[I really spoiled her too much in the past!]
Gustav Montagnés thought to himself.
About half an hour had passed since the cremation ended.
At the moment, his heart was tangled in emotions too complicated to put into words.
If he had to choose one word to describe how he felt, "regret" was probably the most fitting.
But his regret did not come from having watched the Commander burn to death before his eyes.
In truth, there had been no way to save her in that situation.
The slightest rash move on their part would have caused those furious believers to tear them to pieces without hesitation.
Staying put had undoubtedly been the safest choice.
What this incident had made him realize, however, was that his Commander was far more incompetent than he had ever imagined.
No, that did not seem quite right either.
After all, through her efforts alone, this Commander had successfully raised the Holy Kingdom's reputation to unprecedented heights.
Rumors were now spreading everywhere.
The furious believers had not calmed down after the blasphemer's death. If anything, their anger seemed to be intensifying.
That realization sent a chill through Gustav, who had still been clinging to the faint hope that things might somehow blow over.
People outside were now saying that the Holy Kingdom was preparing to launch an attack on the Sorcerer Kingdom and conquer it in one fell swoop.
Afterward, it would turn its forces against the Slane Theocracy and drag the God of Death down from his divine pedestal.
Heh.
Heh heh heh.
For the first time in his life, Gustav desperately wished he could feel that familiar stomachache again.
At least before, he had still been in a position to worry about his stomach.
But now...
To be honest, he could no longer see what kind of future awaited the Holy Kingdom.
Internal divisions everywhere, powerful enemies on every side, surrounded and opposed by the entire world...
It all left Gustav feeling lost and helpless.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
A voice broke the oppressive silence.
Gustav looked up. The speaker was Franco, a newcomer who had only recently joined the Paladin Order.
His abilities as a Paladin were still somewhat lacking, but he was exceptionally good at maintaining harmonious relationships with those around him. As a result, he was well liked by many and had earned Gustav's trust.
Franco's question was like a spark thrown onto dry tinder. In an instant, it brought everyone's emotions to the surface, and all the Paladins turned their eyes toward the same place.
Their Commander had just been burned alive before their very eyes.
With her gone, the two Deputy Commanders now held the highest rank among those present.
It was rather ironic when one thought about it.
Within the Paladin Order, the people its members trusted most had never been the so-called Commander, but the two Deputy Commanders standing before them.
Although Remedios held the position of Commander, she was essentially responsible only for combat and training.
The day-to-day management of the Order and all the other routine affairs were left entirely to the two Deputy Commanders.
And between the two of them, Gustav was undoubtedly the one with greater authority and prestige.
"This is already beyond our ability to handle. I'm afraid even Her Majesty the Holy Queen may not be able to..."
As Gustav spoke, he endured the weight of everyone's gaze and felt the pressure on him multiply.
What were they supposed to do?
He wanted to know the answer too!
After this disaster, they had thoroughly offended both the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Theocracy.
Remedios was no ordinary person. As Commander of the Paladin Order, her words and actions could, to a certain extent, be taken as representing the Holy Kingdom's position.
Now that something like this had happened, there was no telling what the consequences might be.
The incident itself could either become a major crisis or amount to very little. Everything depended on whether the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Theocracy intended to pursue the matter.
If they chose to let it go, then perhaps a sincere apology from the Holy Kingdom would be enough to settle things.
But if either side decided to hold the Holy Kingdom accountable, things would become extremely difficult.
Considering the Sorcerer Kingdom's close relations with its numerous allies, offending the Sorcerer Kingdom was practically the same as offending the Empire, the Dwarf Kingdom, the Dragon Kingdom, the Frozen Giants, and a whole assortment of Demihuman tribes all at once.
And that was without even counting the Theocracy.
If the God of Death himself said anything about the matter, they might have to add one more item to the list.
All of humanity.
Good grief. Put that way, the Holy Kingdom had practically become the entire continent's public enemy overnight!
And it was still getting worse!
The Commander's stock just kept rising!
What were they supposed to do with this?!
Just as everyone was completely at a loss, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Don't worry. For the time being, there shouldn't be any trouble from the Sorcerer Kingdom. As for the Theocracy, I doubt they'll openly hold the Holy Kingdom responsible either. At worst, they'll probably make things difficult for us behind the scenes."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
A very familiar figure came into view.
"Pavel-sama, what do you mean by that...?"
The newcomer was none other than Pavel Baraja, the Black of the Nine Colors.
At the question, he nodded and replied firmly, "Exactly what I said."
Pavel's words immediately steadied the frightened Paladins, and they all breathed sighs of relief.
"You collected Remedios's ashes, correct? Make sure you bring them back to the Holy Kingdom. Once you return, Head Priest Kelart will personally cast the Fifth-Tier Magic [Resurrection] to revive her."
Pavel continued speaking.
His voice grew somewhat heavy when he mentioned Remedios.
What she had done infuriated him. If not for Her Majesty the Holy Queen, he would not have wanted anything to do with that woman.
[Sigh. Even at a time like this, Her Majesty is still letting her personal feelings dictate her actions.]
Disappointed?
Of course he was disappointed.
Pavel had never imagined that coming to the Sorcerer Kingdom this time would lead to such an enormous mess.
He could still clearly remember the expressions on Her Majesty the Holy Queen and Head Priest Kelart when they learned what had happened.
A person's first reaction did not lie.
He never would have imagined that, deep down, the personal attachments of those two mattered more to them than the safety of the nation.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
No wonder His Highness Caspond had grown dissatisfied with his younger sister.
And even then, Caspond had shown remarkable restraint. If Pavel had been in his position, he might have raised an army in rebellion long ago.
Sigh. I wonder how Neia is doing.
She must have heard about this by now.
He had originally planned to surprise her.
Now it seemed his surprise was more likely to give her a fright.
As if summoned by his thoughts, footsteps suddenly reached Pavel's ears just as he was thinking about his daughter.
At the same time, a familiar voice called out.
"Father?"
Pavel froze.
He hurriedly turned around, and the figure he had thought about day and night finally appeared before his eyes.
Who else could it be but his precious daughter, Neia?
But before Pavel could say anything, his gaze instinctively shifted to the young man standing beside her.
The moment he saw how close the two of them were standing, Pavel felt his entire mood collapse.
Since when did his daughter have a male friend?
And judging from the way they were together, they seemed awfully close.
Oh no.
Oh no, no, no.
The little cabbage he had painstakingly raised all these years looked as though it was about to be carried off by a pig!
"Um... Hello, Uncle."
"By the way, is there something on my face?"
Naraku greeted him, rubbed his face, then muttered under his breath.
Could he have been stunned by how handsome this body of mine is?
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