Chapter 69: A Calculated Encounter

“Now that the bait has been set, do we just have to wait?”
“Yes.”

The Linthiem gladiator tournament was just part of the prince’s birthday celebration, not the sole purpose of the event.
So even after the tournament ended, the crowd didn’t quickly disperse to enjoy the festival.
Rather, as if the real event were just beginning, various other attractions and festivities were being prepared.
There was still plenty of time left.

After politely rejecting all additional events, Lema returned to the lodgings and revealed the first-place prize.
“This is the Light Sage’s staff.
I was told it was crafted from a tree from a cursed land, but to me, it looks no different from an antique.”

It was a wooden staff.
The grain of the wood was scorched as if struck by lightning, and the surface was polished with care after intricate carvings.
The staff was long, with an elegant and imposing shape.

“Store it away. Let’s take it to the Light Sage.”
Lema displayed the prize once for Bel, but seeing her lack of interest, he quietly packed it away.

Bel watched intently as Lema organized their belongings.
Despite having casually discarded such a grand item, Lema showed no sign of regret.

“Why didn’t you accept the title?”
“Huh?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Lema feigned astonishment.
“…I have already resolved to follow my Lord.”

“It wouldn’t have hurt to accept it anyway.”

Noble titles weren’t limited to just a name or rank.
The longer a noble’s name, the more lands and titles they possessed.
The name’s length was a mark of great honor.

In fact, Bel had assumed Lema would accept it.
Following her and refusing the title were separate matters.

Lema chuckled lowly and shook his head.
“Anything more cumbersome would be nothing but dishonor.”

“Really?”
“Yes.
The Valkite family did possess territories, but even if officially conferred, their title was far inferior to other nobles’.
By becoming the holy knight of the Lord, one became nothing more than a servant of the Lord.
If I sought other positions, wouldn’t that amount to greed for wealth and rank?”

Still, Bel had expected him to like receiving a title.
She understood why he treated it as greed.

But at present, Lema had no real base of power.
He followed Bel with the same purpose simply because there was nowhere else for him to return.
Having once been a human who served Luxlon in the most honorable position on earth, perhaps a title from an outside order held no value.

Yet it was far better than serving an evil god no one even knew existed.
He’d been offered opportunities to leave several times, yet always clung to her.
There was something exceptional about his loyalty.
Even though Belmias was far from an ideal deity.

In any case, keeping him around wasn’t a bad decision.

“Lema, I’m off to collect my gambling reward. I bet on you to get first place.”
“Oh, right. I nearly forgot.”

Lema’s face brightened at her words.
“I’m glad to grant the glory of victory to my Lord twice.”

Before leaving, he took out a black cloak.
A hooded outer garment sufficient to conceal the face.
He first draped his own cloak over himself, then took another cloak—apparently bought separately—and put it around Bel.

“Because there might be many who recognize you.”
“You were popular, Lema.”
“….”

At her straightforward compliment, Lema blushed.
“Please wait a moment.”

As he carried the rest of their luggage, Lema glanced at Bel, seated calmly and waiting for him to prepare.
Even now, he thought of Bel as an endlessly elevated being.
Sometimes, he was chilled by the unfathomable depths of her pitch-black eyes.
Yet whenever he saw her like this, he was consumed by strange feelings.

There were so many things he wanted to ask.
His Lord had supposedly granted human wishes since ancient times.
Hadn’t there been any memorable summoners?
Having gone through countless wishes from so many summoners, why had she never sought her own pleasure?

He knew Bel only consumed men as offerings.
She explained it was necessary both to interpret this era and to fuel her movements.
But it was different from eating for calories.
If she didn’t have offerings, she would grow bored and fall asleep.

Yet after continuous observation, Lema realized Bel didn’t necessarily need to sacrifice men.
She accepted other offerings and even seemed to enjoy them at times.
Even crafted items—initially made poorly, like toys—were quite appreciated.

That’s right. If his interpretation was correct, it was a favorable reaction.
And sometimes… whenever she looked like that,
Strange thoughts crept in.

