#134 Continental Summit (2)
“Welcome to the Roselia Great Temple, Lady Lafori, Lady Cecily. It has been a long time. Though it is unfortunate that we meet again under such unpleasant circumstances.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Saintess.”
“Hello, Saintess. I am Cecily Granwood, a high elf of the Elven Kingdom.”
The elf girl who had been merely a little special when she left this place had now become a proper high elf and formally offered her greetings to the Saintess.
For some reason, Riesta felt a sense of pride at that, and as she warmly welcomed Cecily, a cordial atmosphere soon formed.
In truth, contrary to appearances, Cecily, being an elf, was older than her, but that was not particularly important right now.
“Hahaha. I thought that last matter would be my final public duty as well, but somehow it turned out like this.”
Lafori smiled awkwardly and shrugged.
In truth, since this matter was so important, it was only natural that Lafori had come in person.
However, it was rather unexpected that even Cecily, who should have been fully absorbed in her education in Drasha, had joined the delegation. This was the result of her own strong desire to go to the Ion Continent again. ‘Opportunities to cross the continent like this won’t come often. With this, I should be able to keep my promise to properly repay Lord Harley.’ And the leadership of the Elven Kingdom had accepted her wishes.
The delegation itself was not particularly dangerous, and this, too, could serve as good experience as part of her education.
“I heard the news. Sir Heinrich has become the Saint, has he not? Even back then, I thought he was no ordinary person, and when I heard that news, I thought it was only fitting.”
“Hehehe… The Saint will be pleased to see you all as well. Though at the moment, he is busy inspecting the defensive situation of the Great Temple once more.”
Thus, the long-awaited reunion could not continue for long due to the Saintess’s schedule, as she was busy receiving others.
The delegation of the Elven Kingdom was guided to the lodgings where they would stay until the conference began.
Everyone was satisfied with how smoothly the schedule had proceeded, but among them, there was one person who had quietly become dispirited…
“Wh-what is it? I’m not disappointed at all. I knew from the start it would turn out like this!”
Harris had not said a word, but perhaps interpreting his gaze in her own way, she flinched while fiddling with the belt around her body and reacted in a panic.
“O-of course? With a delegation this large, there’s no way anything would happen on the way, right? This is literally just in case…”
He remained silent as before, but Shapiron merely continued to mutter unconvincing excuses in a small voice. ‘Still, pretending not to notice here must be the magnanimity of an adult.’ Harris simply looked at her with a warm gaze, and Lafori, who kept glancing this way with eyes that seemed to say how adorable it was, was no different.
Of course, since he had not stopped her from the side, he too was an accomplice.
***
As time passed, delegations from various powers began arriving at the Great Temple one after another.
Of course, not a single place failed to attend. ‘Well, refusing to take part in an event this large would be no different from inviting diplomatic isolation, so I suppose that’s only natural.’ It was not called the continental “summit” for nothing.
It might have been different before the matter was settled, but now that everyone was gathering with one heart and one mind, absence was unthinkable.
On top of that, with the convenient means of transportation called gates available, the tight schedule was no obstacle at all.
And so time passed without any major problems.
At last, the day of the long-awaited “Continental Summit” dawned.
Knock, knock.
—Deep within the Roselia Great Temple, guarded as tightly as an iron fortress by holy knights stationed throughout.
Heinrich, dressed in armor that gleamed even more than usual, lightly knocked on the door.
“Saintess Riesta? It is Heinrich. It is time for you to go to the conference hall. Are you ready?”
“Yes! I’ll be out shortly!”
Immediately after the reply came, the door opened, and she carefully approached with the priestesses attending her, dressed in formal ceremonial robes.
Since it was a public occasion, there was no choice but to pay attention to many things… ‘She seems a little nervous. Well, I suppose this must be her first time at such a grand event.’ Riesta approached him stiffly, her face tense.
