CH 580

After reporting to the 17th Guard Captain, Ludwig was assigned to escort Rowan.

They headed to the 15th district after confirming that the spread of the epidemic in the 17th district had completely stopped.

As Rowan had said, extreme situations didn't happen that often.

At most, twice.

And it wasn't because Rowan, the priestess, had been discovered that caused the chaos, but because Ludwig had encountered bandits and carried Rowan while fleeing.

Once they escaped, and once they were cornered, Ludwig knocked them out with just his left arm and confidently escaped the scene.

The bandits' mistake was approaching Ludwig, who had only one arm, thinking he was an easy target.

Thus, two days had passed since Ludwig began escorting Rowan.

------

Three days of escort duty.

During that time, there were no major incidents, and since the two had to be together all day due to the long distance they had to travel, they couldn't help but share various stories.

Rowan appeared frail but was quite a cheerful person.

Also, she wasn't someone who flaunted her high position.

She behaved as if there was hardly any formality.

Ludwig, who was quite ignorant of formalities, couldn't help but be grateful to Rowan.

And so, they shared many stories during that time.

"I was in a place called Cielan in the Kingdom of Lucefena. You probably don't know it. I was a bishop there, not an archbishop."

Rowan's response to Ludwig's question about where she was an archbishop.

"So... did you become an archbishop after the Gate incident?"

"With a shortage of people and many casualties, vacant positions must be filled by someone. So, I ended up taking on a role that was beyond my capabilities."

Someone had to fill the vacant positions. That's why Rowan said she was appointed archbishop even though she didn't have the ability.

"Should I have called you... Archbishop?"

"No, just call me normally. And it's better to call me by my name rather than priestess."

Rowan looked at Ludwig and winked.

"You know we have to be careful in many places, right?"

Only then did Ludwig realize that calling her a priestess for the past few days had been quite a risky move.

"Ah... I see. I apologize."

"No, it's fine. Nothing has happened so far."

Rowan pointed to the refugee camp visible beyond the Imperial Capital.

"Let's go, we have a lot to do today."

"Yes, lady priestess... I mean, Rowan."

"You can drop the 'lady.' I'll drop the ‘sir’ too, Ludwig."

Rowan grinned and walked ahead of Ludwig.

Rowan was the bishop of a city in a country that had already disappeared.

After the Gate incident, she somehow survived and made it to the Imperial Capital.

And in a situation where someone had to fill a vacant position, Rowan filled someone's vacant position.

She was appointed archbishop after the Gate incident, not originally an archbishop.

'Was she appointed archbishop while doing this job?'

Ludwig tilted his head and followed Rowan.

It was the third day since Ludwig had been accompanying Archbishop Rowan.

In the refugee camp at the Imperial Capital, there were still many streets that needed purification, and more kept emerging.

And slowly.

Snow was scattering in the sky.

------

During his first year at the Temple.

Around the time of the group mission in the second semester.

On the day he was eliminated from the group mission and had to wait.

On the first night, I entered the open-air bath with Ellen, who had been eliminated just like me, with only a wall separating us.

Ellen asked me if I liked snow.

Honestly, I hadn't given snow much thought. To be precise, I hadn't had the time to think about such things.

But I did go to the open-air bath while it was snowing.

There was no reason to do so otherwise.

So, at that time, I replied that I seemed to like snow.

Yes.

I had no particular feelings about snow, but in the end, I thought I liked it.

In the A-class dormitory where Ellen and Heinrich were absent, I was the only one in Ellen's room.

Perched on the windowsill, I gazed at the falling snow outside.

There are many types of snow.

There's sleet, flurries, and heavy snow, and even the blizzard that Liana can summon.

Clearly, I liked snow.

I enjoyed the snowfall with Ellen, and I cherished the memory of building a snowman with Harriet and Ellen, those two girls.

If it were snow, it would be heavy snow.

I loved snow that fell enough to cover the world.

I looked at the snow falling outside from inside the window.

