Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 7 Episode 2 (section)

===Part 1===

*GOON* Such solemn bell sound rang several times since early morning.

Similar with new kingdom and other countries, a bell tower was built in the middle of city in preparation for Abyss’s attack, but this time a calm timbre could be heard only as a part of ceremony.

「Fu, aa……」

Lux was very nervous staying for a night in Einfolk house, but he could sleep better than he thought. It must be because of the long travel.

「After finishing breakfast, put your attire in order and we will depart to the sanctuary. How is your body’s condition?」

「I’m all right. After sleeping for a night, my fatigue is mostly gone.」

After changing clothes from his sleeping wear, Krulcifer made her appearance.

Last night it felt like she was relatively worked up, but this morning she had returned to her usual self.

They had beaten the brief of the program of Pilgrimage Festival that they would accompany as the guard of Pope Nias into their head.

The total time including today would be a period of three days. The flow of event would be touring to several holy grounds at the holy capital and its surrounding and performed ceremony there.

The accompaniment would be one bishop and several believers who acted as attendant, and also the elites of Sanctuary Knight Order with total of thirty names.

In addition was Lux and Krulcifer, and Ymir Theocracy’s Seven Dragon Paladins, Mel Gizalut.

By the way Krulcifer’s step-brother, Zain Einfolk would also serve as guard as a member of Sanctuary Knight Order.

The two went down to first floor and took breakfast inside the wide living room.

Piping hot soup cooked together with bread, smoked bacon topped with omelet, salad with grated cheese, and then tea with honey. After having breakfast, they put their attire in order.

They then rode horse carriage for ten-odd minutes and they arrived once more in front of the sanctuary.

「Well then young master and Ojou-sama, also Lux-sama, take care.」

The butler Alterize saw them off until in front of the sanctuary.

「No need for worry. This is only trivial matter.」

The eldest brother Zain didn’t meet the eyes of Lux and Krulcifer as usual, but he also didn’t particularly say anything bad. They headed toward the government office building inside the ground.

Until the preparation for the departure was finished, they would stand by inside the guard cabin that had hearth in it.

The inside of the cabin was fairly wide. A server handed them tea and a quiet time flowed.

Perhaps the other officials were preparing themselves for the ceremony performance, because someone was picking up a religious book, while someone else was offering prayer toward empty air.

「…………」

For the moment, the three of them grouped together as people related to Einfolk house, but the eldest brother Zain looked like he was in a bad mood.

「It looks like there is a delay. I’ll look at the situation outside for a bit.」

Suddenly Krulcifer looked outside the window and muttered that.

The moment she left her seat, the eldest brother Zain opened his mouth.

「Lux Arcadia, that’s your name right? If I remember correctly, just the other day it seemed that you were appointed as the new kingdom’s Seven Dragon Paladins, isn’t that right?」

「Err……, yes.」

Even while feeling slightly perplexed, Lux replied with a serious expression.

「──Why did you come here?」

「What do you mean?」

Lux tilted his head toward those words that were said to him with half-closed eyes.

「I heard that it seems you are also the exclusive knight of the new kingdom’s princess . Could it be that you were given the order to lend some favor to your allied country?」

Perhaps the slightly strong tone was also transmitted to the surrounding, because the other Sanctuary Knight Order and believers lowered their voice and Lux could feel them observing this way.

「No, I only wanted to accompany Krulcifer-san with my own personal intent.」

But, Lux said that honestly and he looked at Zain’s face.

The other side was slightly bewildered and returned back a dubious gaze at him.

「I can’t understand that, purposefully coming so far until another country with only that reason. In that case are you virtuous philanthropist? Or else, did you foresee that our Einfolk house has that much value?」

「It’s neither of them.」

Most people would take Zain’s words as provocation, but Lux answered calmly without delay.

「At the very least, I was always helped by her kindness at the new kingdom. That’s why, if I can be of assistance for her, then I too won’t hesitate to do just so. That’s all there is to it.」

「Fuh, so it’s something like that?」

「Yes, it’s something like that.」

Lux responded with a smile even toward that somewhat careless respond mixed with sarcasm in it.

But, even then Zain’s attitude didn’t change.

