Side: Yuki

Ah, yep.

So I'm completely just an extra here.

Back then, I cast a large-area healing spell together with Rurua, but she ended up getting all the credit.

Well, I get it.

Nobody expects some random guy accompanying the Saintess to be capable of high-tier, wide-area holy magic. Everyone naturally assumes Rurua handled the heavy lifting all by herself.

I mean, look at me—I've been left standing on the sidelines, totally ignored.

"Saintess-sama! Please, save my child!"

"I beg you! My daughter—she's burning up with a terrible fever!"

"Please, for the love of God—check my husband's wound! He was caught in a collapse—"

Well, the moment we stepped outside, the ordinary citizens spotted us.

After everything my wives had accomplished, there was no way they could still pass themselves off as random travelers.

"I understand! But we can't possibly treat everyone in the middle of the street. Let's head to the Grand Cathedral."

"Excuse me, please make way! We can't move at this rate!"

Rurua and Milly did their best to calm the crowd, but looking around, there were what seemed like countless injured people... Can a crowd this massive even fit inside the Grand Cathedral?

With that concern in mind, I call out to Eris and Ratz, who are getting jostled around in the swarm right alongside me.

"Eris, Ratz, this is going to be a mess. Sorry, but I need you two to handle the people outside. Treat the wounded around the city, and if someone's condition looks serious, send them to the cathedral."

The instant I said that, every eye in the crowd turned toward me.

...The general sentiment seems to be along the lines of: 'Who on earth is this guy?'

"Hey!! Stop staring so rudely at someone else's husband!!"

"If you continue to act disrespectfully toward our husband, we will refuse to treat you!"

At those sharp words from my wives, the crowd recoils in unison.

...Seriously, what exactly are you all so shocked about?

And please stop looking at me like I'm some fascinating rare specimen.

"Alright then. Anyone who wants treatment from Rurua and Milly, please head to the Grand Cathedral. The rest of you can come with us to the town square."

"After that, we'll visit those who are too injured to leave their homes. Please follow us."

Saying that, Ratz and Eris led a group of people away.

With fewer people around, Rurua and Millie took the rest to the Great Cathedral.

"I should've asked for an escort..."

"I know, right? Still, isn't this basically what we expected?"

"Yeah. Things went exactly according to plan—we split into two groups. Nina and her little 'helper' should take the bait."

Two days had passed since then, and only now had we finally been granted permission to formally meet the Grand Priest.

Though honestly, forcing himself to move around just five days after that massive ordeal means he's probably pushing his frail body far beyond its limits.

And just as we'd expected, those mysterious members of that secret organization attached themselves to us the moment we left the castle, exactly as they'd promised.

Honestly, their tailing couldn't be more blatantly obvious.

'See? Easy, right?' — They're following us with an attitude so transparent it practically screams that line. Though, since I lack an artistic bone in my body, I never really understood Bob Ross's iconic catchphrase anyway.

"Honestly, at least try to remember the other girl's name."

"I don't know why, but I just can't remember the names of this batch of enemies. It's not like we formally introduced ourselves... and it's not like she was some unforgettable beauty either."

"...You're not the kind of person who remembers people based on whether they're pretty or ugly. Be honest."

"Yeah, okay. I'm just not particularly interested in them."

"Sigh... But thanks to your half-hearted response, they were able to live long enough for us to talk to them as people instead of immediately deciding to kill them. That was your aim, right?"

"......"

"If Peace's story is true, they're the ones who killed the previous Dungeon Master. From our perspective, they're enemies that should be eliminated immediately. Their information may be valuable, but there's no reason to keep them alive."

Just as Seraria says, if our goal were purely to guarantee our immediate safety, eliminating them right away would be the correct move. However, keeping them around resolves both our intelligence bottleneck and our severe manpower shortage.

Based on my conversations with Sia and Kishua, they clearly had deep, underlying motives. If we can establish mutual understanding, I believe we could eventually reach a workable compromise... but to my wives, those girls are proven assassins who pose a direct threat to my life.

If I hadn't intentionally treated them like pathetic jokes to draw out sympathy, they would have been cold corpses long ago.

"Though... thanks to your absurdly harsh treatment, we were able to sit down and speak with Siia and her companion as actual human beings before jumping to execution. I understand what you were aiming for. Even if they refuse to talk about it openly, it seems there were exceptionally heavy circumstances behind why they took the previous Master's life."

"Besides, killing them right now would only incur the absolute wrath of their faction. We can execute them whenever we want—whether that's after learning the whole truth or after capturing their entire group."

Right. Finishing them off can be done at any time.

The real issue is uncovering why the previous Master was killed in the first place.

If it was a failure in dungeon management, I need that intelligence so I don't repeat the exact same fatal mistake. Furthermore, if their actions are linked to the continent-wide mana depletion, it becomes an absolute must-know.

