< 75. Operation Report: Tour Performance >
*
Fernandez tightened the bandage wrapped around his forearm and took a sip of tea. The streets of the ruined city were in the midst of reconstruction. The Vaitas Church, which had contributed the most in the recent battle, was being rebuilt the fastest, and now it was starting to resemble a church again.
“···Fernandez. Do you have a moment···?”
“Ah, Kirhas. Shall we spar?”
“Your Excellency, um… Is your arm alright?”
As Abel cautiously entered the church, Fernandez suddenly stood up and approached Kirhas, who had been sitting nearby pretending not to notice. Kirhas glanced at Abel and spoke.
“Didn’t Shield’s priest tell you to rest completely?”
“Actually, Diemonica’s muscles tend to stabilize better with some exercise.”
“Well…”
As Kirhas began to sweat nervously, Abel approached with an angry expression.
“Fernandez!! How long are you planning to avoid me!”
A swordsman at their peak is imbued with magical power. Fernandez thought this as he watched Abel. Her golden hair was slightly rising and shimmering!
“Ah, wait, just a moment. Abelisass…”
“Abel!”
“···Abel.”
“Yes! What on earth is going on!”
Ever since the incident was resolved, Fernandez had been avoiding Abel. To be precise, he had been trying to avoid being alone with her.
Abel was going crazy. Dane’s cloak, Dane’s sword, and even Dane’s swordsmanship! After disappearing from the royal castle that day, something must have happened, but when Fernandez reappeared, his demeanor had completely changed, and he strangely avoided talking to her.
Abel, with her anger subsiding, lowered her eyes sadly and whispered.
“Do you not need me anymore…?”
His astonishingly improved swordsmanship and, albeit limited, glimpses of his overwhelming magical abilities. Did Fernandez still need her? The moment Abel thought this, it felt like the sky was falling.
Unless she could transform into a dragon, she was just a human woman with excellent swordsmanship and a bit of toughness. As Abel sighed self-deprecatingly, Fernandez panicked and spoke.
“That’s not it!”
“Then why are you acting like this?”
He couldn’t say that the soul of King Dane was mixed in, making him feel uneasy every time he looked at Abel. Fernandez gazed at Abel’s blue eyes and then slightly turned his head.
He couldn’t look her straight in the eyes.
‘Damn it. Faijashi. This is driving me crazy.’
-Don’t only come looking for me when you need me.
-Don’t act childish. Find a solution.
-Emotions are byproducts of the body, and the body is expendable. Why not try dying once? It’ll help heal your wounds.
-Stop talking nonsense.
Faijashi chuckled and disappeared. What a useless guy. Fernandez grew increasingly anxious as he looked at Abel, who was now on the verge of tears.
Fragments of King Dane’s soul whispered to him to comfort her quickly.
‘It’s phantom pain. These aren’t my real emotions. I’m just a vent for emotions, not a puppet.’
Fernandez took a deep breath and looked down at Abel. Her eyes were moist, and her gaze was sorrowful.
“Alright, what do you want to say?”
“Finally willing to talk? Well, good. Tell me about your sword, your swordsmanship, and what happened there…”
Abel’s eyes widened with joy. It had been almost ten days since the incident, and she hadn’t had a proper conversation with Fernandez. In this era, aside from Fernandez and Kirhas, she had no one to talk to comfortably.
“Alright, sit here. Where should I start…”
-Squeak.
Just as he was about to speak, the church doors opened wide, and a man entered. The man removed his helmet, tucked it under his arm, and saluted respectfully. It was Pafnarmeir, the new lord of Altheis.
Abel glared at him as if she wanted to devour him. The man was slightly intimidated by the fact that a legendary dragon was glaring at him.
“Ah, Lord Pafnarmeir. What brings you here?”
“Lord Albertr, His Majesty is looking for you.”
“Me?”
“A message has arrived from the Vaitas Papacy. And, an envoy from Phaeirn has come.”
“Lead the way.”
Fernandez nodded slightly to Abel and stood up. Abel glared at Pafnarmeir once more and then sat down, crossing her arms.
“You’ll have a lot to explain when you get back.”
“I will.”
“Promise.”
“···Promise.”
“Come back safely.”
Fernandez and Pafnarmeir left the church. Under the clear spring sunlight, the city was bustling with reconstruction efforts.
