One-Dak Summit (Ⅰ)
Approached the Second Wall together with the expeditionary force.
As if the garrison on the wall had confirmed the approach of the routed soldiers, the main gate soon opened and Holy Knights walked out. Judging by the crimson cloaks draped over them, they belonged to the Order of Strife.
Konrad stepped forward as the representative of the defeated troops. The two men exchanged words for quite a while. It seemed they were discussing the expedition.
"…The atmosphere isn't very good."
The knight glared at Konrad with angry eyes—an expression that suggested the authority of an archbishop meant nothing to him. And it was understandable.
This second expedition had only been made possible because Archbishop Konrad pushed it through. After forcing it ahead like that, the expedition failed and resulted in numerous casualties. It was only natural that he be reprimanded.
Konrad avoided the knight's gaze as if ashamed. As though unwilling to face him any longer, the Holy Knight shook his head and gestured toward the wall.
Before long, the gate opened. The routed soldiers walked into the Second Wall.
"It's our turn now."
We entered the wall together. Naturally, the garrison's eyes turned toward us. Wolves and large gnolls walking alongside a choir would draw anyone's attention.
I thought we might be denied entry, but fortunately that did not happen. It seemed Konrad had given them prior notice during his earlier conversation.
After that, all that remained was walking.
The interior of the Second Wall was a secured zone where subjugation had already been completed. There was no need to worry about ambushes, so we leisurely headed south with the expeditionary force.
Several days later…
We arrived at a familiar city—the Third Frontier City. Woojin entered with his companions.
The gnolls kept looking around in fascination. It was their first time ever setting foot in a frontier city. A rather monumental moment for them.
"…There's so much strange stuff."
Rogar muttered as if dazed. Every time he turned his head, the scenery felt unfamiliar. To the native inhabitants of the Demon Realm, human civilization was filled with nothing but new and mysterious things.
Woojin urged them on.
"Let's hurry. At this rate the sun will set."
"Got it."
Only then did the gnolls quicken their pace. As the group suddenly sped up, Roland made a comment.
"Can't you just leave me out of this?"
"That wouldn't solve anything."
"…True."
Roland let out a deep sigh. He had secretly stepped down from his commander position and joined the second expeditionary force. Now it was time to settle the debts of his past.
They entered the office. Bow, who had been standing by the window, turned his head toward them.
"Jin. I didn't expect you back so soon. What happened to the second expedition?"
"It was crushed like a biscuit in a pocket. Haven't you heard anything from the messenger?"
"I did hear something."
When they passed through the Second Wall, the garrison had released a carrier pigeon. Thanks to that, Bow was already somewhat aware of the situation.
"But it was hard to believe. Negotiating with creatures of the Demon Realm, was it…"
As he spoke, Bow examined Woojin's companions with his discerning eye—wolves, three as always, Roland, and Saintess Cecilia.
"…Now I can't even trust my eyes."
He muttered as if to himself. Woojin tried to explain, but it was difficult to know where to begin.
"It may sound disorganized… but I'll start with what happened during the expedition."
"I'm listening."
He summarized what had occurred. Bow listened carefully. The gnolls and wolves, perhaps bored by the situation, sprawled out on the floor.
After quite some time, Woojin finished his explanation. Bow crossed his arms and pondered what he had just heard.
"…You really have a talent for stirring up strange events every time you step outside."
"It just happened… I didn't intend any of it."
"That aside, why is the Saintess moving with you? I don't believe I heard that explanation."
There was no particular answer to give.
"There's no special story. At some point, she naturally became part of the group."
For some reason, Saintess Cecilia had taken a great interest in learning the gnolls' sign language.
Perhaps finding it troublesome to keep going back and forth to learn, she began sharing a tent with the choir one day. As a result, their personnel had followed along and were now traveling together.
After hearing this, Bow seemed to grasp something and addressed the Saintess.
"Are you still searching for the Sanctuary?"
Swish, swish.
