Chapter 174 - Fourth Story: Archbishop of Nakanohara Church
After the military review ended safely, I returned to the Marcelo Company with Angelica-san, only to be told to go to the church.
It seemed to be a summons from the Archbishop.
Something I did?
Wearing the vestments and holding the Knight's Staff at the Jaeger unit's ceremony shouldn't have been a problem.
Was it the Primordia incident? No. That was top secret and a request from the royal family.
Perhaps King Griffith's diary or something similar had finally been deciphered?
While turning various thoughts over in my mind, I went to the church and was announced by the secretary.
"I am glad you could come. The Archbishop is waiting for you."
He was smiling. It seemed I wasn't about to be scolded.
Relieved, I followed behind him as he led the way to the Archbishop's office. It appeared the secretary would also be listening in on the conversation.
To my surprise, even the Headmistress was there.
"Ah, Jeanne. I am glad you came."
She greeted me in her usual calm voice.
After finishing my greetings and sitting next to the Headmistress, wine was served.
"The translation of the journal we received from King Griffith the other day is mostly finished, so I invited you here to discuss it."
As I thought.
However, I didn't think there was much I could do even if I heard it...
Well, since he was kind enough to tell me, I might as well listen.
When I said, "I look forward to it," the Archbishop began his explanation.
"Ah, before that. Please do not disclose what we discuss here to anyone else. It is not that I doubt you, but I must ask Bishop Catherine and Jeanne to make a vow before the Goddess."
The atmosphere became solemn.
It was a [Vow of Silence (T/N: A magical contract preventing the disclosure of secrets.)].
I looked at the Headmistress, who nodded slightly and knelt before the statue of the Goddess.
I hurriedly lined up beside her and crossed my arms over my chest.
"I vow to keep silent regarding what I am about to learn."
As a priest, once I have sworn before the statue of the Goddess, I must not speak of it to others even if I am killed.
The Archbishop seemed satisfied, and once we returned to our seats, he offered us wine and began to speak.
The man known as King Griffith was born to a princess who had married into the lineage of our ancestors who crossed over from the continent from the north, and he apparently lived about eight hundred years ago. The exact dates were unknown.
Since the village where Flora lived was destroyed about five hundred years ago, he would be a man from three hundred years before Flora was born.
It was exactly during a time when conflicts between small tribes were fierce, and King Griffith was said to have devoted himself to battle every day.
According to the Archbishop, humans are foolish creatures who immediately start factional infighting. In short, it was likely territorial disputes; they fought over water rights, land, mining rights, and various other pretexts in that era.
Where did the Goddess's teachings of coexistence and co-prosperity go?
No matter how I thought about it, they were no different from wild Orcs. The only difference was that they fought regardless of the full moon; since they weren't bound by the full moon, they might have been even worse than Orcs.
Seeing that both the Headmistress and I were feeling fed up, he changed the subject to a brighter direction, perhaps sensing our mood.
"It seems King Griffith regularly passed through a cave leading to certain underground ruins."
I wonder if he was just staring at the protrusions on the cave walls.
"Because that place was protected by a certain barrier, it is said that the barrier could only be broken and entered using a specific magic used by the Priestess protected by King Griffith. That magic, Jeanne, is the light magic that you use."
And so, in a most unexpected way, I was connected to it...
Following the flow of the conversation, I would likely have to break that barrier.
Since the Headmistress was here, there was a high possibility she would come with me.
However, the Marcelo Company, let alone the Class of 175, might not be involved.
"Jeanne. I have a request for you. We will be investigating those ruins soon, and I want to confirm if Jeanne's magic can truly break the barrier. And if the barrier is broken, I would like you to participate in the main investigation as well."
Just as I thought. A request I couldn't refuse had arrived.
"If we go to those ruins, is there any danger?"
Sensing my concern, the Headmistress asked for me.
It seemed the Headmistress also expected that I would be requested to go.
"I have been to a very small part of it myself, but there may be no one now who understands the whole thing."
"Hmm," she said, crossing her arms.
