Chapter 6: The Saint’s Attack
Two weeks had passed since Liselotte had her conversation with Saint Erica.
After visiting the spirit folk village and Karasuki Kingdom, Rio had returned to the Strahl region once more. However, the only ones with him were the group who originally set off with him—that is, Miharu, Celia, Aishia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma. Gouki, Kayoko, Komomo, and the others were not present. Their family had over ten people, which was too many for Ariel to carry.
That was when the idea of teleporting to the Strahl region was brought up. It was a two-week journey by air, so transporting everyone was possible if they split into two groups, but the elders thankfully offered to arrange the production of a teleportation crystal.
Thus, Gouki’s group was temporarily staying in the spirit folk village. Rio and the others would go to the Galarc Kingdom first, set up a teleportation point, then inform Francois of Gouki’s presence before bringing them there from the spirit folk village.
And so, after arriving at the Galarc Kingdom, Rio went through the usual procedures to enter the castle and headed for his mansion.
“I’ll go and report our return. Everyone else, please stay here.”
Rio took only Miharu and Celia and left the mansion for the main castle. Of course, his report went to Satsuki, Charlotte, and King Francois directly.
Francois was busy with government affairs, so it wasn’t always possible to meet him right away, but Satsuki and Charlotte were probably available. He had asked for early notice to be sent while he was completing the entry procedure into the castle, so they might even be waiting for him at the castle entrance. Rio approached the front of the castle with such thoughts, when...
“Haruto! Miharu! Celia! Come quickly!”
It was Satsuki, but something was wrong. She was gesturing them over in a fret.
Rio and the others ran over. “What’s the matter...?”
“Just come. It’s terrible... There’s a hero, who’s also a saint, in the castle right now, having an audience with the king. Hurry!”
Satsuki started running, tugging them along.
“A hero, who’s also a saint? I understand if she wants an audience with the king, but...”
What’s the problem with that? Satsuki was in such a panic; her explanation didn’t make sense. Until...
“She’s abducted Liselotte!”
At those words, Rio’s expression instantly stiffened.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, in a meeting room reserved for high-ranking royalty in the castle...
“This discussion is getting nowhere.”
“I was just thinking the same.”
Saint Erica and King Francois of Galarc were currently engaged in conversation. They sat facing each other in chairs on either side of the door, sighing heavily at each other.
“We just want you to return Liselotte without aggravating matters. Is it that disagreeable for you?” Francois suggested.
“Why must I be forced to accept that when I’m the victim? Liselotte Cretia’s subordinate laid her hands on me first, okay?” Erica said, turning down the suggestion curtly. Aria was standing in a corner of the room, glaring furiously at her. Liselotte’s parents, Cedric and Julianne, were also present. Erica met eyes with Aria and smirked.
“However, Liselotte’s attendant has given a different account. According to Aria’s testimony, you tried to harm Liselotte first.”
“You doubt the words of a hero?” Erica asked arrogantly.
“I will believe the testimony that matches Liselotte’s own account, as she has my trust. That is why I’m asking you to return her.”
“Isn’t that the same as doubting my words? If I return her, you’ll be able to make up as many excuses as you want.”
“Even if that were true, I’ve already said I do not wish to aggravate things... In that case, bring Liselotte here and have her testify herself.”
“You want me to bring my hostage into enemy territory? That’s the same as saying to return her, is it not?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. You can just bring her here. I only wish to confirm that she’s safe.”
“If I brought her here, you’d just make up reasons to hide her. Are you trying to force me into giving up? I’d like to see the fool who would take you up on such an offer.”
“...” Francois sighed heavily.
It was at that moment that the door to the meeting room opened, and Satsuki appeared with Rio, Miharu, and Celia.
“Oh, your hero has returned as well,” Erica looked at Satsuki and said, “along with...a rather cute Japanese girl, I see. I’m Saint Erica, leader of the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica. It’s nice to meet you. Are you Satsuki’s friend?” Erica spotted Miharu and started talking to her in a friendly manner. However...
“You can ignore her, Miharu,” Satsuki whispered to Miharu in an irritated voice. Her voice should have been too quiet for Erica to hear.
“Why, so you’re called Miharu. Written as ‘beautiful spring,’ I assume? Or is it written as ‘three springs’? Just between you and me, my family name in Japan was written with the character for ‘cherry blossom.’ I think we could be good friends.”
“What? No way, how could she hear that...”
“I could tell by the movement of your lips. I’m good at things like that,” Erica revealed to Satsuki, who was shocked that she was overheard whispering Miharu’s name.
“She may seem friendly at a glance, but this person abducted Liselotte. She keeps on refusing to return her too.”
“Abduction? Don’t spread false rumors. I was assaulted, so I simply took her into custody as a hostage. I’m just a small nation up against a major kingdom, after all,” Erica added, sounding offended.
