Chapter 539 - Episode 4: The Wetlands Knight Order
The problem of the wetlands ghosts was resolved safely.
Since the ghosts said they wanted to go to the Royal Capital, we had them possess fragments chipped from their respective gravestones, and they ended up returning in the medium-sized bowls piloted by Eleanor-sama and Wilson-san. Of course, this included an explanation of Flight Magic to the ghosts. In other words, acrobatic flight was performed as if it were the most natural thing in the world. However, since the medium-sized ones lacked impact, they switched to small ones during a break along the way. For my part, I wasn't forced to join in. Eleanor-sama became exhausted, but that too is becoming a tradition.
Because Sianya had reported the details to the Royal Palace in advance, we received a warm welcome from the King of Primordia and Cadogan-sama in the Royal Capital.
Fortunately, since the ghosts were all followers of the Goddess, they were able to receive a blessing from Cadogan-sama, who was dressed in ritual robes, at the Great Cathedral. After all, some of them came from an era before churches existed. They were overwhelmed by the stone building that they had to look up at, their mouths hanging open as they toured the place as guided.
Afterward, they received a formal audience at the Royal Palace.
The King of Primordia proposed appointing them as knights.
That said, the ghosts didn't live in an era where people talked about knights. To them, a knight meant cavalry—in other words, a wealthy noble who could afford to keep a horse. Ghosts have no material greed. If they have anything, it's a desire for honor. So they buzzed with voiceless voices.
Of course, the King of Primordia knew that all along. In short, he didn't want them to swear loyalty to him or the Kingdom, but rather to become guardians of the wetlands, which would be the front line against the Central region and against the epidemic.
The old folks whose enemies had been avenged by the King, as well as the new folks who were originally dispatched to protect the land from the westward advance of the Central people, all gladly accepted. A group that could be called a knight order of ghosts was formed, and they were given the name 'Wetlands Knight Order.' They were officially recognized as the guardian spirits of the wetlands and the epidemic prevention facility scheduled for construction soon. The Knight Commander was the veteran warrior wearing the decorated helmet who had been the commander of the new folks, and the Vice-Commander was the eldest son of the betrayed Lord, who could be called the leader of the old folks. The Priestess was recognized as their advisor and religious leader.
"Let us pass down the tragedies of both sides to future generations. Let it be known that those who commit unforgivable, cowardly acts will surely meet their downfall, and let the terror of the epidemic be known. We shall officially record everyone's deaths in the national history and ensure such things never happen again."
The King of Primordia's series of actions moved the ghosts to tears. Two of them even ascended during the appointment ceremony. Well, I suppose that's fine too.
As a side note, in recognition of our achievements in this matter, Beatrix, Will, Bonnie, and I were also appointed as knights of Primordia. And thirty gold coins each were given as a reward to us, including Harrison-san. With this, six members of the Class of 175, excluding Beowulf and Matilda, have become knights. Though, Beowulf is a soldier of the Central Army, so she's a knight in all but name, and Matilda probably won't care.
That night's banquet became an unusual affair where most of the guests were ghosts. At Cadogan-sama's instruction, several bishops participated. This was because if one couldn't see the ghosts, they couldn't even serve them properly. There were, of course, servers attached to the Royal Palace, but the mischievous ghosts intentionally vanished and picked up dishes to eat and drink. The servers, seeing drinks and food disappear from dishes floating in what should have been empty space, couldn't even scream and were left wide-eyed with shock.
The next morning, I was called by Cadogan-sama.
When I went to the Archbishop's office at the Great Cathedral, Sianya was there.
As encouraged, the secretary brought out some wine. However, after distributing the drinks, he left the room. He had excused himself.
"The cursed wetlands have safely changed into wetlands protected by the Ghost Knight Order for the epidemic prevention facility. Along with that, we must proceed with the construction of the facility. Naturally, this includes increasing the production of Anti-Sepsis scrolls."
