Chapter 154. March of the Dead (1)
Calia's White Crest Knight Order hid within the crowd, guarding Perne's tavern.
Inside the tavern, Calia and Verden sat side by side. Perne brought out warm coffee and served it in order.
"Good drink, by the way this is the first time we meet face to face, Perne."
"I apologize, Lady Calia. I should have sought you out sooner..."
"It's fine. Just sending Asher through one of my requests is no different from greeting me. So, no need to trouble yourself."
Calia appeared truly unconcerned.
Naturally, Perne did not feel at ease.
Even without being granted a title, Calia had already secured her standing as a noble. She was a being on a completely different level from the rotten, incompetent children of the Kingdom's nobility.
Even for someone like Perne, who had long been active in Gray, she was a figure worthy of tension.
"Thank you, Lady Calia."
Perne smiled awkwardly.
"But what kind of request brings you here in person?"
"Ah, that is..."
Calia turned her gaze toward Perne.
It was a signal to excuse herself for a moment, as the matter was sensitive.
Perne promptly withdrew.
Once only the two remained inside the tavern, Calia spoke.
"After transporting the Orb of the Undead to the diocese through Bishop Neviron, I focused on tracking the operators of the Union and the Glory of the Dead. Once my probation ended, I even led the knight order myself."
"Were there any results?"
Calia shook her head.
"No, after Beken was caught, the other two Union operators immediately vanished. On top of that, I couldn't even find a single black mage, let alone the Glory of the Dead. In the end, there was no result."
There were limits to borrowing the power of her house.
That was because the Third Prince behind them was watching with sharp eyes. No matter how great the prestige of the Marquisate of Esperanza, it was difficult to openly cross swords with one who bore the royal bloodline.
Perhaps, if the First or Second Prince gave their help, it could be possible.
But the princes, though regarding each other as rivals for the throne, also valued the absolute authority of the royal family.
They might stain their own hands with blood, but they would never sit idly by and allow nobles to bare their fangs at the royal family just to eliminate political enemies.
"With the justification given by you and Perne, I could pressure the Union and some nobles quite heavily. However, as for those above them, the Third Prince, dukes, marquises, we could not even touch them. Each mercilessly severed their tails, erasing any justification for our marquisate to intervene."
Calia took a sip of coffee.
The bitterness lingered in her mouth.
"Politics is indeed an indispensable factor in ruling a nation, I do not deny that. But when politics is used to cover up vice and greed... it's only natural to become disillusioned with the Kingdom's politics. At times, facing an army alone feels preferable."
Well, in any case.
"During those frustrating days, I received contact from the diocese. About that, there is good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?"
"The bad news first."
Because that was more concerning.
Calia nodded.
"First, the bad news. The diocese failed to purify the Orb of the Undead."
***
Verden furrowed his brow.
"Even though the bishop himself stepped forward?"
"Four bishops gathered at the diocese personally attempted the purification, but there was no progress whatsoever. Since Bishop Neviron himself sent the letter, it must be true."
As written in Bishop Neviron's letter.
The Orb of the Undead does not exist independently, but rather is sustained by some external foundation.
If a figure possessing holy power of an archbishop or higher were present, it could be completely purified at once, but the strength of bishops was insufficient.
"Summoning someone at the level of an archbishop to the Kingdom is no easy matter. With all the procedures, it would take months. Yet sending it overseas risks a sudden raid by the Glory of the Dead. Thus, the diocese judged that forcing purification through holy power is impossible."
Impossible with holy power...
"That means there is another method."
"That is the good news. Fortunately, they have secured a means to find those foundations."
The necklace that Bishop Neviron sent along with his letter.
It was an item that reacted to miasma such as undead or black magic, modified to respond specifically to certain miasma by utilizing the tainted holy power of the Orb of the Undead.
The closer the distance, the stronger the reaction.
"The number of identified foundations is three. I will take one, while the diocese's paladin orders will handle the other two. I have already delivered the necklace to Vespa, who is pinpointing the location of one foundation."
They could not use outsiders such as Owl.
Information regarding the Glory of the Dead was top secret.
"Three places. Are the number of paladins sufficient?"
"Of course, insufficient."
The Church of Luas was a world religion.
Its influence was strong across the eastern, western, and central continents alike.
For the Royal Family of Estiria, which emphasized royal authority, this was displeasing.
They feared interference in internal affairs. Such was the opinion of most royals and nobles.
The result was minimizing donations to the Church of Luas.
That was why, unlike other nations, the diocese was built far from the capital, and as the donations were minimal, the number of clergy or paladins allocated by the Church was also minimized.
"This too is due to political reasons. Still, we were granted authority to borrow holy equipment from each church, so there is no complaint. Frankly speaking, excluding holy power, my knight order alone could more than make up for the paladins' absence."
And.
"Asher, there is you as well, isn't there?"
The mage who retrieved the Orb of the Undead from the Kingdom's prohibition.
Though she had never seen his strength directly, Calia considered him a single individual whose ability equaled that of a mithril-rank.
Hiring this gray-haired mage alone was far better than gathering others.
"The payment is a base of 400 million Elk. And depending on your contribution, I am willing to pay up to another 400 million Elk as a bonus."
