344th Chapter
“I think I’m completely fine now. I’m relieved the treatment went well.”
Erica sat in a gigantic office chair.
Though her height remained the same, she had matured significantly as she alternated her gaze between the two women in front of her, cracking a slight smile.
“The early version of the treatment had some side effects, but you’ve overcome them well. You’ve worked hard, Charlotte. Ah, the person I’m referring to is this one over here…”
Remembering that both shared the same name, Erica pointed to the woman with white hair.
The woman with curly hair beside her waved her hand dismissively and laughed.
“It’s only this Charlotte who received the treatment, so there’s no chance of confusion. Right, Erica?”
“That’s true… and you don’t need to use honorifics. There are no ranks in the Peacekeeping Force, you know.”
“Still, how could we speak informally to someone who plays such an important role in the headquarters? We’ve received so much help. Isn’t that right, Charlotte?”
The curly-haired Charlotte nudged the white-haired Charlotte with her elbow.
The white-haired Charlotte lowered her head gracefully in thanks. The curly-haired Charlotte also belatedly bowed her head, realizing her mistake.
“Thanks to the continuous interest and support from you, Erica, and you, Diphelia, over the past four years, I was able to completely shed the form of Altife and become human again. I’m truly grateful.”
“Thanks to Erica providing substantial funding necessary for the development of the treatment, many heroes were able to return to their original selves. I thank you on their behalf as well.”
Receiving their heartfelt gratitude, Erica felt somewhat embarrassed.
Clearing her throat unnecessarily, she shared the thanks she’d received.
“Um… I only provided some material support. It was Diphelia and that kid who dedicated themselves more than I did. There’s no reason for me to be thanked this much.”
Thus, the three of them engaged in a brief awkward conversation.
As time passed and it was time for tea, Erica wrapped up the discussion.
“…And I hope you won’t feel burdened by this. It’s becoming a world where we can all live well together, right? Besides, it wasn’t purely my fortune; I fully packed a good chunk when I left the family, you know. Ah, and you might have an idea, but the salary from the Peacekeeping Force isn’t bad either?”
Having left the Portlet Family, Erica was now living her life outside the family’s rules.
“No matter what, gratitude should be expressed multiple times…”
“Thank you, but I can only be grateful so many times…”
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. My schedule is packed now, so please leave.”
Erica spoke in a somewhat gruff tone, dismissing the two.
The difference from the past is that it’s not due to genuine avoidance or unfamiliarity.
The two Charlottes bowed their heads a few more times before preparing to leave.
“…But, you must be feeling a bit disappointed.”
Just before the Charlottes exited the office, Erica muttered to herself.
The two Charlottes understood why Erica said that and exchanged glances.
Though appearing a bit lonely, their smiles held a hint of spring excitement as they said, “That may be true. But, it’s a choice she made.”
Creeeak—.
“…”
Once the two left, Erica remained in the office and sipped the half-full cup of tea.
The tea, laden with sugar cubes, sweetly enveloped her mouth and sent fragrances wafting to her nose.
“…It’s already been four years since then.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Erica gently nudged the black cat plush doll on her desk with her finger.
The doll, making a silly face, slightly bobbed its head.
“Indeed. So many things have happened in the meantime.”
The man accompanying her in the office filled her empty teacup and responded.
Erica looked at him while he poured the tea.
“I’ve been so busy that I’ve almost lost track of time. Bantlo, don’t you feel the same?”
He was her childhood friend and now served as her archer aide.
Bantlo slowly retraced his memories and spoke.
“After the Great War, the world changed rapidly, and as former heroes, we couldn’t help but be overwhelmed. Plus, Diphelia, who staged the coup, revealed the identities of the Holy Emperor and Divine Tree, causing a huge uproar.”
“You know my father fell ill because of that, right? He’s recovered now, but still… it must have been a shock to learn that the loyal Portlet Family had been serving the Cardinal of the Goddess Church for generations.”
Erica turned her head to gaze out the window.
The once-mighty Divine Tree seemed as if it would never be seen again.
Under Diphelia’s leadership, which captured both the Church and the public sentiment, it had vanished without a trace.
Erica contrasted the landscape visible from the window with the past and spoke.
“However… when I think about it now, it does seem odd.”
“What do you mean?”
“That such a large tree had its roots in the world, yet the coalition seated above it boasted of bountiful land. No one questioned it, attributing it all to Yggdrasil’s power and holy land, but realistically, it was an illogical phenomenon.”
For a tree to grow and thrive, it needs nutrients.
Most of those nutrients are supplied from its roots.
And those nutrients are drawn from the soil.
“To maintain the huge bulk of Yggdrasil, it must have been siphoning mana and nutrients from the dungeons hidden all over the world. If… that tree had consumed all the dungeons, it would start extracting nutrients from the very land we live on, which sends chills down my spine.”
Bantlo agreed with Erica’s observation.
If… the true natures of Plauros and Yggdrasil had remained hidden while the Church’s system continued, this land would have inevitably transformed into a wasteland in the distant future.
The tree that was gradually bringing calamity to the world. Cardinal Buer.
The fallen tree. Cardinal Buer.
And the bishop Plauros, who carried this out, was executed on the spot.
There were still fervent believers who longed for Yggdrasil, but for most of humanity, Yggdrasil was no longer a sacred tree but a devil’s tree.
In the end, the colossal religion that had sustained the world vanished, and Saint Diphelia cried out for liberation from religion.
