Chapter 45

Aeron remembers the first day he met the little girl standing in front of him.

Upon hearing that a horde of monsters was attacking, he rushed to assist, only to find the city already in chaos.

Canaria was one of the survivors of that city.

‘This child will definitely grow up to be great.’

Garid said while looking down at the girl asleep in his arms. Despite facing overwhelming odds, she had shown courage, cold judgment, and an unyielding spirit—qualities one wouldn’t expect from a girl who seemed to be only five or six years old.

Aeron, recalling how she had fought against the monsters, agreed with Garid.

‘So… what are you going to do? Should we look for her family?’

Even though Aeron knew it was futile, he asked the question anyway.

Her clothes were torn and tattered, her face and body filthy. While her face was cute enough to mistake her for a noble’s daughter, her ragged appearance told a different story. Her parents were either gone or had not survived the chaos.

‘Let’s search for them first, and if we can’t find them…’

‘…And if we can’t?’

‘I’ll make her my daughter.’

‘…Excuse me? All of a sudden?’

Aeron had often seen Garid show compassion toward children who had lost their parents or lived in poor conditions, but this was the first time he had seen him go this far.

Unable to hide his surprise, Aeron asked, and Garid smiled back.

‘I like her.’

The girl, having accepted the offer of adoption, became Garid’s daughter.

Since Aeron wasn’t just a colleague but a close friend of Garid’s, he frequently visited Garid’s home and often looked after Canaria in his stead. Despite using formal language, Canaria was as dear to Aeron as if she were his own child.

“You haven’t changed, Captain.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean? Of course, I’m talking about your height. I told you back when you were young to stop eating just meat and eat your vegetables, but neither you nor Garid listened—”

“Aah, ahh—Not listening!”

Canaria covered her ears, shaking her head, looking exactly like a child who didn’t want to hear any more scolding.

Aeron, dissatisfied, stopped his scolding, and only then did Canaria stop shaking her head.

“You know it wasn’t because of my diet. If it weren’t for that perverted lizard, I’d be twice as tall as I am now.”

“…I’m sure no one else refers to Grasis as a ‘perverted lizard,’ Captain. And where did you get ‘twice as tall’ from?”

Moreover, Canaria was probably the only person who could say such things without getting into trouble.

“Calling a pervert a pervert—what else would you call him?”

“…Forget it. Let’s move on. So, where have you been all this time? You disappeared right after the war ended, and no one could find you.”

Aeron asked, though he had a rough idea of where she had been.

“Garid’s grave.”

“I thought so.”

Canaria’s answer matched Aeron’s expectations.

“…You already knew?”

“You never made any friends, nor would you throw yourself into the Empire’s arms, so where else would you be?”

“Eric didn’t have a clue, though.”

“Did you meet Eric too? What’s he been up to?”

“He’s been working as the captain of the Ordo City Guard.”

“…Captain of the Guard? Him? I can’t picture that at all…”

“He’s getting older too.”

“…?”

How old was Canaria now, anyway?

Aeron did a rough calculation. She had been six when he first met her, and a little over ten years had passed since then.

‘She must be around seventeen now.’

A young brat, not even twenty, talking down to someone much older than himself.

On top of that, Kana looked younger than her actual age, which made Aaron find her words even more amusing.

“So, you suspected as much but didn’t come to visit? Garid will be disappointed.”

“Sometimes, one needs time alone.”

“…What?”

Kana seemed confused, but Aaron merely smiled softly.

“Since the captain came all the way here, I’ll have to pay him a visit later.”

“Sure. Oh, but not when I’m not around. The snake set up a barrier.”

“…Snake? You mean, that guy?”

“Are there any other snakes you know of?”

“…What in the world happened? Is it related to why you’re outside?”

“It’s not entirely unrelated. Thanks to that snake, I got curious about something, which gave me a reason to come out.”

Kana pulled up a chair meant for guests and sat down. Despite her small frame, her presence seemed to shrink even more behind the large desk, with only her head barely visible from Aaron’s point of view.

“I’ve gotten curious about the Apostles.”

“Apostles…”

“Do you know anything about them?”

“No, just—”

Aaron sighed deeply. Searᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Lately, Libery’s been having a hard time dealing with the Apostles.”

Brought to Ardina through Edel’s guidance, these newcomers, while helpful, were causing more than a few problems. Aaron, as the Head Instructor, focused primarily on educational matters and didn’t involve himself deeply in administration, but he was well aware of the current atmosphere in Libery.

Most welcomed Edel’s people with open arms, but…

“There are definitely some complaints.”

Existing mercenaries had spent years building up their skills and records, only to finally pass through rigorous evaluations and earn higher ranks. But the Apostles were different. Their evaluation process was far simpler—practically just needing a minimal record, which was much less than what was previously required.

Many mercenaries felt the stark preferential treatment was unfair.

“People are saying things like, ‘Does Edel’s favor give them a free pass?’ and ‘Shouldn’t the evaluations be fair, no matter what?’”

