“Bishop-dono, these are the intentions of Ankaji. What of your previous allegations?”
“It’s not as simple as you think…”
The Bishop turned his heel while grinding his teeth, a scowl leveled at Hajime. The knights rapidly move to follow after him. The bishop seemed to lose steam, giving off the last of his passion with loud footsteps as he headed back to the church.
“Is this really okay? Will they leave it at this?”
Hajime had a concerned look, having been left out of the loop until the end. Kaori’s direct involvement with the crisis with the church left a worried look on her face.
Despite this, Randzi replied with a cool look like it was no big deal.
“This is the choice of Ankaji. The people who live in this dukedom are grateful to you. It’s unthinkable to have you die in our territory that is why they would have killed to protect you. I don’t want such a coup in this country.”
“That aside, I wouldn’t be hurt by someone of their level…” Hajime responded scratching his cheek.
Randzi laughed at his words.
“If that’s so, then that means you guys are scarier than the church. Being the nation’s hero is only half the reason we protected you. We also don’t want to become your enemies. I can’t even imagine the amount of magic you possess to slaughter an unknown monster in a breeze and capture a large labyrinth in just a few days. You ignore the church and don’t respond to the threat of a hundred knights either. You’ve defeated an army of ten thousand and there are even rumors you defeated a demon instantly. No, it’s downright scary. There will be a time when I succeed after my father passes, but I’ll take pride in having made a wise decision between the two.”
So Randzi had no intention of catering to the church’s hostility towards Hajime. He put the church and Hajime on a scale of who was a stronger ally and chose the latter. Indeed, it could be said the country itself would act against the majesty of the church. To say this was a bold decision would not be an exaggeration.
Hajime smiled at the thought that his confrontation with the church was thwarted by the people themselves. As the people moved around them in a fluster with care for their safety, Kaori laughed happily. Hajime realized this was the path Aiko had hoped for him, one that was not a “lonely way of life.”