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Clashing Prides and Border Warfare – Part 01

The advancing crowd left a cloud of dust in its wake, visible even from a considerable distance. This gathering comprised over ten thousand people, all heading south toward the Holy City of Agiapole. Luvain’s carriage followed a route slightly off the main road to avoid colliding with this immense throng. Yet, even from Luvain’s vantage point just beyond a hill, he could clearly see the rising dust.

“…”

Luvain let out a soft sigh as he closed the carriage window. At this moment, he was journeying north to help those very people.

That’s probably what’s on his mind, Hikaru thought. He was riding a horse nearby. Lavia had joined him in a double ride, while Paula had opted for a different carriage.

“Hmm…”

Riding alongside Hikaru was a fierce chestnut horse. Even if Hikaru pushed his to its limit, it appeared capable of swiftly catching up. Hikaru, not being particularly adept at horseback riding, had borrowed a mild-mannered horse with a moderate top speed.

“Hmm…”

“Could you not stare at me like that, Jillarte?”

Jillarte, the Deputy Leader of the Confederacy of Einbiest, was riding on the chestnut horse. Her presence meant only one thing.

“It’s a tad too quiet around here. Any bandits planning to make an appearance?”

Lord Gerhardt received disapproving looks from the temple guards. He rode a giant, stamina-focused horse. The Beastmen, with an exceptional sense for conflict and battles, quickly approached Hikaru once he returned from speaking with Luvain, persistently asking questions like, “What happened?” “What’s next?” and “Take me with you.”

In that situation, it was virtually impossible for Gerhardt not to find out. Moreover, Jillarte, who also functioned as Gerhardt’s chaperone, approached Hikaru and remarked, “If it’s guarding the Pope, wouldn’t we be the most suitable candidates?”

Quinbrand was invading Bios, and they had no intention of meddling with Einbiest. Therefore, if the Beastmen accompanied him, the Empire’s forces would think twice before targeting the Pope.

There was some logic to that. However, Hikaru couldn’t shake the feeling that having Gerhardt along might lead to trouble. Before he could decline, they had already held a “Who’s Joining Silver Face Contest” within their camp, with approximately a hundred candidates vying for a spot. Naturally, Gerhardt and Jillarte finished in first and second place.

Luvain had simply said, “If you wish to accompany us, go ahead.” Meanwhile, the accompanying temple guards were on edge, wondering about the possibility of the Beastmen going berserk.

“The security within the Theocracy’s territory is quite robust, and there are only a few reports of bandits each year,” Leonie, riding a horse, explained.

“Boooring.”

“I find it delightful when there are no bandits around, personally.”

Even in the face of the towering figure that was Gerhardt, Leonie remained undaunted. Instead of being angry, the Beastmen were actually impressed, commenting, “That lady is amazing.”

Hikaru questioned Jillarte multiple times about the situation within Einbiest’s camp. She assured him that there shouldn’t be any issues even if they were away. The liberation of the enslaved Beastmen was well underway, thanks to cooperation with the city’s priests, and from here on out, it was mostly a matter of logistics.

I’m pretty sure no issues mean there are some.

Jillarte must have delegated all tasks to her aide, the chief of the Chelonians, known for their prematurely aged appearance. The Einbiest approach of “wholeheartedly pursuing one’s passions without sweating the small stuff” seemed to have rubbed off on Jillarte as well.

“Ah, I can’t ride a horse, so I have no choice but to ride on Silver Face’s horse,” Lavia told Jillarte.

“No fair!”

“Such is life.”

“I think Star Face should practice riding a horse, too. Hey, are you listening, Silver Face?”

“Well, we didn’t have the time for that.”

“Hngh…” Jillarte pouted.

“Such is life.”

Hikaru burst into laughter, and both Lavia and Jillarte turned to him with expressions that seemed to ask, “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, I just thought you two were getting along well.”

Lavia and Jillarte exchanged glances, wearing expressions that seemed to say, “How did he arrive at that conclusion?” And they were like-minded, Hikaru thought.

When Hikaru reincarnated into this world, he started out alone. However, over several eventful months, he made new acquaintances. It was partly out of necessity for survival and partly out of curiosity about the world around him that drove him to establish these connections.

Lavia, born and raised in this world, had broken free from a life of isolation thanks to Hikaru and became an adventurer.

Because of her shy personality, she let Hikaru do the talking, and Paula was about one of the few people she could call a friend. With all that in mind, Hikaru found it delightful that she had someone to talk to so comfortably, no matter the form.

“Silver Face, you’re looking like a grandpa.”

“A grandpa?!”

Though Hikaru thought himself a kind of guardian, being called a grandpa still hurt.

---

Along the banks of the large river that meandered through a massive mountain range stood a city, with a fortress against the mountains, facing south. This city was Parametria, located in the northern reaches of the Theocracy of Bios.

A part of the river was dammed to create an artificial lake to the north, and to attack this place, one would need boats. Hence, Parametria itself could be considered a formidable fortress.

The grand walls surrounding the city extended over the river at some points, and even if one tried to bypass Parametria by sailing down the river, they would likely be attacked from the walls. This river passed through the east of Agiapole and flowed into the sea.

Over a hundred members of the Knights Templar were lined up in front of the southern gate, as they had been informed of Luvain’s arrival.

“Archpriest Luvain, thank you for coming.”

