Chapter 8 – Episode 7 – The Main Quest Proceeds Automatically (1)

Episode 7 – The Main Quest Proceeds Automatically (1)

The same old daily routine continued.
I’ve turned 23 in this world, and it makes me think I’m already in my mid-twenties. Well, it’s better than reality, I suppose. I was consoling myself like that, admiring my smooth face and getting ready for the day, when the blanket on the bed behind me started to wiggle.

A tuft of black hair peeked out from under the covers, contrasting with a pale face. Carsilla looked around with dazed eyes before spotting me.

Our eyes met in the full-length mirror.

“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah.”

They say kids grow fast, and Carsilla has grown quite a bit. She still looks like she’s around 10 years old, but compared to how skinny she was before, her chubby cheeks are very cute.

“I’m going out first, so go to your room. You’ll get in trouble if you get caught again.”
“Okay.”

Even though Carsilla got her own room not long after I brought her here, she sneaks into my room every night before bed. It was a bit awkward at first, but I let it slide since she was kind of like a pet. However, she’s been caught a few times when she overslept and was late getting back to her room.
Luckily, she’s still very young and it’s known that she sees me as a father figure, so there weren’t any strange rumors… but my once-stellar reputation did take a bit of a hit. Nothing too serious, though.

My reputation is fine, but the problem is that Diana’s smile completely disappears whenever we get caught, which is a little scary. But if I’m going to tremble over something like this, I might as well give up on the harem. No matter what Diana says, I can’t give up on the harem.

It’s only because Carsilla is a child that it ends like this.
I need to test the waters a little and figure out how to control Diana’s jealousy. I can use these experiences to see how much her jealousy flares up and how to appease her.

I went to the Order’s office to check my schedule for the day.
Hmm. Nothing special today either.
Every day is the same, it’s so boring. Isn’t this supposed to be a fantasy world? Why is it so peaceful?
Out of habit, I opened the quest window.

【Quest】
▶Main Quest
▶Sub Quest

…Huh?
The lock that was there before is gone.
I stopped walking and stared at the quest window, but nothing changed.
Why is the quest window active now? Did something change?
There’s no way to know the reason without thinking about it, so I clicked on the quest window.

【Quest】
▼Main Quest
▶Stop the Demon King

▼Sub Quest
▶Create a Party!

That’s it?
I expected the main quest. The goal of the game was to defeat the Demon King, so whether it’s possession, reincarnation, or something else, I expected this since I was brought here.
The sub quest is new. There weren’t any sub quests in the game.

“Party.”

I muttered softly, but no new window appeared. Is there no system party window? If so, how would I know if I formed a party? Would it be recognized if I just grabbed random people and said, “I’ll give you money, so let’s form a party”?
Of course, the system didn’t answer.
This is a headache. Diana and Irian are definitely in. Carsilla is… too young.

I thought I should think about it slowly, but things moved faster than expected.

“A messenger from the Irup Lowlands?”

The Irup Lowlands.
A region where free cities with thriving commerce are clustered together. The news that they sent a messenger from such a wealthy place quickly spread through the usually dull Order.

“Why would the free cities send a messenger?”

Diana, who was preparing to go out for poverty relief, showed interest in the unexpected event. Irian was just standing there blankly, as usual.

“A demon’s minion…?”
“Yurian? A demon? Did you hear something?”
“Ah… no. I was just spacing out.”

I gave Diana an innocent look as she stared at me suspiciously. It’s not a lie, not really. I was spacing out. Of course, they’re closely connected, but still.

This game has various starting points, but the three most popular ones are the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Lowlands.
When you start, you can set your abilities, status, past, and specializations, and the starting point is one of them. Depending on where you start, the growth direction and difficulty differ, so if you have a clear idea of your growth direction, it’s standard to choose the starting point that suits it.

If you’re a melee class, the Empire.
If you’re a ranged class, the Kingdom.
If you’re a support class, the Lowlands.

These are the so-called standard starting points.

It’s a cliché, but the Empire is developed around knights, so melee classes get extra buffs, and the related quests and rewards are excellent.

The Kingdom is just called the Kingdom, but there are many kingdoms, so the advantages vary depending on which kingdom you choose. However, they generally give advantages to mages or archers, so if you want to grow as a ranged class, it’s standard to start in the Kingdom.

The Lowlands are the center of commerce with many free cities, boasting the best growth environment for non-combat classes. Honestly, considering how few people choose non-combat classes in the game, it’s the least preferred starting area, but it’s also a place that everyone ends up visiting eventually. Why? Because it’s the best for farming gold.

As a region with a lot of money, the quest rewards and rewards from simple grinding are overwhelming compared to other regions, so the Lowlands are often used for making money in the early to mid-game.
And the quest that always appears there is ‘Demon’s Minion.’
I don’t remember the details well, but it was a quest that offered a good opportunity to recruit the Saintess, so it was considered almost mandatory.

It’s been so long that I had to think for a while, but I finally remembered.

The story probably starts with a series of incidents suspected to be the work of demons in the Lowlands, and they ask the main temple for help. The Saintess goes there herself to solve the problem, and the player gets involved while solving the case, opening up the possibility of recruiting her.
Why is this quest happening now?

“Let’s go to the chapel. His Eminence the Cardinal is arriving soon.”

At Irian’s indifferent words, I quickly headed to the chapel.