“An envoy from Phaeirn, huh? Not a good time.”
“Probably wants to see for himself. The rumors of the capital being half-destroyed must have reached him.”
“Are you considering war?”
“If I were the Phaeirn Royal Family, I’d be seriously contemplating it.”
Pafnarmeir displayed a seriousness uncommon for a young knight. Knights of his age were usually drunk on honor and eager to throw their lives away on the battlefield, but he seemed to take after his grandfather more.
The Steel Knight, Baimeer. Fernandez saw the last vestiges of Baimeer in the young knight walking beside him.
“But now that the Round Table Council has been rebuilt, and knights from across the land are gathering to swear allegiance to the new king. If war breaks out now…”
Baimeer laughed as he looked at the giant’s skull placed by the roadside leading to the royal castle. His brown curly hair shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
“Well, then we’ll see who’s stronger, the Knights of the Round Table or Phaeirn’s Griffin Knights.”
*
Vicente was still not used to the metal accessory resting on his head. He kept adjusting the crown pressing down on his hair.
“Your demeanor is a bit lacking, Your Majesty.”
“Haha, Lord Palliamain. Dignity doesn’t come from posture.”
“Your words are as smooth as flowing water.”
Palliamain chuckled as he followed Vicente. The long corridor leading to the audience hall was filled with tense knights. They bowed one by one as Vicente passed. Vicente walked among them and spoke.
“What do you think the Phaeirn envoy is thinking?”
“Probably calculating whether attacking now would draw condemnation from other nations. And whether the Dane Kingdom has weakened enough to be devoured. Something along those lines.”
“Probably. Haha.”
Palliamain looked at the young king walking beside him, laughing. Between the stone pillars of the corridor, the early spring sunlight streaming through the windows illuminated the king’s face brightly.
As he gazed at those emerald eyes resembling a lion’s, a complex feeling arose. Once, the previous king, Helga, had also looked like that in his youth…
Upon reaching the intricately carved stone gate adorned with a dragon’s face, the guards bowed respectfully and swiftly opened the door. As the door smoothly swung open, the audience hall came into view.
-*Creak*.
“Long live King Vicente, the great successor of the Dane Kingdom, the head of the Round Table Council, the master of thousands of knights, and the ruler of the Horned Trumpet!”
“Glory to the royal family!!”
The knights filling the audience hall rose in unison and shouted loudly. The envoys sent by the Phaeirn Royal Family stood trembling in a corner of the hall. Vicente strode past them confidently, stepping over the golden line on the carpet.
Paliamen moved away from his side and blended into the crowd. Vicente ascended the steps to the throne alone. The red carpet cushioned his steps softly. Satisfied with the sensation, he smiled and leaned back on the throne.
“Eternal glory to you, my honorable vassals. Let us begin.”
-*Rustle*. *Thud*!
The forbidden zone of the audience hall, which was meant to be a line that could not be crossed armed, implied that weapons were permitted within the hall itself.
Among the knights gathered in the hall, there was not one lacking in reputation. Such knights drew their swords in unison and planted them into the ground, forming a circle around the center of the hall.
The Round Table Council was being revived.
Vicente looked down at them with a fierce smile. The knights’ swords gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. The hall had no ceiling. Ah, the legend of our age had torn it away.
“Now, my lords. Knights of the royal family. I declare the Round Table Council in session. Speak.”
At the king’s words, all the knights present trembled momentarily, closing their eyes in awe. How long had it been since the council last convened? The Council of Ten Thousand Swords, the Round Table Council. The highest council of the Dane Royal Family, composed of thirteen Round Table Knights and their vassals, had now begun.
*
[Special Operation Report: Touring Performance]
Operation Area: Dane Kingdom, Altberth.
Operation Summary: Investigation of cultists operating covertly across the Dane Kingdom, suppression of war threats from the Phaeirn Royal Family, and investigation of the Dane Royal Family.
Operation Progress:
1) Detected cultist activity near the County of Zest.
2) Discovered an illegal refugee camp engaging in cannibalism during the regional investigation, proceeded with the investigation.
3) Made contact with local agents of the Leviathan Empire’s Iron Side in the refugee camp.
4) Encountered and eliminated a wraith from the Necropolis during the refugee camp investigation.
