Chapter 3: The Holy Theocracy
1
Upon returning to the Duke Sakuragi’s main residence to report the incident with the evil serpent, the head butler was utterly astonished.
“S-So, you’re saying you defeated the legendary Jörmungandr—!?”
“Ah, so that’s its name?”
According to the butler, the legend had been dismissed as too fantastical to be taken seriously, and there had never been any reliable eyewitness accounts.
“And were you injured?”
“Not at all. Unlike the legend, the serpent was extremely weak.”
“—My lady?”
“As Suzuha’s brother said, it’s certain that no one was harmed. Though whether that serpent was truly strong or not… well, we can’t say for sure now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because Suzuha’s brother blew its head off with a single punch.”
“……Pardon me, but… is that truly possible……?”
“It is. That’s my partner for you.”
Beside Yuzuriha, Suzuha nodded vigorously.
Though honestly, if he could do that, wasn’t it proof the serpent had been weakened?
“Also, we found this inside the serpent’s belly.”
When I handed over the shattered jewel, the butler examined it closely.
“This is… Could it be the jewel used to seal Jörmungandr?”
“That’s what I thought, but…”
“I don’t recall any mention of such a jewel in the legends. Though, to be fair, there are no detailed records of how the first Duke sealed Jörmungandr in the first place.”
“Well, it was a thousand years ago…”
Whether it was a sealing jewel or just something the serpent happened to swallow, it was undoubtedly an artifact tied to the Duke’s family’s serpent legend.
So, when I tried to hand it over to the butler, he vehemently refused.
“Please, Lord Lohengrin, you must keep it.”
“But this could be a priceless heirloom of Duke Sakuragi’s lineage?”
“Precisely why you should have it. Not only did you slay the serpent, but you’ve also exterminated countless other monsters in the Duke’s lands. Compensation for your services will of course be arranged, but if this is a valuable trophy, then by right, it belongs to the one who felled the beast.”
“Still…”
“The spoils of a monster hunt belong to the hero who defeated it.”
When I glanced at Yuzuriha, she nodded firmly.
“That’s right, partner. Think of it like monster meat.”
“—Ah, well… in that case…”
I could never resist the mention of monster meat.
I didn’t particularly need the jewel, but if refusing it meant losing out on the meat’s payment, I couldn’t bear that.
So, I decided to accept it for now. If worst came to worst, I could always return it later.
Still, I wasn’t sure what to do with it—until the butler offered a suggestion.
“Perhaps you could have Queen Tōko appraise that jewel?”
“Tōko?”
“When it comes to magical artifacts like jewels, no one is more knowledgeable than a sorcerer. And the finest sorcerer in our kingdom is undoubtedly Queen Tōko herself.”
“I see…”
It might be a good opportunity to report on our investigation while having her examine the jewel.
“Then I’ll head for the capital soon.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Oh?”
“While you were away, we received word that Queen Tōko will be visiting this residence. She should arrive in a few days.”
Yuzuriha tilted her head, seemingly unaware of any reason for this.
“Tōko, coming here? What’s her business?”
“She’s on her way to the Holy Theocracy to deliver formal greetings as the newly crowned queen, and she’ll be stopping by here en route.”
“The Holy Theocracy? It is customary for a new monarch to pay respects, but—aha, I see.”
I’d heard about this before.
The Holy Theocracy was the religious heart of the continent, so newly crowned rulers were expected to visit. Though lately, that tradition had been fading.
Besides, it felt a little odd to do it now of all times.
Suzuha seemed to share my doubts.
“But Yuzuriha-san, Queen Tōko’s been on the throne for over half a year now. And with all the territorial expansions thanks to my brother’s efforts, the kingdom’s situation is far from stable. Why now?”
“I wondered the same at first, but there’s no way Tōko would visit of her own accord at this time. Most likely, this is because of you, Suzuha’s brother.”
“Me!?”
“Think about it. To the Holy Theocracy, it doesn’t matter if a king is overthrown in a coup—as long as the next ruler isn’t hostile, they’re fine ignoring it. But then you appeared.”
“Uh, did I do something wrong?”
“You did everything wrong. The orichalcum incident, single-handedly crushing an army of a million—it was more than enough to catch the Holy Theocracy’s attention. But their pride wouldn’t let them make the first move. So, they used the greeting tradition as an excuse to summon Tōko.”