"I'm going too, right?"
"Yes. By all means, please."
If the Headmistress was coming, I felt relieved.
But does that mean it's just that dangerous?
"Who else is going?"
"If possible, I would like to obtain the consent of you two first."
"Wait a moment. It's already decided that Jeanne is going, right? In that case, the selection of people must be a composition that Jeanne can feel safe with. First, could you tell me the number of participants and what kind of people you want to choose?"
She asked before I could reply.
Certainly, I would have to go, but I wanted to know what kind of people would be chosen.
The Archbishop also agreed.
"For now, I and Kevin here intend to go. Kevin can use status-altering magic in addition to mid-level holy magic, so I think he will be quite reassuring."
The secretary bowed respectfully to the Headmistress.
If I recall, the secretary was the person who went out with the Archbishop to catch the Revenant user during the Revenant incident. He would surely be reliable.
"How much time do you think it will take?"
"Since it's just breaking the barrier, I don't think it will take that much time. I'm anticipating half a day for the round trip, so if we depart early in the morning, we should be able to return before noon. In the unlikely event that it takes longer, we will turn back midway."
It didn't seem that difficult.
"Will monsters appear?"
"Yes. From midway. The place I passed through before was a relatively safe place protected by a barrier, but the place I am asking you two to go this time is outside the barrier; according to King Griffith's journal, monsters will appear."
"Relatively?"
"Yes, several traps are set to hinder intruders."
Monsters and traps... if we don't have a scout, we won't be able to spot them...
"We'll need a scout and a vanguard. Can I bring Katherine? Also, if possible, it would be good to have a mage who uses mid-level or higher elemental attack magic."
If the opponents aren't human, a normal mage isn't particularly necessary. We have [Holy]. However, unless it's the high-level [Holy] used by the Headmistress, we can't defeat multiple monsters at once, and repeating single shots against small numbers would lead to running out of mana. I learned that in Primordia. Besides, if it's the Headmistress's turn every time we're surrounded, the burden on her would be too great.
"Does it have to be a priest?"
Elemental attack magic is something mages are better at than priests. It would be reassuring to have someone who doubles as a scout like Paul-san, but...
"No. The church can also hire someone. However, since we will be exchanging a vow before the Goddess, they must be someone faithful to Her."
"All my students are faithful."
"Would that be the Class of 175?"
Both the Archbishop and the secretary were chuckling.
"Yes. They're used to exterminating monsters on a regular basis, so they won't panic. If we can hire them, I'd like to hire either Beowulf from the guards or Will from the town hall, and either Beatrix or Lyudmila from the Marcelo Company, as well as Bonnie the hunter."
"In other words, a party of eight: two vanguards, two mages, two priests, and two scouts?"
The vanguards would likely be the duo with Priest Katherine. For mages, counting the secretary as one and adding one more, and for scouts, Bonnie and the Archbishop who can use [Sense Living]. He's a humble person to count himself as a scout.
In short, the priests would be the Headmistress and me.
It's a party with one more person than the Seven Heroes, but perhaps she judged that having only Bonnie as a professional scout was unreliable.
Since I was at it, I decided to ask boldly.
"Depending on the location, can I also bring Flora and Fiona? They can talk to monsters and ghosts."
Both of them have good night vision. Flora is knowledgeable about ancient matters. Fiona can pass through walls, so she probably won't mind traps.
"I cannot have spirits make a vow before the Goddess, though."
He said while laughing.
"But spirits are said to be strict about contracts and promises... so, yes. Jeanne. If it's you, it should be fine. If the spirits promise you that they will not disclose it, I do not mind."
Dune and Mel are also apparently okay as long as they themselves are willing.
Is that so? I didn't know spirits were strict about contracts. I have to be careful.
But since I haven't been complained to so far, it's probably fine.
It seems ghosts can be treated the same as humans. The Archbishop also knows Fiona's character. He said it would be fine as long as she makes the vow.
Even a ghost's faith from when they were human doesn't change. In the first place, if they betray the Goddess, they might not be able to ascend to heaven.
