MAEPG: Episode 87
Episode 87 Picaol Cathedral (2)
“Oh! I've heard a lot about you, Sir Heinrich. Indeed, a fine talent as I've heard!”
“You flatter me, Cardinal. Thank you for welcoming me personally when you must be busy.”
“It's not just any other matter, it's about the holy sword. And the Saintess herself recommended you, so I had to at least see your face! Hahaha—”
After arriving at Picaol Cathedral and being assigned a room, Heinrich was able to meet Cardinal Donovan, the person in charge of the place.
His first impression was that of a 'kindly grandfather next door', with wrinkles etched by age, a long white beard, and a benevolent smile.
But that impression only lasted for a moment, disappearing as soon as he looked below his neck.
‘Wow… his shoulders…’
His body was anything but ordinary.
“Hahaha, as expected, you have great muscles because you’re young. I’m old now, so my body isn’t what it used to be. Back in my day…”
His broad shoulders, straight back, and bulging muscles that rippled with every movement were so impressive that they felt out of place with his kind face.
‘I heard he was also a Paladin.’
He was said to have become a Cardinal because of his popularity, but it seemed like he hadn’t neglected his training even after reaching that position.
His muscles were still so well-defined even though he was over sixty.
“So, Sir Heinrich? I heard you became the Saintess’s personal guard, how’s the work?”
“Ah, I’ve been spending most of my time training in preparation for the holy sword’s trial, as per her instructions. Since the Saintess only stays within the holy land.”
“I see. How is she? It’s been a while since I last saw her, I wonder how she’s doing. There was that big incident recently…”
He was talking about the Immortal King’s attack on the cathedral.
He seemed to be very interested in the Saintess, and it wasn’t just my imagination, as his lament soon began.
Simply put, it was about how close he was to the Saintess.
“Sigh, it’s been over three years since I last saw the Saintess. Once you reach this position, you can’t leave your post easily. I shouldn’t have taken the Cardinal position.”
But it seemed a bit excessive.
Saintess Liesta, who was adopted as the current Pope Hatianuss II’s daughter at a very young age, grew up in the holy land and was loved by everyone in the Church.
How many people could dislike a small, cute child running around with a bright smile?
And that included Cardinal Donovan, who was a Paladin at the time.
“Do you know how cute it was when the Saintess placed an earthworm on her tiny hand and showed it to me?”
“I… I see. I think I can imagine it.”
Saintess Liesta was like a daughter and granddaughter to him, who was married but didn’t have children.
Nearly ten years had passed since he watched her grow up after she first entered the Church.
And Donovan was appointed as Cardinal and became the head of the Picaol Cathedral.
“But this place is a headache. The kingdom bastards don’t cooperate at all, so there’s no time to relax.”
The Lesque Kingdom, where the cathedral was located, was better, but the other kingdoms were united and subtly hindering the Church’s power from growing beyond a certain point.
Of course, the Talia Kingdom, where Heinz the Second was, was the worst.
Heinrich just nodded seriously, pretending not to know anything, at the Cardinal’s words.
As if he deeply sympathized with him.
‘But why is he telling me all this?’
He couldn’t help but agree with his superior’s rambling, but he couldn’t understand why he was telling him all this.
As he was wondering inwardly,
Squeeze—
Cardinal Donovan naturally put his arm around his shoulder, and his thick arm muscles slowly tightened around Heinrich’s neck.
“C-Cardinal?”
“Yes, Sir Heinrich. You see…”
His benevolent expression and gentle tone didn’t waver in the slightest, even in this situation.
“The Saintess’s bright smile is so vivid in my mind that I can’t bear to see her sad.”
The blood vessels in the arm around Heinrich’s neck bulged, and the muscles swelled even more.
“But she grew up only in the holy land, so she doesn’t know much about the world, does she? I’m worried that she might get hurt. For example… some bastard trying to seduce her.”
