Chapter 79
"Hello, Esther. You're late."
"It's been a while, Paladin Helena."
"Are you still calling me that stiffly? How about treating me a bit more comfortably? Like sisters, for instance?"
"I have yet to find my sword. A pilgrim who has not finished their pilgrimage cannot be equal to a Paladin."
A pilgrim who hasn't finished their pilgrimage is just a pilgrim.
"There's no pilgrim stronger than you. Even average Paladins would be weaker than you. Since you're revered as the next Holy Maiden, didn't the Order say they would bestow a sword upon you? It seems entirely possible."
Among the swords the Order possesses, there are even Phantom and Spirit swords.
Would a genius of swordsmanship called the next Holy Maiden be short of such swords?
"I refused."
"I thought so. Being so stiff-headed, you're just buying unnecessary hardship."
"The act of a pilgrim embarking on a pilgrimage is solely to find a sword. To find a sword and execute God's will."
"To offer a sword that will satisfy God."
"Yes."
"Right. So, when do you think you'll be able to find your sword?"
"...It will be possible soon."
Esther's eyes shook sorrowfully.
Helena recalled the saint of the Order who was her guardian and had adopted her, and decided to change the subject.
"So, but why were you late? I waited for a long time."
"I stopped by somewhere for a moment."
"Where?"
"It was a place where a small-scale battle had taken place. There were traces of a fight between a single master and multiple people."
"Oh..."
Helena felt like she knew somehow, but decided to listen quietly.
Because this stiff young lady was making a rarely seen joyful expression.
"He must have been quite a strong person."
"Yes. It was like traces of fighting a ghost. No, there were almost no traces. To fight that many enemies without even drawing his sword. I really wanted to meet him at least once."
"You haven't found out who it is yet?"
"Yes. Unfortunately."
She let out a sigh, saying "Ah."
"Why?"
"I did meet one person involved, but..."
Esther frowned as if it was seriously strange, and said.
"They suddenly became a different person."
* * *
It's hard bread, but dipping it in the stew makes the texture soft and moist.
Moreover, the rich flavor of the meat stew seeps into the bread, doubling the taste.
I picked up the fork and knife and cut the meat steak.
Taking a bite, the taste of the appropriate sauce and the meat's juices burst out the more I chewed, and I could feel a sweet taste.
"It tastes good."
"I'm glad it's to your liking."
"That fork, it's not an ordinary fork."
"You recognize it. It's a fork hard to come by. An artifact."
A fork and knife I obtained sometime ago.
They are artifacts.
There's nothing particularly outstanding about them.
They're just a bit hard and maintain cleanliness.
Answering her question, I looked at Beatrice who was eating with me.
The same appearance as Maria.
But her appearance, which I thought was a bit plain, changed 180 degrees just by a slight change in style.
If Maria was like cotton, the crystal of purity, Beatrice was a rose.
Like a captivating rose.
'It's probably that.'
A character I didn't set.
There's a high probability it's a character the company side set arbitrarily.
Such named characters tend to have somewhat excessive concepts, and I thought Beatrice would probably have that kind of feel too.
'Multiple personalities.'
There must be a trigger that changes her personality.
If I figure that out, I might be able to make a pretty good deal.
Finishing the meal roughly, I handed the sword over to Beatrice.
"I'll return it first. I brought it without realizing."
Beatrice's eyes flinched.
"I don't know this sword? If you want to give a lady a gift, wouldn't flowers be better than a sword? Or... I'm fine with that little kid over there."
Is she talking about Bibi?
She seems to be doing strange experiments using demonic beasts, and she seems to like Bibi quite a bit.
"Decline it. She's a kid I cherish."
"That's a shame."
"But are you really not going to take it? This should be a sword you cherish."
"I really don't know this sword."
She firmly refuses.
If my guess is correct, her personality changes when she holds Maria's sword. Otherwise, there's no way she would refuse her own sword like that.
"By the way, shouldn't you slowly tell me now? Why you were waiting for me in my house."
Well, it doesn't matter.
Since the one I was looking for was Beatrice.
"I don't really like long introductions, so I'll ask you straight to the point."
"Yes, I also hate wasting time."
