Chapter 84 - Damn Reincarnation

Kristina Rogeris

Golden hair swayed beyond her hood. Eugene stared at Kristina’s back as she walked beneath the moonlight.

A sore spot.

She had not openly shown it, but when he had mentioned Anise earlier, her smile had faltered slightly. Unease stirred in Eugene’s chest, and he smacked his lips.

“Well, I’m sorry.”

Eugene said that first. Walking ahead of him, Kristina laughed, her shoulders shaking.

“That is a rather sudden apology.”

“It’s just... well, I thought I might not have been careful enough with my questions.”

“There is no need to think that. You know very little about me, do you not, Sir Eugene? Since you have seen Lady Anise’s appearance, it is only natural that you should have questions about me.”

Kristina turned her head slightly to look at him.

“... And... you have a great interest in the heroes of three hundred years ago, do you not? That makes your questions all the more reasonable.”

“A great interest, huh.”

“More people are watching you than you realize, Sir Eugene. An adopted son of the main family... That alone is remarkable, and even Aroth’s proud tower masters have acknowledged your talents.”

Kristina faced forward again. She quickened her steps, which she had slowed, and continued.

“... Hogani is Nahaman territory, but it is also designated a holy site of the Holy Empire. Many believers make pilgrimages there each year. Naturally, the Holy Empire has many eyes in that holy site.”

“...”

“You may find this unpleasant, but I have already heard what you did in Hogani.”

“Not that unpleasant. I could tell plenty of people were watching me in Hogani.”

Eugene answered with a snort. He and Raman had spent less than a week in Hogani. In that short time, he had felt a great many eyes on him.

There had been no hostility, so he had not bothered interfering. With the Amelia Merwin incident to consider as well, he had not wanted to cause needless trouble. He had left them alone, but remained on guard against every watcher he had identified.

Priests praying to Anise’s statue. Believers wearing crosses, the symbol of the God of Light, around their necks or wrists. Nahaman warriors carrying swords...

“Is that revelation also why the Holy Empire is watching me?”

“As I told you earlier, I cannot disclose it to you when you are not a member of the faith.”

“But it bothers me.”

“I told you precisely because I hoped you would keep it in mind.”

What a nasty personality, Eugene thought, his face contorting. She did not merely resemble Anise in appearance. That rotten personality was like hers, too. Was she really Anise’s descendant?

‘... It’s rash to assume she’s Anise’s descendant just because her face and personality are similar. To begin with, wouldn’t it be strange for a descendant three hundred years later to look so much like Anise?’

There was not a single descendant in the Lionheart main family whose face resembled Vermouth’s. The closest similarities were their ash-gray hair and golden eyes.

Perhaps Kristina’s resemblance to Anise was merely a coincidence. Blond hair and blue eyes were common. In fact, her features and overall appearance were not an exact copy of Anise’s. Simply being a “saint,” and the air she carried, accounted for no small part of why she brought Anise to mind.

But the resemblance was real. That was why a cardinal had taken her in. Why she had been raised as a saint... The more he thought about it, the more complicated his feelings became.

Anise had not spoken much about her past. In truth, she was not the only one. Apart from Moron and Senya, neither Hamel nor Vermouth had enjoyed bringing up their pasts, either.

But Anise’s attitude toward her past had been different from theirs.

She loathed it.

She had never said so outright, but Eugene—Hamel—had felt it. They had traveled together for a long time. Through all their trials and tribulations, they had talked about all sorts of things.

Memories were an easy way to pass the time, and a convenient topic over drinks. Senya had passionately described the beauty of the elven forest where she had spent her childhood. At such times, Moron, seemingly unwilling to be outdone, would talk about the grandeur of the northern snowfields where his tribe lived.

During those conversations, Vermouth and Hamel tended to listen and agree rather than tell their own stories. Like Hamel, Vermouth had lost everything to demons.

Anise, however, had not lost her homeland. She had been born in the Holy Empire of Yuras, a powerful nation that still stood as an empire three hundred years later.

Even so, she had spoken strangely little about the Holy Empire. She had often spoken of the God of Light, but scarcely ever of the Holy Empire’s cardinals who had raised her.

