Chapter 393 - Chapter 7: The Giant's Cave (6)
We returned to the Royal Capital once and decided to split into two groups. The four priests headed for the Royal Capital Great Church, while the four princes including James-sama were in charge of the Royal Palace area with Sir Edgar.
On our side, with Price-sama in a bad mood, the meeting became full of tension.
"I understand what you are saying, but it was a long time ago. I have only just learned that such a thing happened..."
The Archbishop, glared at by Price-sama, became incoherent, but he still instructed the person in charge to investigate the records of excommunicated persons.
Excommunicated persons are not that common. It should be known immediately. Even those who commit murder, which is considered the greatest taboo, are not excommunicated. I myself have never met one.
"Especially when it comes to the excommunication of a priest, it's not something that happens often. Most cases are related to forbidden magic and politics."
In the era when the church was actively involved in administration, it was mostly used as a hint against kings or nobles who went against its intentions, and the greatest incident was apparently the subjugation of the Great Southern Church. To be excommunicated means that the church, as the spokesperson for the Goddess, declares that the person is an outcast not just from society but as a human being. In short, it's a powerful threat: if you don't listen, I don't know if the Goddess will abandon you.
And yet, they excommunicated a priest who lost his own life to prioritize human lives. Until the investigation results came out, he was ranting at the Archbishop about how it was an impossible thing. Of course, since it was such a long time ago, the Archbishop was not at all to blame, but receiving Price-sama's displeased gaze and reprimands head-on, he was gasping for breath.
Just as I was worried the Archbishop might start foaming at the mouth, the investigation results came out. It seems they had managed the ancient documents properly, as the priest in charge of ancient documents discovered the record. Price-sama also highly evaluated that point, and thanks to that, the Archbishop was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The church at that time was, of course, not called something like the Royal Capital Great Church. This is because the Kingdom of Morandine itself had not been founded. However, as a church, it was quite something, and it seems it boasted the largest scale in the eastern region of the island. There was much flat land, and it was close to the continent. This area must have been wealthy. There are apparently cases where pagan mercenaries were converted upon settling on the island. In short, there was a country that strong. Perhaps it was called the Eastern Church or something.
In a corner of that strong country, there was a village. It was the village where the priest who could use Light was from. The church in that village protected the Black Stone... that is, the secret treasure of the Ancient Priestess. Of course, since there aren't many who can use Light, only a handful of people in its long history would have actually seen it. There were those who pressed that village to show them the secret treasure. Mercenaries who came from the continent. Those mercenaries seemed to like the island, and when there was no war, they did things like banditry. The Black Stone was what caught the eyes of such people.
The mercenaries who stole the Black Stone couldn't use magic, so they didn't understand the effect of the Black Stone. So they apparently lost interest immediately. However, they were subjugated by the enraged lord, and the Black Stone came under the management of the lord who possessed military power. Of course, since there was no user of Light, it couldn't be returned to its original place. The lord kept it himself and gave the villagers land around his own fortress to live in. The village with a reduced population gradually fell into ruin and finally became a ruined village. Originally, it wasn't fertile land. It was as if it existed to protect the Black Stone. Since the location of that Black Stone changed, it would be a natural progression that it fell into ruin.
The Black Stone was apparently presented to the First King when the Kingdom of Morandine was founded. Because it's obviously safer for the royal family to protect it. And the area around where the village was located was recognized as the territory of a noble who had protected the Black Stone for generations. That descendant happens to be Sir Edgar.
"Did you know?"
When asked by Price-sama, Sir Edgar turned pale. He seemed to think he had become the one being questioned.
"N-no. I knew of the existence of a black stone, but it was only passed down that my ancestor presented it to the royal family. I never thought it was such an important thing... And I never knew the circumstances of how my ancestor obtained it. I had no idea about the connection to the ruins..."
We haven't told the Morandine side that the purpose of this investigation was the Black Stone. Sir Edgar must be surprised.
"Thanks to your ancestor, the secret treasure of the Ancient Priestess was protected. He also avenged the priest who met a tragic death. It's something you can be proud of."
Seeing Price-sama's smile as his mood improved, Sir Edgar also rejoiced, and the Archbishop finally felt relieved.