「And, you are a fiancée candidate? But, I wonder if you can say something like that when you don’t know about that woman’s circumstance.」

「……? Just now, what──」

When Lux reflexively tilted his head toward Zain’s muttering that implicated something,

「I think it’s not really something that goes as far as interfering with other country’s circumstance you know, Onii-sama.」

「──!?」

The voice that suddenly interjected caused Lux and Zain to freeze.

When they looked, Krulcifer had returned into the guard cabin without them realizing it.

「It looks like we will depart soon. We the guards ought to stand by outside too.」

「Hmph……」

Zain showed a shocked expression for a moment, but he immediately scoffed a bit and left the cabin.

The other Sanctuary Knight Order members also stood up and slowly began to move.

「My brother has troubled you just now. I’m sorry.」

Krulcifer leaked out a small sigh and muttered that.

「It’s okay, but──」

Lux shook his head while recalling the conversation just now.

Zain’s somewhat thorny reaction must be related with the matter that he had heard from Krulcifer.

While she was an adopted child, she showed excessive talent in Einfolk house. Because of that there might be jealousy toward her.

But, what Lux felt from Zain just now wasn’t only that.

「Uwah」

*pofu-*. Suddenly a fur hat was put on his head. Lux returned to his senses.

「It’s heavy outfit for the use of Sanctuary Knight Order to protect from cold. Because I forgot to borrow for Lux-kun’s share.」

After saying that, Krulcifer who was wearing fur coat above the aforementioned chic dress headed outside.

When Lux followed behind her and got out of the cabin, Krulcifer who was walking in front of him muttered.

「Don’t listen too much to my brother’s story. It’s not like we are quarreling openly, but I don’t know when it will become the trigger for dispute.」

「Yes……, I get it.」

Lux thought that it was a bit unfortunate while he replied like that with a wry smile.

「──But, thank you for saying a cold human like me is kind.」

「…………」

The faint smile she suddenly showed to him caused Lux to fall into illusion as though his heart was shot through.

Krulcifer was always cool and showed a composed smile, but exactly because of that, he thought that her expression smiling happily was really cute.

That lovely expression that felt like a surprise attack caused Lux to almost forget to breath.

「Let’s go Lux-kun. His eminence the pope is waiting.」

This time Krulcifer told him with a casual smile just like usual.

Lux nodded to that and the two of them hurried to the waiting horse carriage.

The first day of pilgrimage to go around the decided holy grounds started.

Having said that, this travel where they were looking around several places around the holy capital became a day trip.

Fundamentally they were using horse carriage as method of travel, but it seemed that sometimes they would use Drag-Ride for moving.

The first pilgrimage destination was the holy capital’s southeast.

The objective was to offer a prayer at a deserted temple in a forest.

While sitting inside the shaking horse carriage, Lux was listening to Krulcifer’s story regarding the origin of Ymir Theocracy and its doctrine.

「Then, in Ymir Theocracy, that god and angel become the object of worship?」

「It’s basically something like that.」

Desert, fierce blizzard──or perhaps flood. Territory with that kind of hardship.

In that kind of rigorous environment, there was a tendency that faith would be firmly rooted because controlling the self and people would be done by borrowing the name of god.

When he was a child, Lux learned that from the library of the old empire, but it seemed that in Ymir Theocracy, there was a slightly different reason for the religion here.

「But, it’s not only that. There is a legend, that this land that was once locked inside snow and ice was saved by god and angel.」

「Legend……?」

Lux muttered that and fell silent. Krulcifer smiled wryly seeing that.

「Yes, in this world there is a god that won’t descend no matter what. God will dispatch angel when he bestow words or things to human. The angel would conduct various assistance to human, and saved people who are suffering from disaster. In fact, there is a legend of human talking with that angel, and directly asked, 『Where is god』──the human asked.」

The angel’s answer was like this.

『God is inside all of you.』

『From far away in the past that not one of you remember, you all received the divine protection of god and then you were born.』

God was watching human’s deed, and one day he would dispatch angel to them again, the legend said.

「Well, until this point it’s a story that you can find anywhere. But, it’s really rare though for a story where human talk directly with angel. After all normally it would be more, angel keeping distance from human in regard to their divine status.」

「That might be so.」

While talking like that, they arrived at the destination. They got down from the carriage and took their post.

