Upon returning to the barracks, Erich informed his unit about his conversation with Laurenti.

Setting aside the complicated parts about the core and such, everyone’s reaction focused on the fact that Erich had resolved the trial—they were amazed.

“Whoa—”

Frederick exclaimed, then closed his mouth.

“So, we don’t have to worry about the trial anymore?”

“It’s only postponed, not completely resolved. Laurenti will stop the trial only so long as we provide what they want.”

“Hm, that’s a bit irksome.”

“What do you mean?”

“Aren’t they getting what they want by picking a fight with us? Doesn’t feel good.”

Erich nodded. Certainly, there were areas where he’d been forced to give in, just as they’d intended.

‘But it’s the only way for me to also get what I want from them. We need to refine the core for use, and for that, the presence of a mage is absolutely necessary.’

Of course, Laurenti and the other mages currently didn’t know how to use the core, so maybe he could drop hints about that later.

Thinking about using refined cores in upcoming battles, this wasn’t such a bad deal after all.

“It’s fine. I intend to use them sufficiently as well.”

“Do you have a good idea… No, your eyes are already gleaming; you must have something up your sleeve.”

Frederick blinked. They’d spent so much time together that he seemed to have learned Erich’s patterns. Then Mikhail spoke up.

“To think you could persuade that mad old man. Even if August himself had stepped up, it wouldn’t have been easy. Just how much did you run your mouth this time?”

“Only as much as needed. Anyway, it seems we’ll have some new members joining us.”

“You mean that so-called apprentice of the Tower Master? Not too thrilled about it.”

Mikhail showed some discomfort.

Of course, that was the natural reaction—mages were not exactly friendly, but rather shadowy figures.

Even for the mighty Mikhail, it seemed to be no exception.

And then there was Barnes…

*Nod.*

He just nodded.

‘Always the same, that guy.’

That guy would walk into a raging fire if Erich told him to. Anyway, as they were discussing their plans, a commotion arose outside the barracks.

“No, I told you you can’t go in!”

“I’ve already told you! I am…!”

Erich’s eyes narrowed. That unnecessarily archaic tone—he could more or less guess who it was, based on the situation.

He told Frederick,

“Go and bring them in. No doubt it’s someone from the Incencus Church.”

“Why would they come here?”

“They must have heard I convinced the Tower Master. They’re trying to muscle their way in.”

Frederick didn’t seem to fully grasp this relationship, but after turning it over in his mind, he headed out to bring in the uninvited guest.

As Erich had suspected, the person who appeared was a priest wearing the church’s robes—with a holy knight in tow.

The blond, blue-eyed priest bowed respectfully to Erich.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Aldeber, a humble servant of His Holiness the Partriarch.”

“Nice to meet you. What brings you here?”

“Apostle of Incensus, I’ve heard rumors about the trial… It’s been postponed, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. The decision was made in consultation with Laurenti, the Tower Master.”

“Well, the church is very concerned about the atrocities committed by the Tower, and we have our doubts as to whether we can trust them.”

A slight smile formed on Erich’s lips.

The real reason they had come was to keep an eye on the growing closeness between Erich and the Tower.

‘The church and the Tower have never gotten along, after all. They’re getting ahead of it by trying to keep things in check.’

This situation wasn’t so bad for Erich. Normally, the Tower would be hostile and the Incencus Church would protect Erich.

But now, both the Tower and the church were trying to get what they wanted from Erich.

But the two sides were fundamentally incompatible.

The “miracles” performed by the Incencus Church would lose much of their significance if the Tower’s mages were present.

The “divine power” they claimed was little more than a kind of magic coursing with a radiant light.

But what if real mages existed?

If those who scarcely served Incensus at all could perform even greater miracles than the priests themselves, that would be a fundamental problem.

So in their situation, they needed to keep Erich—the so-called Apostle of Incensus—close, but also draw a clear line with the Tower.

That was surely the reason for their visit, and Erich quickly grasped their motives.

Erich replied slowly,

“What is it that concerns the church?”

“Wasn’t Joseph already affiliated with the Tower? And now, people are worried you might start researching the dead again or repeat those repulsive deeds.”

What Aldeber was really implying was his fear that research into the dead might once again lead to disaster.

Erich was keenly aware of this point as well. Research into harnessing the power of the dead always led to corruption and only ever brought bad results.

But there was one exception: the cores, which condensed the power of those beings, had shown no negative examples. In fact, they had only proven helpful.

By the late stages of the last war, the enemy had lost so many cores that they even tried to hide them.

In other words, what the enemy wanted to avoid was surely their weakness, and Erich saw no reason not to take advantage of it.

