The Pantheon’s Shadow

After making sure his mantle was still in perfect condition, the handsome man in ornate armor raised his arm so that a glowing sphere of fire could rest on it. But the flames quickly died out, revealing instead a tiny fairy who walked along his arm and perched on his shoulder.

"A lesser spirit of fire…" Leon said, his eyes widening, for he had only ever seen beings like that in the royal castle of Rindel.

The goblins the spirit had set ablaze were already reduced to nothing but bones and ash. Leon instantly recognized this was far stronger magic than anything his former party member Olenda could wield.

But his astonishment didn’t last long, because his thoughts quickly turned to his wounded friend.

"Jeanne! Are you alright?" he exclaimed, hurrying toward the small group.

"Yes… my head and back just hurt a little from being dragged around…"

"There would be no problem in healing you… but…" the priestess Meldia murmured, casting a sidelong glance at the man called Iolas.

"I already told you to save your magic. Don’t make me repeat myself," Iolas said before giving a sharp whistle. "We only saved them so Frontier would owe us even more, the sooner they vanish the better. This trade isn’t for incompetents."

The whistle was the signal that the battle was over. The first to appear was the wolf tamer, who stopped to chat with the burly man carrying the battle axe.

Soon after, other members began returning from the perimeter, giving the impression this was quite a large party.

"Why do you have to be like this? Don’t you see you’re the one who burned the poor girl’s hand!" protested the young woman with the short ponytail, grabbing Iolas just as he began to walk away. "They’re only light wounds, let Meldia heal the rest."

"You said it yourself, they’re minor injuries." The man pulled his arm free with a rough motion. "Don’t waste my time. Meldia, we’re leaving."

As he left, the fire spirit on his shoulder flashed a mocking grin at them and stuck out her tongue.

Meldia, for her part, simply shrugged and, after giving Jeanne and Leon a small bow in apology, went off to follow Iolas to where the rest of their party was gathering.

"I'm sorry! Really!" the young woman said, clasping her hands apologetically. "I know! I’ll give you one of my potions! It’s not the same, but if you rest for a while, you’ll be good as new to return to Dastion!"

"Don’t worry…" Jeanne replied with a tired smile. "I have potions too. Keep yours in case you need them later."

"Are you sure? Mmm… Ah! By the way, my name is Seidinia, but everyone just calls me Seidy!"

"My name’s Leon, and she is Jeanne. Thank you so much for saving her, we really owe you one."

"Not at all! If our idiot leader cared even a little about others, Jeanne wouldn’t have gone through such a rough time."

"How do you put up with him?" Leon asked, watching Iolas berating the burly man in the distance.

"When you’re the guild’s star and the only silver-ranked adventurer in town, you get away with a lot," Seidy said with another shrug.

"Just as I thought… you’re Fire Wing, the famous party from the Eternals Guild," Jeanne said as she slowly got to her feet.

"I’m sorry this had to be your first impression of us," Seidy said, with a hand on the back of her neck.

"Not at all, I appreciate your concern. It was a pleasure meeting you," Jeanne replied.

"Anyway, one of our members must’ve already let the rest of your party know you’re here. They were the ones who commissioned your rescue when we ran into them on the road." Seidy began to follow the rest of Fire Wing, who were already leaving, and raised her hand in farewell. "Looks like you two were the only ones missing! Hope to see you again in the future, just try not to have any more close calls!"

Seidy’s voice grew fainter as she disappeared among the trees.

"It was a party full of personalities," Jeanne said, lowering the arm she had raised to wave back once Seidy disappeared among the trees.

"Especially Meldia, she had an immense personality. It really bounced to the forefront when she ran toward us… Ouch!"

"If you’re already talking nonsense, it means you’ve recovered already," Jeanne sighed.

"No, but really…" Leon said, rubbing his arm. "That Iolas guy, or whatever his name, was a real piece of work. Sure, adventurers have to fend for themselves, but if you can lend a hand… And the way he said it!"

"He seemed more worried about his mantle than anything else…" Jeanne said thoughtfully. "If he cares about it that much, why even bring it onto the battlefield?"

***

"Ah... that’s a covenant mantle," Rosse said, visibly annoyed as she cleared the dinner plates.

"Covenant?" Jeanne asked, just as Lise, Rosse’s little daughter, climbed onto her lap.

"It’s something worn by the lot who follow the Pantheon, but only those the Blessed Kingdom itself has recognized, or so they say," Rosse grumbled while washing the dishes in a wooden basin.

"Seems you don’t like them very much, Rosse," Leon remarked.

"They’re bad people!" little Lise declared, puffing out her cheeks.

"Bad people?" Jeanne asked again. "Do they demand heavy taxes? Money to save one’s soul? Do they control monarchies through pressure?"

"Jeanne, you’re letting the history nerd in you slip out again…" Leon whispered in her ear.

"They say the romance between the goddess of life, Elyria, and the first emperor is a blasphemy!"

"Huh?" Jeanne let slip, unable to understand.

"That’s all…?" Leon asked.

"They claim the first emperor was just a mortal! But even so… how many gods have had children among themselves, or with mortals? Hmph! And now they can’t even be lovers? I don’t know what their problem is!" Rosse exclaimed angrily as she dried the freshly washed dishes.

"I see…" Jeanne said, not knowing how to respond.

"But it wasn’t always like this," Lise said. "My grandfather used to say the Oracle wasn’t just decoration, she actually helped people with their problems. It’s wrong to use the Oracle as decoration, she must be tired of hanging there!"

"Oracle?" the two young ones asked at once.

"She was supposed to be the representative of the gods on earth," Rosse explained as she put away the dry dishes. "But there are rumors that the cardinals have been controlling all the power for a long time now."

"Bad people! They also took my grandfather’s friends," Lise added, with a sad expression.

"Rindel can’t do anything against the pressure of the Blessed Kingdom and the influence of the Pantheon after all," Rosse sighed, hanging the damp cloth she had used to dry the dishes.

"They took his friends? Why?" Jeanne asked.

"He never wanted to tell me, so we wouldn’t get into trouble," Rosse explained with a somber expression. "They must have done something that angered the high ranks of the Tower of the Gods. Rumors of similar cases used to reach the inn from all over the continent."

"Looks like there’s more than meets the eye," Leon said, resting his head on one hand, deep in thought.

"I see… we also lost some friends again today," Jeanne said, her voice tinged with sadness and melancholy.

"Jeanne…"

"Oh dear… you really need to leave that profession once and for all," Rosse said, placing her hands on the young woman’s shoulders.

"Mama!" little Lise exclaimed from Jeanne’s lap, gazing at Rosse with sparkling eyes and smiling.

Rosse nodded back with a smile under Jeanne and Leon’s curious gazes.

The little girl tried to sing an old folk poem, and was soon helped along by her mother.

"Some rose high beyond the sky,
others sank to endless night,
one remained where mortals die,
to guard the world with purest light.

Though the ages come and go,
still his will shall never part,
for he who chose to stay
will remain in everyone’s heart.

So don’t despair in darkness,
for he guides the lost and lone,
no soul was ever taken in vain,
no one has ever died alone. "