“Probably instigated by another faction. If the saintly woman disappears, the balance of power will tilt drastically. Since the balance is currently hanging straight, everyone probably wants to disrupt it if possible.”
“Outwardly, it’s a peaceful factional dispute, huh…”
“Even if it’s not talked about openly, if there are radical individuals, there will inevitably be some behind-the-scenes activities. I don’t know if it’s instigated by the Archbishop himself, but at least that saintly woman is clearly being targeted. If we know that much, we can’t just leave it be.”
“As kindhearted as always I see.”
“It’s in my nature.”
Phil stands up and places his hand on the floor.
The spot he touched gradually darkens and begins sinking.
Then he simply pulls out his arm, floating up the head of one attacker from earlier.
“I should interrogate this guy later. Preserve in cold storage, important. He can complete into a fresh attacker specimen anytime after thawing.”
“Haah…I think it every time but, Phil’s [Binding] magic really is convenient huh. Maybe you should open a cooking class or something with it?”
“Unfortunately, my magic is quite famously user-unfriendly for housewives.”
Phil shrugs then releases the head he grasped.
The attacker’s head sinks back into the darkened floor, returning to its original color.
“Well, for now let’s help look after the Priestess during her stay. It should be safer than some random inn here, we can handle things somehow between us if needed after all.”
“Not relying on the knights direction huh. And you nonchalantly include me in the count too… “
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“Dissatisfied… because, you see, I’m your maid. I don’t want to protect someone else; I want to protect you.”
Puffing her cheeks discontentedly, Karua began to poke Phil’s face.
“Besides, if you say that, it’ll turn into a story like, ‘Why is the daughter of a duke working as a maid?'”
“That’s its own issue unrelated to this.”
What’s that?
Phil can’t help wryly smiling seeing Kahlua make cute discontent appeals.
Incidentally, his brother makes strange remarks about their relationship but since she herself persists in it, Phil has no complaints.
“Oh fine, indulge my selfishness my partner.”
“Hmph, I’ll forgive you if you pet my head.”
“Roger roger.”
Phil sits Kahlua on his lap then begins stroking her silky red hair.
Eyes narrowed, she completely surrenders herself to Phil wearing a very comfortable expression.
“I’m your one and only partner got it?”
“Yup. My most precious partner.”
Salemabart Count Family Mansion—within one of the many rooms allotted for guests, the Priestess Milis calls her knight escorts and begins speaking.
“It’s definitively Sir [Hero of Shadows]! Without a doubt!”
Eyes glittering, wearing a charming innocent smile fitting her age.
It resembled a child admiring their hero and actually catching sight of the real deal.
This visit—just as said before, was simply to express gratitude to Phil.
Coincidentally Milis was in nearby a Church, this chance visit became beneficial allowing her arrival just two days after rumors began circulating.
Initially half skeptical, half wishful thinking.
With past cases of that person is the [Hero of Shadows] or I’m the Hero of Shadows rumors floating around before, skepticism is only natural.
In fact, after being saved by the [Hero of Shadows], Milis has been deceived by rumors several times herself already.
Even so, I couldn’t give up.
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Unable to express gratitude, only able to cry, that’s why this time, I wanted to express my thanks and repay the favor.
And, the moment Phil entered the room, I was convinced ─ this person is undoubtedly the [Hero of Shadows].
Was it because of the strong emotions? Despite the disguise, just seeing the true form made me certain, which is quite remarkable.
” Yes, once you see that, there’s no room for argument.”
One of the knights agreed. They, like Milis, had been skeptical.
Moreover, unlike Milis, there was no direct obligation, so it felt like a casual expedition, to be honest.
However, when we opened our eyes, what do you think?
In place of our incompetence, he bravely protected the saintly woman as the escort.
Moreover, he used marvelous magic, a kind of magic that the knights couldn’t handle.
” However, the magic of the [Hero of Shadows] was amazing. We can’t use magic, so no matter what we saw, it was astonishing… honestly, it was beyond our expectations.”
” Exactly! He truly deserves to be called a hero!”
” We’re inadequate… We must strive to protect the saint next time.”
Magic is a technique that humans with magical power can use.
By pursuing and embodying ideals into rituals, they can manifest phenomena in the world.
The stronger the curiosity in researching the theme.
The stronger the desire to fulfill the ideals.
Magic becomes stronger in proportion to these factors.
The magic that Phil displayed was on a completely different level compared to ordinary magicians.
How can one reach that level? Unfortunately, for the knights who couldn’t use magic and could only sharpen their martial skills, it was an unknown world.
Hence, the impressions the knights held were only of amazement like “amazing” or “what’s this.”
” However, [Hero of Shadows] was stubbornly denying it… Why?”
“In the streets, he’s even called ‘incompetent’ or ‘worthless son’… It’s strange. His appearance is far from the rumors.”
” Surely, Phil-sama must have some circumstances! I believe that! “
I don’t think those circumstances are just about not wanting to be tied down and wanting to play.
Sometimes, it’s better not to hear truths that can lead to disappointment.
” Phil-sama is a wonderful person, saving someone without seeking praise or reward… that’s because his heart is pure. Surely, even the goddess in heaven must be pleased.”
Blushing faintly, I recall his appearance from earlier.
“He has a somewhat indifferent but genuinely kind heart. It was cool at that time… and he was a very handsome man.”
The impression of Phil is at its highest.
Having met, interacted, and seen his form, Milis continues to praise Phil.
Her appearance was not that of a saint ─ she looked just like a maiden in love.
Heart symbols would likely be flying around in the air, as the majority of people, even in a survey, would have witnessed the scene.
“But, in the end, I couldn’t properly express my thanks…”
However, dropping the heart symbols immediately, Milis pouted and looked down.
Expressing gratitude was her main purpose, and not being able to achieve that was frustrating.
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about that. After all, it just happened.”
“And, first and foremost, we need to think about ─ who the attackers were.”
“Ah… yes, that’s true.”
Attackers who appeared during the previous visit.
Everyone is well aware that Phil wouldn’t invite a guest with open hostility.
So, why did they attack?
It is necessarily ─ from the result that they attacked when Milis visited the mansion.
“It’s me, isn’t it… There were people in the church who would do something so direct after all. I didn’t want to believe it… We all equally believe in the goddess.”
“Lately, there’s been a continued deadlock. It’s not surprising that someone impatient might have emerged.”
“And if so, instigation from another faction… However, there have been rumors of someone within our faction having connections with another faction. It’s not something I can definitively say.”
Once you start thinking about it, it becomes a quagmire.
Discussing uncertain and invisible elements on the table won’t lead to any conclusions.
Therefore, the action they can take ─
“… As [Hero of Shadows] said, it’s safer here than staying at the inn. So, how about asking the saintly woman to stay in this mansion for a while?”
Wait and see, that’s all they can do.
“Understood… I’ll ask for that, from my side.”
Milis stood up and headed towards the door of the room.
“I came all the way to say thanks… and yet, I’m causing trouble again.”
Feeling apologetic, her beautifully arranged face showed a hint of gloom.
The knights watching her back all had the same expression.
If only we were stronger, if only we are stronger.
Even if they lamented that, it’s hard to believe that their skills would improve enough in a day or two to break the current situation.
Therefore, they think.
Let’s do what we can do first.
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