So he gave his answer:

“I understand that concern very well. The dead are in direct violation of Incensus’s teachings. Therefore, I have no intention of letting anyone research the dead.”

“Just like an Apostle of Incensus—always making the wisest decisions. And your relationship with the Tower…?”

“It’s an uncomfortable partnership.”

“… Excuse me?”

Aldeber’s eyes widened. He’d just been talking about keeping things at arm’s length, so why now call it a ‘partnership’?

This was not the outcome the church wanted at all.

Erich spoke plainly to the bewildered Aldeber.

“It’s true that we must be wary of them, but the magic of the dead is powerful. Those who understand magic will be useful.”

“But there are many well-versed priests in the church! If you wish, our priests could…”

“Is that so? But what you use isn’t magic, it’s miracles, isn’t it?”

Aldeber’s complexion darkened. They themselves knew that what they used was essentially magic.

But could they admit that to others? They had to package the powers they used as miracles, not magic.

Otherwise, since the dead also wielded a similarly strange power, it would all seem the same, and they couldn’t have that.

Aldeber fumbled for words,

“Th-that’s true. Indeed, wise as always. But perhaps the threat of magic could be countered with miracles?”

“That could work. But since miracles flow through me, I have no particular need for more priests,”

Erich replied.

Aldeber was struck speechless by Erich’s words. As he stood there, one of the holy knights behind him tapped Aldeber on the shoulder.

*Tap tap.*

Aldeber stepped aside. The holy knight removed his helmet, exposing a face full of scars and cuts—clearly a seasoned warrior.

In a deep voice, he addressed Erich.

“I am Corin Leonhardt, commander of the Holy knights. The church’s only concern is that mages are untrustworthy folk, and we fear they may harm the Apostle of Incensus.”

“… Is it not customary for holy knights to remain silent before outsiders? Do commanders get to speak?”

“No. But that only applies to outsiders of the church. After much discussion internally, we decided that speaking to the Apostle of Incensus is not against doctrine.”

Erich nodded slowly.

‘They’re more flexible than I thought. I assumed they were just madmen with swords.’

He continued,

“So, what does the church propose?”

“We’d like to have one priest and a squad of holy knights travel with you. Protecting the Apostle of Incensus is our sacred duty.”

He could see right through their intent. If mages were going to join, they wanted to come too.

But he wasn’t convinced they’d actually be helpful. They had such trouble with discipline that they were infamous for causing small incidents even among themselves.

‘If you throw the huge troublemakers that are mages together with the smaller troublemakers of the church, what an utter mess would that make?’

But Corin seemed to catch Erich’s drift and spoke gently,

“Of course, we’re aware that our presence may be a burden. So, we’d like to offer something in return.”

“… An offer?”

“We’ll open the church’s treasury and arm your division with blessed weapons and armaments. That should make for a decent proposal.”

A faint smile crossed Erich’s lips. The church’s treasury, after all, contained the ill-gotten gains accumulated over centuries.

Of course, battle was decided by each soldier’s individual skill. But beyond skill, there was also the quality of their equipment.

For example, in the past, Ludwig was able to reach the finals against Iceborn thanks solely to his gear.

‘If it’s blessed armaments, that will be a big help. The church is offering quite a generous deal for simply accompanying us.’

Within the treasury were famed holy swords and armor—items so rare and expensive that only holy knights could normally possess them.

Yet they were offering them. It was a deal where the benefits outweighed the costs, so Erich had no reason to refuse.

“The Incencus Church is truly lighting my path. I think it’s a good proposal.”

“I knew you were wise.”

And so, their “good deal” was struck. Erich would travel with one priest and a few holy knights, and in return, receive treasures from the church.

To outsiders, it would look like he was being personally guarded by the Incensus Apostle, but in reality, it was merely a mutually beneficial transaction. Which was fine by him.

Just as they finished discussing the proposal—

Another uproar erupted. But this time, it wasn’t just a gentle voice.

*BANG!*

“Gah!”

A soldier was flung into the wall of the barracks where everyone was gathered. All eyes turned toward the source of the loud noise.

Then, the culprit stepped into the barracks. Her face hidden beneath a blue robe, her long blue hair spilled out down to her waist—it was clearly a woman.

Erich narrowed his eyes, staring at her.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

She parted her red lips and calmly replied,

“They blocked the way. I didn’t want to waste my time and energy.”

Everyone blinked in shock. Didn’t want to waste time and energy? She was clearly not in her right mind.

And it wasn’t hard to guess which group would so nonchalantly toss aside a person for such a reason.

A mage.

It was clear Laurenti’s apprentice had arrived to join Erich.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

Headache after headache…

I don’t like her already…

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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