“Oh… is this the rumored…!”
“Greetings, I am Saintess Diana.”
“By the grace of God! It is an honor to meet you, Saintess! I am MacCullen, the Deputy Mayor of the free city ‘Grampo.’ Seeing you in person is truly an eye-opening experience. Indeed, you are blessed by God! I have seen many sculptures, but your beauty, dignity, and nobility cannot be expressed by any sculpture!”

Wow. I almost let out a gasp of admiration. He was showering her with praise like he was rapping, it was like he had a script prepared.
Of course, my and Diana’s masks don’t waver at this level.
I nodded with a faint smile and sat down, and soon after, the old Cardinal entered.

“Now, tell us, Deputy Mayor MacCullen. A demon has appeared. Surely, it’s not a joke.”
“Absolutely not, Your Eminence! Please, take a look at this. Bring it here.”

The men behind the Deputy Mayor, presumably his entourage, brought a large sack and placed it on the round table. Even though it was wrapped in a sack, I could feel an ominous aura, making me frown.
The Cardinal’s face hardened as soon as he saw the sack, and then he sighed.

“It’s definitely the work of a demon. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this vile energy.”

He flicked the sack with his old hand, and a dried-up body popped out.
It was clearly in the shape of a human, but it was not something you could call human.
It was dried up like a mummy, but its strange purple eyes seemed to be alive, and a long, snake-like tongue protruded from its withered lips.

“Good heavens. A demon’s minion! The forces of evil, which have been unseen for a while, have reappeared!”

A commotion spread like wildfire among the priests sitting around the table.
Just looking at its disgusting appearance and the eerie magic made me feel sick, and the reaction with divine power made me feel unpleasant. Just looking at it made me feel bad in real-time, like seeing a disgusting picture on the internet.

“Quiet, everyone.”

The scene became quiet in an instant at the old Cardinal’s not-so-loud voice. The Cardinal, who had been lost in thought for a moment, turned his head towards Diana.

“What do you think, Saintess?”
“It’s definitely the work of a demon. I will go myself.”
“Hmm. The Saintess herself?”

Hmm. Is the story going to unfold as it did in the game even if I do nothing?
As I stood behind Diana and watched the situation unfold, it didn’t seem like I needed to step in. However, a challenge came from an unexpected source.

“I think it’s excessive for the Saintess to go herself. A demon’s minion has been found, but that’s all it is, a minion. There’s no guarantee that the demon is still there. An investigation team should be enough. Please send our ‘Exorcist Order’.”

A sharp-looking man, ‘Cal Donaros,’ who leads the Exorcist Order.
He’s a next-generation Cardinal candidate who’s eyeing one of the five Cardinal positions in the main temple. Why is he, a fervent supporter of the Saintess, opposing this?
It’s because of me, of course.

After all, I’m a strong candidate for the next Cardinal.

I can’t prove it, so I’m not treated as a Saint, but I possess the ‘Saint’ trait, which is on par with the Saintess. My powerful divine power, which is not fitting for my young age, is growing day by day, comparable to the Saintess, and I have a sky-high reputation and the Saintess’s tacit support.
My existence, which they had ignored, thinking I was just a young punk, has grown to the point where they can no longer easily dismiss me, so they’re getting anxious.

If the Saintess goes and solves it, her reputation will rise even more. More importantly, she won’t go without me, one of the ‘Guardians’ and someone she keeps by her side like her own body, so he’s worried that my reputation will also rise.
…This isn’t good.
If the story gets twisted from the start, the usefulness of my knowledge will drastically decrease. I can’t let that happen.

“Your Eminence, it has been 16 years since the Saintess joined the Order. Although the blessings of the divine are abundant in this world, many people still yearn for the touch of the divine. The Saintess going there herself is not just to defeat the demon. The journey to the free cities is like sharing the grace that the Saintess bestows, wouldn’t you agree?”

The Order’s influence in the free cities has been steadily declining, so let’s take this opportunity to tighten the discipline. And while we’re at it, let’s increase the Order’s influence. …That’s what I said, in a roundabout way.
A Cardinal should be able to understand a conversation with political undertones. Our Cardinal, who isn’t interested in his successor, who will only be decided after he dies, seemed to be intrigued by my words.

After all, no matter how high-ranking Cal Donaros is as the head of the Exorcist Order, he’s just a firefly in front of the moon compared to the Saintess’s reputation.
When the Saintess shows up, it’s a big deal in this medieval world. Just her passing by is enough to exponentially increase the Order’s influence.

“But we cannot ignore the danger. The Saintess is an important figure who represents the Order. We don’t know what the demon might be planning, so to send the Saintess to such a place is too reckless, isn’t it?”

This guy doesn’t want to give up easily. What danger?

“The ‘Guardians’ will provide ironclad protection for the Saintess. Who would dare to break through the Guardians and harm the Saintess? Surely… you don’t doubt the Guardians….”
“Ahem. It’s not that. It’s just that I’m worried because there are too few Guardians.”

That’s true.
The Guardians are the Order’s mascots.
They are strictly selected, and this generation of Guardians was all chosen or approved by the Saintess herself, so there are very few of them. Only four in total. Two of them are in other regions, so it’s just me and Irian.

“Of course, the Guardians alone are not enough, so how about the Exorcist Order provides support?”
“…Hmm. That should be fine.”

The Cardinal, who had been watching the compromise being reached, slammed his old palm on the table.
Goodness, the old man is still strong.

“Very well! We will form an investigation team of the Order, with the Saintess as the representative!”
“Thank you. Glory to God.”

Deputy Mayor MacCullen and his entourage, who had been watching blankly, bowed their heads.