“I don't understand.”
Arden looked around as he continued.
It was the people who had moved aside that he did not understand.
“Ha. Even after I have explained it this clearly, you still do not understand? I said get out of my sight! I have urgent business and must go inside immediately.”
“No. I came here on business too.”
Arden shook his head.
At Arden's response, Dustin lashed out as though he had thrown off an ill-fitting mask.
“This is your last warning, brat. You seem to have come all this way because the Temple is not charging a fee today, but with a single word from me, you will be unable to do anything—”
So that was why there had been so many people: the Temple was not charging a fee. Thinking this, Arden cut Dustin off and stepped forward.
“Try it, if you can.”
Dustin frowned at Arden, who did not yield so much as an inch, and raised his fist.
He intended to correct the brat's manners.
But Arden did not stay still either. Glaring at Dustin, he rested a hand on the sword at his waist.
It was a wordless warning. If Dustin went any further, Arden would cut him down.
“Hmph!”
It was only a sword that an incompetent brat would draw anyway.
Sneering as though to say that Arden should try if he could, Dustin threw a punch.
Watching him, Arden drew his sword in an instant.
He brought it to Dustin's arm and tried to cut straight through it.
If not for the woman who suddenly appeared.
“Stop.”
“......?”
The interruption made Dustin frown.
“...Priest Luden! Who is this bitch? Come and take her away at once. You have a woman here who cannot even read the situation!”
At Dustin's shout, the priest who seemed to be Luden flinched from afar, then looked away.
He even turned his head.
The other priests did the same.
As though they had nothing to do with him, they all watched in silence.
“What are you all doing? No, what are you all doing, sirs?!”
Dustin raged even more at the priests' strange reaction.
“Why will you not remove this bitch? Do you know how much money I have donated to the Temple? This little bastard right now—”
“Make him kneel. At once. I cannot listen to this any longer. To think that someone calling himself a noble of this city could be so vulgar.”
The woman who had been standing silently frowned and gestured.
“Understood, High Priest.”
The two Holy Knights nodded, stepped forward, and forced down Dustin's shoulders.
“H-High Priest? Aaaagh!”
Dustin, who sank to his knees in pain, opened his eyes wide.
A High Priest?
He stared at her in disbelief.
So did everyone else.
―W-what...? She is a High Priest?
―I heard there were five, but only four ever show themselves.
―The fifth had never shown herself even once until now...?
Their questions soon extended to her appearance.
―But why does she look so young? The other High Priests do too. That person over there as well. They should all be much older.
―I heard that all High Priests use Divine Power to preserve their youth.
―Does that make any sense?
―How would I know? They must be able to do it, or they would not. The other four show themselves relatively often, and that is what they say. I only happened to hear it too.
―I see.
―Besides, it is only natural for people to want to look young....
“H-hey.”
Having heard the two men's conversation, the High Priest narrowed her eyes and looked their way.
Startled by her gaze, they pretended not to notice.
―......
―Ahem. It is remarkable that she is a High Priest.
In any case, just as the people's questions reached their peak.
Someone spoke.
―Who in the world is that boy?
At that cry, the people in front of the Temple turned their eyes to Arden.
They did not show it, but all of them had the same question.
Who was that boy who had summoned a High Priest who had never shown herself even once?
―I-is he a Holy Vessel?
―An Incarnation...?
―A Holy Knight? But he is too young....
The people fell into confusion. All sorts of speculation ran wild.
But the High Priest smiled faintly, as though they had finally quieted down, and approached Arden.
“Arden?”
“Yes.”
“I heard from Berua. Come inside.”
With that, the High Priest turned and entered the Temple.
Arden said one thing to the man who was still kneeling on the ground, then followed her.
“If you had been any later, your arm would have been cut off. I will not go easy on you just because you are the lord's son. Do it again, and next time it will be your neck.”
“W-what!”
The man flared up at Arden's words, but he shut his mouth as a burning pain followed belatedly.
―PSSHH!
Red blood streamed from the thin line that had appeared on the man's forearm.
The man gulped dryly as he watched Arden's retreating back.
His arm really had nearly been cut off.
***
A room that only High Priests could enter.
Arden sat in a chair and waited for her.
How much time had passed when she entered with the Holy Knights?
They were carrying an insignia bearing an unusual pattern.
“......?”
Arden stared at the insignia in disbelief.
What the High Priest had brought was something he knew as well.
It was an insignia awarded only to Holy Knights.
“Take it.”
The High Priest handed the insignia to Arden. Taking it carefully, Arden asked,
“Why this....?”
“There is no need for a long explanation. Ber, the Saintess Candidate, has already appointed two Holy Knights.”
“......!”
At the words “has already appointed two,” Arden's eyes widened. He knew well what they meant.
“Then I am the third....”
“Yes. Ber had already chosen two people, so she used her last authority on you.”
“......”
Her last authority.... Arden ran his fingers over the insignia.
Watching him, the High Priest continued.
“Of course, you do not have to join the Temple. Berua said as much. She only said that she hoped it would help you on your long journey.”
“Ah.”
Arden clenched his fist and nodded.
At the same time, his longing for the Elixir grew even stronger.
Of course, there was no joy over the insignia mixed into that feeling.
He had come to harbor doubts about the god he had believed in for so long.
He intended to seek an answer through this journey.
Whether a god truly existed....
As Arden sank into thought, the High Priest gestured to a Holy Knight.
The Holy Knight stepped outside for a moment, and after watching him go, she slowly began to speak.
“Whew. I could die of frustration. Even at my age, I have to keep up appearances whenever others are watching.”
