The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
A church is a place where people offer prayers to God.
It is also a place where people confess their sins, and where those burdened by guilt come seeking absolution.
It is also a place where blessings are bestowed.
The church's priests offer blessings during ceremonies such as weddings, promising a blessed future to those who receive them.
Such rituals are regularly performed there.
In addition, the church teaches children, sings hymns in praise of God, and engages in volunteer work... carrying out many different kinds of activities.
These are funded through government subsidies and donations from the faithful.
Although it is not an organization directly under the kingdom's control, the church wields tremendous influence.
Over the years, it has earned countless achievements, such as dispatching priests to every generation's Hero's Party.
Thanks to that, it had prospered greatly.
However...
Now, the church's standing had begun to crumble.
"..."
Inside the Grand Cathedral of the royal capital, a lone man offered his prayers.
He was a middle-aged man with graying hair.
His body was so thin that it looked almost sickly, his cheeks hollowed from exhaustion.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, making it obvious he had not slept well for quite some time.
"Ah... O Lord..."
His voice was frail and weak.
It sounded as though it might fade away at any moment.
The Hero Arios had committed murder for his own selfish desires, been stripped of his title, and thrown into prison.
Mina, the priestess whom the church had carefully nurtured and who was said to possess the greatest power in the church's history, had likewise been imprisoned.
Then she escaped...
And from a member of the Hero's Party, she became a wanted criminal.
What a disgrace.
What an unforgivable humiliation.
When Archbishop Altrius Greygom heard the news, he was so furious that he collapsed unconscious on the spot.
From that day onward, the church's authority and influence plummeted.
After all, Mina—the very face of the church—had become a traitor.
It was only natural that people's trust would waver...
And so the church steadily declined.
Though there were many who despised Mina, no one denied God.
Not all of the faithful had abandoned the church.
Even so, its former glory was gone...
Grieving over that reality, Altrius sacrificed both sleep and meals, offering prayers every single day.
Believing that by doing so, the future could still be changed.
Of course, he wasn't naïve enough to believe that prayer alone could solve everything.
He wasn't that optimistic, and he believed he understood reality well enough.
That was why he had decided to take action.
"...Your Eminence."
After a while, a woman appeared in the prayer hall.
She wore gleaming silver armor, with a beautifully crafted sword hanging at her waist.
"Oh. You have come, Holy Knight Eris."
The Holy Knight, Eris Randall.
She was the church's own military force...
And its strongest warrior.
Exceptional with both swordsmanship and magic, she possessed the strength to defeat a thousand enemies alone.
Because of humanity's natural limits, she could never become the strongest person alive...
But at present, it was said that she had already surpassed Arios in strength.
At first, there had been suggestions that Eris should be assigned to the Hero's Party instead.
However, Altrius had rejected the idea.
If the church sent away its greatest warrior, it would weaken itself.
That had been his reasoning.
But they could no longer afford to hold anything back.
If this desperate gamble failed, the church would tumble from the pinnacle of power.
"You summoned me, Archbishop Altrius?"
"Eris, there is something I want you to do. It concerns Mina."
"...Mina?"
Since Eris was kneeling with her head bowed, her expression could not be seen.
Yet the moment Mina's name was spoken, the atmosphere around her shifted ever so slightly.
"As you know, Hero Arios... no, the traitor Arios, is still at large. Mina, who continues to follow him, is also missing."
"Yes."
"They seem to be hiding well, but I doubt they can escape the kingdom forever. Eventually, Arios will be captured... and Mina will be captured as well."
"...Yes."
Perhaps imagining that moment, Eris's voice grew noticeably quieter.
"That would be disastrous. Absolutely disastrous. A priest dispatched by our church being arrested as a traitor would be unprecedented. Never before has such a thing happened in the church's long history. That outcome must be avoided at all costs."
"Yes."
"However... Mina is an exceptionally gifted child. It would be a terrible waste to throw away someone with her talent so easily. Besides, I cannot understand why she still follows Arios, even after he became a traitor."
"I feel the same way."
"Holy Knight Eris, I hereby assign you a special mission. Find Mina, and learn her true intentions."
"Will I be undertaking this mission alone?"
"Indeed. At present, the church is under the kingdom's scrutiny. We cannot make any large-scale moves. But sending you alone should be manageable."
"I understand."
The reason the church had come under surveillance was because of Mina.
Although it had been done in order to raise a worthy member of the Hero's Party, Mina had been subjected to an upbringing that was little different from brainwashing since childhood.
When Arios was imprisoned, that fact came to light...
From then on, Argus began to regard the church as dangerous and placed it under surveillance.
Though it had brought the situation upon itself, Altrius refused to admit any wrongdoing.
He continued to justify himself, insisting that Mina's upbringing had been necessary, regardless of whether anyone else accepted that excuse.
"If possible, persuade Mina and bring her back. She is a genius. A power capable of reviving even the dead... It would be far too great a loss to waste it like this."
"Then... you are willing to give Mina another chance?"
"Indeed. If necessary, bring her back by force. We can simply re-educate her again."
Altrius spoke of "re-education" as though it were something trivial.
In truth, it was something utterly horrifying...
Yet there wasn't the slightest hint of hesitation or remorse in his demeanor.
It was as though that very attitude revealed the true nature of the man called Altrius.
"And if bringing her back proves impossible?"
"...Eliminate her."
Altrius answered coldly.
"Understood."
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