NOVEL WEB Chapter 185: Story of the saint
"Well… That will depend on what your next destination is." For the first time since the imminent clash back at the outskirts in front of the town, Longinus placed his hand on the handle of his sword. And that alone was a great proof of how serious the youth was.
"Right now, I'm out of clues. So I intend to go with Terita and see whether the place she wants to bring the sacred core to might be the place my mission will conclude as well." Putting a wide smile on my face, I explained. "In other words, I intend to bring this sacred core to where it truly belongs."
Taking a step behind, I spread out my arms before shaking my shoulders. This act of defiance and complete lack of interest in the potential drawbacks of my decision wasn't fake though. Right now, it truly didn't matter to me where I would go, given how following Teria seemed to be the only option I had on hand right now.
"So back to the winged tribe, huh…" A weird grimace appeared on Longinus' face only to disappeared the next moment. Yet, what was even more curious, was how Arsha lacked the same reaction.
'She didn't hold her words or actions back before, did something change or…' This thought appeared in my mind, instantly putting the relationship between Longinus and Arsha into doubt. Because there wasn't any change to her behavior at all so far!
Given how consisted she was with her act, the reason behind how differently she reacted to the news had to lie in a difference that existed beforehand. And as per my guess, it had something to do with knowledge about the real course of the matters from the past.
"But first, before we go anywhere, I would like to hear everything about that Saint person from you." Lowering my arms I requested before turning my eyes to Teria. "And you…"
Noticing my gaze, the winged girl only harumphed before turning her face away, clearly unable to wait to refuse whatever request I would push forward.
"And you, just let them speak. I'm not asking them what's the absolute truth, but what their side of the conflict knows about the matter." Moving towards the girl, I placed my hand on her head. What surprised me though, was that I actually managed to pat her before she shook my arm away with a violently sudden move of the arm of her own.
"I can tell you the general story… But not here. We need to move out right now." Even though he managed to mask it before, Longinus' anxiety resurfaced in just a few moments.
"Let me guess, people won't be necessarily happy about this reveal?" Pointing my hand towards the altar, I could feel the corners of my lips crawling upwards on my face.
While I refused to dabble in politics in the past, it didn't mean I was fully ignorant about it. And from the thick uneasiness that appeared all over the place as soon as I spoke my words, I could tell I managed to hit the head of the nail. It appeared that earth wasn't the only world plagued with corrupt governments twisting the facts for their own convenience!
"That's roughly the case. But you can be hella sure they would put you down from destroying the national, cultural treasure instead." Shaking his head in denial, Longinus looked towards the doors, as if worried that someone would walk on them right this moment. "Our parliament… Eh, who am I trying to manipulate, the rich trio would never admit to the existence of those bones, even if half of the city saw them with their very own eyes."
Revealing bits and parts of something that could potentially be interesting, Longinus unknowingly put me in quite a distraught.
Because even with all the responsibilities that I had as the leader of the faction on a verge of internal strife, I still had this pioneering spirit making up the most of my soul. While it was only a guess, I personally believed that it was this trait of my character that made the system appeared for me in particular, rather than for any other random Joe living in the next house or condo.
"Let's not waste any time, then." As interesting as the matter of the rich trio could potentially be, I had no need for the resources of this world… yet. That's why, rather than pressing this point, I decided to focus on fulfilling my mission instead. The constant pulses of the green light from the one system notification window that I couldn't close was an additional reminder that made me act like that.
"Yeah. Come, we will bring you to your lodging." Calming himself down, Longinus moved forward only to freeze as soon as he made his first step. Turning his head to the back, the young mercenary looked at his female companion.
"Arsha… Do something about this face of yours. It's suspicious." Scolding the girl who in turn took a clueless look on her face, Longinus finally started moving. While there was still a chance that it was all but an elaborate scheme aimed to trap me and Teria, I decided to discount this idea. In the end, the recurring barrier stone was still well within my reach.
"Okay, okay…" Arsha's murmur was the last rational sound that this strange party made. As we left the room and then the entire cathedral altogether, the four of us went into a strange frenzy, debating over the past events that never happened. Giving off the vibes of the long-time enemies finally meeting on neutral ground and reconciling only to reminiscent the many adventures they went through together, we managed to attract just enough attention of the random passersby to remain hidden in the crowd.
After leaving us at the temporary lodging though, Longinus didn't waste any time. Leaving as soon as we moved over the threshold of the building, he promised to return within the next two hours or one's bell-ringing which was how the locals counted time. At first, these decisive actions of his once again arouse my suspicions, making the wait far more strenuous than I expected.
But soon thereafter, the young mercenary returned to the inn, with a party of seven people. Walking out of the inn, the first thing I noticed was how diverse the group was.
"You already know me and Arsha. I'm responsible for the vanguard and charges. Although foulmouthed, she is quite capable as a battle mage." Pointing his hand at his own chest at first, Longinus then moved it over Arsha only to point at the next person in a row the next moment.
"Kathia, the sniper. Keep her safe and she will watch your back."
"Berkel, although slow, nothing can penetrate his defenses."
"Hubriel, secondary mage."
"Lashlo, primary mage."
"Zynthia, healer of the group."
Introducing everyone one by one, Longinus clearly was in a great hurry. Not giving us even a moment to get to know each other, he instantly pushed the entire group towards the city walls and then past them, opting to escape as far from the city as they could before the government would find about the sacrilege of the destroyed stone altar.
In reality, only when a huge forest shielded the second part of our travels did Longinus finally dared to slow down our advance, allowing everyone to think about anything else outside of catching the next breath.
"Okay, now we can talk." Given how frantic our silent escape from the city was, I didn't expect the mercenary to bring up the topic of the saint on his own. Yet, without even a single reminder, he approached me himself. "What do you want to know?"
"The problem is, I have no idea what to ask about. That's why, could you maybe just tell me the entire story?" The reality was exactly as I painted it. Or rather, it would be if not for that strange vision I received when I decided to go further down with the mission rather than fulfilling it right as it became possible.
"Good. Everything began over four hundred years ago, right when the second great war neared its conclusion." Slowing down his march, Longinus turned thoughtfully for a moment before his expression darkened. "It was then, when the first ideas to reunite two tribes begun to surface."
Slowing down his pace even further, Longinus almost came to a stop. Only when shoved aside by one of the girls whose name I didn't even remember did the young mercenary recall why the entire group was in a hurry, picking his pace back again.
"Our Saint… She was the princess of the northern empire at that time. And she offered to marry the head chieftain of the winged tribe so that their kid could put an end to the constant slaughter…" Shaking his head, Longinus attempted to hide the hateful expression that appeared in his eyes.
"Yet, all her efforts and sacrifices were wasted, when that barbaric son of a whore decided to sell their daughter away to one of his little underlings!"