Chapter 92
A Visit
Ilea sank to the ground.
Johan hurried over and examined her condition.
“Are you all right? Are you badly hurt?”
Ilea’s eyes were dull and exhausted. Her entire body was covered in blood.
She struggled to speak.
“My legs just gave out. I don’t have any fatal wounds.”
Johan was not reassured.
“Then whose blood is all this?”
Her silver hair and pure-white clothes had been dyed crimson.
Johan immediately began checking Ilea’s body from head to toe.
Aside from a few minor scratches, there were no serious wounds.
Ilea blushed.
“Y-You can’t suddenly touch me like this. It isn’t my blood, so don’t worry, Johan.”
Johan looked at Gawain.
“You were covered in his blood?”
Gawain lay collapsed on the ground, drenched in blood.
He looked like a corpse.
Ilea nodded.
“That’s right. His Highness put up quite a fight.”
Johan spoke with a hint of tension.
“Don’t tell me he’s dead. I mean Gawain.”
“No. He’s still breathing. Just as you asked, I only subdued him.”
Johan breathed a sigh of relief.
Gawain was someone he needed. Without him, Johan would have difficulty preparing for what would happen later in the story.
“Well done. You’ve been through a lot.”
Ilea pretended to sulk.
“I nearly died, you know. If the circumstances hadn’t favored me, and if His Highness had possessed the Holy Spear, I probably would have lost.”
It was a rather modest assessment.
In truth, Ilea had also fought under certain restrictions.
Because of Johan’s request, she could not kill Gawain.
That meant she had been unable to use lethal magic.
What would have happened if Gawain and Ilea had fought each other at full strength?
Johan could not predict the outcome.
“I made you fight a dangerous battle. I’m always grateful to you.”
A playful smile appeared on Ilea’s face.
“You want to repay me, don’t you?”
Johan looked puzzled.
“Well, yes. Is there something you want?”
Ilea abruptly spread her arms.
“Give me a piggyback ride first. I’m out of strength, and my legs won’t move.”
Johan shrugged.
“Very well. I can at least do that much for you.”
Ilea’s eyes widened. His answer had taken her completely by surprise.
“Really?”
Johan turned his back toward her.
“Climb on. We have a mountain of work to do.”
Ilea smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around Johan’s neck.
Then she whispered softly,
“Thank you.”
“Don’t breathe into my ear.”
“I-I didn’t!”
Johan chuckled and pointed toward Gawain and Yuri.
“All right, so take care of those two. We need to deal with them before they wake up.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yuri and Gawain rose into the air.
Ilea’s magic was at work.
Johan immediately headed toward the lord’s castle.
There was still a great deal to do.
***
Beneath the underground study of the lord’s castle lay the Forbidden Archive.
Countless holy relics stood arranged in orderly rows.
The light emanating from the sacred objects brightly illuminated the interior.
The Forbidden Archive was as orderly as ever.
Although the castle had been half-destroyed and reduced to ruins, the archive remained intact, unaffected by what had happened outside.
That was fortunate for Johan.
If the Forbidden Archive had also been damaged, it would have caused him a considerable headache.
He slowly surveyed the archive.
“It seems the damage didn’t reach this far. That’s a relief, at least.”
Ilea looked dejected.
“What are we going to do about the castle? It was completely destroyed.”
The interior of the lord’s castle had lost its original form.
It looked as if a war had been fought inside.
No one would be able to live there anymore.
Johan replied calmly,
“We can repair it, so don’t concern yourself.”
“It looks like you’ll have to spend even more money because of me.”
“I’ll send him the bill.”
Johan looked at Gawain.
Gawain was being detained in the middle of the Forbidden Archive.
The chair upon which he sat was the highest-grade restraining device designed for use against humans, while the chains wrapped around his entire body were relics capable of suppressing even ancient magical beasts.
Not even Gawain could possibly rise from his seat.
He had been completely captured.
Gawain slowly opened his mouth.
“...Where am I?”
His gaze turned toward Johan and Ilea.
His eyes burned with fury.
“The famous Forbidden Archive. The kingdom’s treasure vault.”
Johan no longer spoke politely to Gawain.
Now that he had already revealed his true colors, there was no reason to continue wearing a mask.
Gawain’s eyes darted from side to side and up and down.
His neck was fixed in place by the chains, so although he wanted to look around, he could not turn his head.
All he could do was move his eyes.
“Why have you imprisoned me here?”
“As I told you yesterday, it is to cure your illness.”
Gawain found the claim utterly absurd.
“Enough of your bullshit. Release these chains at once.”
Johan shook his head.
“That is impossible. Until your illness is cured, you cannot leave this place.”
Gawain ground his teeth.
He suddenly roared like a wild beast.
“Illness? What nonsense have you been spouting since yesterday?! Enough of your drivel—reveal your true identity! What do you want from me that you would do such a thing?! Did the Count put you up to this?!”
Johan dug at his ear.
“You’re hurting my ears. I can hear you perfectly well if you speak quietly, so calm down and ask your questions one at a time.”
Gawain began to tremble.
Uncontrollable rage was consuming him.
Ilea stepped in front of Johan.
“This is dangerous. Stay back from His Highness.”
At that moment, divinity exploded from Gawain’s body.
The surroundings turned pure white.
The entire Forbidden Archive was engulfed in radiance.
Johan immediately covered his eyes.
It was so bright that he felt as though his eyes might burst.
