Chapter 98

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The vision, which had turned completely white, gradually returned.

In front of him was the pure white world of God, and the seven gods were seated around a table.

"Kain, you always provide us with entertainment."

Xenom, sitting in the center, stroked his beard and smiled. Kain sighed, realizing that his actions were being used for their amusement, just like he had seen on a screen before.

"It's been a while. I have something I want to ask..."

"Ah, it's about the girl called the Holy Maiden, isn't it? The Holy Maiden has received a prophecy from Lime. Well, standing here won't do, so please sit down."

Kain, encouraged by Xenom, took his usual seat. Lime, who was sitting right next to him, then spoke.

"I think you will meet the Holy Maiden, who has received my prophecy, in a few days. I want you to protect her."

"Protect her?"

Kain tilted his head at the sudden request.

"We gods watch over everyone equally. Whatever happens, it's part of life. I just watch Kain a bit more because you're interesting."

"Interesting...?"

Kain's face twisted at Lime's words. Xenom cleared his throat lightly, and Lime's expression tightened as he continued.

"Anyway, within the church that worships us, there are two factions: the Holy Maiden faction, which conveys our voices, and the Pope faction, which leads the religious state. This time, the Pope faction is planning to eliminate the Holy Maiden, using the reason that she is traveling to your country. The girl is under my protection, and she is a sincere and devout child, so I want you to help her."

If the Holy Maiden were to be attacked within the Esfort Kingdom, it would easily turn into a major incident involving the state. If she were assassinated, the consequences would be irreparable, and it would cause trouble for Kain and Silk's families as well.

"I think I can handle it within my range. I can't be with her all the time, though..."

Kain nodded, thinking he was getting involved in another troublesome situation.

"You can handle it, Kain. I'm counting on you. It's about time."

With those words from Xenom, Kain's vision turned white again.

When he came to, he was back in the altar room. Silk, who was sitting next to him, was still praying, seemingly unaware of anything. As Kain watched Silk's profile, she finished her prayer and opened her eyes, turning to look at him. Her cheeks turned slightly red when their gazes met.

"Kain-kun, it's embarrassing to be stared at like that?"

"Sorry, you were praying so earnestly."

Kain smiled at Silk and, after her prayer, they left the church. They spent a leisurely day walking through the town together. As expected, they listened to a lecture about the Marinford religion from Laguna after dinner.

A few days later, the day arrived to welcome the Holy Maiden.

Kain, Silk, and ten members of the Royal Guard, along with ten knights led by Lord Laguna, were to go to the border to welcome her. A few servants and maids also accompanied them. Laguna's carriage led the way, with Kain and the others following in another carriage.

"What do you think the Holy Maiden is like?"

"I've heard she's about our age, but I don't know much else..."

As Kain responded to Silk, he recalled what Lime had told him.

(She said she's being targeted, but I hope she's safe... I hope nothing happens...)

The distance from the town to the border was about half a day's travel. When they arrived at the meeting place, they started preparing lunch. A stream flowed across the border, and crossing the bridge would lead to the Marinford religious state.

"We will welcome the Holy Maiden here. A tent has been set up, so please wait there."

The tent they were shown had a carpet laid out, with a table and chairs. Kain and Silk drank the tea prepared by the maids. The tea, made from dried local fruits, had a faintly sweet aroma.

"This fruity tea is delicious too."

While chatting, they nibbled on the sweets provided and continued their conversation. Kain, however, used his exploration magic to monitor the situation on the Marinford side. He could sense up to ten kilometers away by focusing in one direction. He had already detected the carriage heading toward the Esfort Kingdom, but he also noticed a group following it at a distance. Not sure if they were a caravan or guards, he continued chatting with Silk.

When they were about five kilometers away, Kain sensed the group catching up to the carriage. The carriage then stopped, and the battle began. Kain hastily put down his teacup and stood up.

"This is bad. The Holy Maiden might be under attack."

"Huh!? What!? Kain-kun, what's going on?"

Silk was surprised by Kain's sudden words.