In fact, given that they entrusted the aftermath to Peace, it's blatantly obvious they didn't kill the previous Master out of sheer malice.

I don't know the exact chain of events, but while their ultimate goal has twisted into the total extinction of humanity, we have our own operational priorities, so I intend to handle this my own way.

"For now, the enemy is actively monitoring us just as they declared. We'll use Rurua and the others as a high-profile distraction while we have a nice, leisurely chat with the Grand Priest."

"...We've already gathered almost everything there is to know about them, but they still only know about Rurua's group—actually, only Milly."

"Because Milly was the only one flying around the open sky slaughtering monsters in broad daylight, so she was the only one visually confirmed. Though considering one of their scouts followed the group that split off with Eris and Ratz, they've probably gathered a bit of basic info on us by now. We're not hiding anything anyway—I'd much prefer it if they quickly dug up our operations in Betan and launched a direct assault over there instead."

"That really would be the quickest way to settle this. If they start causing trouble somewhere outside the areas we're managing, there won't be much we can do to stop them."

That's the primary reason I'm keeping those two alive.

If they trigger a massive, uncontrolled dispersion of mana in an unmonitored territory, spawning hordes of high-tier dragons, it would turn into an absolute disaster.

While discussing these matters, we finally arrive at the Grand Cathedral.

"Welcome. We have been expecting your arrival."

The old priest from before stood waiting for us, accompanied by a large group of clergy.

"Thanks for the warm reception. As you can see, a massive crowd followed us here... Would it be alright if we administer treatment inside?"

"Indeed, as expected of the Saintess-sama and her companions! Please, use our facilities as you see fit. I shall assign our sisters to assist you. We place the well-being of the people in your capable hands."

Giving swift instructions to the sisters, the old priest organizes the incoming patients, lining them up systematically to streamline the healing process.

"Alright, we're heading inside to speak with the Grand Priest. Rurua, Milly, I'm leaving the operations out here to you two."

"Yes, leave it to us!"

"Understood. We'll handle everything here."

Those two will remain here to treat the populace while simultaneously serving as an anchor to keep Nina—who is currently tailing us—stuck in place.

Meanwhile, Seraria and I will go hear what this Grand Priest was so eager to discuss.

"This way, please."

Surrounded by priests, we were led deeper into the Great Cathedral.

...Since the area directly below has been converted into a dungeon, it is now essentially our territory.

Also, Ria and Derieu are standing by on monitoring duty, while Jessica remains stationed as Princess Miffy's personal bodyguard.

"Please, have a seat."

We are ushered into a private reception room, where we take our seats on a comfortable sofa across from the old man.

A waiting sister quietly poured tea for us.

Naturally, it's black tea... I guess green tea really doesn't exist in this world, huh?

While thinking such trivial thoughts, I confirmed it wasn't poisoned and took a sip... Yep... I definitely prefer green tea.

"So then, what exactly did you mean when you said we should avoid becoming involved with the Enaria royal family?"

While I'm silently complaining about the beverage in my head, Seraria cuts straight to the core of the matter.

Must be nice. Seraria is a black tea enthusiast, so it doesn't bother her in the slightest.

Ever since arriving in Enaria, every single served drink has been black tea. Back in Betan, I could prepare whatever I wanted, but as official guests in Enaria, I can't exactly pull out my own tumbler and say, "Ah, don't mind me, I brought my own drink!"

Do you have any idea how painful it is for a Earth person to spend every waking moment being forced to drink black tea...?

"Haha. I'd like to say there's no need to rush... but given both of our positions, it would be best not to speak together for too long. So let us keep this brief. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course. Right, dear?"

"...Yeah."

Right.

The sooner this conversation ends, the sooner I can drink some green tea. Hell, I'd settle for barley tea.

Let's wrap this up already.

"Regarding my statement that you should not involve yourselves with the royal line of Enaria... I shall speak with absolute candor. Those current rulers are nothing more than usurpers. They are the descendants of those who stripped the Holy Swords from Saintess—no, from the Heroes themselves—stole the nation they built, and treated them like mere slaves."

"...What exactly do you mean by that?"

Seraria's eyes widened in shock.

Even I am snapped out of my green-tea-deprived stupor.

This matches the contents of the journal left behind by Aegil word-for-word... Where on earth did this old man acquire that intelligence?

"Only myself and a select few high-ranking priests are privy to this truth, but it has been passed down in secret ever since the founding of Enaria. In truth, these were the final words left behind by Saint Sia herself, the creator of Enaria. She declared that if anyone possessing exceptional healing capabilities like her own should ever appear, they might carry the lineage or legacy of the Holy Sword wielders. And thus, she pleaded for us to help them escape before they suffered the exact same tragic fate as her."