Partly due to Price-sama's intention, the priest who abandoned his faith to save the lives of the villagers was successfully cleared of his excommunication. And the search for his remains and the collection of the children's remains were promised.
That said, there is the Gigant. We don't know the location of the Goddess statue. We cannot tell the Morandine side the method of hiding our presence. Once we tell them, it will surely leak to Engrio. We decided that we would go again tomorrow and at least search for the location of the statue.
And the whereabouts of the Black Stone were also identified. It was the one I inherited from the Demon Lord. Its shape was a crescent moon. Then, why did it pass into the hands of the Demon Lord? Sir Edgar told us the answer he heard from the Morandine Royal Family.
"Previously, a prince of this house who participated in the Demon Lord subjugation unit apparently carried it as a lucky charm. Unfortunately, he was killed in battle. It was lost at that time."
In other words, it was probably stolen after he was killed by the Demon Lord's army. Most likely, the prince knew the effect of the Black Stone.
"So, about that. It's hard to say, but they want it returned..."
"To the Goddess statue?"
Price-sama confirmed Sir Edgar's request. This part was the same for Primordia. However, Sir Edgar shook his head apologetically.
"No, about that, they want it for our royal family..."
Um, what does that mean? It should have been kept at the Goddess statue originally. As a result of it being stolen by outlaws, the Morandine Royal Family came to possess it. Regardless of the route the royal family obtained it, isn't it only right to return it to its original place? That would be much safer.
"Does the Morandine Royal Family think it's okay to privatize the relics of the Priestess who serves the Goddess?"
Price-sama pressed Sir Edgar. In this case, Sir Edgar would just be a victim.
"N-no. I do not know what kind of intention it is. Currently, the Royal Palace is in turmoil over that matter."
It seems they are in the middle of a heated discussion between the princes of each country led by James-sama and the young King of Morandine.
Apparently, the Morandine side's claim is that regardless of the acquisition route, once it passed into the hands of the royal family, it belongs to the royal family. Of course, James-sama and the others are arguing that that's strange. Both sides are in a deadlock. Actually, Sir Edgar apparently got fed up and ran away, saying he would tell the church. It's probably because he thought only the church could mediate. Originally, the royal family and the church should have split, but they are ignoring that. It seems to be quite a dispute.
"Is it the King's intention?"
The opponent is a child. There must be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.
As expected, Sir Edgar shook his head.
"Is it that son-in-law who came from Engrio? I hear he's to inherit the estate of a great noble who was not blessed with a male heir."
"Yes. Although he converted upon coming to our country, he was originally a pagan. As expected, his attitude of slighting the teachings of the Goddess seems unchanged."
At the point he heard the details from James-sama, he apparently said, "I will speak," and stated that the owner of the Black Stone would be the Morandine Royal Family.
"And the other one?"
The other one would be the person from Septanaquila who was on the right side.
"He is expressing opposition to James-sama's intention."
I see. In short, it's harassment.
Price-sama is making an overtly disgusted face, but I think it's better to attack from a different angle.
"Um, I have an idea..."
When I told Price-sama what I thought of, he agreed after some thought. There shouldn't be a problem.
When we went to the Royal Palace with the Archbishop, a composition of James-sama and Eowyn-sama versus the knights to the left and right of the King had been created. The Boy King in the middle was looking between both sides in distress. The State Chancellor beside him was just flustered. Since Price-sama came at that moment, he approached as if saying, "I'm so glad you came."
"I am very sorry. In any case, we cannot ignore the intentions of both sides... Now that it's come to this, we can only lean on the famous Price-sama..."
"I can imagine your feelings."
With the Boy King managing things after the political change, he must be having constant trouble. Although there are three factions, one is the son-in-law of a great noble who is pro-Engrio with King Seldic behind him, and one has the Former King of Septanaquila, whom the Boy King admires, behind him. The minority State Chancellor faction is probably holding its breath while watching the intentions of Engrio and the Boy King.
"Um, may I say a word?"
I got permission from James-sama and intervened. The Boy King on the throne and the knights on either side all looked at me. The gaze of "Who are you?" was painful. Eowyn-sama stepped forward and started to say something, but when I lightly raised my right hand and signaled, he backed off.