But that was the extent of its effect.
Divine power could not harm an ordinary human in the first place.
It was currently daytime, so Johan was in his human form.
Gawain’s struggle was futile.
His roar thundered throughout the chamber.
“Graaaaaaaagh!”
It truly sounded like the cry of a beast.
Johan clicked his tongue and covered his ears.
He’s in no state to have a conversation.
Gawain’s frenzy continued for quite some time.
He twisted his body madly in an attempt to break free of his restraints.
Several of the chains cracked apart.
Ilea immediately brought over other relics and used them to restrain Gawain.
The process repeated itself several times.
Only after a long while did the chamber finally grow quiet.
Gawain had lost consciousness again.
His entire body was covered in chains and talismans.
Only his face remained exposed.
It looked extremely uncomfortable, but there was no other choice.
This much restraint was necessary to keep Gawain captive.
Johan spoke.
“It seems we won’t be able to talk to him anytime soon. We’ll have to wait until Gawain accepts his situation.”
Ilea nodded.
“That would be best. Leave this place to me and hurry back to the castle.”
They still had to deal with the aftermath of the battle.
Johan headed back aboveground.
The Divine Quarantine Zone in the southwest was lifted after approximately two months.
No matter how thoroughly the Order investigated, they could not uncover even the slightest clue concerning the ancient demon Kaiaze or the Thirteenth Apostle of the End.
Furthermore, the Apostle Mapheltan had suddenly attacked the royal capital.
There was no longer any reason for the Order to maintain the Divine Quarantine Zone.
Once the Order withdrew, the people of the southwest returned to their ordinary lives.
They repaired their damaged homes and fields and prepared for the winter.
One group of slash-and-burn farmers was an exception.
They had left the southwest and were traveling south.
More precisely, they were heading toward the Myatro family’s directly administered territory.
It was because of their agreement with Johan.
Johan had promised to give them a place where they could settle.
At the head of the group, an old man opened his mouth.
“He may have been young, but he was truly bold and dependable. Even my grandson was saved by him.”
Shaperia, whose red hair stood out beside the old man, replied,
“Sir, you’ve already told me that story more than ten times. My ears are going to develop calluses.”
The old man laughed heartily.
“A hundred praises would still not be enough for a man like him. He truly is the sort of noble spoken of in the scriptures.”
Shaperia smiled gently.
“I can’t deny that. Everyone who has met Sir Johan says something similar. They say that whenever they speak with him, they feel a strange sense of trust.”
It was because of the Great Saint’s Eye.
The old man clapped his hands loudly.
“It seems everyone thinks alike. You agree as well, don’t you, Holy Knight?”
Shaperia nodded.
“He is a devout man of the sort rarely seen in this day and age. The fact that he volunteered to enter the quarantine zone alone at such a young age is proof enough. It seems we’ll be seeing him soon.”
She pointed ahead.
A massive lord’s castle and the village surrounding it came into view.
The snow-covered scenery was strikingly beautiful.
A faint trace of worry appeared in the old man’s eyes alongside his anticipation.
He spoke cautiously.
“Surely he hasn’t forgotten about us?”
Shaperia smiled and shook her head.
“Sir Johan will remember everything. He isn’t the sort of person who breaks his promises.”
Relief spread across the old man’s face.
“Saint Margiel, may your light shine upon Lord Johan’s path.”
Shaperia also made the sign of the cross.
They proceeded directly into the territory.
***
“You cannot meet the Baron right now.”
They had entered the village, but the gates of the inner castle were firmly shut.
Dozens of soldiers had been stationed there, blocking every entrance leading into the castle.
Shaperia looked troubled.
“I haven’t come to see the Baron. I’m here to see Sir Johan.”
One of the soldiers replied stiffly,
“Lord Johan has inherited the barony. The current head of House Myatro is Lord Johan.”
Confusion appeared on Shaperia’s face.
“But Sir Johan hasn’t even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony.”
Someone his age could not become the head of a noble house.
That was the law of the kingdom.
The soldier said nothing more.
He merely continued standing guard before the castle gate.
As Shaperia struggled to determine what to do, the gate suddenly swung open.
A hulking man stepped outside.
The soldiers gave him brief salutes, and the gate immediately closed again.
Shaperia smiled brightly.
“Sir Gaf!”
The man who had emerged from the castle was Gaf, the captain of the guard.
Gaf looked slightly surprised.
“...Lady Shaperia?”
“Yes, it’s me. It’s been a long time.”
Shaperia had returned to the territory after two months.
She had recently been investigating White Horn within the Divine Quarantine Zone.
Gaf’s expression hardened.
“It has been a long time. But what brings you here?”
Shaperia needed to travel to the Abyss to recover the divine power she had lost.
Johan had clearly made her a promise.
He had agreed to open the gate to the Abyss for her during the full moon.
“I came to see Sir Johan.”
Gaf remained silent for a moment before speaking in a cold voice.
“It seems you haven’t heard. By royal decree, any investigation into the Myatro territory is forbidden. Please leave.”
Shaperia was also a spy sent by the Order.
She had been investigating whether the events that had occurred in the south were connected to the baronial family.
Shaperia froze in shock.
“...You knew who I was?”
“Of course.”
“Does Sir Johan also...?”
“Naturally. So do not come here again.”
Gaf immediately disappeared into the distance.
Shaperia remained standing there, staring up at the lord’s castle.
For some reason, she felt a faint chill.