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‘He has too much freedom. How could the head of the Inquisition visit me so frequently?’ I folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. I gazed out the open window at the cityscape. The streets smelled like freshly baked bread.

Marianne was quietly pouring coffee beside me. Although I was getting used to living it, I wondered if I should find her a place because even I felt uncomfortable living with someone.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable staying here?”

She looked up from pouring coffee to look at me. Her rosary swayed silently in the morning light. She continued to look at me with her golden eyes and then shook her head, answering my question.

“It’s not uncomfortable.”

“Do you need anything else? This place is spacious, but it doesn’t have much. I can buy whatever you need.”

“The Holy Land provides for me well enough, monetarily and otherwise.”

Marianne replied, her voice a little more firm than usual. I don’t know if it was because I was becoming more aware of her subtle changes or if her personality had changed a bit during her time with me, making her more open about her emotions. She handed me my cup and moved across the table to sit down.

“There’s nothing uncomfortable about this.”

“… I’m glad you are.”

I wonder if she’s saying that because it’s the truth or if she has other complaints. I feel like I still have a lot to learn about her. I cleared my throat to get to the point.

“Do you want me to find you a place to stay? As long as you’re in our party, you’ll be here often, so maybe having your own home would be better for you.”

Marianne glanced down at the rosary pinned to her chest, her eyes narrowing slightly at my question.

“Is my presence in this house a nuisance to you?”

…She had to ask an awkward question. I shook my head, not bothering to make a lame excuse.

“You aren’t. If anything, you’ve been helping me a lot.”

“Then there’s no reason for me to leave.”

Marianne looked me in the eye again and replied. She drank her coffee with her eyes closed. The atmosphere became solemn. I pulled out Bishop Andrei’s letter and fiddled with it, hoping to change the subject.

“By the way, why does Bishop Andrei want to see us again?”

Iris’s departure from our party was resolved, and there were no other problems. Given that he also mentioned Marianne, he may be meeting me since he’s here anyways.

“Maybe….”

Marianne looked at me, a troubled expression on her face. Not at my face but at something above my head. ‘My hair? Why would Bishop Andrei care about my hair? There is no way he thinks I’m getting old.’ A fact I had momentarily forgotten flashed through my mind.

“Ah, the crown….”

“Yes. I believe the relic is part of why the Bishop is visiting.”

I sighed heavily and popped a piece of buttered toast into my mouth. It crunched and crumbled. I munched on the bread and thought of the broken crown, the shards of it now a thorny vine tucked away in the box where it belonged.

“I suppose I should bring him what remains.”

Marianne nodded at my words. I don’t know how the Bishop will react. He wouldn’t be so simple-minded as to be outraged that the crown had been broken, but then again, the crown was loaned, not bestowed upon me.

“While it holds no real power, it was an important historical artifact.”

I scratched my head in frustration at the thought of destroying an item.

“He’s asking me to come with you because he will give you a mission, right?”

“Yes. Though I can’t imagine exactly what it is.”

I wonder if it was her work as an inquisitor. Marianne was a paladin but also a member of the Inquisition. For the first time in a long time, I remembered the original story and recalled the events surrounding the Holy Land.

“Well, I guess I’ll find out when we meet him.”

With that, I began to clear the dishes. Thinking about it now wouldn’t give me any answers, and it’s not like he’s scheming against me. As I put the plates in the sink to rinse them with water, I suddenly felt Marianne’s gaze on me and turned around.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

Marianne shook her head. I stared at the water, then at Marianne’s silver hair glistening in the sunlight. A summer morning passed like that.

***

Bishop Andrei, whom I had not seen for months, had the same gentle smile I had seen before. Despite the heat of late summer, he was dressed in long-sleeved black priests’ robes.

“It’s been a long time, Hero.”

He greeted me warmly, walked over to me, and squeezed my hand. I stepped back, surprised by Bishop Andrei’s grip strength, which was much stronger than I had expected.

“I must congratulate you on repelling the Fourth Disaster… No,”

I shook his hand, putting strength into it. His gray eyes narrowed slightly. He looked a little overwhelmed.

“For defeating the Fourth Disaster, thank you very much.”

“…You’re welcome.”

After dropping my hand, the Bishop returned to his usual self, clasping his hands together and turning to Marianne. When Marianne made eye contact with him, she bowed her head slightly in greeting. He returned her greeting with a gentle smile.

“Marianne, you’ve done a fine job of aiding the Champion in defeating the Fourth Disaster, and I’m very proud of you.”

“You are too kind.”