In truth, although she had been carrying out external duties as the face of the Main God Church all this time, she was still only a young girl of nineteen.
Naturally, it was also her first time attending an event of this scale, and in such a situation, anyone would have no choice but to be as nervous as she was.
Of course, Heinrich, a master of emotional control, did not feel even the slightest disturbance in his heart.
He pretended not to notice her tension and spoke to her with a calm expression.
“A great number of places have come this time. This is my first time seeing people from all over the world like this. You must already have plenty of experience with such things, Saintess.”
“Th-that… ahem, that is true. It has been over seven years since I became the Saintess. I am fairly used to meeting all sorts of people…”
“And is this not all thanks to the efforts you have made in every direction until now, Saintess? This gathering was arranged after all your hard work to bring people from various regions together, so it must feel quite moving.”
“…That was only what I naturally had to do. You have worked hard as well, Saint! You must have been busy lately, constantly inspecting the security situation of the holy ground.”
As they moved toward the conference hall with the attendants following at a distance, the conversation continued naturally, and he could feel the Saintess’s tension gradually easing.
To begin with, since there were even sacred arts that allowed one to maintain composure, the only reason she had been nervous was the mental burden.
Until now, in such situations, the Saintess had been the face of the Church and no different from its representative. ‘But now, the Saint Heinrich is here with her as well, so she does not need to bear that burden alone.’ As if the Saintess had realized that too, she seemed to gradually set down the weight on her heart as she conversed with him, who remained perfectly at ease, and by the time they drew near the conference hall, she had recovered her usual demeanor.
“By the way, others must have inspected it several times already. Was there really a need for you to personally check the security multiple times as well, Saint? And you are even wearing armor instead of ceremonial robes.”
“I am a holy knight, and also the hero who will directly face the Immortal King. Would this appearance not inspire more trust? Also, the defense of this place concerns the prestige of our Main God Church, so we must confirm it thoroughly.”
High-ranking figures who had been granted full authority by the nations located across each continent were in attendance, as well as the representatives of smaller churches serving gods such as the god of the sea and the god of the earth, and even major powers including the Magic Tower Alliance and the Mercenary Guild.
Including not only the representatives but also their attendants and guards, an enormous number of outsiders had flooded into this place all at once.
Naturally, the Great Temple’s security had no choice but to be stricter than ever before.
Not only paladins and archbishops had been mobilized; it was considered only natural that Heinrich, the Saint himself, would step forward and lead them. ‘And just in case, the inquisitors are also secretly monitoring the attendees.’ There might be those who had slipped in with malicious intentions.
Fortunately, no one with such intentions had yet been discovered among those who had entered this place.
“Ah, you have both arrived. Then, shall we go in?”
After moving while conversing like that, they were able to join Cardinal Cordelia, who would assist with the practical proceedings, in front of the doors to the grand conference hall.
They had heard that everyone else had already entered, so once they stepped inside, it would begin immediately.
The “Continental Summit” that would decide the future of this world.
***
The grand conference hall prepared inside the Roselia Great Temple.
In the central area, seats for the representatives of each power and their attendants were arranged in a circle, and on the outer side, seats had been prepared for the members of the delegations who had accompanied them.
Now, just before the summit was to begin, most of the seats were filled without a single vacancy, but the air among them showed subtle differences in temperature depending on the relations between each power. ‘Phew, this is difficult. I only hope I can gain something from this conference.’ And among them, there was one person moving more busily than anyone else, repeatedly making contact with various delegations.
It was Dennis Rohan, heir to the Principality of Rohan.
He had first approached the Empire, their closest ally, to ask for support, but the crown prince attending as its representative merely responded as if it were bothersome.
He said that dispatching troops immediately would be difficult, and that they would continue to provide ample military supplies as they had until now, so Rohan should hold out just a little longer.