That's a story I can fully understand. To be honest, my side-job portion is close to its limit. As long as I'm a monster hunter, I use Holy Magic on a daily basis. It's easy when I'm in charge of lighting and only use Light, but in situations where I use Heal or Holy, I can't afford to be stingy, so I always try to keep some power in reserve. I only use things like Eight-Fold Salvo in crucial moments against big targets. Fortunately, my rank has gone up and the power of my basic spells has increased too. Usually, I try to limit myself to basic or intermediate spells, and I have my hands full just sealing magic into scrolls with my remaining mana before going to bed at night. If we're to increase production, we have no choice but to rely on Aira and Saxburg, who complete the scrolls using the beads.
"Actually, Sianya received a message from Saxburg-dono and Aira-dono."
I've already contacted the two of them about this matter. This is because if a quarantine facility is built in the wetlands, we'll need them to increase production of Anti-Sepsis scrolls. I was consulting through Sianya about how to handle that allocation.
"What those two are saying is, could we put even just the Anti-Sepsis beads under the management of our Church to make the scrolls?"
I see. If it's Cadogan-sama or Sianya, it might be fine to entrust them with the management of the beads. Neither of them would run toward making a profit.
"So. I was thinking of asking the Wetlands Priestess, who has become our ally, to manage them, but what do you think, Jeanne?"
I see. There was that option. Since a ghost Priestess isn't the one firing the magic, there shouldn't be a problem even if she fires Holy.
"I think it's a good idea, but has the Wetlands Priestess agreed?"
Also, we need the consent of the Northern Priestess, and we have to find ghosts to enter the beads. If it's the guys from the Knight Order, there shouldn't be a problem, but of course, we need their own consent.
"Then, let's ask them directly. Sianya, please."
"Yes."
Answering, Sianya took a stone out of her storage bag. It was the Wetlands Priestess's gravestone. It seems they plan to prepare a crystal shaped to some extent to make it look cool, but for now, it hasn't been made in time. She lined it up on the table and called out.
"Are we already there? Wait, where is this?"
The Wetlands Priestess appeared. Last night, as a result of the reckless act of having a drinking contest with Fiona, she consumed half of the wine barrels stored at the Royal Palace. She tried to keep going, so the servers turned pale, and everyone stopped her. She doesn't have a hangover and has a perfectly normal face.
Cadogan-sama explained this and that. That said, he doesn't know the details. Because it's a secret of secrets for the Northern people. I know, but since I've entered into a Vow of Silence, I can't talk about it. It seems she didn't understand Cadogan-sama's explanation, as the Priestess tilted her head.
"There will be a meeting in Northern Gram soon, so why don't you go North with Sianya and me? I think it would be good if some of the Knight Order members came along too."
"That's right, that would be faster."
And so, it was decided that after this month's recovery of the Northeastern Forest was finished, we would go North, bringing the ghosts along.
Afterward, we went to the epidemic quarantine facility. When I told Anri-sama that the matter had been resolved safely, he was delighted.
"So, from now on, ghosts will protect the facility?"
"That's how it will be. Since they said they'll do patrols at night, I don't think the prisoners will escape even if they recover."
"Forget escaping, the people from the mainland will probably never want to lay a hand on the White Island again. We should publicize it widely."
I see. There was that method too. It might even be better to hire ghosts as guards for the checkpoint on the border with Engrio.
"That's an interesting attempt. Unlike Revenants, their own will is respected."
That's really true. However, as a priest who wishes for the ghosts' ascension, it's a bit delicate. The Church probably won't officially recognize it. Anri-sama must be saying this knowing that, of course.
"If the ghosts are active, we should honor them with the greatest glory of that nation and reward them for their contribution. If the ghosts are satisfied and ascend safely because of that, there's nothing more to say."
He added that and smirked. As expected.
That night, I stayed at the Henry Party's regular inn.
After finishing dinner, while we were all drinking beer and saying "Good work," Sianya came. It seems there was a contact from Northern Gram, and after the 9th Epidemic Prevention Meeting to be held in Finis soon, she was requested to participate in the conquest of a Demon Realm located in the Old Gram region—to be precise.
"Just what kind of place is it?"
For Sianya, it will be her first actual expedition. Moreover, the opponent is the Demon Race. It seems she came to ask Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama about the situation.
Actually, the Henry Party had also received a contact from the Sertoria Royal Palace, and according to Eleanor-sama, they were just about to talk about that.
