A Lie – Part 05

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Translator: Kell


A short time after Zero left, Gemma returned to the carriage with a satisfied dragon and a somewhat apologetic look on her face.

“I hear you found some food for the dragon,” I said.

“I suppose I did… Sort of.”

I frowned. “What happened? Did it eat a human or something?”

“Heath doesn’t eat humans,” Gouda insisted, lying down.

“It seems this dragon doesn’t eat people or any meat for that matter,” Gemma said, “but it eats anything else it can get its claws on. It chewed up and swallowed a historic statue that was displayed on the city wall.”

I knew I shouldn’t laugh, but I couldn’t help it.

“It’s no laughing matter!” Gemma cried. “When I finally managed to pull it away from the wall, it devoured a carriage that was parked on the street. It also swallowed molten iron from the blacksmith. I have uttered a lifetime’s worth of apologies in just this short time.”

“Now that’s even more hilarious.”

As I cackled, Gouda silently buried his head in his hands. “I’m sorry. It usually only eats what I allow it to eat.”

“Then I would like you to accompany me on my next search for food. For now I will have my men bring a cart full of lime. Apparently, processed building materials are more palatable than raw ore.”

The town must look like a feast to the dragon, then.

Satisfied with its meal, the dragon frightened Gemma a little with a huge burp and fell asleep right next to the carriage, its tail wrapped around in its arms.

Gemma regarded the creature. “There are many tales of dragons attacking towns. Maybe this is the reason.” She gave a faint smile.

“Father is back.” Suddenly, Lily pricked up her ears and jumped out of the carriage.

I looked in the direction Lily was running, and sure enough, I spotted a black figure walking toward us. The priest’s footsteps were distinctive since he walked with a staff. Lily’s ears would be able to sense his approach even if she wasn’t conscious of it.

“How’d it go?” I asked curtly.

“Excellent,” the priest gave a brief answer in response. “Thanks to the Bishop, I was able to get a room for Gouda and Lily in the Knights Templar’s barracks. Captain Orlux was strongly against it, but it seems that the Bishop wants to give preference to the messengers from Lutra who flew through swarms of demons, rather than the Captain of the Noble Guards who was cowering inside the warding.”

“That’s great. I was just thinking that the carriage is too small for four people.”

The Director was a skinny little guy, but Gouda was a swordsman with great physique. Even if Lily slept in Zero’s arms, that would still be four people sleeping in a small carriage, which would be a little tight.

“I can enter the town?” Lily asked.

“Yes,” the priest said. “I mean, it’s only right. It’s just that the idiot is trying to protect his authority and power, so he’s being stubborn.”

“But,” Lily looked at me.

“We’re good,” I assured her. “The Director can’t go past the warding, but he’s the first one to sense danger. Then it’s best for us to stay with him outside the warding.”

“Okay.” Lily looked despondent.

The priest sighed. “If you want to sleep in the carriage, I won’t stop you. But I will sleep in a warm room with a soft bed.”

“N-No! I’ll go with you! I hate the cold!”

Makes sense. Lily was from the south, where the sun burned one’s skin. This cold must be unbearable.

“As for you and Zero,” the priest continued, “the Bishop assured that you will not be turned away. With some conditions.”

“What condition?”

“Where’s Zero?” Before answering my question, the priest strained his ears, as if searching for any sign of the witch.

“She’s not here right now. The Director called her.”

“Director?”

“The Thousand-Eyed Sentinel. Madia told you about him in Wenias, didn’t she?”

“Oh,” the priest said indifferently. “The one possessed by a demon. I’m surprised the Knights Templar allowed him to stay.”

“It was the Captain’s idea.” I glanced at Gemma, and she put a finger to her lips, telling me to stay quiet.

His personality aside, the priest was still a member of Dea Ignis. It would be difficult to explain how the Knights Templar accepted the demon’s company by telling them that the young Director of the library sacrificed himself.

I couldn’t really blame the Church for lying at this point. The world revolved on lies. The priest was well aware of this, and decided not to pry deeper.

“Then we’ll talk about the conditions when Zero returns,” he said. “Anyway, the Bishop of Knox Cathedral has also agreed to cooperate with witches. They said that in the worst case, we would abandon Knox Cathedral and flee to Wenias.”