Hamel did not know what her life had been like. But considering her silence, that smile twisted so unlike her usual one, and how she had become Vermouth’s companion, it was not difficult to imagine what a fucking awful position being a saint was. Anise had been able to become Vermouth’s companion because the Holy Empire had ordered her to.

She had joined Vermouth’s journey and chosen to save the world because that was the will of the Holy Empire and its god.

“The path is down there.”

Kristina stopped walking. They had reached the edge of an immense cliff behind Black Lion Castle. Eugene stood beside her and looked down.

The first thing he saw was forest. Beyond it, wyverns and other flying monsters soared over a ridge.

“... How far down?”

“I do not know its precise location myself. But we should find it as we fall.”

“Good grief.”

Eugene shook his head with a disbelieving laugh.

“So you’re saying we should just drop down there without a single safety measure?”

“You will not be falling alone, will you?”

“Auxiliary Bishop Kristina, do you know how to use flight magic?”

“Of course I do.”

Kristina smiled brightly and extended a hand toward him. Not understanding the gesture, Eugene narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“We are going to the same place anyway. There is no need to fall separately, is there?”

“Seriously.”

Shaking his head, Eugene took her hand. Kristina immediately pulled him along and threw herself off the cliff. Marveling at her boldness, Eugene wrapped his fluttering cloak tightly around his body as they fell.

Were they going to fall all the way to the ground?

The fall lasted long enough to make him wonder. Before he knew it, Kristina had drawn so close she was practically in his arms. Eugene stared at the ground, still distant, then turned his gaze to her.

Kristina was looking at him, not the ground. When their eyes met, she smiled with her eyes. She extended a finger and poked his chest.

“If we fall to our deaths like this, will we go to heaven?”

“Did you jump to lead me to heaven?”

“Do you not wish to go to heaven, Sir Eugene?”

“I might want to later, but I don’t want to go there already.”

“Then I suppose I cannot accompany you.”

Chuckling, Kristina drew the wand hanging from her waist. The blue gem set at the center of its cross shone brilliantly. Soon, radiant light wrapped around them both and formed enormous wings.

‘This is...’

Eugene felt warmth from the light surrounding him. This light... Divine power. Divine magic: Wings of Light. It was a spell Anise had frequently used. He turned to look behind him.

‘...?’

For an instant, he saw an angel with its wings spread. The sight was majestic and sacred enough to astonish even Eugene, who did not believe in God. At the same time, it gave him an intense sense of déjà vu.

This was not his first time seeing an angel. Three hundred years ago, Anise had summoned angels several times through high-level divine magic. But the angels he had seen then... looked different from the one before him now.

The angel’s eyes were closed, its face wearing a benevolent smile.

That face was so identical to Anise’s that it gave him chills.

The angel was no longer visible. Majestic wings of light slowed their fall and wrapped around Eugene and Kristina. His lips worked soundlessly for a moment before his face twisted.

“... What was that just now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just now... an angel...”

Kristina tilted her head at his muttering.

“... An angel? Sir Eugene, are you taking hallucinogens?”

“...”

“This divine spell is called Wings of Light. It is not advanced enough to manifest an angel. But it will protect us both from a fall at this height, so do not worry about dying.”

Apparently, Kristina thought he had seen an illusion of an angel because he feared falling to his death. Eugene pressed his lips shut without questioning her further.

It was not the time for questions, anyway.

Space distorted. It was not a phenomenon caused by Wings of Light. Sensing the change, Kristina spread the wings. Scattering feathers dissolved into light.

WHOOSH

Eugene’s and Kristina’s feet touched the ground. Recovering from his surprise, Eugene looked around.

Until moments ago, they had been falling down a cliff. Now, not only the cliff but the mountains and forest were nowhere to be seen.

It was a strange space.

Green fields. A blue sky. No sun hung overhead, yet the sky was bright and blue. No wind blew, yet the grass swayed. Eugene slowly crouched and stroked it. It felt no different from real grass, but he sensed no life in it. The same was true of the soil.

“... Spatial magic.”