The Cardinal’s face no longer held a smile as he spoke through gritted teeth.
His burning gaze met Heinrich’s.
“Do you understand what I mean?”
“…Yes, of course. I’ll thoroughly protect the Saintess as her ‘personal guard’. Don’t worry.”
What else could he say in front of this doting grandfather?
It was better to just give him the answer he wanted.
As he confidently met his gaze with his now perfected acting skills, a smile slowly returned to the Cardinal’s face, who had been staring at him.
“Hahaha! Right, it’s reassuring to have you, the Church’s most promising talent, protecting the Saintess. Please take good care of her.”
“Yes! That’s my job.”
Their friendly conversation was short-lived, as the Cardinal, who had barely made time to meet him, got up to take care of his piled-up work.
“I should get going now. I hope you can become the owner of the holy sword. Now that the Immortal King is resurrected, there’s no time to waste.”
And so, Cardinal Donovan left, and the Archbishop in charge of the holy sword’s seal approached him.
“All preparations are complete. When will you go?”
“There’s no reason to delay after coming all the way here. I’ll challenge it right now.”
Since the holy sword was the core of the sealing barrier, a very complicated procedure was required to reach the place where it was located.
That’s why there was a limit to the number of challenges allowed per year, and Heinrich had obtained the opportunity this time.
‘Even renowned Paladins failed, so I’m a bit pressured…’
But he had something he was counting on.
He had a connection with the Main God, after all.
Wouldn’t he take care of him this time as well?
‘Then, please take care of me. I’ll do better in the future!’
Heinrich followed the Archbishop, praying devoutly to the Main God.
With a slight bit of self-interest.
“Oh! I've heard a lot about you, Sir Heinrich. Indeed, a fine talent as I've heard!”
“You flatter me, Cardinal. Thank you for welcoming me personally when you must be busy.”
“It's not just any other matter, it's about the holy sword. And the Saintess herself recommended you, so I had to at least see your face! Hahaha—”
After arriving at Picaol Cathedral and being assigned a room, Heinrich was able to meet Cardinal Donovan, the person in charge of the place.
His first impression was that of a 'kindly grandfather next door', with wrinkles etched by age, a long white beard, and a benevolent smile.
But that impression only lasted for a moment, disappearing as soon as he looked below his neck.
‘Wow… his shoulders…’
His body was anything but ordinary.
“Hahaha, as expected, you have great muscles because you’re young. I’m old now, so my body isn’t what it used to be. Back in my day…”
His broad shoulders, straight back, and bulging muscles that rippled with every movement were so impressive that they felt out of place with his kind face.
‘I heard he was also a Paladin.’
He was said to have become a Cardinal because of his popularity, but it seemed like he hadn’t neglected his training even after reaching that position.
His muscles were still so well-defined even though he was over sixty.
“So, Sir Heinrich? I heard you became the Saintess’s personal guard, how’s the work?”
“Ah, I’ve been spending most of my time training in preparation for the holy sword’s trial, as per her instructions. Since the Saintess only stays within the holy land.”
“I see. How is she? It’s been a while since I last saw her, I wonder how she’s doing. There was that big incident recently…”
He was talking about the Immortal King’s attack on the cathedral.
He seemed to be very interested in the Saintess, and it wasn’t just my imagination, as his lament soon began.
Simply put, it was about how close he was to the Saintess.
“Sigh, it’s been over three years since I last saw the Saintess. Once you reach this position, you can’t leave your post easily. I shouldn’t have taken the Cardinal position.”
But it seemed a bit excessive.
Saintess Liesta, who was adopted as the current Pope Hatianuss II’s daughter at a very young age, grew up in the holy land and was loved by everyone in the Church.
How many people could dislike a small, cute child running around with a bright smile?
And that included Cardinal Donovan, who was a Paladin at the time.
“Do you know how cute it was when the Saintess placed an earthworm on her tiny hand and showed it to me?”
