第１０５９堀：彼女の歩いてきた道 (Part1)
### Chapter 1059: The Path She Walked
**Side: Yuki**
"Hmm? What’s this? You want to investigate the Seraphina Church?"
"Yeah. The guy I captured during the decisive battle was from there. I need to conduct an investigation."
I said this to Eupia, hoping to get her permission.
For context, we are currently in the imperial capital of the Hain Empire.
Yes, Eupia and the Zurabl Empire’s army have already entered the capital and successfully seized control of the Empire without a hitch.
Well, it seems Emperor Hans had already laid the groundwork for this well in advance.
"I see. So there was a fool who called himself a god, was there? But the strength of those monsters at the time was abnormal. It’s possible that his cohorts are lurking right under our noses. Can I leave that to you?"
"Yeah. That’s why I came to ask."
"Very well. Wait a moment."
Eupia had parchment prepared, scribbled something down quickly, and stamped it with her seal.
"There. That should allow you to investigate the Seraphina Church. However, the one in the Hain imperial capital is the headquarters. Even with my signature, I wouldn't expect you to just waltz in. But if I send troops, they’ll only be more on guard... Hmm..."
As Eupia pondered, the voice of the former Emperor Hans drifted over from behind a desk piled high with mountains of paperwork.
"In that case, you should take Wave with you. It seems he is already acquainted with Yuki-dono."
"Is that alright, Hans?"
"I don't mind. We must investigate that group that called themselves goddesses. There is no doubt they were the ones who incited those idiot successors. I was planning to look into it myself."
"...I mean, you’re just acting like it’s perfectly natural for you to be here."
No, really—working on paperwork alongside the king of an enemy nation, even if he is a former one, feels like a pretty surreal situation.
"I’d love to cut off this old man’s head, but... this Hans surrendered so quickly and quietly. If I were to execute him carelessly, I’d expect backlash from those around him."
"Well, that’s true enough."
Emperor Hans had gracefully accepted his defeat in the decisive battle and abdicated, taking responsibility for the illegal activities of his successor faction.
By handing over power to Eupia, he had minimized the chaos not only within the Hain Empire but in the surrounding nations as well.
Some countries had tried to target the Hain Empire’s key trading hubs to exploit the confusion, but they had held back due to the sheer speed of the takeover.
After all, the territory they had hoped to snatch had become the property of the Zurabl Empire in the blink of an eye.
If they laid a hand on it, they wouldn't be facing the weakened Hain Empire, but the Zurabl Empire—a superpower that had brought countless nations to their knees—sending its military to claim what was theirs.
They really had thought this through.
"My adorable little Empress, don't be like that. I am helping you process these documents properly, aren't I? So, cutting off my head can wait for another time."
"Obviously! You pushed all this tedious work onto me, so I’m not going to send you to the afterlife that easily! I’ll work you to the bone until you’re nothing but a tattered rag!"
"Oh, if you do that, Empress Eupia will be labeled a tyrant and face a rebellion."
"Gnuuuu!"
He really is a gutsy old man.
To tease Eupia in this situation... though I suppose he knows he won't be killed over something trivial.
As I was thinking this, General Wave and the Grand Imperial Advisor Show entered the room, carrying even more mountains of paperwork.
"Your Majesty Hans. Please, do not provoke Empress Eupia any further. It will interfere with our work."
"Indeed. As General Wave says. Empress Eupia, this is for the sake of peace. Please, bear with it."
The two of them placed the documents down with a heavy *thud* right in front of us.
"Now, there is still plenty of work to be done."
"..."
Though they were both smiling, I could see demons and yakshas looming behind them.
Or, to use the terminology of this world, trolls and dragons?
"And so, Yuki-sama, you were heading to investigate the Seraphina Church?"
"Yeah."
"In that case, allow me to guide you. I have a fair amount of influence in this capital."
Without waiting for Hans to suggest it, Wave offered to come along himself.
Since my objective here was met, I tried to leave the room quickly so as not to disturb the emperors buried in their mountain of work, but...
"Show. Follow Yuki-dono. It’s not that I don't trust Wave, but make sure you hammer into the church that *we* are the ones who rule this country now."
"Understood. As you command."
Eupia had casually assigned Show to tag along as well. Was she trying to see how I handle things?
Well, the goal this time is just to secure some VIPs, so it shouldn't be a problem.
And so, I headed to the Seraphina Church, the headquarters of Senal, leading General Wave and the troops commanded by Show.
"Whoa, that’s quite the church."
"It’s amazing that they could build such a massive church, isn't it? The Seraphina Church."
Just as Riel and Tori were impressed, the church towering before us was truly magnificent.
It didn't lose out at all when compared to the Great Cathedral of Lilishe... no, the Great Cathedral of the Ritea Holy Kingdom, the Great Cathedral of the Enaria Holy Kingdom, or the headquarters of the Haire religion.
Oh, and the Hifie Holy Kingdom, too.
"...But I never saw this church in the Zurabl Empire's sphere of influence. Why? Did I just not notice it?"
Ah, Kaya is right.
Now that she mentions it, I’d never heard of the Seraphina Church until now.
Well, it’s a question that’s a bit late to ask, but fortunately, we have an expert with us.
"Yes. The Seraphina Church does not have much of a presence within the Zurabl Empire. For some reason, this church never really expanded to the west. It seems their primary clientele were adventurers diving into dungeons."
"Well, that cannot be denied. Since the appearance of dungeons, the Seraphina Church has focused its efforts on healing adventurers. The Archbishop used to say, 'We must protect people from the threats of the dungeon.'"
...I see. So Senal wasn't just all talk.
She tried so hard. She even cast aside her pride as a Goddess of Healing meant to save all people, choosing instead to stand by the adventurers who were conquering the dungeons created by the lackeys of the Higher Gods who were her enemies. Yet, even then, her wish remained unfulfilled.
No, her final wish has not yet been extinguished.
"...Kirika. You’ve confirmed the target? Are they still breathing?"
『Yes, I have visual confirmation. However, their condition is not good. The magical energy from the dungeon core that Senal provided is running dry. I request permission to perform emergency treatment.』
"Permission granted. For now, swap it with the core I brought and inject magic directly into them. That should make things a bit better."
『Understood. However, I do not know when their condition might take a turn for the worse. Please retrieve them as soon as possible.』
"Got it. I’ll wrap up the negotiations as quickly as I can."
The reason I came to the Seraphina Church this time, while certainly for the sake of investigation, was primarily to rescue the friends Senal had sacrificed so much to protect.
Because they were divine beings, they were isolated and protected in a special area, and since this was the church of the Goddess of Healing, it wasn't a place where we could just drag out patients without a second thought.
I had initially hoped Senal could bring them out herself, but as it turned out, that wasn't possible.
Having lost so much of her power, Senal was nothing more than a mere priestess within this church.