Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 13 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Escort Duty

The grand cathedral, located in the largest city of the Eryx Empire, was the headquarters of the Holy Church, the organization that enlightened the people about the great endeavors of history’s saviors. The stone building was decorated with beautiful sculptures that almost seemed transparent, demonstrating how holy a place this was.

Some sections of the grand cathedral were only open to authorized personnel of the Holy Church. A large man with dark skin and a bald head walked down one such arched hallway. He was Gordon Cavill, the vice marshal of the Holy Order and the commander of its Second Company.

The hallway looked out over a garden overflowing with flowers and greenery, so on a good day, one could see a beautiful scene indicative of this place’s sacredness. Unfortunately, the last few days had been cloudy, which made the mood all the gloomier.

Gordon picked up his pace, and before long, he arrived at the door to his destination. He knocked, and upon hearing a response from within, he entered. His thick brows knitted together slightly, because the person he was looking for was not at the office desk in front of him. Gordon came to a stop, and someone called out to him from the guest sofas.

“Over here, Gordon.”

It was the room’s owner, the marshal of the Holy Order, Harrison Addington. His nearly two-meter-tall frame was seated on a sofa. Other visitors were in the room too. One was a slender old man wearing a priest’s habit, his back as straight as a flagpole. He was Archbishop Gerd Kruger, the highest-ranking man in the Holy Church. Seeing as how the church possessed more global influence than any other organization, it was no exaggeration to say that he held the highest position in the world.

Facing Harrison and Gerd on the opposite sofa were two boys. Realizing who they were, Gordon stood at attention.

“Forgive me. Have I interrupted an important conversation with these great saviors?”

“No, no, not at all,” one of the boys replied affably. “We just came here to ask some stuff. Besides, now’s as good a time as any to call it. Right then, Kouzu, shall we get going?”

“Sure, Hebiiwa.” The other boy nodded and stood up from the sofa. Even though he didn’t seem very cheerful, he smiled as he bowed. “Thank you very much for speaking with me.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad we could help alleviate your reservations,” Gerd said in the quiet tone of a clergyman. “There are many priests aside from me in this cathedral who are sure to lend you their aid. Please allow them to help you so that your spirit may learn peace.”

“Thank you.”

Guided by a woman who’d been standing to the side, the boys left the room. After seeing them off, Gerd gave Harrison a grave look.

“I shall also take my leave, then,” he said. “Soothing the great saviors’ hearts is our duty. Devote yourself to supporting them in battle.”

“Understood,” Harrison answered.

As Gerd left the room, Gordon lowered his head to the old man. He hadn’t expected the archbishop to be here, but the fact that he was clued Gordon in on the situation.

Until a few days ago, Gordon had been searching for the fake savior that’d been causing an uproar in the southern Empire. However, this “fake savior” had actually been multiple visitors who’d committed grave errors. The Holy Church had taken in several such visitors and was administering mental care. The two visitors who’d just left the room had definitely been one such case.

Saviors had gravely erred and caused unrest. Such information could destabilize human society, so the truth had been kept from all but the smallest of inner circles. Even Gordon had been out of the loop. He knew now, however, and he wasn’t the only one who’d learned of it either. In fact, that was one of the problems he was facing right now.

“Now then, I’ve kept you waiting, Gordon,” Harrison said. “It must be that report you mentioned. Let me hear it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gordon nodded, then began his report.

◆ ◆ ◆

“I see... This is far from ideal.”

After Gordon finished his report, Harrison grimaced. Gordon had detailed the current condition of the Empire’s citizens. His subordinates had been dispatched to every region to deal with monsters, so they’d gathered information from churches across the land. Even if some information was lacking, Gordon had amassed enough for them to get a rough idea of things.

Unrest was spreading all over the Empire. The direct cause for this was that the exploration team, the organization formed of an unprecedented number of visitors, had made a declaration one month ago. They had protested against Margrave Maclaurin for dispatching his army to subjugate a visitor, Majima Takahiro, as the “fake savior.”

That in and of itself had created a tremendous wave throughout the Empire, but they’d taken it even further, claiming that Majima Takahiro was no fake and that the incidents in the southern Empire were a scandal caused by several visitors across the region. This information was the reason Gordon had been able to guess what was going on earlier with the boys in Harrison Addington’s office. The secret the Holy Church had been keeping under wraps had already been exposed to the public eye.

What’s more, around the time this declaration spread throughout the Empire, one of the Five Northern Kingdoms, Aker, had made a declaration of their own that confirmed these details. They’d announced to the world that they were now allied with Majima Takahiro. The public proclamation included details of the relentless attack Majima Takahiro had suffered at the hands of the Maclaurin Provincial Army, as well as an explanation for how Aker had arrived at allying with him after he protected their citizens from the provincial army and the Holy Order’s Fourth Company. Normally, as a vassal nation, Aker didn’t hold much influence in the Empire, but because their declaration matched the one made by the exploration team, it had the power to shake the entire world.

