Erika: My Friend Is Obsessed with Me
Chapter 42
She had only ever encountered this through ancient texts.
Beneath the faded illustration were a few lines of explanation.
The authority to dispel curses in its vicinity simply through the divine power radiating from it.
And its temporal limitations.
A devil’s curse required seven days and nights to lift, while the curse of a lesser god demanded the passage of seven seasons.
‘There was no mention of how long it would take to undo the curse of a higher god, but….’
Hielia made her decision amidst the uncertainty.
If she delayed any further, even this method might prove useless.
For now, the only way to save Pechenik was the Holy Grail of Magreta.
“We must borrow it from the Imperial Family.”
“…Will that really be enough? Then all we have to do is borrow it!”
A spark of life returned to Erica’s eyes.
If there was something—anything—she could do, she was ready to do it immediately. She could barely sit still.
“If we just bring that here, can we heal Master right away?”
“Not in an instant. According to the ancient records, one must keep it by their side for quite a long time—”
“How long? How long will it take for him to recover completely? About… a week?”
“…….”
“Don’t tell me it’ll take a month?! Master is suffering so much. I want him to get better as soon as possible.”
“You must expect… at least several years.”
“…….”
Erica froze, her mouth slightly open.
Several years? Was that word truly referring to a span of multiple years?
She blinked, turning the thought over in her mind again and again. It felt as though she had misheard.
“That…”
Erica parted her lips, then closed them once more.
She was at a loss for words.
“…….”
Only after a long silence could she speak again.
Choking back a suffocating sigh, she swept a hand across her forehead.
“First… If the Saintess could just ask the Imperial Family to lend it to us…”
“In my capacity as the Saintess representing the Great Temple of Light, I have already requested it three times, and every request was rejected. To be precise, the negotiations broke down.”
“The negotiations broke down?”
“…….”
A complicated shadow crossed Hielia’s face.
“The Imperial Family demanded a price for the Holy Grail.”
“What kind of price? Is it something the Temple can never give away?”
“Your master.”
“…?”
The Emperor had demanded Pechenik, who was residing at the Great Temple of Light.
At first, the Saintess had been taken aback and offered several alternative proposals, but none were of any use.
It had been Hielia’s mistake from the start.
If only she could turn back time, she would never have revealed Pechenik’s presence.
Now, it was already too late.
“In exchange for relinquishing the Holy Grail, the Imperial Family demanded Pechenik’s return.”
“…?”
Erica was dumbfounded.
“You don’t mean returning to Tenearha, do you? What kind of demand is that to make of a sick man? Is His Majesty the Emperor truly such a cold-blooded person?”
“The Imperial Family does not know the full extent of his condition.”
“Even so…!”
“They simply wish for the return of an invaluable Swordmaster.”
As soon as Pechenik himself heard the proposal, he scoffed.
He was so stubborn that no amount of persuasion could sway him.
Pechenik had sworn to himself that he would never again be bound to anything.
Having already reclaimed his freedom to live like the wind, there was no way to shackle him once more.
Because of that, the Saintess had stepped forward to make various other offers to the Imperial Family, but the Emperor did not budge an inch.
With both sides so resolute, Hielia truly felt at her wit’s end.
“That is why I am asking this of you. Please, help me persuade Pechenik.”
The arrival of Pechenik’s cherished disciple at a time like this was a stroke of fortune.
She believed there might be a chance if they earnestly tried to convince Pechenik together.
However—
“Persuade him to do what? Tell Master to join Tenearha?”
“…….”
“Are you serious?”
Erica did not seem to share that perspective in the slightest.
Hielia was slightly taken aback.
“For Pechenik… if it can save his life, spending the remainder of his days in the knight order is something he ought to endure—”
“No. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak so lightly of it. There has to be another way.”
“Erica.”
“Even if I have to storm the imperial palace and steal the Holy Grail myself…!”
Right then.
The sound of bickering voices drifted in from outside the reception room door.
“…I know it is rude, but…”
“…This is uncalled for…”
“…We only wish to… wait…”
“…….”
