Pulled along by the pleasant weather outside, Allen let out a yawn. The light streaming through the window was gentle, and he squinted as he gazed at it. At that moment, he felt a sense of peace drifting by.
Things had been hectic until just the other day. A calm spell like this wasn’t so bad once in a while. With that thought, he found himself sighing, thinking back to what he’d just been considering: the events of a few days ago. It had already been three days since that day with the demon and Vanessa.
A lot had happened in the meantime. First came the report to the guild. It was hard to say whether the request had technically been fulfilled, but failing to report wasn’t an option. At the very least, they needed to be told that the client had died.
Yet when he went to the guild, things took an unexpected turn: He was told that a report of completion had already been received, and the reward was paid out on the spot. Apparently, after Allen had heard about Vanessa, she had gone to the guild and said as much. She must have seen what was coming and tied up the loose ends so they wouldn’t be left in a bind later.
Speaking of loose ends, Vanessa’s forge had ended up in Allen’s hands. It had supposedly been tacked on as part of the reward, but it felt a bit like it had been foisted on him. It wasn’t exactly the sort of thing one complained about, though. He could figure out what to do with it later. There were weapons and armor she’d left behind in the workshop too, and those could be dealt with the same way.
Oh, and about that blade—the one Vanessa had forged to give herself the ultimate death—he’d taken proper care of that. Truthfully, he’d wavered. Leaving it lying around was too dangerous, but smashing it felt wrong. After long talks with Noel and the others, they had settled on burying it where Vanessa’s masterpiece had once been interred. Not as a replacement, exactly, but it wasn’t a spot people were likely to visit. They placed solid seals on it as well, so even if someone did dig it up by chance, it shouldn’t turn into a real disaster.
While they were at it, they also visited the Elven Forest. Since they’d traveled as far as the empire, there was no reason not to stop by. They couldn’t return right away, though, and had only made it back yesterday.
“And to think you’re yawning! Have you let your guard down?” Noel teased.
“It’s quiet and peaceful right now. That’s not a problem, is it?” Allen replied.
“I’d say an adventurer with too much peace and free time is a problem...but I guess it’s fine for the moment. Your purse looks pleasantly plump too,” said Anriette.
“Hm... But why are you two even still here?” muttered Mylène.
Listening to the three of them talking, Allen sighed again. Yes, the three of them: Noel, Mylène, and Anriette were somehow still living in that manor in the Frontier town. They had detoured to the Elven Forest, yet Noel had come right back here. She’d said there was something she wanted to try in this town, and the trouble was that Percival had agreed to it. He had said something along the lines of Well, a hundred years or so would be fine...
I completely forgot about elves and their wacky sense of time.
By the time he’d remembered, it was too late. The plan had been for Allen to rent the manor after they moved out. But if they weren’t moving out, then the house remained theirs. He had no grounds to complain. And if Noel wasn’t leaving, Anriette had no reason to leave either. Hence their current situation. If it really bothered him, he could be the one to move out...but that he didn’t actually dislike it was a problem in its own way.
“If Noel’s here, it’s practically guaranteed that some new hassle will crop up, and if I’m around, I’ll get pulled into it...but I know why I’m okay with that,” he muttered.
“Hey, what are you mumbling about? Allen?”
That was the reason, in the end. Noel had never called him by his name before. He didn’t know if it had been deliberate or not, but either way, it meant she hadn’t trusted him that much before. Now things were different. And with that, he found he didn’t mind getting dragged into a few hassles.
“No, just talking to myself. It’s so nice out, and here we are bored. I’m not sure that’s much better. Still, I’m not in the mood to go and pick up a job right this minute,” he replied.
“That’s a pretty privileged problem. I get what you mean, though. In that case, how about we step outside? Right now we might get to see something special,” chimed in Anriette.
“Oh? Is something special happening?” asked Mylène.
“It’s not like there’s a festival or anything. There’s no buzz in the air, and I haven’t heard anything,” said Noel.
“Calling it a festival wouldn’t be out of the question, though,” said Anriette.
