176-170 To recover what was lost

After setting out from Meratni, we decided to ride through the night to reach the village where the demon tribe had been, and spend the night there before returning to the Holy City.

The village was not affected by the presence of the demon tribe and welcomed us in a calm and relaxed manner, we just exchanged greetings with the new head of the village and didn't have much to do.

We were lucky that no one was injured and we were able to take it easy and rest.

The next day we departed slowly, the Holy City was just coming into view, and it wasn't until after dark that we stopped the carriage and entered the Holy City.

This time, in order to keep our return a top secret, we were to put on our robes and enter the Holy City of the Adventurer's Card, run through the center of the Holy City as fast as we could, and return to the church headquarters without being detected by anyone.

And then he did it, but is this what you call the gift of training?　No one called out to me.

I was happy about it and waited for everyone to join us.

In fact, I was the only one who ran through the center of the city, and everyone else had to join us on foot from behind.

I felt like everyone's face was cracked open that they were my followers, but I had to nod my head about it.

Well, I'm half-heartedly convinced that this kind of trouble is due to the fact that I'm too recognizable.......

If I was caught by the injured residents, I wouldn't be able to deal with anything, and if I used a potion without activating my magic, I might start a strange rumor.

With that in mind, it seems like it can't be helped.

Well, all in all, it was Pope-sama who thought of this plan, and I really couldn't refuse.

''Luciel-sama, you're getting fast.

Lionel labored so as they joined together.

'Thanks to Lionel and his mentor,'

I laughed and called out to Lionel and stepped into the church headquarters.

As I was about to tell the receptionist that I was returning and telling her about my return, Catriane greeted me as she had contacted me beforehand.

'Welcome back, Mr. Luciel. I was told by the Pope to greet you, what did you do?

I'm worried about the prying eyes, but I'll just say hello and wait for them to come out.

"Katrien-san, I have returned. ........what is it?

'Because the Pope seemed a little impatient.

If the Pope is in a hurry, is it because I'm an S-ranked person who lost my Holy Attribute Magic?

Well, I decided to shift the essence of the story so that it wouldn't be stepped on any further.

''........I see. Well, I don't know if I can talk about it, but I got into a little bit of trouble on my travels, and haven't you been listening to the demon race?

'Demons?　I'm listening. Sure, I was surprised at the time, but it's been two months since then, you know?

''Actually, this time we were going to expedition to Grandle, and to my surprise, there was a demon race there as well. And quite strong ones at that...''

Is that real?

What's real?

He asks me to peek, but I hear it's real, so I wonder if there are imposters?

''Didn't you see the previous demon corpses?　We took care of it here, but all but one of them went back to the human race as time went on. And then they didn't turn undead, they just melted away the next day.

''........It might be a created demon race. But this time the demon race remained intact even after time passed, so there is a possibility that we will turn to that later.

Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. Well then, let's go to the Pope. I invite you all to come with me, please.

I managed to get through without telling Catherine-san the truth and visited the Pope's room where the Pope was.

As expected, I couldn't tell her the truth, and I was hesitant to lie to her, so I let out a breath of relief and followed Catherine.

As usual, the handmaids walked out at the same time as we entered the Pope's room, but for some reason, Catherine didn't leave this time.

As I was wondering, the Pope called out to me.

'Luciel, you have returned alive and well.

Ha, thanks for the warm words.

With an interesting air, I thanked him for inviting me to join him after I lost my holy attribute magic.

However, with his next words, my trust in the Pope dropped quickly.

''Mm. So before we get right to the point, Luciel, I've passed everything on to Catherine.

...What's all that?

You didn't tell him everything, did you?　No matter how much you are the Pope, you don't have our consent.......

''He invoked the forbidden art to bring back to life his master and his followers who were turned into undead by the hands of the evil gods at the cost of his healer's life...''

Or..........

''........I see. Then you also bothered to have a conversation with the receptionist?

Yes. It's to make it a little less likely that people around you will guess why Mr. Luciel has come back.

'Then you'll have to tell me in advance. I can't hide much from you, so I was in a hurry.

'Whenever you try to lie or hide something, Luciel, you're very careful not to show it on your face, but I can tell you're hiding it right away because of the upset that appears in your eyes.

Catherine laughed at that, but it wasn't a very pleasant one.

Nevertheless, since I came to this world, I realized that by not having a bargaining talk with an interpersonal person, I was in danger of reading their emotions if I wasn't conscious of it.

It's the only thing that helps.

'Pope, then, let me get to the point as soon as possible. Could you please sublimate or change your job?

Hmm. Then, as we've talked about before, sit down, calm your mind and meditate.

Yes, sir.

I do as I'm told, and when the Pope's hand touches my forehead and my body feels warm, the Pope tells me a few words.

''I have an idea to make you start over again as a healer, without any holy knights, healers, or priests who will be able to use holy attribute magic, but I see that you can't do that either.

As expected, I was prepared for this, but I'm still in shock..........

''.........Okay. Then please let me go to the magical independent city of Nerdal as I asked before.

''I was expecting to be more depressed, but Luciel is strong.

The Pope laughed at that, but it was a matter of life and death for us, so I really wanted to try all the ways to fix it as soon as possible.

''So?''

The transporter gate is always open, sir, but there's just one problem.

