Chapter 221
Chapter 221: How Many Tasks Have You Handled? (3)
The envoy who arrived at the Northern Fortress was none other than Baron Andy Share, who had previously been responsible for transporting the Perdium support supplies.
He greeted with a beaming smile.
“Have you been well? I have come to deliver a message from the royal family.”
Zvalter nodded with a sullen expression and asked, “So… what now? Why would the royal family want me…?”
Whenever someone came to visit, he couldn’t help but worry it was because his son had caused some kind of trouble. After hearing the war news not long ago, his anxiety had only intensified.
Seeing Zvalter’s unease, Baron Share kept his smiling face and said, “Effective today, you have been promoted to Marquis. Congratulations!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected news, Zvalter dazedly asked, “Marquis? Me?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Of course, your rights and duties to protect the frontier will remain the same as before.”
“Why… so suddenly…?”
It was hard to believe he had been promoted without any notable achievements. It was indeed surprising.
Baron Share briefly explained what had happened. While the official reason was a reward for his hard work, Zvalter understood the underlying meaning was thanks to his son’s actions.
“So… Ghislaine has become a Count?”
“Yes, that’s right. He is now Count Penris.”
His head started spinning. That trouble-making son of his had now become a proper high-ranking noble. Even though an envoy had come, it was still hard to believe.
Considering Perdium’s dire conditions, they hadn’t been able to provide proper support, and yet, everything had been achieved by Ghislaine’s own efforts. As a father, he felt a mix of pride and confusion.
Dazed, Zvalter proceeded with a simple promotion ceremony. Despite receiving the royal family’s recognition, it still didn’t feel real.
‘Really… Marquis? Me? Our family?’
He had lived for decades as a poor Count in the north, and so had his ancestors. Yet the world was changing too quickly.
Even if it was a nominal title of Marquis, it still meant something. Such things accumulated to increase authority.
Zvalter recalled his nagging father who had passed away long ago.
‘Father, it seems my son is destined to become the glory of our family.’
As Zvalter stood there dazed, Knight Commander Randolf shouted from the side.
“Now, you are Marquis Perdium!”
“Whoa!”
The knights and soldiers cheered so loudly that the fortress seemed likely to lift off the ground.
It felt like the lord who had suffered for so long to protect the territory was finally being recognized. Everyone was joyfully celebrating as if it was their own affair.
Cheers of good news kept coming from the fortress. The territory’s debts had been paid off, and the lord had been promoted.
And they all knew who was responsible for making this happen.
A knight raised his sword and shouted loudly.
“For the glory of House Perdium!”
Other knights drew their swords and held them high. The soldiers raised their spears and, united in spirit, proclaimed,
“For the glory of House Perdium!”
Thus, the Northern Fortress was swept up in a festive atmosphere. News would soon reach the Perdium Territory, and a festival would be enjoyed there as well.
Such a day could not be passed by quietly. Finally regaining his senses, Zvalter confidently announced to everyone,
“Today, we shall leave only a minimal guard and enjoy a feast after a long time! I’ll be serving up plenty of the saved meat and wine so let’s eat and drink until we’re full!”
“Whoa!”
The soldiers cheered again. The knights cheered even louder.
After repeating training and combat, their bodies had gotten a bit worn down. Eating and drinking well at such a time would truly energize them.
Just then, an administrator hurriedly approached Zvalter and whispered,
“Lord, we have no meat left.”
“What? Why? Why is there none?”
“It ran out a while ago. You know how rare meat is due to the drought affecting the fortress, right?”
“…Oh, really? I thought there was a bit left.”
“Knight Commander Randolf has been secretly eating the little that was left whenever he had the chance. He keeps saying he’s starving because he’s only had bread. He nearly finished all the wine by himself too.”
“That guy?!”
Zvalter glared at Randolf, who was blissfully waving as if he had no idea.
Suppressing the urge to punch him, Zvalter apologetically addressed everyone, “They say we’ve run out of meat! Some brat secretly ate it all… No, let’s just eat bread and soup today, and I’ll make sure to get more next time!”
“Aww…”
The knights and soldiers wore glum expressions.
Well, what could they expect? What meat would they have with their status?
Even having repaid their debts and claiming to have plenty of supplies, it still felt like a pityful territory.
*
Ghislaine called for Piote as soon as he returned.
Piote arrived, observing cautiously, and asked, “Did the church… not look for me?”
“Well, they did, but things have changed a bit.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“First, take this.”
Ghislaine handed a sacred relic to Piote without warning.
Receiving the ring, Piote tilted his head and asked, “What is this?”
“A ring, it’s called the Blessing of Juana.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a sacred relic of the Juana Sect. I received it as a gift from Bishop Porisco.”
“Eek!”
Piote nearly dropped the ring in surprise. A low-ranking priest like him couldn’t haphazardly handle a sacred relic.
He had only seen the Sacred Relic Repository once during his training.
“Why… are you giving this to me? I shouldn’t have something like this.”
“Don’t worry; it’s permitted. Just don’t tell anyone else it’s a sacred relic. Only Bishop Porisco knows.”
Since she didn’t explain properly, Piote couldn’t understand the situation. He refused several times, but Ghislaine pressed on insistently.
“Don’t give it away or anything. Make sure to keep it on you at all times. Don’t let it out of your sight, alright?”
“Y-yes…”
If she had just said it was a gift, he might have thought of giving it to someone in need when the time came. That’s why Ghislaine emphasized several times that it was a sacred relic and should not be lost.
Piote cautiously held the ring and looked up at Ghislaine again, asking, “What do you mean ‘the situation has changed’? What is the church saying?”
“Hmm.”
