The captain of the guard was replaced in an instant. But the Pope's anger did not end there.
“This is the second time that something unpleasant has happened in the temple. How could something like this happen in the temple that is supposed to be the safest place!”
The Pope called together all the temple guards and knights and rebuked them.
“I am sorry, Your Holiness.”
The Pope, who was looking at them all bowing their heads with a displeased expression, opened his mouth in annoyance.
“Investigate the assassin’s identity immediately and strengthen the temple’s security. There should be no more problems with the safety of the Saintess!”
“I will keep that in mind, Your Holiness!”
After the commotion passed, we all waited with one mind for the assassin to rise up.
But despite the meticulous treatment and devoted nursing of the temple doctors, he could not regain consciousness.
“He was lucky to survive, but the blade was so deeply embedded that it will likely take some time for him to wake up.”
Oh man, it's pointless to just be good at using swords.
Even though I knew that it wasn't the Crown Prince's fault, my resentment kept bubbling up.
For several days, I waited for the assassin to rise up.
A report came in from the newly appointed captain of the guard.
“I tried to find out the identity of the assassin by asking a reliable guild, but unfortunately I was unable to obtain any information. It seems that he is not from the capital.”
“So you’re saying that three days have passed and you still haven’t figured out anything?”
“I’m sorry, Your Holiness.”
When the Pope suddenly lost his temper, the captain of the guard, who had been lowering his head as if he was ashamed, cautiously opened his mouth again.
“I just found one clue that might help me deduce the assassin’s identity.”
“What is it?”
“That’s his sword.”
"Sword?"
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
He nodded quickly at the Crown Prince's question and held out the sword he had received from his subordinate in front of us.
“Do you see the hilt of this sword?”
“It’s a little longer than a normal sword handle.”
“That’s right. This is a style that was popular in the western part of the empire about 30 years ago. If you open it, a small dagger comes out.”
The captain of the guard turned the handle and opened it, revealing another, very small sword.
So, it was a form where a long blade pointing at the opponent and a short blade pointing at the swordsman coexisted across a single handle.
“Why are these swords so popular? If you’re not careful, you could risk your life with the short blade.”
I tilted my head in puzzlement.
“It is because of the influence of a knight who was active in the West. 37 years ago, there was a territorial war with the Kingdom of Benissa, which bordered the West, and before that knight went to war, he had this sword custom-made. It was to awaken a sense of alertness that if he were to fall behind even a little, he could lose his life to his own sword.”
“...Should I call this amazing or reckless?”
Combat is originally about pushing and being pushed back, so going into battle with a sword like that was just plain stupid.
As I clicked my tongue, the captain of the guard nodded in agreement.
“Yes, it is foolish. In fact, many knights lost their lives because of this sword. So it is rarely used now. However, many knights were fascinated by its striking ability at the time, and it was popular in the West for quite a long time.”
“Then, there is a high probability that the assassin is from the West.”
“Yes, Your Holiness. Also, according to my research, this sword was produced about 10 years ago. Since it is not used by many people these days, if you search the blacksmiths in the West, you will be able to quickly find the person who commissioned this sword.”
“Good. Let’s search the western region thoroughly to find the blacksmith who made this sword. And make sure to take a drawing of the assassin’s face with you.”
“I will do so, Your Holiness!”
It was at that moment that the captain of the guard, with his formal attire, was leaving the reception room.
"For a moment."
I raised my hand quietly and stopped him.
“We’ll go there ourselves. The captain of the guard has to guard the temple.”
“Yes? Are you talking about the Saintess?”
A look of bewilderment appeared on the captain's face. And so did the Pope.
“In person? Are you saying that the Saintess would go to the West yourself?"
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“What nonsense! The West is a place that takes more than a day to travel from the capital. And it’s not even a specific region, it’s the entire West. How can you possibly handle such a difficult journey!”
“It’s not like I’m going on a long journey for a day or two. Not long ago, I was traveling around the country to prevent disasters. It’s not like I can’t handle it.”
The Crown Prince retorted as I shrugged my shoulders, saying it was nothing special.
“The situation is different now. The Saintess’s life is in danger. No matter how strong your defenses are, there will inevitably be gaps as you move. What will we do if an assassin comes again?”
It was a valid rebuttal.
But my intention remained unchanged.
“Yes, it will be a dangerous journey. But I must go anyway.”
I don't know why, but I felt like I had to do that.
In the end, the Crown Prince and the Pope could not break my stubbornness and gave in to my stubbornness.
However, because we had to be very strong on defense, we had no choice but to delay our schedule by one day and depart the next day.
The Western tour that began like that was certainly not an easy journey.