The Saintess’s brow furrowed faintly as she turned toward the door.
Erica’s head turned along with hers.
* * *
With the Saintess’s permission, the doors to the reception room opened.
Four Tenearha knights stepped inside.
“The Sword of Syiad offers its reverent greetings to the eternal proxy of the gods.”
Marquis Nokbel paid his respects first on behalf of the group.
In response, the Saintess made the sign of the holy cross and offered a blessing.
“Things have been rather hectic, and I fear I have shown the lords discourtesy.”
“We thank you for your forgiveness, despite our rudeness in requesting an abrupt audience.”
At the Saintess’s gesture, the Tenearha knights moved toward the sofa across from her.
Marquis Nokbel and Count Herace took their seats. The remaining two lower-ranking knights stood behind them.
Additional teacups were set down, and the clattering sounds soon subsided.
“I conveyed all of the Saintess’s words from last time to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Was he perhaps surprised?”
“The terms proposed by the Saintess were entirely unprecedented, so His Majesty did express some surprise, however…”
Marquis Nokbel recalled the unyielding face of the Emperor.
Though aged and frail, he was still the ruler of the world.
“His Majesty stated that he had no need for any of it; he desires only the return of Sir Pechenik.”
Bargaining with the Emperor was out of the question.
Even for the Saintess of the Great Temple of Light, that remained true.
“I see.”
As if she had already anticipated it, Hielia’s expression remained unchanged.
“I understand the Imperial Family’s position. One cannot simply part with the precious Holy Grail for several years without receiving what they desire in return.”
“Oh! Does that mean Pechenik has decided to return to Tenearha?”
“No. He says he will not step anywhere near the Heavenly Emperor’s Castle until the day he dies.”
“…….”
“He added that if he is bothered one more time, he will refuse to even look upon the faces of Marquis Nokbel and Count Herace.”
“…….”
Marquis Nokbel was utterly exasperated.
‘That scoundrel!’
The memory of Pechenik’s slick, brazen refusal on the day they had first met and tried to persuade him was still vivid.
Still, he had thought there might be a chance the man had changed his mind.
“May I ask what purpose you intend to use the Holy Grail of Magreta for?”
“I have told you multiple times that there is an urgent need for it in fulfilling the mission of the Light.”
“Does it pertain to Pechenik’s stay at the Temple?”
“I would rather discuss another matter. Does His Majesty the Emperor truly desire nothing else?”
“Saintess. As I have conveyed the Imperial Family’s message several times—”
“There is much our Great Temple of Light can offer to the Imperial Family.”
“I apologize, but His Majesty the Emperor possesses far more than that. He desires nothing other than a Swordmaster.”
“His Majesty already commands many Swordmasters, yet his greed is truly boundless.”
“That was an insolent remark, hardly befitting the Saintess.”
“…….”
Sparks flew—an elegant, invisible clash of wills.
Amidst the tense battle of nerves between the Saintess and Marquis Nokbel.
“Excuse me.”
Erica poked her head forward and cut in.
“By any chance—”
Every pair of eyes turned toward her simultaneously.
“Can’t I go instead?”
“…?”
“…?”
The knights looked Erica up and down.
Her face was beautiful, but one look at her attire made it obvious she was a mercenary.
For a mere mercenary to dare interrupt a conversation between the Saintess and Tenearha was already outrageous enough.
“Can’t I receive the Holy Grail on the condition that I join Tenearha?”
“…….”
What in the world was she talking about?
Tenearha was not a place just anyone could join simply because they wished to.
Since when had it become a place where any random mercenary could step forward and propose a deal to enter?
The Tenearha knights could not hide their incredulity.
The Saintess was equally flustered.
“Erica! That is not something to be brought up so lightly. Tenearha is a lifetime appointment, so once you enter…”
“I am.”
Erica continued speaking, carrying on without hesitation.
Her eyes met those of Marquis Nokbel, who appeared to be the eldest among them.
“I am a Swordmaster, you see.”
