Chapter 293 - Chapter Eight: Servetus's Room
Ever since Wilson visited Servetus accompanied by Will, the two of them have been visiting once a week to engage in dialogue.
Servetus's room, which had been bleak, was now filled with various furnishings.
First, the number of bookshelves had increased. The number of books brought as gifts had also grown, and at Servetus's request, they were managed on the shelves so he could read them at any time. Furthermore, the single chair had increased to three. Additionally, since Wilson brought red wine and dried meat snacks every time he came, a simple cupboard had been placed to store the tableware used for the three of them to eat and drink together.
Late autumn had arrived, and in the fields visible from the small window in the room, turnips were gradually growing larger. Servetus had been quite surprised when he first heard the reason for planting turnips, but apparently, agriculture originating from Sertoria was now gradually spreading to various countries. Under Servetus's instructions, the subordinates who had been captured with him were also participating in farm work.
The actual dialogue was between Wilson and Servetus, with Will simply listening, but occasionally Servetus would ask for Will's opinion. Will would answer based on her own thoughts, but according to Servetus, her ideas were quite unusual. Finding this interesting, their conversations often flourished.
"Wilhelmina. Are you saying that a town can become independent from the state?"
"Yes. For example, the current nobles of various countries are granted autonomy within their territories in accordance with national law. I hear there are nobles on the continent who even hold the right to refuse state intervention. Wouldn't it simply be a matter of such nobles being replaced by representatives of the people?"
"Representatives of the people?"
"Could they not be chosen from among the people?"
"How would they be chosen?"
Will spoke about the Nakanohara Madonna selection.
"So you are saying they would be chosen by vote. And the only restriction is age?"
"If choosing a representative for a town, the age limit could be lowered a bit more. And women would participate as well. However, I do not believe there is a need to choose based on occupation or status."
"You apply everyday matters directly to politics, don't you?"
He laughed heartily, yet seemed impressed.
"However, people will emerge who buy votes with money. That is the beginning of corruption. It must be handled strictly, and those discovered taking bribes must be severely punished."
"Thank you for your advice. I will think of a further countermeasure."
"Umu."
She was not only quick to understand but also listened to others' opinions obediently. Servetus enjoyed his conversations with Will.
"By the way, what kind of women rank at the top?"
Hearing that fighting priests were consistently popular, he hummed and crossed his arms.
"As I thought, the Demon Lord and monsters are the greatest threats to the people."
"What do you mean by that?"
To Will's question, he told her to think about it.
"Think about it. Such events reflect the state of the world. If it were a pure popularity contest, those with simple good looks would surely come out on top. In other words, it is biased."
"As long as the Demon Lord is to be resurrected, that may not change."
As Will spoke resignedly, Wilson cut in.
"Your Eminence, Sertoria is cooperating with Medioland to investigate the resurrection of the Demon Lord."
"The investigation of that mountain, I assume?"
"Indeed. Is there anything you might know?"
"I heard you lot broke through the barrier."
"I cannot speak in detail, but we did break through."
Whether it was the King or Henry and the others, for now, they had been told not to speak of Jeanne's existence.
"I hear there is a priest in Sertoria who uses Light. If that person is there, would everything not become clear?"
Servetus asked with a teasing smile, testing how much they knew.
"The investigation also includes the Ruined Town. Following the results of the recent war, the Council is currently suspended. In Engrio and Morandine, opinions are being voiced that the Ruined Town should be demolished and the black-clad priests exiled. Depending on the intentions of the Great Church in the Medioland Royal Capital, which is involved in the investigation, such a situation might be avoided depending on our efforts."
"You... are you threatening your master?"
He let out a sigh.
"I do not recall giving you such an education."
"My apologies. It has been over a hundred years since I left Your Eminence's side, so I have learned the tricks of the outside world. Besides, even I have feelings for my alma mater. However, without Your Eminence's cooperation, that school might face the fate of demolition."
Feigning displeasure, he thrust out an empty cup.
Suppressing a giggle, Will poured the wine.
It was the same red wine from the continent.
Servetus took a sip and said with satisfaction, "Delicious."
"This is in return for the wine. I will only say this once, so listen well."
Servetus placed the cup on the table.
"What I am about to tell you is the oral tradition of the Chairman of the Great Southern Church Council. Listen with all your heart. I will not permit writing. Carve it into your own memory."
At those words, Will stood up to excuse herself.
"It is fine. Wilhelmina, you listen as well."
Will bowed and sat back down, and Wilson also straightened his posture.
"On this island, there are three types of secret treasures left by the ancients. All of them were left by five women called the Ancient Priestesses. One is the secret books located at the altars in various regions that you are currently investigating. They are located where the pentagonal barriers protecting the Great Southern Church are placed."
