Chapter 32. Under-the-surface Work
"You've done well traveling all the way from the capital to that far-off border town of Vernidn."
As I entered the commander's office, I heard the voice of Ordwin.
However, her figure was completely obscured by a massive pile of documents that hid her tiny body from view.
What on earth are these piles of documents?
Just as I was about to voice a plain curiosity, I remembered the relationship between Ordwin and Yulian.
When dealing with perceptive Ordwin, even simple inquiries needed to be framed in a 'Yulian-esque' manner.
"I've worked hard. Compared to that, hasn't Commander Ordwin been neglectful of her duties?"
"What?"
"Seeing the stack of papers, I couldn't help but think so."
A mocking tone.
Yet, no significant emotional change could be felt on Ordwin's face glimpsed through the gaps of the towering paperwork.
Rather, she opened her mouth with a 'Well, of course' nuance.
"Who do you think is responsible for all these stacked documents?"
"Isn't it Commander Ordwin's negligence?"
"Not at all! It's entirely because of you, Sir Yulian!"
With a swift motion, she pushed the documents aside with one hand and slightly furrowed her brows.
"Why did you burn down the Firun Forest...? You must have known that it holds a connection to the Church of the Sun, even if it's not quite a sanctuary. It has its own symbolism."
"Weren't the members of the 'Blind Eyes' dispatched on-site authorized to make independent judgment based on experience in special cases?"
"...... So?"
"My experience suggested it would be better to deal with the demon quickly and simply, rather than taking risks."
"Even so... oh, never mind."
Pressing her eyes with her thumb and index finger, Ordwin turned her gaze back to the documents.
"In the future, please think about the work I'll have to handle before you act. Among this mountain of documents are warning letters from the Church of the Sun."
"I judged that in terms of national interest, the royal command outweighed the symbolic significance of religion."
"I'm not questioning your religious values... Fortunately, the royal family dismissed the Church of the Sun's complaints."
Ordwin said with a blunt tone, "Handling these minutiae ultimately falls to me, though" as she continued.
"Additionally, a lot of these documents are related to you."
"Besides the Church of the Sun?"
"Yes, there's a request from the Bayer Academy, your alma mater, asking for a few words at a celebration, among other things..."
Rustle. Rustle.
Ordwin, searching through the documents as if looking for something, eventually found it and showed me a paper.
"The Heinrich family wants an escort from the 'Blind Eyes'... more precisely, from you, for a party."
Listening to her, I accepted the document and cocked my head in confusion.
Seriously, who would make such a crazy request to someone like Yulian?
Are they out of their mind? Or do they have a death wish?
"Oh, and one more thing. The secretariat expressed interest in speaking about the tri-horned demon of Firun Forest. Perhaps you could make an appearance like last time?"
"Yes, though I've just returned to the capital, I suppose I should."
How gracious.
Ordwin, responding with a tone that signaled she was not at all grateful, turned her attention back to the pile of documents.
It seemed unwise to break her concentration now with unnecessary chatter, considering I was largely responsible for creating this paper mountain myself.
***
"Sir Yulian! You've returned from the border town of Vernidn!"
Before going to the secretariat, I swung by my office to drop off my things.
As I entered, 'Blind Eyes' apprentice Lazlot, visibly tense, spoke to me. In response, I gave a slight smile.
"Yes, I've just arrived."
"You dealt with the tri-horned demon single-handedly!? That rumor has spread throughout the capital!"
"Then, there must be rumors about Firun Forest as well?"
"Huh? Oh... haha..."
My question prompted Lazlot to chuckle awkwardly.
"Oh! I arranged the letters and items addressed to Sir Yulian in the office, anticipating your return."
"Really? Thank you."
"Don't mention it, it's the least I can do."
True to his word, quite a bit of luggage and documents were piled in the office.
As before, there were bizarre art magazines and trivial invoices, such as the membership fee for the 'Knights Association.'
As I was gathering everything to dispose of it in a trash bin, a familiar phrase caught my eye.
"Genmel Monastery."
A letter sent from Genmel Monastery, home to one of the Dawn Society's parishes.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't fathom why they'd send me a letter.
Unless there was some secret Agenda hidden by the Dawn Society.
"Have they lost their mind...?"
I almost muttered a curse under my breath.
While some struggle to hide their affiliation with the Dawn Society, they send a letter that could expose them?
Rrrip──!
Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, I quickly tore open the envelope and started examining the contents.
Fortunately, the letter did not contain the things I had feared.
'It must be a letter sent by the Dawn Society. Ending with simple greetings seems... Huh?'
Planning to read over the letter once more to check for anything I missed, I noticed one by one the letters on the page began to rearrange themselves.
'It seems Eleanor has crafted this.'
A spell that triggers only when a specific individual tears open the envelope.
If there were a mage within the Dawn Society capable of embedding such an occult spell in a letter, it could only be her.
- 'The Archbishop wishes for Bishop Yulian to visit the diocese.'
The message was startlingly straightforward.
However, the true intent was likely to retrieve the Soul Stone acquired from the demon hunt in Vernidn.
'No need to spell it out.'
Crumpling the paper, I was about to burn it for confidentiality but paused as a thought struck me, unfolding the crumpled paper once again.
Only Commander Ordwin and the imperial secretariat staff knew the exact day I completed my mission in Vernidn and returned to the capital.
Even Lazlot, who essentially worked as my aide, was unaware of my return date.
'Yet, to know exactly when I returned...'
A mole from the Dawn Society within the imperial secretariat.
The fact that they contacted me so promptly suggested that this individual was exceptionally loyal to the Dawn Society.
