Volume 1 - CH 9

After enjoying a treat called “milk ice cream” at “Alme Titty’s Ice Cream Shop,” Falk finished his shopping in town and headed home.

He tried to pay for the ice cream, but she refused again, saying that he only needed to taste test. He didn’t even have time to take out his wallet… he felt sorry because it was so delicious and she even gave him a second helping.

He was told the day the ice cream shop was scheduled to open, so he planned to rush there first thing in the morning on that day. Of course, with a congratulatory gift.

(I hope I don’t have to work on opening day, but I doubt it. My hunch is… there will be an expedition scheduled in the near future.)

It is often the case that the bad intuition that he want to see go wrong instead comes true.

Falk let out a sigh and walked down the main street, which was crowded with people. The destination was the carriage stop.

When he left the store, he was already sweating after just a short walk, even though Alme had put ice magic on him. Today’s weather is cloudy, so people in town look cooler than they are.

He still can’t help but feel that he is the only one affected by the heat. When he arrived at the carriage stop, without hesitation asked for a private carriage. There was just a space available, so he were able to get in right away.

High-class carriages are comfortable because they are equipped with air-cooling magical devices. As he is heat-sensitive, this type of carriage is the only choice for him.

Although it is a bit pricey, he has a good amount of money that he has no use for, so he would like to spend it in places like this to give back to the world.

After informing the driver of his destination, the carriage began its leisurely ride. His destination is the Luorio Central Temple, which is both his workplace and his home. It is the residence of the priests, a place he has finally grown accustomed to recently.

As soon as the carriage starts to move, he pulled out the necklace on his chest from under his clothes. A silver mithril plate with a magic stone inlaid in the center and spells engraved around it.

As soon as he removed the necklace, the color of Falk’s hair and eyes changed.

His inconspicuous dark brown hair becomes silvery white color like snow. His calm brown eyes became as clear and golden as amber.

–Falk, or Falkert Raltoze, is finally at ease after returning to his original form.

Changing the color of his hair and eyes is the magic of transformation using this necklace.

The magic tool of transformation is a special class magic tool that is lent by the country only to those who have a special status and have passed the application for use.

He said that he didn’t need it because it was troublesome, but the high priest whom he looked up to as his teacher recommended it, so he made sure to use it when he went out in the city.

He had just heard a horror story from Alme that “when eyes meet with shirotaka, women will fall down” so he nodded his head and thought that he was glad that he had not exposed his true form in the city until now…

If he had been carefree and walked the streets in his original form, he might have unknowingly become a disturbance…

(…but I feel guilty… because I feel like I’m deceiving Alme. I didn’t think she would talk about me. I guess I should have revealed my identity right then and there. I guess I missed the timing…I’m actually Shirotaka! If I revealed my identity now, it’s like I’m making fun of  Alme’s sincere support for Shirotaka and would she hate me…?)

Thoughts were circling around in his head. It is frustrating because this brain, which has been trained to the rank of a high priest, is completely useless in situations like this. If this were a pharmacological question, he would have been able to give an answer immediately.

While he was groaning with his head in his hands, the carriage had arrived at the temple before he knew it.

The temple of this sub-city of Luorio is as large as a castle. The pure white stone walls are decorated with blue murals. It has a graceful and fresh appearance.

The temple is divided into several wings, including a medical ward, an inpatient ward, a hospice for the terminally ill, and a dormitory for priests.

The vast grounds include a beautiful garden with greenery and flowers, some of which are open to the general public who do not use the temple. It is a popular spot for tourists.

Avoiding the busy main gate, he entered the compound through a side gate, a short detour away from the main gate. This entrance is mainly used by the members of the temple.

–but somehow, day by day, he felt like he’s seeing more and more women around the gate…

He glanced out the window of the carriage and saw that the women who had been wandering around gave a breathless shriek and quickly dispersed. It’s a complicated scene…hard to describe.

When Falk got out of the carriage by the entrance to the temple, the man in charge rolled his eyes in amazement.

It was not surprising, since his appearance had changed between the time he got in and the time he got out of the carriage. He is sorry, but he has no time to explain at length, so he will simply let it slide.

Leaving the carriage, he walked to the temple. As he nodded to the guard and passed through the entranceway, he was enveloped by the unique atmosphere of the temple. It was a strange air of calmness and purity.

This sobering tranquility is the same in the temple in the city in the far north, where he used to live, as it is in this temple in Luorio.

However, when he was in the Far North, he felt a strong sense of loneliness in addition to this unique atmosphere, but since he came here…this feeling has lessened considerably.

Perhaps it is because of the mild climate, or perhaps it is because of the abundance of flowers and cheerful music in the city.

–Or perhaps it is because he had been able to come to a place far away from his parents’ house, which he used to hate.

As he walked through the beautiful stone corridor, a self-deprecating thought occurred to him and he smiled wryly.

Even though he is now known as the “White Falcon of the Far North,” he was originally an insignificant and useless person.

His family, the Raltoze, was a very small aristocratic family in the far northern city of Bereslena.

His family consisted of one older brother and one older sister. His mother died when she gave birth to him, and his father kept his vow to love only one wife and never remarried.

As a child, he was frail and ill at every turn, so he spent most of his time holed up in his room. It was a childhood of reading and studying only because there was nothing else to do.

Sometimes he would feel better, but the next day he would get a fever and almost die, only to be resuscitated by a priest and…this became a vicious cycle.

His father, who was a compassionate man, never gave up on his weak son and always supported him. He was the one who poured money into his life without regret, and did his best to hold on to his son’s life as it seemed to be slipping away from him.

–It was not until he was ten years old that he realized that his family was falling into debt because of him.

