An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won’t Leave Me Alone! - Chapter 63

63 - The Old Man From The Countryside Sticks His Head In

T/N: I’ve only just noticed I’ve accidentally deviated from the originally established translation of the kingdom, “Reveris”, into “Rebelis.” I don’t want to go through so many chapters correcting a mistake like that, so consider the two spellings equally valid translations.

Ah, Japanese and transliterating Katakana words.

Few people ride carriages to the North District at this hour.

The North District was mainly a tourist hot-spot. The Royal Palace of Rebelis stands out first and foremost but there are only a few other residential areas other than it, so the number of people living in the North District wasn’t that large compared to the rest of the districts.

So it wasn’t surprising that I was the only passenger on a horse-drawn carriage heading there. Normally, the carriages should be going in the opposite direction this late in the day.

“… Fuu,” I sighed.

I asked Lucy about the nearest carriage terminal, talked to Miu, waited a while at said terminal, then got on a carriage with the coachman giving me a somewhat suspicious look all the while.

I take a small breather as I keep my eyes on the slowly changing scenery of the city.

If Lebios were to move, it would be around midnight when the entire city was asleep.

It’s alright if he doesn’t show up. If he shows up… well, I have to capture him. That’s why I’m moving like this.

I should have brought a wooden sword, considering the possibility of dealing with people. Forgive me, what I have now is made from the corpse of Xeno Glaive, it’s incredibly sharp and only lethal. I don’t think it’s possible to make a warning slash against humans.

For the moment, I’ll pray that things go smoothly. No, I don’t think anything could go smoothly after such a request came to me.

“We’ve arrived, Sir,” the coachman said.

“Oh, right. Thank you.”

It seems that the carriage has arrived at the North District’s carriage terminal, it seems I’ve got some feelings still simmering.

Once I pay the fare and step down, the night breeze gently strokes my cheeks.

The area is quiet.

Ah, well, it’s the district that has the royal palace, and unlike the Western Ward, I don’t see people out partying until midnight. Even if there were, the surroundings were so quiet and deserted that they might be found by the city guard and detained with a moment’s notice.

I rarely see people going into this area of the city. Sometimes, I can see people walking in the distance.

In such poor lighting, it’s difficult to see the city streets, but I can still see the shadow of the royal palace in the distance.

Yeah, if possible, it’s the scenery I wanted to see while it was light out. It’s a building that would shine in the blue sky.

My last memory of seeing the royal palace was a long time ago but it hasn’t faded compared to that, and it’s as wonderful as ever. I want to live in such a place, even once. It’s a dream that an old man from some backwater countryside would never realize.

“Now, then…”

I look away from the shadow of the royal palace and get closer to the horizon. Lucy said that the Suphinean Church would only be a short distance from the carriage terminal.

""

“… Is that the place?”

As I looked around using the dim lights leaking from the surrounding buildings, I saw the silhouette of a building that was a bit taller than its surroundings, in a direction different from the royal palace.

Hmm, maybe it’s on a small hill. It seemed like a distance that could be reached after a few tens of minutes or so, with a modest spire piercing the sky, though not nearly as much as the royal palace.

I looked around and found no similar buildings. Maybe that is a church. It would be a funny thing to see it removed.

“… It’s completely dead, after all…”

My small, mumbled soliloquy fades into the night sky.

The way to the church wasn’t a short walk but the number of passersby was so small.

I don’t think there would be many people walking around the North District at this hour, probably because it’s so late. If you head to the royal palace, the city guard may be patrolling, but I haven’t seen a shadow of them here.

If I make an incident here, the hustle and bustle would spread in the blink of an eye. It seemed like only a matter of time before the garrison in the royal palace would come rushing in, even if I couldn’t see them now.

I don’t want to make too much of a commotion. And in case I have to make one, I’d like it to be a short, decisive battle.

“… Hmm.”

The church did seem to be on a small hill, the road leading to its main hall rose up slightly.

I could see the front doors from here but the entrance is tightly shut. Although I couldn’t see the figures of people, I could confirm light was spilling out through the windows.

On the sides of the church, there looks to be a graveyard. If I think of the people that Twilight kidnapped were buried there… I can’t help but be horrified.

“… I don’t know if I should be here, should I…?”

It’s hard to imagine that the faithful are praying at this hour. It’s a guess, but there may be Lebios’s faction inside. I can’t even pick up the noise from inside so I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t just bust in out of nowhere so I’ll wait in an inconspicuous spot for a while.

Seen from the sidelines, an old man sneaking around a church is just incredibly suspicious. I was relieved that no one was around. Otherwise, I might have had the city guard called on me.

But how much should I stick my neck in? I’m a little hungry but it feels unrealistic to stick around here forever.

However, so long as I can’t read where and when the people in the church would come out, it’s fine to leave this place quickly. To start with, I don’t think that the stores around here would be open this late at night.

Hmm, I can’t help but put up with the sensations of hunger.

“… Oh?”

For a while after my inner turmoil, having a spiritual battle against my hunger: I saw movement in the direction of the church.

The rattling and clicking of undone locks echoed quietly, I can see some figures coming out from the main hall.

Ah, crap, I should have asked about Lebios’s face, I don’t know which one is him.

“…”

I can see more than a handful of people. There are quite a few of them.

Some of them look like heavy-duty knights, their whole bodies clad in plate armor.

No doubt, they were not believers who came for night services.

If you think of it as the escort of a bishop planning to disappear into the night, the scene fits.

It fits.

I hide behind the church and listen to them as they walk.

It seems they’ve got a lot of luggage. Several people, including the heavily-armored knights, are carrying large wooden boxes.

It’s even more likely now that they’re trying to disappear into the night. There’s no reason to take large luggage out of the church at this hour. It’s normal to think there’s something wrong.

And such a situation couldn’t be overlooked if our predictions were correct.

Now then, since I’m here, I’ve got work to do.

I lift my hips that have become heavier with age and approach the group.

""

“Excuse me, can I bother you for a moment?” I asked.

Well, I was trying to pass myself off as just a passerby and spoke lightly.

“…!”

In response to my greeting, the mass of people suddenly got riled up.

Their first reaction appeared to be astonishment followed immediately by alarm. Multiple gazes converge on me.

They were clearly on high alert.