In the office, the conversation among the three continued.
Kain recalled the name of Merine, who was the wife of Yuya, the first king of Esfort, when he thought about the holy maiden.
"Kain, you don't know about other countries, do you? Magna, please explain it to him."
The king prompted Magna, the prime minister, to explain.
"To the southwest of the Kingdom of Esfort, about a month's carriage ride away, lies the Theocratic State of Marinfort. This country spreads the teachings of the seven pillars of the gods revered in this world. They send bishops and priests to various countries to preach to the people, and it is also the state religion of our country. Unlike a country ruled by nobles, the king of this country is called the Pope, who is elected from generation to generation. Below the Pope are the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests, who manage the country. A holy maiden refers to a woman who holds the title of 'holy maiden.' At the age of five, during baptism, the title is revealed, and she is separated from her family to be raised carefully at the headquarters of the theocratic state. The specific duties of a holy maiden are not well known, but since it is a title held by only one person in this world, she must be welcomed with great respect in our country as well."
The king and Kain nodded at Magna's explanation. After confirming that Kain understood, he continued.
"Thus, I would like you to go to the border of this country with the royal guards to welcome her and also to serve as her bodyguard within the country. You are a noble and an adventurer, after all. The holy maiden might feel stifled surrounded only by adults. Miss Silk will accompany you. Princess Teresia will wait in the capital, of course, as it would be too risky for her to come along. Other adventurers will also be commissioned, so please join them."
"―――Is it possible to decline...?"
"......Kain, do you think you can refuse? The news about the wall in Drindor has already reached the capital. They say you built a wall on the scale of this capital's wall. Are you planning to start a country and a war? I'm saying I'll turn a blind eye to it. I didn't intend to interfere as long as it was within reason... You do things beyond my imagination. It's troublesome for everyone around you. Of course, the country will send guards and personnel to build structures, and we will also provide financial assistance."
The king narrowed his eyes and looked at Kain. Indeed, due to its proximity to the capital, information from merchants quickly reached the capital.
"I have no intention of doing that. There is a forest inhabited by monsters right next to it. In the past, dungeons have also flooded. This is a measure against that. I will gratefully accept the assistance. It would take too long with only the residents of my territory, and there is a limit to the funds."
Kain explained, cold sweat trickling down his back.
"Alright. Even if you started a war with our country, we would lose to you alone. I'm counting on you for the bodyguard duty."
"―――Understood."
Faced with the king's difficult response, Kain nodded with a wry smile.
After the meeting, on the way back in the carriage, Kain folded his arms and pondered. He had planned to focus on internal affairs during the summer break and visit the Marveque territory, where Silk's family lived, and the Liebert territory, where Tiphaine's family lived, when he had the chance.
"Perhaps I should go once and set up a teleportation point..."
As a noble, he needed to spend some money in each city he visited, but fulfilling his duties would take more than two months of summer break. Kain decided to abandon his noble duties early and travel the shortest distance possible.
Back at the mansion, he had a meeting with Coran in the office. When he mentioned the holy maiden's bodyguard duty, Coran was greatly surprised.
"Her Highness the Holy Maiden... I can't help but be surprised. To think you would be chosen as her bodyguard..."
"I didn't really want to, but since the king is sending people to Drindor and providing assistance, I had no choice."
Kain replied weakly to Coran. As an adventurer, he was registered as A-rank but had only experience in slaying monsters. This would be his first time taking on a bodyguard mission. Although he could use the exploration skill, he was still worried.
"I plan to go to the Marveque territory and the Liebert territory this weekend to set up teleportation points."
"Understood."
Kain sighed and could only smile wryly at his busy schedule.
The next day, at school, Teresia and Silk immediately came to him. They had already heard about the holy maiden's bodyguard duty from their parents.
"Lord Kain, Father told me. You're going to be the holy maiden's bodyguard... Please be careful. And yet, Silk gets to go with you... I asked Father if I could go, but he refused."
Teresia, upon hearing that Kain would go with Silk to welcome the holy maiden, had pleaded with the king to let her go, but he refused, as it was too risky to send a princess. As a result, Teresia was a bit sulky in the morning.
"Sorry, Teresia, but I'll go with Kain-kun. I can't go to the Marveque territory this year, but it's okay because I get to travel with Kain-kun."
Teresia's frown deepened at Silk's words.
"Maybe we can visit the Marveque territory if we have some time. I can't talk about it here, but... If so, we could go together, including Teresia."
Kain planned to use teleportation magic, but he couldn't let it be known in the classroom that he could easily use the legendary teleportation magic. Teresia's expression gradually relaxed as she heard Kain's words.
"Lord Kain! Let's have a tea party at the castle next week. Please tell me then! Absolutely, okay!?"
Teresia grabbed Kain's shoulders and shook him, demanding an answer.
"Okay, okay, I'll go to the castle next week, Teresia. But let go of my shoulders, they hurt..."
Teresia, realizing what she was doing, blushed and covered her face with her hands.
"Oh, me..."
At that moment, the door opened, and the homeroom teacher entered.
"Come on, come on, let's start homeroom, everyone sit down!"
At the teacher's voice, Teresia and Silk returned to their seats. After two morning classes, Kain, who had no specialized subjects, decided to go to the library. Although he had never been there before, the library of the capital's school housed many books. He asked the librarian and searched for the books he needed. First, he looked for books on the geography of the continent. The maps of this world were not very detailed, with only cities, towns, forests, and roads simply drawn. Other countries were only vaguely indicated as "beyond here is the XX country." To prevent information from leaking to other countries, which could be disadvantageous, the maps were not sold and were stored in the school library. Kain confirmed the locations of the Marveque territory and the Liebert territory while checking the map of the Kingdom of Esfort. Next, he read books on history, thinking he needed to research the Marinfort religion and the history of the theocratic state.
About three hundred years ago, Yuya and Kain's parents were summoned by the Theocratic State of Marinfort. After the evil god Aaron appeared, countries began warring with each other, and a flood of monsters occurred. The legendary gem, which was said to be hidden in the theocratic state, was used. The gem, said to be granted by the gods, is still hidden somewhere in the capital where the Pope and the holy maiden reside. The magic power stored in the gem accumulates over several hundred years, gradually collecting magic power from the atmosphere. It was impossible to know when the summoning magic could be used again. Only the Pope, the holy maiden, or high-ranking officials like cardinals knew about it.
"Perhaps someone will be called again, like Yuya and my parents..."
Kain thought as he closed the book he had finished reading.
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Thank you as always. The next chapter is scheduled for January 22. Please note that this is just a tentative date.