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“Phew…at least I’m free from that debuff in the inn’s Rest Area.”

In a small room at the edge of the Sacred City Oratoria…
Crim let out a long sigh, finally able to relax from the exhaustion built up throughout the day.
Ever since *they* entered the city, there was no sightseeing or looking around, only a straight line to the inn.

“Okay… it’s safe Setsuna, come out.”
“Yayy, I was starting to get lightheaded from having to hold my breath for so long!”

Her only companion, the ninja girl Setsuna appeared out of thin air, and her cheerful voice forced a smile out of Crim.

“And now, I have a new task for thee.”
“Sure, do you want me to find King Theodolite?”
“Correct… We need to find him, and come to a peaceful agreement.”

Setsuna’s question was met with a quick nod from Crim.

　◇

…The previous night, when everyone got back from the Tone Shrine.

“…A peace agreement?”
“With King Theodolite?”

Frey and Freya were with Crim in their usual spot in Castle Seyfert’s garden, where she told them of her plan.

“Yes, we were able to secure a momentary truce in the course of our previous battle, but that doesn’t change that we’re still enemies.”
“I guess so.”

Frey nodded in response.
Lua Cheia had emerged victorious from the battle at Fort Vargan, but that was merely the first clash.
Crim’s side had a policy to never strike first, so they would not invade more territory, but the Holy Kingdom was rebuilding their forces in preparation for future invasions.
Morale in the Holy Kingdom went to the floor after their shameful defeat, causing various internal problems as well.
All of that was solved through a rather theatrical display, with King Theodolite overcoming his position as a pawn to regain control of the kingdom’s reigns, and executing all the war criminals. He quickly arrested control of the kingdom’s reigns, and many flocked to his service, to the point his power was starting to rival the other three large Unions.
Still, many of the people there had not changed their mindset much, and still had their doubts about the way the three Demon Lords had taken over most of the land…and that was another reason why they had not called off their declaration of war yet.

“Did you ever get any response to the previous attempts?”
“Sadly Theodolite remained silent, all my requests went unanswered.”

Or maybe…he was willingly ignoring it all. If anything, that was the more likely answer.

“That’s why I decided it’s best if I go there in person to discuss it directly. We wouldn’t want them to get the upper hand during the Ancient Imperial Capital event, would we?”

However…Crim was not too convinced that King Theodolite really was an upright and honest man. If anything, it was best to always be careful around him, as it was impossible to tell just what he was scheming behind the scenes.
Still, Crim believed there was enough of a chance for her endeavor to be successful.

“I mean…if you think it’s a good idea I won’t stop you…but are you sure?”
“You realize you’ll have to go to the Sacred City if you want to talk to him?”

Their concern was more than warranted. After all, just setting foot in a church was dangerous enough for Crim.
…Or at least until now.

“Yes, I know. That’s why I’m going to raid the castle’s treasury and gather all of the equipment I could use.”

Crim was still the leader of one of the four large Unions controlling a fourth of the continent. The treasury of Castle Seyfert was filled to the seams with all sorts of loot and treasure from bosses and dungeons they conquered, with most of it still lacking an owner.
The only issue was that going through so much stuff alone would take a long exhausting time.

“Could I get some help from both of ye to search?”

With that plea, the three friends went to search through all the available equipment…fishing for anything that could be of help to Crim in her trip.

***

But…there were more issues awaiting there.
Or rather, it was not called the Sacred City for nothing.

The history of Oratoria went way back, before the emergence of the old empire, and even before the dark ages.
Only a pile of abandoned ruins lay there during the long dark ages, which were then occupied by the ogres living in the region.
Then came the empire, which established an alliance with the ogres…but only a few decades after the first emperor passed away, when the seat of emperor switched places a few times, that alliance was suddenly broken, the ogres driven out by force, and the city bathed in blood.
The city was rebuilt again after that, regaining its former glory…but at the same time, as if to shun away that dark history, the Yalcha religion continued to oppress all non-human species.
That religion remained there for more than a hundred years until the present day, their beliefs becoming almost like a curse that spread through the caldera lake.
Maybe another contributing factor of that was the fact that the bottom of the lake was the second mass of mana in the continent…a Leyline Point
In other words…the city, the religion there, it all worked to Crim’s detriment.

And so…

“As thou can see, just being in this city places a heavy burden on me.”
“Aww… I used to wish I had a highly refined species too! But it sounds like it can be really troublesome too…”
“Yes it is… I shall do my best, but I’ll be relying on thou in case anything happens, and to gather information. Sorry for asking so much.”

Saying that, Crim lowered her head in apology.

“There’s nothing to say sorry for! I’m glad you trust me with all this!”
“Very well then.”
“Eheheh…”

As Setsuna smiled, brimming with determination, Crim patted her head.