Rubbing her cheek lightly, she continued.
“Yes, if Ber asked me for a favor, you must be close to her. Then you must have seen Ber's true self as well. Ah, my point is this: I do not need to hide my true self from you either.”
“......?”
When Arden remained still, startled by her sudden change in speech, she added,
“I have raised Ber for twenty years. A granddaughter... no. A daughter. Yes, she is a daughter to me.”
“A g-granddaughter?”
“Quiet. Ignore what I just said and listen! To explain it again, she is a daughter. A daughter. Ahem....”
“Ah, yes.”
“Do you know how much hardship Ber has endured to become a Saintess Candidate? You must not die. You have to live and help Ber. Do you understand?”
“Ber....”
“You know and still ask? Berua. I have always called her Ber, so it is more comfortable for me.”
“Ah....”
Arden blinked.
Of course, he could understand why the High Priest acted this way.
There was nothing wrong with people having different personalities.
He thought he had vaguely heard that she was extremely old as well.
But it was quite a shock that Berua's personality could differ from the one he had seen so far.
He had seen her steadily for ten years, yet that had not been her true self.
Did the orphanage director know that too?
“......”
“Judging by your face, it seems you did not know. Well, it does not matter. You will come to know little by little. The Holy Knight has returned, so that is enough for now.”
She shrugged and instantly returned to her former self. At that moment, the Holy Knight who had gone outside returned with a leather pouch the size of his palm.
The High Priest cleared her throat and spoke.
“Ahem. And one more thing... these are some simple Magic Tools. I have filled it with items that may be useful on your way south, so use them when you need them.”
“...Thank you.”
After bowing his head, Arden opened the leather pouch.
Inside were five orbs suffused with white light.
They gave off a faint warmth.
They seemed to be Warming Orbs that would help him leave the north.
Arden took off the backpack he was carrying for a moment and carefully put the leather pouch inside.
The Magic Tools she had given him would surely prove useful.
The cold of the north was utterly unpredictable.
“Then go. It is not good to keep a busy person for too long. May your future be full of light.”
“Ah, yes.”
Leaving the faintly smiling High Priest behind, Arden stepped outside.
“...I should leave right away.”
Tucking the insignia into his clothes, Arden started walking.
To forget what had just happened, he thought it would be best to keep himself moving.
Of course, now that he had received the Warming Orbs, he also no longer had to worry about the cold.
Meanwhile, the people who had been waiting for Arden saw the insignia he tucked into his clothes.
It was the insignia carried only by Holy Knights.
“A-a Holy Knight!”
“That child from earlier was a Holy Knight?”
Everyone followed Arden's retreating back with shocked eyes.
And the rumor spread from mouth to mouth.
***
Outside the city, Arden walked for a long time while looking at his map.
“There it is.”
Thus, Arden reached a forest.
But something about it was strange.
Even though it was winter, the leaves had not fallen.
Frowning, Arden cautiously stepped inside.
“......”
Just as he had expected, no sunlight entered the forest, making it colder than outside.
There also seemed to be a rotten stench here and there.
That meant something was inside.
Keeping himself alert so he could draw his sword at any moment, Arden ventured farther in.
...The forest gradually grew darker.
Before long, even the sunlight seeping through the leaves was completely blocked.
But it was not a problem for Arden. As soon as his surroundings darkened, his vision brightened.
Still, though he had not been inside long, his body was already trembling.
Arden considered leaving the forest at once, but shook his head.
Passing through this forest was the fastest way south.
“Haa....”
His breath froze.
Flexing his numb hands, Arden turned his gaze to the map.
At this pace, he thought he could leave the forest within three days.
Then it would be fine to use one here.
Stopping for a moment, Arden set down his backpack and took out the leather pouch.
“The way to use it... Ah, I see.”
When he placed an orb on his palm, it naturally began to glow and warmed the area around him.
His body warmed in an instant.
He did not know how long it would last, but for now, this was enough.
Then, just as Arden smiled slightly and began to walk.
―Grrrrraaaaaaaaagh!
From deep within the forest came a cry full of pain.
Arden turned his head toward the sound.
“Should I go?”
After hesitating briefly, Arden nodded. The longer he delayed here, the lower the chance that the person who had screamed would survive.
“Hup―”
Taking a deep breath, Arden kicked off the ground.
The scenery changed with every moment.
Before long, Arden stopped near where the cry had come from.
Looking around, he saw frost on the leaves. The ground was the same.
Even though he was using an orb, he could feel the cold.
“Could someone be in a place like this without a Warming Orb?”
Just as Arden muttered this, the scream pierced his ears again.
It was right beside him.
Arden slowly turned his head.
―Aaaaaaaagh! S-s-s-s-save me!
There stood a monster beyond description.
A pitch-black mass in the shape of a human. Or perhaps foul sludge.
It kept bubbling, as though it would swallow Arden whole.
Tentacles burst out irregularly and writhed.
Its bloodshot eyes rotated with a CRRREAK― before fixing on Arden.
...Primordial fear.
In that strange forest, Arden came face-to-face with terror.
“......”
But he did not panic.
He set down his backpack and drew his sword.
SHING―!
In that place without a single point of light, the sword was the only thing that gleamed.
The pure-white blade lit up the dark forest.
As though bewitched by something, Arden stared at the sword.
Ten years ago, something like this had happened before.
It had been when he was fighting the monster that had killed his mother.
―HUMMMMM!
That was not all.
Pure-white light flowed from Arden's backpack as well.
It came from the upper part of the bag, where he had kept his important belongings.
“This is....”