"That is quite a sum."
"The strength possessed by the Glory of the Dead is judged dangerous. In that case, it would be foolish to quibble over cost in hiring a mage such as yourself. So, your answer?"
There was no reason to refuse.
"When are you planning to depart?"
"In six days, I plan to rendezvous with Vespa's party in the city of Keben. So, it would be best to depart within two days at the latest. Do you have any pressing matters?"
Verden nodded.
He needed to check on Geltone's condition, but more than that.
"I need to leave my equipment for a while."
"Equipment?"
At that, Calia glanced at Verden's clothes.
"Indeed, those are clothes I've never seen before. Did your equipment suffer damage?"
"It's not that, it simply became too filthy."
"Armor and weapons getting dirty is always the case. But just how filthy are we talking about?"
It would be faster to show than to explain.
Verden pulled his gear out of the spatial bag. Stained with the bodily fluids of an abnormal species, they were in an utterly ruined state, making Calia instantly lean her upper body backward.
She wore an expression of disgust such as he had never seen from her before.
"...Asher, just what have you been doing, and where?"
Well, this and that?
***
The day before departing for Keben, Verden went to see Geltone.
It was to check on how he had fared while Verden was away from Asern.
'He's most likely still drowned in liquor.'
Not even a month had passed.
It was far too short a time to expect any real change.
But Geltone's state was entirely different from Verden's expectation.
"Huff! Huff!"
Geltone was running around the training yard of the Adventurer's Guild.
The gaunt figure Verden had last seen was gone without a trace, replaced by a devoted adventurer focused on physical training.
As Geltone finished a lap around the training yard, his eyes met Verden's.
"Ah, Sir Asher!"
Geltone came running over at once.
Seeing that lively appearance, Verden asked.
"You no longer drink?"
"Well... after suffering through several hangovers, I simply couldn't bear to swallow another drop."
Geltone laughed sheepishly.
No longer visiting taverns, he had spent several days sitting idly in his room. He barely ate, and with liquor abandoned, he thought to study magic theory right away, but nothing would enter his head.
"So I thought, perhaps I should at least practice magic, and came to the training yard. But my head was so muddled, the magic calculations just wouldn't come. I was about to waste some time and leave, when... some young adventurers came in."
The lowest-ranked White Crest adventurers.
So young they could hardly even hunt goblins, they began running laps. Basic physical fitness was the most fundamental of fundamentals for adventurers.
Geltone had stared blankly at their training, then soon followed along with a light jog.
At first, it was merely to loosen his stiff body.
But as he moved strenuously for the first time in a while, it was quite exhausting. Even regulating his breathing was difficult.
That was the physical state of mages.
Then suddenly, Geltone realized something.
That if he overworked his body, no gloomy thoughts arose.
"From then on, I simply started running. The muscle pain was severe, but I stopped thinking of magic altogether and even slept well."
As his body grew healthy, so too did his mind. He regained the vitality he had once had.
Of course, recalling Verden's teachings still made his head a little tangled... but unlike before, he now had the leeway to sort out his thoughts and feelings.
Verden thought.
'Who would've imagined he'd overcome depression through exercise.'
It was a method unthinkable for a mage from the magic tower. Still, better than leaning on drink.
"And what brings you here?"
Verden answered briefly.
That an urgent request had come up, and he would need to postpone the theory lectures further. Geltone nodded without hesitation.
"I'm fine, so you don't need to worry. Honestly, right now..."
Geltone hesitated once, then continued.
"When I'm ready, I'll come find you myself, Sir Asher. I don't know when that will be, but..."
Geltone seemed uncertain.
But compared to before, he had changed drastically.
'It won't take as long as I thought.'
For Geltone to break free from his own restraints.
Verden nodded, respecting his words.
***
Calia, the White Crest Knight Order, and Verden marched southward through the Kingdom.
Their destination was the city of Keben.
With well-trained warhorses, the journey did not take long.
They arrived on the dawn of the agreed day, camped near the city walls, and only entered Keben in the morning.
'The overall scale is small, yet the walls are impressive.'
Moreover, small fortresses had been built throughout the city.
Judging from the fields outside the walls, this place was likely a strategic stronghold meant to protect many farmers and their grain during wartime.
"This way."
Verden followed Calia and the knight order toward the outskirts.
An empty alleyway.
They entered an old building, where a wooden door blocked their path.
Calia knocked precisely four times.
Sounds of movement came from within, and the door opened.
"Welcome, Lady Calia."
Vespa and his search party greeted Calia.
"So there was no battle, fortunately."
"As you instructed, we only located the position, then withdrew at once."
"Well done."
The black mages belonging to the Glory of the Dead were dangerous.
As important as it was to gauge the enemy's strength, recklessly probing for information only to be discovered, killed, or injured would be a great loss. It would also forfeit the chance of a surprise attack.
Better to withdraw early than risk such dangers.
Calia sat down on a worn chair.
"Where are they hiding?"
Vespa brought out a map and spread it across the desk.
The surrounding terrain of Keben was drawn in detail. Vespa pointed to the graveyard illustration in the right-hand corner of the map.
"Here, the Royal National Cemetery of Estiria."