Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kael and Clarice

The next day, just as I'd expected, preparations to depart for the capital began the moment Grandpa Pope returned.

Old Bartolomew wanted us to leave as early as possible in case something happened on the road and delayed the schedule.

The preparations themselves weren't anything special.

We'd already begun gathering the necessary supplies the moment the Council date was set, and the traveling party was small.

Why travel with so few people?

The more people you bring, the slower you move.

You also need more supplies, which creates financial problems.

And the larger the group, the higher the chance of unexpected problems delaying the schedule.

Besides, we're going to Septimoa to attend a meeting, not wage a war.

Traveling with a small party made sense.

There wasn't much I personally had to prepare.

The Holy Knights handled the necessary supplies, so all I needed were a few daily necessities.

All I had to do was wait until everything was ready.

The people traveling to Septimoa were as follows.

Old Bartolomew.

Me, the Saintess.

Leonid, the vice-captain.

Four proven Holy Knights.

And the final member was...

Cassian.

The moment I saw that name, the back of my neck tightened.

“No! Why?!”

Bang-

I slammed my hand on the desk, making the teacup rattle weakly.

Tea spilled across the tabletop, but the old man seemed so used to this now that he simply pulled out a handkerchief and wiped it away.

“He is our Order's Hero candidate. Wouldn't it be appropriate to bring him to the Council?”

“What I want is an explanation of why that's appropriate.”

At my protest, the old man calmly took a sip of tea.

His relaxed appearance made my insides boil.

Still, fine.

Let's hear him out first.

Why exactly was he bringing Cassian?

“You suspect Cassian, Saintess. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“No one in our Order suspects him more than you do. Then would it not be best for you to keep him close and monitor him personally?”

“...That is true.”

Thinking about it, he had a point.

Leaving that bastard behind at the Order while I was away would be less safe than keeping him beside me where I could watch him.

Reluctantly, I nodded.

“Furthermore, the Council gathers high-ranking members from the other Orders, including their Saintesses. Is that not correct?”

“It is.”

“If, as you fear, he is colluding with demons or afflicted by some curse, it would be wise to take him to Septimoa and have him examined there. Would it not?”

“...Also true.”

That made sense too.

Every Order had different areas of expertise.

It was entirely possible someone from another Order might detect something we'd overlooked.

“Do you have any objection?”

“...No.”

“Then go prepare.”

“Okay...”

Defeated by the old man's airtight logic, which offered no opening to attack, I had no choice but to shut the door and trudge outside.

While I stood there blankly replaying my crushing defeat, the time to depart eventually arrived.

“Ghk... This is infuriating.”

“...What exactly is infuriating?”

Only after reaching the Order's main gate did I finally accept that I had completely lost.

I muttered bitterly to myself.

Leonid, who was checking the supplies nearby, looked over curiously.

“I couldn't argue back against the old man.”

“...Ah. I see.”

The expression on Leonid's face clearly said, That's all?

I immediately felt irritated.

That bastard was definitely laughing at me internally.

I hate losing.

Last night I'd been forced to take one step back against Cassian's bullheaded stubbornness.

Then the very next morning, I'd lost completely to the old man's logic.

It was intolerable.

But because both were complete defeats, complaining would only make me look more pathetic.

Where should I vent all this displaced rage?

Oh?

Leonid's right there.

“Don't hit me.”

“...”

Leonid hurriedly backed away as he spoke.

Bastard.

His instincts really had gotten sharp.

I slowly relaxed the fist I'd been clenching.

Regretting the lost opportunity to drop a nuclear knuckle on Leonid's head, I turned to inspect the Holy Knights traveling with us.

Cassian's name had been so shocking that I hadn't even noticed the others.

Let's see.

Hans, Judas, Griffith...

‘Wait, what the fuck?’

Why are all these names giving me such terrible vibes?

Sure, they're all diligent people and capable fighters I'd often accompanied on expeditions into the Demon Realm.

But when I list their names together, something just feels ominous.

Who's the last one?

Don't tell me Brutus is coming too.

...Thankfully, no.

The final person was...

“Oh? E-Eric? You became a full Holy Knight already?”

It was E-Eric, the apprentice who had pointlessly worried about me during our recent expedition to the outskirts of the Demon Realm.

“Yes! I'm still inexperienced, but I was formally appointed as a Holy Knight!”

