Chapter 49
The Grand Temple of Portplum, majestic and solemn, was extremely busy both inside and out due to recent events.
Although Delvion had no state religion, the Founding Festival was still an important matter for the Temple of the Sun, since it had taken root across the continent and because the myth that the first emperor of Delvion received aid from the Sun God Raspalara was widely known.
Of course, it was not only because of the imminent Founding Festival. There were also internal personnel adjustments within the Grand Temple, and they were keeping their senses sharpened to detect any disturbances outside, throwing the entire place into turmoil.
On top of that, after rumors spread about the Curse of Deadly Poison and the Right Hand of the Halo, an endless stream of visitors had begun to pour into the Grand Temple of Portplum, which only compounded the problem.
‘After staying in Igrail for so long, coming here really makes the crowd feel unbearable.’
Aquila’s group moved their carriage into an area accessible only to priests, avoiding the throngs of people.
The moment the carriage came to a stop, Gilesha was the first to be transferred to the Grand Temple’s prison.
“Is it that the carriage was shaking too much to concentrate, or is it that I truly cannot read him…….”
Ianpel muttered to himself as soon as he stepped down from the carriage.
His expression was far from pleasant.
It seemed he had held some sort of conversation inside the carriage, but it did not appear to have yielded much in the way of results.
Gilesha was a corrupted fanatic, yet it was undeniable that he was under the Night God’s protection, so Ianpel likely had not been able to pry open any cracks yet.
‘I thought being buried in darkness would have dulled his willpower, but he can still block Ianpel’s skill. He is a tough one.’
When they had met again, Gilesha had looked so withered that it would not have been strange for him to die at any moment, so how was he still maintaining his sanity?
As that thought crossed his mind, Aquila suddenly lifted his head.
‘…Hm? Could this be because of me?’
Had he not been the one who talked about Al Siden and salvation just to extract a bit of information about Belmaburn?
He had even planted hope by saying he would kill him at the desired time.
Aquila recalled the last image of Gilesha as he left the carriage.
The vitality that had returned to the face of a man who had been on the brink of death.
‘I see. I brought him back to his senses.’
Aquila had kept Gilesha alive to extract information during his own turn, only for Ianpel, whose turn came next, to be unable to exploit any weakness.
Aquila cast a sideways glance at Ianpel, then lowered his gaze.
As if nothing were amiss, he watched Gilesha being escorted away by the Temple Knights, his eyes covered.
‘Well, if he never makes it out of prison, then the Guild of Darkness will not fully merge with the corrupted fanatics.’
At present, the Guild of Darkness was not yet fused with the corrupted fanatics.
That would only happen through Gilesha’s hand, once he rose to the position of de facto leader.
Now that he was confined under the name of the saint Ianpel, no one would be able to enter or leave without Ianpel’s permission.
And within that place of pure white, no one knew how long Gilesha’s mind would hold out.
‘…By then, his mind will collapse again.’
Having gotten a sense of things after using the first skill, Ianpel would likely do better the second time.
Certainly.
Aquila decided to bury this matter deep within his own chest.
After exchanging a few words with the priests who had come to receive them, Ianpel approached Aquila.
“…I ended up making you take the trouble of coming all the way to the Grand Temple of Portplum because of this matter. Allow me to apologize as well.”
“It was not an unnecessary task. It is fine. You should go and attend to your duties.”
Aquila waved his hand dismissively.
Even if it was a Reschenhardt carriage, Aquila himself did not need to come along; only Gilesha’s custody needed to be transferred.
The reason Aquila had deliberately come to the Grand Temple of Portplum was only one.
To show that House Reschenhardt was on friendly terms with the Temple of the Sun.
To send that message to the Guild of Darkness.
To make it clear that House Reschenhardt stood under the protection of the Temple of the Sun, so that they would not dare act rashly.
“The Temple Knights will take turns guarding where you are staying. The Second Commander will always be stationed there as well. Every one of them is highly skilled, so you need not worry.”
Ianpel spoke after softening his expression again.
“Then, as a matter of courtesy, let me ask. With the Grand Temple being so busy, is it really all right to spare personnel for me?”
“Haha. Yes, of course. You are a guest I personally invited, after all. Besides, they would probably prefer guarding you over running around inside here.”
The Grand Temple of Portplum was currently suffering from a manpower shortage as it went through internal purges and reorganizations.
Rather than running about the temple in a frenzy, standing guard over a young master and engaging in combat only if necessary might actually be preferable.
“Then we will keep the farewells brief and meet again in three days. If anything urgent comes up before then, please contact me through the Communication Bracelet.”
Ianpel smiled gently.
“Under the radiant sun, I pray for your happiness and peace.”
After finishing a brief prayer for Aquila, Ianpel immediately turned and headed deeper into the Grand Temple.
Behind him, Chelsey bowed her head politely.
“Aquila Reschenhardt. Until we meet again.”
However, another person followed after Chelsey as she turned to leave.
“…I think I should help with the temple work as well, Young Master! Sir Shen, Lady Cahena! I will see you again!”
Yujelia, now a full-fledged Sun Priest of the Grand Temple of Portplum.
She looked around at the busy priests, met their gazes, and ultimately could not withstand the pressure, turning and heading inside the temple.
Heinen, who had remained behind for escort duty, turned to Aquila.
“Then I will guide you to your lodging. While you remain here, I will ensure that no one approaches you.”
Aquila boarded the carriage once more.
***
The next day.
With nothing in particular to do, Aquila woke up late, replenished his mana vessel, and spent his time leisurely lazing about while reading a book.
That was when new news arrived.
“Young Master, a letter has arrived.”
