paladins—knights who serve the gods.
Among them, the seven strongest.
In this world, the seven strongest holy knights within the religion are referred to as Paladins.
They have titles just like the seven demon lords.
The Guardian of Faith
The Prince of Hope
The Lady of Love
The Sage of Wisdom
Justice’s Artorius
Courage’s Kelein
Temperance’s Calavan
These are names that one might have heard at least once.
They are also names that any demon would inevitably come across.
The names of these seven are well known among demons.
This is because these seven are troublesome individuals who stand in the way of our kind, second only to the Hero.
Among humans, some say they are the strongest individuals, excluding the Hero.
Perhaps that’s why they are often compared to our seven Dukes.
I couldn’t hide my confusion.
I couldn’t understand why someone like him would be here.
Shouldn’t he be in the front lines or in a bigger arena?
Hmm… Could it be because he’s an Inquisitor?
Considering that Viln isn’t such a small town…
All the paladins I had seen before were in the midst of blood-soaked battles, so it was my first time seeing a paladin in such a peaceful place.
As I was thinking this, the paladin and Liam began to chat joyfully.
“Hmm! I’ve been busy searching for heretics today as well!”
“Did you have any success?”
“None! They were hiding so well that I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of them! Hahaha!”
The paladin answered and suddenly burst into loud laughter. Liam looked at him, seemingly incredulous.
“What? You can see them if you just go to the plaza. At the free food distribution site.”
“Oh come on, I can’t go disrupt a place that’s helping people! That wouldn’t be just!”
The paladin clenched his fist and shouted in response to Liam’s comment.
“What I want is real evidence! For example… Hmm?”
His gaze, which had been focused on Liam, finally turned towards us. Had he just noticed us?
“Hmm? Hmmm?”
The paladin quickly approached us and seemed to stare intensely at us as if trying to confirm something.
“Oh! Is that not Bliss? It’s been so long!”
He greeted Bliss loudly.
“Damn it… of all people, it had to be you. Long time no see, Artorius.”
Wait, do they know each other?
“Do you know each other?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
Bliss said this with a deep sigh.
What’s going on? Is their relationship not good?
“Who is the person next to you?”
“This person is…”
The paladin asked about my identity, looking at me next to Bliss.
But for some reason, Bliss trailed off at the end of her sentence.
When she meets others, she usually introduces me before I can speak, so why is she acting like this?
Could it be…
Is she trying to help me introduce myself to the paladin?
Then I should take advantage of that.
I smiled and greeted him.
“I am Ruina.”
“Oh… no…”
What? Why?
Why does Bliss’s expression seem to be getting worse?
“Ruina… Ruina… I’ve heard that name somewhere…”
Upon hearing my name, the paladin seemed to ponder deeply for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed with a bright face.
“Oh! You’re that person!
The Saint of Prophecy who made a tremendous contribution to defeating the Demon King and has now been recognized!
I wanted to meet you at least once, and this is perfect!
Just as the rumors said, you’re truly beautiful!
A beauty of justice!”
Artorius is also truly impressive, just as the rumors say.
Since it’s my first time meeting a paladin of the Order, I’m genuinely grateful right now.
My heart is racing.
“Well then! May I have the honorable opportunity to give you a ‘formal greeting’?”
Oh, a formal greeting. I never expected to experience something like this in my life.
I slightly nodded at the paladin, who was waiting for my response.
“Go ahead.”
“Then please give me your hand!”
Huh?
Why does he need my hand?
I was puzzled as to why a handshake was necessary for a formal greeting, but without thinking much about it, I extended my hand to him.
“Here you go.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
He took my hand gently, knelt on one knee, and then kissed the back of my hand.
~Chuuuuup
“Eh?”
It made a sound as if he was sucking on it strongly.
“Ugh!”
Startled by the sensation of my hand seemingly being sucked in somewhere, I quickly pulled my hand back.
He had sucked so hard that a light red mark was left on the back of my hand.
What the hell? Is this normal?
Seeing this, Bliss shouted at him in a panicked voice.
“Ah… Artorius! What are you doing?!”
“Can’t you see? I’m giving a formal greeting to the God’s representative.”
“What kind of ridiculous act is that while calling it a formal greeting?! And why in the world would you do such a thing…?!”
“When a knight greets a lady, it’s customary to kiss the back of her hand. Isn’t that ‘common sense’?”
The paladin said with a completely calm expression.
Is… is this really common sense?
I started to seriously ponder the common sense of this world while fiddling with the kiss mark on my hand.
“You’re a holy knight after all!”
“A knight is still a knight!”
The paladin said that and grinned, his neat white teeth shining brightly.
“Ugh… Ugh…! This is insane! You did something I’ve never even done so easily!”
Bliss shouted in frustration.
It was clear how upset she was, as her tightly clenched fists were trembling.
But shouldn’t I be the one angry…?
Why does it seem like Bliss is angrier than I am?
However, despite Bliss’s seemingly angry expression, the paladin spoke without flinching.
“By the way, your presence here means the Hero must be around, right?”
“That’s right…”
“I should go greet the Hero as well! I’ve been so busy looking for heretics that I haven’t had the time!”
“Didn’t you say to me that you were overflowing with time?”
I could faintly hear Liam’s voice from the back, but it seemed to be drowned out by the paladin’s loud voice and didn’t reach him.
“I’ll make time to visit soon, so please send my regards to the Hero!”
Bliss avoided the paladin’s gaze.
“Bliss?”
Even after the paladin called her name again, there was no response.
Why is Bliss avoiding answering?
“There’s no response! But according to ancient principles of justice, silence means tacit consent! So I’ll take it as your approval!”
The paladin said with a grin to Bliss, who wasn’t responding, then turned his head toward us.
“Liam! I’ll come back later! And Ruina! I hope to see you again next time!”
“Yes, I hope we can meet again.”
“Well then, the Knight of Justice will go look for heretics now!”
He bid us farewell with a big laugh and then disappeared back outside the church.
After he left, there was a moment of silence in the church.
Why do I suddenly feel drained of energy?
I couldn’t say a word.
It felt like a storm had come and gone, perhaps?
“Is it normal for paladins to act like that…?”
“No! That guy is just an exception; the others are truly outstanding individuals…”
Bliss began to speak hurriedly, as if trying to protect the image of the paladins, in response
to my weak question, but I noticed something.
Behind the rambling Bliss, Liam was nodding with a wry smile.
I see… So that’s how it is… Perhaps the paladins I met on the battlefield before were like
those people too; they all seemed perfectly fine on the outside… Indeed, you never know what’s inside a person.
After our stormy meeting with the paladin, a few minutes later, we came to our senses,
finished our report upon safely arriving at the Vatican, and completed our morning prayers.
‘By the way, she is still sleeping soundly despite all this noise.’
I woke Reina, who was dozing off in her chair, and we began heading toward the Hero’s location.
Bliss’s pronouns keep getting messed up