#57 Fortune from the Outside (1)
“Phew... Is it all over?”
Heinrich lightly shook his sword and looked around.
Given the caliber of those who had participated in this battle, the situation had ended in an instant.
Monsters perished to the lightning storm that raged as though nature itself was enraged, and thorns that surged forth from the earth.
The judgment of light burned away the unholy beings, and even the great demon they summoned could not endure long before being banished to the demon realm.‘So these are the strongest experts on this continent...’Of course, they were not the absolute pinnacle.
The Order alone had as many as ten publicly revealed Paladins, and if battle priests and Inquisitors were included, there was no telling how many experts of this level there might be.
It was the same for the High Elves—Lapori was not the only one—and there might be more experts of similar caliber in the Elven Kingdom besides.‘But that is only when looking at the entire continent.’Given the sheer size of the continent, one could certainly not belittle their level.
Of course, the dark mages were not at a level to be defeated so easily either, but Heinrich was largely responsible for them being unable to catch their breath.
What could they do, when someone suddenly appeared in their midst swinging a sword, when their specialty was summoning demonic beasts to fight?
At the very least, the old man who appeared to be the enemy leader had somehow managed to summon a great demon, but...
“Kuhak—! How did the Order bastards get here... kuh!”
As the demon that had been subjected to concentrated attacks vanished, the enemy leader met his end at the sword of the Black Slaughter Moon Commander.
It was the end of an unprepared summoner.
“Lord Heinrich Landgard, well done. Thanks to you, we could dispatch them smoothly.”
From one side, Archbishop Latius, who had been turning the dark mages’ corpses to ash with sacred flames, approached with a benevolent expression.
“Ah, Your Grace the Archbishop has worked hard as well. Here is the holy token.”
Heinrich politely returned the holy token he had received from the archbishop.
They had flown quickly from Tarak to the Northern Mountain Range by the power of the wind spirit.
But even Heinrich had not known exactly where the target was, so he could not guide them properly.
He had only been able to move to the space Halli had perceived through 「Blessing: Leap」.
Therefore, the method they came up with was for the archbishop, who had handed Heinrich the holy token containing his divine power, to track it and guide the remaining people.
And the operation had gone better than expected.
Because the enemies had been thrown into chaos by Heinrich’s sudden appearance, they had been unable to prepare for those approaching from outside.
“But do you not take prisoners for interrogation? If we obtained information about them, we could root out their backers as well.”
“Unless one is an Inquisitor, the principle is to kill dark mages, including demon worshippers, on sight. One never knows what tricks they might pull. And they are all afflicted with binding curses as well.”
Indeed, dark magic had so many grotesque methods.
No wonder they were burning the corpses so thoroughly.
“By the way, that elf girl over there must be the High Elf candidate.”
The archbishop looked to one side and let out a small exclamation.
The elf party, including Lapori, was approaching where the small elf and the large barbarian were.
“Your words were truly correct. How in the world did you know? I followed the Saintess’s words first, but... To think you could find the target without any special blessing.”
“Hahaha... I do not know myself. It was but a sudden realization.”
“Truly, the High God must be watching over you! It is a glorious thing.”
After the archbishop expressed his admiration once more like this and had a brief prayer with the Paladins who had approached in the meantime.
Only then was Heinrich able to head toward where the elves were with them.***
“Thank you. Thanks to you, Lady Cecily was able to remain safe.”
“Haha! It is only natural for an honorable warrior to help those in danger! Do not mind it too much. It was not something I did expecting a ‘reward’! Hahaha!”
“Indeed, you hold excellent values.”
The conversation that followed after brief introductions continued harmoniously.
Lapori was not flustered at all even upon seeing Halli’s appearance.
He was a High Elf who had lived for a long time.
Even if he looked young, his age was by no means small, so he took Halli’s fashion as that of a very exemplary southerner within the bounds of common sense.
“But for one who has received help, it is impossible to offer no repayment. It may be insufficient, but please accept this at least.”
“Oh my, this is troublesome! Hahaha!”
Though he spoke like that, Halli did not refuse and quickly accepted the item he held out.
It was a bracelet woven from thin tree branches with various colorful, glittering jewels that had hung on Lapori’s wrist.
The branches were fresh, as if alive.
“L... Lord Lapori, that is...!”
The male elf beside Lapori tried to say something in confusion, but Lapori kept his gaze fixed on Halli and merely waved his hand.
“As our base is not on this continent, there is no proper way to repay you immediately. We are also currently indebted to the Order for various reasons.”
Because of that, they could not promise later either.
Since they had to help the Order right away, they did not know when they would return to the Enamel Continent.
“Of course, if you ever need any help in the future, we will do our best to assist you. We will coordinate that with the Order on our end.”
Since they were based on another continent and could not step in directly, they would first allow him to receive help through the Order, and later the Elven Kingdom would pay the Order its due.
“He has also aided the affairs of our Order. I will handle it well.”