When he was ten years old, his father was attacked by a demon and lost his life. It happened on the way to a farmhouse where he went out of his way to buy nourishing food for him.

Somehow, his father was brought to the temple, but he died without treatment in time. From the day his father died, there was no place for him in the house.

He remembered his brother and sister blaming him for their mother’s death, their father’s death, the family falling into debt, and everything else, and he remembered putting his head on the floor and crying and apologizing.

He still has nightmares about that time. It was much more painful than the pain of his illness, and it felt like hell.

He lost his father, who had been his support, and the rest of his family members were constantly berating him.

――However, when he was already a shell of a person, he was saved by the words of the old priest who was in charge of his treatment.

“You can’t reach the lives that have already been lost, but you can still reach the lives that will be lost in the future. If you are good at studying, aim to become a priest. ――Don’t let the life that your father has given you go to waste, but use it to the fullest.”

He was told that at the memorial service for his father. Those words fell into his empty shell of a heart, and for the first time, he had a goal for his life. From then on he was obsessed with his studies.

If he didn’t do anything, the nasty words that fly around the house would run around his head, so he spent all his time studying so as not to give his brain time to think about unnecessary things.

As his body grew and his constitution changed, he no longer fell ill. After entering the military academy to train his body, he became stronger than the people around him.

His father was also a physically fit man, and he was happy that the taller he grew, the closer he got to him. Eventually, though, he grew so much that he overtook him.

The main reason he entered the military academy was because he wanted to leave home and join a dormitory. After his father passed away, his brother took over the house and became the head of the family, so he felt pressure to get out of the mansion as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the family relationship was not restored in the end…

He continued his studies to become a priest while attending military academy. The elderly priest who guided him also continued to support him, and he was grateful for his care. Of course, he vowed to repay that favor throughout his life.

He saved up money by doing some demon eradication jobs that are given to student by the military, and eventually he was able to transfer to a priesthood school.

–And so, as he ran through his days, he had somehow earned a certain status. He is a high-ranking priest and a military priest. The guardian deity of soldiers, the white falcon of the far north. 

Of course, He doesn’t like exaggerated titles that are too big for him, so it’s a bit uncomfortable…but he is happy that he has reached his goal. He will continue to fulfill his duties with conviction.

He wants to reduce the number of people like his father who have lost their lives without any hope of surviving, so that those who are left behind will not have to suffer as he did. He will devote his life to achieve this.

With this in mind, he goes about his work. This is a thought that he doesn’t talk about with anyone, but only in his heart.

Unexpectedly, he received a response to this thought from a commoner today.

The commoner woman returned her gratitude and support to Shirotaka. Thank you for coming to our city, she said.

She even seemed to wish for Shirotaka’s safety yet she had not even seen him yet. She is a kind-hearted person. When he heard her words, he felt a warmth fill his heart.

He wished the temperature in this city would not be so hot, but this kind of warmth makes him happy. It felt like a good and comforting feeling.

The first time they met, she showed him the way, the next time she was concerned about the heat, and today when she worried about his health – she was very kind and gentle.

He has had his fair share of people who come to him for his status, money, or looks, but it’s been a long time since he’s had someone who simply shares their genuine kindness without asking for anything in return.

The only people he can think of are his late father and the priest he looked up to as his teacher.

(Miss Alme…I wish we could be friends.)

It’s a childish wish, but it can’t be helped because he didn’t have any friends as a child.

After he became an adult, people who came to him and asked him to be friends, generally paid a price for it.

–But with Alme, they might become good friends. He really thought from the bottom of his heart it would be nice if they could become friends.

As he walked down the corridors of the temple, his bitter thoughts turned to brighter ones.

He turned several corners and stopped in front of a beautiful blue door at the top of a flight of stairs.

This is not his own office, but his childhood doctor and mentor, an elderly priest named Lou Gray, who had guided him all the way here.

“I’m back, Master Lou,” he said.

He knocked on the door and entered the room, calling out to him. When he entered the room, High Priest Lou, who was writing with a thick book in his hand, looked up.

His long gray hair was tied back and he had a beard around his mouth. His white priest’s uniform was decorated with gold thread embroidery, suggesting his high status.

Despite his regal appearance, however, Lou had a mischievous smile on his face.

“Oh, my errand boy is back at last. Did you get the pastries I asked for?”

“Yes, I did. Here you go.”

Lou smiled with satisfaction as he handed over the paper bag.

Lou originally worked at the same temple in the far north as Falk, but was transferred to Luorio just over a year ago.

At the time, he was sorry to say goodbye to him, but he had no idea that a year later Falk would be transferred as well, and that he would be unintentionally used as a lackey.

They’ve known each other for so long that they’ve become like family, so it doesn’t matter… but running errands in the heat is hard work.

As soon as he had a snack, Lou spoke to Falk in a casual manner.

“How are you doing, Falk? Have you gotten used to the city?”

“Thanks to you…I have learned the stores on the main streets, but I am not used to the alleys and underground shopping malls. And I still haven’t gotten used to the heat. Also, I’m having trouble…with my appearance after using the magic of disguise, so why can’t I walk around the city as I am?”

He asked as he helped Lou rearrange his messy office desk. It is simply troublesome to put on and take off the necklace of the disguise every time. He’s been stopped by the guards several times when he’s tried to enter the temple in disguise.

“I understand how troublesome it is, but I think it is better to keep your disguise on the streets until the world calms down, If the “white falcon” were to wander around the area, it would cause a commotion that would make it impossible for you to walk the streets.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right. If that happens, you won’t be able to be used as my errand boy, so the magic of disguise is a must.”

“So that’s why…”

When he leaned over, Lou stuck out his tongue and laughed jokingly.