Chapter 71 - The Defense of Nielen and the New Transferees
The purification seemed to be over. The priest, Maira, and Aira were catching their breath. As I was vaguely watching them, someone knocked on the church doors.
"We're closed today!"
I called out from inside, just in case.
"Mash, it might be an injured person looking for help."
Maira's words reminded me that this was a church. But looking at the mountain of monster corpses at the entrance, would any injured person seriously try to come in? In any case, a monster wouldn't knock, so it was definitely a person. I had a very bad feeling about this.
Since none of my party members would go near the door, the priest started to approach it. Just then, with a deafening crash, the doors blew inward. A massive stake was embedded in the blasted bronze doors. It was the same kind I'd seen sticking out of that pink Big Hopper in the city.
A group of six strangers filed in. The stout man at the front surveyed the scene and began to clap, the dry sound echoing through the hall.
"Seeing your clumsy fighting outside, I thought we could just toss one inside and you'd all be annihilated."
Black hair, black sunglasses, and black clothes. And a black cane. He was a clownish man.
"It's just as you see. God's taking a day off. That's why the church is a mess and the city's in chaos. Could you leave?"
Since no one else was responding, I spoke up. My party members gathered around me, their eyes fixed warily on the six newcomers.
"I'm afraid we can't do that. We were waiting for this very moment, when your guard would be down."
The stout man smiled. His speech was polite, but it carried a distinct hint of mockery. Beside him stood a tall, slender man, also dressed in black. He wore sunglasses, too. Are those sold in this world? Or are these two transferees who brought them along? Behind them were two muscular men with slave crests and the ears of beast-kin. Like Fam? Are they from the dog-eared race? No, their sharp gazes held none of her approachable warmth.
"They're from the Werewolf Race."
Fam answered, apparently having noticed my gaze. She was as sharp as ever. Seriously, I wish you'd stop reading my mind. At the very back stood a woman in priest-like robes similar to Maira's. She looked to be about Mizuki's age, and I could see a slave crest peeking out from the gap in her sleeve. Next to the priestess was a man who looked like a mage. He was another middle-aged guy, and he'd rolled up his robes to reveal muscular arms completely unbefitting a mage. He didn't have a slave crest.
"Sorry, but there's nothing for you in this church. Just a priest whose hobby is touching women's butts."
"Eek! How did you know?!"
The priest let out a small shriek. I'd thought he was a composed, worldly man, but perhaps he was surprisingly timid.
"You look like more of a pervert, though…"
The stout man slid his sunglasses down, his eyes appraising the women in our group. He lingered on Mizuki in particular. It felt like he was defiling her with his gaze.
"This is disgusting. Let's just hurry up and take these old geezers down!" Cecily snapped. Her mouth was as foul as ever. I wish she'd remember that the last time she ran her mouth like that at us, she lost.
"You shouldn't assume you have the strength to defeat us."
The man was right. I mentally gave Cecily the same warning.
"How about it? That mage and the dog-eared girl. Why don't you trade them for our two werewolves? I'll be happy to personally train them."
The man's lips curled into a smirk. He was starting to say some truly disgusting things.
"That dog-eared one's no good. She's wearing pale blue," one of the werewolves said to the stout man. I looked at Fam. She was glaring daggers at the werewolf. She was just as combative as Cecily, it seemed. Did the color mean something? The werewolf's words bothered me.
"What's wrong with pale blue?"
"You're keeping her without knowing? When one of the dog-eared race finds a master they intend to serve for life, they wear an item of that color."
I was stunned. Is that why she chose those clothes? When I looked back at Fam, she bit her lip and averted her gaze. For someone who chose such eye-catching clothes, I guess she didn't want me to know. But her reaction proved that what the werewolf said was true. That was her intention in wearing that color. Maira coughed lightly, as if to snap me out of it. It seemed she knew, too. Mizuki, Cecily, and Aira looked just as shocked as I was.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in men. So, what's your business with the church?" I could ask Fam about it later. For now, I got the conversation back on track.
"What a shame… We have business in the basement of this church," the man replied.
"The cemetery… grave robbing?" There were nobles' tombs down there, but it was a horribly inefficient plan if they were just after trinkets.
"You don't know? The hero from a hundred years ago sleeps here."
I was more than a little surprised by the stout man's words. But what could they possibly gain from desecrating a grave? I couldn't imagine anything valuable enough to be worth plunging the entire city into chaos. Maybe a powerful weapon or artifact was buried with the hero?
"You caused all this commotion just to visit a grave? People have died, you know. Your ancestors must be weeping."
"It'll be for the best if it's only a few people…" The man grinned meaningfully.
"You lot snatched a normal Big Hopper. You used the church to transform it into the pink variant. Then you killed it in the city and scattered its bodily fluids. Am I about right?" Since he seemed willing to talk, I decided to see if he'd confirm how they orchestrated the incident.
"Do you think I am an affiliate of the church?"
"Nope." I shook my head.
"Then let me ask you a question. Do you truly believe the church creates miracles through the power of faith?"
"…It doesn't?" I'd had my suspicions. If the power of faith was all it took to cause miracles, the location shouldn't matter; a church wouldn't be necessary. And yet, to receive a miracle, you had to come here. I had always assumed it was because a priest with exceptionally strong faith had to be present.