5) Explored the County of Zest to eliminate remnants of the Necropolis, tracked and eliminated them.
6) Made contact with King Vicente (then Prince Helga) in the County of Zest.
7) Accompanied the king and conducted investigations in Altberth.
8) Identified and captured cultists in the Altberth market area, conducted a witch trial.
9) Detected a wraith from the Necropolis impersonating Prince Helga.
10) Accompanied King Vicente and eliminated the Necropolis wraith (Attachment 1: Royal Letter).
11) City functions halted due to an undead giant’s rampage within the city.
12) A large-scale undead outbreak occurred outside the city (Attachment 2: Altkairn Battle Report).
13) Engaged and eliminated the undead giant.
14) Restored royal functions and proceeded with the coronation.
15) Failed to detect additional heretics in Altberth, presumed fully purified.
16) Requested a disaster relief statement from the Church of the Temple of the Gods (Attachment 3: Statement Request).
17) Secured a secret pact of friendship and support from King Vicente (Attachment 4: Unofficial Letter from the Vaitas Papacy).
Operation Task Force:
1) Diemonica, Fernandez Sernerd – Returned.
2) Torchman, Kirhas Hearttaker – Returned.
3) Torchman, Abel – Returned.
4) Heretica, Barem – Deceased.
We shall burn demons, heretics, and witches.
Operation Leader: Diemonica Fernandez Sernerd.
*
-*Thud*.
Beorn nearly threw the report down and carefully wiped his monocle. He looked at Zephis with eyes darkened by fatigue. This was already the tenth time Beorn had done this, and Zephis simply shrugged without a word.
“What do you think?”
“Impressive.”
“Impressive?”
Beorn closed his eyes for a moment. Suppress the war threat between the Phaeirn Royal Family and the Dane Kingdom without revealing his priestly identity. That had been his order. The best outcome would be a diplomatic victory, the worst, the spark of war.
But suddenly, getting involved in the royal succession? And a giant in the capital? The Necropolis? Local agents of the Leviathan Empire’s Iron Side? A large-scale undead military uprising? The newly crowned king sending envoys to the Vaitas Church before the Shield Church?
Beorn’s mind was filled with question marks. He shook his head heavily to dispel them and sighed. Zephis chuckled and said,
“One thing’s for sure, this report isn’t complete.”
He tapped the report as he spoke. Beorn nodded. By the time the report had been submitted, he had already dispatched Heretica agents for an on-site investigation.
“Right. There’s no mention of the dragon.”
“He wouldn’t make such a mistake. He must have intentionally hidden it.”
“Any idea why?”
“Same reason he hid the rumor of becoming the Shield’s saint, no?”
“And the rumor of the Dane King’s return?”
“Probably.”
Beorn groaned, clutching his throbbing head. When the local Heretica agents conducted their investigation, rumors of the Dane King’s return and the Shield’s saint were widespread in Altberth. It didn’t take long to realize that it referred to Fernandez.
No idea how he pulled it off. Whether he actually received the blessing or not, the citizens regarded him as the Shield’s saint and the earthly representative of the Knight King.
And very cleverly, Fernandez declared that the Knight King had descended to protect the people from ancient dangers, thus affirming the legitimacy of the Dane Royal Family, and immediately supported King Vicente.
Very politically, the Shield’s saint supporting the Dane Royal Family provided leverage against the Phaeirn Royal Family’s war plans, while the Vaitas Church remained a bystander in this diplomatic battle.
And probably, the Papacy is buried under a mountain of protest letters from the Shield Church.
“…What about the Shield’s canonization advisory group?”
“It’ll take at least another month to arrive. In the meantime…”
“The great knight Albert will vanish like foam. Very clean.”
“Wonder if he really received the Shield’s blessing.”
“Doesn’t matter either way.”
Beorn shook his head. Whether Fernandez truly received the Shield’s stigma or not, he had already reaped all the political benefits of being the Shield’s saint and slipped away before bearing any political burdens.
Beorn stroked the surface of his rosary and let out a deep sigh.
‘If he hadn’t been an Inquisition Officer, what would he have become?’
Inquisition Officers hunt demons, and heretics follow demons. It was a thin line. The talent of an Inquisition Officer was, at the same time, the talent of heretics and cultists. Beorn inwardly felt relieved as he filed away the report.
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