"We'll hold onto your belongings for you."
Before entering the inner sanctum, I underwent a body search.
Everything that could potentially be used as a weapon was confiscated.
From my beloved knife to my scrolls — I had to hand it all over.
They didn't ask me to remove my armor, though. They probably didn't consider the armor itself a weapon.
As a gesture of good faith, I decided to hand over the left gauntlet fitted with an absorption stone and the right gauntlet equipped with a shotgun.
The interior of the inner sanctum was laid out like a maze.
Not a single straight corridor — everything was composed of curves.
On top of that, the walls were painted pure white, making it impossible to see what lay at the end of each passage.
Well, this was the heart of the Millis Church. Naturally, it would have been designed with the possibility of enemy invasion in mind.
Cliff navigated through it all effortlessly and led us to the Pope's office.
The office was guarded by two knights and a barrier.
"I should mention upfront — magic won't work in here."
"Understood."
Was the barrier holy-tier or king-tier?
Were the knights holy-tier or king-tier?
I couldn't tell for sure, but if a fight broke out, I'd be limited to hand-to-hand combat.
"Your Holiness, I've brought him."
Cliff's grandfather, Harry Grimol, was on the other side of the transparent barrier.
He looked exactly like the kindly old man I'd imagined from the letter's contents.
A long white beard, and bishop's robes embroidered with gold thread.
"Well, thank you for your efforts."
He lacked Saul's raw power or Reida's sharpness.
I couldn't sense the aura of a strong warrior about him.
But in its place, I felt something else — a vastness of spirit, a capacity to embrace.
So this is the Pope, I thought, and something about him made it click.
Instead of sensing his aura, I perceived his magnanimity.
Just kidding.
"Allow me to introduce him. This is
We studied together at the
He possesses magical talent that surpasses my own and is an extraordinarily capable individual.
I intend to maintain a long relationship with him going forward, so I thought it best to introduce him to Your Holiness."
At Cliff's introduction, the Pope slowly nodded, maintaining his genial expression.
He was saying that anything beyond that would have to come from my own mouth.
Since Cliff had introduced me purely as a friend, what came next was up to me.
Just as we'd discussed the night before.
"I see. And so...
What is it that Lord Rudeus wishes to request of me?
Permission to establish a mercenary company?
Or perhaps a permit to sell the dolls of the Spilld tribe?
Or maybe... a summons to submit to the Dragon God
No — Cliff had apparently already filled him in.
My objectives, my circumstances, why I'd come to this country.
Well, he would've had to explain all that eventually, so it didn't matter.
It actually saved me the trouble of having to explain myself.
...Wait?
Cliff was looking back and forth between me and the Pope with a startled expression.
"As expected of one known as the 'Right Hand of the Dragon God.' Not even flinching... Cliff, you should learn from this."
By the time I realized what had happened, it was already too late.
The Pope's misunderstanding was complete in the blink of an eye.
"I apologize, but I took the liberty of investigating you beforehand."
He read aloud from the documents in front of him, still wearing his pleasant smile.
"Rudeus Greyrat.
Scion of the noble
Son of
Caught up in the Teleportation Incident, yet returned on his own three years later.
Enrolled in the University of Magic and formed close ties with Princess Ariel.
Several years later, fought the 'Dragon God' Orsted and was brought under his banner.
Played a covert role in the conflict within the
Helped current King Ariel Anemoi Asura ascend to the throne.
Thereafter, has been establishing private forces in various regions while calling upon those in power to cooperate with the Dragon God Orsted...
Is there anything inaccurate?"
So they'd investigated me. But it wasn't as if I'd been hiding anything.
If someone wanted to look into me, they could. The person sitting before me was exactly the kind of person who had both the means and the reason to do so.
No need to be surprised. However, there were errors.
"There are three mistakes.
I didn't return from the Demon Continent on my own. I received the aid of a Spilld tribe warrior named
I wasn't the one who defeated the Water God Reida — that was a combined effort between Aubert, Sword King Ghysland, Sword King
And most importantly, please also add that I am a disciple of
"Oh my, what an honest man."