Kristina murmured, and Eugene nodded. Of course, creating an extradimensional space of this size was impossible by the conventional understanding of magic. He had encountered the highest levels of spatial magic in the Hall of Space, which occupied an entire floor of Akron, but none of the spells there could create an extradimensional space on this scale.

‘Did Senya... No. Was it Vermouth?’

Vermouth had been an archmage on par with Senya, so perhaps he could have created an extradimensional space this vast. Eugene straightened and looked ahead.

At the far end of the field lay a beautiful flower garden. A pure white temple stood at its center. And that was not all: a tall stone statue of Vermouth stood before it. Eugene gazed at him for a moment, then headed toward the temple.

“Wouldn’t you agree that it is a beautiful place?”

As they approached the temple, Doynes and Gilead emerged from within. Doynes watched Eugene and Kristina with a faint smile.

“If it were not a mausoleum we must safeguard, I would have opened it so that every Lionheart could pay their respects.”

“... I’m sure the founder would want many of his descendants to remember and honor him.”

“Haha. So that is what you think. But it was the founder himself who created this place. If he had wanted his descendants’ remembrance and homage, surely he would not have built his mausoleum somewhere so inconvenient.”

Doynes looked up at the statue.

“... Hmm... I think Lord Hamel’s statue would look quite suitable on the opposite side. What do you think?”

“... Lord Hamel would be satisfied anywhere.”

“Whether the founder would be satisfied is another question. Well... I do not think it is a bad thing, either. For three hundred years, only the founder’s statue has stood here. Placing a statue of his old friend beside it would be meaningful, I think.”

Doynes paused. He had been leading the conversation in place of the silent Gilead, and now his gaze shifted to Kristina.

“... Opening the path to this space requires the family head’s seal and the seal of the head of the Council of Elders. Those two keys were also made by the founder. He left instructions forbidding entry except for the succession of a family head to lead the main family, or the appointment of a captain of the Black Lion Knights.”

“You mean this is unprecedented.”

Kristina spoke. She glanced at the flowers swaying at her feet. Like the grass in the fields, they were artificial flowers that looked convincing but had no life in them.

“I understand that you wish to reprimand my discourtesy. However, my entry here is important enough to warrant setting aside a longstanding tradition.”

“I believe the timing is inappropriate.”

Gilead spoke.

“... Since you carry the will of the Holy Empire, Lady Kristina, how could Lionheart, a mere family, defy the will of God?”

Gilead’s gaze left Kristina and settled on Eugene. There was no reproach toward Eugene in it, nor displeasure at the situation. Only regret and concern. He did not want his son caught up in this unprecedented visit.

“Lady Kristina. You insisted on visiting at precisely such a time, and demanded that my son accompany you into the mausoleum without exception. As the Lionheart family head, I could have rejected that demand. I did not, out of consideration for the longstanding alliance between the Holy Empire and the Kiel Empire, and the friendship that has endured since the founder’s time.”

“As did I.”

Doynes nodded in agreement with Gilead.

“Lady Kristina. You said you would not explain your reason until you entered this place. You spoke of a ‘revelation,’ while the Demon King of Incarceration broke his long peace to issue a warning to the world. A revelation under such circumstances... cannot be ignored. So now, please open those lips you have kept so tightly sealed.”

“Allow me to speak.”

Kristina stepped past Eugene. She raised the wand she still held before her chest and slowly made the sign of the cross with her other hand.

“I am Kristina Rogeris, adopted daughter of Cardinal Michael Rogeris, Auxiliary Bishop of the Alcarte diocese, and the Holy Empire of Yuras’s sole candidate for sainthood. From this moment, I shall speak for His Holiness the Pope and stand here as a formally recognized saint who has received a revelation from the God of Light.”

Doynes’s and Gilead’s eyes widened at her calm declaration. Ignoring their surprise, Kristina continued.

“Open the hero’s coffin immediately.”

“... What in the world are you saying...?”

“Vermouth the Great. The Hero who made a promise with the Demon King of Incarceration and ended an age of horrors. The All-Master. The great hero. Lionheart’s founder is more than worthy of being hailed as a hero. Surely a hero who accomplished such great deeds would enter heaven before anyone else.”