The location is a coast in Old Gram, a place that sounds quite suspicious with wetlands and wilderness spreading out.
"It's such a vast wilderness that we haven't been able to touch it until now. It's wetlands in places, and an army can't even enter. On top of that, many monsters... mainly insects... inhabit it."
Previously, Saxburg had said there was a wilderness Demon Realm where many insects come out. It must be there. There are no forests, just some groves of low trees here and there, and from the middle, a place where you can't tell if it's a tidal flat, a wetland, or a shallow marsh spreads out, making for very poor footing. Surely, Serena won't complain either.
"Beyond the wilderness is the sea, and there's an old fort in the wetlands. We didn't know what was there. In recent years, methods to hide one's presence from monsters and Flight Magic were discovered. Using those new means, it seems the Northern Gram scouts finally managed to infiltrate."
There were apparently Demon Race members inside the fort. The reason I say 'apparently' is that the scout unit that succeeded in infiltrating lost contact after sending a message about the discovery of the Demon Race via a letter-sending magic circle. They were probably found and killed.
"As you know, Crown Prince Eowyn is scheduled to ascend the throne as the King of Northern Gram and at the same time succeed the lineage of the Gram Royal Family, unifying both the Gram and Northern Gram houses into the Kingdom of Gram and ascending as the King of the new Gram. In fact, Eowyn-dono is already governing the Old Gram region as a deputy. This is a request from that Eowyn-dono."
"But the war on the mainland is continuing, so isn't he busy?"
"Not necessarily. The diplomacy of Northern Gram is handled by the King of Northern Gram, and regarding the current provision of magic water, Saxburg-dono and Aira-dono are in charge. I think Eowyn-dono can focus on internal affairs. Also, he's probably timing it with the occasion of the essential Jeanne going North."
I see. Once it becomes a nation, there are various divisions of roles.
Does that mean Sertoria also has a division of roles? For example, Roberts-sama participating.
"Roberts must prepare for the time when we actually dispatch troops. Only when the older brother is in the Royal Capital and the younger brother is at the front line, each in their appropriate place, can the soldiers and citizens feel at ease. Of course, it cannot be anyone else. Conversely, as long as the two of them are together, there's no problem."
In short, the Henry Party is going to Old Gram.
It seems it's not just the Henry Party going to Old Gram. Gwyn-sama, Harrison-san, Magdalena-sama, Harrison-san, and Beatrix will participate. Miana will, of course, return home as soon as the meeting is over, which means Beowulf will also return home.
"We're going too. Nice to meet you."
It's the border Lord's party. All four of them will participate.
"We've been helped by the people of the Northern Gram Royal Family, so we have to pay them back when we can. Humans have lifespans, after all. While Jeanne and the others are holding the meeting in Finis, we'll lightly train the priests in training, and when that's over, we'll join up."
It seems they also want McGuire-san and Fiona to gain actual combat experience. However, the opponent is the Demon Race. In fact, the Lord and the Queen have almost no actual combat experience regarding Dark Magic. Won't things be different?
"I think that point will be fine."
Saying so, Sianya took three stones out of her storage bag.
No way...
"Are you going to hunt the Demon Race? We're going too, so nice to meet you."
"We received a direct request from the King of Primordia. We shall participate as Sianya-dono's guards. It will be the first battle for our Knight Order. To have the Demon Race as an opponent is a warrior's honor."
"Umu. Whether it's the Demon Race or whatever, we won't let them lay a single finger on Sianya-dono."
The Wetlands Priestess and the Knight Commander and Vice-Commander came out of the stones. It seems they're bringing several other stones too. Even if they're ghosts, they have the protection of a Knight Order. No, they're probably more powerful than living humans. Quite extravagant. Isn't the King of Primordia worrying too much?
"Just guards? Since it's the first battle, let's just blast the Demon Race and earn some achievements."
"Priestess, it seems a knight's duty is to protect."
"That's right. Well, we'll handle Sianya-sama's protection. Priestess, you fight the Demon Race as you like."
"Is it okay? I'm gonna use it, Dark Magic. The opponent is the Demon Race; I've wanted to have a go at them once."
The Priestess is quite fired up, but I wonder if it'll be okay.