Shen said this as he returned carrying a tray after stepping out for tea.
“For me?”
“Yes. Um… the sender is Raiesel.”
Raiesel.
The noble family that governed the great city of Portplum.
The current head, Count Raiesel, had long been famed for his exceptional ability and shrewdness, a man closer to a merchant than a typical noble.
And to Aquila, he was a very familiar figure.
Since Portplum was a place one inevitably passed through in every main scenario, Aquila always ended up getting entangled with Count Raiesel one way or another.
‘As far as I remember, House Reschenhardt and House Raiesel were not on bad terms. Maybe this time I can meet him a bit more easily.’
Aquila snatched up the letter.
The wax seal bore the unmistakable crest of House Raiesel, but when Aquila turned the envelope to check the sender’s name, he narrowed his eyes.
‘Merien… Raiesel?’
An unfamiliar handwriting.
Aquila stared at the envelope and searched his memory.
Count Raiesel had three daughters and one son.
They had always been close, but especially so after a major incident involving the youngest son, which had made them cling to one another even more.
The count was, by all accounts, a notorious doting parent.
‘…Merien. Was that the daughter who had taken a liking to Ark?’
Aquila tried to recall a hazy face.
He definitely remembered that there had been a tomboy in that family, but he could not recall whether the name matched.
Just as Aquila lifted the letter opener to open the envelope—
“Um, Young Master. Are you all right?”
At Shen’s sudden question, Aquila tore open the envelope and turned his gaze toward him.
“What?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
The attendant looked back and forth between Aquila and the letter with a confused expression.
“But you rejected her, did you not?”
“…What?”
“Huh?”
Aquila’s hand, which had been about to unfold the letter, froze completely.
His black eyes snapped straight to Shen.
“You said you asked if you could at least start as friends, and she said she did not want to be friends. You mentioned it last time, did you not?”
“…I did?”
Aquila looked utterly baffled.
Shen stared at him blankly for a moment, then his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
“No way… I did not think you were so shocked that you forgot about it entirely…… You were really serious…….”
“……”
“No, I mean… I am sorry……. Even so, since you had only just met her at the party, I thought you were lying when you said it was love at first sight. I thought there was no way our Young Master would be like that, all on my own……”
Shen muttered to himself.
Since Aquila was standing right there, he heard everything, but the gist was this.
The first time Aquila had met Merien was when she came to Reschenhardt by invitation, and the moment Aquila saw her in the vast Grand Garden, he had fallen in love at first sight…….
Aquila felt a little dazed.
‘…It has been a while since character background settings like this were added.’
Ignoring Shen pacing about beside him, Aquila casually unfolded the letter.
The opening lines read as follows.
[Aquila Reschenhardt.
Since the beginning of April, the skies have remained high and clear.
Despite my rudeness on that day, I wish to express my gratitude for your attendance at my nineteenth birthday celebration…….]
The letter began with polite greetings, and at first glance, there seemed to be nothing particularly strange about it.
She wrote about how she had been deeply worried when he vomited blood during the party, and how she had been unable to hide her shock upon learning through recent rumors that it had not been a chronic illness, but the Curse of Deadly Poison.
‘…So the place where Aquila, where I vomited blood, was Merien Raiesel’s coming-of-age celebration.’
As he searched his memories, he vaguely recalled dazzling clothes and jewelry, and the sense that the surroundings had been like a party hall.
Up to that point, it read like an ordinary letter of concern between acquaintances.
The problem began after that.
[I thought that you might at least send me a single, ordinary letter.
Just one letter containing words that you were all right, or that nothing was wrong.
After you hurriedly returned that day, if you had heard how coldly my nineteenth birthday celebration came to an end, if you had considered my anxiety, you might have done so.
I wonder, but you have not forgotten me, have you?]
She went on to write, in a roundabout way, that while she had thought it unavoidable last time, knowing that you had urgent business at the Grand Temple of Portplum, she could not understand why there had been no word at all during this visit.
Surely House Reschenhardt would not simply forget to make contact, so it must be her own misunderstanding.
The handwriting, pressed firmly into the paper until the ink bled, seemed to reflect her state of mind.
Shen, who had sidled up beside Aquila and was reading along, let out a low sound.
“I am sorry, Young Master. I forgot to remind you that we needed to send a letter to House Raiesel…….”
His face turned deathly pale as he repeatedly apologized.
However, Aquila had no intention of blaming Shen.
After everything that had happened, it was only natural that he had not had the presence of mind to attend to such matters.
Aquila waved his hand a few times and finished reading the letter to the end.
“It is not your fault. More importantly, she says she wants to speak face to face, so she would like to invite me to House Raiesel on this occasion.”
At the end, she wrote that since the last thing she had seen was him vomiting blood, she wanted to see him healthy with her own eyes, but that did not seem to be the only reason.
“…Do you think she is very angry?”
“I do not know.”
It had already been two weeks since rumors spread that the Curse of Deadly Poison had been lifted.
Yet there had been no word from Aquila’s side, so it was understandable that she would find it strange.
The fact that Celsia had turned into a monster, or that Aquila had collapsed and only woken up ten days later, had not leaked outside.
Those matters would only be officially announced once Lexenbert arrived.
‘Still, if this lets me meet Count Raiesel, it is not a bad opportunity.’
After scanning the letter once more, Aquila folded it and returned it to the envelope.
“Shen. Could you bring me some paper and a pen?”
“…Ah, yes! Are you going to write a reply?”
“Yes. I have some free time, and the opportunity is good.”
Shen did not quite understand what he meant by “opportunity,” but he nodded quickly and hurried outside.