The Pope nodded with an "mmm" and scribbled something on the papers before him.
I couldn't tell what he was writing, but at the very least I wanted him to note down that I was Roxy's student.
"Then, the reason you're selling the Spilld tribe dolls — is it as repayment to the Spilld tribe? Not because you're plotting to topple the state through an increase in literacy rates?"
"Yes."
"I see."
Why was it that raising literacy rates would topple the state again? ...
I was pretty sure it was the same logic as the theory that when the wind blows, the sandal-maker profits.
"And this call for cooperation with Lord Orsted — what is the reasoning behind it?"
"About eighty years from now, the Demon God Laplace is set to resurrect. This is preparation for that."
Even at this answer, the Pope's expression didn't change at all. He simply nodded as though everything made sense.
"I see. So you came to request my cooperation through Cliff. The idea being: if you want the Dragon God on your side, you'd better listen... is that it?"
"No, that's not it."
Something about this old man — it felt like he'd already shifted into negotiation mode.
Well, whatever. Negotiation was necessary regardless.
I'd say what needed to be said.
"The one I want on my side is Cliff."
"Oh? Then you'd place yourself behind Cliff and support him?"
"Well... originally, that was the plan, but Cliff said he wanted to 'test how far he can get on his own strength alone,' so I held off. At the very least, I won't be getting involved until he's established himself as someone of consequence within the Church."
When I said that, the Pope's face lit up.
It was the look of a grandfather whose grandson had scored a hundred on a test.
"Is that so? Cliff said something like that, did he..."
"Yes. So today, I ask you to deal with me as an individual — as Rudeus, a subordinate of the Dragon God."
I said it straight.
They'd already investigated me. There were gaps in their information, sure, but the broad strokes were correct.
As for what else they might know — I couldn't say.
So I'd start by not lying.
They say the honest man is a fool, but those who despise honesty are few and far between.
"I have two requests: support for the establishment of a mercenary company, and a permit to sell the Spilld tribe dolls."
I'd leave the Latreia family matter aside for now.
It was personal, and as long as a connection was established, it could serve as a deterrent.
"Very well."
The Pope gazed at me, still wearing his gentle smile.
A poker face, as they say. He was smiling, but his expression didn't shift.
"I believe that the bonds between people can never truly be severed."
The Pope continued, almost as if speaking to himself.
Perhaps it was meant as a warning — to me, for trying to sever Cliff from the equation and make my request through him. Or to Cliff, for thinking about the matter without factoring me in.
"Therefore, purely out of respect for your connection with Cliff... I will provide support for the mercenary company."
He said it so readily.
For a split second, I wondered if he wasn't going to ask for anything in return, but I quickly dismissed the thought. The phrase "out of respect for your connection with Cliff" was the return.
Once Cliff rose in influence, I — aligned with the pro-Cliff faction — would bring enormous benefit to the Pope.
For him, this was an investment in the future.
"However, I'm afraid granting permission for the Spilld tribe dolls will be difficult."
"Why is that?"
"I hold the position of Pope as the leader of the pro-demon faction.
But recently, the anti-demon faction of cardinals has been gaining strength.
As things stand, I don't have enough influence to unilaterally approve the sale of Spilld tribe dolls.
The next Pope will almost certainly be chosen from the exclusionist faction, won't he...?"
The Pope looked at me as he said this.
Was this a veiled suggestion that I crush the anti-demon faction right now?
But that gave me pause.
Acting as the Pope's pawn — fine. I'd already had a falling-out with the Latreia family, so I was on a collision course with them regardless.
I felt bad for Therese, but if need be, whether it was the anti-demon faction or whoever else, I'd crush them.
But wouldn't that end up helping Cliff?
It was ambiguous.
For Cliff to seize power, he'd need opponents. Would it be right for me to eliminate them for him?
Then again, if I cooperated with the Millis Church, the credit would inevitably go to Cliff anyway.
Was that okay?
Hmm...
"...Just to confirm — the support for the mercenary company is settled, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then for today, I'll be satisfied with that promise alone."