Even now, Bel sat still, as if doing nothing but waiting.
Naturally, she must be bored.
If that’s all she knew.

Was this blasphemous thinking?
Of course, it was.
Who could dare harbor such feelings for their Lord God?
Yet seeing her like this made it impossible to just leave her be.

“…Master.”
“Hm?”
“There are fireworks tonight… Shall we go watch them together?”
“Fireworks?”

After explaining they were displays made of gunpowder and metal to paint the sky, Bel nodded in agreement to watch.
Moreover, the idea of doing something like this with a companion made him want to attempt such a trivial mischief.

“Master, did you intentionally forfeit to let me win?”
Games like dice, dependent on luck, were usually won by Bel’s opponents.
But what about a wager where the variables could be controlled?
“….”

Her typically colorless eyes widened slightly.
“Oh, that method…”

Lema blushed at that expression.
…Indeed.
An impossible-to-ignore Master.

However, Lema’s small plan to spend quality time with Bel didn’t come to fruition.
When heading to collect the gambling reward together, he detected suspicious movements.
Due to many years of being pursued, he recognized it immediately.

“…It might be difficult to collect the reward.
I’m sorry, though you won.”

Only Lucilonia was capable of deploying a tracking force with such suppressed presence.
Bel easily detected it, too.
There was no need to explain that someone—or rather, a group—was targeting them.

Bel asked.
“Did we stand out too much?”
“There were humans from the Holy Empire investigating heresy.
This group seems to be trying to produce magic stones using the rampaging monsters.
I had a feeling they’d investigate, and as expected.”

Lema acted as if familiar with such matters.
Perhaps due to experience both as a holy knight investigating heretics and as a fugitive himself, his judgment was swift.

Bel seemed somewhat slower to comprehend.
Ah, those humans.

The one who had surrendered while being tortured by Bel, then arrested as a heretic.
He probably spilled everything suspicious about Bel.
This was truly Bel’s doing.

“Good thing we wore the cloaks.”

It wasn’t impossible to escape.
But since they thought they were just going out briefly, they left their luggage in the room.
Getting a horse now would be troublesome.

As Lema fretted, Bel seemed to know exactly what he was thinking and offered a clear solution.
“Use this.”
“…That?”

Lema couldn’t help but ask again.
Bel held out a magic stone.
It was one they had recently collected while slaying monsters.
Stuck to the monster’s body.

Having taken it from a monster that consumed humans, its value was significantly higher and thus called a magic stone.

Bel squeezed it once and spoke briefly.
“Restore.”
Then dropped it to the ground.

After a short moment, a black mist erupted from the gem, forming shape and color.
Lema tensed, fearing it might turn back into a monster.
But after the mist cleared, what appeared was not the pitch-black monster one would typically imagine.

Rather, a fantastical creature—
A horse with glossy fur and a long horn stretching from its forehead.

“…This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing.”
“Ride.”

Bel lightly mounted the unicorn they had just restored, taking Lema with her.
But in front of the inn where they arrived, the area was already teeming with presences targeting them.

“…What should we do?”
“There! The heretics are running away!”

At that command, Lema froze briefly, but people rushed in the opposite direction.
“What’s going on?
It feels like someone’s luring us down the wrong path…”

More than that, Lema was worried.
He had exterminated monsters with the lancer Maurice, who seemed to have already figured out their identity.
It would be troublesome if he reported them.

At that moment, something heavy flew toward them.
Lema reflexively caught it and checked.
It was the luggage left at the inn, completely intact.

A strange occurrence, but there was no time to ponder.
“…I don’t know what’s going on, but now that we’ve got what we came for, we can leave.”
“Yes.”

Just as they turned the unicorn to depart from Linthiem, another sound rang out.
“Hey, take this too!”

A long object spun through the air and came toward them.
Thud.

Lema caught it without hesitation and checked its identity.
It was the second-place reward from the gladiator tournament—a fine sword.
That alone told him exactly who had thrown it.

“Farewell! See you again!”

Lema expressed only a nod of gratitude.
And without hesitation, he spurred the unicorn and galloped away.

It was a pity, but this was where their farewell from Linthiem came.