Just imagining the lives swallowed by the falling snow is painful.

The snow falling now is a flurry.

I didn't particularly like that kind of snow because it didn't feel like snow, and it seemed as desolate as a type of wind.

Snow that doesn't accumulate is not snow.

That's what I thought.

But now, I think it's fortunate that the falling snow is a flurry.

If it were accumulating snow, if it were pouring down, many people would suffer as much as the amount of snow that fell.

I hope this snow doesn't accumulate.

It doesn't turn into heavy snow, it doesn't turn into a blizzard.

I stared blankly at the snowy sky outside the window.

Should I call Liana?

Should I ask her to stop the snow in the Imperial Capital?

Not to kill monsters, but to save people.

But if I were to ask her, who gets sicker the more she uses her power, to maintain warm weather throughout the winter of the Imperial Capital, then I would also have to ask her to make sure people don't suffer from the cold because she melted the snow.

It's at least three months from now until winter is completely over.

If she has to use her power for three months straight, Liana will surely go mad once winter is over.

Liana's power is for war. It must be conserved.

It's a war to save someone, but we have to turn a blind eye to someone dying for the sake of war.

The snow falls.

The snowflakes were getting thicker and thicker.

Now, I hate snow.

------

Soon, the flurries turned into heavy snow and began to fall all over the Imperial Capital.

Fortunately, it was not accompanied by a harsh winter wind.

"It's snowing quite a lot."

"This is serious."

Having just confirmed yesterday that the progress of the epidemic in the 38th district, which they had purified, was completely over, both Ludwig and Rowan sighed.

As the heavy snow fell, both Ludwig and Rowan had snow piled up on their robe shoulders and hoods, turning them white.

Most people on the street were huddled up, shivering in the cold snow.

Looking at the shacks that couldn't even properly block the wind, Rowan's complexion couldn't help but worsen.

"If it stopped after snowing moderately…"

"Many people won't be able to withstand the cold, right?"

Upon hearing Ludwig's worried question, Rowan shook her head as if to say that it wasn't the issue.

"When it snows heavily, the cold isn't the problem; the wooden houses collapse. There were many such incidents last winter."

People were crushed and killed under collapsed houses, Rowan explained. It wasn't the cold caused by the snow that was dangerous, but the very act of snowing itself.

The harshness of nature.

Ludwig resented the accumulating snow, but he didn't know where to direct his resentment.

The two continued walking toward their next destination.

Most of the refugees couldn't hide their resentment as they looked at the sky, while some children were simply enjoying the snow and playing in it.

Because they didn't know any better, Ludwig thought as he observed the scene.

"Before the world turned like this, did you enjoy the snow?"

In the current situation, where snow seemed like a symbol of death, it was an absurd question. Ludwig stared blankly at the heavy snowfall pouring from the sky.

"...I'm not sure."

He couldn't remember if he liked or disliked the snow.

It seemed that all memories from before the Gate Incident had been erased.

As if it had become something meaningless, whether it existed or not, he could hardly remember it now.

As if an immense misfortune and despair had swallowed up everything about him. He was already overwhelmed with just thinking about the things he could do right in front of him.

Ludwig suddenly wondered if Rowan was still someone who could think about those past events.

"I used to enjoy it."

Rowan looked up at the sky and spoke softly.

"Lucefena, where I'm from, was a kingdom in the northern part of the continent, and half the year was winter. So, it was very easy to see snow."

A place where half of the year was winter, Ludwig couldn't fathom what kind of place that would be.

"Didn't you end up disliking the snow then...?"

If you saw snow so often that it became annoying, shouldn't you dislike it? Snow was, in fact, a symbol of extreme cold. Just like how people now feared the snow.

"Well, I don't think there's a reason to dislike it just because it's common."

"...I see."

"Lucefena was a land of winter, and Cielan was located on a high plateau. It was a cold place, and there was a lot of heavy snow. That's where I was born."

