Chapter 68 - The Defense of Nielen and the Church in the Morning
Today, as predicted, the west wind would shift to the east. Last night, when I returned to the inn, Fam was already asleep under the blankets, so I wrapped my arms around her and fell asleep. I'd intended to hold her so she couldn't slip away, but when I woke up, I was only holding a blanket. I sat up to see Fam praying in my direction. As I crawled out of bed, she stopped. I pulled her close and kissed her.
"...Master. I have acquired the special skill."
Fam said. So she got the Yata no Kagami. I looked around. It seemed Fam and I were the only ones awake. I started to get dressed for breakfast.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever told anyone what I want to do. I want to find a place where you can do whatever you want, however you want, Fam."
"If it's a place where I can do as I want, it is right here," Fam replied.
"If that's what you think, then we'll go to Migul. We'll break your curse. And we'll stop adventuring there. We'll continue fighting on the lower floors of a dungeon or gathering medicinal herbs to make a living. You don't need a special skill that will make you a target for others."
It was meaningless to say this now that she'd already acquired it, but I wanted her to know my thoughts.
"What about your mission?" Fam asked.
"Mission? To defeat the Demon Lord? I don't even know what that is or why I have to do it. Who in this world is suffering because of it? Does it even matter? If Mizuki says she wants to go back to our world, I'll help with that. But I don't want to put you in danger, Fam."
Fam stared at me with those eyes that always seemed to be trying to peer into my soul. At this point, it was better to let her know everything. I met her gaze.
"It is too late for that. You were the one who invited me to be an adventurer, Master. You saved my life. I was prepared to do anything. Why are you saying such things now?"
"I never thought that choice would lead to this. When you became my companion, Fam, I was truly happy. You were the first companion I'd ever had. I wanted to treasure you. But at that time, I was completely blind to my own situation. I thought we could just take it slow, that we could grow stronger together."
I paused. Fam kept her eyes on my face, seemingly waiting for my next words.
"Transferees started attacking us. The enemies became stronger all at once. I want to protect you, Fam. But I'm still weak."
"You have already taken the step forward, Master. You cannot go back now..."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Fam averted her gaze. As I thought, she was hiding something, carrying some burden alone.
"Master, I will protect you, and I will grant your wish."
"Fam, you're the one I want to protect! No matter how hard I try, if you end up dead, none of it has any value or meaning. Besides, while you might be stronger than me in a real fight, you're still weak in the grand scheme of things!"
"Mmph! If I say I will protect you, Master, then I will protect you!"
Just as Fam shouted, Cecily stirred and sat up.
"Don't fight so early in the morning. You're being loud!"
After finishing breakfast, we went outside and found that the wind had indeed changed direction. It was a refreshing morning breeze, carrying a slight chill. Could this wind really be what would draw the monsters to this city? We decided to stop by the Mateo Trading Company before heading to the church. A group of armed soldiers passed us, likely heading for the western wall. Maira came over to my side.
"I heard your conversation this morning."
"What conversation?"
"Your fight," Maira answered.
"It wasn't a fight." "It wasn't a fight."
Fam and I replied at the same time.
"You heard her. I'm a worthless man."
"I had forgotten as well. The whole reason we summoned Racshell-sama was to clarify the purpose for which you were summoned, Mash."
"That's right. And yet, someone was sleeping soundly through it all."
I decided to tease her just a little.
"Ugh... I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Honestly, I never thought you'd be able to resist Racshell's charm from the start."
"..."
Maira's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"Mash, can you not believe in Racshell-sama?"
"You want to continue yesterday's conversation too, Maira. I believe that Racshell is a god. However, I don't see her as an object of faith. Faith aside, she's hiding something. That's why I don't believe in the objective to defeat the Demon Lord."
"It isn't because you don't have faith in Racshell-sama that you suspect the church, is it?"
"That's right. I'm just suspicious because of the circumstances."
Maira nodded at my words, and the conversation trailed off.
"There's something I find strange," Mizuki said. She must have been waiting for my conversation with Maira to end.
"In our original world, we don't even know if gods exist, yet the church had much more power than it does here. But in this world, gods do exist, yet the church doesn't seem to hold that much authority."
Was Mizuki comparing it to the church in our world from the Middle Ages or earlier?
"I don't know for sure, but in our world, no one can see God, so the church, as his spokespeople, can wield unlimited power. In this world, the gods actually exist. The church is their true spokesperson, so they can't throw their weight around in the name of God. The nature of faith seems different here, too."
The gods of this world didn't seem to promise an afterlife, which probably meant their hold on people was looser.
