***

“Cardinal Jusepe!”

Lionel urgently sought out Jusepe.

Jusepe, with a rare expression devoid of any trace of a smile, looked up at the shattering seal in the sky.

It seemed the seal had weakened more than expected.

Jusepe quietly searched his memory, recalling what kind of monster the Saint of White Flame had last fought against in her lifetime.

If the seal was placed on a mountain full of Earth’s energy, it must have been a monster that wielded fire.

Among the fire-wielding monsters, it was a large species and one that had taken the life of the Saint of White Flame.

“It must be Cerberus.”

The canine monster with three heads was notorious for its ferocity, capable of completely crushing several cities in a single rampage.

If they couldn’t stop it here, there would be even greater damage.

“Sir Lionel, evacuate as many villagers as possible, even now.”

“I’ll help too, Cardinal.”

“Different people are suited for different tasks. Right now, what I can do best is to deal with the monster, and what Sir Lionel can do best is to evacuate and guide the people.”

“But…”

To his assistant who seemed reluctant to give up, Jusepe said with a smile,

“You’ll only be in the way, Sir Lionel.”

At those words, Sir Lionel had no choice but to back down.

He knew that Jusepe boasted unparalleled martial prowess in the Holy Empire.

Moreover, he was one who could freely wield the Meteor Spear, a sacred relic.

So, normally, there would be no need to worry.

If it were ‘normal’ times.

Jusepe’s eyesight had deteriorated significantly due to using his power of foresight to see too far and too many futures.

As it was the price for borrowing divine power, it couldn’t even be treated, leaving no choice but to leave it as is.

It was impossible to know how bad his eyesight had become, or if he was even capable of fighting.

Nevertheless, Lionel had no choice but to turn away.

He painfully realized that he would be nothing but a hindrance to Jusepe, let alone help.

***

The first thing Jusepe ‘foresaw’ was the death of his parents.

Young and naive, he was confident that he could change the future he had seen.

He thought that was what divine power and God’s blessing were for.

Such foolish thoughts he had.

And as an adult, Jusepe once again glimpsed the future.

The future of this village that he had missed while focusing on the distant future.

And as always, God showed him only the most devastating future.

The sight of the village, wiped out without a trace, engulfed by a landslide.

‘Always showing such futures and then asking me to praise you.’

The god this world believes in must surely be a monster.

Thinking this, Jusepe smiled.

Though he had become an adult, he still couldn’t escape the foolish thoughts he had harbored as a child.

***

“Sir Lionel!”

He was on his way to the village, leading the priests who had joined the pilgrimage.

Lionel turned his head at the sound of Belinda’s voice calling him.

“Are you going to guide the villagers to safety?”

“Yes, my lady, you should also quickly go outside the village…”

“No, don’t do that.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t evacuate them outside the village, but shelter everyone in the temple.”

“But if a battle with the monster breaks out, it will cause a landslide. Surely even the temple won’t be safe…”

“Sir Lionel.”

Suddenly, Belinda called out to Lionel in a deeply serious voice.

Feeling intimidated by her grave and desperate demeanor, Lionel faced Belinda despite the urgency of the situation.

“Can you believe and follow Cardinal Jusepe even if he says something that doesn’t make sense?”

“Of course. If he were to point to hell and call it heaven, then to me, that place would be heaven.”

To these words imbued with strong faith, Belinda continued with a serious attitude.

“That Cardinal Jusepe has decided to trust me regarding this matter. So I’ll say it clearly. Evacuate the villagers to the temple. Only that place will be safe.”

Belinda said this resolutely and headed towards the temple with the northern knight who always guarded her and the young boy.

Lionel was conflicted until he entered the village.

Should he evacuate the villagers to the temple as Belinda said, or should he evacuate them as far outside the village as possible?

But soon he came to a conclusion.

“Everyone, follow me! We must go to the temple! God will protect you!”

It wasn’t because he believed in God, or because he trusted Jusepe, that he made this decision.

It was simply because Belinda’s gaze, as she looked directly at him, seemed as steadfast as if it were imbued with divine power.

***

When receiving the ‘Holy Relic of the White Flame Saint’ quest in <Hirome>, the priest guarding the temple said that the village was completely engulfed by a landslide.

But the temple alone remained intact, without a single damaged spot.

Ironically, the temple located halfway up the mountain was unharmed.

It seemed as if a divine miracle had occurred, but God did not look after the villagers.

I asked Sir Lionel, whom I met on the way, to evacuate to the temple, but it was uncertain whether he would follow my words.

I brought Leo to the empty temple and tried to act as normal as possible so the child wouldn’t be scared.

“Ratchet, wait here. Don’t look out the window, no matter what.”

I intended to follow Jusepe, who had gone with Sir Penadel to deal with the monster.

With one more reliable ally.

As I was about to break the necklace I had kept hidden in my clothes, Leo grabbed my sleeve and said,

“Can… can I come with you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I didn’t want to, but my voice came out harsh due to my surprise.

Leo, who had never once begged for anything, continued without letting go of my sleeve.

“I’ll just watch from very far away. I won’t get in the way. I just… want to see that Lady Belinda, that you, will return safely.”

“I’ll come back safely, so don’t worry about such unnecessary things.”

Contrary to my harsh words, I gently patted the child’s back.

Still, Leo persistently held onto me.

As if he had experienced this before.

“What if you don’t come back? What if you never return? You said we’d go home together. You said Blanche is home, but… without you, Lady Belinda, it’s not home.”

“….”

“Wherever you are, Lady Belinda, that’s my home.”

I bit my lip hard and swallowed the surge of emotions.

Then I took out a pair of ribbons I had been keeping.

They were location-tracking magic ribbons received as a synchronization reward.

This magical tool, consisting of two pairs in one set, is a magical item designed for when a caregiver loses a child.

In <Hirome>, the blue ribbon was tied to the protagonist, and when the player tied the red ribbon, they could track the child’s location in real time.

I tied the red ribbon to Leo’s wrist and said,

“This is a magical item that shows my location. If I don’t return by sunrise, Ratchet, like a good servant, come and fetch your master.”

Then I handed Leo the blue ribbon and asked him to tie it to my wrist.

Only then did Leo carefully pull my sleeve and tie the ribbon to my wrist.

“You must come find me when the sun rises. Understood?”

“Yes, Lady Belinda. I’ll definitely come find you.”

I hugged Leo one last time as he nodded with tears welling up in his eyes, then turned away.

Only then did I unfasten the necklace I had been wearing.

At the end of the string hung a crudely shaped silver key.

I grasped it and inserted it into the visible temple door.

Even though it shouldn’t fit, the key was smoothly sucked into the keyhole.

The village bell rang in the distance, marking the hour.

As I twisted the key to that sound, an impossibly complex magic circle appeared and disappeared on the temple’s rough wooden door.

I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Surprisingly, the dimly lit room inside was Cheshire’s lodging.

“Master, I was quite disappointed, thinking you had forgotten about me because you were enjoying your journey so much.”

Although I felt sorry for the smiling Cheshire, he had an urgent task at hand.