“I… I see. I think I can imagine it.”
Saintess Liesta was like a daughter and granddaughter to him, who was married but didn’t have children.
Nearly ten years had passed since he watched her grow up after she first entered the Church.
And Donovan was appointed as Cardinal and became the head of the Picaol Cathedral.
“But this place is a headache. The kingdom bastards don’t cooperate at all, so there’s no time to relax.”
The Lesque Kingdom, where the cathedral was located, was better, but the other kingdoms were united and subtly hindering the Church’s power from growing beyond a certain point.
Of course, the Talia Kingdom, where Heinz the Second was, was the worst.
Heinrich just nodded seriously, pretending not to know anything, at the Cardinal’s words.
As if he deeply sympathized with him.
‘But why is he telling me all this?’
He couldn’t help but agree with his superior’s rambling, but he couldn’t understand why he was telling him all this.
As he was wondering inwardly,
Squeeze—
Cardinal Donovan naturally put his arm around his shoulder, and his thick arm muscles slowly tightened around Heinrich’s neck.
“C-Cardinal?”
“Yes, Sir Heinrich. You see…”
His benevolent expression and gentle tone didn’t waver in the slightest, even in this situation.
“The Saintess’s bright smile is so vivid in my mind that I can’t bear to see her sad.”
The blood vessels in the arm around Heinrich’s neck bulged, and the muscles swelled even more.
“But she grew up only in the holy land, so she doesn’t know much about the world, does she? I’m worried that she might get hurt. For example… some bastard trying to seduce her.”
The Cardinal’s face no longer held a smile as he spoke through gritted teeth.
His burning gaze met Heinrich’s.
“Do you understand what I mean?”
“…Yes, of course. I’ll thoroughly protect the Saintess as her ‘personal guard’. Don’t worry.”
What else could he say in front of this doting grandfather?
It was better to just give him the answer he wanted.
As he confidently met his gaze with his now perfected acting skills, a smile slowly returned to the Cardinal’s face, who had been staring at him.
“Hahaha! Right, it’s reassuring to have you, the Church’s most promising talent, protecting the Saintess. Please take good care of her.”
“Yes! That’s my job.”
Their friendly conversation was short-lived, as the Cardinal, who had barely made time to meet him, got up to take care of his piled-up work.
“I should get going now. I hope you can become the owner of the holy sword. Now that the Immortal King is resurrected, there’s no time to waste.”
And so, Cardinal Donovan left, and the Archbishop in charge of the holy sword’s seal approached him.
“All preparations are complete. When will you go?”
“There’s no reason to delay after coming all the way here. I’ll challenge it right now.”
Since the holy sword was the core of the sealing barrier, a very complicated procedure was required to reach the place where it was located.
That’s why there was a limit to the number of challenges allowed per year, and Heinrich had obtained the opportunity this time.
‘Even renowned Paladins failed, so I’m a bit pressured…’
But he had something he was counting on.
He had a connection with the Main God, after all.
Wouldn’t he take care of him this time as well?
‘Then, please take care of me. I’ll do better in the future!’
Heinrich followed the Archbishop, praying devoutly to the Main God.
With a slight bit of self-interest.
____________________
Bright ducal family’s mansion in the Talia Kingdom.
“So you’re saying there’s still no information?”
“That’s right. It seems like there are no major dark mage forces left nearby because the Church swept through the area after the Immortal King incident.”
“What about creating an information network?”
“We’re working on it, but we still need more time to gather information from distant places.”
Well, it wasn’t something that could be done easily.
It was a matter that required a long-term perspective, but he couldn’t help but feel impatient.
“I understand. Report to me separately if you find any dark mages, even small fry. And also those who are interfering with our work. We’ll take care of them.”
“…Understood.”
As Mulo bowed his head lightly and left, Heinz walked to the window, opened the curtains, and looked up at the night sky.