“...Lower your voice. My ears hurt.”

I frowned at E-Eric, who answered with all the booming volume of a brand-new recruit.

“Understood!”

“I said lower it.”

“Yes.”

I raised my fist slightly, and he immediately reduced his volume and nodded.

There had been so much chaos lately that I'd completely lost track of what was happening among the Holy Knights.

Then again, the final requirement before becoming a full knight was usually an expedition to the outskirts of the Demon Realm.

A fair number of the apprentices from that group had probably been promoted.

Still, was this guy good enough to be included here?

With that thought, I gave E-Eric a quick once-over.

‘...Oh, not bad.’

Back then, insomnia had left me too out of it to notice, but now that I looked properly, his presence was actually rather sharp.

He was probably the most talented among that batch of apprentices.

They'd probably brought a rookie like him along to give him experience.

Good.

Once we reach Septimoa, I'll have to spar with him.

At this level, I can beat him up without worrying too much.

He's a big guy too.

Plenty of places to hit.

And even if I accidentally overdo it a little, it should be fine.

Septimoa is crawling with people skilled in healing sacred arts.

A few broken bones would be fixed in no time.

Thinking that, I gave Eric a bright smile.

He immediately began trembling nervously and avoiding my gaze.

Then he slowly backed away and hid behind Leonid.

Good instincts for someone that big.

But do you seriously think you can hide behind Leonid with that body?

“Tsk, tsk. Poor bastard.”

Leonid looked at him pitifully and patted E-Eric on the shoulder.

“Now that everyone is gathered, let us make one final inspection of the supplies before departing.”

At that moment, the old man, who had arrived last, gave the Holy Knights their instructions.

“And Saintess, stop bullying the Holy Knights and help.”

When did I bully anyone?

I haven't bullied anyone.

Yet.

Pouting, I helped the Holy Knights check the supplies and personnel.

Once everything was ready, we finally set off toward the capital, Septimoa.

Meanwhile, the Justitia Order.

They too were traveling to attend the Council of the Seven Holy Seats.

Among their key members was Clarice, a Saintess praised as the purest in history and one who possessed an overwhelming quantity of divine power.

And the Justitia Order's Hero candidate.

No, by now he had already been promoted to full Hero.

Kael.

These two were also the protagonist and heroine of the webtoon, 《Love on Judgment Day》.

Kael had become a Hero at the young age of twenty.

Together with the exceptional Saintess Clarice, he was both the pride and one of the strongest military assets of the Justitia Order.

That was why, even when they came across a village occupied by cultists during their journey, they resolved the situation easily without suffering any losses.

The problem lay in the way they ‘resolved’ it.

“Kael... Why...”

Clarice's platinum-gold eyes trembled at the horrifying scene before her.

Kael.

Her childhood friend.

The Hero of the Justitia Order.

The Kael she knew had once been a warmhearted boy who teared up upon seeing an injured bird in the forest.

A child who innocently dreamed of saving everyone.

But the man now standing covered in blood and staring emotionlessly at the burning pile of corpses was not the boy she remembered.

“...Clarice. Are you all right?”

Kael's voice was low and cold.

Clarice carefully took his hand.

It was much rougher than before and covered in scars.

And with that hand, he had indiscriminately slaughtered even villagers who surrendered and begged for their lives.

What could he possibly have experienced during the year he spent away from the Order to change this much?

“Kael, there was no need to kill even the cultists who surrendered. They deserved punishment, but indiscriminate slaughter like this is...!”

“Clarice.”

Kael interrupted and gently stroked her cheek.

There was unmistakable affection in his touch, yet the words leaving his mouth were terrifyingly dry.

“Demons are cunning. A village occupied by cultists. In a place like this, it's almost impossible to determine who is good and who is evil. Even the kindest person might already have a demon's sorcery planted inside them.”

“But Kael, there must've been far more innocent people in this village.”

“And what happens if one of those good people later becomes a demon's tool and harms someone else? Who takes responsibility then? What if they discover the truth afterward, become consumed by guilt, and take their own life? Demons and the cultists who worship them delight in tragedies like that. When dealing with them, cruelty is sometimes necessary.”

Kael's gaze settled on the pile of villagers' corpses crackling in flames.

