#150
Hero Party (4)
At Heinrich’s heavy words, which rang through the conference room, everyone froze at once.
Putting aside the voice, so filled with divine power that it naturally made one reverent, the meaning contained in those words carried that much impact.
“The Supreme God… spoke, you say?”
“Huh—.”
The upper echelon of the Great Temple murmured and let out exclamations of awe.
That gods truly existed was a fact acknowledged by everyone in Auterica, but the difference in rank was so vast that there were limits to how much mortals could perceive their will.
And that was not so different even for the clergy.
The stronger one’s faith became, the stronger the connection grew and the more clearly one could sense their presence, but to grasp even a little of a god’s will, one had to be at least on the level of a Saintess.
Yet now Heinrich had said he had received a revelation directly from the Supreme God, so it was only natural for them to be shocked.
Some swallowed dryly with tense expressions, some took out handkerchiefs to wipe away sweat, and some clasped both hands together as if in prayer while gazing at him…
Everyone corrected their mindset and posture, sitting upright as they waited for the next words to come from his mouth.
‘It is effective… Though it’s a little burdensome.’
Heinrich deliberately ignored the Saintess’s sparkling gaze fixed intently on him and slowly opened his mouth.
“Did none of you find it strange? The contradictory actions the Immortal King Hannibal Strauss has shown until now, I mean.”
It was something that could have seemed a little out of nowhere, but without a word, they focused on the topic the Saint had raised.
Naturally, everyone had felt that fact.
It was just that their opponent was an existence beyond ordinary common sense, so they had gained little from trying to analyze his thought patterns.
“This generation’s Immortal King is clearly different from those before him. He is not bound by an obsession to stain the continent with death.”
“I did feel that was certainly the case…”
“The principle driving his actions is solely his own interest. Even when he invaded the Great Temple last time, he withdrew obediently because Lord Harris of the Elven Kingdom satisfied that interest. …If I had to add one more thing, it would be that he enjoys drawing the public’s attention.”
The beginning was to remind them of Hans’s peculiarities.
“…That certainly makes sense. When we were dispatched to investigate the Abyssal Gate, the Immortal King could have killed us easily, yet he did not. As if he wanted to leave witnesses to what he had done.”
One of the paladins who had been dispatched to the southern wasteland in the past carefully agreed with Heinrich.
“Thinking back, that was not the only such instance. The harm the Immortal King has inflicted upon the entire continent is great, but the damage in places where he personally appeared has been surprisingly small. The recent attack in the Empire’s city of Tobea was the same.”
“So although he basically acts as if he intends to destroy the continent, in the places where he himself is present, his personal interests take priority…?”
“Exactly! And we can make use of that point.”
“How, exactly?”
He was forcibly fitting past events together to lend credibility to his current claim.
On top of that, Heinrich now had the authority of the Supreme God behind him, which would give persuasive power to any nonsense he might spout, so convincing them was not particularly difficult.
“He has taken a great interest in me. That interest began when I first pierced his heart and drove him back, and it only grew stronger after I became a Saint.”
That was something the others knew well too.
In truth, the Immortal King had often shown behavior that indicated he was conscious of him, and during the attack on the summit, he had treated only Heinrich as someone worthy of conversation.
Except when dealing with Harris, who had shot an arrow at him at the end.
“I intend to propose… a certain bet that will pique his interest.”
“Yes? A bet… you say?
As soon as he finished speaking, he could feel the audience’s reaction become subtly strange.
‘What’s needed at times like this is shamelessness, after all.’
He nodded gravely and continued, putting strength into his voice.
“The Immortal King regards the very process of conquering the continent as a game. Then we need only play along and add to his amusement, and in exchange, add a single ‘rule.’”
“…And that would be not invading the Duchy of Rohan?”
Those who had been listening closely to him began to frown and tilt their heads one by one.
It was likely because of the extremely natural question of whether things could possibly work out that conveniently…
“Of course, there may be additional changes depending on the conditions the other side demands, but that is the basic framework.”
“…Would the Immortal King accept such conditions?”
“He will accept them.”
Once he had made up his mind, if he said it would happen, then it would happen.
‘Even if I have to force it somewhat, there’s no other way, so it can’t be helped.’
Right now, the only thing he was relying on was the glory of the Supreme God.
“Negotiating with the Immortal King…”
The Chief Heresy Inquisitor muttered in a low voice, sounding displeased, but no matter how great his authority was, there was nothing he could do about a Saint chosen by God.
Especially when Heinrich had already laid the groundwork by bringing up the name of the Supreme God.
“But what if the undead march south at any moment? If we do not prepare immediately, not only the duchy but the Empire as well may be in danger.”
“It will be fine. The Immortal Army will not move.”
“May I ask the reason you are so certain of that as well?”
“…The Supreme God told me.”
By now, he was beginning to run out of logic to persuade them with, so he simply pushed forward blindly.
It was a baseless, stubborn claim with no evidence whatsoever, but if the Saint said so, what could they do?
‘I don’t know. If I say so, just believe it.’
At his resolute answer, the leaders of the Order merely blinked.
The Saintess, who had been silently watching him the entire time, finally clapped with sparkling eyes and exclaimed in admiration.
Clap, clap, clap!
“As expected of you, Saint! The Supreme God knows all things, but we, who are lacking, cannot fully comprehend His will. Even I can only vaguely sense fragments of it, so you are truly amazing!”
“Hahaha. You flatter me…”
He ignored the prickling of his conscience and simply let out a shameless laugh.
In all likelihood, the Saintess’s level of attunement with the Supreme God was higher than Heinrich’s.
He was using most of the spiritual channels connected to God solely as a means of supplying divine power, and the only emotion he had ever sensed from the Supreme God until now was “interest.”
