“We’ll say goodbye here. Farewell.”
At the bottom of a hollow, Hagel said goodbye to Grin and the others.
Grin looked up at the ceiling. They had descended several thousand meters, and the various protruding debris along the way had blocked the sunlight from above.
“I’ll head out from the hollow on Mercury Street from here. If I find any information related to the Scarlet Sect at Dean Mali’s place, I’ll tell you about it next time we meet.”
After speaking, Hagel put away his two-handed sword and slipped into another passage.
“Mr. Grin, what are you looking at?”
Alberke asked curiously.
“Nothing. I just suddenly remembered that the Hagel I saw in the past used a long axe as his weapon, but recently he’s been using a two-handed sword,” Grin replied.
“Maybe he’s hiding his hand. From experience… it could be that a crisis requiring him to show his trump card is coming later.”
Alberke analyzed. Beside her, Hilberu looked around and prepared to dismantle the Holy Scroll in her hands.
With a clatter, the white cloth strips turned into a short staff. The crystal-like part at the tip was still glowing.
It instantly added a lot of light to this dim underground world. In a place like this, you couldn’t rely on roadside glowing crystals for illumination.
Either your eyes had night vision, or you honestly brought a light source. Grin could see in the dark, but Alberke and Hilberu had a much harder time.
“Wow, a new use for the Holy Scroll. Looks like you’ve entered the development stage of using it. You can even change its form.”
Alberke exclaimed in surprise, making Hilberu a little embarrassed.
A flash of the Saintess of the Four Banners as a young girl holding a flag went through Grin’s mind. The Holy Scroll… was it in Hilberu’s hands at this time?
Why, in his memory, did Hilberu say she had to go around several times to get this item?
Guessing Grin’s confusion, Alberke took the initiative to explain:
“Remember when you and Dolores were in a hurry to get to the Royal Palace and encountered that attack by Count Kanko’s retainer?”
Hearing Alberke’s words, Grin recalled the scene at that time. It seemed to be near the Old Church Ruins.
“After you left, Alberke and I walked a stretch to near the ruins. You drove those people back, and they didn’t have time to take the Holy Scroll. I took the opportunity to pick it up and gave it to Hilberu to use.”
“This originally should have belonged to the Church. Hilberu will also join the Church as a Saintess in the future. Of course, the most important thing is that this item can fully exert its effect in Hilberu’s hands.”
After listening to Alberke’s words, Grin finally understood why Count Kanko’s people were near the ruins before. So it was for this item.
As for how Alberke knew, it was undoubtedly from the “story” before they came.
Compared to Alberke, at that time Grin only knew that Count Kanko was a traitor, and he naively thought the other party was just a traitor.
Because the rebellious nobles in the southern Land Kingdom were a dime a dozen. The only reason Grin remembered Count Kanko was because the latter was in the Capital.
Nobles who could be in the Capital at this point were basically vases.
The few capable noble houses had their own fiefs all over the kingdom. They also participated in the Eastern Expedition. Except for major meetings, these nobles with fiefs rarely came to the Capital.
The time of the Dragon Attack happened to be when the Capital was at its weakest.
“Join the Church… I have indeed been considering it recently, but I’m hesitating over several options.”
Hilberu murmured.
“Go to the Holy Church Nation as a tourist, then participate in the Feather Festival to show your power as a Saintess,” Alberke suggested, earning a confused reaction from the young Saintess.
“Is there something to that? I was originally planning to go to the Church academy in the neighboring country to take the clergy exam and work my way up step by step…”
With her white nun’s outfit and that tone, Hilberu suddenly sounded like a child again.
Having become a Saintess, the first thing she considered for entering the Church’s upper echelons was taking the normal clergy exam process.
“A landmark event or scene can serve as a base for shaping a symbol. Just like the symbol you use, the Flag-bearing Saintess—her symbol became deeply rooted because of her flag-bearing image.”
“To be blunt, if you go to any church and display your power, you could be invited straight to the Holy Nation. But that’s not enough.”
