The Holy City and the Cathedral

The rest of the journey was unexpectedly smooth. Though they encountered a few ordinary monsters along the way, none caused much trouble.

More than ten days later, the outline of the Holy City appeared in the distance. Its towering white walls stretched out on either side along the contours of the land, and spire after spire rose above the city.

The Holy City truly lived up to its reputation as the center of human faith on this continent. Even from afar, Lorenzo could sense its solemn grandeur. The air itself seemed a little more sacred.

But that sense of holiness did not make the road to the Holy City any quieter.

Instead, the closer they drew to the gates, the louder the surroundings became. Wagons laden with goods formed a long line, while monks, mages, and ordinary people on pilgrimage from nearby towns... everyone flowed slowly down the same road toward the distant gates.

The two followed the crowd to the city gates.

Viewed from up close, the white walls seemed even taller, blocking out most of the sky. Banners embroidered with golden sacred emblems hung over the gates, and guards in silver-white armor stood on either side, checking the identities and goods of everyone entering.

After all, security checks were naturally necessary when entering a large city like this.

They waited in line for a long time before their turn finally came. Once the inspection was complete, the two made their way into the Holy City.

The view opened up before them. The broad main avenue was paved with white stone bricks, and orderly buildings lined both sides of the street, flowers set on their windowsills. Reliefs of the goddess and sacred emblems adorned walls and eaves everywhere, while monks in white robes made their way through the crowd.

In the center of a distant square, a massive statue of the goddess stood bathed in sunlight, her hands held slightly apart as she looked down on the people coming and going.

It felt oddly familiar, like the main city in some game...

"Honey bread, a Holy City specialty! Honey bread blessed by the goddess! Eat one piece and the goddess will watch over you for a whole year!"

It was not just honey bread. Roadside stalls also sold amulets blessed by the goddess and pure water blessed by the goddess. Even woven straw hats had wooden signs solemnly attached to them, declaring "the goddess's protection."

The cries of vendors rose and fell all around, making Lorenzo wonder if "the goddess's protection" was some household brand. It seemed that putting those words in front of just about anything was enough to justify multiplying its price several times over.

"Speaking of which, where's the person you're looking for?"

Lorenzo had not forgotten why they had come to the Holy City. Although Frieren had been wandering aimlessly since entering the city, her gaze drifting toward the magic item shops along the street from time to time, they had clearly not come all this way to sightsee.

"If he's still alive, he should be in the cathedral, I think?"

Frieren thought for a moment before giving a rather uncertain answer.

Normally, when visiting an old acquaintance one had not seen in a long time, surely the first thing to consider was not whether they were still alive?

That answer showed a bit too much tact. It felt as though Frieren really might say, "Thank heavens, you're not dead yet," when she saw Heiter.

Seemingly noticing his rather peculiar expression, Frieren added:

"It's fine. Even if he's dead, there's a good chance we can find him in the graveyard behind the cathedral."

She sounded quite serious. She was probably trying to comfort him, but her words did nothing to put his mind at ease.

"Then let's hurry to the cathedral."

Lorenzo wisely chose not to dwell on the matter any further.

The road to the cathedral was easy to find. There was no need to consult a map; all one had to do was look up to see the white spires towering over the center of the city.

Even someone with no sense of direction had nothing to worry about. Almost everyone who looked to be on a pilgrimage was heading in the same direction, so following the crowd made it impossible to end up in the wrong place.

The closer they got to the cathedral, the fewer shops there were along the streets. Quiet, solemn temples and monasteries took their place, neatly trimmed evergreens lined the road, and the noisy calls of vendors gradually gave way to the melodious ringing of bells.

Many people were entering and leaving the cathedral, but as they climbed the stone steps, they all lowered their voices as if by agreement, as though even speaking too loudly would be disrespectful to this sacred place.

Lorenzo followed Frieren into the cathedral.

The soaring dome almost gave the illusion of standing beneath the open sky. Stained glass split the sunlight into different colors, and a faint scent of incense filled the air. Even someone who did not worship the goddess would probably walk more softly here without thinking.

Frieren, however, was no different from usual. She looked around and soon found a young monk responsible for receiving visitors.

"Excuse me, where is Heiter?"

"Heiter?"

The monk was visibly taken aback by the name and instinctively took another look at the elf before him. He hesitated for a moment, his tone growing respectful without his realizing it.

"Are you... Lady Frieren?"

"Yes, that's me."

Frieren nodded.

"Archbishop Heiter has retired."

"Retired?"

"Yes. I hear he's living in seclusion in a forest outside the Holy City now. He rarely returns to the cathedral anymore."

The young monk spoke quite naturally, as though an archbishop retiring were the most ordinary thing in the world.

But Lorenzo could not help giving him another look.

Could a member of the clergy as senior as an archbishop actually retire?

Generally speaking, shouldn't a position that sounded as though it stood at the very top of a religious hierarchy be held for life, with the next person formally taking over only after the previous one was in the grave?

It was the first time he had heard of someone retiring from a position like that. It was like a shepherd leading his flock halfway along the road, then suddenly announcing he was tired and would not tend sheep anymore.

As for what would happen to the remaining sheep, that would probably be left for the goddess or the next shepherd to worry about.

"I see."

Frieren looked calm and unsurprised, as though she had long expected Heiter would not obediently stay in the cathedral until the end of his life. In fact, compared with Heiter retiring, it was even harder to believe he had actually managed to become an archbishop in the first place.

The young monk naturally had no idea what she was thinking and continued respectfully:

"May I ask what business you have with Lord Heiter? If it's urgent, I can send word on your behalf first, then arrange for someone familiar with the route to take the two of you to his residence."

"There's no need. It's just some personal business, and I have a pretty good idea where Heiter would be living."

Frieren spoke with complete confidence, much like someone about to face a powerful enemy in the final battle who could still say "I'll win" without a moment's hesitation. If a gust of wind had stirred her long hair just then, the scene would have been even more perfect. It was just that, in stories, people who said things like that usually ended up losing.