Rowan's eyes seemed to gaze far away, as if reminiscing about her long-gone homeland.

"I had countless snowball fights with my friends and made snowmen. I touched snow so much that my hands would freeze and crack, and I was scolded by the priests and healed more times than I could count."

Recalling her childhood, Rowan smiled wistfully.

She had played with the snow until she got frostbite.

"Even after I received my priestly initiation, I had quite a few occasions where I was scolded for having snowball fights with the monastery children, being told it was unbecoming. There was even a time when I made a statue of the goddess out of snow and got an earful from the bishop, telling me not to make such things casually."

Rowan looked quite happy as she spoke.

"After my promotion to bishop, there really weren't any more occasions like that. Well... Lucefena was a cold country, but the cold was never an issue, and Cielan was a particularly cold city, but that wasn't a problem either. The empire was vast, and thanks to the Warp Gate, there were many tourists coming to Cielan, the land of snow.

There was a time, just three years ago.

"Even in the bitter cold, even as heavy snow fell, no matter how difficult the place was to live."

"People could survive anywhere."

"Little did we know then, but I think that three years ago was humanity's last golden age."

"Such days may never come again."

A time when one could simply find beauty in the snow.

Up until just three years ago, humanity could live anywhere, as a distribution network called the Warp Gate connected the entire continent.

But now that everything has been destroyed, those days of the past seem like a lie.

"Now, humanity trembles in fear at the slightest cold, and countless people lose sleep even when a little snow falls from the sky."

Humanity, now diminished, is threatened by even the smallest things.

There was no need to worry about heavy snowfall in big, sturdy houses, but now, people must live in makeshift shacks that collapse with just a little snow.

The cold winter winds pierce through these shacks without even a fireplace.

The golden age has passed, and humanity has much to fear.

"Ludwig."

Rowan looks at Ludwig.

"Do you dislike the snow?"

At that, Ludwig nods slightly.

"Yes... it seems so."

At those words, Rowan smiles sadly.

"Now, so do I."

The two walk down the street.

The makeshift shacks in the refugee village are gradually being covered with a layer of soft snow.

------

Rowan and Ludwig head to the next district, District 42.

The snow has started to accumulate, and they can hear the sound of their footsteps in the snow.

After reporting to the District 42 guards, the two head to the area of the district where a disease outbreak has occurred.

As they always have, Rowan prays as they walk.

Ludwig does not often take the initiative, which makes him wonder if he is really necessary to Rowan.

Of course, whenever Ludwig says this, Rowan tells him that he is fulfilling his role just by making her feel safe.

The refugee village is a place where people should worry more about robbers than attacks fueled by hatred for priests, especially since people don't know that Rowan is a priestess.

Ludwig keeps an eye out for any unexpected situations, but there is nothing unusual. In fact, due to the snow, people are holed up in their makeshift shacks.

Perhaps about three hours pass, and the accumulated snow reaches their ankles.

“Get out!”

There's a commotion in a corner of the refugee village.

Both Rowan, who was praying, and Ludwig, who was keeping an eye on the situation, cannot help but look in that direction.

“Oh, please save us! We just... we were just…”

As Ludwig watches the people being dragged out of the shack and the unidentified ornaments hanging from their necks and arms, he can't help but realize what they are.

Different from the ones he had seen before, wooden idols are dragged out onto the street and trampled under the guards' feet.

“We warned you last time, if you bring in these worthless idols again, we'll burn them.”

The five guards look at the people trembling on the ground, as if this is not their first offense.

Ludwig can't help but look at Rowan.

Rowan approaches the scene with a stern expression, heading towards the guards who seem ready to stab the heretics with their spears.

"Wait, who are you?"

As if to warn them not to come any closer, the guards aimed their spears at Rowan and Ludwig.

"I am Priestess Rowan, dispatched for purification work. This man here is my escort, and we have permission from the 42nd Guard Division."

"Ah, my apologies, Priestess. We didn't realize."

