Chapter 143: The Martyr's Resolve

◆ Norb◆

Summoned by my grandfather, I walked down the long corridor of the church in the Royal Capital.

“Lord Norb, the High Priest is waiting for you here.”

Saying so, the intermediate priest who guided me stopped in front of a large door.

“Thank you very much.”

“Your words are wasted on me.”

Even though he was of a higher rank than me, he behaved as if I were the superior one.

“Please, go ahead. I do not have the qualification to proceed beyond this point.”

As the intermediate priest stepped aside, I opened the door.

When I entered, I found a very stark room with nothing in it.

No, there was just one unnatural object in the room.

“This is… the Door of Trials…”

Yes, at the back of the empty room stood a door far larger than the one I had just entered.

Its name was the Door of Trials.

It is a door said to only open for those who possess the qualifications to enter the room beyond.

“To think the time would come for the current me to touch this door…”

Originally, I wasn’t supposed to come here until much later…

But I cannot falter.

Being summoned here means that it has come to pass.

I steeled my resolve and touched the door.

“Kuh!?”

The moment I touched the door, I felt the strength draining from my entire body.

“But… it’s not enough to make me unable to move instantly…!”

Before the strength completely left my body, I pushed the door with all my might.

Then, slowly but surely, the door began to open with a dull sound.

“Th-This is… tough…”

The more the door opened, the more strength drained from my body.

“Just… a little more!”

And the moment a gap large enough for a single person to pass through was created, I slipped into the room as if sliding in.

“Haa, haa…!”

I managed… to get in. If it had opened any slower, I would have run out of strength.

“Welcome to the Chamber of Consecration, young priest.”

“!?”

At that voice, I sprang up, forcing my body upright.

“Lower Monk Norb, present.”

When I raised my gaze, I saw the figure of an old priest sitting at a large table.

“Did you have business with me, High Priest?”

This person is Lord Hidinos, the High Priest of this country’s church, and also…

“You’re too stiff. You can call me Grandpa like you used to, you know?”

“No, I cannot make such disrespectful remarks to the High Priest.”

He is also my grandfather.

This is the reason why the intermediate priest earlier treated me as a superior existence.

“Good grief, what a stubborn fellow. There is no one here who can hear our conversation.”

I cannot assume that.

“But well, to be able to open the door at your age is honestly impressive. It’s amazing how much you’ve grown.”

Rarely does the High Priest praise me.

Honestly, I was taken aback.

“It is all thanks to good encounters.”

“Haha, don’t be humble. No matter how blessed you are with good encounters, you wouldn’t have acquired such power without your own daily devotion. Acknowledge your own efforts, Norb.”

The High Priest says so, but the fact that I was able to gain this much power is entirely due to Rex‘s guidance.

And the reason I was able to receive Rex‘s teachings is because our leader, Jairo, cast aside his pride and sought self-improvement.

Truly, I had good encounters, Grandfather… no, High Priest.

“Now then, you understand the reason I called you here?”

The High Priest returns to his face as a priest and asks me.

“Of course, I am aware.”

That is why I went on a training journey with Jairo and the others.

“Umu. Originally, your role was scheduled for several decades in the future, but the swamp’s activity has far exceeded our assumptions…”

As the High Priest says, my role was supposed to be much further in the future.

It was supposed to be after I trained normally, grew normally, and someday acquired enough strength to open the Door of Trials.

“Hmph, thinking about it that way, the fact that you grew more than expected can be called a blessing in disguise. Or perhaps your growth is also the will of God.”

Indeed, meeting Rex was an event that can only be called a miracle of God.

“Norb, young priest who opened the Door of Trials and obtained qualification. Under the blessing of the Spirits, I give you a mission!”

At the High Priest’s words, I kneel and await the continuing words with resolve.

“In a few days, the Princess will depart to perform a ritual to quell the activated Rotten Earth. You are to serve as her escort during that time so that the Princess can reach the ritual site safely.”

“I have firmly received the sacred mission.”

Yes, this is my mission.

A one-way escort mission to deliver Princess Megurielna, born to be a sacrifice, safely to the ritual site.

For it is the mission of a ‘Martyr’ with no return journey!

$diamond$ Hidinos $diamond$

Norb, having received my command, left the Chamber of Consecration with a gaze full of determination.

“…Haa. To think that boy would open the door…”

It was completely unexpected.

No matter how generously I estimated, I thought the current Norb couldn’t possibly open the door…

If I could just confirm that, I planned to use the excuse that it was still too early and replace him with another powerful individual…

“It’s because my grandson was too competent!”

Ah, what a thing! Why is my grandson so well-made!

As a superior, I am happy, but as a grandfather, I am not happy in the slightest!

What is there to be happy about sending my cute grandson to a place of certain death!

Knowing that serious grandson of mine.

He probably thinks this is a mission given to him.

Like hell it is! It’s simply that he happened to be born as the grandson of the High Priest of this country, the country with the Rotten Earth, at the worst possible timing!

“Damn it, this is all because that accursed swamp suddenly became active!”

The Rotten Earth corroding this country is a prominent danger zone even among the many danger zones.

Like many other danger zones, that land literally corrodes the surrounding earth.

And it expands. Without limit.

Many danger zones have such properties, but since it involves poison—something simply harmful to the human body—its danger level is incomparable to others.

But it’s not like there are no means.

That is the sealing ritual by a human of the royal family.

Norb‘s job is to escort the royal family member performing that ritual to the ritual site.

Correctly speaking, it is to protect the royalty from the Rotten Earth and the poison of the attacking monsters using antidote magic.

But because of that land’s danger level, the accompanying user of antidote magic must be a correspondingly powerful individual.

Furthermore, they must be trustworthy.

The worst part is, due to the harshness of that duty, the accompanying person will absolutely die.

Therefore, those who accompany this duty come to be called ‘Martyrs’.

…Hmph, what ‘Martyr’! Isn’t it just glossing it over with a nice-sounding word!

“But, that applies to me as well…”

If I could take his place, I would want to.

But my position was not cheap enough to allow that…

“Oh God. Please receive the soul of my deeply faithful grandson with mercy…”

How powerless is the title of High Priest.

All this incompetent old man could do for his cute grandson was pray.

$diamond$

“Alright then, let’s gather the materials for the golems commissioned by Lady Idola today.”

” ” “Oh—!” ” “

Participating in today’s adventure are three people: Liliera, Jairo, and Mina.

Norb has things to do at the church, so it seems he won’t be able to return for a while.

“So, where are we going to gather materials?”

Prompted by Liliera, I spread a map on the table.

“Yes, while gathering information at the Adventurer’s Guild, I found a land convenient for gathering golem materials. There are many monsters that can serve as golem materials there, so it’s optimal for gathering.”

“Heh, I’m surprised there was such a convenient place. So? Where is that place?”

Mina urges me not to put on airs.

“Yes, the location is here.”

When I point to a spot on the map, everyone opens their eyes wide.

“Rex, this is…”

Seeing the place name written on the map, Liliera raises a hoarse voice.

“Yes, where we are heading is a danger zone in the west of this country…”

I pause for a beat and announce.

“The Rotten Earth!”