chapter 112
Beware of accidents (2)
Miriam couldn’t hide her surprised expression.
That reaction would be natural.
“Do you know about the Holy Relic?”
“I know it exists.”
Regarding the holy relic, not only ordinary people, but even ordinary priests did not know about it.
As such, it was regarded as a top secret even by the various Holy Churches.
Holy relics, in other words, were things actually used by saints who had accumulated achievements to the point of being called saints or saints in the past.
It is said that items that have been used for a long time contain their sacred power, spirit, and soul, and pass down special powers.
In other words, it could be said to be a superior compatibility of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, once discovered, not only would the entire church be overturned, but they would desperately find the successor to the holy relic and present it as the representative of the church.
Since it was an object with that much value, all churches were thoroughly silent on this fact.
“You are still convinced. As you know, do you think that such an important relic would be entrusted to a mercenary?”
“Compared to just retrieving the relic, the reward is too generous. I can’t help but doubt this.”
The three things Miriam promised.
Among them, free treatment was a normal treatment for those who gave grace to the church.
As religious organizations usually do, they increase the number of believers through volunteer work and support and operate by receiving donations.
Therefore, free treatment was also a reward that was expected to some extent.
The other reward, the Honor Paladin, was definitely something special.
In other words, it was a story that no matter where you go, the Lunara Holy Church proves your identity.
Currently, as the Empire’s state religion, Lu Nera’s religion has spread all over the country, so you can be assured of a certain status and active anywhere.
No matter how noble they were, they couldn’t touch a religious person, so unnecessary trouble could be prevented.
And finally, the blessing of purification.
“I was convinced because you gave the blessing of purification that is given only to members of the imperial family or knights or wizards belonging to the imperial castle who have made very special achievements. Rather, I thought it would be a life allowance, so I was about to refuse it.”
“this. You didn’t ask me about the blessing of purification. Did you already know that? I must have stopped talking.”
I’m saying it’s a mistake, but it must have been intentional.
He only had a nice smile, but he was the one who was in charge of the high priest’s seat. There was no way to gamble to move people with unintended words.
As much as that, the blessing of purification was a very great blessing.
Basically, the blessings given by the priests were mostly related to physical health, such as praying for health, recovering from fatigue, and stabilizing the mind.
The effect did not last too long, and the church provided it to the general public for free at special events.
However, the blessing of purification was of a different class.
It is literally a blessing that purifies the whole body with divine power, transforming it into a clean body just like when it was born.
Since it purifies all the wastes accumulated inside the body unconsciously and unknowingly while living and becomes the optimal body, the body of the knights is further strengthened, and the wizards accept more pure mana.
It was said to be one of the best blessings that can be received because it makes the body clean, and of course, like the blessings for health mentioned earlier, there is no need to go through small illnesses.
It took a very long time and manpower to prepare for one person’s blessing, but even this was unknown to the general public.
“Still, the blessing of purification is something that can be known with a little attention. Besides, didn’t the high priest say it on purpose because he thought I wouldn’t accept it if I didn’t bring it out?”
“I really can’t hide anything in front of Irvin’s followers. In that sense, I have one additional request.”
“Are you going to accompany the priest and the paladin? Of course that’s fine. Oh, but too many will get in the way, so I’ll ask for just a few.”
“I tried to negotiate, but you take all my words away. No, if that’s what you’re talking about… … Do you mean that Irvin also wants something else?”
This is why people who can communicate well are good.
I smiled and put into my mouth what I had been thinking since I was guessing the place.
“Can I take my daughter with me?”
* * *
The journey was pleasant.
A wagon and coachman provided directly by the Holy Church, plus a person to take care of the convenience during the trip.
This alone made him realize the weight of this request once again.
Of course, that wasn’t a burden or anything like that. Even if the request failed, there was no money to be paid as a penalty.
Rather, even if he failed, he was promised to give the blessing of purification once, so it was a business that remained.
The place where the holy relic was buried was about a week away by carriage from Findel.
Normally, it would have been noisy due to people interfering here and there, but… … This time, it was only me, Rize, and Irina.
“I wish Master would have come too.”
“The guild headquarters suddenly called, so there’s nothing we can do about it. S-class mercenaries are such a nuisance.”
Originally, Douglas was supposed to come with him, but the mercenary guild called him, so he was away for a long time.
I don’t watch the S-level screening because I’m afraid I’ll be like that.
But Rize seemed to have a different opinion from me.
“Still, I want to become an S-class mercenary. You can only become a very strong person like Master.”
“Dad will cheer you on, but you shouldn’t overdo it by impatiently trying to become S-class, right?”
“Yeah, I will. Master also said that she looked like Scarlett unnie.”
“… … .”
Scarlett had gone through a few difficult requests due to her lack of experience, so she was out of the days when she was confident in her ability to become an S-class.
Even now, if I took the test, I thought I would pass enough, but rather, I was putting it off.
Now, I don’t know if her future will be the same as I knew, but it was certain that she was much stronger than before.
It was the experience that always mattered to her.
After thinking about her for a while, Irina, who was tidying Rize’s hair, asked a question.
“By the way, are you not stopping by Hisera?”
Holy City of Hisera.
It was the headquarters of the Lu Nera Holy Church, the residence of the pope, and a city recognized for its autonomy within the empire.
There, after joining the priest and paladin supported by the church, they were scheduled to go to their destination together.