Dennis had hoped that perhaps something would be different if he asked face-to-face, but there was nothing particularly different from what had already been exchanged countless times through official channels. ‘Of course I’m grateful for the material support, but hundreds of people are dying every single day right now…! There’s no one left to use those supplies.’ He understood that the Empire was also in chaos because of the monsters, but he could not help feeling disappointed.
Compared to the Azerion Empire, which was holding out fairly well, the Principality of Rohan was in a state no different from a candle before the wind.
Dennis slowly looked around the spacious conference hall.
The sight of all the powers that ruled the continent gathered in one place was a spectacle in itself.
Though it was quite unfortunate that among all these people, there was not a single one who would help his homeland. ‘…I could not even speak to the other races. Well, even if it had gone well, they probably would not have been able to send troops because of the distance.’ His gaze turned toward the delegation from the Enamel Continent, clustered together in one place.
The “Elven Kingdom,” the kingdom of elves that worshiped the World Tree.
“Titania,” founded by the dwarves, believers of the “God of Fire and Metal.”
Aside from them, there were the “Wild Land,” an alliance of beastfolk who each believed in their own native religions, the lizardman community of the “Central Swamp,” and more…
To begin with, with the exception of the Main God Church, these other races were not friendly toward humans, so it was not even easy to start a conversation with them.
If not for the Church’s request, the majority of them would not even have attended this gathering. ‘Unlike the Ion Continent, which has become a complete mess, the Enamel Continent is said to be relatively intact.’ Of course, just as during the previous Immortal King incident, they would likely provide support on a continental level for the purpose of extinguishing the fire before it spread, but what the Principality of Rohan, whose very nation was in peril, wanted was not support of that extent.
They were in desperate need of more immediate and practical military force. ‘The Zephia Republic, which has poor relations with the Empire, had no intention of listening to us at all. As long as our principality is pro-imperial, I suppose that cannot be helped…’ But despite wearing himself out like that, there was no other country that showed a positive response either.
Not the western four-kingdom alliance of Thalia, Sharoti, Tulk, and Lesque, which had suffered relatively less damage due to fewer undead appearances.
Nor the southeastern island nation of Wijet Magocracy, where the headquarters of the Magic Tower Alliance was located, nor even the southern Kalkos Tribal Alliance.
Given the chaotic situation, it was only natural that they would be reluctant to send their own nation’s forces abroad at a time like this, but from his position, he had no choice but to resent them. ‘The smaller churches do not have much that could be called combat strength. At least the Mercenary Guild has agreed to introduce us to large mercenary companies, but there is no telling how long negotiations with them will take.’ That was why the results of this summit were important.
The Main God Church was already supporting the Principality of Rohan by dispatching not only a holy knight order but even a Paladin.
They should have a proper grasp of just how serious the principality’s situation was.
It would likely be treated as an agenda item of considerable importance.
If a continental allied army were created and came to the principality’s aid, they should be able to overcome this crisis.
Just as Dennis Rohan was earnestly pondering what he should do from here on—
Clunk.
—The doors of the grand conference hall opened, and at last, the representatives of the Temple entered.
The gazes around them focused there in an instant, and those who had been talking unconsciously closed their mouths.
A considerable number of people, including those who would help conduct the proceedings, were entering all at once, but the only ones who drew attention now were the man and woman standing at the front.
“Ha—so that is what it means to be loved by the god. It is as if only the space around them belongs to another world.”
“That person is the newly born Saint…”
“Mm… I caught a glimpse of him last time, but as expected, his presence is tremendous.”
After a brief silence, the delegations began whispering among themselves and murmuring.
Unlike Saintess Riesta, whom they had come to know through her many public activities until now, everyone’s eyes were focused on Saint Heinrich, for whom this was the first official activity.
No, they had no choice but to be drawn to him.
A man who, unlike his gentle and benevolent smile and the reverent atmosphere drifting around him, naturally exuded a fierce and intense aura like a blazing flame.
For he was the hero and hope of this era, the one who would oppose the Immortal King and bring an end to the present chaos.