"Silk, please tell Lord Laguna immediately that the carriage is being attacked a few kilometers ahead. I'm going ahead."

Kain rushed out of the tent, passed the Royal Guard, and crossed the bridge into the Marinford religious state. The knights, taken aback by Kain's sudden actions, were stunned.

"What is Kain-sama doing..."

Silk hurried to Lord Laguna's tent and explained what Kain had said.

"What!? The Holy Maiden might be under attack! We can't just stand by. We need to send reinforcements immediately!"

Laguna gave orders to the guard knights, who quickly formed groups, mounted their horses, and crossed the bridge. The Royal Guard, needing to protect Silk, had six remain while four followed the knights on horseback. Amid the commotion, Kain, enveloped in wind magic, sped toward the Holy Maiden's carriage at over a hundred kilometers per hour.

The number of guards protecting the carriage was less than ten, while the attackers numbered about thirty. Kain's anxiety only increased his speed. After a few minutes, he saw the battle between the knights, who were standing guard in front of the carriage, and the thieves, who were dressed in ragged clothes but wielded new weapons. Several knights had already fallen.

Kain cast a spell at the thieves.

"Water Bullets"

Ten water bullets appeared simultaneously, knocking down the thieves one by one. He had adjusted the power to avoid killing, but those hit in the face or other vulnerable areas were not so lucky. The sudden appearance of a child in noble attire, who quickly defeated the thieves, surprised the remaining thieves, who believed the child was an ally and retreated.

With Kain's support, the battle was over in a few minutes. More than half of the thieves were dead, and about ten were still alive, groaning in pain from the magic and sword wounds. Kain straightened his posture and showed his noble seal.

"Is this the Holy Maiden's carriage? I am Kain von Silford Drunter, Viscount of the Esfort Kingdom. I came to welcome her by royal order, but I sensed an attack and came to assist. Who is the captain of the guard?"

The guards were surprised by the child showing a noble seal, which proved he was the head of his house. One guard stepped forward, wearing matching armor and a red scarf on his left arm, indicating he was in his forties.

"I am Mastina, the captain of the Holy Maiden's guard. Thank you for your assistance. —Bolt... take care of it."

Mastina called to a knight named Bolt, who, along with the surviving knights, approached the fallen thieves and began to finish them off with their swords.

"What are you doing!?"

Kain was shocked by the knights' sudden actions. The thieves had new weapons, suggesting they were not ordinary thieves. They might have had valuable information, but the knights were killing them without hesitation.

"These thieves cannot be brought back to our country. We can't return to the original town either, so we are disposing of them here."

"At least let us gather some information from the thieves—"

"It's not necessary."

Mastina cut off Kain's words. By the time the knights had finished off all the surviving thieves and returned to the captain, Kain was suspicious of the captain's actions. The thieves could have provided valuable information, and the captain's decision to eliminate all evidence troubled him.

"I appreciate your assistance, but this is on Marinford religious state soil. You are a noble of the Esfort Kingdom. You should not interfere with what happens here."

"…You're right."

Mastina's words were reasonable. Despite feeling it was a rash decision, Kain had to acknowledge that this was Marinford territory and subject to its laws. He reluctantly nodded.

After everything was over, the sound of hooves approached from the Esfort side. Laguna and the guard knights, along with the Royal Guard, arrived on horseback.

"Lord Kain! We're here... What is this...?"

The thirty or so thieves were all dead, creating a gruesome scene of bodies and blood. The arriving knights were speechless. To prevent attracting monsters and potential disease, they decided to bury the bodies with Mastina's permission. Kain used magic to dig holes, and the knights threw the bodies in. The three dead knights were placed in a magic bag carried by Mastina.

"Lord Silford, thank you for your assistance. We can't ask the Holy Maiden to get out of the carriage here. Can you guide us to the town?"

"…Understood."

The formation was reorganized, with Laguna leading, the Silvesta knights in front, the Holy Maiden's carriage and guards in the center, and Kain and the Royal Guard at the rear. They began to head back to the waiting area where Silk was.

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