With a party like this, I'm not afraid anymore.
It's fine. Let's go anywhere.
The reward became a participation reward. One gold coin per person. I was also to receive one. This was because I was a freelancer; the four church priests including the Headmistress would not receive it.
Depending on the results, it seems another gold coin each will be given to the hired group as an achievement reward.
After consulting with the Headmistress, since Priest Katherine was there as an attacker, we decided to leave one vanguard position to the defense-oriented Beowulf. For the mage, we bypassed Lyudmila, who was busy with field work, and chose Beatrix.
As a condition for hiring those other than priests, it was emphasized again that the history of the island the Headmistress and I heard must not be told to others.
Apparently, we must not even tell the companions who will be exploring the underground passage with us this time.
The secretary left the room and sent out several priests, and Beatrix, Beowulf, and Bonnie were summoned in a hurry.
I brought Flora and Fiona, and then called out Dune and Mel.
The three from the Class of 175 had no problem since the reward was good. Flora and Fiona had no problem since they were purely helping. The Four Great Spirits each had no problem since it sounded interesting.
"I'll promise Jeanne, so it's fine."
Dune said, and Mel nodded. Flora also promised.
Thanks to the broad-minded Archbishop, it became a quite powerful party. No matter what comes out, it should be fine.
"The place you will be going is the basement of this church. There seem to be various rumors, but for now, all I can tell you is that there is a secret passage leading out from the church."
In short, it's the same as a fortress.
When night came, I asked the participants to come to my room.
This time, I also had Dune and Mel come.
When I told the other companions that there was a vow before the Goddess, they understood. In that regard, those from the orphanage are quick to understand.
There are some things that are better left unknown.
"In the end, what are we going to investigate?"
Beatrix asked. What on earth was this girl listening to?
"We're going to confirm whether what was written in King Griffith's journal is true."
She tilted her head.
"Why do that?"
"It's a preliminary investigation. A preliminary survey before the priestly investigation team enters the barrier."
"In short, we're Jeanne's bodyguards until she safely breaks the barrier?"
Well, I guess that's what it comes down to.
It doesn't seem like I could go alone.
"In other words, it's a mission that requires guards including the Headmistress. Isn't it quite dangerous?"
Beowulf was cautious, as expected of a member of the guards.
"It's fine, it's fine. Not just the Headmistress, but even spirits and a ghost are with us. I'm not afraid of whatever comes out."
"What about the water Dune uses?"
When I looked at Dune, she was smiling.
"If it's a normal monster, about two barrels of water should be enough for most things."
When I asked what Dune meant by "normal," she said that up to a dragon, she wouldn't lose even if she couldn't win.
"Then it's fine. While Dune is protecting us, I'll finish it off."
To the Four Great Spirits, something like a dragon seems to be nothing to be afraid of.
Come to think of it, Mel had fought many times with a Dragon Revenant that was stronger than normal.
If we're talking about something stronger than a dragon, I can only think of the Demon Lord.
Beowulf and Bonnie ended up carrying the barrels.
With Flora and Fiona there too, we're the strongest.
"Hey. I want you to keep this just between us, but... they were investigating something in the mountain's underground too."
Mel suddenly made a shocking statement.
Apparently, she was asked by James-sama to feign ignorance.
I don't think it's a coincidence. There must be something.
"Is it okay? Talking about it here?"
In Nakanohara, we made a vow before the Goddess.
"It's fine, it's fine. After all, I didn't promise not to tell anyone. I was just told to feign ignorance because the church priests would be investigating the altar."
James-sama is also quite loose.
"What are they investigating?"
"I don't know. After all, I haven't gone near them. I was told I could secretly ambush anyone who despoiled the mountain, but they were all serious and well-behaved."
I see. How clever. To ambush them, one would have to hide their presence, and a group of priests wouldn't behave rudely.
Anyway, the content of the investigation wouldn't be known unless one approached and listened to them...
Wait? What if... Mel coming here and talking to us was already expected? No, that couldn't be it.