“The Holy Church Nation will have several disasters around the Feather Festival. I hope that when you resolve the disasters, you can gain a unique symbol and power for your future.”
“Hilberu, you need to walk your own path to become stronger.”
Alberke looked into Hilberu’s eyes. The former’s blue eyes were filled with trust.
“I understand, Sister Alberke.”
Hilberu changed her address, surprising Alberke.
She got called “sister.”
But… well, it wasn’t too bad?
No, no, what was she so happy about?
From the side, Grin couldn’t help but let out a little laugh, attracting Alberke’s glare.
“Mr. Grin, what are you laughing at!”
“Your face turned red, Miss Alberke,” Grin said honestly.
Alberke patted her face and shook her head. Then she saw Hilberu also start laughing.
The expression she had barely put together crumbled again. She sighed.
“Alright, alright. Let’s focus on the task. This is supposed to be a dangerous mission, yet the atmosphere feels like we’re on a trip.”
“I actually think this kind of atmosphere is pretty nice. It’s very relaxing,” Grin replied.
“Is it because you’re with little girls like me and Hilberu that you’re so happy?” Alberke teased.
Hilberu was stunned for a moment, then tugged at Alberke’s sleeve.
“Sister Alberke, isn’t it the Princess that Mr. Grin likes…?”
“Dolores won’t mind. Actually, it would be a problem if she did mind. And besides… I’m teasing a Hero who likes women with petite figures!” After Alberke said that, it was Hilberu’s turn to be stunned.
Come to think of it, she was already surprised that Alberke addressed the Princess by her first name when they met again.
Even if someone with Grin’s build fell in love with the Princess, Hilberu could understand. But “Hero”… what did that mean? Was Grin going to become a Hero in the future?
Hilberu looked up again and saw that Grin didn’t deny Alberke’s words at all. There was only a nostalgic look in his eyes.
He did like Dolores, and she had never grown up. That wasn’t a slander; it was the truth.
“A relaxing atmosphere like this, I only had it very early on. It was the most carefree time during my adventures with her.”
“But as our journey progressed, the Kingdom, the Abyss, the Empire, disasters—all sorts of things filled our surroundings.”
“What started as a journey with just the two of us adventuring together ended up, in the face of so many misfortunes, with us more like comrades encouraging each other, telling each other to hold on.”
“Over those dozen years, everything we saw was tragedy.”
â‘
Suddenly, Alberke tugged at his sleeve and pointed ahead. There was a crystal giving off a faint phosphorescent glow.
“Back then, you didn’t have the chance to destroy this. So later, an unwanted disaster happened, right?”
“So now we have the chance to change it. Use your sword.”
Alberke walked to the crystal, making room for Grin to swing his sword, and also pulled Hilberu to clear the way.
“My magic book and Hilberu’s little staff can’t break this thing. We’ll have to rely on your sword, Mr. Grin, to clear it away!”
Alberke noticed Grin’s mood.
He smiled from the bottom of his heart, then raised his sword and shattered the crystal. The energy released after the break didn’t harm anyone. Grin was physically tough, and Alberke’s magic protected herself and Hilberu.
“How does it feel to change history?” Alberke teased.
“If we’re talking about change, the biggest change started when I led the Dragon away,” Grin replied.
“You say that like breaking this crystal will change a lot…”
“But your mood has clearly improved a lot. When you were planning to lead the Dragon away before, you wouldn’t have been in this mood, would you?”
Alberke’s words hit Grin right in the heart.
Indeed, his recent state had been anxious and uncertain, vaguely resembling his mood near the end of his adventure with Dolores.
Grin gripped his sword and perked up again.
“Yes, I do feel a bit better.””Hey… Sister Alberke, what are you two talking about?” Hilberu poked Alberke with her finger, her expression and voice full of confusion.
All this messy talk—why did it feel like she couldn’t understand a thing?
Snort. Alberke laughed, reached out to ruffle Hilberu’s hair, and said dotingly:
“It’s okay. You’ll understand when the time comes.”
“Oh…” Hilberu nodded half-understandingly, making an adorable sound.
“Alright then.”