“What? Failed?”
Archbishop Maxim wore a face filled with rage.
Seeing her like this, Nune and Tine shrank back, their voices trembling as they spoke.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“But… there was nothing we could do. She kept bringing up the Pope’s authority…”
“That doesn’t mean you should… Ugh… No… It was foolish of me to trust people like you to handle anything…”
The two couldn’t retort a single word, mumbling instead.
Watching their pitiful state, the Archbishop felt a slight headache and leaned back in her chair.
“Still, I thought these foolish ones might be a little useful, so I tried giving them some work… but it turned out like this. Now, I’ll just have to give up on cash.”
At that moment, the two spoke up cautiously as they observed the Archbishop’s expression.
“Um… Archbishop, what should we do now?”
“Well, considering this situation, not only cash but also the property documents inside…”
“No, you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Huh?”
“W-what do you mean…”
The two showed confusion at the unexpected words.
Seeing them, the Archbishop grinned slyly and said, “You don’t need to worry. Cash can be overlooked, but that guy won’t be able to dispose of the buildings and land.”
“…?”
The two wore expressions of bewilderment at the Archbishop’s words.
With a sense of disappointment about the cash behind her, she decided to maintain a relaxed attitude and wait for the week to pass.
“The best thing would be to completely cut off his movements until the formal expulsion is decided, but even if that fails, there’s nothing he can do anyway. The massive property he’s built up will soon belong to me… or rather, to the Lord!”
*
Thanks to Cazerose’s consideration, I was able to enter the lodging and was receiving treatment for my injuries before starting work.
I was being treated.
Using the sacred power, Aura, for healing.
Although the power that Cazerose possessed wasn’t that strong, at least it was enough to recover from such light injuries.
“All done!”
After confirming that the bleeding stopped and the wound had healed, Cazerose spoke with a bright voice.
In response, I smiled and sincerely expressed my gratitude to her.
“Thank you so much. I almost ended up being kicked out with nothing. Not to mention, you healed my wounds like this…”
“It’s nothing. Even if you’ve been excommunicated, as someone who benefited from Mr. Santana, it was only natural for me to help.”
Cazerose spoke with a sympathetic smile. Her heartfelt concern automatically brought a bittersweet smile to my face.
“But… are you really okay? You know, don’t you? The Archbishop is behind what just happened. If that person decides to make a fuss about this…”
“That’s true, but I’m fine. At least, I didn’t want to act disgracefully before the Lord as a Paladin, and…”
“And…?”
With those words, Cazerose’s expression seemed a little flustered.
However, she quickly wiped away the slight redness on her face and continued in a calm voice.
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, I really feel sorry that I could only help this much. I’ve received more help from Mr. Santana than a few times…”
“Cazerose…”
Seeing her sincerely troubled expression, I began to feel a deep emotional warmth in my heart, realizing that at least there was someone who recognized my efforts.
At that moment…
“Um… and this…”
“Hmm?”
The next moment, she handed me a small pouch.
I carefully accepted it and checked its contents.
And inside, there was…
“What is this…?”
“I’m sorry. But this is all I can give you right now… Since you’ll have to travel a long way, please use it for your travel expenses.”
“It’s not just that… You have a long road ahead, so please use this to help with your travel expenses.”
“Ha… but how can I…?”
“This is money I could never have gathered without Santa’s help. Please take it. Compared to what you’ve done for our Paladin Order, this amount is nothing, but still…”
A bag full of silver coins.
Though this was a decent sum of money considering my usual standards, it wasn’t that big.
However… for Cazerose, who was struggling to live on a meager salary as an ordinary paladin, this amount was practically her entire fortune.
Seeing her kind and delicate heart, I felt a slight lump in my throat.
“But still, it seems there are still some decent people left among the paladins.”
Foolish beings, unaware of the impending disaster captured by their own desires, who even cut off their own hands that tried to save them.
Yet… amidst all that, the realization that such a good person was still around filled me with both admiration and deep sorrow.
“But in the end, she too will die soon if this continues, right?”
The moment they cast me out by mentioning their ridiculous reasons, the fate of the Paladin Order and the Church was already sealed.
Left to flounder in impending destruction, either drifting into death in pain or living a miserable life in the dirt.
As for me, having already been exiled and cast away, I felt no responsibility toward that.
Looking back at this mess, I realized that the downfall they would face was truly of their own making.
“An individual’s strength cannot change the flow of the world… Is that it? I thought things would turn out well, but I never imagined it would spiral into this ruin…”
Yet, aside from the certain future of destruction, at this moment, I just wanted to save this one person in front of me.
Cazerose. No matter what, I wanted to find a way to save her.
In this moment, when everyone was turning their backs on me and trampling my efforts, she was the only one who acknowledged me and tried to help, even a little.
She contributed money from her meager living… and above all, the fact that she had just let me come here.
It was all because of that.
Especially in the second case, it might seem simple, but I knew the weight behind it was anything but light.
“Sure, I acted based on principles, but this act will definitely cause her life to go downhill.”
Considering I had just gone against the Archbishop’s order, it was clear that as a Paladin here, I’d have a hard time facing the consequences.
More than anything, she had already been facing discrimination due to being a foreigner, so it would be even worse for her.
And even if she somehow endured it, just thinking about the hell awaiting her afterward made it impossible for me to leave her behind like this.
“But what to do… In this situation, even if I warn her about the future, it probably wouldn’t mean much…”
Even now, I could sense danger lurking, but no matter how I looked at it, claiming that these signs would turn the city… and the country into a mess was something she couldn’t possibly believe without knowing the future.
In this regard, there was only one way to save her in this moment.
Depending on the situation, she might refuse… honestly, the chance of that was pretty high. But still, I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Cazerose, this might come as a surprise, but I would like to ask you for a favor, for the first and last time.”
“A favor? Please, tell me anything. If it’s within my ability, I will do it.”
She responded with eagerness to my words. But seeing this side of Cazerose made me cautious about the high likelihood she’d reject my proposal.
“Cazerose… if it’s okay, would you consider leaving with me?”
“…What?”
She shot me a flustered look, just as I expected.
And so, I reached out to her with what I thought was my only shot at salvation.
If she rejected me… would I have to bear the consequences of sounding like a crazy person while contemplating the future?
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