Paradigm Parasite

I was walking in silence.

The sun was in the sky.

The wind against my body was cold, but it was warmer than when it was snowing.

I was slightly resentful of the clear sky, but there was nothing I could do about it.

A few days after Stanislas's story the other day, I was currently in Oratorium, having passed through Medrym, I think.

While paying attention to my colleagues, I organise my actions in my head.

At the same time, I keep an eye on my surroundings.

There's nothing odd about what I see.

After walking for a while, a village comes into view, which is also, shall we say, normal.

It doesn't look particularly wealthy, but on the other hand, it doesn't look like it's impoverished either.

I heard that they are very well off...

That's strange.

I instructed my men to gather information and passed through the village.

At night, they set up camp.

The number of men I brought with me for this negotiation is three hundred and fifty.

One hundred and sixty each from the Cristela and Marselan units, and thirty from me.

I grit my teeth inside, thinking that I should have brought more men, but it's no use thinking about it.

My men are lightweight.

I'll do my best in that direction.

"Now that we've made it safely into Oratorium, how are the people in the territory?"

The place is a tent prepared by the lady of Crystella in the encampment.

There are three of us: me, the Marslan boy, and Mistress Cristela.

Basically, we have these gatherings on a regular basis, which I personally think is a good trend.

It's better to exchange information and coordinate policies closely. If you don't, you'll get into trouble when the time comes.

I glance at the Marslan boy.

He seems to be participating in the conversation normally, but I can see that he is in a hurry.

The fact is, this guy does his job well.

I can honestly appreciate that, but on the flip side, that's all there is to it.

He just does what he is told and is not active like the young lady in Cristela.

The boy himself seems to be aware of this, which is why he seems impatient at every turn of his behaviour.

I hope he doesn't go off the rails...

This time, he turns his gaze towards the girl.

It's hard to tell, but she doesn't seem to have noticed any changes in the boy...

From what I can see, she's not familiar with the subtleties of that kind of thing. ......, so it's more like she doesn't understand.

She seems oddly enlightened or misaligned... When we talk, sometimes it feels like there is a subtle lack of engagement.

I feel a bit uncomfortable with the friction that that creates, even if it's a result of that.

The trouble is that I'm the only one who knows exactly what's going on, and that's also hard.

I feel a pain in my stomach when I think that the wrinkles will come to me in the end.

In addition, there is also the matter of the monster, so the mental burden is not half as heavy as it should be.

If this is the case, we might as well have asked to take Gregor and his people with us.

"Cathedral Knight Ehrman?"

"Oh, oh, sorry. It was the state of the village."

Oops, that was close. I'm thinking too much.

I put the reports from my men together in my head.

"The situation in the village is, in a word, normal. There is no heavy taxation, in fact, it is slightly lighter than the others. As far as I can tell, the atmosphere in the territory as a whole is not so bad. As for Gnosis, it's just that it's not well known and I didn't feel any kind of resistance, so as long as we get permission, we might as well add more churches."

Hearing this, the Christella girl gives a small smile.

"That's great, let's talk about increasing the number of churches at the time of the meeting. Next, about the monsters..."

"Uh... that way... ...... Apparently, the stories are all out of the realm of rumour, but at least there have been stories before about monsters running amok and setting villages on fire."

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yes, I've heard of it. If you want to know more, you'll have to go there yourself."

"Is the place close?"

It's easy to report against this young lady.

The story moves along quickly. It's hard to get involved, though.

"No, it's out of this territory. If you're thinking about distance, it's better to meet the acting lord first."

"I understand. To the lord's mansion..."

"You can get there in a couple of days. If you want to save time, why don't you just leave your troops somewhere and we'll go ahead on our own? That would save us at least a day."

"No, the journey is not that urgent, so we can go on for a day or so."

The commander is her, so she has the right to decide the policy.

Well, as for me, I'm grateful because it makes me feel a little more comfortable.

"All right. Then let's continue on our way to the lord's mansion."

"Yes. Then so be it."

With the closing words of both parties, today's meeting came to an end.

I - Marslan Louis Ludovic, a cathedral knight, saw the end of the conversation between the two people in front of me and bit my lip.

...I could do nothing again.

I did not - and could not - do anything about the conversation between my colleagues, but only watched it in a daze.

What is this difference between us, even though we are supposed to be cathedral knights of the same rank?

What is the difference between me and Christella, whose age is not so different from mine, let alone her predecessor Hermann?

Why does she lead the others like this, and why is she trusted by Gnosis to the point of being entrusted with command?

Why am I standing here like an idiot, not saying anything?

When I think about it, I feel a burning sense of inferiority.

Genius.

Until a short while ago, I was a genius, and I wanted those words and accolades.

It seems that I had a talent for both swordplay and magic, both of which I learnt without difficulty and can use in the realms where they can be used in actual combat.

In particular, I am proud to say that there are few people who can imitate the form of combat that can only be done with talent, which is to handle magic in combination with a sword in close combat.

