“Thank you for your hard work going all the way from the system to the distant border city of Berniden.”
As I entered the office, Odwin’s voice could be heard. However, it was impossible to see her form because a gigantic mountain of documents completely obscured her petite body.
What exactly is this mountain of documents?
Just as I was about to voice my question in a plain manner, I remembered the relationship between Odwin and Julian.
When dealing with the quick-witted Odwin, even a simple question had to be asked ‘in a Julian-like manner.’
“You’ve worked hard. In comparison, I wonder if Director Odwin has been neglecting her duties?”
“Excuse me?”
“Seeing these stacks of documents, that thought came to mind.”
A sarcastic tone.
Yet, despite the towering documents, there was no significant change in emotion on Odwin’s face that could be seen through the gaps.
Rather, with a tone that seemed to say ‘of course, you would think that,’ she opened her mouth.
“Who do you think is responsible for the accumulation of these documents?”
“Isn’t it due to Director Odwin’s negligence?”
“Not at all! Not at all! It’s because of you, Sir Julian!”
With one hand, she pushed the documents aside, slightly furrowing her brows.
“Why did you burn the Pyrun Forest…? You knew it had a close relationship with the Solar Religion, and while it might not have been a sanctuary, it certainly had its own symbolism.”
“The members of ‘Closed Eyes’ sent to the field are allowed to make autonomous decisions based on their experience in special situations, aren’t they?”
“……So?”
“My experience says it’s better to deal with demons quickly and simply rather than take risks.
“Even so………… Ah, ah, forget it.”
Seemingly frustrated, Odwin pressed her thumb and forefinger against her eyes and then shifted her gaze back to the documents.
“Please consider the work I have to deal with in the future before you act. Among these stacks of documents are warnings sent from the Solar Religion.”
“I judged that for the national interest, the command of the imperial family is more important than the religious symbolism.”
“I’m not asking about your religious values…………… Fortunately, it seems the imperial family dismissed the complaints from the Solar Religion.”
Odwin said this and then added in a gruff voice, ‘ultimately, I’m the one who has to deal with these details.’
“Besides, these stacks of documents are related to you.”
“Besides the Solar Religion?”
“Yes, there’s also an invitation from your alma mater, the Bayer Academy, asking for a speech, and another thing………
Rustle. Rustle.
Odwin seemed to be searching for something in the documents, and then, having found it, showed me a document.
“The Heinrich family wants to go to the party under the escort of ‘Closed Eyes’…. precisely, under your escort.”
As I listened to her words, I inwardly took the document and tilted my head in confusion.
Are there actually people making such crazy requests to Julian? Have they lost their minds? Or do they wish to die?
“Ah, and one more thing. The secretariat has something they want to discuss regarding the Tri-horn demon in Pyrun Forest. How about you show up like last time?”
“Yes, I’ve just returned to the capital, but I should do that much.”
How generous of you.
Odwin replied in a tone that was anything but thankful and shifted her gaze back to the pile of documents again.
It seemed like a bad idea to break her concentration with unnecessary talk.
After all, I was the one who contributed most to creating this massive pile of paper.
***
“Sir Julian! You’ve returned from the border city of Berniden!”
Before heading to the secretariat, I stopped by my office to drop off my luggage.
Seeing me enter the office, ‘Closed Eyes’ apprentice Razlot approached me with a visibly tense demeanor. I responded with a soft smile.
“Yes, I’ve just arrived.”
“Is it true that you single-handedly subdued a Tri-horn demon!? The rumor is widespread even in the capital!”
“So, rumors about Pyrun Forest are circulating as well?”
“Yes? Ah… Ah, haha…”
Razlot gave an awkward laugh in response to my question.
“Ah! And upon hearing of your return, I’ve organized the letters and items sent to Sir Julian in the office.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, this is all I can do.”
True to his words, my office was piled with not a few items. As before, there were pointless things like bizarre art magazines and membership dues for the Knight’s Association.
Just as I was about to bundle everything together and throw it in the trash, a familiar phrase caught my eye.
“Genmel Monastery.”
A letter from the Genmel Monastery, one of the parishes of the Dawn Society.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason for them to send a letter to me.
If anything, it would be the Dawn Society hiding their identity within.
“Have they lost their minds…?”
I almost blurted out a curse aloud.
Someone is struggling to hide their affiliation with the Dawn Society, and they send a letter that could expose them?
I quickly looked around, tore open the envelope, and started examining the contents.
Fortunately, the letter did not contain anything I was worried about.
‘A letter from the Dawn Society, huh? Ending with just asking how I’m doing seems unlikely… Huh?’
As I was about to reread the letter to see if I had missed anything, the letters written on it began to move one by one.
‘It seems to be written by Elenoa.’
A spell that activates only when a specific person tears open the envelope. In the Dawn Society, she is the only wizard who would apply such shadow magic to a letter.
– ‘The Archbishop wishes for Bishop Julian to visit his diocese.’
The content of the letter was indeed simple.
However, the real purpose must be to bring the soul stone obtained from the demon subjugation in Berniden.
‘No need to say it; I know.’
After crumpling the paper, I was about to burn it for confidentiality when a thought struck me, and I spread it out again.
Only the director, Odwin, and personnel from the imperial secretariat knew about my return day from the border city of Berniden.
Even Razlot, my apprentice, albeit, was unaware.
‘Yet knowing the exact day of my return…………..’
A mole in the imperial secretariat belonging to the Dawn Society.
