#150
Hero Party (4)
Everyone froze at Heinrich’s heavy remark that resonated through the meeting room.
Leaving aside the voice that naturally evoked reverence filled with Holy Power, there was a significant weight behind his words.
“Is it possible that the Holy God is… speaking?”
“Whoa—.”
The heads of the shrine murmured in awe.
While it was a fact that God existed, acknowledged by everyone in Auterica, the vast difference in status made it somewhat limited for mortals to truly feel that will.
And the priests were no different in that regard.
As faith deepened, their connection strengthened, allowing them to feel that presence more distinctly, but understanding even a fragment of God’s will required at least the level of a Saint.
However, Heinrich had just mentioned receiving a direct revelation from the Holy God, leaving them with no choice but to be astonished.
Nervously swallowing dry saliva, some pulled out handkerchiefs to wipe away sweat, while others clasped their hands in prayer, staring at him…
Everyone straightened up and sat properly, waiting for the next words to come out of his mouth.
‘The effect is good… but it’s a bit burdensome.’
Heinrich, forcing himself to ignore the shining eyes of the Saint gazing at him, slowly began to speak.
“Isn’t it strange? The contradictory actions exhibited by the Undead King Hannibal Strauss until now.”
Although it might seem somewhat out of the blue, they focused on the topic thrown out by the Saint without complaint.
Of course, everyone felt that truth.
The reason for that was simply that the opponent was an existence beyond regular understanding, so there was no significant result in analyzing that thought pattern.
“The Undead King of this generation is distinctly different from the previous ones. He isn’t bound by the obsession of drowning the continent in death.”
“I did indeed feel that way…”
“The principle driving his actions is solely his own interest. When he invaded the shrine last time, he retreated willingly because Lord Harris of the Elven Kingdom satisfied that interest. …If I had to add just one more thing, it would be something like attracting public interest.”
Starting from reminding them of Hans’s peculiarities.
“…That certainly makes sense. When we were dispatched to investigate the Abyssal Gate, the Undead King could have killed us easily, but he didn’t. It was as if he wanted to leave witnesses to what he had done.”
A Paladin, who had been dispatched to the Southern Wastes in the past, carefully agreed with Heinrich’s words.
“Thinking back, there have been more than a few instances like that. While the Undead King caused great harm across the continent, the damage at the locations he personally revealed was surprisingly minimal. The recent attack incident in the Empire’s Tovea City was similar.”
“While he fundamentally shows steps to destroy the continent, his personal interest takes precedence where he is present…?”
“Exactly! And we can use that point.”
“How do you mean?”
He was forcibly tying past events to add credibility to his current claims.
Moreover, Heinrich was backed by the authority of the Holy God, which made convincing them rather easy.
“He holds a great interest in me. From the moment I first pierced his heart and defeated him, that interest has grown even more since I became a Saint.”
Others were also well aware of that fact.
In reality, the Undead King frequently exhibited actions conscious of him, and during the assault incident at the council, he only recognized Heinrich as a conversational partner.
With the exception of dealing with Harris, who shot an arrow at him.
“I plan to propose a… wager that could pique his interest.”
“Huh? A wager…?”
As soon as those words were finished, the audience’s reactions turned ambiguous.
‘What’s needed at a time like this is indeed audacity.’
He earnestly nodded and added power to his voice.
“The Undead King sees the process of conquering the continent itself as a type of game. So, in line with that, while adding attraction, we just need to add one ‘rule.’”
“…Is that to not invade the Rohan Principality?”
Those listening began to furrow their brows and tilt their heads, still skeptical.
It was a perfectly reasonable doubt, asking how something would go so smoothly…
“Of course, there may be additional variables depending on their demands, but that’s the basic outline.”
“…Would the Undead King accept such conditions?”
“He will.”
Once he made up his mind, he would do it.
‘Even if it’s somewhat forced, there’s no other way.’
Now, he only believed in the glory of the Holy God.
“A negotiation with the Undead King…”
The Inquisition Officer mumbled under his breath with an uncomfortable expression, but no matter how strong his authority was, he couldn’t do anything about the Saint chosen by God.
Let alone now, because he had laid the groundwork by mentioning the Holy God’s name.
“But what if the Undead start moving south immediately? If we don’t prepare right away, not only the Principality but the Empire could be at risk.”
“Don’t worry. The immortal army will not move.”
“And how can you be so sure?”
“…The Holy God has told me.”
Now, he was running out of logical arguments to persuade them and just pressed on with sheer determination.
It was a baseless assertion, but what could be done if a Saint said so?
‘Oh whatever, if that’s what it is, so be it.’
His firm response left the Church’s leaders only blinking in astonishment.
However, the Saint, who had been quietly watching him, finally broke into spontaneous applause with sparkling eyes, exclaiming her admiration.
Clap clap clap!
“You are indeed the Saint! The Holy God knows everything, yet we, being so insufficient, cannot fully grasp His will. I can only faintly sense the fragments, but you truly are amazing!”
“Ha ha ha. No need for such compliments…”
He disregarded any pangs of conscience and let out a shameless laugh.
Surely the connection level with the Holy God was likely higher for the Saint than for Heinrich.
He had been using most of the divine veins connected to the God solely for the purpose of gathering Holy Power, and until now, the only emotion he felt from the Holy God was merely ‘interest.’