"So the presence of gods actually limits the church's power..." Mizuki murmured. My explanation was just a random thought, so I hoped she wouldn't take it too seriously.
We had arrived at the church. It was a massive, circular building made of marble, larger and more majestic than the church in Richelle. In front of it was a stone-paved square, with an obelisk towering in the center. It was carved with something like hieroglyphs. I wondered if it was a spoil of war brought back from an expedition.
"Can you read this writing?" I asked Maira, but she shook her head.
"This church was built in the image of a church in a city further south. The writing engraved here is likely a copy of that, but I don't know if it's accurate."
We passed the obelisk and headed for the entrance of the building. Giant columns stood in rows at the entrance. Passing between them, we came to a bronze door with an elaborate painting on it. This was the entrance to the interior. The painting was likely of the Five Goddesses. The only one I could recognize was Racshell. One of the others had to be Ronron, the one who summoned Hyakka.
"The one on the far right, looking up at Racshell-sama, is Ronron-sama."
Maira explained, as if sensing my thoughts. Ronron had shoulder-length hair and was mounted on a pegasus, equipped with a lance. Racshell was raising her spear, as if to inspire the other goddesses. Maira opened the door.
"Normally it would be open, but today is a day of battle."
As I made to follow, Maira stopped me.
"I will go first to greet the priest and explain the situation."
I remembered Hyakka saying she'd been sexually harassed at the church.
"Wait, in that case, take someone else with you. Anyone."
"M-Mash, I understand you're suspicious of the church, but..."
Maira let out a sigh.
"N-no, that's not it. You've really got it wrong. There's another reason. I want to explain, but it would just complicate things even more. Aira, please go with Maira."
Maira reluctantly nodded and led Aira into the building. I looked up at the western sky. There was no sign of the monsters yet.
We were led inside the church. It was a vast, circular space. It resembled a dungeon's boss room, but the decorations were far more extravagant. Columns lined the perimeter, supporting the marble structure. The most striking difference was the large, circular opening in the ceiling, from which a single Beam of Light streamed down, illuminating the space and lending it a solemn air. On the opposite side of where we entered, a single old man was standing. As we approached, he knelt down into a posture of prayer. Right, I'd forgotten I'd be treated like this if I went to a church.
"Mash-sama, I am Nestor, the priest of this church."
The white-haired old man stood up and introduced himself. If he were to stand straight, he would easily be taller than me, but his back was stooped, bringing his face to the same height as mine. I looked to Maira for help, but she blatantly pretended not to notice, averting her eyes. Payback for earlier, I suppose.
"I'm Mash, an adventurer. I'm sure you've heard from Maira here, but we came to protect the church since we heard security would be thin. But as you can see, myself, Fam, and Mizuki here are beginners as adventurers. We might just get in the way."
Nestor shook his head at my words.
"As you can see, we are also short-staffed, having sent support for the city's defense. As you are the one sent by Racshell-sama, it is only natural that you would be concerned about the state of God's house. We are immensely reassured to have you guarding us."
Nestor bowed his head reverently.
"You didn't prioritize the defense of the church?"
"Healers are needed in battle. We sent them to aid the soldiers. It seems you also place importance on that, Mash-sama."
He glanced at Maira and Aira. So he had prioritized the city's defense over the church's.
"That's right," I said. While Maira and Aira joining my party was a coincidence, I nodded in agreement.
After a tour of the church, we climbed the adjacent Bell Tower. We wouldn't know when the Big Hopper attack began if we stayed inside, but from here, we could see the entire city. The church radiated out from the central circular hall into different rooms. From the left of the entrance, there was a living space, the Bell Tower, a place for prayer to change one's profession, an altar room, the priest's office, a space that served as a hospital, and then back to the entrance. The basement served as a tomb for the city's elite. Apparently, I could be buried there too if I died in this city. It seemed Maira hadn't told them that Mizuki was also a transferee. And it looked like Hyakka and Chihiro weren't recognized as transferees either. I suppose unless you do something as conspicuous as summoning a goddess like I did, or someone sees your character sheet, it's not something people would know. If they were hiding someone, it would be in the living quarters or the tomb. There was a guest room in the living quarters, but it didn't look like it was being used, and it had been assigned as our standby area. If it was the basement tomb, were they waiting in a dark space with corpses and bones until the Big Hopper attack? The thought alone was chilling. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the church was the culprit's target. But there were no particularly eye-catching items inside the church. Could their target be the old priest's life? As I was pondering such things, Fam pointed to the western sky.
"Master, they're coming."
I could see black specks in the western sky. The specks multiplied, seeming to bubble up from the ground.