Vol. 1 - Ch. 297 - The Holy Land - Lunazert

The Holy Land Lunazert. It was extolled as the reverend place where the founder of Neo-Starlight Teaching received an oracle during his training. The St. Angol Mountain Range, where it was located, was a place full of sublimeness.

The long standing friendly relationship between Yuglia and Starlight Theocracy—and in particular House of Leverance's deep ties with successive popes—owe much to the former's long history of honoring and protecting this holy land. 

The Lunazert Mountain in itself was an unremarkable hill, but it's well known for the severity of the ascetic trails conducted there. 

Sometimes, the severity leads to the death of a believer, but—since they'd died following their will—there it's interpreted as the 'salvation from god.' Such deaths were even praised, never condemned. Consequently, the sin of murder falls on no one. 

Any priest qualified to accept a disciple in the Neo-Starlight Teaching had gone through training on that mountain at least once. And furthermore, only those who had completed their training twice were permitted to take on the third and "last trial" of a lifetime for a total of 444 days. 

The one managing to return alive at the end of training were respected as the god's chosen one. 

Those who complete it are said to receive the innermost teachings of sacred magic directly from Vanish, the god who governs harmony and the present, and they gain absolute trust within the church.

With such backdrop, any attempt of tresspassing, much less an offense against the paladin, the guardians of holy land, was seen as an act of blasphemy against the Neo-Starlight Teaching across the entire continent. 

It was, in every sense of the word, an untouchable religious sanctuary.

◆◆◆

“…I see. I think I’ve got the outline of their plan now.”

I had always stayed south from any topic of religion, so it was the first I ever heard of the existence of this place. Though with Coco's detailed explanation, It was enough for me to figure out the situation.

There's still little to tell which side reached out first, but I was now assured Archbishop Dolittle—he also had been a suspect in the knight's investigation—was in cahoots with Red. 

Red and his partner in-crime abducted Jeu, and then must have put her in confinement at the holy land through Dolittle's interference. 

Their plan must be to completely isolate Jeu from society, push her spirit to the fringes, brainwashing her, and after she had taken a vow with Choker of Virtue, he would take her back to the Starlight Theocracy as spouse. 

Meanwhile, the world would think Jeu had been on pilgrimage, and in her final journey to holy land, she had a fateful encounter with Dolittle, once upon her master, to sketch the ending to present. 

And if I attempted to sneak into the said holy land with no proof, isolated from the world's eyes, and was caught, not even the Knight Order would be able to rescue me. Heck, they might even kill me and no one would raise a voice. 

Red and his companion would've perfect ground to deal with me, however they wish.

"...It's a three to four day journey from here to the last stop, the village of Lunazert. Ahead of it, one must walk down the rugged, unmaintained mountain trail. I can't say how far it is to the holy land itself, but... they've Rina-chan with them. If we leave now, we may have a chance to intercept before they could reach out."

According to details of the event from the tavern's owner, Jeu and Rina had already been moved out. And backtracking the testimony from apple crate's smuggler, they'd left around four days ago, sometime in the afternoon.

"......We're chasing them. It's clear it would be a hell of a challenge if they enter the holy land."

◆◆◆

In other words, once there, Red and the others could deal with me however they pleased.

"...Oh, Dolittle. If you continue to see your excellence as a tool to fulfil your mortal desires, it wouldn't be long before you lose sight of yourself and forget you're supposed to be the giver. Had I not warned you?"

The present Pope Carnerius Hydrangea VI stared at Dolittle—he came to announce he had returned—with a crystal clear, yet stern gaze. 

“W-Whatever do you mean, Your Holiness? I have no recollection of being drunk on my own excellence, nor have I forgotten how I felt in those days…”

As Dolittle offered his defense, the pope let out a deep sigh.

“Did you truly think I knew nothing? Everything about how you conducted yourself in the kingdom has reached my ears.”

Dolittle clicked his tongue inwardly.

The old man before him was not one to put those dispatched abroad under constant scrutiny. Then, some incompetent busybodies should have gone out of their way to whisper unnecessary things into his ear.

Still, denying it outright would only make matters worse with this man.

“…It is true that during my years in the Yuglia, I allowed myself to be tainted by worldly matters. But that was because I believed that someone raised within the church needed to better understand the secular world. I recall that you yourself advised me to broaden my horizons when you sent me forth, Your Holiness.”

Pope Carnerieus nodded thoughtfully, but his gaze remained severe.

“Indeed, I did tell you to learn about the world and broaden your experience. But I did not tell you to wallow in desire or live a life of indolence. I instructed you never to forget to stand beside the wounded, and to discern what kind of person you ought to be.”

Dolittle kept his head bowed, his voice trembling as he forced the words out.

“I… wanted to know. The root of human weakness—of ugliness. That is why I deliberately engaged in acts far removed from doctrine. I summoned the courage to drink, to know carnal desire… and to bury myself among people and their cravings. And yet, no matter how deeply I immersed myself… all that grew was emptiness…”

Carnerius nodded gravely.

“Just so. To discipline oneself, to stand beside others, and to be needed—that is the true essence of the joy of living. The moment you forgot that, you lost sight of why you yourself were alive. One who has lost that understanding has no right to lead the people.”

Hmph, so pretty, yet mindnumbingly hollow words. Dolittle sneered inwardly, and nodded obediently again and again.

“I was… immature. At that place—the holy land—I wish to cleanse myself of worldly defilement and reflect upon who I truly am. I beg your forgiveness.”

The unexpected proposal had Carnerius raise an eyebrow.

“Oh? This would be your third time, would it not? You intend to undertake the Final Trial…? Frankly, I cannot imagine someone who has lived so indulgently being able to see it through.”