Currently, feudal lords from all over the Empire were inundating Margrave Maclaurin with criticism. Even the southern nobles were questioning his responsibility, despite the fact that the margrave was the alpha noble of the entire southern Empire.

On the other hand, voices were also raised in support of the margrave. This was an unprecedented situation. It was natural for nobles who held similar positions and ideals to support the margrave, but that only applied during normal times. It was exceedingly rare for anyone to protest against a declaration made by saviors, the very symbol of absolute justice.

As for how things had ended up like this, it was entirely the fault of the Holy Order’s Fourth Company. The Maclaurin Provincial Army had worked with Travis Mortimer to carry out Majima Takahiro’s subjugation. Saviors were the symbol of justice, but so was the Holy Order, and when those two symbols clashed—at least in the eyes of those who didn’t know the particulars—it was inevitable that things would become chaotic among the nobles.

Above all else, the general populace, who’d led simple lives believing in both saviors and the Holy Church, were left greatly perplexed. At least according to what was written in historical records, there’d never been any sort of discord between saviors and the church. Justice had been absolute, but now it wasn’t. Whom were they supposed to believe? It was the first time the people of this world had ever had to consider that question. In a sense, the spreading unrest was inevitable.

“The damage monsters have done is also concerning,” Harrison said as he put the documents he held down on his desk. At the very top was a report of the damage suffered across the land. One of the knights who’d been in the field had stated, “Confirmed increase in monster activity, unfortunately timed, which may have a negative effect on recent instability.”

“The world has been greatly shaken,” Harrison muttered, an air of regret in his voice.

Gordon clenched his fist. “If not for that incident with Travis, this would never have happened.”

The direct causes of this were Majima Takahiro’s existence, the exploration team’s endorsement of him, and Aker’s declaration of an alliance. That wasn’t what had started all this, however. Struggling to survive, the concerned parties had simply reached out to those in similar circumstances and demanded they be given proper rights.

The greater causes were Margrave Maclaurin and Travis Mortimer, the ones who’d complicated everything so much. This was especially true of the latter, who’d moved entirely for personal ambition, unlike the former, who’d been spurred by his sense of justice.

“If it was going to end up like this, I should’ve used my own hands to...”

To any caring knight, Travis Mortimer and his Fourth Company couldn’t be stomached. Nevertheless, no matter what misdeeds they did, they couldn’t be censured or judged if no conclusive evidence existed. Travis had been very cunning in that respect. To anyone judging him fairly, it’d been impossible to stop Travis’s advancement among the ranks after all his achievements.

The only way to stop Travis would’ve been to kill him. Doing so would have led to Gordon’s downfall, of course, and he would’ve lost his honor as a knight and surely been executed for it. Still, Gordon regretted that he hadn’t done so, even knowing the consequences. At the very least, had he done it, incidents like the slaughter of those innocent elves might not have happened. Gordon’s fists clenched at the thought.

“Cut that out,” Harrison said. “I can’t lose you over something like that. I’m at fault for allowing Travis’s selfish behavior. I should’ve been the one to stop him, even if it meant killing him.”

“Sir Harrison!” Gordon shouted. “That’s not true! The Holy Order cannot exist without you!”

Harrison was a great knight who gave everything he had to maintain world order. As it was now, the Holy Order couldn’t continue without his presence. In fact, the reason Travis hadn’t ascended beyond the rank of commander of the Fourth Company despite going after promotions by any means possible was because he hadn’t been able to drag Harrison down.

“Gordon, I’m happy to hear you say that. I will fulfill my responsibility as marshal and overcome this situation.” Harrison smiled affably, but then his expression tensed. “Rather than wallow in regret, I want you to devote your efforts to fulfilling your duty. Do not forget. As descendants of visitors, we are not members of this world by nature. Maintaining the stability of the world is our duty.”

“Of course.”

“Then let me get straight to the point. Your mission.”

Harrison pulled out a document from his desk drawer. Gordon accepted it, looked it over, then stared at Harrison in disbelief.

“Escort duty to bring Mister Majima Takahiro to the imperial capital?”

“Yes. Now that it has come to this, things will not resolve unless we intervene,” Harrison said gravely. “Not even that stubborn margrave can refuse to attend when presented with the joint signatures of the exploration team and the Holy Church. This was decided after discussing it with Lord Gerd. All that’s left is to see whether Mister Takahiro will attend. Going by Aker’s claims, he is a sincere man. If we show him good faith, he should come. Things are already underway to convince him. That’s why I’d like you to go meet him.”

Harrison paused and stared at Gordon, a powerful glint in his eye.

“You’re the only man I can trust with this. Can I ask you to go?” he said.

“Of course! Even if it costs my life, I will complete this mission!”

Gordon struck his chest with a thud. This was an important mission to protect the stability of the world, and he would definitely see it through. He then left to confer with his subordinates and begin his duty.

The world was on the move.