Archbishop Latius, who had approached beside them before they knew it, received Lapori’s words.
Since the Order’s affairs had become easier thanks to Halli, he would also take the opportunity to repay him.
It was practically the greatest goodwill the Elven Kingdom could show, but Halli, who already had connections to the Order’s upper echelons, was more interested in the bracelet that had come into his hands.
As if noticing his interest, Lapori immediately explained about the bracelet as well.
Attribute affinity and resistance were basics, with amplification of natural forces and even additional correction when summoning spirits.
Furthermore, due to its symbolic meaning, the bracelet itself was an extremely precious item.
If one entered the elves’ sphere of influence with this, they would receive considerable treatment.‘Well, it was personally used by a High Elf, so of course.’As the conversation was wrapping up like this.
Cecily, who had been freed from the magic device around her neck with Archbishop Latius’s help, approached Halli in a cleaned-up state.
The female elf who had come with Lapori had used spirits to wash away the dirt and blood that had splattered during her ordeal and the battle.‘Hmm... I did spill quite a bit of blood on the leather in front because of 「Gluttony」...’It couldn’t be helped since it had been a situation where he couldn’t pay attention to it, but.
“I felt I should express my gratitude once more. Thank you for saving me. If you had not come, Sir Halli, I would not be alive right now.”
“Hahaha! Well, I only did what was natural.”
Cecily bowed her head politely.
She raised her head, looked at Halli for a moment, then made a flustered expression.
“U-um... Sir Halli? Could you sit down for a moment?”
The girl, who only came up to his waist, waved her hands from below.
“......?”
When Halli squatted down there, only then could their eyes meet.
“May the blessing of Great Nature be with you.”
Cecily lightly lifted the ragged black panther head and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
Fwaaah—‘Hm? This is... the energy I felt from the World Tree?’Something had definitely taken root within him, but no special system window appeared.
“It is a blessing that a High Elf can bestow. And the Blessing of Great Nature is a considerably high-level one that cannot be used frequently.”
Lapori added quietly from the side.
With a rather surprised expression that Cecily, still unawakened, had used a High Elf’s blessing.
“Since I am not yet a complete High Elf, the effect is weaker than the original blessing. Once I awaken, I shall properly bestow it again. You seem to treat your body roughly, Sir Halli, so it will be helpful.”
From what he heard, it seemed to be a type of blessing that increased attribute resistance.
If it was something like that, it was welcome anytime, so Halli nodded pleasantly.
Cecily smiled proudly at his reaction.
She hesitated for a moment, then held out to Halli the branch she had been clutching in her hand all this time.
Perhaps because even the last dregs of energy had been drawn out, now not even a hint of vitality could be felt...
It was a withered branch of the World Tree.
“Um... I do not have anything with me right now. When we meet again, I will give you a proper gift.”
Cecily blushed in embarrassment and bowed her head deeply.
But even if its energy was depleted, a World Tree was a World Tree.
Halli, who would never refuse something given for free, quickly accepted it.
“The World Tree forcibly exerted its power through this branch, so its spiritual vein has been severed, but it should still be able to purify the surrounding air and clear the ambient energy. If you place it in a houseplant and just give it water... um...”
Lapori chimed in from the side with advice, then faltered.
He looked at the branch in Halli’s hand, then looked back and forth at him.
At the muscular giant over two meters tall, still wearing the head of a fierce beast, with traces of battle remaining everywhere on him.
“Hm, after felling a worthy opponent, you could thrust it in front of them as a grave marker instead of a tombstone... Or use it as firewood, and the flames will burn strong and long. In fact, that is also why dwarves covet them...”
Lapori suddenly rambled as if in confusion.‘I don’t think this gentleman gave off this kind of impression originally.’Perhaps because he was relieved at having safely completed his mission.
Halli quickly offered his thanks to help him somehow salvage the situation and the increasingly embarrassed Cecily.‘I can just leave this in my room on Earth.’It would become the best air purifier, so there was nothing wrong with that.
Thus, once the greetings with the elves were concluded for the moment, he was able to exchange greetings with the members of the Order as well.
They were not as proactive as the elves since they were not direct beneficiaries, but the Order’s personnel showed considerable interest in Halli.
“Your eyes are quite unusual. Are you a half-breed? Hm... No, pardon me. I asked something unnecessary.”
His left eye drew attention, but perhaps thinking there was some secret regarding his birth, they did not particularly pursue that subject.
“Oho~ this is a magnificent physique. It’s not inferior to our Heinrich? Hey, have you ever thought of becoming a Holy Knight and going around crushing those heretic bastards’ skulls?”
At those words from the Black Slaughter Moon Commander during such a simple exchange, the two men looked at each other.
It was the first time the two had directly faced each other.
Halli had undergone several self-modifications to fit the image of a barbarian warrior, so his impression was different from Heinrich’s from the very start.
Heinrich, who had strengthened his body to the limit through extreme training using 「Super Recovery」, and had not stopped hard training even after finally obtaining 「Blessing: Steel Body」.