Hence, a genius.

My rate of accomplishment in holy duties is also outstanding among my peers, and I rarely make trivial mistakes.

As a result, I was awarded the title of Knight of the Cathedral at the exceptionally young age of a teenager.

There are very few people who became a knight of the cathedral at such a young age.

I have that much talent.

In fact, the reactions of the people around me also praised my talent, and they called me a genius.

In the future, my glory will continue uninterrupted, and I will be showered with praise and envy, and like the hero of the story I saw before, I will be called a brave man with a holy sword in my hand.

I never doubted that.

Until the woman in front of me appears.

Christella Albertine Marguerite.

A talent so brilliant that the word genius becomes hazy. A woman loved by God.

Her beauty is unrivalled, of course, but her fighting skills - especially her swordsmanship - are unparalleled.

She demonstrated her power in a single blow against the former Cathedral Knight Void in the Imperial Match.

I remember it well because I was there myself.

A sword so powerful that it left even the opponent's reaction behind.

I was fascinated by it too, fascinated by it.

At first I was a little conscious of the fact that she was a cathedral knight of the same age.

I thought it would be unbearable to lose.

But when I saw that sword, I was convinced.

At the same time, I had completed my rating.

I thought that even if I spent my whole life, I would never be able to match her with a sword... I understood it not with my head but with my feelings.

It was humiliating. It was the biggest humiliation of my life. Perhaps more than any other.

I cried alone that night. At the same time, I hated her. I hated that woman.

If I couldn't win with the sword, I would try anything else, and this is what I got.

The first time I saw her, I thought, 'I'm not going to be able to do anything else'. To put it bluntly, I'm in such an unimportant position that it wouldn't matter if it wasn't me who was here.

Even if I tried to speak up, I would get strangely nervous and end up not being able to say anything.

Some of my subordinates even compare me with Cristela.

Is that wrong? Can't I beat Crystella no matter how I try?

She is superior to me in terms of sword, leadership and power of speech.

But no matter how high her abilities are, they are meaningless without results.

This time, the capture of monsters is included in the holy mission, just as it should be.

I'll do it.

I made up my mind and gently clenched my fists.

"Dotto dotto."

I - Ehrman - return to my tent, sit there and take a break.

With plans set, there is less to do, so my free thoughts go on to other things.

I think it's disgusting, but I can't stop because of ingrained habits.

I think about the lord of this place.

Rothfeld Haydn Oratorium.

He is currently recuperating due to ill health, so he hasn't been out in the open recently.

Therefore, I hear that his fiancée, the daughter of Liard, is taking charge on his behalf.

...Poor health, huh?

It's a very fishy story.

When we looked into it, we found surprisingly little information on his recent movements.

If the stories are true, he's probably holed up in his mansion...

Considering the revenues of the estate, it is impossible to say that he is in need of money.

If he is ill or injured, he could be treated with money.

...then it's a psychological thing?

There is a story that at one point the management of this territory was in a very bad way.

It was just a rumour, but if it's true, it must have taken quite a pounding.

Then there was the fiancée who gallantly saved the day.

From the outside, it would be a beautiful story, but at the same time it raises questions about Rothfeldt's competence as a lord.

As a result of the interviews, Rothfeldt's reputation is not flattering.

It seems that he was kept quiet, but we forced the villagers to open their mouths with a load of gold coins.

The residents would like to complain, as he is said to have done various things, such as temporarily raising taxes, allowing bandits to attack and causing damage to some villages.

From the way they talk, it seems they are not lying, which gives more credence to the story that the business has gone downhill.

That's when I started to think it was odd.

Basically, it is the duty of the lord to maintain the security of the territory.

Most of the time, they hire mercenary companies, leave it to the Gnosis or, if they can afford it, establish their own knighthoods.

I'm sure Rothfeldt understood that, but for some reason he terminated the contract.

At the same time, the bandit attack is ...... something of an artifice.

It would be a pity if it was a coincidence, but if it wasn't - the presence of the deputy's fiancée flickers in the back of my brain.

...Oh, that's scary.

I'm terrified to meet her when I think about it.

I hope it doesn't turn out to be something strange...

"Oh, ouch. My stomach, my stomach..."

The pain starts to hurt, and I put my hand on the area and apply [healing].

After a few seconds of doing so, the pain subsides.

I don't want to do it anymore. I want to quit being a knight of the cathedral.

So I'm going to move to the countryside somewhere and open a small clinic.

All I have to look forward to is one drink a day and a few snacks. I don't want to be in the line of fire.

I'll treat minor injuries and illnesses, make a few coins, live a small life and slowly die.

It's the best, isn't it?

Somewhere in my head I thought I heard a voice saying that it was going to end in a dream, but I ignored it, saying that I should at least dream freely.

"...I'm going to sleep."

Tomorrow is also early. I should rest when I can.

I sat down with my equipment on and closed my eyes so that I could react immediately in an emergency.

Sleep is shallow and I don't think I can dream.