“Wait, so I’ve caused trouble for Queen Tōko…?”
“You could say that, but you’ve also given her benefits a million times greater. Consider this the tax she pays for exploiting you so thoroughly. So don’t worry about it.”
“Yuzuriha-san is right, brother. If anything, Queen Tōko should pay more taxes. Like treating us to katsu curry for every meal.”
“Suzuha, what kind of demand is that!?”
Priorities, huh? My little sister was still very much a child at heart.
Physically, though, she’d grown into quite the fine young woman.
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In the days leading up to Tōko’s arrival,
Yuzuriha asked us to help train the Duke’s private soldiers.
“But Yuzuriha-san, wouldn’t you be more than enough on your own?”
After all, Yuzuriha was the legendary Killing Goddess, a warrior whose name shook the continent.
What could I possibly contribute?
“You couldn’t be more wrong.”
“Huh?”
“Alone, I can only train them against a single foe. But with you, we can simulate battles against multiple strong enemies. That’s a huge difference.”
“Ah, I see.”
No matter how strong Yuzuriha was, she couldn’t replicate scenarios like being flanked or enemies kidnapping a noble while she was occupied.
Unlike exterminating bandits or monsters, guard duty required diverse training—something one person couldn’t cover alone.
“So, partner, you’ll always fight alongside me. It’s the most efficient approach.”
“Understood.”
When I nodded, Yuzuriha’s face lit up like a blooming flower.
She really loved training. A true knight through and through.
“Oh, let’s call Suzuha and Kanade too!”
“Wait, why would we—?”
“Well, if the goal is more training scenarios, having more people helps. Suzuha and Kanade are plenty strong too.”
“……No, let’s not.”
Yuzuriha shook her head. Why?
They weren’t busy, and it sounded like a good idea to me.
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, it’s not bad to include them, but with more people, I can’t protect your back—I mean, we’d have less time to practice our teamwork—no, wait, it’s more like… if we’re already strong, adding Suzuha would make it too overwhelming, right?”
“Ohhh.”
If Suzuha alone made things “too strong,” the Duke’s soldiers must be pretty weak.
I’d heard they were on par with the Royal Guard, but I guess rumors were unreliable. Suzuha wasn’t great at holding back either, so it was better this way.
“Got it. Understood.”
“Good. Just to be clear, this isn’t because I want to fight alongside you, monopolize the right to protect you, or have you gently embrace me after training while whispering ‘Good work’—let alone because I want a thorough massage to soothe my exhaustion. Not one of those thoughts crossed my mind.”
“Of course not.”
“But if you offered, I wouldn’t refuse.”
Her eyes gleamed. What was that about?
After a brief pause, I answered, half-doubting my own reasoning.
“……So, after training, I should hug you and then give you a massage…?”
“Y-Yes! Not that I’m forcing you, but if you want to, I’d gladly accept your kindness!”
She looked ready to jump for joy. Guess I was right. Seriously?
—From what I’d observed, Yuzuriha sometimes spoke in roundabout ways like this.
It might sound like tsundere behavior, but that couldn’t be it.
No, this had to be some deep, noble-style metaphor.
Unlike Suzuha and me—who’d actually eaten bubu-zuke pickled radish when offered—Yuzuriha operated on a higher level.
As for the actual training… well, it was anticlimactic.
On the first day, the moment the signal sounded, every soldier ignored Yuzuriha and charged straight at me.
“Whoa…… they’re weak.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. The Duke’s private troops were pathetically weak.
With strength like this, even working together, they’d struggle to take down a single monster.
Well, all of them might manage it, but at this level, casualties were inevitable. They were just that bad.
This wasn’t training—it was a joke.
“Hmm… I wonder why…?”
The ducal household’s civil officials and maids are all so outstanding, yet their private soldiers are pathetically weak. It’s nothing but a mystery.
“……Well, isn’t it just because you’re ridiculously strong…?”
“Yuzuriha-san, did you say something?”
“Nothing at all. Now go on—show them your strength and make them worship you. That way, one less faction will oppose you when you marry into the ducal family—!”
Yuzuriha-san had been saying something, but the sounds of battle echoing across the training grounds drowned her out.
From the moment training began until Toko-san arrived,
Yuzuriha-san’s mood inexplicably skyrocketed…
While Suzuha’s mood, for some reason, plummeted in perfect inverse proportion.
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