Time of Unity – Part 06
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Translator: Kell
Sept snorted, drawing all eyes on himself. “Excuse me,” he apologized without getting flustered. “Your absolute confidence and determination reminded me of a departed friend. He would have said the same thing. As if saying to leave everything to him.”
Thirteenth naturally came to mind. I did not like the bastard one bit, but I did remember the tremendous sense of relief I felt when he was on our side.
“You’re not affiliated with Wenias anyway,” Sept added. “I have no say on what you should and should not do.” He turned to the commander of the knights. “The decision is yours to make, Commander Eudwright.”
“That is the best we could ask for,” the commander replied. “But what is in it for you? There is no guarantee that the witch is in the Altar. I find it hard to believe that a witch like you would actually serve the Church either.”
He made a very valid point, and his questioning gaze was understandable.
“Simple,” Zero said, brushing aside Eudwright’s skepticism. “I am counting on the Church’s resources. I expect you to secure food and water along the way, provide me with a place to sleep, and to keep watch at night. Also, you can gather information. If we arrive at Knox Cathedral, a witch and a Beastfallen would only draw suspicion. No one would be foolish enough to listen to us if we told them to take refuge in Wenias. In short, I wish to search for clues on the witch’s whereabouts while I leave all the complicated matters to you.”
“Well, in that case…”
“That is all as far as interests are concerned,” Zero said. “There is one more reason, however.” Her expression tightened. Her gaze went to Albus, causing the young witch to panic, not knowing why she was looking at her. “You were talking about taking responsibility, Mooncaller.”
“Yeah.”
“And the king. And the young knight.”
Whose fault was it that the forces of the entire continent had gathered in Wenias?
Whose fault was it that Sept’s mentor died?
Whose fault was it that the world was flooded with demons?
No one explicitly said it, but they all thought the same thing. I knew what Zero was going to say next.
Noticing my expression, Zero gave me a rare, awkward smile. “I promised never to say it again, Mercenary,” she said. “But I will say it now. It is my fault. I am the root of all this evil. I created Magic. I invented the technique and failed to control it. I have never once forgiven myself for that.” Her voice was firm. “Which is why I am going north. I will go even if the Knights Templar refuse my company. Even if I have to do it alone. Any objections?” No one answered, and Zero nodded with satisfaction. “Then it is settled.”
As I stared blankly at Zero, Cal, who was standing next to me, shot me a glance, as though he wanted to say something.
“You look like you have something to say,” I said.
“I just thought you looked calm.”
“What?”
“If Zero is going to accompany the knights, that means you’re going with her, right? To be frank, it’s a trip with less than an eighty-percent survival rate.”
“Oh, right.” Scratching my nose, I turned my gaze elsewhere.
Astounded, Cal stroked his chin—or his beak, in this case. “Were you always so daring?”
“Nah. Even now, I don’t wanna die. It’s just, a lot happened since the Akdios incident. Besides, if there’s anywhere in the world that’s safest, it’s next to her.”
“That’s true, I guess.” Cal crossed his arms, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a sigh. He seemed to understand.
“What about you, Priest?” Zero asked.
The priest, who had been silently watching the situation, raised an eyebrow. “Me?”
“The Church ordered you to watch us. This crisis affects the Church, not only Dea Ignis. Will you continue to accompany us, or will you take on a different task?”
“I… As long as my order remains the same, I will continue watching you.”
“Even now that you have no one to report to?”
The priest swallowed.
“There is no one here who can give you a different order to begin with. It is time for you to use your judgement and decide what action to take. You do realize that the situation is so dire that the Saint is joining a meeting as the representative of the Church, no?”
“I, uhh…”
“Either way, that is for you to figure out yourself.” Zero turned to Eudwright. “Commander, once you have decided on the departure date, send a messenger to me. Let us go, Mercenary.”
Zero turned around and walked away, as if saying she had no more business at the meeting. No one stopped her, and I followed in silence. Behind us, the governor was dispersing the onlookers while announcing the resumption of the meeting.
After walking in the spacious church for a while, I spotted a small rat Beatfallen sitting behind a pillar of a side door.
“What a coincidence, or not. What’s up, squirt?”
She was obviously waiting for us.
Lily glanced at us. “Are you going north?” she asked.
She probably rushed to see the commotion earlier, but could not show herself, and ended up eavesdropping.
“Apparently,” I replied.
“Yes,” Zero added. “I find it quite troublesome, but the world needs saving.”
“What about me?” Lily asked.
Zero and I exchanged glances, frowning. Should we take Lily north or not? She had been following us of her own accord all this time, but from here on out, it would be too dangerous. Even for a terrifying Beastfallen like her.
“Uh…”
“Are you leaving me?”
I felt somewhat guilty. Before I could say something, Zero crouched down and looked Lily in the eye.
“What do you want to do?” the witch asked.
Unable to answer even a simple question, Lily just looked down and mumbled something under her breath, grabbing and then letting go of her clothes repeatedly.
There was something strange about her. She had been adamant about coming with us, practically going against our will.
Suddenly, I remembered the reason why she insisted on coming with us. “Are you worried about your parents?”
Her grip on her skirt tightened. She didn’t want to come with us. She wanted us to follow her.
The moment I realized this, my ears dropped. I had no idea what to do. I too had a family that I left behind. Even though it had been years since I left the village, I was curious to know how my parents and the villagers were doing.
How could Lily, who had just left her parents a short time ago, not be worried?
“I-It’s not that dangerous down south,” Lily said. “Mom and dad might still be alive, but they might be in danger. I-I want to go help them.”
I couldn’t say that I could help her. She knew that as well, but she still wanted to do something.
When I couldn’t say anything, Zero gave Lily a pat on the head and stood up. “The Knights Templar are supposed to be dispatched to Lutra Cathedral at some point. I can make arrangements for you to accompany them. But that is all I can do for you.”
Lily nodded, clutching the gem she wore around her neck. “I guess… this is goodbye.”
Well, whadda ya know? She already knew what was important to her all along. Whatever we did, she would never change the path she had decided to take.
Lily was trembling from fear and loneliness. She was prepared to tag along with unfamiliar people and traverse through a land crawling with demons to get to Lutra.
“Speaking of which, Rat,” Zero said. “The priest owes you a favor, does he not?”
Lily’s ears perked up.
“If you are heading to Lutra, you might want to settle that as soon as possible. Dea Ignis never uses a church’s main door. If you wait for him by a side entrance, you might see him after the meeting.”
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