Excuse me?

We can't have everyone with us. There'll be three of us, including Luciel, at the most.

I expected there to be a transfer limit, but three is not much.

But then ... I turn around and say stand up and give everyone instructions.

'Lionel, Ketty and Kefin will stay on the ground. I'll give you instructions individually later.

""What."

The three of them nodded without objection.

This way, they wouldn't put themselves in danger if anyone tried to hold a grudge against Lionel and the others.

We can't let them plan to poison us. As for the rest.........

"Nadia, Lydia, over here.

Yes, sir.

They moved behind me and bowed to the Pope.

'Who are these two?'

''Yes. These two were noblemen of the Duchy of Brange, but now they were adventurers. There's a lot going on in Glandle, and they're accompanying me.

'A nobleman's daughter from another country what's the reason for bringing her here?

''Yes. Actually, Lydia, like the Pope, has the blessing of the Spirit King, and Nadia is a priestess of the Dragon God.

Hearing this, the Pope-sama's expression turns somewhat stunned.

''How........Truly, what Luciel does surprises me just like my father. In that case, you should take the one with the Spirit King's blessing over here to Nerdal. It will surely help you in the future. And the Dragon Priestess can come with you. I am sure it will help Luciel.

The Pope allowed them to join us at once.

'I understand. Now, about Esther, how can I help you?

You can leave Esther to her. And this time I'll let you take care of the forenoir.

I looked at Estia and nodded, thinking that surely having Forenoire around would help stabilize my mind.

'When do you want to leave?'

As soon as we see Lionel and the others off in the morning, please.

Yeah. Catherine, I need you to lead the way.

Ha. Okay, follow me.

Catherine was going to show me where we were going to stay, but I decided to let Forenoire out of the hermit's stables and go.

When Forenoire came out and looked at the Pope and me, she bit my head gently and moved slowly towards him.

'Mmm. Luciel is well-liked.

'Yes. Forêt Noir is my buddy, you know.

I couldn't help but let my true feelings leak out at the sound of the Pope's happy voice.

Forenoire didn't show any reaction, but her tail was wagging.

Thus, I went to my private quarters and everyone moved to their quarters, but secretly I called out to Lionel and the others.

"When you get to your quarters, come to my private room immediately.

The three of them nodded silently and I watched as Catherine led them to my private room.

It wasn't until about two hours later that the three of them visited my private room.

The three of them were exhausted when they were greeted by a knock at the door.

'What the hell is going on?'

...when they found out that we had joined the church, they asked for a mock battle or some sort of guidance.

...The receptionist?　Or is it Catherine?　It's an afterthought.

"Well I'm sorry. I should have had it taken care of beforehand. As soon as I can, I'll give this to Lionel.

I apologize to Lionel and the others and take out the magic bag and give it to them.

''A ... magic bag?''

'Yeah. I actually gave it to my master. This contains a letter to Doran, some food, some high-grade potions, and some gold and magic stones.

'Do I have to head to Rockford to write to Dolan?　In that case, if you could lend me your magic bag, that would suffice?

Really, Lionel is a serious and capable man.

To be honest, I don't think we'll be returning from Nerdal anytime soon. So, in the meantime, I've asked Dolan and the others to take their equipment and make sure that it is fully functional and that Lionel in particular is retrained. You two, take care of the support.

Lionel was so impressed with his words that he prodded his knees and gave a vassal's bow.

Ketty and Kefin followed, laughing as they mimicked it.

By the time Master Luciel comes back, I'll have enough to roll again.

I'm counting on you. If I don't resurrect my Holy Attribute Magic, I'll usually die too, and I'll get it back, whatever it takes.

Otherwise, there would be no way to have a mock battle with Master or Lionel, and there was no way he could expect to get out of it unscathed.

''I'll leave Lionel-sama to you, Nya.

I can't keep up with Master Luciel, so please tell me what happened in Nerdal when we meet later.

Ketty and Kefin smiled and agreed.

I decided to make sure to ask them something at this point.

''........So you're really going to go with the master-servant relationship?''

Yes, a master-servant relationship. I was already willing to treat him like a friend, except in public.

'Yes. I'm more in tune with my nature to serve someone else. Besides, you saved my life, so please keep it up.

I serve the Lord Lionel, and I serve him as well.

Huh?　What's the end of the line?

Although I am a freed slave, I still feel guilty, and since I am indebted to Master Luciel, I will continue to serve you as well as the two of you.

It's good that Kefin has been reformed too, but he's gradually becoming more and more like Lionel.

From the looks of it, the rejuvenated Lionel isn't much different from Kefin, so this one seems to be a good friend, but.......

''You're not going to stop your respectful speech to me, but you're going to ban respectful speech from us?

'I've gotten used to it, and Luciel-sama, please keep your tone the same.

There was no way I could refuse after Lionel said that, so I agreed with a sigh.

''Huh, that's enough. Ah, that's right. There was one more thing I wanted to ask of you. Actually...........

When they heard my request, they reluctantly agreed and left the room.

This should keep you all safe for the time being.

I'm really sorry that I had to take them to the air city without Nadia and Lydia's permission this time.

Still, I'll ask them to stay with me for a little while longer.

It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it, because it's not going to be the same as the original.