We left at the crack of dawn and arrived just before midnight. We went from village to village looking for blacksmith shops without even a moment to catch our breath, and our feet were sore.
However, that does not mean that we could reap the harvest right away.
I showed a picture of the assassin's face and sword to each blacksmith in the village and asked, "Has anyone who looks like this ever bought a sword like this?" but they all just shook their heads.
“Well, this is my first time seeing it...”
It really was a very exhausting journey.
But we didn't give up and kept looking for the blacksmith.
“This is the last blacksmith shop in the West. If the owner of this blacksmith shop doesn’t know, then we’ll have to go around other areas near the West.”
At Sir Arthur's words, I sighed, rubbing my aching forehead.
It took a full two weeks to visit all the blacksmiths in the West.
But during that not-so-short time, not only was the assassin's identity not discovered, but even the blacksmith who made the sword was not found.
'Nothing is easy.'
I sighed again and nodded briefly as I spoke.
“Let’s go in first.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
Sir Arthur opened the door with a solemn expression and took the lead as I crossed the threshold of the blacksmith's shop.
I followed him quietly and saw a man striking a red-hot sword with a hammer.
They were so engrossed in their work that they didn't even notice us coming in.
“Listen here, boss. Boss!”
When Sir Arthur, unable to wait any longer, called out loudly, the man finally raised his head and hurriedly put down the sword and hammer he was holding.
“Oh my. I didn’t even know you were here. What would you like?”
“No, I didn’t come here to buy anything. I just came to ask a question.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The man's face turned pale as if he wasn't particularly pleased to hear that I had come to ask him a question and not to sell me anything while he was busy working.
But when he noticed that our attire was unusual, he soon bowed and said:
“Yes, ask me anything. I will tell you everything I know.”
“I am looking for the owner of this sword. Has anyone like this ever bought this sword?”
“Well... let’s see.”
The blacksmith, who was looking closely at the sword Sir Arthur had offered, opened his mouth.
“This sword is not sought after by many people these days, so if it were sold in our shop, I’m sure I’d remember it...”
“Are you saying that this sword wasn’t made here?”
“That... I’m sorry, but it hasn’t even been two years since I took over this forge. Since I can’t remember, even if it was sold in our shop, it must have been sold by the previous owner. I’ve never seen anyone like this...”
He continued speaking with an embarrassed expression, but then his eyes suddenly opened wide.
“Hey, this face...?”
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“This is the second time that something unpleasant has happened in the temple. How could something like this happen in the temple that is supposed to be the safest place!”
The Pope called together all the temple guards and knights and rebuked them.
“I am sorry, Your Holiness.”
The Pope, who was looking at them all bowing their heads with a displeased expression, opened his mouth in annoyance.
“Investigate the assassin’s identity immediately and strengthen the temple’s security. There should be no more problems with the safety of the Saintess!”
“I will keep that in mind, Your Holiness!”
After the commotion passed, we all waited with one mind for the assassin to rise up.
But despite the meticulous treatment and devoted nursing of the temple doctors, he could not regain consciousness.
“He was lucky to survive, but the blade was so deeply embedded that it will likely take some time for him to wake up.”
Oh man, it's pointless to just be good at using swords.
Even though I knew that it wasn't the Crown Prince's fault, my resentment kept bubbling up.
For several days, I waited for the assassin to rise up.
A report came in from the newly appointed captain of the guard.
“I tried to find out the identity of the assassin by asking a reliable guild, but unfortunately I was unable to obtain any information. It seems that he is not from the capital.”
“So you’re saying that three days have passed and you still haven’t figured out anything?”
“I’m sorry, Your Holiness.”
When the Pope suddenly lost his temper, the captain of the guard, who had been lowering his head as if he was ashamed, cautiously opened his mouth again.
“I just found one clue that might help me deduce the assassin’s identity.”
“What is it?”
“That’s his sword.”
"Sword?"
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
He nodded quickly at the Crown Prince's question and held out the sword he had received from his subordinate in front of us.
“Do you see the hilt of this sword?”
“It’s a little longer than a normal sword handle.”
“That’s right. This is a style that was popular in the western part of the empire about 30 years ago. If you open it, a small dagger comes out.”
The captain of the guard turned the handle and opened it, revealing another, very small sword.
So, it was a form where a long blade pointing at the opponent and a short blade pointing at the swordsman coexisted across a single handle.
“Why are these swords so popular? If you’re not careful, you could risk your life with the short blade.”
I tilted my head in puzzlement.
“It is because of the influence of a knight who was active in the West. 37 years ago, there was a territorial war with the Kingdom of Benissa, which bordered the West, and before that knight went to war, he had this sword custom-made. It was to awaken a sense of alertness that if he were to fall behind even a little, he could lose his life to his own sword.”