Just in case, I had the room cleared. The ones from the Morandine side who participated were only the Boy King, the State Chancellor, and the two knights. This measure seemed to fully satisfy the pride of the two knights, and they were looking down on the other nobles who were exiting.
"The investigation we are conducting covers various ranges. And a part of it is being carried out in Engrio with King Seldic's permission. Of course, the content is completely different from the black stone we obtained information on this time, but the investigation itself is a series of them. Therefore, if possible, we would also like to hear King Seldic's intention."
The Vow of Silence is only regarding the content learned through the investigation of the secret books. It doesn't include the fact that we are involved in the investigation of the Black Stones. King Seldic's Second Son has already found out anyway. No matter how you think about it, it will reach King Seldic's ears. Besides, no new information on the Black Stone was found in this investigation. Eventually, an investigation in Engrio will be conducted. At that time, we will have to speak to King Seldic. There should be no problem even if I bring up King Seldic's name here.
James-sama looked at Price-sama. When Price-sama signaled with a glance, he nodded lightly as if convinced.
King Seldic's name was incredibly effective.
King Seldic's Second Son was clearly agitated and looked at Price-sama.
"What Bishop Jeanne has just spoken is, of course, the truth. Investigation reports in other fields have already been compiled, and King Seldic himself has looked through those reports."
"But that and this are..."
King Seldic's son fell silent, but the Former King of Septanaquila's son still argued.
"King Seldic swore before my eyes to the God of War he worships that the content obtained through the investigation would only be used for the sake of the entire island."
A finishing blow. Of course, since it's all true, there's no problem even if he inquires with the person himself.
"In other words, Morandine might become the only one to agree to a specific royal family owning that Black Stone. Ah, no, was there Septanaquila? However, Septanaquila does not seem to be participating in the investigation. Then, it's irrelevant."
The State Chancellor made a subtle remark, but this became the final blow, and the two knights agreed to me borrowing it if that was the case. Of course, they also agreed that once the matter was accomplished, it would be kept in its original storage location.
"Is the only thing we five princes gathered and obtained the fame of Seldic?"
James-sama lamented when we exited from the King's presence after the long discussion ended for a break, but since the goal was achieved, it should be fine.
Finally, the whereabouts of the Black Stone were identified, but unfortunately, the investigation hasn't progressed. It's just that we found out why the Demon Lord had the Priestess's relic.
I want to at least do the collection of the remains.
Unfortunately, there were no records of what happened to the village where the priest was born and raised. Six hundred years ago was an era when small lords were fighting. About eight hundred years ago when King Griffith lived, and about four hundred years ago when the country that was the predecessor of the oldest currently existing kingdom, Medioland, was founded—the four hundred years in between was a period when small lords fought each other and tried to become medium or large lords. Although small, there must have been the rise and fall of various countries. In the process, many villages were born and then vanished. Undead became a forbidden magic, and the mercenary business would have increased. They also seem to have hired mercenaries from the continent. Most likely, it was a part of such history.
The meeting in the presence of the Boy King was resumed, but there is a difficult problem.
"However, as Price-sama says, the search for that priest's remains and the collection of the children's remains must involve a certain number of people. Moreover, it's something that only becomes possible by deceiving the eyes of the monsters. If it were a small number of people, that would be one thing, but would it be possible?"
"First, we must do something about the monsters living in the Forest of Ruins. However, our country's military strength is still being rebuilt. If we could obtain support from other countries, that would be one thing, but on our own, a full-scale offensive is quite impossible."
When the Morandine Royal Capital Archbishop said that, the State Chancellor also showed agreement. The two knights of the guard were of the same opinion. In short, the Boy King was also of the same opinion. It's rare to see such an agreement of opinions, isn't it?
On our side, we thought they would say that. I have a bit of an idea. When I looked at Price-sama, he was smiling as if he understood.
"Regarding that point, please give us a little more time. we will think of a plan ourselves."
Since it was a statement from Price-sama, the Morandine side had no choice but to wait. In that way, we gained time and decided to leave the Royal Palace for now.
When we returned to the inn, Henry-sama's group came that night. Price-sama had contacted them urgently.
"Price. It's rare for you to call us out."
"They say to catch a fox, you use a fox."
Price-sama is as sharp-tongued as ever with his companions. Even Eleanor-sama is twitching. I want to believe it's because they are companions he can trust. For some reason, James-sama looked down with a solemn face.