“Has there been any progress, Char?”
Satsuki brought Rio, Miharu, and Celia over to Charlotte, who shook her head sadly. “Unfortunately not.”
“How about you state your demands already, Hero Saint Erica? This loop of refusing to return her to us is getting nowhere,” Francois said, having reached the end of his patience.
“Oh, how could I forget? I have five directives to pass on to you. First, the abolition of the monarchy. Second, the abolition of the nobility system. Third, to transfer the country to the people. Fourth, to transfer Liselotte Cretia to the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica. Fifth, to transfer the Ricca Guild’s fortune and right of management to the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica.”
That is all. Erica ended with a sunny expression.
“Are you being serious right now? How could I accept any of those conditions?”
Making such demands of another kingdom was as good as declaring war on them. Even Francois frowned severely at that.
“I don’t expect you to accept them. However, I will make them happen. That’s why they’re not demands, but predetermined facts. It was hard to bring them up while you were trying to make negotiations, but I actually came here today to inform you of this. If you don’t fulfill the conditions that I have presented, I will make them happen myself,” Erica declared brightly.
Hero or not, as the ruler of the kingdom, Francois could no longer hold his silence in the face of such disrespect. “You’re saying you will use force to abolish my kingdom’s monarchy and nobility system? Shall I take that as a declaration of war from the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica?” he asked with a sharp look.
“Now that things have come to this, I suppose so? Did you want me to make a clearer act of hostility?”
“What...?”
“Hee hee. As I said earlier, I’m from a small nation. You’re a major kingdom. Perhaps it would be better to take one more hostage,” Erica said.
She turned to look at Charlotte, who was standing with the others by the wall. The next moment, she was on her feet and sprinting forward, materializing her Divine Arms while approaching Charlotte.
“...”
Before Erica could pin Charlotte from behind, Rio had grabbed her bishop’s staff and stood before her.
“...Hm?”
Erica pushed her staff forward, intending on sending Rio flying together with Charlotte behind him. However, Rio had enhanced his body and held his ground against her physical strength. They were both putting a rather large amount of force into it, as their hands were trembling.
What amazing magic essence... She’s enhancing her physical body a lot.
Rio looked at Erica and analyzed her silently. Behind him, Charlotte had taken the opportunity to cling to his back, but quickly retreated to avoid getting in his way. Meanwhile...
“You’ve got quite the muscles on you. Are you a knight? How wonderful,” Erica giggled, smiling gracefully.
“What shall I do, Your Majesty?” Rio asked Francois, who was still seated.
“She’s holding Liselotte hostage... If she doesn’t aggravate things further, have her leave quietly for today.”
“Understood,” Rio nodded. “Then...”
“Oh my...”
With her staff still held in her dominant hand, Erica suddenly lost her balance and fell forward. Rio pinned the handle with both hands, restraining her from moving freely. Rio had waited for the moment Erica put more force into her push and instantly used that momentum to pull the staff towards him.
“You used the strength I put in myself...” Erica tilted her head curiously, realizing Rio had shifted his center of gravity to splendidly use her strength against her.
“As expected of a major kingdom. Be it that attendant girl or this boy here, you have quite the selection of soldiers. How wonderful indeed.” Erica looked at Rio’s face once again, then continued with a look around the room. Aria was standing before Francois, her enchanted sword ready to protect him.
“You’ve been given the option to leave without causing any further trouble,” Rio said to the saint, still holding on to her staff. He was asking whether she had any intention of causing more problems.
“Challenging you to a duel seems like a terrible effort. Though I have no intention of causing trouble...”
Erica poured magic essence into her bishop’s staff as she spoke. The magic essence flowed through the staff pressed against the floor, spreading across its entire surface.
“Guh...” Rio immediately started preparing magic essence within his body as well. At the same time, Celia and Miharu, who could visibly see magic essence, also noticed the powerful magic being charged into the staff and looked shocked.
“How about this, then?” Erica released the magic essence she had charged into her staff and tried to activate some sort of phenomenon. The staff glowed with divine light, and the floor started shining too. It was at that moment that the others realized Erica had poured magic essence into her staff, but...
“...”
Nothing happened. It was clear that Erica had tried to do something, so Francois and the others had doubtful looks on their faces. But the same applied for Erica.
“How strange... I put enough magic essence into the staff to destroy this room, but...”
“Wha...”
With her intentions revealed, the entire room was lost for words.
Erica gazed at Rio and threw out an accusation. “What did you do? Did you interfere with my Divine Arm? How did you do that?”
In reality, that was exactly what happened. Rio had used spirit arts to overwrite the phenomenon Erica had tried to manifest.
“...”