Given how quickly I was contacted, it seems this person is quite loyal to the Dawn Society.
‘Whether they’re doing it for gain, or have been influenced by the Dawn Society, it’s hard to say……………’
Having sorted my thoughts, I used mana to ignite the letter. It didn’t take long for the flames to completely consume the paper.
‘Not exactly pleasant.’
***
The moonlit Genmel Monastery.
Under the full moon, the Genmel Monastery, missing its usual sublime atmosphere, was only filled with a chilling and ghostly coldness.
Mixed among these chills were tense murderous intents, all directed at one person.
In the center of this murderous atmosphere, the empire’s ‘Smiling Executioner,’ Julian, stood tall.
“Bishop Julian, I apologize for making you wait.”
Elenoa, navigating through this deadly atmosphere with ease, approached Julian, who showed no discomfort.
She also took a moment to scan the looks of those eyeing Julian with malice.
People who harbored grudges against Julian, big and small. It seemed they had been waiting and planning upon hearing he would come to the diocese, but none of their plans came to fruition.
The noble demeanor and calmness emanating from him were befitting of a strong individual.
“Ahem.”
Overwhelmed, most of them simply lowered their tails and made uncomfortable coughs.
“I was delayed informing the Archbishop of Bishop Julian’s arrival. Shall we go inside?”
“I would prefer not to wait next time. There were quite a few eyes on me; it was rather frightening.”
“Haha, you jest well.”
Elenoa dismissed his added remark as a joke and started walking ahead, leading the way through the deadly atmosphere, unfazed by the comment that someone as fearless as him felt scared.
“The capital is abuzz with what happened in Berniden. The tale of you capturing a Tri-horn demon alone and the unfortunate news of Pyrun Forest burning.”
“Is that so?”
Julian’s small smile, too nonchalant for someone at the center of those two topics, cooled Elenoa’s excitement.
“Bishop Elenoa.”
Surprised by Julian suddenly addressing her, Elenoa stopped in her tracks and examined his face.
“Yes?”
“Please refrain from sending such letters when I’m away in the future. It puts me in a difficult position personally.”
He held in his hand the envelope from Elenoa, marked as sent from ‘Genmel Monastery.’
“Oh, what trouble could it possibly cause? The magic ensures it won’t be seen by anyone else.”
“But what if there’s an ‘if’? I’d prefer such incidents don’t happen again.”
Watching Julian firmly decline, a slight smile formed on Elenoa’s lips. Though her face didn’t show it, she seemed slightly flustered by his stance, which she found refreshingly novel.
This made her want to add more to the conversation than usual, even considering revealing a ‘tear point’ to probe his intentions.
“But wouldn’t sending a person be more dangerous than a letter? The risk of being discovered would double.”
“As long as it’s not during my absence from the capital, it wouldn’t matter.”
“Really? Well, since it came up, should we also consider how Bishop Julian might initiate contact when he wishes?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Excuse me?”
Elenoa expressed her surprise at Julian’s unexpected response.
Julian, who joined the Dawn Society for his own gains, was thought to dislike the current situation of being unable to communicate directly.
“If necessary, I’ll come to visit Bishop Elenoa myself.”
“Me? Oh… you know I’m not always at Genmel Monastery, right?”
Elenoa was taken aback by Julian’s statement about visiting her personally. Most bishops affiliated with the Dawn Society, who needed to keep their identity secret, led double lives.
Their identity within the Dawn Society.
And their identity as a regular member of the empire.
For Elenoa, who had always been careful to hide her original identity, Julian’s words were so out of the ordinary that she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes, I’m aware. So if necessary, I’ll say I’m going to visit the sunny Miss Elenoa.”
Elenoa stared at him intently following his words.
“Bishop Julian, aren’t you overstating things? I don’t mind jokes, but I do prefer them to be amusing.”
“Is that so? Haha.”
With an enigmatic response, Julian began to lead the way.
It had to be bluster. There was no way he could know her carefully hidden identity. Yet, the laughter he left behind lingered in Elenoa’s mind.
‘Hmph! He must be probing.’
Elenoa started following him. Soon, they arrived at the room where Tenellon was waiting.
Upon opening the door, Tenellon’s face, concealed by a mask, was met with a solemn atmosphere.
“Welcome, Bishop Julian. You’ve finally arrived. Do you know how much I’ve wanted to see your face!”
He began to pour out his blind trust in Julian as he had done before.
“Now, show me what you’ve brought. The soul stone from the Tri-horn demon you faced alone. Haha.”
Just like before, Tenellon’s friendliness seemed set to continue as long as Julian didn’t cause any significant trouble.
“I didn’t bring the soul stone.”
Julian’s unexpected words surprised Elenoa, who looked at him with wide eyes, and Tenellon was no different.
“You didn’t bring it? Are you saying it wasn’t a Tri-horn demon? But, according to the reports, it was clearly a triangle.”
“The demon I encountered in Berniden was indeed a Tri-horn demon. I was successful in obtaining the soul stone from its body.”
If there was any subterfuge, he might have made excuses, but his brazen attitude made Elenoa roll her eyes.
Tenellon’s gaze sharpened enough to be felt even behind his mask, his eyes filled with killing intent while Julian smiled back at him.
“Then… where is that soul stone?”
She knew she had to think carefully before answering.
As Elenoa pondered this, Julian spoke.
“I’ve handed it over to the imperial secretariat.”
Elenoa felt dizzy at Julian’s casual remark.
Cliche Novel 
Ah! i think i understand! ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊
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