‘Hans doesn’t seem to be planning anything yet, so the fact that there’s a problem means that other guys are preparing something… There’s no way to obtain information.’
He needed to expand his forces more quickly.
And he currently had the best human resources on the continent.
Flap—
The night sky was shrouded in darkness, even the moonlight swallowed by the clouds.
Hans looked down at the ground with his abyss-tainted eyes.
‘I have nothing to do right now, so I might as well help Heinz.’
And he was planning to recruit slaves… no, extras and staff to boss around.
Of course, it wasn’t an unfair contract.
He was planning to pay them with something precious to everyone.
‘Their lives.’
‘I can’t take responsibility for any accidents that occur during work… but at least there’s a chance they might survive.’
It was better than dying right now.
[Hehehe… There’s one hiding over there.]
If they belonged to evil, they couldn’t escape his “Abyssal Eye”.
Bright ducal family’s mansion in the Talia Kingdom.
“So you’re saying there’s still no information?”
“That’s right. It seems like there are no major dark mage forces left nearby because the Church swept through the area after the Immortal King incident.”
“What about creating an information network?”
“We’re working on it, but we still need more time to gather information from distant places.”
Well, it wasn’t something that could be done easily.
It was a matter that required a long-term perspective, but he couldn’t help but feel impatient.
“I understand. Report to me separately if you find any dark mages, even small fry. And also those who are interfering with our work. We’ll take care of them.”
“…Understood.”
As Mulo bowed his head lightly and left, Heinz walked to the window, opened the curtains, and looked up at the night sky.
‘Hans doesn’t seem to be planning anything yet, so the fact that there’s a problem means that other guys are preparing something… There’s no way to obtain information.’
He needed to expand his forces more quickly.
And he currently had the best human resources on the continent.
Flap—
The night sky was shrouded in darkness, even the moonlight swallowed by the clouds.
Hans looked down at the ground with his abyss-tainted eyes.
‘I have nothing to do right now, so I might as well help Heinz.’
And he was planning to recruit slaves… no, extras and staff to boss around.
Of course, it wasn’t an unfair contract.
He was planning to pay them with something precious to everyone.
‘Their lives.’
‘I can’t take responsibility for any accidents that occur during work… but at least there’s a chance they might survive.’
It was better than dying right now.
[Hehehe… There’s one hiding over there.]
If they belonged to evil, they couldn’t escape his “Abyssal Eye”.
___________________
Azeria Empire, adjacent to the holy land.
“Oh! I got a signal!”
A blonde man, who had been lying on a comfortable armchair in a well-decorated room, as if dead, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
“Oh my, I didn’t believe it, but he’s really alive. I really don’t understand this generation’s Immortal King. Why couldn’t I detect him before?”
His unique skill “Trajectory Observation” was an ability optimized for information retrieval.
It was a skill that could even read the past.
He had heard about the big incident at the Roselia Cathedral and learned about the Immortal King while trying to figure out the details.
‘There was a huge barrier set up at the place where the Immortal King appeared, so I couldn’t check it directly, but information gathering is all about asking around.’
There were many people involved in the battle with him, so it was relatively easy to gather information through them.
Every word they carelessly uttered was information.
Of course, it was only possible because he had enhanced his unique skill three times by accumulating Karma through various activities.
“Tsk, but as expected of a big shot. I can’t observe him even after enhancing it so much. I expected it, but…”
Of course, his ability also had various limitations.
He needed detailed information about the target he wanted to observe, and he couldn’t read those who were too high-level.
It was only natural that he couldn’t observe the Immortal King with his ability.
But there was a reason why he reacted like this.
When he activated “Trajectory Observation” just in case, the result was strange.
It wasn’t that he ‘couldn’t know’ because his ability was lacking, but that he ‘couldn’t do it’ because the target didn’t exist in the first place.
So he was worried that he might have died at the Roselia Cathedral, but his companions all dismissed it as nonsense.
They said there was no way a true Immortal King would die so easily.