"So, what should we do?"
Henry-sama, who couldn't bear to watch, intervened.
"Urgently send Jeanne to Nakanohara. After that, have her brought here once more."
He's treating me like a carriage.
"Actually..."
When I couldn't stand it and explained, he easily went along with it, saying it sounded interesting. This part is the brilliance of Price-sama's choice of people.
"What will you do about the explanation to Morandine?"
Eleanor-sama asked.
"That is the problem. I can't think of a good excuse. However, twisting such sophistry should have been your specialty. Can't you think of something?"
Wrinkles appeared between Eleanor-sama's eyebrows, and James-sama looked down even more. Roberts-sama was laughing.
In any case, it was decided to put it into action, and after finishing a brief meeting, we departed under the cover of the night's darkness.
The next night, we returned, also under the cover of the night's darkness.
As planned, we joined up with James-sama and the others to meet secretly in a grove we had found beforehand. The participants were James-sama, Gwyn-sama, Eowyn-sama, and Sianya. Roberts-sama and Edward-sama were staying behind.
"It's been a long time."
"Price, it's been a while. You well?"
Price-sama and Violet were greeting each other familiarly. They met on the third floor during the previous Demon Lord subjugation war and had a banquet together with Henry-sama and the others. James-sama was introduced immediately after the Demon Lord subjugation.
I introduced them to those who were meeting for the first time. They had already had a banquet with the Dullahan and Keira at the wedding reception, and since I had spoken about Violet itself, there was no problem.
"I hear there's something I can help with."
"Yes. I think you've already heard from Jeanne, but the opponent is a Gigant."
"Okay. I'll at least talk to them. But I don't know if things will work out well."
"That's fine. The fact that a discussion with a Gigant is even established is a miraculous thing."
When moving at super-high speed, Sertoria and Northern Gram are no different. I agonized over whether to make the negotiator with the Gigant Violet or the Dullahan, but this time I chose Violet. It's because Violet has more acquaintances.
After a brief meeting, it was decided to deliver Violet to the Forest of Ruins immediately. We departed on two bowls.
"Are you sure?"
"Until the talk is settled, it's more dangerous if humans are with me. When the talk is settled, I'll give a signal, so it's fine."
In that way, we landed secretly at the edge of the forest and watched as she waved her hand and proceeded alone into the depths under the moonlight.
"I wonder if she'll be alright?"
I asked Eleanor-sama because I was worried.
"She should be fine. They are companions. Besides, among humanoid monsters classified as B-rank, many are friendly toward humans."
Humanoid monsters of B-rank... with the thicket... no, the Gigant we saw this time, that makes three species. Arachne, Dullahan, and Gigant.
"What other kinds of monsters are there?"
"Let's see. Beastmen and Vampires are like that."
Beastmen aside, I didn't think Vampires were friendly.
"That's right. Vampires can't live unless they regularly suck human blood. Their reputation might not be very good. But in a village that has accepted a Vampire, just by someone regularly having their blood sucked, a B-rank monster will protect the village. Now that kingdoms are established, it might be different, but in ancient times, there seem to have been quite a few villages that achieved co-existence and co-prosperity based on such agreements."
Apparently, they still exist where they exist. Generally, enemies don't lay a hand on such villages even during a war.
"What happens if your blood is sucked?"
"Normally they don't suck that much blood. You just end up in a light anemic state, so you'll return to normal in about a week. Since they are basically pacifists, they don't normally harm others unless they are attacked. It's only counterattacks."
"What happens if they counterattack?"
"You're bitten and they suck considerably more blood than usual. Moreover, you receive a curse at the same time. Those who have much blood sucked are almost on the verge of death, but on top of that, as a result of receiving the curse, they become a monster like a Revenant and a Vampire added together and divided by three or four."
"It's not two there, then."
They make them into existences weaker than themselves. That way, they can defeat them anytime. The Red-Eyed Man must be like that.
"Yes. However, they are undead and their magic power increases, so they are far stronger than ordinary humans."
Apparently, there are even eccentrics who actively go to be bitten to obtain power beyond ordinary humans. The Red-Eyed Man was also strange in character. He must have made the first move and been bitten on purpose.