Even at this very moment, that remained the same.
But as the Saintess made such a sincere and emotional fuss, the surrounding reactions also gradually began to heat up, as if swept along by the atmosphere.
Not one of them seemed to entertain even the slightest possibility that Heinrich, a Saint, might be lying.
“Then for now, we will proceed under the premise of what you have said, Saint. The Empire is no fool, so it will not be easy, but we will try to buy as much time as possible.”
For an organization counted among the foremost on the continent, it was a decision-making process so absurd it was almost unbelievable, but this was proof of how much they trusted Heinrich as a Saint.
The moment the Saint himself invoked the name of the Supreme God, it became no different from absolute law within the Order.
‘Lately, they’ve been acting like representatives of humanity because they’ve been responding to the Immortal King, but…’
Their essence was ultimately that of a religious organization, and everyone present here was part of the leadership, acknowledged as having faith that had reached its peak.
‘Simply put, everyone here except me is a fanatic.’
And to fanatics, the word of God was truth itself, so this reaction was only natural.
“Then I leave it to you. Preventing the Empire from turning back will only be necessary for a short while. They too will soon follow our intentions.”
“Yes? Could that also be a revelation from the Supreme God…?”
In response to that question, Heinrich merely closed his eyes gently and slowly nodded.
After doing this repeatedly, he somehow felt as if a real revelation from the Supreme God had just descended upon him.
‘Hannibal Strauss… It seems you intend to target the Empire next, but as long as I, Heinrich, am here, things will not go your way!’
The conference room swirled with firm resolve and pious faith.
The Hero, thoroughly immersed in his role, clenched his fist and burned with enthusiasm.
And those in the conference hall looked upon him as if he were reliable.
Perhaps his conscience had finally been overworked to the point of paralysis, because strangely enough, he no longer felt guilty.
***
Around the time Heinrich was busy using the Supreme God’s name to commit fraud.
Harley, having finished his sparring match, was enjoying a long-awaited reunion with familiar faces.
“Hello, Lord Harley. It hasn’t even been that long since we parted, but you’ve grown even bigger than before.”
“Wahahaha! It’s been a while, young lady! Your face is glowing; looks like you’ve been doing well!”
“It’s all thanks to you, Lord Harley. I’m a High Elf now, you know?”
Cecily Granwood greeted him warmly.
“It has been some time. Hm… But, no, never mind.”
Lafori Granwood showed a subtle reaction, as if he had sensed something in Harley’s change.
“It’s been a while, Harley.”
“Aah— Good to see you, Harris! Hwahaha!”
And there was Harris, who was supposed to be his old friend.
“A-as expected of the Ion Continent. I had been thinking it was more ordinary than I expected until now… but this is exactly what I imagined…”
Shapiron, seemingly overwhelmed by his intimidating appearance, quietly hid behind Harris and muttered under her breath, but she had always been strange, so he easily ignored her.
“Lord Harley, I promised you last time, didn’t I? That once I awakened as a High Elf, I would properly bestow a blessing on you again. …I don’t know how much help it will be to the current you, Lord Harley, but it should still be better than nothing.”
Cecily smiled brightly as she met his eyes.
This time, he did not need to squat down like before.
The wind naturally rose from beneath Cecily’s feet and gently lifted her body, bringing her eye level with him in an instant.
Whoosh—
Then, at the same time her lips touched Harley’s forehead, a warm energy began to settle into his body just as it had back then.
And also… perhaps because Harris, who had obtained the qualification of a High Elf, was present, this time he could clearly grasp the nature of that energy as well.
‘This isn’t simply natural energy; its nature is similar to divine power. Does a High Elf use themselves as a medium to directly draw upon the energy of the World Tree? As expected of someone who could be called a priest of the World Tree Order.’
And after a short while passed, once it had fully settled into Harley’s body—
《Due to 「Blessing of Great Nature」, the individual’s elemental affinity and resistance greatly increase.》
Unlike last time, a message appeared before Harley’s eyes.
It was not that he had gained some special skill, but if even the system was openly declaring it like this, its effect had to be greater than expected.
‘Harris should be able to use it soon once he becomes a High Elf too, so how many times can this be done? Let’s see… First, Harley’s share has been saved, and of course Hans is out of the question.’
Naturally, his thoughts flowing in this direction was an extremely natural phenomenon.
Her gifts did not end there, either. There was also an accessory made from part of the branch she had been granted by the World Tree.
“I made it to suit your tastes, Lord Harley, after receiving Lord Lafori’s advice.”
At Cecily’s words, Lafori, who had been standing quietly behind her, gave a weighty nod.
Sure enough, just as she had said, the accessory, carved so it could be hung from a necklace or belt, looked as fierce and lifelike as if the head of a savage beast had been transplanted directly onto it.
Exactly to Harley’s taste.
“Wahahaha! I really like this. You didn’t have to go this far!”
Of course, though he said that, the accessory that granted all sorts of resistances as well as additional defense was already firmly fixed at his waist.
It would likely not leave that spot from now on unless something extraordinary happened.
“By the way, I did not expect to see you here, Lord Harley. To think you became this strong in such a short time.”
Once matters with Cecily were settled, Lafori, who had been silently watching him, opened his mouth in a low voice.
As expected of a High Elf who had lived for many long years, he seemed to have seen through Harley to some extent and appeared worried about something, but…
“…Well, I am sure you have your own thoughts, Lord Harley. Even the Main God Order has said nothing, so I am in no position to comment. But since you have come all the way here, have you perhaps decided to join the death squad?”
He lightly shrugged his shoulders and immediately changed the subject.
Having the Saint of the Main God Order as the greatest backer really did make things convenient.
“Hm? Aah—! That…”
And at that question, Harley scratched the back of his head and slowly opened his mouth.