The road to Benetsa wasn’t supposed to be that rough.
Most of it was made up of plains and the road was well-maintained, so pulling a wagon there should take just a few days.
However, here I was, stuck with Cazerose, enduring a torture with Benetsa right in front of us.
—Kwah-Kwah-Kwah!—
Lightning flashed in the sky, accompanied by a roaring wind and a torrential downpour.
Caught in an unexpected typhoon, we struggled to pull the wagon forward.
“What the heck… what kind of weather is this?”
“I-it certainly is! Honestly, it was odd from the moment we left, but this is worse than I expected.”
Of course, there was no weather forecast in this world.
With no way to predict how the weather would change, the whims of the skies dictated everything.
Sure, this world is a fantasy, with “magic” and powers called “magecraft” existing, but even those powers only had a handful of high mages, and they were mostly busy with their own lives.
On the other hand, the paladins like us were quite good at dispelling certain magic rather than predicting it, which turned out to be not much help at all.
Healing wounds? Sure, we could do that. Combat? A bit. But beyond that? Not really.
In other words, in the face of this unexpected bad weather, we had no choice but to deal with it however we could.
“Damn it! This is why paladins aren’t popular… After 1600 years, you’d think something would have developed!”
That was when I found myself convinced that this useless magic was going to be one big reason for the church’s downfall across the continent.
“…Uh, Cazerose?”
“Yeah?”
A small light began to appear in the darkness.
We hurried toward it, as moving any further through the increasing rain and wind was going to be impossible.
We needed to find a place to stay, even just for a moment.
Finally, we struggled to pull our wagon into a small inn.
“Thank goodness. We can finally rest.”
“I agree. Let’s stay here until the storm calms down.”
Given the distance we had covered, Benetsa didn’t seem too far, but this storm had worn us both out.
So Cazerose and I tied up the wagon, grabbed our money pouch, and headed inside the inn.
*
—Kwahrrrung!
—Swoosh!
Thunder and rain echoed loudly outside.
Yet, ironically, the harsh weather outside made the atmosphere inside the inn even cozier.
A warm fire crackled, and several groups of guests were scattered around.
Among them, there were travelers from afar and locals who had rushed in due to the sudden storm.
And one particular traveler seemed to be the center of attention with a story.
He claimed to have come from the northern region, right from the center of the continent.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah… Don’t get me started. Right now, the Sacred Empire is practically a powder keg just waiting to blow.”
The traveler’s firm words brought skeptical looks from the listeners.
The Sacred Empire.
A nation at the heart of the continent, with vast territory, a huge population, and formidable national power.
While its status had stabilized over time, it was still considered one of the most powerful countries on the continent.
So it was hard for farmers and small traders living in this countryside to believe that there was any troubling energy brewing within.
“You’ve heard about it, right? Lately, the heretics in the north have been causing quite a stir.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about that. They often rebel against the wishes of the church and His Holiness.”
“But isn’t that just a minor disturbance? No matter how loud the heretics get, they’re nothing compared to the strength and authority of the Emperor of the theocratic empire.”
“Things aren’t so simple. It seems the power of the heretics is stronger than we think. I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard that several countries in the northern continent have already declared their allegiance away from the church.”
“No way…”
“Hmm… That certainly isn’t a common issue.”
The anti-church forces have been gaining momentum for over a century now.
The so-called heretics were now a hot topic among the monarchs of various nations.
Due to the various excesses of the church, including the sale of indulgences, the church lost significant public support.
Meanwhile, those who criticized these corrupt practices—the heretics—began to grow rapidly in power.
Their influence, based on the ideas of reformists like Luther and Calvin, expanded beyond local regions to many nations.
Countries that had never firmly stood against the church now saw this as an opportunity to cut ties completely, and the power of the heretics was beginning to impact even the northern territories of the Sacred Empire.
The Kalmar United States, situated in the cold north.
The island nation of Britten Kingdom, across the sea.
And though it’s not an official state, the Lorend Region, which has maintained a practical independence from the Sacred Empire for ages.
These countries, which had at least monitored the church formally, now broke away completely, and the influence of heretics was creeping northwards into the Sacred Empire.
“It’s true that our current Emperor, Hooz Matthis, is maintaining a moderate approach for now… But if he passes away, then I expect a storm to follow. The next Emperor isn’t just some average guy from what I hear.”
“Who is this person?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve heard he’s overly ambitious and has an obsessive faith. With that alone, you can guess that it’ll bring quite a storm.”
“That concerns me… I fear something bad might happen to our Benetsa Republic.”
“Ugh… it’s like this. Not a single peaceful day in this world… Just when the eastern heretics calmed down, now it’s the northern heretics causing a ruckus…”
Amidst the tides of the world, they worried about the potential harm they might face.
And beside them sat Cazerose, quietly listening to their conversation…
Her face started to show a tinge of worry.
“It seems like things aren’t looking good. I’ve heard rumors, but I genuinely worry if something terrible will happen. I just hope that a war or something dreadful doesn’t break out…”
“I agree. Really… the situation seems dire.”
As a cleric, Cazerose merely wished for peace in the world.
However, I knew all too well that the future would not unfold per her hopes.
I couldn’t say it outright, but many of the merchant’s words were surprisingly spot on, and the concerns he still had were mostly destined to become a reality.
‘According to the original work, Emperor Matthis of the Sacred Empire will soon die. After that, a new Emperor will cause chaos in the Sacred Empire.’
The next Emperor of the great nation in the center of the continent was none other than Sijip Ferdinand.
His reign would bring about the worst hellscape in continental history, spanning thirty years – a major event in the original dark fantasy novel “The Fallen Paladin” – during which horrific devastation would occur; and I knew it all too well.
Even my attempts to mitigate such disasters through human means dwindled to nothing; thus, it was practically guaranteed to happen.
So, while I couldn’t share the truth with Cazerose, I began to feel a deep sense of bitter disappointment.
‘If only I had rolled the snowball just right, we could’ve managed to get through this with minimal damage, but it looks like things have spiraled out of control…’
In the end, the church had triggered its own disaster, leaving me to ponder in vain.
Casting aside my fears of the impending disaster, I slowly stood up and headed to the counter with Cazerose.
But little did I know then, disaster was closer than we anticipated.
“I think it’s time to rest. Please rent us a room.”
“Yes, we actually have one bed available.”
“…Huh?”
“Oh…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected disaster, Cazerose and I shared a moment of panic on our faces.