Bishop Andrei looked at her with a gentle smile, then turned his head and started walking down the street. I didn’t need to ask where he was going. He ordered the same chickpea salad he’d had before and placed the menu on the table.

“I hear your injuries in the fight against the Fourth Disaster were serious. How is your recovery going?”

“It’s going well, and I can perform simple exercises without difficulty now.”

Bishop Andrei’s slender eyes swept over me. He then whispered.

“Your injuries must have been severe. Looking at you, I can tell you haven’t fully healed.”

“A small price to pay for preventing the world’s destruction.”

I smiled bitterly as I said it.

“A small price, you say. Maybe that’s true.”

The food was served. The Bishop looked at my plate of salad.

“The Fifth Disaster can not be properly observed, so you’d better take your time preparing for this one. Some things need to be taken care of along the way… Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

“…No. Tell me more; I’d like to hear more of what you know.”

Bishop Andre looked at me quizzically, then began to speak in a low, pensive voice.

“The Seven Disasters that will bring about the end of the world. They were made by the evil gods in the Age of Myth. After the Light defeated the gods, the Seven Disasters awoke and did what the gods could not. They were made to destroy the world.”

The Bishop rubbed the tip of his eating knife.

“At the end of the Age of Myth, the pantheon of gods awoke one by one and began to fulfill their duties. The remaining humans now have to face the Disasters alone. We can see it as the continuation of the Age of Myth.”

The Snake, the Locust, the Kraken, the Giant, the Mist, the Meteor, and the Origin.

“We can infer their behavior and form with the names of the first four Disasters.”

The Serpent was a snake so massive it could wrap around the world. The Locust was an army so large that it would turn the sky black and leave the fields barren. The Kraken was a monster that drove humans out of the water. The Giant who will freeze the whole world, and a pilgrim who will trample the frozen world flat.

“From the Fifth Disaster, the Mist, the concept of plagues shifts from life to phenomena, making them all the more difficult to observe: how they move, where they are, and when they will strike can only be vaguely predicted through magic.”

Magic towers around the world shared their resources and looked for signs. According to the original story, even the Holy Land had its own organization to track the Disasters, so they’re likely coordinating with other nations.

“Maybe, just maybe, the Fifth Disaster won’t appear in our generation or yours, and it would be very irresponsible of us to hope so.”

I shook my head firmly. According to the original story, the Mist would suddenly appear on the borders of the Holy Land in the winter as Christmas approached.

“Disasters should not be taken too lightly.”

My voice was stiffer than I thought it would be. Bishop Andrei lifted his head to look at me, startled by my tone.

“They can come out of nowhere, for they have no regard for human convenience. There could be fog in the woods outside the Capital right now, or-”

Bishop Andrei opened his mouth to retort, saying that, of course, he knew. However, seeing my expression, he closed it again and raised an eyebrow as if realizing something. It was as if he wanted me to continue.

“…It wouldn’t be strange if it suddenly appeared on a winter day in the Holy Land.”

Bishop Andrei’s expression hardened, and he put down his fork and clasped his hands together.

“You do know something.”

“…A little.”

He met my gaze, and I pursed my lips as I met his. I thought of an excellent excuse to deflect the situation, so I quickly held out the box with the crown I had brought. Marianne looked at me with concern.

(You’ve come up with another weird scheme.)

The Holy Sword said, and I nodded subtly. The Bishop, meanwhile, took it with surprise as he wasn’t sure why I’d suddenly come up with this.

“Ah, yes, thank you. I hope you made good use of the crown of thorns I lent you. It’s wonderful that a gift from the Holy Land was able to help you.”

“…Yes.”

‘I more than used it well.’ I glanced at the box with a subtle upturn of my lips. Bishop Andrei watched my expression suspiciously, then dipped his head toward it. His hand on the lid hesitated, rubbing the joints of the cover. He arched an eyebrow.

“So you’ve passed the trial of the crown, then? Why are you acting….”

I gulped.

The Bishop lifted the lid and froze. He opened it to find the shattered remains of the crown resting on a red cloth. His eyes widened, then stiffened as he stared at the contents in disbelief.

“What the… what.”

Bishop Andrei stammered, picking up the shards of the crown. As he picked it up, it shattered into three pieces, breaking its barely held shape. He looked up, calling out to me in a voice laced with panic.

“Hero, what is this…?”

However, he couldn’t finish his thought as he saw the halo above my head.

His lips parted, and he let out a weak sob.

“Oh, God….”

Bishop Andrei’s voice wavered as he looked at me.

Translator’s Corner

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Another one later.

-Ruminas