“Is there nothing we can do about it?” Lydia asked.
I paid them no mind and resumed my report to the pope. “We still have too little information about Blanche, so I believe we need to keep gathering intelligence for now. But we might still have a chance to stop Illumasia before they can finish their experiments. For that reason, I’m planning on heading there in the near future,” I explained.
“I continue to burden you with these matters,” the pope said, a hint of concern in her voice.
“Not at all. The last incident was my fault, and I ended up dragging the Church and the Healer’s Guild into my mess. I’m very sorry.”
The pope shook her head. “No. My failures are what caused the situation. From now on, I will stop relying on others so heavily and take full responsibility. I refuse to allow anyone to suffer a fate like Dongahar’s again.”
Her words reassured me that she would most likely be fine from now on. Plus, if she ever felt overwhelmed, Rosa would be there to support her, and Catherine would know just how to lift her spirits.
“Oh, right. Sorry for suddenly changing the topic, but I have a question. The broken barrier Dongahar talked about—was it created using some sort of artifact?” I asked.
“It was. However, it does not work anymore.”
“Has it been destroyed? Discarded? Or do you still have it?”
“It’s broken, but we still have it. Unfortunately, no one has the expertise to repair something my father created.”
So it really was Lord Reinstar who made that artifact. If it was only broken, my companions might be able to fix it, and it’d be much faster than trying to rebuild it from scratch.
“Could I have it? And let’s assume we managed to fix it or create something similar, would the Church be interested in buying it?” I asked.
“Do you mean to say that you can repair it?”
“I’m not sure yet. But some of my crafty friends would like to give it a try. Of course, we wouldn’t ask you to pay anything until after we fixed it.”
The pope nodded. “Fine. Follow me. Just you.”
She led me to the door opposite the one that led to Neldahl, and I was met with the sight of a large golden bell like the kind you’d find in a Buddhist temple.
“It’s a bit big for me to just carry around, huh?” I remarked.
“Put it in your magic bag and take it with you. I am looking forward to seeing it fixed.” She touched the bell and returned to her throne.
“Well, I sure wasn’t expecting this,” I muttered, looking at the bell. “Putting this kind of bell in a church is a bit...”
Breathing a sigh, I retrieved the bell and returned to the pope’s chamber, where I decided to address the matter of Estia next. “Your Holiness, I was thinking of taking Estia along to Illumasia, if she agrees to come, of course.”
After a lot of contemplation, I’d decided to ask for Estia’s help—well, the Spirit of Dusk’s, to be specific—to deal with the situation in Illumasia...even if it meant reopening old wounds.
“Estia?” the pope said, looking at her.
Estia hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’m sorry but—” Her aura suddenly shifted, and she declared, “We’ll come. Luciel, you have to take Estia with you to Illumasia.”
It seemed that the Spirit of Dusk had taken the reins.
“Are you sure? I know I’m the one who brought up the idea, but it might trigger her trauma,” I remarked.
“It might. But I want her to heal the emotional wounds she has suffered in the empire right there, where it all began.” Based on her words, it seemed that this was her way of asking Estia for forgiveness.
The pope must’ve thought the same thing, as she said, “Luciel, if you are worried about the Church, do not be. As long as Rosa and I are here, everything will be all right. Besides, the two young ladies behind you will be staying as well, won’t they?”
Well, it looked like the pope had chosen to send Estia to Illumasia with me as well.
“They will,” I said. “Apparently, the messenger from Blanche who met with Dongahar is their older brother. That’s why I’m thinking it’s better to take preventive measures before people can start making up weird rumors about me again.”
“Impossible!”
“I can’t believe it...”
Needless to say, Nadia and Lydia were shocked to learn that the messenger had been their brother. I’d debated keeping it a secret from them but decided against it. It would’ve been an even greater shock if they’d accidentally discovered the truth down the line.
“I’ll need your help again when I’m back from the empire,” I told them. “Until then, I want you two to act as Her Holiness’s bodyguards.”
“Understood.”
“We’ll keep training so as not to get in your way next time.”
The sisters agreed to stay behind, albeit a tad reluctantly. In all honesty, I could’ve used their help dealing with the empire, but I ultimately decided it would be better for them to sit this one out.
“Thanks, girls. Now, I’d like to get Estia’s consent as well, if she’s to come with us, not just the Spirit of Dusk’s.”
At my words, the Spirit of Dusk’s overwhelming aura disappeared. “Um...I’m scared to go. And I might collapse and cause you trouble again,” Estia said timidly.
I nodded. “I know I’m asking for a lot. It could put your life in danger. But I really want you to come. And I’m counting on the Spirit of Dusk to help you if you ever find yourself in danger.”
“I won’t show mercy to anyone who tries to harm Estia,” the Spirit of Dusk said. “I’ll eliminate them all.”
“Careful. If you’re too reckless, I’ll have to ask Forêt Noire to scold you,” I said.
“I’ll be care—” the Spirit of Dusk began, but before she could finish, Estia took control of her own body again. “I look forward to traveling with you again, sir,” she said. Unlike before, there was a glint of determination in her eyes.
I turned back to the pope. “I’ll contact you through my arclink crystal once we have successfully escaped the empire.”
“Please do. In the meantime, I will defend the Holy City to the best of my ability. I am counting on you, Luciel.”
“Yes, Your Holiness,” I replied, dropping to one knee and bowing my head to her. Then, I stood back up and addressed Forêt Noire. “Forêt, can you return to the hermit stable for now?” I asked.
“Nope. I’ll be in my spirit crystal, so call me whenever you need me.”
“Fine,” I said reluctantly.
She’s absolutely going to come in and out of her crystal whenever she pleases, my gut told me. Still, I decided to let her do as she wanted.
After that, I gave one last bow to the pope and Rosa, reminded Nadia and Lydia that I was leaving them in their hands, and left with Estia.
“Sir, if we make it back from Illumasia, could you take me to Merratoni one more time?” she asked as we made our way to the big training field.
Was this her way of trying to overcome her trauma? I didn’t know what kind of emotions the Spirit of Dusk preferred, but I wondered if that would weaken her. Still, if both of them wished for Estia’s emotional scars to heal, I’d help.
“Just Merratoni?” I asked.
“Yes. Just Merratoni is fine.”
“Sure thing.”
She told me about the three months she’d spent at the Church’s HQ as we walked the rest of the way to the training field. But when we reached the entrance, angry roars and the sound of clashing swords reached our ears.
“A battle?” I gasped. “No way!”
I had thought we had dealt with all the demonized knights, but I hadn’t considered the possibility that there could be more that Dongahar had been unaware of. I flung the doors open, only to stumble upon the same scene as the previous day: a pile of unconscious knights lying on the field.
“What’s going on here?” I muttered.
“Your master and Mister Lionel have had their stats reset, have they not?” Estia asked, just as puzzled as I was. “How are they able to defeat the knights?”
“They aren’t normal people like you and me; they’re battle demons. Reality doesn’t apply to them.”
“That’s not very nice,” she said, bringing a hand to her mouth to hide her smile.
With a sigh, I marched up to my master, who was still fighting, to heal him, Lionel, and the knights.