"In the future you're definitely going to be a baldy no less than Aaron, Himmel."
Because of Nanoda's opening line, the mood instantly turned a little awkward.
Abel and Arue, seated off to the side, both broke out in cold sweat with comical lines on their foreheads, and even the ever-composed Aaron was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Is that so? Even if all my hair fell out, I'd surely still be dashing!"
The fifty-something Himmel sat on the sofa, leaning on the Sword of the Hero—now worn in many places—using it as a cane. Though he had shrunk by a third from what he once was, he still wore that same sunny, confident look as in days past.
"Gaderia is now a free city where Humans and the Demon Race coexist. Even though there are still many nations that don't recognize us, in the not-too-distant future—that promised time—I'll get to see it for you."
The provocation didn't land. Nanoda felt, in her own estimation, that she and Himmel just weren't very compatible.
One a human Hero, the other a Great Demon; one who aids the weak and supports others, the other who acts for her own reasons and ends; one who walks in the light, the other who walks in the dark.
"Actually, I've got something far more important to tell you." Himmel gave a magnanimous smile, paying no mind to Nanoda's cold and prickly tone.
"Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, this place really is as the rumors say. So I can rest easy telling you about this matter."
"Just what is it, that you'd come running all the way from the south yourself?"
Nanoda knew Himmel well, and yet not well at all. "Does this thing have something to do with the Demon Race?"
The last time she'd run into Himmel had happened to be while dealing with a demon incident, too. Nanoda boldly voiced her guess.
Himmel nodded and then said, "That's right. Ten years ago, the Kinton domain that was once called the City of Chaos is now a city of death where the living must not enter. Did you know that?"
"Of course. Over these ten years, the explorers who entered the Kinton domain out of curiosity have all been swallowed up by that city. What's strange, though, is that in all this time the undead's range of movement has never gone beyond the Kinton domain, and the city's scale has never expanded outward. While observing it, the Continental Magic Association merely designated the place a forbidden zone and didn't do anything more about it."
In fact, ever since Aura had put forward her plan to retake it, Nanoda had been keeping a constant eye on the changes in the Kinton domain.
For these ten years, the Kinton domain had been as if asleep, without the slightest movement.
"You really do know quite a lot."
Himmel was taken aback.
"My disciple has some connections in the Magic Association."
"Then I'll get straight to the point. By rights, it should have been the King appointing a priest of the Goddess's Order—my companion Heiter—to come. Unfortunately, the current Goddess's Order is busy mobilizing to study the Scripture.
So His Majesty the King came to me instead. He has me seek out the Church of the New God, which split off from the Goddess's Order, to go investigate that city full of the dead together."
Nanoda was puzzled. The affairs of the Central Lands and the Northern border—what business was that of your Southern Lands King?
And to her surprise, the Church of the New God actually had ties to the Southern royal house as well. Wasn't the Goddess's Order supposed to be the orthodox one? That King, giving the Church of the New God another chance to make a name—could it be he meant to use this to keep the Goddess's Order from dominating alone?
Before Nanoda could ask, Himmel quickly offered an explanation: "That King seems to want to show off the Southern Lands' strength and his own brilliance."
"You're helping for free?"
"Of course."
"As I see it, you're all fools."
"Haha, that King has always had such a bold character, ever since long ago. And I simply don't want a demon's den that devours innocent commoners to keep on existing. So I want to cut off these tragedies with my own hands."
"Shouldering so much—doesn't it ever feel heavy to you?"
"Because that's what a Hero is."
Himmel's answer came without a moment's hesitation, leaving Nanoda speechless.
"So then, what does this have to do with me?"
She didn't go on to reveal the lineup and strength of the undead she'd heard about from Aura. Nanoda put on an air of not being very interested; right now she'd rather go eat some sweets.
"I need your help. For the sake of realizing an age in which Humans and the Demon Race coexist in peace, you ought to do something big enough to change everyone's view of you. This time I'll give all the credit to you, as a member of the Demon Race."
Himmel seemed to have confirmed it, and truly wanted to give her a leg up.
"I—"
Before the word "refuse" could leave her mouth, Aaron, who had been silent off to the side the whole time, suddenly stated his stance.
"Lord Himmel, I want to thank you for the help you gave us, the domain of Gaderia, while Lady Nanoda was away. But I believe that, in the end, it still comes down to Lady Nanoda's own opinion."
Heh—wasn't this Aaron's roundabout way of wanting them to go help, to repay Himmel's assistance back then?
With just one exchange of glances, Nanoda understood Aaron's meaning.
"Fine, I agree. But you have to promise me one thing too: if there are any of the Demon Race there, don't kill them. At most subdue them, then hand them over entirely to me to deal with."
"This… all right."
Himmel agreed, somewhat reluctantly, then added, "As for this Church of the New God we're after, I'm not clear on where they operate either. I only know they use the cross as their symbol and roam from place to place."
"Do we really have to do it according to that King's orders? Can't just the two of us go?"
Nanoda figured that rather than openly bringing a whole crowd along and drawing the undead's attention, it would be more convenient to slip in with a powerful figure like Himmel and find out what was going on.
"Because I've heard that the holy power monks wield has a particularly strong effect against those undead, magical beasts, and all sorts of evil monsters. Along the road into the city, it should be a great help. Naturally, the more companions the better." He clearly had his own ideas.
"That's right, we think what Lord Himmel says makes a lot of sense—there's strength in numbers."
Having listened this long, Abel and Arue joined the discussion too. Just as an elephant can be killed by ants crawling into its trunk, they too worried there might be some accident the two of them couldn't handle alone.
"Fine, fine. But if you end up being dead weight when the time comes, don't blame me."
She was no match for the insistence of so many people. Nanoda waved a hand. It made no difference to her either way.
"Still, the biggest problem right now is—where exactly are we supposed to find those monks and priests of the Church of the New God?" This was the one thing Himmel couldn't be sure of.
"Don't worry, I'm familiar with that."
Apart from Aaron, everyone present was astonished. A member of the Demon Race actually knowing the church's monks? Surely they couldn't be enemies?
Having settled on her target, Nanoda stood up, swiftly came to the doorway, and yanked open the tightly shut door.
"You—just how long do you intend to keep eavesdropping?"
With one tug she caught Yuna, who had nearly toppled to the floor.
"Heh heh… can you take me along, Lady Nanoda?"
Yuna, who'd been warned early on not to follow, leaned half sideways, awkwardly twirling the braid on her shoulder with the fingers of the one hand that hadn't been grabbed.
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