#200
Second Continental Summit (1)
“It’s been a while, Saint. But to think you would personally come to welcome us, it’s quite the honor!”
“Hehe, what are you saying? Compared to the hardships you all faced outside, this is nothing.”
The Saint Liesta replied with a gentle smile to Heinrich’s somewhat awkward words, then turned her head to the rest of the party, continuing in a soft voice.
“Everyone has worked hard. I’ve heard about your achievements along the way, but seeing you all safe reassures me. Especially since there was a major incident recently…”
She was referring to the battle with the White Giant that occurred in Geos’s hometown.
Since the creature was spotted emerging from the Abyss’s scar, the Order had to respond sensitively.
“Indeed, it was quite the ordeal. Being a monster that came directly from the Abyss was something I couldn’t predict beforehand. It’s all due to my shortcomings, I suppose.”
“It’s natural that a human body cannot grasp the full intentions of the Holy God. However, I think it was a guiding hand of the Holy God that the Holy One was present at that moment.”
One of the giants had been killed after causing massive damage to the Imperial Army, while another appeared in the Rohan Principality but was eventually chased back into the Northern Mountain Range by the Holy Order’s elite.
But could a barony in the much weaker Resk Kingdom really fend off such a monster?
Had the Hero Party not been present, it was impossible to imagine what manner of monster the creature could have become, devouring countless deaths and despair.
…Of course, whether their encounter was truly coincidental or drawn by something remains uncertain.
‘Given how much help I’ve received from Chehai and how fond I’ve grown of the kids, I can’t help but worry. The orphanage close to the Giant was completely destroyed.’
Right after they defeated the Giant.
The Hero Party tried various efforts to stabilize the situation, but reality was anything but simple.
When the creature had invaded the village, Isea managed to evacuate as many as she could, but many lost their lives before she could act.
Residents mourned the death of acquaintances, the wounded groaned in pain from injuries sustained during the evacuation, and others sat dumbfounded amidst the ruins.
It was truly a chaotic mess.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, the core of the Giant, once removed, began to crumble into dust rapidly, disappearing completely within hours, preventing the disaster of having to clear hundreds of tons of waste from the center of the village.
What remained was only the overwhelming traces of destruction.
As they treated the wounded and took various follow-up measures, they finally left the village peacefully after Geos had actively provided support for reconstruction and pressured the land’s owner, Baron Regas.
From the Baron’s perspective, with a Count helping to restore his territory, he had no choice but to pay special attention.
“Oh! I’ve kept you all too long. You must be tired. I’ll guide you to where you can rest.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Thank you for your consideration, Saint.”
After a brief conversation with the Saint, they ended their discussion, as dinner time was drawing to a close, deciding to talk again the next day.
“Holy One, Saint. Then we’ll take our leave now. Let’s go, Heron. We have to greet the Princess.”
“Yes! Understood, Master. Have a good night, everyone!”
There were only two days left until the start of the summit.
Since it was evening, only one day would remain after night passed.
Naturally, all participating nations had already arrived at the Rosellia Temple, including the Azerion Empire represented by Princess Riley.
“Then I’ll take my leave…”
Geos had heard that the delegation from the Resk Kingdom was requesting to meet, and he headed toward their location.
In truth, he held no lingering attachment to the kingdom or nobility, but holding a title was undeniably convenient.
Most importantly, as a noble of the kingdom, he should provide backing for Chehai and their family, who were in dire straits.
“Uwah! It’s been a while since I could taste the meat from the temple! I’ll head over before the restaurant closes!”
With Harley cheerfully disappearing after the guide, only Heinrich and Saint Liesta were left.
“So, Heinrich? Can we talk for a moment in my office? A nice tea just came in, and it smells wonderful.”
“Um, then shall we? But are you sure you don’t need to rest, Saint? I wanted to mention this earlier, but you look quite tired.”
“…Hehe, with only two days left until the conference, when would I have time to rest? It would be negligent not to double-check everything several times to ensure there are no issues for the others.”
A shadow unexpectedly crossed her face, which had been perpetually smiling.
‘Huh? So, she doesn’t just want to drink tea right now…’
As Heinrich subconsciously stepped back slightly, with a grin returning to her face, Liesta suddenly grabbed his arm.
“I’ve managed to finish preparing with the help of others, but this time I have a lot to handle alone, and it feels quite unsettling. I’m so relieved that Heinrich is here!”
The saint’s golden eyes sparkled with determination, gripping his wrist with a firm grasp.
“Since we have no time to spare, I think it’s necessary to check everything again just in case…”
Indeed, during the first summit, Heinrich and the Saint had divided their tasks, handling those that were difficult to decide through discussion.
Of course, this was possible thanks to the aid of the Cardinals and other officials at that time.
Even now, they had surely filled in the gaps well enough…
“Will you… help me?”
This overly responsible girl seemed unsatisfied with just that.
“…Understood. I was planning to double-check security matters anyway since it’s originally part of my duties.”
How could Heinrich ignore those golden eyes looking up at him like a drenched cat?
She had been unconsciously relying on him, who was in a similar position, so it wasn’t too surprising that she showed this side now.
‘Since it’s something we did during the first summit, rechecking shouldn’t take too long.’
At his agreement, her face brightened, pulling his arm with newfound enthusiasm.
“Thank you! I knew Heinrich would say that! Now, let’s go! We have many last checks to do! Especially since we’re dealing with matters of the Talia Kingdom this time, it’s likely to be quite a headache…”
Like a person performing a ritual, she tightened her grip on his arm with both hands and led him to her office.
‘…It shouldn’t take long, right?’
From the looks of it, he felt that asking for coffee instead of tea would be necessary.
*
One day remained until the summit convened.