"Excuse me. I'm having a bit of trouble following. First of all, why would the very person who founded the nation—the one who could practically be called its first ruler—have her Holy Sword taken from her, lose the country she built, and then be treated like a slave?"

"Oh... my apologies. I moved too quickly. Allow me to begin from the very beginning... From the story of the Heroes themselves."

From there, the narrative he weaves is almost identical to what we learned from Aegils's records.

The difference was that since it was passed down from Sia herself, the details were clearer.

For example, the Holy Swords were taken under the pretense of "We'll keep them safe" and then conveniently claimed it had been lost. As for how the kingdom had been stolen... It sounded, by every measure, like she'd been deliberately framed.

It was exactly the sort of story that would make anyone lose faith in humanity.

Even this cathedral was apparently built to imprison Sia.

Eventually, Sia was rescued by comrades who had also been betrayed, leading to the present.

"If you ask for my personal perspective... I believe Saint Sia and her companions were simply far too pure. I do not believe the nations originally set out with the deliberate intent to ruin them."

"Why do you think so?"

"...The history I just recounted is told strictly from Sia-sama's personal perspective. It entirely lacks the political context of the state. Initially, she was positioned as the supreme leader of the nation, and for several years, she governed normally. However, the tragic turn of events occurred afterward. In all likelihood, she attempted to push forward policies that the nation simply could not accept—such as absolute integration and reconciliation with the demi-humans."

"I see... Based on your narrative, the deep-seated friction with demi-humans already existed back then. But because she attempted to force rapid integration through sheer authority, the state moved to detain her?"

"Precisely. I stand today at the pinnacle of the Enarian faith. Originally, that role should have belonged to the descendants of Sia-sama, the Saintess herself. But after her companions rescued her, Sia-sama vanished without a trace. Since then, I have witnessed many things... the unpleasant side of governing a nation. Because of that, I can imagine there were those who believed the country itself would collapse if her policies continued. Otherwise... no one would have dared do such things to Sia-sama and the other Heroes, who were said to be invincible."

"That makes sense. Turning the very savior who rescued the continent into an absolute enemy is not something any government would undertake without extreme justification."

Hmm... The old man had a point.

From the kingdom's perspective, it really had been a dangerous gamble. If things had gone wrong, the Heroes could have declared the kingdom their enemy and wiped it off the map.

...Looks like I'll have to dig through the kingdom's historical records too. I can't just accept Sia's version of events without question anymore.

"I understand the context now. But despite knowing all this, you still maintain ties with the Enaria royal family. And yet you warned us against them. Why go out of your way to do that?"

Seraria asked.

"It's simple. As one of the rulers, I must stay connected to the Enaaria royal family, and I have some understanding of politics. But since there is a possibility that you are the second coming of the Saintess, I didn't want you to meet the same end as Sia-sama without hearing this."

The Grand Priest smiled faintly.

"The answer is quite simple. As one of those responsible for governing this nation, I must remain connected to the royal family. I understand politics well enough. However..."

He looked directly at us.

"If there is even the slightest possibility that one of you are the reincarnation—or successors—of the Saintess and the Heroes... then I could not remain silent and allow you to meet the same fate Sia-sama did."

I see.

So despite his position, he'd chosen to honor Sia's final wish.

"So... what happens next depends entirely on our own choices?"

"Precisely. Though, seeing your composure, such warnings were likely unnecessary to begin with. Am I correct in understanding that you operate as an independent mercenary organization originating from Jilva?"

"That's about right."

"In that case, even if someone attempts to manipulate you politically, I imagine you'll find a way to avoid becoming their pawns.

"Still..."

His expression grew serious.

"If you truly are connected to the Saint and the Heroes, then it would not be surprising if other nations began making suspicious moves. That is the one thing I wish you to be cautious of. For now, I have informed the people of the Holy Capital that you are simply an exceptionally skilled group of mercenaries. Being called 'Saints'... I'm afraid you'll have to tolerate that much. But... the nobles of other countries may think very differently."

"They might view us as descendants of the Heroes and try to exploit our political value, right?"

"That is precisely what I mean."

Right, I get it now.

So if we go wild during investigations in other places, we might get caught up in trouble related to the Heroes.

Man, it really would be infinitely better to have Nina take the bait and assemble all the enemy Holy Sword wielders in Betan so we can wipe them out in one clean sweep. That way, the citizens of Betan will just brush it off as another localized incident and move on.

Damn it, why does every single operation turn into a massive headache?

* * *

After that, the Grand Priest briefed us on specific Enarian nobles we should strictly avoid associating with, and we brought the meeting to a close.

Now then... time to hurry back, get a nice cup of green tea, review our paperwork, and map out our future course of action...