第６４６堀：新たな御三家 (Part1)
Chapter 646: The New Three Houses
Side: Enora Hylen, Acting Bishop of the Haire Church in the Haiden Royal Capital
"What did you say!? We have to stop that at all costs!!"
Upon hearing what Princess Carrie, Kagura, and Princess Stasia had told me, I jolted upright in my bed and shouted.
"Calm yourself, Enora. You are an injured patient, remember?"
"But, Princess!!"
"Calm down. Do you want to shatter your bones again?"
"..."
I clamped my mouth shut at the sheer intensity in Princess Carrie’s voice.
...She used to be much more adorable, but lately, she’s developed this overwhelming presence—a true aura of royalty.
"I understand your feelings. Using the remains of the dead is something that must never be allowed. Especially when it involves the remains of our own ancestors."
"That is true. Such an insult to the deceased cannot be tolerated. However..."
"Even so, how do you intend to stop them? Do you think you’re stronger than Enol-sama, Enora?"
"...I wouldn't go that far."
"Besides, as the Princess said, you’re still recovering from your illness."
"..."
I couldn't find a rebuttal to Kagura’s point.
I had been rescued by Kagura and the others after being tortured in the headquarters' dungeon.
That’s right—I hadn't been able to do anything. No, that was exactly why I felt I had to do something now.
"In any case, us taking direct action is the final resort. We’ve already captured the Mad King cultists, and we plan to use that to our advantage. We’ll use the church’s gates as a shield and rain arrows down from the walls. That should be the end of it."
"Do you really think it will end that easily? Do you think our ancestors can be defeated so simply?"
I understood what Kagura was saying.
Against a normal opponent, that would be the end of it.
But our opponents were our ancestors—heroes who had crossed countless battlefields, defeated the Demon King, and struck down the Mad King.
Could they really be defeated by a mere volley of arrows?
Perhaps understanding my doubt, Princess Carrie and Kagura wore troubled expressions, but...
"...I say this at the risk of being misunderstood, but I believe the remains of our ancestors—the undead—will be defeated without being able to do a thing."
"You think they can be defeated by arrows?"
"That is the source of the misunderstanding. You know that we have established diplomatic relations with the nation of Weed, correct?"
"Yes. I heard that you and Kagura worked together to recreate a legend, and the person summoned was from that nation called Weed..."
I answered with what I knew, though I wondered why they were bringing this up now.
"He is no ordinary person. The one we summoned is the consort of the Queen who rules the nation of Weed. He is the Prince Consort."
"...Huh? Isn't that a problem?"
Summoning the royalty of another nation without permission—isn't that kidnapping?
Actually, the journals of Enol-sama stated that summoning itself was a form of kidnapping.
"...It was quite problematic at first, but we have managed to establish friendly relations. But that is not all. He, too, is a person from Japan, just like the first Kamishiro-sama. Due to various circumstances, he was originally summoned to Weed."
"I see. Um, are you telling me this so I don't be rude to the Prince Consort of Weed? What does that have to do with the current defense?"
I tried to steer the conversation back to the main point, as it seemed to be heading in a strange direction, but...
"It has everything to do with it. On the surface, Haiden and Findall are joining hands to face this situation, but the powerful backup behind the scenes is provided by Weed’s troops. Our escorts are also connected to Weed. It was Yuki-sama’s wife who treated your wounds. But that aside—being from Japan means possessing vast knowledge and skills. When I said 'arrows,' I used a simple term, but they are equipped with guns that boast dozens of times the power of an arrow."
"Eh? Guns? I recall they didn't have that much power, did they? When the First Generation tried to prototype them, they said it required the tedious work of packing gunpowder, they were expensive, and it was better to just use magic. Are those the guns you mean?"
Why were they so confident just because they had useless guns?
Did Weed not have advanced magic?
As I was thinking this, Kagura let out a wry smile.
"Ah, those guns of the First Generation were just failed attempts to replicate the guns Weed uses. Everyone around them thought it was better to spend the budget on reconstruction rather than that. You’ll be surprised when you see the guns Weed possesses."
"Hmm. Well, if Kagura and Princess Carrie say so, I’ll believe you. But why tell me all this? Couldn't you just handle it yourselves?"
Explaining it to me one by one was a hassle, and it would have been faster to just leave me out of the loop.
"That won't do. Behind this series of incidents was the Mad King cult. And they used the Haire Church as a cover. We plan to inform the other nations only after we have repelled or captured the ancestors currently heading here. At that point, it will be a direct confrontation with the Mad King cultists. A commotion is unavoidable. To suppress that chaos as much as possible, we need to publicize that a new legend has risen—the Four Houses, including the current Three Houses and Princess Stasia."
"In other words, you want me to act as the representative of the Haire Church, in place of Enol-sama?"
"Exactly. The Archbishop, Enol VIII, will be extremely busy investigating the various churches and explaining the situation to other nations. But if you, Enora, who haven't done anything, suddenly start gathering with us in his place..."
"The people around would complain, right? So, I need the track record of having faced and fought the remains of the ancestors who are coming here?"
"Precisely. So, how about it? Will you cooperate?"
I had been excited about the prospect of the Three Houses gathering from the start, so I had no reason to refuse and agreed to cooperate.
It seemed they had already made arrangements; as soon as I met with the Archbishop, I was immediately recognized as the representative of the Haire Church and told to accompany the Princesses from then on.
Incidentally, I was apologized to so profusely regarding the torture incident that I felt embarrassed.
By the way, the people who had tortured me were currently being held in isolation as "living evidence," and although I wanted to punch them at least once, I decided to let it go.
After that, Princess Carrie and Princess Stasia went to discuss future plans with the Archbishop, leaving Kagura and me to exit the office. Feeling a bit restless, I said...
"Hey. By the way, I’d like to greet that person from Weed, and I want to see those guns. I really need to see the real thing, after all."
I asked Kagura.
"Yuki is at the front lines; he hasn't come here. There are only the escort troops and his wives. If you're okay with that, then sure."
"Eh? Even with such a major incident happening, he hasn't come? Isn't he a legendary hero? And he’s the person said to have stopped the conflict between Haiden and Findall, right? The delivery of his orders must be delayed constantly. Why would he do that?"
"Ah, well... how should I put this..."
When I asked, Kagura made a troubled face again.
Why?
I didn't think I had said anything strange.