Volume 3 Chapter 10 Arriving at the Great Church
The Kingdom of Daiparl.
Among the nations where the teachings of the Church of Shinathica are the state religion, Daiparl is by far the biggest. Its capital city boasts the massive Great Church ── basically, this is the heart of a theocracy.
Daiparl Kingdom ── Capital, Eileen.
The city, ringed by high walls, has sunk into a tense, uneasy mood.
And honestly, who could blame them?
Negative campaigns about Horace are everywhere in this city right now.
So, it's no surprise the guy's got a lot of enemies here.
Sure, there are rumors that he's been heading this way while helping fix up towns smashed by those golems...but a lot of people just say he's showing off ── wrecking things on purpose just to clean up after himself.
Still, not everyone's buying the smear campaign. There are smart folks out there. Plus, after that big statement from Valzeil, some people are starting to doubt the Great Church's side of things.
Some people here fled after getting caught in the chaos. Others feel fine about Horace, since their towns got rebuilt or supported, and they've got nothing to hold against him.
Bottom line?
This city's holding together by a thread.
And right in the middle of all this, Horace ── the key figure behind the uproar ── is about to arrive.
There's just no way anyone can act like it's business as usual now.
"Oh! You guys made it!"
At the walled city gate, a beaming girl was waiting ── all bright smiles, impossible to miss.
She was small, with short-cropped blonde hair and a crisp white dress.
Petite, sure ── but her chest, honestly, was kind of impressive for her size.
It made for a weird, eye-catching charm.
"So, you're the hero group. And Horace, the legendary teacher, right? We've been waiting for you!"
"And you are...?"
"I'm Remi! I'm the instructor for the 1st through 3rd divisions of the Holy Knight Squad. Nice to meet ya!"
That bouncy little smile never faded.
Normally, someone like her would brighten the mood ── especially for a certain teammate (Ellie) who tended to perk up around cheerful girls like this...
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in pint-sized old ladies."
"Who're you calling an old lady, huh?!"
"You can tell I'm not the age I look, right? It's obvious. I'm only interested in girls between ten and 15, with smooth legs and a cute look."
"Isn't that a crime?"
"You're being so annoying from the side."
Ellie furrowed her brows at Ramella's comment, but quickly regained her composure.
When she was sleeping on Cindy's lap, she was pretty much invincible.
"...Sigh. I was trying to get you to fall for it and push things forward, but it's not working."
"So, what's the deal with that instructor?"
Horace shot a wary glance at Remi.
Seeing his expression, Remi understood immediately.
"Oh? You've already figured it out, huh?"
"Well, it's Fa-loss. With Sid and Sora around, it's kind of obvious."
"True... Anyway, follow me. I'll show you to the Great Church."
Saying that, Remi turned her back.
Horace and the others got off from the mobile base. When Tiaris snapped her fingers, the base vanished into a swirl, packed away.
Without really caring, Remi led the way, and Horace and the others followed her into the capital, Eileen.
"...This is definitely a tense situation."
"Yeah. Not that I'm one to say it, but I'd say there are almost no one who *really* believes Horace is a bad guy."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah, I'm sure there are plenty of people who *want* to believe you're a bad guy, though."
"That's a pain."
"...Yeah, it is."
Horace's expression had been sour from the start.
It wasn't because he was feeling unwell.
It was because he knew too much.
"Heh, haha, knowing a lot and still being able to give up easily──*that's* what makes someone different."
"Give up easily? My master?" Ellie replied.
"You never know what you're supposed to spend your time on to succeed. So people grab at whatever's in front of them. Because if you can keep getting that 'immediate gain,' it means you're surviving. But Horace, you're not like that."
Remi said with a smile.
"At the core of it, you're 'irresponsible.' You have the power and skill to easily drag others into things, but never thinks about what will happen because of it. Even when problems come up, or when there's damage, you'll go after the 'source' later to prevent it from happening again. But you never denies that damage is going to happen in the first place. Because you're irresponsible."
She's not insulting him, though.
But, Remi must know Horace pretty well.
"I don't care about other people's expectations. Don't care about their demands. Right? The reason Horace gets stronger isn't to be recognized by others ── it's because there are people he wants to defeat. Sid told me."
"Yeah, that's true. But still... history shows that military power leads to progress in the world. If you research technology to become stronger ── and that includes what are broadly classified as magic tools ── it's natural that it will affect the level of civilization."
"Right. So even though it could make people richer, you won't use it for others. The reason you worked in Diamante Kingdom was because you wanted to maintain the world's current shape at the very least."
How much does Remi really know?
"The world conference... and in it, Dragonstone Kingdom monopolizes the Great Mine of Gold World (Kinsekai). That's the shape you wanted. You worked for that. If you could use the 'Great Mine of Gold World' without the issues we have now, then that would've been fine, right?"
"Yeah, probably. If there had been more victims, it would have been worse than now."
Horace's sense of good and evil is different from most.
Because he's fundamentally 'irresponsible,' he refuses to get stuck on anything.
He has no hesitation about changing his mind immediately.
That's why he doesn't care about other people's sense of right and wrong.
"Haha, wait, are you saying... if Horace found a way to defeat the people he wants to defeat even *faster* than now, he'd quit being the Golem Master?"
"I'd quit in a second."
"Ahahahaha! Ahahahaha!"
Remi laughs, really enjoying herself.
"Heh, this is fun. Talking to a 'strong person' is really something else. Hah... If only we were that strong back then..."
Remi had just said that when they arrived at the Great Church.
"Well, we're here. I'm sure they've prepared a lot for your visit, but hey, do your best. Oh, by the way, the 1st division to the 3rd division are on a mission, so they're not around. See ya."
With that, Remi walked away from Horace and the others.
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