Ghislaine produced the permanent deployment order from within his coat and handed it over.
When Piote saw the order, his expression momentarily blanked before bowing his head. Just reading it made it feel like the church was abandoning him.
Giving him a sacred relic seemed like an unspoken pressure to stay here for life.
After watching him for a moment, Ghislaine slowly spoke up.
“You’re free to leave if you wish. I can provide safe escort for you.”
“Whaat?”
Piote looked up, shocked.
The devil commander standing before him had forced him to accept a permanent deployment order, and now he was saying he could leave?
“Are you joking…?”
“No, I’m serious. The reason I specifically got that deployment order was to give you the freedom to choose comfortably. One has to be free to make a real choice.”
“A choice?”
“Yeah, making choices about what kind of life to live is up to you.”
Ghislaine was genuine. He had done the same when he got Gillian and had given Claude a chance to leave.
He hadn’t compelled Kaor or the mercenaries to become knights either. Even promised freedom to the dwarves and elves after ten years.
Having lived as a mercenary, he valued freedom above all.
That’s why he wanted Piote to choose for himself.
Even if he had initially forced him to stay under the pretense of pay, Piote had more than made up for it by now.
Moreover, he didn’t want to force those who were supposed to remain closest to him. The opponents Piote would face in the future couldn’t be handled with a half-hearted mindset.
‘Well… if Piote says he’s leaving, I should ask Porisco to send a few other priests.’
It would be disappointing, but Piote had his own life. If he wanted to leave, now would be the time.
The sacred relic was a gift for his past efforts. A simple letter to Porisco would ensure silence on the matter.
Piote remained silent for a while, looking down at the deployment order, questioning his own heart.
‘Really? Is it really okay to go back this way?’
He longed to return every day. Each passing day was so hard that he felt like going insane.
Yet unexpectedly, an opportunity he hadn’t even hoped for had suddenly arrived. The time he had been waiting for had come, so it was best to smile and go back without any more hesitation.
But why did his heart feel so uneasy?
‘If I go back… others will struggle more.’
Last time, he couldn’t hastily return due to such feelings. He was well aware of how crucial his role was in this territory.
‘But how long should it be like this? I have… done more than enough.’
No priest would live such a difficult life while helping so many people. He knew that better than anyone from his upbringing in the church.
This was enough. He couldn’t live like this for a lifetime. He had his own life to live too.
Just remaining out of sympathy or pity would be endless.
His heart remained restless. Before his feelings grew deeper and more painful… it was better to end it here.
With a trembling voice, Piote spoke.
“Thank you for everything so far…”
His throat tightened, making it hard for him to speak. As he held back tears, memories of scripture he’d read every day since he was young flooded back to him.
[Helping those who are suffering and in need is akin to serving God.]
[You shall become the least among them and be a servant.]
[Thus, you shall forever follow the paths of mercy, truth, and righteousness.]
‘Ah…’
Faces of those he had encountered flashed through Piote’s mind.
Those who were starving, those who were suffering, and those who were despairing. When he first saw them, it was clear everyone in the Cabaldy Territory was like that.
But what about now?
No one was starving. The number of those suffering had decreased. Smiles appeared on the faces of the once desperate.
The lord before him and the retainers following him were all working together to change the territory.
‘Even if what he did wasn’t necessarily for the people.’
What Piote saw in Ghislaine was a person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Not someone you could simply define as good or evil; rather, someone closer to chaos.
However, his actions were ultimately helping others. For that, his strength was needed going forward.
‘Ah… I didn’t even understand my own heart.’
Only now did Piote firmly realize his feelings. The source of the discomfort he felt when trying to leave became clear.
Taking a deep breath, Piote suddenly smiled and said, “I feel at ease now.”
“Huh?”
“I realized why I had been uncomfortable until now.”
At that, Ghislaine tilted his head. Wasn’t he uncomfortable because he couldn’t go home?
Piote maintained a gentle smile as he continued, “I worried about when the church might come looking for me, call for me. I thought it was just difficult, but in fact, I learned my true feelings from this.”
“Your true… feelings?”
Piote nodded vigorously.
“Yes, I want to stay here. I want to stay and help those who are struggling and in pain. And I want to help even more people going forward. That’s truly fulfilling the will of the Goddess, and it’s why the Goddess granted me Divine Power.”
“…”
Ghislaine showed a slightly surprised expression.
Before, he had thought this was merely someone too soft-hearted to leave. But now, it seemed he genuinely wanted to stay for the sake of others.
He had rarely seen a priest like this in his past life. Ghislaine asked again, half in disbelief.
“Are you really sure? You know from living here that our territory is filled with work and quite difficult. You’ve collapsed a few times from exhaustion, haven’t you? Continuously helping people isn’t an easy thing.”
“I’ve lived in the temple without knowing anything. I hadn’t realized how much people outside were suffering and struggling. I want to relieve their pain, even just a little.”
“If you go back, you could live comfortably for the rest of your life in a clean place, eating only the good things like the other priests.”
Piote shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I don’t want to live just for a few nobles anymore. That’s not the will of the Goddess.”
“You could have an easy life, and you don’t want that?”
Ghislaine found it hard to believe these words came from a priest of this era. If Claude had heard this, he would surely have kicked him for being crazy.
But Piote, as if in prayer, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and conveyed his genuine intentions.
“Yes, because I am with the highest Being, but I am also among the lowest.”
As if gaining some realization, a soft divine power began to flow from Piote’s body.
Pieces of his pink hair gradually turned silver.
Ghislaine was left speechless. The attitude he displayed was incomparable to any priest he had seen before, even those he had met with Porisco. It was as though he belonged to an entirely different race.
The true saint was being born right here.
