And so the day of the operation arrived.
With the purification approaching, traffic on the road to the church was being restricted. Though the operation was being kept a secret from the general public, all the personnel coming and going from the church caused people passing to direct concerned glances at the knights on duty.
Though it was a distant second place, the Zebrudia branch of the Church of the Radiant Spirit was the second-largest building in the capital, beaten only by the imperial castle. It was clear even from a distance. Unlike the imperial castle, which was an embodiment of utilitarianism, the countless white spires stabbing upwards and the solar emblem of the church showed aesthetic refinement that made it pleasant to look at.
“Y’know, it’s been a bit since I was last here,” I said.
“Mmm,” Ansem grunted, plodding along next to me.
The church probably didn’t have a Paladin more famous than Ansem. It was in part because of his high level, his healing skills, his affability, and, of course, his massive stature. Unlike his sisters, his reputation was absolutely spotless. He didn’t go on rampages like Liz, and he didn’t occasionally break down like Sitri. With such stability, he really deserved the title of Immutable.
When he was nearby, absolutely nobody paid me any attention, something I was totally grateful for. It’s like what they say about shelter: If you’re gonna hide under a tree, make it a big one.
Looking around, it seemed the scale of this operation was as large as Ansem had said. On the road to the church, I saw not only priests and knights, but hunters as well. In the case of the Sword Saint and the magic academy, the trouble had occurred abruptly, but with such sound preparations, we were ready for just about anything.
And most of all, I’m here.
I let out a sigh of relief and knocked a hand on Ansem’s pillar-like legs. “This time, I’ll do what I can! Except that’s not really anything!”
After a pause, he let out a slow grunt.
Normally, I’d never get close to something like a curse purification, but this time was special. Ansem was here, and I had learned from experience. For my simple and silent best friend, I was willing to lend a hand. Perhaps if I were present at the scene, nobody was likely to complain, no matter what happened.
Preparations were underway in the church’s courtyard, a large space paved with stone. When Ansem and I entered, the clergy, clad in their austere robes, began to excitedly murmur among each other while casting favorable glances at Ansem. Then their stoic expressions returned when they saw me in his shadow.
Ansem was a source of pride for the imperial capital’s church. I, meanwhile, was his unremarkable friend whom he kept around for some reason. When you also factor in all the messes I was constantly making for Ansem, it was no wonder these people didn’t look at me fondly. Given my friendship with Ansem, none of the people were going to openly criticize me, but that still just meant I was using him for cover.
The air in the courtyard was oddly serene. A large magic circle was drawn on the ground, probably for deploying barriers. With rituals like these, the bigger the scope, the more attention that needed to be put into preparation. Back when I still accompanied my friends on hunts, I learned this through the many times I watched Ansem set up barriers.
All the formidable faces enlisted for the purification had already gathered in the courtyard. I recognized a few of them.
I tapped Ansem’s knee and said, “You don’t need to worry about keeping me safe. I’m going to wander around, so you can go if you have somewhere you need to be.”
After a delay, he grunted. Ansem wasn’t great at self-advocacy, and as his old friend, I could generally tell what he was thinking. I didn’t think I’d be running into any danger in a church, of all places, and I didn’t want to get in the way of his work.
With heavy footfalls, Ansem walked off towards the center of the courtyard. I raised my arms and took a deep breath. Something about this place made me feel like my soul was being cleansed just by standing around. Acting a bit like a tourist, I watched the preparations continue when I suddenly heard a deep voice.
“K-Krai, what are you doing here?!”
I flinched. “Hm?!”
Turning in the direction of the voice, I saw the famous manager of the imperial capital branch of the Explorers’ Association, Gark Welter. All we needed was Luke and it would be perfect. I ran into Gark at the Supreme Warrior Festival, but it had been much longer since I last saw Ark. Not far behind him was the rest of Ark Brave.
Ark looked at me with wide eyes. Though the rest of his party were giving me dirty looks, Ark displayed magnanimity that showed he was worthy of the title Hero. Let’s just ignore the fact that he was never around when I needed him.
Meeting Ark on a day like today felt like a sign of good luck. I was feeling safer by the moment.
“I’m so glad you could all make it,” I said.
Gark’s eyebrow twitched.
I hadn’t done anything yet, so I hoped he didn’t expect me to grovel. Normally, I’d never get anywhere near something so dangerous, but I was here purely to watch Ansem at work.
I didn’t know why, but Gark looked awfully tense. That was when something occurred to me.
“I’m always coming at your beck and call,” I said with a clap of my hands, “but this time I showed up before you even had to ask!”
Gark recoiled.
Is this what they call preterhuman artifice?
I gave Gark a hard-boiled smile. Cheek twitching, he got right up in my face. I instinctively took a step back.
“Krai,” he said in a low voice, “wh-what are you planning to do this time?!”
“Huh? Don’t get me wrong, I’m just here to watch Ansem do his job.”
Generally speaking, I never did anything. Sure, you could say not doing anything was wrong in its own way, and you’d have me there, but this time, I really hadn’t done anything wrong.
I stood up straight, and Gark placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Krai, I don’t want any nonsense,” he said. His tone was admonishing, but he had a murderous look in his eyes. “I’m asking you what you plan to do this time. Do you understand me? What we’re dealing with this time—really, this isn’t the first time—is a true nightmare. This is a curse, something that plays by different rules. You realize that this is something so strong, the church asked the Association for help, right? They even pulled some strings to get Ark to come back. And this isn’t just any curse, it’s a weaponized one. Thirteen priests gave their lives to seal this thing off.”
“I wouldn’t mind knowing how you managed to get Ark over here.”
If possible, I would’ve liked a Sounding Stone to contact him directly. But I guess Isabella or someone else from his party would’ve stopped me if I tried.
And sealing this off cost thirteen lives? I didn’t know that.
Branch Manager Gark silently stared me down. I guess he was watching his voice since we were in a church? Just as I was giving in to the pressure and considering groveling, Ark interjected.
“Now, now, sir, I’m sure Krai has his own reasons. And you can never have too many high-level hunters. You should know that I, too, have only dealt with curses a number of times. Right, Krai?”
“Right, Ark!”
This is it. This is Ark. Welcome back, Ark! As always, handsome inside and out!
A mindless smile formed on my face before I could help it, eliciting sighs from the rest of Ark Brave.
“For all he puts up with, Ark continues to indulge this guy.”
“Hold on,” I protested, “there’s been a lot of trouble because Ark hasn’t been around. There was Arnold, the time the emperor needed an escort, Fox, the Supreme Warrior Festival, and I ended up dealing with all of it.”
“R-Really?” Ark said with a pained smile. “Sounds like a lot.”
Looking back, I realized how often I found myself looking for him. But he wasn’t around and that was that. It’s not like there would be any point in saying he was around if he wasn’t.
With both Ark and Ansem present, this operation was practically guaranteed to succeed. But that was the exact sort of circumstance that spawned complacency, so I thought I’d play devil’s advocate just a bit.
“We might have an abundance of power on our side,” I said, patting Ark on the shoulder, “but from what I can tell, this is a real beast we’re purifying here. Don’t let your guard down!”