For the moment, Eugene kept silent and listened. Gilead and Doynes were showing anger beyond their initial horror, but Eugene had no reason whatsoever to feel the same.

On the contrary, this situation could not have been better for him. This place was not merely sealed by magic. Without the seals held separately by the family head and the head of the Council of Elders, opening the door here was impossible. Moreover, Vermouth’s mausoleum lay in an extradimensional space, not within a barrier.

For Eugene as he was now, forcing open the door to this place was absolutely impossible. Would he be able to someday? He could not be certain.

And yet Kristina was demanding that they open Vermouth’s coffin all on her own.

“I do not understand what you are saying at this late stage.”

Doynes was no longer smiling.

“The matter of the founder’s tomb was settled three hundred years ago. The Holy Empire canonized the founder and transferred the Holy Sword to Lionheart as a symbol of its affection for him. That made the bond between the Holy Empire and Lionheart strong and sacred.”

“Yes, it did. In an age of peace, that would have been enough. But now that the Demon King of Incarceration has delivered his warning, the world will not remain peaceful forever.”

“What does that have to do with opening the founder’s coffin? And what is this talk of heaven?”

“Vermouth the Great’s soul has not entered heaven.”

Kristina raised a hand and pointed at Vermouth’s stone statue.

“The revelation said that the hero’s soul wanders without finding rest. Thus, as a saint, I must verify the hero’s end.”

“... Do you... realize... how deeply insulting those words are... to Lionheart?”

Gilead did not hide his anger. A pure white mane rose around him as he glared at Kristina, and Doynes also glared at her through narrowed eyes. But Kristina was not intimidated in the slightest. Instead, she nodded with a broad smile.

“I have no intention of tarnishing the hero’s achievements.”

“...”

“On the contrary, it is because I honor him that I must verify his end once more. Living three hundred years later, we do not fully understand the events of that age. Why such a great hero had to close his eyes so soon. Why Senya the Wise withdrew so suddenly, and why Lady Anise the Faithful disappeared during her pilgrimage. Why Moron the Brave has not shown himself to the world for the past hundred years.”

Kristina began to walk. She crossed the flower garden toward Doynes and Gilead.

“Why the heroes did not defeat the remaining Demon Kings. What promise the Demon King of Incarceration and Vermouth the Great made to each other. We know nothing. Even God knows nothing of that matter. What He has told us is that the hero’s soul has not entered heaven. That is why we must verify it and learn.”

“... Are you saying that refusing would go against God’s will?”

“I do not wish to impose God’s will upon those who do not worship Him. Nevertheless, yes. As one who believes in God, I would find a refusal deeply regrettable.”

He had thought this many times with Anise, too, but this business of God’s will was a damned rotten argument. Whatever they said, once they invoked God’s will, they needed no other reason.

To a cleric, God’s will was absolute. To someone who did not believe, those words might sound like nothing but bullshit, but that did not make them easy to ignore.

‘Excellent.’

Of course, Eugene had no reason to feel troubled. Trying not to reveal his interest, he kept his expression as stern as he could and watched.

“... Why in the world must my son take part in this ‘verification’?”

“That, too, is part of the revelation, and I cannot tell you yet.”

“‘Saint’ Kristina. Do you understand how outrageous and spiteful your behavior is?”

“Yet all of this is God’s will, and the will of His Holiness the Pope.”

‘She’ll never lose an argument.’

Just like Anise. Eugene stared at the back of Kristina’s head in amazement.

“... Verification.”

Doynes murmured. He clenched and unclenched his hand for a moment, then glanced at Gilead.

“I shall follow the family head’s wishes.”

“... Do you mean that?”

“Though I lead the Council of Elders, I cannot decide a matter like this in the family head’s stead. However, as head of the Council of Elders, I will unconditionally abide by your decision and never take issue with it.”

Gilead fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. At last, he let out a long sigh and gave a grumbling laugh.

“To think I would open the founder’s coffin with my own hands.”

Muttering those words, Gilead turned.

“Follow me.”