I'd table the rest. This wasn't something that needed an immediate conclusion.
Originally, this visit wasn't even about selling Spilld dolls. I'd only planned to establish the mercenary company.
In that case, no point being greedy. I'd leave it here.
"Is that so? What a pity."
The Pope said this with a genial smile.
--- Cliff still had things to do, so I left the headquarters alone.
"Haaah..."
The moment I stepped outside, I let out a huge sigh.
I was exhausted.
Today I'd met two different people — the Miko and the Pope.
Both of them seemed to have at least one or two quirks about them.
And they belonged to opposing factions.
The Pope, leader of the pro-demon faction.
The Miko, aligned with the anti-demon faction.
The temple knights were anti-demon.
The Latreia family too.
If all of them were as decent as Therese, that'd be one thing, but normally they'd be teeming with fanatics like those entourage people.
If asked which side I'd pick, the answer was obvious — the pro-demon faction, the Pope's side.
That said, Therese had helped me not once but twice now.
I disliked the Latreia family, but I didn't want to treat her unjustly.
Setting aside her entourage, the Miko herself wasn't all that unpleasant to deal with.
So my decision to table the matter wasn't wrong... I wanted to believe.
Ideally, I'd have stayed neutral, as originally planned.
Idealism was a far-off thing.
In any case, I should try to make contact with the Miko again.
I wanted to get a better read on her abilities.
Whether she was a Human God Apostle... I probably couldn't determine that.
If she was one, though, it would certainly add a lot to think about.
At the very least, when I'd built the mercenary company in the Asura Kingdom, the Human God hadn't interfered.
Was my activity harmless to the Human God, or wasn't it?
I couldn't tell. Thinking about it was pointless.
So for now, I'd proceed under the assumption that there would be no interference.
The moment I felt interference or something off — that would be the time to hunt for the Apostle.
Right now, a few people seemed suspicious.
The Miko, Claire.
But as before, I'd learned the hard way that letting suspicion spiral into worry was a recipe for disaster.
On that front, it would be better to quickly set up a branch for the mercenary company and install a communication tablet to contact Orsted.
Yeah.
First things first — the Pope's cooperation had been secured through today's visit.
So I'd start there.
Scout out and purchase a building for the branch office.
Install a communication tablet and an emergency teleportation circle.
Then send Orsted a business report.
"Right. First, I'll select the building."
My next step was decided.
I should leave the building selection to
Adventurer's District or Commerce District — who would be the target clientele?
All of that should be firmly logged in Aisha's head.
Having someone you could rely on really was reassuring.
The problem was
If she went out and Aisha was also out, there'd be no one to look after her.
Maybe I should have Wendy informed... but well, there was only so much I could figure out on my own.
I'd discuss it when I got home.
--- I took a carriage through town and made it back to Cliff's residence in the Sacred District.
It was dusk.
My stomach was rumbling at just the right time — I was looking forward to dinner.
The one good thing about this area was the fresh eggs.
Boiled eggs, fried eggs, omelets...
Let's see — there was bread too, so I could make pork cutlet sandwiches and the like.
Having even a single egg expanded the range of dishes and my enjoyment of cooking tremendously.
I was really glad I'd brought a cook along.
"I'm home! Man, I'm starv—"
"You weren't back by this hour — what do you think you're doing!?"
The moment I walked in, I was greeted by Aisha's furious yelling.
I hurried inside.
There stood my sister, cornering Wendy.
"Why did you let her go outside!?"
"Sh-she said it was fine..."
"Why would you believe what some stranger tells you!?
You were there for yesterday's talk, weren't you!?
Why wouldn't you ask them about the situation!?
If she wanted to go out, tomorrow would've been fine, wouldn't it!?
If you'd just waited, I would've come back right away!
You could've consulted Onii-chan too!"
"A-all I'm getting is... well... I didn't really understand yesterday's talk, and that person said it was fine, so..."
"That's all you can say?! She was NOT fine, can't you see!?
Are you maybe here to sabotage us!?"
Aisha's shoulders were raised in fury, her fist clenched, while Wendy shrank back...