Leading the Knights Templar was a middle-aged man with a mustache, the commander of the knights himself. Ready for battle at any moment, he wore a full plate of metal armor, clearly new compared to the knights who wore cleaned but chipped armor.

“Temple guards! Why are these filthy Beastmen here?!” the man shouted as soon as he noticed the Einbiest soldiers.

The temple guards loyal to Luvain, making no effort to conceal their hostility towards the commander, stood in front of the Pope’s carriage.

“Well, well. Showing defiance without even answering my question? Do you think that just because you have more people, you don’t need to fear the Knights Templar?” He placed a hand on the ornate sword at his waist.

“Commander Guildford,” answered the leader of the temple guards. He had joined the expedition down in the great pit. “We’ve already notified you of the ceasefire agreement and the partnership with the Confederacy of Einbiest.”

Commander Guildford’s face turned dark and red. “Did you just say ‘partnership’?! Bastard! If the Knights Templar were there, there wouldn’t be any ceasefire. We were forced to sign a humiliating treaty because of your incompetence!”

For Guildford, who had been steeped in the previous Pope’s anti-demi-human ideology, the Beastmen remained a foul, detestable race. He considered the Einbiest forces cowards for exploiting the Knights Templar’s retreat to march to the holy city.

The hate is clearly firmly rooted.

Hikaru, listening to the conversation nearby, let out a sigh. There were probably many people like Guildford, and he wasn’t just an outlier. As Pope, Luvain would have to correct such beliefs—over a long, long period of time.

Perhaps it wouldn’t even be resolved during Luvain’s reign. Changing deeply rooted beliefs and ideologies was difficult. Hikaru felt a slight sympathy for Luvain. Nevertheless, he earnestly wished not to be dragged into this mess himself.

“Commander Guildford. While the formal ascension ceremony is yet to be held, the previous Pope had entrusted the position to me on his deathbed,” Luvain said as he opened the carriage window. “My decisions are the decisions of the holy city and the entire Church organization.”

“Well, well. The man who used to just wander around after His Holiness has become quite the bigshot, eh?”

“There’s no point in arguing here. What we need is dialogue.”

“Hmph. If you want to enter the city, I will allow it. But within these walls lie the fortress that we, the Knights Templar, are defending with our lives. Those Beastmen are not to set foot inside.”

With that, Guildford returned inside the gate. Some of his men wore faces that wondered what they should do. Most followed Guildford through the gate, and the remaining knights trailed behind.

“Looks like tough times ahead,” Hikaru muttered.

“Poor guy,” Lavia said. “Despised even by his associates.”

“That knight doesn’t look that strong,” Jillarte added. “Not interested.”

“He told us not to enter the fortress, but he didn’t say not to enter the city,” Gerhardt said. “We’ll just do as we please, then.”

The lion Beastman led his companions through the city gate without a care. A messenger hurried towards the fortress to the north, so it wouldn’t be long before Guildford found out.

The free-spirited Beastmen wouldn’t listen if someone told them to wait outside.

Luvain secretly appreciated Gerhardt’s assertive attitude as this would give him an excuse: it wasn’t him that allowed the Beastmen in, they simply let themselves in. Luvain and the temple guards passed through the city, and Hikaru—Silver Face—followed after.

Parametria’s streets were somewhat cluttered compared to Agiapole, but they were still cleaner than Ponsonia’s royal capital. The city, mostly paved with cobblestones, lay sprawled across sloped terrain, with the upper class residing in the higher areas. They didn’t have time to explore the city, so they went straight to the fortress.

The city was surrounded by gigantic walls, and within the northern part stood a fortress protected by smaller walls.

Is that smoke?

The ongoing conflict with the Quinbrand Empire had left the city practically deserted. Faint black smoke was rising beyond the fortress.

They passed through the inner gate and entered the fortress. Numerous knights and soldiers in bandages suggested a lack of Healers. Many parts of the upper walls were also damaged.

“Let’s move the wounded while the enemy isn’t making any moves.”

“The city’s infirmary is crowded, too. Should we transport them to a nearby city?”

“Those who can’t return to the front lines, I suppose.”

Hearing those words, Paula, riding in another carriage, stuck her head out of the window. She looked at Hikaru, and he gave a nod back.

“I-I’m getting off! Please let me off!”

She stopped the carriage and jumped out. She should be able to help a lot of the soldiers.

“I’m going too,” Lavia whispered quietly.

“You too?” Hikaru asked.

“As Paula’s bodyguard.” She puffed out her chest.

Hikaru helped Lavia off the horse. It was definitely more reassuring to have her there than to leave it to Paula alone.

“Be careful. We’re inside the fortress, but it’s still wartime, so some people might be on edge.”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. If anything happens, I won’t hesitate to use magic.”

Lavia had Atonement Flame in her expanding arsenal, a hybrid magic of fire and holy attributes. This spell was effective against Undead monsters but harmless to humans. In other words, she could produce illusory flames, which had proven useful for buying time in the past. When combined with Stealth, there were no issues with casting time, so she was more than capable of being Paula’s bodyguard.

“So I’m this guy’s boring escort.”

Hikaru urged his horse after Luvain’s carriage. How was the new Pope planning to persuade Guildford? Did he have some kind of a secret plan? Either way, a pleasant outcome where everyone was smiling seemed unlikely.