“Can’t they just follow the same rules?”

“It’s not that easy. If we simplify the evaluation process for current mercenaries, it will likely increase the number of deaths.”

Apostles didn’t need to be perfect in skill; after all, they could always revive, thanks to Edel’s blessing. But the people of the Ardina continent had no such luxury. Lowering the evaluation difficulty could lead to mercenaries taking on jobs beyond their capabilities, risking their lives.

Libery aimed to nurture mercenaries, not send them out to die.

“Then do the opposite.”

“…If that were possible, we would have done it already.”

It sounded simple, but the problem lay in how fast Apostles grew stronger compared to the pace at which they accumulated achievements. Even if they were slightly less skilled, their physical power and mana levels were on par with veteran mercenaries.

But the real issue was something else entirely.

“How can we go against what Edel has personally declared? It was a divine revelation, no less.”

“…Edel did?”

“We’re stuck. Can’t do this, can’t do that. It’s maddening.”

There was no place on the Ardina continent, not even the mighty Lo Arka Empire, that could ignore Edel’s divine will. Even they, with all their influence, bowed before Edel and the Sedeth Kingdom.

“Not only did he bring people over from across the sea, but now he’s telling us how to handle them… What could he possibly be thinking?”

“Who knows.”

As Kana listened to Edel’s complaints, she fell into thought for a moment.

“Across the sea to the continent…”

“Do you know something about it?”

“…No.”

Kana shook her head.

“That’s why I’m going to the Holy Kingdom.”

To ask Edel.

***

“Are you really going to ask Edel?”

Aeron rubbed his ears as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Besides, the oracle that was issued this time is said to have occurred only once in hundreds of years. Do you really think that’s possible?”

“If it can’t be done, then it can’t be. But trying is still an option.”

Aeron showed a rather negative reaction, looking sulky.

“I’m saying that it seems like you won’t even get the chance to try. I can imagine you saying, ‘I want to talk to Edel,’ but do you think Edel is just a childhood friend living next door? If you say that, do you really think she’ll respond with, ‘Oh, I see! Come right in!’?”

“…I wasn’t thinking that—”

“Of course you weren’t! How long have I known you, Captain? You’re just trying to fool someone who’s already been fooled.”

“…”

I couldn’t deny Aeron’s words. I, too, felt I would have acted the same way as he said.

Pouting my lips timidly, Aeron softened his tone and said,

“Well, it might not be completely impossible.”

“…You just said it was impossible.”

“According to the gods, Edel hears all the prayers made in the prayer room. So if you offer your prayer sincerely, she might give you an answer.”

“But I’m not a believer.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to believe in Edel this time.”

“…”

I had no intention of suddenly becoming religious, so that advice wasn’t very helpful.

“I’ll think about it after I go.”

“Do as you wish. When have you ever listened to what I said?”

“I didn’t ignore everything.”

“That’s why you’re so desperately avoiding vegetables.”

“…Are we back to that topic again?”

The conversation had somehow looped back to my picky eating habits.

Having heard the same thing for ages, I shivered and changed the subject.

“Enough with the ridiculous vegetable talk. Why are you working here?”

Aeron, who had a lot to say, eventually swallowed his words and sighed deeply.

“This is what I learned. How could I do something else? I didn’t want to go to the Empire, but when they offered me a position as the educational officer in Liberi, I accepted it to finally escape my eternal vice-captain status.”

Eternal vice-captain.

That was one of the jokes we used to tease Aeron.

He was the vice-captain when Garid was the captain, and when I took the vice-captain position, he briefly returned to being a regular member.

After Garid died and I became captain, he returned as the vice-captain again.

So, strictly speaking, he wasn’t a ‘forever’ vice-captain, but it was a teasing remark to imply he’d never be a captain.

I had a vague memory of a similar expression in my previous life related to a pro gamer, but unfortunately, I couldn’t recall it.

“Should I get a job here too? Like you, as the education officer.”

“Please, spare me.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

I hadn’t meant it seriously; it was just a joke to tease the eternal vice-captain.

As I was about to say it was just a prank, Aeron beat me to it.

“Isn’t it sad for the mercenaries?”

“…?”

…Was that the problem?

“Why are the mercenaries sad?”

“…Do you really not know?”

“Yes.”

Not knowing, he was asking. If I knew, I wouldn’t bother asking, right?

He slapped his forehead in frustration.

“Enough. In any case, please try to refrain from teaching anyone.”

Because it would be sad for the person learning from the captain.

At his additional comment, I blinked in silence.

I kept blinking without replying for a long time.

Maybe sensing something, Aeron lowered his hand from his forehead and carefully asked.

“…You don’t mean what I think you mean, do you?”

“…”

“Oh dear, Kana…”

It had been so long since he called me by my name that I involuntarily flinched.

Aeron clasped his hands together.

“What kind of sin did that person commit in their past life to meet you… I hope they go to a good place.”

“…Don’t treat the person as if they’re dead.”

After all, they wouldn’t die since they are an apostle.

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