Seeing Aisha this enraged and shouting was a rare sight.
As I thought that, I reached from behind and grabbed her raised hand.
"Aisha, calm down."
"Shut up!"
She shook me off.
But that was when Aisha seemed to notice me.
"Oh, Onii-chan... I'm sorry..."
She gripped the hand she'd shaken off with her other one and hung her head.
"What happened?"
I asked first, thinking I'd settle it as a draw if it turned out to be a fight.
But Aisha kept her pale face lowered, silent.
She was usually so crisp with her answers.
"Um..."
It was Wendy who answered, seeing that Aisha couldn't.
"So, during the afternoon, a man named Geese showed up..."
"Geese...?"
"He said Zenith-sama had just come back to her hometown, and it was sad for her to shut herself indoors, so he took her out—"
That was when Aisha murmured: "She's not coming back."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Why?
That was all I could think.
"Aisha, calm down. Explain it from the beginning. Can you do that?"
"Mm..."
Aisha began talking.
Apparently, Geese had shown up at the house during the day.
He'd claimed to be a friend of Zenith's and visited the house.
Aisha hadn't seen his face, but based on his description, manner of speaking, build, the contents of his conversation, and his equipment, she was certain it was Geese.
And at that time, I and Aisha had both been out.
"Why were you out, Aisha...?"
"I thought we'd need all sorts of things if we're going to live here, so I went shopping... Wendy can't read, so she wouldn't know what we need, so I... I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's fine."
Aisha had made a bad judgment call.
It was rare for her, but it could happen.
In any case, apparently Geese had spent some time chatting with Zenith and Wendy — the three of them together.
But at some point, Geese had said: "She just came back to her hometown and you're keeping her cooped up? Poor Zenith. How about I show her around the neighborhood?"
Wendy had given her permission.
I wanted to bang my head against the wall — hadn't she listened to yesterday's conversation?
But I couldn't just blame Wendy.
She wasn't part of this situation, and she hadn't seen the dark side of the Latreia family.
It was understandable that it didn't click for her.
And on top of that, Geese was a smooth talker.
That guy was oddly persuasive when it came to winning people over.
I'd been thinking of showing Zenith around town eventually too.
If he'd only be gone for a little over an hour, I could see how someone might let their guard down.
"I immediately went out looking for her, but I couldn't find her..."
Aisha had rushed out of the house right away to search.
But she couldn't find them.
Afternoon turned to evening, and still nothing.
She'd gone back to check if they'd returned, but Zenith hadn't shown up.
Not knowing what to do, she'd been confronting Wendy about it when I came home.
"What do we do, Onii-chan? I was the one who said it was fine... This is my fault, isn't it? What do we do... what do we do!?"
Aisha was panicked in a way I'd never seen before, on the verge of tears.
First priority — calm her down.
"Calm yourself. It's Geese we're talking about. He probably just forgot his promise and got carried away showing her around."
"But we don't know where Zenith Mama is right now!"
"I said calm down."
I was anxious too.
But the one who'd taken her out was Geese.
The guy had zero combat ability, but he was a capable man in every other respect.
That gave me a certain peace of mind.
Well, knowing Geese, he'd probably just gotten wrapped up in something trivial and lost track of time.
Maybe in a little while he'd pop back in, laughing, saying "Sorry, sorry — ran into an old acquaintance and we got to chatting."
"For now, let's wait a bit longer and see if they come back."
That was my decision.
--- Even after the sun had completely set.
Even after Cliff returned looking exhausted.
Zenith and Geese still hadn't come back.
That said, the passage of time had allowed me and Aisha to calm down, at least.
"I'm sorry... but please don't be too hard on Wendy. I don't think she meant any harm..."
Cliff reprimanded Wendy but didn't push it too far, defending her as well.
He hadn't anticipated this situation either, presumably.
He'd originally hired her as a housekeeper. And on top of that, he'd told me she'd gone her whole life without landing a job or finding anyone to take her in — so it was only reasonable to understand that she was a girl of limited capability.
You shouldn't fault someone for a lack of ability.
Better to cover their mistakes than blame them for them.