She meant that humanity should not entrust their fate to the gods any longer but instead protect themselves and carve their own paths.
To save the chaotic world and sustain humanity, a Peacekeeping Force was also established, and Diphelia was so overworked that she was on the brink of exhaustion from staying up every night.
“… Cardinal Jephar’s forces were quite the headache, too.”
At Bantlo’s words, Erica let out a long sigh.
“Don’t even start. After hiding for a while, he suddenly showed up in Glashalabolas’s body, and we struggled a lot back then.”
“Plus, because he forcibly activated the artificial spirits scattered throughout the world, including Erlich, there were many casualties…”
“Thanks to Alicia and Finn, we were saved; otherwise, we’d have been done for.”
Even recalling that situation sent shivers down their spines.
Although the power of the Goddess Church had significantly declined compared to the past, humanity was the same.
Consequently, humanity rebuilt the Academia and trained soldiers.
The figures who actively participated during this time were Paula, the current Chancellor of Academia, and Louisa, the Vice-Chancellor.
Of course, it was now an institution for training the Peacekeeping Force rather than heroes.
“…Anyway, all the cores of the Cardinals have been destroyed, and nearly all the remnants of the Goddess Church have been captured, so it seems we’re finally seeing an end to this. Ugh….”
Erica stretched her tired arms.
In the past, Bantlo would have massaged Erica’s shoulders, but now he couldn’t do that.
Erica teased him by pointing that out with a laugh.
“Oh ho! Now that you’re dating Serena, you can’t even touch a lady’s shoulders anymore?”
“…There’s no reason for Serena to be jealous, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Someone is getting circles under her eyes every day due to work, while someone else is giving off a sweet aroma of love.”
Bantlo had started dating Serena, the fellow archer.
At first, Serena showed signs of suspicion or avoidance towards Bantlo, but after going through the Great War and various incidents, she gradually opened up.
Bantlo smiled shyly and replied.
“Erica, don’t you think about dating? It seems like a lot of marriage proposals are coming your way.”
“…Dating, huh? Well, I’m not really confident about it.”
“Not confident, you say?”
After pausing briefly at Bantlo’s question, Erica spoke up.
Her eyes seemed to look back at a foggy past from a distance.
“No one wanted to tell me about my connection with ‘that man’…. But I’m not completely oblivious. Even though I don’t remember, I understand that I loved passionately enough to leave everything behind.”
“……Erica.”
“No, I’m not trying to have a heavy conversation. It’s just… maybe because of that, I don’t think I can devote my heart to someone else. It’s like I’ve already burned out all my fuel… Anyway, that’s how I feel, so I find watching other people’s romances way more interesting than my own right now.”
Erica flashed a subtle smile while looking at Bantlo.
A playful glint sparkled in her eyes once again.
The mischief sparkled again.
“And no matter how many letters you get from people you don’t even know, it’s not like you’ll feel anything, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“What’s up? Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?”
“Nothing. Just forget it.”
Bantlo shook his head and dropped the subject.
Erica, feeling a bit bored, picked up the remaining document and skimmed through it.
The document had the names of applicants who requested relic loans along with the relics themselves.
“Kaiman… did he break his sword again? How many times is this now?”
“…Exactly the 7th time.”
“Does he think relics are like the neighbor’s dog? He claims he sees Finn as a rival, but why does he keep mishandling his sword? Finn has never broken a sword, not even once.”
Erica marked an X in bright red next to Kaiman’s name.
Next to it, she wrote in tiny letters, “Expenses chasing the hero’s butt.”
“Honestly, no matter how good the weapon is, he can never catch up to Finn. The difference in skill is like heaven and earth.”
“…Erica, I don’t think you should ever say that in front of Kaiman.”
Kaiman had become quite a renowned swordsman, but Finn was on a different level.
Hero Finn.
He was the only one known throughout history as the Sword Master.
Now there were even rumors that his swordsmanship surpassed that of the ‘mad genius’.
“By the way, we’re down one crucial workforce, and that’s a big problem. The public is still desperately calling for the hero’s name.”
“If it’s about her, hasn’t everything already been wrapped up?”
“I’m just feeling regretful. It’s a huge loss not being able to use our most crucial force. Has she really changed that much? Back when she was at Academia, she would have jumped at every request.”
“Speaking of which, didn’t you cry when you saw her off yesterday? I haven’t seen you cry in ages.”
“No, that’s…! It’s just that she was a talent so precious it felt a waste to let her go.”
While continuing to check the documents, Erica blushed.
She signed in cursive before moving on to the next page.
“Well, I know how hard that kid has worked until now, so we can’t just hold her back. …She actually achieved results that would take others decades, all in four years.”
“True….”
Erica and Bantlo thought of the white-haired woman who always tackled problems head-on.
Despite a schedule that would have drained anyone, she voluntarily took on more work.
Instead of complaining, she always smiled gently.
Her retirement ceremony was held just yesterday.
“…I hope she finds her way well.”
Erica tapped her pen nervously, showing her concern.
As if to ease her worries, Bantlo responded with a gentle smile.
“If it’s Alicia, she’ll definitely find her way. It’s not like she’s going in without any clues.”
“I hope so too.”
—Knock, knock.
Just as Erica finished another document, a knock was heard.
With an endless pile of documents left to process, there were even more people looking for her.
“Sigh… I really am getting old.”
Erica muttered weakly, then steeled her expression.
Soon, her neatly groomed eyebrows took a proud and confident stance.
“Come in.”
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