Even at this moment, it was the same.
However, as the Saint fervently fawned over him, the surrounding reactions began to gradually heat up.
No one even bothered to consider the possibility that Saint Heinrich had lied.
“Then let’s proceed based on what the Saint has said. The Empire isn’t stupid, so it won’t be easy, but I will try to buy as much time as possible.”
Although it seemed utterly ludicrous for a top organization on the continent to make such decisions, this was proof enough that they trusted Saint Heinrich that much.
The moment the Saint invoked the name of the Holy God, it had become an absolute law within the Order.
‘Recently, we’ve had to act like representatives of humanity to deal with the Undead King…’
Their essence was still that of a religious organization, and all present here were the leaders recognized for their peak faith.
‘In simpler terms, everyone here is fanatics, except for me.’
And for fanatics, the words of God were truth, so this reaction was perfectly natural.
“Then I’ll leave it to you. Stopping the Empire’s retreat will only take a moment. They will soon follow our will.”
“Huh? Could it be that the Holy God gave you a revelation about that…?”
At that question, Heinrich simply closed his eyes and slowly nodded.
Having done this often, it strangely felt as though a genuine revelation from the Holy God had just come down upon him.
‘Hannibal Strauss… looks like he’s aiming for the Empire next, but as long as I, Heinrich, am here, your wishes won’t come true!’
The meeting room was filled with a strong resolve and reverent faith.
The hero, deeply immersed in his role, clenched his fists, igniting his motivation.
Everyone in the meeting hall regarded him with trustworthy eyes.
Strangely enough, perhaps due to exhaustion, he no longer felt pangs of conscience.
*
Meanwhile, while Heinrich was busy pulling off a scam in the name of the Holy God.
After finishing their sparring session, Harley was happily reconnecting with some familiar faces after a long time.
“Hello, Harley! It hasn’t been long since we parted, but you’ve grown more since then.”
“Wahaha! It’s been a while, miss! Your face is all shiny, so I see you’ve been doing well?”
“It’s all thanks to you, Harley! I’m a High Elf now, you know?”
Greeting him brightly was Cecily Greenwood.
“Long time no see. Hmm… but, no, never mind.”
Noting something off about Harley, Laforey Greenwood showed a subtle reaction.
“Good to see you, Harley.”
“Ah— so happy to see you, Harris! Hoo hah!”
Even Harris, pretending to be an old friend, chimed in.
“Indeed, we are in the Ion Continent. I thought it would be more ordinary than expected, but… just as I imagined…”
Shapiron, feeling overwhelmed by his intimidating presence, quietly muttered while sneaking behind Harris, but she had always been unusual, so it was easily ignored.
“Harley! I promised you last time, right? That when I became a High Elf, I would properly offer my blessing again. …I don’t know how much it’ll help you now, but still, it’s better than nothing.”
Cecily said, beaming as she made eye contact with him.
This time, he didn’t need to squat down like last time.
A gentle breeze arose from her feet, lifting her body and aligning their eye levels in an instant.
Whooosh—
As her lips touched Harley’s forehead, a warm energy enveloped his body just like last time.
Additionally, since Harris, now a High Elf, was present, he could clearly perceive the nature of that energy this time.
‘This isn’t just ordinary natural energy; it resembles Holy Power? Can a High Elf draw upon the World Tree’s energy directly through themselves? Quite impressive for a priest of the World Tree’s Order.’
Some time passed, and as that energy fully settled within Harley—
《”Due to the ‘Blessing of Nature,’ the affinity and resistance to the subject’s attributes are dramatically increased.”》
Unlike last time, a message appeared right in front of Harley’s eyes.
It wasn’t that a special skill had formed or anything, but with the system proclaiming it to this extent, the effect had to be considerably greater than expected.
‘Once Harris becomes a High Elf, he’ll be able to use this soon enough, but how often can this be done? Let’s see… first, I’ve saved Harley’s share, and of course, Hans won’t be able to use it.’
Naturally, such thoughts followed as a very natural phenomenon.
Moreover, her gift didn’t stop there; it was a piece crafted from a branch given to her by the World Tree.
“I made this based on Laforey’s advice, tailored to Harley’s tastes.”
Laforey, quietly standing in the back, nodded heavily at Cecily’s words.
As promised, the accessory sculpted so it could be worn as a necklace or belt looked fierce and lifelike, like the head of a wild beast.
Perfectly aligned with Harley’s preferences.
“Wahaha! I really love this! You didn’t have to go this far!”
Of course, he only pretended to say that, but the accessory, with all its resistance and additional defense, was already firmly attached to his waist.
It wouldn’t easily fall off from that place.
“By the way, I didn’t expect to see you here, Harley. To grow this strong in such a short time.”
As Cecily’s visit wrapped up, Laforey, quietly observing him, gently spoke.
Having lived for a long time, the High Elf seemed to see through Harley to some extent; there was a hint of worry.
“…Well, I suppose Harley has his own thoughts. Since the Holy Church hasn’t said anything either, I can’t really say anything. But since you’ve come this far, perhaps you’ve decided to join the Special Task Force?”
He shrugged lightly and quickly changed the topic.
With the top backing of the Holy Church’s Saint, this was all very comfortable.
“Ah? Oh—! About that…?”
At that question, Harley scratched the back of his head and slowly began to speak.