"It is the power of the Crystal Core. The power of mana fragments shed from the jar of holy oil. Though I suppose that means nothing to you," the man answered.
"A Crystal Core… is that the magic stone that's said to form dungeons?" It was a gem that held the magical power to create dungeons and monsters. Destroying one would make the dungeon vanish. It was the ultimate goal for any dungeon explorer.
"Correct. But it is also something much closer to home." The stout man took a palm-sized jewel from his storage. It wasn't reflecting light; it was glowing with its own rainbow luminescence. Are there really people carrying such dangerous things scattered all over the world?
"Crystal Cores are magic stones that store an immense amount of magical power," Maira said. "Their role isn't limited to controlling dungeons. They are strictly managed by the Empire and the Church." Looking at it with a cynical eye, does that mean they use that power to control the populace and their followers? I didn't want to get into an argument with Maira here, so I kept that thought to myself.
"I won't explain in detail right now, but because a Crystal Core holds such enormous magic, an ordinary person cannot control it. That is precisely why the church exists," she added. In other words, this man was either not ordinary, or he was using a special skill to control it.
"…I understand your power. I surrender. We'll leave now, so please spare our lives." This was my chance. I'd heard what I needed to, so I raised my hands.
"Don't be ridiculous! Are you really going to let these guys run free?" Cecily raised her staff. Aira silently followed her lead, raising her mace. Are they banking on my goddess-summoning power? But the stout man was definitely a transferee, too. He possessed power comparable to ours. I couldn't predict the outcome of this fight, and I didn't want to make such a dangerous gamble.
"Are you guys serious?" I just wanted them to understand that life is precious.
"I'm sorry. I cannot forgive them. I know you do not wish for it, but today, I will make you a hero. Will you not fight with us, for the sake of the people of our world?" Maira raised her mace.
"…Master. I know you said you would surrender for our sake." Fam also readied her weapon.
Only Mizuki and I remained standing there, stunned. I didn't want to do this. Their malice wasn't directed at us. If they didn't know we were transferees, there was a chance they'd let us go. They must have caused this whole mess because they wanted to avoid trouble in the first place. I know it's not the right thing to do. If we let them go, they'll just do the same thing in another town. But would it be so wrong to just pretend we didn't see anything and run? Our opponents were human. Fam and Mizuki would have to face them.
"Mizuki…" I closed my eyes. "…Please. I want to be a hero."
"…You liar. But leave it to me." Finally, Mizuki drew her sword. I'd relied on her again.
"Your name is Mizuki, is it? That woman…" the man said. The men in black weren't preparing for battle, but the two werewolves stepped in front of them, hand axes at the ready. The priestess stood beside the stout man, and the mage stood next to the tall one.
"I'd like to know your names to carve on your coffins. After I dry you out, I'll give you the special honor of laying you next to the hero from a hundred years ago." As I spoke, I saw the priest shaking his head in the distance.
"You're the ones who'll be needing names," the tall man spoke for the first time.
"Right. Then, allow me to introduce myself like a proper hero. My name is Mash. The woman that fat pig over there is drooling over… well, you already know her. The dog-ear is Fam. The mage is Cecily, and the two priests are Maira and Aira. You won't be able to tell them apart, so don't even try. We are emissaries of the goddess Racshell. We are Levante." The corner of the black-clad man's mouth twitched.
"And let me add this. If you don't leave now, today, the two of you in black and your mage will die." It was my final warning. I didn't want that day to come yet. I prayed they would just back down, clenching my fists.
"The name Mizuki did sound familiar. Are you the transferees who summoned a goddess in the city of Richelle?" I waited for the man's next words.
"Then, allow us to introduce ourselves as well." That was the line of someone who had no intention of backing down. Even though this situation was far more dangerous than just sneaking into a church. Even though they had a guard with a powerful special skill.
"I am Mii," the stout man said.
"I'm Kei," the slender man followed. Probably fake names, just like mine. Such ridiculous names for guys who look like that. Saying it out loud would only anger them, so I kept the thought to myself.
"I get it! You're the Men in Black!" Mizuki exclaimed, looking at the two. I see. So even though they look Japanese, it's a reference to one of America's urban legends—the duo in black suits who investigate and cover up UFOs. That's the cosplay they were going for. I hadn't realized until she said it. I wonder if Mizuki knew about it from a movie.
"I wonder if there are UFOs in this world, too?" she mused, as if they were a common sight in our old world.
"Who knows. Maybe not UFOs, but I bet there are aliens somewhere out there in the universe," I replied. The werewolf cleared his throat.
"Allow me to continue. I am Fang, and this is Task." The two werewolves bared their fangs. Task's canines were longer.
"Doris," the priestess introduced herself.
"I'm Isaac," the mage-like man finished.
"I see no need to state our team name. The god who summoned us to this world is named Tarshan," the stout man added.
"An enemy of Racshell. Are you another one who wants a wish granted?"
"Well now, who can say…" The man laughed. What an unpleasant bastard.
"Then, shall we begin?"
The start of battle was declared.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me to keep going. I'll do my best. Thank you for pointing out typos. I cannot express my gratitude enough.