Halli, who had devoured dozens of species of monsters with 「Gluttony」 up to now, and among them had selected only superior genes through 「Mutation」 and 「Physical Mutation」 to forge an ideal body.
“Hmm...”
“Hoo...”
When they compared each other directly like this, exclamations burst out unwittingly.
It was regrettable that Heinrich was wearing armor, preventing a more detailed examination.
“...What are you two doing?”
Their brief intoxication with their own bodies was interrupted by Archbishop Latius’s displeased voice.‘Whoops, I got too carried away.’He had tensed his muscles in various places without realizing it, comparing them, but the Paladins reacted as if they understood the sentiment.
“Archbishop Latius, it is a natural thing for those of us who use our bodies.”
“Indeed, indeed! A man must have muscles! Ah, we are not saying anything about you, Archbishop? Kekekek.”
For all the Holy Knights of the Order of the High God were devotees of ultra-high-intensity weight training.***
“Thank you once again. We will likely remain on the Eon Continent for the time being as well, so during that period we will be able to lend our strength directly.”
The party, now with two more members, swiftly returned to Tarak through the wind spirit.
There, they parted ways with Harley.
“Sir Harley, I’ll be going now. Please stay well until we meet again.”
“Hah hah hah! Take away my toughness and I’m nothing but a corpse! You take care too, miss!”
And with that, Harley disappeared into the streets of Tarak.
But not before exchanging a meaningful look with Heinrich one last time.
“Hmm, it seems you have some sort of connection with that warrior. This should be your first meeting, yet you both seem quite concerned about one another.”
“I sense a good bond there. I believe we’ll be seeing him often in the future.”
“Oh? If it is Sir Heinrich’s intuition, then we cannot ignore it. I’ll see to it that the Order pays him a little more attention as well. He said he was a mercenary, so it might not be a bad idea for the Order to convey its gratitude through the Mercenary Guild.”‘Done.’Just by setting the mood a little, he had succeeded in using Heinrich’s now more trusted name to raise Harley’s standing.
If Harley had the Order’s name at his back, it would be a great help in his future activities.‘I think I’ve gotten everything worth getting at this point.’It had been a satisfying day in many ways.***Unlike the trip there, returning to the Roselia Grand Temple required about half a day.
Even that was only because they received cooperation from each temple along the route and shortened the schedule as much as possible.
After returning and even taking some rest, the next day, another meeting with the elves was arranged.
“With the Order’s help, we were able to bring Miss Cecily here without any major trouble. I would also like to thank Sir Heinrich once again.”
The meeting, which began with Lafori’s words of gratitude, immediately moved on to the next topic.
This time, it was the Order’s business—tracking the Immortal King.
“The World Tree is the root of every tree that exists in this world.”
In a serious tone, he explained the method for finding the Immortal King.
“And a High Elf can borrow the power of the World Tree to detect the energy around places where trees exist.”
It was a method of scanning an area by using trees that contained a certain level of natural power as mediums.
Of course, its limitations were also clear.
They could not even attempt it in areas without trees, and the range that could be checked at once was limited.
The preparations beforehand were also demanding, so it had not been a method they could use when they were urgently searching for Cecily.
“To search the entire Ion Continent, I believe it will take about a month.”
Even that was an estimate excluding regions without trees.
However, as great as its restrictions were, its effects were outstanding.
“If he is hiding in an area with trees, I guarantee he will never be able to avoid detection. And most places that are sparsely populated are bound to have trees.”
He confidently lifted his chin.
Certainly, even if they failed to find him with that method, it would still narrow down the list of possible locations, making it a good opportunity.‘Hmm, should I clear out all the trees around the cave in advance? How wide an area? If I get rid of too many, it’ll stand out instead… Should I just unsummon him at the right time?’Heinrich pondered in secret with a calm expression.
He had reinforced the barrier, but seeing Lafori’s confident attitude, he could not help feeling a little uneasy.
“However, there is one issue with using this method.”
Lafori continued speaking.‘For someone acting so confident, it feels like there are quite a few restrictions.’“To confirm it accurately, I must know that energy for certain. But since I know nothing about the Immortal King, it may take a little longer.”
Since he would have no choice but to simply track dense black magic, the period could stretch to half a year for the sake of accuracy.
Of course, they would most likely discover him before then, but if luck was bad, there was no telling what might happen.
“If it’s a matter of the Immortal King’s energy… don’t worry. Though before that, there is something I would ask you to please understand…”
At his words, the Saintess answered with a serious expression.
And Heinrich could understand why she had said such a thing.
What he had not expected was what came immediately after.
“…This may be a good opportunity for Sir Heinrich to learn as well. What it is that we are fighting against.”
After seeming to ponder something, she turned to look at him with a strange expression and murmured those words in a low voice.…In that instant, his heart began to beat.
He had thought he had gotten everything there was to get, but it seemed the real prize had remained elsewhere.