In five locations? Wilson and Will felt a sense of doubt. The current investigation was in four locations based on the Four Great Elements. That meant one location was missing.
"It seems you lot are investigating based on the Four Elements. However, the oral tradition says five locations. I do not know the locations myself. You must search for them."
The Four Elements was a concept that had come from the continent. Servetus's thought was that it was unlikely the ancients would use continental culture to hide their secret treasures from those who came from the continent.
"However, Your Eminence. The two locations so far were connected to the Four Great Spirits. Even if it were a coincidence, isn't it too perfect?"
"I do not know why either. Look into it."
Wilson nodded with a grim face. Regardless of the reason, if the locations were unknown, there was nothing to be done.
"The second concerns the secret treasures left by the Ancient Priestesses, which are said to be involved in the activation of ancient magic. These are also dispersed in five locations, but only three locations are known: Finis, Sertoria, and Primordia. The remaining two are unknown."
Wilson thought this likely referred to the Black Stones that Jeanne had already obtained three of. In that case, there were two left; they had obtained them in Finis and Sertoria. Would the fourth be in Primordia? He was also curious about the origin of the Black Stone left by the Demon Lord.
"And the third is a magic circle said to be in the basement of the Great Southern Church. It has not been passed down what kind of magic circle it is. The one who can activate that magic circle must be someone who can break the barriers along the way, and it cannot be done unless they have gathered the five secret treasures left by the Ancient Priestesses. In other words, even I... no, even the successive Chairmen of the Council have never actually seen it."
Eleanor and State Chancellor Evans had made the investigation of magic or magic circles their final goal, and the two were considering the possibility of Theurgy. Originally, the reason the investigation involving Jeanne had begun in earnest was to investigate that art and prevent the resurrection of the Demon Lord.
Servetus picked up his cup and took a sip of wine to indicate he had finished passing on the information.
"Your Eminence. Thank you very much for sharing such valuable information. As I serve a lord, I cannot promise not to tell others, but I will be very careful about whom I speak to."
Wilson and Will bowed their heads.
"It matters not. Unraveling the mystery of the magic circle said to be in the basement was one of the major goals of the Great Southern Church as well. You should solve it together with the lord you serve. In any case, we Revenants cannot break the barrier. Besides, the name I wrote in the document designating a successor that I made about a hundred years ago was yours. I had intended to tell you eventually."
"I... I am deeply honored."
Wilson involuntarily bowed.
He had never imagined that Servetus had thought so highly of him. Despite that, he had pretended to be destroyed, left on his own, and colluded with the Demon Lord to try and turn the human world upside down.
"Well, it has likely been disposed of by now."
"I believe that is for the best."
"You rascal."
Servetus recalled the days they had spent in endless debate. Although originally the son of a merchant, he had learned ultra-high-level magic without using Forbidden Magic. He possessed overflowing talent and the spirit to overturn the world. At some point, he began repeatedly making statements as if he had given up on the human world, which was constantly in conflict with the Ruined Town that single-mindedly pursued magic. Thinking it was just youthful folly, Servetus had limited himself to mere reprimands, but then Wilson had taken action.
"It seems you, too, have met various people in the outside world and changed your thinking. Just try to do what you can, as much as you can."
He was serving a royal family that possessed the blood of the ancients and a system close to Servetus's ideals, attempting to realize his own ideals. Could a royal family without the path of hegemony truly bring order to the island?
"...Is it possible?"
It was Will's voice that pulled Servetus back to reality from his musings.
"Is it possible to seal the Demon Lord? On the continent, perhaps the seal was successful, as he has not been resurrected. I cannot believe the same cannot be done on this island."
It was the first time Will had asked a question of her own accord. Until now, she had listened in silence until Servetus addressed her.
"Wilhelmina. Do you have some thought on the matter?"
When he offered to listen, she prefaced it by saying it was a layman's perspective.
"I have heard that monsters are things that have been transformed by the mana overflowing on this island. And on the continent where magic cannot be used, there are neither Demon Lords nor monsters."
Servetus nodded repeatedly. Wilson found it amusing, thinking he looked like an old man responding to his granddaughter.
"It seems likely that mana, the source of magic, and the Demon Lord have a deep relationship."
"If so, what would you do?"
"If we can sever the connection between the Demon Lord and mana, could we not prevent the resurrection?"
"How would you sever it?"
"I do not know. First, we must find the connection itself. If we go to the place where the Demon Lord was resurrected..."
"What would you do once you are there?"
"I would dig up the place where the Demon Lord appeared."