"I'll go out and search. Cliff, stay here in case they come back while we're crossing paths."
"Ah... yeah."
I didn't decide to go searching until dinner time.
I may have waited too long.
But if you'll allow me an excuse — if Zenith had gone out on her own, I would have set out right away.
The one who'd taken her was Geese.
If Wendy's account was accurate, he was with her.
That monkey of a man was utterly useless in a fight, but competent at literally everything else.
From information gathering, to mapping, shopping, cooking, equipment maintenance, party member health management...
Excluding the one fatal flaw of an adventurer — "useless in combat" — he was someone you could rely on.
Which was why I had this inexplicable confidence that as long as Geese was with her, things would be fine.
But thinking about it, "useless in combat" was exactly the kind of fatal flaw it sounded like.
If they stumbled into any kind of incident, he wouldn't have the strength to protect Zenith.
Geese was good at avoiding trouble, sure.
But even that wasn't foolproof.
What if Zenith accidentally stepped on some tough guy's foot?
I mean, there were women out there who'd deck you for making eye contact for half a second.
And then there was the demon tribe.
What if the Latreia family spotted Geese and Zenith together?
The Zenith I was supposed to have brought home — alone with a demon.
They might launch a quick raid to seize her back.
So was it the Latreia family after all?
If it was them, they could have sent a fake Geese in the first place.
Find someone who vaguely matched his face, build, and manner of speaking, have him play the role, and trick Wendy...
I didn't think there were many people like that lying around, though.
And then — another possibility I didn't want to consider — Geese could be an Apostle of the Human God.
Why would Geese, who'd been reluctant to enter the Sacred District, come all the way here?
If there was some ulterior motive, fine. But the possibility of it being the Human God's counsel...
Worrying was pointless.
Hesitating was pointless.
Regretting was pointless.
The incident had happened. Time had passed.
I had to move.
I changed back into my magic armor and robe and headed out.
"Where do we start looking? Should we split up?"
Aisha followed me without hesitation.
She was clearly anxious about Zenith disappearing.
If she was the one panicking, then I needed to be the calm one.
"No — I don't want you getting snatched too. We stick together."
"O-okay. Got it..."
The word "snatched" made Aisha catch her breath.
She was thinking about the possibility of Zenith being kidnapped.
This world had no shortage of human traffickers...
But that scenario was unlikely.
Geese, for all his faults, was an S-ranked adventurer. Taking him down and turning Zenith into a slave would be too much trouble.
If it were me, I'd target someone far more vulnerable.
"..."
I took a few steps forward, then stopped.
Where should I start searching?
Come on — I still wasn't thinking straight.
Calm down, calm down — but telling yourself that never actually worked.
Deep breath.
"Inhale... exhale..."
Smarter people were standing right beside me.
I'd ask her.
"Aisha... where do you think Geese went?"
"Um... the Adventurer's District, maybe?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Geese-san said he couldn't enter the Sacred District, and I don't think he'd go to a residential area full of Millis followers either.
Between the Commerce District and the Adventurer's District, he's an adventurer himself, so I'd say the Adventurer's District is more likely."
"Good call. We're heading to the Adventurer's District."
As expected of Aisha — quick on the uptake.
Once a decision was made, no time to waste.
"Let's move."
"Yeah. Oh, right — wouldn't a horse be better? They still have the carriage horses, right?"
"Hm?"
A horse, huh...
I still couldn't ride one properly.
It wasn't that I couldn't do it at all — I'd practiced some and knew how to handle a carriage.
But I wasn't skilled enough to ride freely in an emergency.
Still, no need to worry.
If I pushed myself, my speed on foot could match a horse.
"I don't need that."
"Huh?"
I scooped Aisha up into a princess carry.
I poured magic into the armor.
Legs — good.
I'd practiced absorbing landing impact countless times.
"Hold on tight, Aisha."
"Eh... ... ...? Ah!"
Aisha's body went stiff, and she grabbed onto my robe.
I secured her body firmly against me.
"W-wait! No! Stop!"
I heard something at the end, but I was already leaping into the night sky.