I whistled. “That’s gonna be a huge trip. They won’t make it without the help of our most powerful witch.”

“However, said most powerful witch is heading further north to save the world. Of course, it would be all the better if Zero could achieve her goal, but to be honest, the Bishop is concerned, and so am I.”

“Because Lady Zero might fail?” Gemma said in an uneasy tone.

“It’s not even about that.”

“What are you worried about, then?” Gemma tilted her head.

“Because it sounds absurd,” I said. “It’s not a question of success or failure, it’s a question of, ‘Is she really going to do this?’ I’m sure everyone feels the same. I’m the closest person to her, and it still hasn’t sunk in. I mean, saving the world? Come on.”

“I-I never felt that way,” Gemma disagreed.

“That’s because you have a heart that’s pure as a saint’s.”

“Am I imagining things, or did you just make fun of me?”

“Why, yes. Yes, I did.”

Gemma softly reached for her battle axe.

“Not here, please,” Gouda said.

“As for the Church,” the priest went on, “no, for me as well, I want Zero to help us retreat to Wenias. The one possessed by a demon, the Director, was it? With his ability, I think the Church’s anti-witch technology would be enough to stave off any danger, but we want another level of insurance.”

“You mentioned ‘worst case’,” Gemma said. “But that’s only if Lady Zero fails to kill the witch, no? If she succeeds, you won’t need to leave this place.”

“Actually, living here is no longer possible. The truth is, the ‘worst case’ is already happening.”

Gemma wore a puzzled expression, and the priest tapped the snow-covered ground with his staff. Underneath the fresh snow was a layer of ice that formed when melted snow froze during the night.

“Apparently this used to be a plantation. As you can see, the cold wave had completely destroyed it. It’s not just here. Neighboring farming villages have been wiped out along with the farmers. It will take years before humans can live here again. Even if the witch is defeated, the people will starve to death.”

No crops would grow in frozen soil. The seeds that were waiting for spring beneath must have died in the cold. If demons disappeared from this world, and the ridiculously cold weather passed, how long would it take for the icy sea to melt?

Dead fish would not come back to life, and the animals that roamed the forest had turned into monsters that no sane hunter would dare to approach.

The demons could vanish, but the phenomena they caused would remain; the monsters that they created for fun would continue to roam the woods. Forests without normal animals would slowly die, and no human could live near a dead forest.

“So we have no choice but to withdraw,” Gemma said, a solemn look on her face.

“The Bishop has already made their decision. But convincing the people is difficult. If the people stayed, the Bishop would have to abandon them.”

“Well, if you were to tell them to leave the safety of the warding, abandon their familiar homeland, and traverse the dangerous road to Wenias, where witches and the Church are getting along, they wouldn’t just say yes.”

“That’s why we want to ensure their absolute safety. If Zero, who escorted the Knights Templar from Wenias to here, is with us, it will be easier for the Bishop to persuade the people. Moreover, if we make it to Wenias safely, it will serve as a strong grounds for the coexistence of witches and the Church. But if Zero goes to the Altar and dies, we will lose both our escort and a chance at harmony.”

I gave a sarcastic laugh. He really doesn’t mince his words.

“I get your point,” I said, “but I thought we were supposed to wait for the witch before you start explaining.”

“I know you’re an idiot, but I hoped you would make some effort to use your brain. I’m telling you in advance because you have a better chance at convincing her than I do.”

I grimaced. “Like I’ve said countless times, that’s not how our relationship works. We’ve known each other for a while now. I fight for her, and I’m sure she likes me, but that’s all there is to it.”

“Sounds good enough for me.”

“Put it another way, I’m not gonna change my mind about something just because she asks me to. I decided to follow Zero. If she says ‘don’t come’, I won’t listen. And Zero decided to head north. She won’t listen to me even if I stopped her.”

Not that I ever had this conversation with Zero. But for some reason, I was convinced that no matter what I said, Zero would still continue north. She decided to save the world, and she believed she could.

Others might brush it off as nonsense and offer more sound and realistic ideas, but she would not care.

“What I’m saying is, if you can’t convince her, then neither can I.”

“I see,” the priest said.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes. I understand that you’re both huge idiots.”

I rose to my feet, laughing. I had to start making dinner soon, or food would not be ready before Zero returned.


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