As Rowan took out the sacred emblem she had hidden in her clothes, the guards lowered their weapons and showed respect.

"May I ask what is happening here?"

"Ah, well... It's about... "

Rowan's tone was neither aggressive nor threatening.

However, the guard felt an inexplicable pressure from Rowan's calm smile.

Ludwig felt the same way.

As if she was wearing a mask, Rowan's smile was excessively gentle and warm, not fitting the current situation.

"Are they heretics?"

"Yes... Indeed, they are. But, they probably don't know any better. They might not even know what they're praying to..."

The guard, who seemed less cruel than Ludwig's previous commanding officer Sontein, was trying to defend the people he had just been berating for their heretical beliefs, now that a priestess had appeared.

Rowan looked at the people shivering and lying on the snow-covered ground.

She silently stared at the shabby house they were dragged out of.

"May I go inside?"

"Yes? Yes! Of course, please do."

"Lord Ludwig."

Rowan gestured to Ludwig, who was at a loss in this situation.

It seemed like a signal to follow her.

"Everyone else, please come inside as well."

Rowan quietly spoke to the people lying on the ground.

Despite it being the guards' jurisdiction, she spoke as if giving an order.

------

Inside a shanty in the plague-stricken area.

There were five people praying: one adult man, two elderly people, and two women.

Within the shanty, where it was difficult even to stand properly, Rowan scanned the surroundings, including the blankets.

As if searching for something.

"Hmm..."

In a strange silence, Rowan examined something, cocked her head, stared at a blanket for a while lost in thought, and did not engage in conversation with anyone.

After some time, Rowan picked up a small wooden idol lying in the center of the shanty.

It appeared to be a crude imitation of a human figure carved from wood.

"What prayer were you offering?"

Holding the idol, Rowan asked the trembling group.

Even if priests were despised, their power only mattered when they faced a crowd of civilians.

When the force of authority prevailed, their hatred and resentment held no power.

In response to Rowan's gentle question, the old man shuddered and replied.

"Well, we were praying for the plague to end and for everything to be resolved..."

"To this wooden doll?"

"..."

"What is this wooden doll to you?"

Rowan asked the old man.

"Is this your god? How can this wooden doll solve the plague?"

It seemed that Rowan was genuinely curious.

Her warm smile mixed with the question induced fear not only in the people but also in Ludwig.

"I really don't know. How can this wooden doll..."

Bam!

A golden radiance emanated from Rowan's right hand.

"Do you believe that this can bring forth such miracles? Why?"

For a moment, the golden radiance emitted by the light dispelled the cold, the weakness in their bodies vanished at once, and they felt vitality filling them.

Prayers to an unknown idol.

The miracle of tangible healing and purification.

Rowan looked at the heretics as if to ask why they didn't understand the gap between the two.

"I'm asking you, what is this wooden doll? What does it represent? What do you believe in, and what do you want to achieve?"

Her tone was infinitely gentle, but everyone was afraid.

The old man couldn't even answer, trembling, but someone else spoke up.

"It's... the hero..."

"Excuse me?"

"It's... the hero... right here."

At the trembling young woman's words, not only Ludwig but also Rowan's expression hardened.

The wooden idol, resembling a human figure.

They said it imitated the appearance of the hero, Ellen Artorius.

"The hero... will save us all..."

Rowan slowly nodded her head at the words of the trembling young woman.

"Ah... I see."

Rowan stared silently at the wooden idol.

Ludwig had an ominous feeling that some abyss was swirling in Rowan's gaze.

However, after a brief moment of silence.

Rowan carefully placed the wooden idol back in the center of the room.

"Yes, the hero will save us all."

Numerous heresies were rampant.

However, the Hero Religion couldn't be treated as heresy.

"Even so, how about carving it more nicely in the future to avoid misunderstandings? After all, it's a sculpture that represents the great hero."

Rowan looked at the trembling heretics and smiled warmly.

"The hero is said to be incredibly, incredibly beautiful."

Rowan quietly left the shanty.