“...Should I call this amazing or reckless?”
Combat is originally about pushing and being pushed back, so going into battle with a sword like that was just plain stupid.
As I clicked my tongue, the captain of the guard nodded in agreement.
“Yes, it is foolish. In fact, many knights lost their lives because of this sword. So it is rarely used now. However, many knights were fascinated by its striking ability at the time, and it was popular in the West for quite a long time.”
“Then, there is a high probability that the assassin is from the West.”
“Yes, Your Holiness. Also, according to my research, this sword was produced about 10 years ago. Since it is not used by many people these days, if you search the blacksmiths in the West, you will be able to quickly find the person who commissioned this sword.”
“Good. Let’s search the western region thoroughly to find the blacksmith who made this sword. And make sure to take a drawing of the assassin’s face with you.”
“I will do so, Your Holiness!”
It was at that moment that the captain of the guard, with his formal attire, was leaving the reception room.
"For a moment."
I raised my hand quietly and stopped him.
“We’ll go there ourselves. The captain of the guard has to guard the temple.”
“Yes? Are you talking about the Saintess?”
A look of bewilderment appeared on the captain's face. And so did the Pope.
“In person? Are you saying that the Saintess would go to the West yourself?"
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“What nonsense! The West is a place that takes more than a day to travel from the capital. And it’s not even a specific region, it’s the entire West. How can you possibly handle such a difficult journey!”
“It’s not like I’m going on a long journey for a day or two. Not long ago, I was traveling around the country to prevent disasters. It’s not like I can’t handle it.”
The Crown Prince retorted as I shrugged my shoulders, saying it was nothing special.
“The situation is different now. The Saintess’s life is in danger. No matter how strong your defenses are, there will inevitably be gaps as you move. What will we do if an assassin comes again?”
It was a valid rebuttal.
But my intention remained unchanged.
“Yes, it will be a dangerous journey. But I must go anyway.”
I don't know why, but I felt like I had to do that.
***
In the end, the Crown Prince and the Pope could not break my stubbornness and gave in to my stubbornness.
However, because we had to be very strong on defense, we had no choice but to delay our schedule by one day and depart the next day.
The Western tour that began like that was certainly not an easy journey.
We left at the crack of dawn and arrived just before midnight. We went from village to village looking for blacksmith shops without even a moment to catch our breath, and our feet were sore.
However, that does not mean that we could reap the harvest right away.
I showed a picture of the assassin's face and sword to each blacksmith in the village and asked, "Has anyone who looks like this ever bought a sword like this?" but they all just shook their heads.
“Well, this is my first time seeing it...”
It really was a very exhausting journey.
But we didn't give up and kept looking for the blacksmith.
“This is the last blacksmith shop in the West. If the owner of this blacksmith shop doesn’t know, then we’ll have to go around other areas near the West.”
At Sir Arthur's words, I sighed, rubbing my aching forehead.
It took a full two weeks to visit all the blacksmiths in the West.
But during that not-so-short time, not only was the assassin's identity not discovered, but even the blacksmith who made the sword was not found.
'Nothing is easy.'
I sighed again and nodded briefly as I spoke.
“Let’s go in first.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
Sir Arthur opened the door with a solemn expression and took the lead as I crossed the threshold of the blacksmith's shop.
I followed him quietly and saw a man striking a red-hot sword with a hammer.
They were so engrossed in their work that they didn't even notice us coming in.
“Listen here, boss. Boss!”
When Sir Arthur, unable to wait any longer, called out loudly, the man finally raised his head and hurriedly put down the sword and hammer he was holding.
“Oh my. I didn’t even know you were here. What would you like?”
“No, I didn’t come here to buy anything. I just came to ask a question.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The man's face turned pale as if he wasn't particularly pleased to hear that I had come to ask him a question and not to sell me anything while he was busy working.
But when he noticed that our attire was unusual, he soon bowed and said:
“Yes, ask me anything. I will tell you everything I know.”
“I am looking for the owner of this sword. Has anyone like this ever bought this sword?”
“Well... let’s see.”
The blacksmith, who was looking closely at the sword Sir Arthur had offered, opened his mouth.
“This sword is not sought after by many people these days, so if it were sold in our shop, I’m sure I’d remember it...”
“Are you saying that this sword wasn’t made here?”
“That... I’m sorry, but it hasn’t even been two years since I took over this forge. Since I can’t remember, even if it was sold in our shop, it must have been sold by the previous owner. I’ve never seen anyone like this...”
He continued speaking with an embarrassed expression, but then his eyes suddenly opened wide.
“Hey, this face...?”
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