“If there's even a possibility for evil to grow, it needs to be cut out completely. Leave no future trouble behind. That way, the people who died unjustly won't have died for nothing. Think of it as sacrificing the few for the many.”

“...”

Why?

Why had this man changed?

Was the world outside the temple really that cruel?

Or had the yearlong journey to become a Hero been that harsh?

The boy who once felt like warm golden sunlight had become, in only a year, a man who smelled of faded metal and blood.

“Clarice.”

“...Y-Yeah?”

Clarice found this Kael unfamiliar.

And frightening.

So she answered in a trembling voice and took one step back.

“Have you ever met the Silver Saintess?”

Kael watched her reaction with faint bitterness, but did not comfort her.

Instead, he changed the subject.

“Huh? The Silver Saintess...? Who's that?”

Clarice tilted her head at the unfamiliar title.

“The Saintess of the Eris Order.”

“Huh? Ah! You mean Beatrice, the Silver Holy Spear?”

Clarice knew Beatrice.

In fact, the reason the Saintesses of the Seven Great Holy Orders, who normally didn't attend the Council regularly, had started attending without fail in recent years was largely because of Beatrice.

“The Silver Holy Spear? Not the Silver Saintess?”

Kael frowned slightly and repeated the words.

It seemed different from what he knew.

“Yeah. Not the Silver Saintess, the Silver Holy Spear, Saintess Beatrice. Why are you asking about her?”

“...Have you met her? What was she like? Does she have a lot of scars? Does she scream reflexively when men approach her?”

Kael suddenly began questioning her insistently.

Clarice grew curious.

There shouldn't be any connection between Kael and Saintess Beatrice.

Why was he asking about her?

Had they met during one of his Hero trials?

Beatrice actively participated in expeditions into the Demon Realm and cultist subjugations, so it wouldn't be strange if they'd crossed paths.

Setting aside the many questions in her mind, Clarice thought carefully about what Kael had said.

“Hmm... I guess that sounds about right?”

Beatrice fought on the front lines, so naturally she was often wounded.

Clarice had also seen poor Sir Leonid being scolded or beaten by Saintess Beatrice on several occasions.

So Kael's description was more or less accurate.

“...Tsk. Am I already too late? Do you meet her often?”

“Not often. I usually see her once whenever the Council is held. It'll be my first time seeing her in a year this time. Ah, we exchange letters sometimes too, but she hasn't replied lately. She's probably been busy.”

Clarice smiled softly at the thought of meeting Beatrice.

She was admirable.

Her personality was a little... intense.

But unlike Clarice, who lacked combat ability and had to remain in the rear, Beatrice fought alongside the Holy Knights on the front lines and cut down demonic beasts herself.

“Then was there ever a young man with black hair and red eyes beside her?”

A trace of tension entered Kael's voice, subtle enough that Clarice failed to notice.

“Black hair and red eyes? Let's see... Sir Leonid has red hair, and Sir Vargas has brown hair... I don't think I've seen any black-haired man.”

“I see.”

“Why?”

Did he perhaps fall for Saintess Beatrice?

Clarice tilted her head at the thought.

Her untouched innocence was adorable.

Kael gently ruffled her hair.

“Hey, Kael! You're messing up my hair.”

“Does the Eris Order have a Hero or Hero candidate?”

“I don't think so. Ah, right. I heard just a few days ago that a Hero candidate arrived at the Eris Order. He'll probably come with them to the Council.”

“...I see. Then maybe it's not too late yet.”

No.

He couldn't let his guard down.

The Order might already have fallen into that man's hands.

Kael thought with an indifferent expression.

“It would probably be best to deal with him during this Council.”

“Huh? Deal with what? And stop making that face... It's scary.”

“It's nothing, Clarice.”

At Clarice's complaint, Kael withdrew the chill from his gaze and smiled faintly.

It was better to eliminate variables in advance.

If he left that man alive, one of the Orders defending the front line—the Eris Order—would collapse, and the consequences would ripple outward and negatively affect the others.

Killing the Eris Order's Hero candidate without even asking questions would certainly strain relations with the Eris Order.

But compared to what would happen if the man were allowed to live, it was a price worth paying.

He could deal with the consequences after eliminating every Great Demon of the Seven Deadly Sins.

When that time came, he fully intended to pay whatever price was just.

Kael removed his hand from Clarice's head.

‘This time, I won't lose anyone.’

Kael made that vow.