Cecilia responded with gestures. Bow looked slightly flustered at the unexpected sight. Standing beside her, Woojin interpreted.
"She says yes. But that it isn't easy."
Cecilia had grown fond of conversing in gnoll sign language. Because of that, the priests of the Order of Prosperity had no choice but to learn it as well.
At that explanation, Bow rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"She was already a woman of few words… I can't tell whether this has improved matters or made them worse."
"Be that as it may—what exactly is this Sanctuary you mentioned earlier?"
The word caught his attention.
"A holy land, quite literally. Each order usually has at least one place they regard as sacred… but now there are few places left worthy of being called such."
"Why?"
"Because most of them were lost."
After the rift in the Northern Ruins opened and monsters from another world emerged beyond the gate…
Humanity had to surrender roughly eighty percent of its land to the Demon Realm. As a result, each order lost numerous precious relics, grand cathedrals, and holy sites.
Cecilia, the Saintess of Verdure, wished to find a Sanctuary somewhere within the Demon Realm.
"Is learning sign language part of that effort?"
Nod.
She nodded in response. She had learned sign language in order to communicate with the native inhabitants of the Demon Realm, including the gnolls.
The second expeditionary force had tried to subjugate the gnoll tribe by force, only to meet a horrific failure.
Seeing that, Cecilia concluded that the method was wrong. To find the Sanctuary, she believed they would need to build relationships with the natives of the Demon Realm. If they spoke with various tribes, including the gnolls, perhaps they would someday obtain a clue.
"In that case, you'll participate in the next expedition as well?"
Cecilia nodded again. He had thought their connection would be brief, but it seemed they would be seeing each other often in the future.
As they continued speaking…
"…That reminds me."
Bow muttered and once more examined Woojin's party, as if searching for something he had momentarily forgotten.
Woojin could guess what it was. He turned his head toward Roland. The Holy Knight stood at the back, pretending not to pay attention.
Woojin lightly pushed Roland's back. Caught off guard, Roland stepped forward. Seeing this, Bow smiled and nodded.
"Roland, you stay behind. It's about time for some proper discipline."
"…."
Roland's face visibly turned pale. The Holy Knight looked this way with pleading eyes, but this was a burden he had to bear.
Woojin averted his gaze and spoke.
"Shall we step outside for a moment?"
"Do you have somewhere to go?"
"I was thinking of meeting Cindy."
He had planned to have a long-overdue conversation with her. But it seemed that would be difficult.
"Ah, I forgot to mention—Cindy left the frontier city and returned inside the Wall."
Bow said so and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a letter.
It was a letter Cindy had left behind. Woojin immediately broke the wax seal and read its contents.
"…So she left the Demon Realm because of wheat."
Cindy's father, Golden Maggot Wolf, had already wrapped up his business in the Demon Realm long ago. That meant Cindy had little reason to remain here, and so she returned inside the Wall to earn money.
Come to think of it, that was only natural. Cindy had spent far too long on vacation. The witch hunt was over, so it was time for her to return to her main profession.
'I should go see her later.'
With that thought, Woojin folded the letter and tucked it into his chest. Now that things had turned out this way, meeting Cindy would have to be postponed.
There was something more urgent to deal with first.
"Sir Bow. Before long, I intend to go to the headquarters of the Order Alliance and raise the matter of a peace treaty with the gnolls… Could you lend me your support?"
The second expedition had failed.
The Order Alliance would summon Konrad to investigate the situation, and Woojin planned to attend that gathering to bring up the subject of a peace treaty with the gnolls.
To increase the chances of making it happen, he needed allies. Bow pondered briefly before answering.
"…I don't particularly enjoy attending formal assemblies like that, but if it's your request, I suppose I should help. Let us go together."
"Thank you."
He had gained a reliable ally.
Just then, he felt someone's gaze. Cecilia was staring at him intently. The moment he noticed, the Saintess signed her meaning.
—I will help as well.
"Would that be all right?"