Dolittle finally let out a relieved sigh in his mind. He didn't expect an interrogation immediately upon his arrival, but the conversation finally swivelled into the direction he had been hoping for.

“You have seen through my shortcomings, Your Holiness, I may have strayed from the true path. That is precisely why I must submit myself to Vanish’s judgment. Please… grant me permission.”

Pope Carnerius studied Dolittle’s eyes in silence, then at last nodded with visible strain.

“Return alive, Dolittle. Do not be intoxicated by your own gifts—remember how you felt when you first came to the Church. If you do, you will surely prevail. I will place my trust in you once more.”

Dolittle felt genuine gratitude toward the unbelievable softness of the man who had raised him. 

If there was something he had been honest about, then it was that he wasn't a bit complacent about his talent, not after he had witnessed the talent in its purest form in that brat, as much he cussed. 

And of course, he could never forget it—those days of misery and wretchedness, when he himself had been base and contemptible.

◆◆◆

“…Lend me the sword at your waist. Hurry up!”

At Jeu’s urgent command, Red hesitated for only a moment before handing over the shortsword at his side.

Taking the blade, Jeu glared up at the sky and waited for the right moment, offering a prayer in ancient Lavandran. At once, the giant fly monster that had been circling overhead in a trajectory of '8' abruptly accelerated, widening its arc.

“Hah!”

With a sweeping slash, Jeu severed the creature’s right wing as it swooped low near the ground.

Once she had confirmed the monster had dropped to the ground, struggling to balance its movement, Jeu returned the shortsword to its owner and reminded in a stately manner.

She calmly confirmed the monster crashing down after losing its balance, then handed the shortsword back to Red and spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.

"...This is a worker fly under King of Flies, Beelzebubble, which is said to dwell somewhere in the St. Angol Mountain Range. This is still in its growth phase, but the adult flies are much more ferocious and carnivores. If you leave it alive, you will quickly be surrounded by its group and turned into meatballs before you would even realise it."

Red and Tomora's expressions turn to horror when they hear Jeu's explanation.

The wounded worker fly, missing one wing, twitched feebly, trying to crawl and flap its way somewhere, anywhere.

Seeing this, Tomora—eyes bloodshot—stomped on it again and again until it finally lay still.

"......Haa. Haa. I have to say. It's still in mid-growth phase, but it's impressive to casually knock down a servant of Beelzebubble. Hihihi. So, how do you feel about protecting your own kidnappers?"

Jeu only dispatched a cold glance at Tomora.

"You think highly of yourself. I only did it because ignoring it may infringe on my 'oath,' so I had no choice but to intervene. Regardless, it seems like you lack even the basics of knowledge about the road to Lunazert. With combat skills like that, aren’t you woefully underprepared?”

“Hyah-hyah, I’ll admit we’ve been a little busy preparing. Still, since you will be guiding us, there’s really no problem at all.”

At Tomora’s coarse laugh, Jeu merely shrugged.

“…Very well. I have no intention of becoming collateral damage in your suicidal venture, after all. Anyway—”

She gently stroked Rina’s head.

“She’s at her limit. Let her rest.”

Rina was already at the age where her mana organ was maturing, and she also had considerable physical fitness she had cultivated through years of working to help support Apple by any amount. 

However, they'd been walking down an unfamiliar and rough mountain road, crawling with monsters, without pause. Her legs were already failing her.

"...We know what you're trying to do, Saintess. You are hoping to delay as much you can to give your rescuers time to catch up. It's your wishful thinking. The only reason we're bringing this kid with ourselves is because she serves a purpose, but if it risks our pursuers to catch up, believe me we do not have any qualm in throwing her away."

Red denied in a determined tone, his gaze laced with suspicion.

"If you left her here, I will—"

"If you die, so will she, you know? Unlike us, there's no doubt in it."

The two glared at each other, and eventually, Jeu exhaled. 

"...If I were to deliberately delay in hopes of rescue, that would violate my oath to cooperate with you in reaching the destination. Surely even you can understand that. Very well. I will carry Rina-san by myself, and guide us to the destination. It shouldn't be a problem then, right?"

"Hmph. If you’re willing to cooperate and bring the brat along, that works perfectly for us.”

At Red’s words, Jeu knelt in front of Rina and motioned for her to climb onto her back.

“…I-I’m okay, big sister. I probably smell awful… and if you heal me again like before, I think I can still walk…”

Jeu smiled gently and shook her head.

"No, your body is clearly at the brink of exhaustion, Rina-san. The magic may soothe your pain momentarily, but it can't restore your stamina or mana. Besides, I have more than enough to carry you with ease."

Rina hesitated for a brief moment, but with repeated 'come on' urge from Jeu, she obediently climbed onto her back. She must have been at her limit obviously, just as Jeu confirmed. 

Once Jeu confirmed Rina was safely on her back, she cloaked her with holy magic, healing her. 

A warm, golden light gently enveloped Rina. Wrapped in that comforting glow, Rina’s eyelids grew heavy almost instantly.

“…Thank you… big sister. Ah… your cheek… there’s… blood…”

Jeu herself hadn’t noticed, but it seemed her cheek had been cut during the fight with the worker fly.

With her eyes half-closed and unfocused, Rina softly traced Jeu’s cheek with her finger.

With a faint shhh sound, the wound sealed, and the blood stopped flowing. At the same time, the strength drained from Rina’s small body as it clung to Jeu’s back.

For a moment, surprise flickered across Jeu’s face, then she let out a quiet, gentle laugh.

“…Hehe. Get some rest. You will surely—”

Jeu’s soft whisper faded away, unheard by anyone, dissolving into the forest.

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