Pope Nias and the bishop headed to the deepest room and set up the ritual equipments, it seemed that the ceremony’s main part would start from here.

Suddenly, several Sanctuary Knight Order members came toward where Lux and Krulcifer were at. Perhaps they had finished their formation.

It seemed that they were elderly knights and acquaintances of Krulcifer.

「Oo. So you are accompanying this mission as expected, it has been a long time, daughter of Einfolk house.」

「I say, has it been a year? Did you meet any inconvenience living in the new kingdom?」

「Yes, in the new kingdom I am able to spend productive days both in literary and military arts.」

Krulcifer greeted them while sending Lux an apologetic gaze.

When one was a member of distinguished noble family, they would surely have various other acquaintances.

It seemed that Krulcifer’s reception outside the Einfolk house was good, she was surrounded by several military officers.

Lux who was a former imperial family guessed that and he distanced himself so not to hinder her──.

「Good afternoon! Onii-chan!」

「Wah!」

Suddenly a girl slammed on Lux’s waist.

Lux blinked his eyes in surprise and found Mel GIzalut there.

She was even more petite than Lisha with a body build that apt to be mistaken as a young child.

But, this girl who was a Seven Dragon Paladins also had a dangerous atmosphere and a somewhat mature allure.

「As I thought Onii-chan also camee. What do you think? About the Pilgrimage Festival of Ymir Theocracy.」

「Err……」

Mel showed an innocent smile and said that with an upturned gaze.

Looking from just that, she looked like a cute child, but he couldn’t let his guard down.

It was only the other day too, he had just gotten duped by her.

「I think that it’s boring but endure it okay? Rather than that, that Ojou-sama over theree. She is popular like always isn’t shee.」

But Mel didn’t really bother with that bewilderment of Lux and she turned her gaze toward Krulcifer.

She was staring at the girl who was conversing with nobles at slight distance away, and then at another person, Krulcifer’s big brother, Zain Einfolk standing alone by himself.

「──How ironic isn’t it. That the result of the tournament at that time is still becoming a reason that girl is estranged in Einfolk house.」

Her lovely expression turned into a fearless look and she muttered that.

It was her face as a Seven Dragon Paladins that Lux previously saw.

「What do you mean by that?」

「It’s about military arts tournament. In this Ymir Theocracy, that’s the largest Drag-Ride tournament. It’s something like the new kingdom’s TournamentOfficial Mock Battle that is in the top position I guess.」

Since Drag-Ride was discovered, mock battle was held in various countries although there was a degree of difference between them.

Most likely this military arts tournament held that role in Ymir Theocracy.

「My house──Gizalut house and Einfolk house are famous military family that are the main support of this country. Two years ago, I fought Krulcifer at the final of the military arts tournament.」

「Then, what you mean by her being estranged because of that case is──」

Was Krulcifer unable to answer the expectation of Einfolk house and lost at that time?

「No, that’s not it.」

Mel saw through Lux’s question and told him so.

「The one who lost was me. Although it was losing by decision just barely. However──」

「I’ve made you wait. The ceremony will start soon, you will get scolded if you make pointless chat you know?」

「Krulcifer, san……」

Without noticing Krulcifer had returned to Lux’s position. Her composed face gazed at Mel.

In contrast Mel Gizalut looked as though she wasn’t bothered by that, she smiled at Lux beside him.

「Before this, I asked you about Krulcifer’s weak point right?」

The girl let loose the allure of a young female and told Lux that with a bewitching smile.

「I’ll teach you my objective. I want to pay back my defeat at that time during this Pilgrimage Festival. Look forward to it okay, Onii-chan.」

Mel only said that and left quietly.

After that Krulcifer sighed in exasperation. She was left alone with Lux.

「It’s really not a nice feeling having your past failure got tattled on.」

「That’s, so it’s as I thought……」

「Quietly, it will start soon.」

Lux noticed from Krulcifer’s whisper.

Pope Nias who was illuminated by the glow of the bonfire was spinning a ritual prayer in front of the believers.

After that two ceremonies were finished without any incident and the first day of the pilgrimage signaled a safe end.