Chương 159: Chapter 159: The Dream of Ansgar Part 5
The daughter of Lord Heines Adena had returned from the capital of the Barak Empire.
She came back with a priest from the Donar Temple and emergency relief supplies that had been hastily prepared. From now on, the priest sent from the capital would take care of the temple issues, and Adena would manage the relief supplies. All I needed to do was collect the money from Adena.
That doesn't mean I'm not worried though…
Rabata and Dihid.
These two were by no means small cities. Each was a strategic stronghold of the Barak Empire, located near key seas and rivers… If such cities fell, it would only be a matter of time before war spread across the continent like wildfire.
…This time, we were just lucky in many ways.
We were truly lucky. If I had stayed in the Silver Mountains a little longer, if I hadn't passed through Solen to meet Khalid, if I had headed to a completely different city…
I might have already received news that the war had begun.
The crows…
The peace that had barely been maintained for a short time, they were trying to overturn it once more.
I need to issue a warning.
Though I didn't know whether it would be effective.
Adena had inherited the blood of Ansgar just like her father Heines. This meant that she was also connected by blood to the royal family of the Barak Empire. If I could at least warn Adena before leaving, it would ease my worries a little.
When I entered the office after being guided by a servant, I saw a woman with sparkling blonde hair tied up high and dressed in a white uniform. Her expression and demeanor were confident. The only resemblance she had to Heines was her blonde hair. She approached us without hesitation. And then—
Slam!
Without warning, she grabbed Lloyd's hand and shook it vigorously.
"I've heard a lot about you. They say you played a major role. On behalf of Dihid, I thank you, Theodore."
"...."
"...."
"...."
An awkward silence flowed for a moment. I could see El looking at me from the corner of her eye.
"…Did I make a mistake?"
Adena asked with a hesitant tone and Lloyd who had been silent carefully released her hand and gestured toward me with a nod.
"Theodore is over here."
"H-He's over… there…?"
Adena looked back and forth between me and Lloyd in disbelief. I gave a small wave in her direction.
"Yes, this is Theodore."
"But… but…"
"Yes, to anyone, he would look like a righteous knight who's saved dozens of cities."
"My goodness… I've been terribly rude."
"It's alright. It happens quite often."
I smiled reassuringly at Adena, who had started to break out in a cold sweat. She couldn't hide her flustered expression and fumbled awkwardly. Well, it was understandable. The city had nearly fallen, and her father had died.
After brief introductions and pleasantries, we began our real conversation. We discussed the situation at the Temple of Donar, the preservation of Lynshaka's sanctuary, and most importantly, "money".
Fortunately, Adena paid a fair price. Not only did she cover the cost of the food I had distributed to the people of Dihid, but she also rewarded me generously for saving Dihid from the recent crisis. I happily stashed the heavy pouch of gold coins into my space ring.
"As for my father…"
As the conversation drew to a close, Adena hesitantly brought up the topic. It seemed she wasn't going to ignore how her father had met his end.
"It was a demon named Barbason that clouded the Lord's mind. He's now sealed at the bottom of the underground temple."
"Barbason…"
"Have you encountered him before?"
"Whether it's fortunate or unfortunate, I've neither heard of his name nor seen him. But…"
"But?"
"One night, from the crack in the door of my father's office… right here, I noticed a light and heard an unfamiliar voice."
"..."
"It was a voice I'd never heard before. It sounded old yet young, masculine yet feminine… It was a strange and captivating voice."
"What were they talking about?"
"I couldn't hear the details. So, the next day, I asked my father. I asked who he had been speaking with and what they discussed. That's when my father mentioned something about the 'New Ansgar'."
"..."
"I thought it was absurd. It was something that shouldn't happen. When I told him honestly what I thought, my father…"
"..."
"My father sent me off to the capital in a hurry. At the time, I didn't understand why. But to think that something like this would happen while I was away…"
Adena let out a bitter smile. I wanted to console her but no words came to mind. However… I could tell her what she should do next.
"…The Lord said he did all of this to restore Ansgar's glory."
"..."
"The past inevitably fades before a brilliant future. Adena, that's likely why you were sent to the capital. With you, the 'future' of Dihid, such things wouldn't have been allowed to happen."
"..."
"This city nearly reached the brink of destruction due to its futile longing for the past. Adena, as the new lord, you must lead it toward the future."
An untimely death of her father, the disgrace of a lord who made a pact with a demon, and the burden of rebuilding the city. What lies ahead for her are only challenges and hardships.