Even though the official meetings hadn’t started yet, both the Order hosting the event and the participating factions were busily moving about.
Regardless of their reasons for gathering due to a crisis, opportunities to see the major powers of the continent gathered in one place were rare.
High-ranking officials from various factions were busy gathering information through interactions with each other and checking and adjusting their strategies for the future.
“Chomp— Slurp.”
Yet, among all this busyness, one individual was enjoying a carefree day, seemingly detached from it all.
“A no matter how much I eat these days, I’m still hungry quickly. I wonder if that’s the reason?”
A large, barbaric warrior named Harley strolled the corridor of the temple like a predator.
After having a juicy showdown with the chefs at the Third Central Restaurant as a celebratory treat on his long-awaited visit the night before, he was now savouring food at various restaurants in the temple from the morning onwards, as if he was playing a game.
Thanks to the large scale, it had become a possible endeavor; now, he had just finished a satisfying lunch at the First Central Restaurant and was on his way to the training ground for some post-lunch exercise.
‘I guess that means my energy reserves have increased. That’s only natural, since a tremendous amount of energy is needed to use “Giant Transformation.”’
After devouring the core of the White Giant, he acquired the “Giant Transformation.”
This skill, residing in him alongside immense ‘madness’, allowed him to enlarge his body instinctively.
While it activated more efficiently than forcibly inflating his body with “Physical Transformation,” using it still demanded exorbitant amounts of energy.
‘Ignoring the law of conservation of mass is similar. Right now, my skill proficiency is still lacking, with about seven meters being my limit.’
This had been the result of sneaking into the mountains to test it out in the middle of the night.
Not long after, he had to hastily deactivate the skill due to a monumental hunger that rushed upon him and gobbled down snacks.
Of course, even at seven meters, he could handle an ogre, the mountain’s tyrant, but facing the White Giant just recently made him feel unsatisfied with such size.
‘Well, as my proficiency increases, I can grow even bigger. But I didn’t expect to run into Patrick just there.’
The secretary of the Mercenary Guild, Patrick, whom he had met in the restaurant after a long time.
He belonged to the same faction as the former Mercenary King, Kanbel, who had died in the Undead King’s assault. Facing a crisis of losing power, he had approached Harley with a suggestion to team up and vie for the Mercenary King’s position.
What he required was simple—build a reputation with recognition from others in the Mercenary Guild while he handled the rest himself.
‘And so far, that has been progressing smoothly.’
He was currently active alongside the famed first Mercenary King— as a companion of the Hero!
Unless he died midway, the current situation itself was an achievement that any mercenary had to acknowledge.
Perhaps that was why Patrick’s expression had been exceedingly bright when they had just met.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
‘But then again…’
Perhaps feeling a bit gleeful, Patrick had first extended a handshake, greeting him formally before pulling back.
He had no way to imagine what Harley could do with just that.
‘The gap between muscle mass and actual strength isn’t very common.’
There might be some special ability or magical equipment he wasn’t aware of; hence it wasn’t a hundred percent certain. But at this point, it seemed highly likely.
‘Seems many have risen to higher positions than I thought. I guess it’s not strange when you consider the special abilities and fast growth given from the outset.’
The problem was that most either fell behind before exceeding to a certain degree or chose to seek safety instead of stepping forward.
‘I wonder what unique skills they have. Since I see them shifting toward administration, it seems they’re not focusing on combat? If they have useful support abilities like Andrew…’
Just then, while Harley was bustling along with his dastardly thoughts—
“Cough— cough— are you that Harley? I’ve seen you before, but this is the first time we’re face to face.”
An unexpected, unfamiliar voice called out to him.
“Huh? Old Woman?”
With a head full of white hair and a face adorned with wrinkles, she bore a colorful tattoo across various parts of her face.
A slightly hunched old woman holding a wooden staff, decorated with various ornaments.
“Cough, cough, due to circumstances on this side, it’s been quite tricky. Yet here I am, relieved to talk directly this time.”
It was Great Mage Morgana, the representative of the Southern Calcos Tribal Alliance, the source of the “Calcos Combat Engraving.”
“So, can you spare a moment for this old lady?”
“What do you want, Old Woman? I’m kind of busy!”
He grumbled outwardly while quickly analyzing his opponent internally.
Now that he thought about it, the one who had recommended Harley to the Special Task Force was not solely Patrick, the Secretary of the Mercenary Guild; this old lady representing the Tribal Alliance was also among them.
Though she merely professed to be a Southern warrior, he had never been there or had any acquaintance with her.
‘Indeed, I was about to approach the south sometime soon, and she comes looking for me?’
The coup that erupted down South and the representative of Calcos standing so nonchalantly in front of him.
Was there a trap hidden in this approach…?
“Are you perhaps interested in ‘Engraving of the Dragon King’?”
…but it seemed reasonable enough to hear her out.
Having a brief conversation posed no danger, and even if she harbored schemes, he might gain additional information from her!
‘Feels a bit like déjà vu.’
Wasn’t Patrick just like this when he first approached?
From Mercenary King to Engraving of the Dragon King.
Individuals with intent were extending sweet offers to lure him in consecutively.
“Oh! I’ve heard about that! They say its effects are just fantastic!”
However, the manly Harley brushed aside such thoughts and eagerly took the bait.
His bright smile revealed wide teeth, making it hard for anyone weak-hearted to face him.
‘Isn’t that supposed to be the endpoint of the engraving tech tree?’
Recently, with his role as a Hero, he had been excessively abusing non-human power, which undoubtedly led to the engravings not showcasing their presence as prominently.
Additionally, he had just acquired “Giant Transformation” but hadn’t fully mastered it yet…
‘The more abilities I can use, the better! This is a rare opportunity that doesn’t come easily!’
After all, human greed knows no bounds.