Francois and the others looked on with confusion and shock, holding their breaths. They couldn’t understand what was going on, but they could tell a high-level battle was occurring between Rio and the saint before them.
“If you’re ignoring His Majesty’s words to aggravate the situation, should I assume you will not be returning quietly?”
Rio returned Erica’s aggression with a sharp gaze. His words were polite, but his tone was chillingly cold.
“Heh. Heh heh heh. In that case, I’m sure you understand Liselotte Cretia’s safety won’t be guaranteed. If I don’t return by a certain date, my people will sentence her,” Erica threatened with a fearless smile.
“...Then it would be best for you to return quietly. If you continue to act violently and risk everyone’s safety, I will have no choice but to apprehend you.”
It’s not what I desire, but is it what you desire? Rio implied with his gaze.
“...Fine. My role right now is to bestow a revelation upon the people of this nation. I can always eliminate the people here after the people have made their fury known. No, that is the correct order. It seems I nearly messed up in my haste. Now that I’ve fulfilled my original goal, I shall take my leave here.”
The mace in Erica’s hand vanished. She proceeded to raise her hands and show she had no wish to fight, then started walking towards the door. Rio tried to follow her to make sure she didn’t try anything strange, but Erica turned around and stopped him.
“If you follow me, I may end up making a mess of this castle. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, but Liselotte Cretia is in my hands right now.”
As a result, Rio had no choice but to come to a halt. Everyone else’s angered gazes focused on Erica’s back, infuriated by how they couldn’t chase after her.
Eventually, Erica left the room, and as soon as the door shut, Rio spoke up.
“Your Majesty, please give me permission to pursue her,” he said to Francois.
“What...?”
Francois was wide-eyed.
“If we allow that saint to escape here, Liselotte might never return to us. I will pin down her location and retrieve her.” There was no hesitation in his eyes. He would save her. His determination was clear.
“Hmm... But you absolutely cannot be detected while pursuing her to find Liselotte’s location. Can you do that?”
The moment he was discovered, Liselotte would most likely never return again. Francois hummed in thought while staring at Rio but seemed to believe it would be possible if it were him.
“I can stalk her while maintaining a one-kilometer distance. If I go too far, I’ll lose sight of her, but I have a means of never losing sight of her within that distance. That’s why there’s a little leeway in time, but please make a decision soon,” Rio answered.
Aishia, it’s an emergency. Stay in your spirit form and follow the black-haired woman about to leave the castle.
At the same time, he called out to Aishia telepathically without waiting for Francois’s permission.
Got it, came her immediate reply.
Thanks.
All that was left was to actually set off after her. Rio looked straight at Francois and waited for his answer.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask of Lady Satsuki.”
“What is it?”
“If the saint takes an aggressive stance, will you be willing to make an official statement as a hero that our kingdom was not at fault?” Francois asked, seeking her assistance.
The Strahl region viewed the heroes as sacred beings, so if things were to take a serious turn with a hero, they’d need another hero on their side. As someone burdened with the welfare of a kingdom, this was something he had to confirm first.
“Of course. You don’t even need to ask. There’s no way I’d forgive someone like that.” Satsuki must have made up her mind about the saint, as her reply was instant.
“All right... Then Liselotte’s rescue shall be left to Haruto. Fine with you, Cedric?”
Francois nodded deeply, giving Rio permission to rescue Liselotte. He then turned to Liselotte’s father, Cedric, for confirmation.
“Please take care of this, Haruto.” Cedric closed his eyes uneasily but ultimately bowed his head.
“I will do my best.”
“We’re counting on you,” Francois said, entrusting everything to Rio.
“And so, please explain everything to the others for me.” Rio nodded deeply in response to Francois, then turned to Miharu, Celia, Satsuki, and Charlotte beside him to rely on them for the rest.
“Yup... Be careful.”
“Make sure you come back safely.”
“Please take care of Liselotte, Haruto.”
Celia, Miharu, and Satsuki looked at Rio with worry.
“I shall await your return, Sir Haruto.” Charlotte pinched the hem of her dress up and saw Rio off resolutely.
“Leave it to me. I’ll definitely bring her back.” Rio smiled to reassure the four of them, then started walking out of the room to go after the saint.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
Just before he left the room, Francois called for him to stop. Rio paused before the door.
“We’ve basically been handed a clear declaration of war. Lady Satsuki has also given her seal of approval. It no longer matters whether our opponent is a hero or a saint. If they pursue you after the rescue, you may use your own discretion to act. Bring out all of your strength if you need to.”
Make them regret picking a fight with us—Francois gave permission for Rio to cross swords with the saint as though to say exactly that. The fact it was coming from the king himself also had huge implications.
“Understood.” Rio bowed his head deeply and left the room.
“If I may please make a request unworthy of my standing.” The voice of a woman echoed in the meeting room.
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