Cecilia nodded. It seemed she intended to lend her hand in this matter too.
'Better than expected.'
He had truly done his utmost. Now all he could do was hope for a result worthy of that effort.
***
Leaving the Third Frontier City with the others, they arrived at the walled city of Yurgis. Getting this far had not been particularly difficult.
…The problem began here.
The Round Table Conference.
High-ranking priests sat in discussion around the table, while observers listened from chairs arranged nearby. At this gathering, the matter of peace with the gnoll tribe would be debated.
Woojin could not participate directly. He was not a cleric affiliated with the Order.
'They said they'd call me in during the discussion.'
He had been invited as an advisor. He would wait until the agenda concerning the gnolls came up, then answer a few questions.
…I'm not sure I can speak well.
It was his first time ever speaking in such a setting. To begin with, would the people here even bother to listen to him, no matter what he said?
While Woojin was caught in such stray thoughts, the gnolls chatted calmly.
"I've no hobby of wearing dog collars… Humans are rather excessively fearful, aren't they?"
Rogar said so, tapping the chain around his neck. For safety's sake, the gnolls were restrained with shackles and chains.
Jaka muttered competitively,
"Shall I try breaking it?"
"Hold back. If something happens, it'll be troublesome. We're in the middle of a human city."
"I was just saying. I'm bored to death."
Listening to their conversation made the waiting pass more quickly. After some time, Holy Knights approached and called Woojin.
"You have been summoned to the conference."
Woojin rose without hesitation. He then gestured to the gnolls.
"Let's go."
"Finally, something to do."
The three gnolls followed behind him. With every step they took, the chains clanged loudly against the floor.
Perhaps because of that—
He felt like a gladiator. As if the moment he passed through that door, he would face a starving lion.
"…Honestly, a lion would be better."
A lion could simply be beaten to death. Clerics, on the other hand, could not be handled so recklessly. From Woojin's perspective, that made them far more troublesome opponents.
He took a deep breath to steady himself—
Then stepped through the door. Immediately, he faced the high-ranking clergy conducting the conference, along with numerous believers seated like an audience.
"Come to the center."
Someone spoke.
Woojin complied and walked forward.
When he heard "Round Table," he had imagined people seated around a simple circular desk—but instead, there was a single table shaped like a donut with a bite taken out of it. It resembled the letter C.
Standing in the middle with the gnolls, he felt surrounded by the high-ranking clergy.
"Beast Hunter Jin. We hear that you advocate for a peace treaty with the hyena-beasts known as gnolls. Is this true?"
A priest seated at the table posed the question. He seemed to be someone of considerable rank, yet Woojin had joined mid-session and did not even know the priest's name.
Woojin answered without hesitation.
"Yes. That is correct."
"And what is your reasoning?"
"From a tactical standpoint, peace with the gnolls presents numerous advantages. I submitted a report beforehand explaining this."
During the retreat, Woojin had written several reports in his spare moments. At that mention, a female priest picked up a sheet of paper from the desk.
"I read the report you submitted earlier. To be honest… it was rather fantastic."
…Does she mean unrealistic?
It seemed further explanation would be needed. Growing inwardly anxious, Woojin continued,
"There are indeed parts that may seem unrealistic. To elaborate—"
"Just a moment. I believe you misunderstood me."
The priestess smiled.
"I meant it was excellent. I believe this report will be of great help to the Order Alliance."
Woojin tilted his head slightly.
…Good?
The report's contents were certainly substantial. It was filled with his experiences, thoughts, and accumulated know-how from the Demon Realm.
Yet being so readily acknowledged felt unfamiliar. It almost felt like some kind of hidden camera prank.
'Kyoto-style sarcasm?'
He glanced around, wondering if there was some hidden mockery—but the gazes directed at him were genuinely favorable.
Only then did Woojin realize.
…These people can actually be reasoned with.
Perhaps because he had been burned once by the leadership of the second expeditionary force, this situation felt almost unreal.
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