He had been habitually observing the Immortal King’s existence once a day since that day, and today, the result changed to ‘unknown’.
“They were right… Then was he hiding in a barrier where the dimension was severed for recovery?”
He smacked his lips and roughly ruffled his dirty blonde hair.
But the situation wasn’t bad.
A major event was about to begin, and it was good for them that the Immortal King had resumed his activities.
‘The timing is good. Is luck on my side?’
He didn’t have much Karma left until his fourth enhancement.
He would be able to enhance it without any problems if this operation went well.
And this operation was just the beginning, it wasn’t the end.
‘How much Karma can I earn by contributing to the destruction of an entire world?’
He chuckled and leaned back comfortably in his armchair.
‘I just have to gather information from a safe and comfortable place, and the others will take care of the rest. This is what they call a creative economy.’
He knew that the people he was currently with were very dangerous, but it didn’t matter to him.
He would already be on Earth when he had accumulated enough Karma and this place became truly dangerous.
“Ah~ I’m excited. Can I even conquer the world when I return to Earth? I can steal all the national secrets and… Hehehe.”
Another awakened one, transferred to the Auterica Dimension, was lost in his sweet dreams.
Azeria Empire, adjacent to the holy land.
“Oh! I got a signal!”
A blonde man, who had been lying on a comfortable armchair in a well-decorated room, as if dead, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
“Oh my, I didn’t believe it, but he’s really alive. I really don’t understand this generation’s Immortal King. Why couldn’t I detect him before?”
His unique skill “Trajectory Observation” was an ability optimized for information retrieval.
It was a skill that could even read the past.
He had heard about the big incident at the Roselia Cathedral and learned about the Immortal King while trying to figure out the details.
‘There was a huge barrier set up at the place where the Immortal King appeared, so I couldn’t check it directly, but information gathering is all about asking around.’
There were many people involved in the battle with him, so it was relatively easy to gather information through them.
Every word they carelessly uttered was information.
Of course, it was only possible because he had enhanced his unique skill three times by accumulating Karma through various activities.
“Tsk, but as expected of a big shot. I can’t observe him even after enhancing it so much. I expected it, but…”
Of course, his ability also had various limitations.
He needed detailed information about the target he wanted to observe, and he couldn’t read those who were too high-level.
It was only natural that he couldn’t observe the Immortal King with his ability.
But there was a reason why he reacted like this.
When he activated “Trajectory Observation” just in case, the result was strange.
It wasn’t that he ‘couldn’t know’ because his ability was lacking, but that he ‘couldn’t do it’ because the target didn’t exist in the first place.
So he was worried that he might have died at the Roselia Cathedral, but his companions all dismissed it as nonsense.
They said there was no way a true Immortal King would die so easily.
He had been habitually observing the Immortal King’s existence once a day since that day, and today, the result changed to ‘unknown’.
“They were right… Then was he hiding in a barrier where the dimension was severed for recovery?”
He smacked his lips and roughly ruffled his dirty blonde hair.
But the situation wasn’t bad.
A major event was about to begin, and it was good for them that the Immortal King had resumed his activities.
‘The timing is good. Is luck on my side?’
He didn’t have much Karma left until his fourth enhancement.
He would be able to enhance it without any problems if this operation went well.
And this operation was just the beginning, it wasn’t the end.
‘How much Karma can I earn by contributing to the destruction of an entire world?’
He chuckled and leaned back comfortably in his armchair.
‘I just have to gather information from a safe and comfortable place, and the others will take care of the rest. This is what they call a creative economy.’
He knew that the people he was currently with were very dangerous, but it didn’t matter to him.
He would already be on Earth when he had accumulated enough Karma and this place became truly dangerous.
“Ah~ I’m excited. Can I even conquer the world when I return to Earth? I can steal all the national secrets and… Hehehe.”
Another awakened one, transferred to the Auterica Dimension, was lost in his sweet dreams.
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