It was like a child's answer. Digging or not, there was a palace remaining there that could not be destroyed by any method.
"What would you do by digging?"
"I believe that if we dig, we will find some secret."
Servetus laughed heartily.
When he looked at Wilson, he was smiling.
You said she lacks words but has the power to see the essence, didn't you?
Perhaps it is because her thoughts leap straight to the conclusion.
"I shall tell you lot one more thing. If you go to the continent, there is a region where those who carry the blood of the ancients live. You should go and see. You might find some clue. The first King of Sertoria spent his adolescence in that land."
"Your Eminence, did you know the first King of our country?"
"Ah, I met him once. He was dressed as a hunter. In fact, he said he was just a hunter. He came to ask about the method to seal the Demon Lord. I was busy, so after talking briefly, I left him alone, telling him to read the books as he pleased. If I had known he would later become King, I might have flattered him more."
Seeing Servetus laughing raucously, the two chimed in together, "What a waste!"
The details the two heard from Servetus were conveyed to Henry and Eleanor at the royal palace.
Immediately, a map was spread out on the table, and they hypothesized a pentagon with one side being the line connecting Nakanohara Lake and the mountain. Of the remaining four lines, two connected the hot springs of Engrio and the mining region of Regnentes.
"We won't know without an accurate map, but the candidates would be three locations: Engrio, Primordia, and Sertoria."
If the center was the Ruined Town, the area northeast of the line connecting Nakanohara Lake and the mountain was impossible. It was estimated to be southeast of the line connecting the mountain and the Engrio hot springs, southwest of the line connecting the hot springs and the Regnentes mining region, and northwest of the line connecting the mining region and Nakanohara Lake. Measuring the approximate distances, they pinpointed locations where significant structures were likely to be.
The locations Eleanor pointed to were each places that could be called difficult.
"Engrio is the Royal Capital, Primordia is near the highway leading to the fortress we destroyed once before, and then there's the island in Uminohara?"
"We must fly over those three locations once to create an accurate map."
At Henry's words, Eleanor crossed her arms and sighed. Especially regarding Primordia, she had crushed the highway herself, albeit unknowingly.
"Isn't Uminohara the place where we went to exterminate the octopus? I don't think there are any particular problems there."
When Will asked, Henry replied, "It won't be that simple."
"Those living on those islands carry the blood of the ancients. It seems there were various issues with the Church in the past. Their religion is slightly different from ours. They have softened to some extent since we started fishing for octopus together, but things get difficult when religion is involved. Even we make sure not to talk about religion at all."
"We will stop by Finis on the way to Northern Gram. Let us ask for their cooperation. The one those islanders originally worshipped is the same War God as in Finis. They might listen to us a little."
Seeing the two with unexpectedly grim expressions, Will hesitated whether to speak what she had been thinking for a while.
"What is it, Will? Do you have an idea?"
Wilson called out to her.
"No, well. I have heard that the religion of Finis also originally worshipped the same Goddess. Why are they treated as different religions?"
"Whether it's the style or the rituals, I don't really know what's different. It's just that in the past, they were excluded simply for being descendants of the ancients. There's also a theory that the Church tried to plunder their lost technology."
Henry answered Will's question.
"Should we not just apologize?"
"Eleanor and I once tried to work toward that. However, we were flatly rejected. The Church says they won't apologize because they aren't wrong."
"No, that is not it. Should it not be the Royal Family that apologizes?"
Henry, Eleanor, and Wilson all tilted their heads in unison. The Sertorian Royal Family had done nothing. In fact, the country hadn't even been founded back then.
"The reason is because they have done nothing. Since Sertoria has adopted a state church system, if it is a religion worshipping the same Goddess, do they not have an obligation to protect it? Since they have neglected that obligation, I believe they should apologize publicly."
As expected, both Henry and Eleanor were speechless. Even if they were originally the same, the Church does not recognize the religions of Finis or the islands as equal due to past history. There would likely be great backlash to treating them the same.
"What do you think, Wilson?"
Eleanor asked Wilson instead of Henry, who had fallen into thought.
"It is logical. However, even if it is to defeat the Demon Lord, it would be counterproductive if it were seen as a mere convenience to achieve some goal. Even more so if it concerns the secret treasures of the ancients. In that case, why not tell them the entire purpose, apologize, and promise future protection? For a future of coexistence and co-prosperity, we should bow our heads and apologize for the past. I believe that would be better. And let us ask for Finis's cooperation in advance."
The Royal Family bowing to a religion other than the state religion...
Henry thought with his arms crossed for a while, but finally agreed, saying, "I shall try speaking to His Majesty."