"...I will keep your words deep in my heart."
But Dihid will be able to move forward into a new future. You can see it in Adena's smile. I stood up and shook hands with her one last time.
"If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to reach out."
Of course, that would still be a paid service.
***
I ran into Draven On my way out of the castle.
"Sir Draven."
"Theodore, are you leaving now?"
"Yes, I stayed longer than I expected."
"Haha, that's a shame. I was planning to treat you now that I've become the captain of the guards."
"Let's save it for next time."
Like I had suggested, it seems Adena plans to recruit a large number of Altan natives including Draven. It's a good decision. After exchanging brief farewells, we parted ways.
On my way out of the castle, I passed by the cat tree garden I had carefully created. Although the statue of the goddess hadn't arrived yet, the garden was already bustling with people offering prayers.
I'm disappointed I won't get to see the statue being placed.
… I thought as I was about to walk past the garden
"Theo-Theodore!"
People who recognized me started murmuring among themselves. Ah, no matter how many times this happened, I never got used to it.
"The Saint of Purification!"
"The Nemesis of Evil!"
"The Lord of Cats!"
…Huh?
That last one was new.
Have I gained a new title without even realizing it?'
I took out my book and checked the list of titles. Sure enough, there really was a new one. A rather strange title and the letters were scribbled as if a child had written them.
[Lord of Cats]
[You have brought great joy to many cats.]
[Soon, the Great Cat Council will invite you.]
[Effect: To be determined]
"…Wh-What?"
What the hell was this unheard-of title? Could something like this even be called a title? It didn't have any effect at all!
The Cat Council…?
What was that supposed to mean? And what did "invitation" imply?
I understood that I earned this title because I had planted the cat tree in the underground temple, making the cats ecstatic, and had also let them have a fun time hunting rats. But still…
"This is just too strange."
Despite the grand title of "Lord" I hadn't gained anything from it. In fact, the word "Lord" didn't seem grand at all when "Cat" was put in front of it. If it had been a tiger or a lion, maybe it would be different…
"...."
Still, a title was a title. At least it was a plus, not a minus, right? I hope. I pushed aside the strange unease and closed the old book before tucking it back into my clothes.
The Great Cat Council, huh…
I'd have to look into that.
***
We returned to Paul's inn and prepared to leave Dihid.
"Here's your reward."
"Wow!!!"
"Thank you."
"You probably won't be able to use it until the next city, though."
After dividing the payment into separate pouches, I handed them to Lloyd and El while grumbling lightly. Normally, we would go shopping before leaving a city, but right now Dihid wasn't in any condition for that. We had plenty of gold coins, yet it still felt like we'd been stripped of everything else.
"Well, saving it until we reach the capital might be a good idea."
"How long will it take to get to the capital?"
"Hmm, maybe about two weeks?"
Storm had rested well during our time here, so he'd run with vigor. We loaded our belongings onto the carriage and paid Paul for our stay. He stubbornly refused to accept any money, saying he couldn't take payment from those who saved the city, but knowing his circumstances, I couldn't accept his kindness either. I left a few silver coins on the table before departing.
As I settled into the carriage, I finally felt like everything we'd been through was truly over. The black rain had ceased, and Dihid had regained its original beauty. The peaceful scene of the blue river flowing and the greenery swaying was stunning. The breeze blowing in from the distance was cool and sweet.
"Please, I hope nothing happens in the next city."
Though our time in Dihid wasn't long, so much had happened that it felt like weeks had passed. Maybe it was because the black rain had obscured the sun which made it hard to keep track of time.
"Haah …"
I leaned my head against the carriage window and let out a weary sigh. The fatigue was catching up to me. Thanks to the magic stone of the Sand Olaphant's necklace, I didn't really need to sleep but…
"Lloyd, El, I'm going to take a nap."
For some reason, I just wanted to sleep. I turned the carriage seat into a bed, spread out a thick blanket, and lay down. As soon as I did, I felt Beepy and Legion, who had been playfully squirming around in my pocket, crawl out and settle themselves beside my neck.
Beep!
[Theo.]
"Yeah, yeah…"
I patted them absentmindedly and closed my eyes.
[Theo.]
Beep!
[Theo. Sleep. You can't.]
Beep!
"Dad needs to sleep too…"
I thought I could fall asleep comfortably right now. I pushed away the little ones clinging to me and curled up. I faintly heard Legion's voice.
[Theo. They're coming. The cats.]
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