“What are you talking about?” asked Noel.
“I don’t know the details myself...but apparently the new Hierophant is coming to town today.”
“The new Hierophant?” Allen asked, confused. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what it meant. They’d had a Hierophant in his old reality, and judging by the rumors he’d picked up, that had stirred up plenty of trouble here. It wouldn’t be strange if, just like back home, a new Hierophant had been chosen. Of course, Allen hadn’t met the new one in his former world.
No, wait. Something felt off. Hadn’t he had a similar conversation with someone before?
“The new Hierophant will be visiting the capital soon. I’ve been told to make an appearance as well.”
For a split second, it was like an image flashed through his head. But it wasn’t a memory he recognized.
“Allen? You look out of it.”
“Ah. No, I was just wondering...would a new Hierophant really come to a place like this?”
He said it to deflect her question, but it was a genuine response. Their location might be called a town, but it wasn’t officially recognized as one. Even if a newly elected Hierophant wanted to show their face, this hardly seemed like the appropriate venue.
“It is a little odd, I’ll grant you that. But given what the previous Hierophant pulled, it could be an appeal to show they’re different,” Anriette mused.
“What a worldly Hierophant. Not that it matters to me,” said Noel.
“True. Doesn’t have much to do with elves. I’m a little curious, though,” said Mylène.
“Well, I won’t say I have no interest at all...” Noel agreed.
As they talked, the feeling Allen had had a moment ago evaporated. He wondered what it had been, but no matter how much he thought about it, the image didn’t return. Maybe seeing the new Hierophant would jog something loose.
“If that’s the case, shall we go?” he asked.
Fortunately, Noel and the others seemed at least mildly interested. It would be a fine way to pass the time, and there was no harm in taking a look.
“Let’s. We might as well,” Noel said.
“I’m in,” agreed Mylène.
“Who knows! Maybe something fun will happen,” said Anriette.
“If anything happens, it’s more likely to be trouble than fun...” he answered.
If the new Hierophant really had come to a town like this, anything could happen. Hopefully nothing would. But they’d see soon enough.
With that in mind, the group left the manor to go catch a glimpse of the new pontiff.
They didn’t even have to search. All they had to do was follow the flow of people and they arrived naturally. The person in question seemed to be speaking, but from this distance, their words didn’t carry well.
“So? Do we move in closer?” Allen asked.
“I’m fine here. I’m not that interested in the speech,” said Noel.
“Same,” said Mylène.
“Me too. Or...maybe we should get a bit closer? Something’s bugging me. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere...or no, that I’ve met them...” said Anriette.
“Before they became Hierophant?” asked Allen.
Maybe back during their time in the empire? With that in mind, he stared at the new Hierophant and frowned. Why? He also felt like he’d seen—no, met—this person before. It was an unfamiliar face, as it should have been. And yet their presence...
“Oh.”
At that moment, Noel let out a small sound of surprise. It sounded like the kind of noise you make when you see something you didn’t expect, but it wasn’t the new Hierophant she was looking at. Allen followed her gaze and his eyes flew wide open.
“What is that girl doing there?” Noel’s words barely reached him. He had no space for them.
Standing there was a face he knew—someone among those dearest to him, one he’d wondered whether to search for here.
Riese was standing at the new Hierophant’s side.
“The Saint? Assisting the new Hierophant?” said Mylène curiously.
“Come to think of it, I feel like she mentioned helping out at the Church. Did she become the new Hierophant’s attendant?” Noel asked.
Whether she’d heard Noel or not, Riese was addressed by the new Hierophant at that exact moment. Reflexively, Allen strained to listen, focusing on her voice. She didn’t say much, but it was more than enough. She was currently serving the new Hierophant as the Saint. It was for the sake of this world, because this world was no longer walking the right path. It was her role to set it straight and—
“For that end, I’m prepared to do whatever it takes.”
Their eyes met, or at least he thought so. And it probably wasn’t his imagination. Riese had seen Allen, and she was looking straight at him.