I immediately took out a small medicine bottle from my bosom and placed it on the table.
"What is this?"
"It's the blood of a Lightning Wolf Dragon."
"Lightning Wolf Dragon..."
"It was a demonic beast with the blood of a dragon. Can you refine the demonic energy from this blood and extract the dragon blood?"
Beatrice will later become one of the top ten Holy Alchemists in the kingdom.
But that's a story within the game I know.
There's no guarantee that everything will unfold exactly as the story of the game I set.
So, for now, it's a test.
"Dragon blood, can you extract it?"
If possible, I intend to entrust Beatrice with something even rarer than this.
Troll's blood, the Lightning Wolf Dragon's horn and byproducts.
And later, I plan to entrust her with everything regarding the manufacturing of holy water, including Valterus's tears.
As long as she has the skill and trust, there's no reason not to entrust her.
I'll be in the capital, Kaladi, for a while, but someday I'll have to take responsibility for the North.
The North must grow bigger and stronger than it is now.
"I asked if it's possible."
"..."
The eyes staring at the taken-out medicine bottle were no different from that of a Holy Alchemist.
Eyes filled with greed.
However, the space between her brows was narrowed, showing no signs of relaxing.
She was hesitating.
Whether she could do it or not.
"It seems you're not confident."
I said, feeling inwardly disappointed, but she nodded calmly.
"To be honest, yes. But if a little time and preparation are met, it's not impossible."
Oho.
As expected, it was worth the wait.
"What kind of preparation are you talking about? If necessary, I can support you."
My pockets are quite full right now.
No matter how much, it's not difficult to support it, considering it an investment.
"First of all, the necessary expenses and time would be ten thousand gold and a year's time. But there's one most necessary thing, and it's a bit difficult to obtain, is that okay?"
Ten thousand gold coins and a year's time.
Needing ten thousand gold is understandable, but taking a year is too long.
But hearing that there is something most necessary makes me sigh first.
I haven't even mentioned the Troll Potion that I truly need yet.
"Let's hear it first. What is the most important thing?"
"Have you heard of Majing?"
Majing (魔淨).
"I know."
A core that occasionally appears in special individuals that have heavily inherited demonic energy.
Simply put, it's like a demon's serum, a binding of pure demonic energy, so it's rarely found in ordinary demonic beasts.
It doesn't easily form unless it's a high-ranking demonic beast with high purity.
Compared to humans, it can be seen as similar to a Saint's Holy Stone.
"I need Majing. When extracting dragon blood, the demonic blood must be removed first, but it's difficult without Majing."
According to her, Majing is pure demonic energy, so it absorbs the demonic energy contained in the blood.
So, if there is Majing, extracting dragon blood becomes easier.
'I'm dumbfounded.'
Majing is originally not used in that way. The setting itself was that Majing is a medium that makes the demonic power of a demonic beast run even more rampant.
But to think she'd use it to remove demonic blood instead.
The reversal of the idea is quite surprising.
As expected of Beatrice.
Her qualities to become the kingdom's number one eccentric Holy Alchemist could be seen.
"Then is there a way to obtain it?"
But Majing is as hard to obtain as picking stars from the sky, and because it's of demonic nature, it's considered ominous, so it doesn't even come up for sale.
Even though there was a way to use Majing usefully, there was no way to obtain it.
There's also the method of finding a demonic beast with Majing, but I have no memory of seeing Majing even in the Northern war. That's how rarely Majing forms.
"It's not that there isn't a way. It's just that the opponent is quite troublesome."
"Someone must have it."
Good news while listening.
If so, the story becomes easier.
"Who is it?"
"Do you know Count Artemion?"
"Artemion?"
"Yes. The Count's eldest son has some eye for evaluating demonic beasts, and he tames them and sells them secretly."
It started as a hobby of occasionally giving them as gifts to nobles, but realizing it made money, he expanded the scale.
As he expanded the scale, the story went that he came to possess a Majing.
"There are two ways."
One is to trade with Viole.
"Or snatch it."
Beatrice's smile as she said that with a grin was, unlike Maria's, quite insidious.
* * *
Returning to his lodgings, Callius removed his equipment and sat on the bed right away.