However, it seemed that Irina had seen that they were not heading towards Hisera at the fork in the road they saw earlier.
“I got a call this morning. They said let’s just join at the destination since you’ll be returning after stopping by Hisera.”
“It will definitely save time.”
“That means it’s urgent, too. It’s because they’re excavating a sacred relic that hasn’t progressed in 10 years.”
It may be said that the buried place is a piece of sh*t, but there was a way to think about it.
I’ll have to see if it goes well.
“Dad, are holy relics that great?”
“Well, because it has divine power… … .”
I thought it would be better to show rather than explain, so I took out Dee Jena’s stake from my bag and showed it.
“Is that a holy thing?”
“It was made by carving out a statue of a god and endowed with divine power. Would you like to touch it?”
Rize reached out a little cautiously and held the stake in her hand, then opened her eyes slightly and said.
“Wow, this is just warm.”
It was said that the level of accepting divine power differs from person to person, but seeing Rize’s reaction, I felt it.
I couldn’t feel anything when I touched this stake.
Seeing the stake emitting a soft light that Rize was afraid to hold, I thought that a hero must be different.
Rize, who was examining the stake curiously, quickly changed her hand and held the pointed part long while looking at me and asking.
“What if I stab a monster with this?”
“You know that normal divine power is no different from dark magic, right? It’s definitely more effective than just stabbing with a sword.”
“Hey, having something like this would be very comfortable in a dungeon. Oh, then there is no sword among the holy relics?”
Rize seemed to think that the stake was inconvenient to use, so she returned it to me and immediately looked for the sword.
I thought for a moment, then opened my mouth, wondering if it would be okay to say this.
“Do you remember the sword your father showed you once? I told Lize to pick it up.”
Rize searched for her memory and nodded as if she remembered it.
“Yeah, I really liked that. Are you talking about the one my dad took back when he said he would give it back to me when I grew up?”
“Yeah, right. As Rize said, it is a special sword imbued with divine power.”
To be precise, it should be called a holy relic, not a holy relic.
At my words, Rize’s eyes twinkled and she clenched her fists and raised them near her chest.
“Wow, that’s right! It felt different from other swords, but that was probably because of it. Dad, can’t we use that sword next time?”
“Not yet.”
A holy sword that only a hero can wield.
One day, of course, I planned to give it to Rize, but I hadn’t thought about it yet.
Rize was excited about receiving a new sword, as she is now often fighting with a true sword, but when I rejected it at once, she immediately put on a sullen expression.
At that, I smiled and patted Rize on the head.
“Do you know why Dad keeps emphasizing basic skills?”
“They said that application is possible only when basic skills are strong. And he said that if you don’t have strong basic skills, you can’t respond to any situation.”
“yes. However, if you use special weapons, you will be able to defeat monsters easily enough that you don’t need such basic skills. But can I really call it strong?”
“… … No, not strong.”
Rize immediately shook her head, and after waiting for a while, Rize gathered her thoughts and opened her mouth again.
“It’s just that the weapon is special, it’s not like I’ve become stronger. and… … I think I will continue to rely only on that weapon.”
“that’s right. Having tasted it once, I can’t help but use it again and again. Even if the limit is reached, you will think that you need to find a better weapon than you think that you need to become stronger.”
At my words, Rize nodded as if she understood, and I added a little more.
“Just like training the basics for various swordsmanship applications, self-training is the basis for using these special weapons. Did your dad always tell you? Do not be swayed by the sword.”
“Swing your sword.”
“Yeah, right. I remember it well.”
“Hi-Hi.”
Rize immediately took over, and when she strongly stroked the head, Rize let out a small smile and was delighted.
When she took her hands off her head, Rize opened her mouth with a determined expression.
“I have decided. I won’t rely on that and I will become very strong.”
“Dad still thinks I can rely on him when the situation arises.”
“A situation to write about?”
“There are bound to be powerful enemies that I cannot face with my own strength, or difficulties that cannot be resolved with my own abilities alone. It’s common for monsters that don’t work unless it’s divine power, situations where people’s lives are in danger, too many monsters to deal with alone, and doors that can’t be opened by normal methods.”
At my words that continued, Rize nodded several times and was lost in thought.
I wondered if I thought I could do everything with a single sword like Douglas, who lives there, but I wanted to teach him that the world wasn’t so kind.
“That’s why I’m telling you to refrain from such things, and you have to be flexible depending on the situation. Come on, look. There are tons of useful tools to know. It’s called a flash orb, so when activated, it emits a strong light. You must cover your eyes when using it. This is glacial toad oil, so it covers a wide range… … .”
He took out the various tools he had kept in his bag and explained, and Rize responded with sparkling eyes.
Irina, a fruit similar to Douglas, was bored, but as long as our daughter is happy, that’s enough.
After a few more days, we arrived at our destination.
The scene unfolding in front of my eyes was more depressing than I thought.
“What are you looking for here?”
“It looks like a giant trampled down the mountain.”
Like Rize’s impression, the surrounding area completely collapsed and the irregularly compacted landscape filled his field of vision.
I didn’t remember this terrain very much, but looking at it closely, it was serious.
I saw two figures waiting nearby, so I headed there, and one of them, dressed as a priest, bowed respectfully.
“May the road ahead be full of light. I’ve been waiting for you, Irvine follower.”
When I was wondering who would come, it was someone who knew one-sidedly.