'Whether driven by profit or swayed by the Dawn Society's ideology, I can't be certain...'
Having organized my thoughts, I used mana to ignite the letter, watching as the flames consumed it entirely.
'How thoroughly unpleasant.'
***
Under the moonlit Genmel Monastery.
Bathed in the light of a full moon, the monastery lacked its usual sacred atmosphere, replaced by a chilling aura of malevolence.
Fierce, threatening intent mingled with the cold, all directed at one person.
At the center of this deadly tension stood the Empire's 'Smiling Executioner', Yulian.
"Bishop Yulian, my apologies for keeping you waiting."
Eleanor approached Yulian, who appeared unfazed amidst this menacing atmosphere, as though she were gliding through it.
Simultaneously, she glanced at those around her, scrutinizing them as they glared at Yulian.
Those who harbored grudges, great or small, against him.
They seemed to have plotted and awaited his arrival at the diocese, but nothing came from their schemes.
The noble demeanor and poise emanating from his body exemplified the stance of a true master.
"Ahem."
Most of them, overwhelmed, simply lowered their gaze or let out awkward coughs.
"Informing the archbishop of Bishop Yulian's arrival delayed me. Shall we head inside?"
"I hope there isn't a next time I am left waiting. With so many eyes watching, the experience was quite intimidating."
"Oh, you jest."
To claim fear while smiling unbothered amidst such palpable hostility, Eleanor dismissed his remark as a jest, taking the lead.
"The events in Vernidn have stirred the capital. With tales of a single-handed victory over a tri-horned demon and the attendant disaster of Firun Forest burning down."
"Is that so?"
Yulian wore a subtle smile. His calm demeanor seemed too understated for the central figure in both tales, deflating Eleanor's excitement.
"Bishop Eleanor."
Yulian addressing her suddenly, Eleanor halted and scrutinized him.
"Yes?"
"In the future, could you refrain from sending such letters during my absence? It puts me in a difficult position."
In his hand was the letter Eleanor had sent, the one marked as from 'Genmel Monastery.'
"Oh, what could be difficult about it? Given the magic, there's little chance of anyone else discovering it."
"There are always possibilities, are there not? I hope this does not occur again."
Observing Yulian's persistent refusal, Eleanor's lips curled into a slight smile.
Though unexpressed on his face, his brief discomfiture was refreshingly novel.
It tempted her to extend the conversation longer than usual.
Perhaps she ought to unveil the 'tear mark' and probe his intentions?
"Still, wouldn't sending a person be riskier? The chance of being discovered would double, no?"
"As long as I am not absent from the capital, it matters not."
"Really? Alright then. Perhaps we should discuss a method for Bishop Yulian to contact us first if need be."
"There's no need for concern in that regard."
"Excuse me?"
Eleanor expressed puzzlement at Yulian's unexpected reply.
Yulian, who had joined the Dawn Society solely for his gain. She had thought he would find the current lack of mutual communication unsatisfactory.
"I'll simply come visit Bishop Eleanor myself if necessary."
"Me? Hmm... I'm not always at Genmel Monastery, you know?"
Yulian declared he would personally come to her if needed. Eleanor found it laughable.
Most bishops of the Dawn Society, careful to hide their true identities, maintained dual lives.
One as a member of the Dawn Society.
And another as a regular subject of the Empire.
As someone particularly stringent in concealing her original identity, Eleanor found Yulian's words amusing.
"Yes, I am aware. Hence, I meant to say I will visit Miss Eleanor of public note in daylight."
At Yulian's ensuing words, Eleanor fixed a keen gaze upon him.
"Bishop Yulian, your boasting goes a bit far, doesn't it? I don't mind jokes, but dull humor isn't my favorite."
"Is that so? Haha."
With an enigmatic response coupled with a short laugh, Yulian resumed walking ahead.
Certainly, it must be boasting. There was no way a man like him could know her tightly held secret identity.
Nonetheless, Eleanor found her thoughts lingering on the laughter Yulian had shared moments earlier.
'... Hmph! He must be bluffing.'
Eleanor began to walk in Yulian's wake, arriving shortly thereafter at the room where Tenelon awaited.
Opening the door, the solemn atmosphere within curated an imposing greeting from the masked figure of Tenelon.
"Ah, welcome, bishop Yulian. Finally, you're here. You cannot imagine how eagerly I've awaited to see you!"
As before, he poured unreserved trust and goodwill towards Yulian.
"Now, show me what you've brought. The Soul Stone from the tri-horned demon you faced alone, haha."
It was evident that Tenelon's favor would persist as long as Yulian avoided causing significant trouble—.
"I didn't bring the Soul Stone."
Yulian's unexpected words drew Eleanor's startled gaze toward him.
Tenelon shared in her surprise.
"... You didn't bring it? Are you saying it wasn't a tri-horned demon after all? Yet, the reports confirmed it."
"The demon I encountered in Vernidn was indeed a tri-horned demon. I successfully retrieved the Soul Stone from its body."
Witnessing his audacious demeanor, with no attempt at excuses if planning something dubious, Eleanor clicked her tongue in disbelief.
Even through his mask, Tenelon's increasingly sharp and threatening glare was apparent, but Yulian's expression remained smiling.
"Then... where is the Soul Stone?"
Just as Eleanor contemplated the necessity for cautious answers.
"The Soul Stone was handed over to the imperial secretariat."
At Yulian's nonchalant answer, Eleanor felt her vision blur, overwhelmed by the boldness of his admission.
Clacky's Corner:
This is my first slit-eyed novel, hopefully not the last, and I am getting fond of the story.