Flop.
"I'm tired."
It seemed he didn't need to talk about the Troll Potion.
If there was Majing, the demonic energy contained in the trolls could also be removed.
Majing. Viole, who possessed it.
Trade. Plunder.
Various things swirled in his mind.
Trade is out of the question. The option of taking it by force is also impossible.
Viole would still have malice towards him, so there was no way a proper trade could happen.
Even if he talked with Count Artemion, there wouldn't be much difference.
"Is there only one left?"
Callius lay on the bed and pondered.
If only he could extract the dragon blood, it could be the catalyst to create a Holy Relic beyond an Artifact, along with the other byproducts of the Lightning Wolf Dragon.
Moreover, if there was Majing, the Troll Potion would resolve itself.
With Beatrice's skill, she could solve the remaining worries too.
Then the only thing left was to obtain Majing. He just needed to handle that.
"It's not a difficult task."
He just needed a justification.
If trade doesn't work and taking it by force doesn't work, he just had to make them submit it themselves. Callius had the power and status to do so.
In the first place, the Artemion father and son were doing illegal things, so if he used the Count's status and the Inquisitor's authority, it wasn't a difficult task.
The problem was that if he stormed in like that, it was uncertain whether Artemion would easily comply.
The reputation of "Judicator" had already spread too much, and Artemion would be groveling because of the trouble Viole caused.
Furthermore, the formal procedure to become an Inquisitor remained, so during that time, they could smuggle the Majing or demonic beasts somewhere else.
If the other side came forward first, the work would be easier and he could extract more from them.
It's a shame, but it can't be helped.
He just had to do it himself.
"I never expected that she was being supplied demonic beasts by Viole."
He wondered why she knew so much detail, and it turned out she was buying the demonic beasts used in her experiments from Viole.
That was why she knew the general circumstances inside out.
She was still hiding her true intentions, but it didn't really matter.
Since he roughly knew.
"But where did that guy Brance go."
He wondered where he went leaving Bibi behind, and he still hasn't shown even a hint of himself.
* * *
Shiver, shiver.
At the same time, Brance was shivering, seized by fear.
"What an absurd fellow. Why on earth does the scoundrel keep a guy like you around?"
Brance was locked in an iron cage, shivering.
"The Master won't be able to sleep at night without me! If you kill me, he will surely take revenge, so kill me if you're going to kill me!"
Unlike his loud shout, Brance was shivering to the point of wetting himself.
The iron cage he was locked in was in the middle of a pack of demonic beasts, and right in front of the cage, demonic beasts capable of chewing up a person in one bite were baring their teeth and drooling.
"Will he really come for something like that?"
The one who kidnapped Brance was none other than the master of the demonic beasts.
Viole de Artemion.
The young master of Count Artemion.
"I'm not sure if it's a waste of time."
"He will definitely come! Just wait and see!!"
"I'm not sure if you're threatening or begging. I will wait. I sent a message to his lodgings anyway."
Either an answer comes in the near future.
Or he comes, it'll be one of the two.
"Of course, if he comes here, he won't be able to return alive."
No matter how strong a Paladin is, they can't handle all the demonic beasts stationed here. Besides, he is the kingdom's number one scoundrel. I don't know what tricks he used to create such rumors.
But that and what he did to the knights at the inn, there must have been some deception.
He was tricked there, but this time is different.
"They are guys I raised with all my might. If he comes, I'll throw you or your master alive to them."
"Eek!"
Weak nobles like to tame strong and fierce demonic beasts under their feet, unlike themselves.
It's a truly vicious hobby, but surprisingly, it's often helpful.
"When dealing with fellows I hate to look at, there's nothing better than demonic beasts."
They are frightened.
Even the guys who screamed while being eaten alive become quiet as they enter the stomachs of the demonic beasts over time.
"I'll make you regret insulting me for the rest of your life. Inside the stomach of a demonic beast, that is."
Hahahaha!
"I sure hope that bastard Callius comes to save you!"
"H-He definitely will, you dog!"
Brance was anxious, but he still believed. If it was him, if it was Callius, he would definitely come to save him.
Definitely...
'He'll come, right?'
The anxious feeling didn't leave him.