Time of Unity – Part 03
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Translator: Kell
While Eudwright was astonished by the difference in his and the public’s perception of the Church, Sept went on. “If the prophet serves as emotional support for the masses, then I will give it some thought. However, if their purpose is solely to unify the Church, then I would like to propose the election of a new prophet.”
“Are you suggesting we let them die?!” the commander roared.
Sept shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring his outburst. “All I’m saying is that I can’t help you. You Church people tend to think that you will receive assistance from others, but you should understand our current situation. We have our hands full trying to survive.”
Matters unrelated to survival should be dealt on your own, was what he was saying.
Eudwright’s rugged face twisted menacingly. Lia anxiously tried to smooth things over between the two, but the priest stopped her.
“How about I go with you?” Albus broke the tense atmosphere. “I don’t belong to any squad, and my ward can protect the knights from demons. It’s my fault that most of the Knights Templar are gathered in Wenias anyway. I started the war. No, I started everything. I can’t just stay somewhere safe while people are in danger.”
I don’t like where this is going.
Albus was trying to keep her composure, her fists shaking, but the fear, regret, and responsibility that weighed heavily on her back was crushing her.
It was probably hard for her to continue being Wenias’s Chief Mage. She only kept the job because there was no one else available.
If Thirteenth was alive, she wouldn’t have been subjected to such torture after committing a historic mistake. But even Thirteenth died trying to protect her. Even an adult would not be able to remain calm.
And right now, she was making a dangerous decision while in an unsteady state of mind.
“You can’t go, Albus,” Sept said firmly. “We’ve talked about this many times. The reason I haven’t incorporated you into any of my squads is because you have the most important job of all, maintaining the ward protecting the kingdom.”
“His Majesty is right,” the governor agreed. “It’s true that the expedition to the north will be successful if the Chief Mage accompanied the knights, but it’s not worth it.”
“But we can’t just abandon them!”
“We can’t afford to be sentimental at the moment, Albus. If you die, who’s going to protect the kingdom? What about the ward? Granting permission to use Magic? Torres is right. Sending you is not worth the risk.”
“Just let Seventh handle everything! She’s stuck in the kingdom anyway.”
Sept’s expression turned a little sour. He had already told Albus that he and Seventh were the same person. Albus was basically telling him to protect the kingdom himself.
It was impossible for Sept not to be offended by this.
“I didn’t want to remind you this, Albus, but her mentor died protecting you.”
Sept’s words made not only Albus but also the governor tense. Torres, being Sept’s collaborator, knew the identity of Seventh and her master. Even Eudwright and Lia, who were oblivious to the circumstances, sensed the awkward atmosphere. Their faces stiffened.
“If he were still alive, he would never say to push everything onto Seventh and go do whatever you want.” Sept paused and glared at Albus. “Because the witch known as Seventh is inexperienced and not strong enough to defend Wenias, a kingdom now key to humanity’s survival, alone. He gave his power to you, not Seventh. Yet you do not even understand that. How utterly disappointing.”
“Th-That is way too far, Your Majesty!” the governor intervened. “Lady Albus wasn’t being entirely thoughtless.”
“No, Torres. She is being thoughtless. Being imprudent despite the power you possess is a sin.”
“Ah, crap.” I murmured. “Sounds like a big fight.”
“Indeed,” Zero agreed in a whisper. “It does not feel like a meeting. Sept is not calm either.”
Sept was clearly irritated. He had lost his grandfather, the previous king, and then his master Thirteenth. It was no wonder he wasn’t as easygoing as he used to be.
As Albus fell silent, the priest suddenly raised his voice. “Y-Your Eminence?! Wh-Why are you crying?!”
I looked at Lia to see her trembling, still smiling, but with tears streaming down her face.
“I-I can’t stand it when people get angry… I’m sorry. P-Please be more gentle…” Unable to finish her sentence, she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.
Cal immediately rushed to her side, and Lia clung to him, sobbing. “I’m sorry,” she repeated endlessly.
Sept gave an embarrassed frown. “Sorry,” he said. “I was being a little immature. Please excuse my behavior, Albus.”
Albus, still despondent, nodded.
“Let’s calm down and get back to business,” Sept said. “Commander Eudwright?”
“Hmm… Uh, y-yes?”
“About the trip to the Altar. I’d like the Church to discuss the matter internally first. Like I said, it’s dangerous. The prophet will survive for a year, no? I think we can spare troops after some time.”
“I agree,” the commander said. He was more unassertive than I expected. “I also believe that sending the Chief Mage is a bad idea. If we do not have the manpower, then we will just have to deal with it ourselves.”
It looked like matters had been settled. But Albus didn’t seem satisfied. Before she could speak, Lia lifted her head, sniffing.
“I left a lot of people to die.”
It sounded like a sudden confession. The priest, who knew the truth about her, gave a start, while the clueless commander froze.
Lia faced Albus. “Even now, many call me a murderer. They say I should be ashamed for living a good life, pretending to be a saint, after killing so many people. But if I die, I won’t be able to help anyone. If I collapsed from hunger, many people who I could’ve saved would suffer.”
“What are you trying to say?” Albus regarded her with probing eyes.
Feeling a little anxious that she wasn’t getting her point across properly, Lia turned to the priest for help.
The priest seemed a little troubled at first, but decided to back her up. “Make sure you take responsibility properly, is what she’s saying. Even if you’re at fault, taking on a job that’s not appropriate for you is plain absurd.”
Lia nodded repeatedly in delight. “I almost made that mistake, too. I wanted to die. I thought that if I was gone, it would make all the angry people feel better. But someone told me that I was just running away. I was going to abandon those I could save.”
Ah, good times. Zero said those words to Lia when she lost all hope of living. Lia decided to then keep on living and make amends, receiving a copy of the Grimoire of Zero. Some time had passed since then, and she was now a splendid saint.
“This might sound obvious,” Lia added, “but the place where you are most useful is not the place where you suffer the most. When you’re in a difficult spot, you feel like you’re being forgiven for your sins, and if you go somewhere dangerous, you think you can appease the angry people a little. But to me, you’re only doing that to feel better.”
“I-I didn’t mean it that way,” Albus mumbled softly, shrinking.
“O-Of course,” Lia said, hanging her head down in embarrassment. She managed to calm Albus down, at least.
Zero gave a grunt of approval. “I do not know who said those words to you, but they make a remarkable point.”
“Uh, you’re the one who told her that,” I said.
“What? Me? Wow. Am I remarkable or what?”
Is she joking? Or is she actually serious?
As I was wondering if I should make a comment, a scream rang out, which from the sound of the voice, must have come from the square outside. There was a stir in the conference room. As we exchanged glances, footsteps came rattling in from outside.
“Your Majesty! Young lady!” Pooch barged into the room, his face pale.
Albus rose to her feet, furious. “Holdem! This is an important meeting! I told you not to interrupt unless it’s an emergency. You can deal with small problems yourself!”
“W-Well, about that… I don’t think I can handle this one.” With a drawn expression on his face, he pointed to the door he had just burst through. “Th-There’s a dragon in the church square!”
It was an emergency that pulled everyone present out of their seats.
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