Chapter 175 - Fifth Story: Church Underground Passage Exploration
The next day.
When I went to the church dressed in Black-Purple, the Headmistress and Priest Katherine were waiting.
In contrast to the Headmistress, who wore white priestly robes, she wore chainmail under her priestly robes and held a silver spear.
It seems they entered through the back to avoid being seen by the townspeople.
"It's been a long time. I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"Hey, you guys. It's been a while. I've heard about your recent activities."
She must mean the ordination. There are people watching. This is bad.
"I heard you became the [Honorary Captain] of a certain unit?"
That? How did she know that?
"Jennifer-sensei, who is consecrating the holy water, told me."
"I'm sure she's teasing me. It's just because we exterminated monsters together."
She was smirking. I have to get back at her.
"You're dressed quite gallantly too, Sensei."
"Somehow, since the Revenant extermination, the number of priests who praise this outfit has increased. Even when I'm practicing with the spear with Will, they've started bringing me water bottles filled with water."
"I wonder why?" she said, tilting her head.
The priests have recognized her. With this, her position as number one will be secure for the time being.
While we were all chatting, the secretary called out, "This way, please."
Following him, we were led to a locked room in the basement.
In the basement, there was a stone statue of the Goddess.
Why is something like this here...
While I was wondering, after everyone entered, he locked the door and even put the bolt across, and then once again requested a vow before the Goddess to keep silent about what was about to happen. The spirits also promised me once more.
"Well then, shall we go?"
The secretary suddenly inserted an iron bar into a gap in the wall and peeled off a wall stone, and when I wondered what he was doing, a staircase appeared.
Moreover, it was connected both up and down.
"The top is a dead end, so we will go down. I will lead the way through the area protected by the barrier."
The secretary took the lead with a lantern. Following him were the Archbishop and Fiona. With Priest Katherine and the Headmistress in the center, the Class of 175 followed in order. Bringing up the rear were the two Great Spirits. Flora was peeking out from her main body inside the basket Bonnie was carrying.
When we went down, several rods were placed there. The Archbishop and the secretary each took one.
I heard that during the Revenant incident, both of them fought with staff techniques. They hadn't participated in the exercises, but they must be confident in their skills.
The Headmistress had her silver khakkhara staff, so she didn't seem to need one.
"From here on, please follow me so as not to get separated."
When the leading secretary held up the lantern, three doors were visible. He unlocked the leftmost door among them and entered the musty darkness.
The stone underground passage was wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side, and the ceiling was high, about one and a half stories.
There was no moisture; it was dry.
I lit one [Firefly] to illuminate the front.
I've become accustomed to it, and I can now make it float above the head of the person at the front of the line.
For now, the underground passage only branched off in a few places. The secretary proceeded without hesitation at the junctions, perhaps because he remembered the way.
"Light magic is a convenient thing, isn't it?"
I was even praised by the Archbishop.
"That's nice. I wanted to learn that too."
I was envied by the Hero Catherine.
I'm quite something too.
"Perhaps, on this island—that is, in the world—Jeanne is the only one who can use it."
Eh? Was it such an amazing magic?
"Because I've never heard the name of anyone who can use it other than Jeanne. Besides, it's holy magic, right? Even if someone learned it using forbidden magic, they wouldn't be able to use it."
Come to think of it, that's true.
This is information obtained from the Revenant users who are gravekeepers in Nakanohara.
Learning magic through forbidden magic can only be used by those who have become Revenants. Apparently, a normal human's mind wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Just how did you learn it?"
Umm, I learned it while I was using [Holy] to blind people during the exercises...
I was laughed at by the Archbishop.
"We must have the young priests who can use [Holy] practice it."
Following the orphanage teachers' activity during the Revenant incident, and the fact that the Headmistress easily took the championship in the staff technique section of the exercises, the number of people aiming to be fighting priests has apparently increased.
Come to think of it, when I went to the fortress for the bat extermination, unlike last year, they were defeating quite a few at the church this year. I wonder if some instructions have been issued.
"Originally, monster extermination is one of the duties of a priest. Avoiding conflict is good, but the current church has become negligent in protecting people from monsters. Most of those undertaking monster extermination are unaffiliated priests like you."
"It is truly lamentable when I think about it," he said, sighing.
"There are those who fulfill their duties at the church, and there are those like me. Even if unaffiliated, a priest is a priest, so isn't it fine to think of it as a division of labor?"
Otherwise, I can't earn money.
If the church started monster extermination with all its might, there would be no room for me to step in.
"May the Goddess's blessing be upon you."
"A-Ah, thank you very much."
The Headmistress was smirking.
Oh no, she saw through me.
While I was feeling awestruck, we reached the second door.
"From here on, traps are set. Monsters will not appear, so we will proceed slowly while disarming them."
At the secretary's words, the Headmistress called for a halt.
"What kind of traps are they?"
"If you step on a specific floor stone or touch a wall stone, there are pitfalls or arrows will fly out."
That's terrifying.
"Is it bad if we trigger them all?"
The stout-hearted Headmistress seemed to intend to proceed while striking them with her staff.
"The range is wide, so if we don't disarm them, there might be casualties."
"Hmm."
She looked disappointed.
Wait? Come to think of it, this happened before too!
"Umm. Will we be attacked by magic as well?"
"Not within the range I passed through."
Before, I was riding in Eleanor-sama's or Paul-san's bowl.
This time, there's no high-level wind mage, but...
I secretly called Mel and consulted her.
"It's fine. Whether stones fall or flames burst out, it's no problem."
I hadn't said that much, but there seemed to be no need to worry.
"Umm, excuse me. There might be a good way."
I asked Mel to make a tube of air.
It's a long, thin version of the bubble I experienced at the mountain once upon a time.
If we walk inside the tube, the film of air will protect us.
Since it's transparent, even if I light a [Firefly] inside, the light will reach the outside. I had her attach four of them lined up vertically on the ceiling, and we were able to proceed while illuminating everything from the front of the line to the back.
In places, holes opened in the floor at our feet or spears were thrust out from the walls, but it was nothing.
Apparently, this can only be disarmed in places where the power of the wind spirit doesn't reach.
Since it was underground, I didn't know if it was possible, but since it's outside the barriers of the other Four Great Spirits, as long as there is air, it's fine.
"This is another amazing thing."
The Archbishop was impressed as he timidly touched the film.
"Right? Have you reconsidered the power of the wind a little?"
"Indeed, I have underestimated it. We humans are far from reaching it."
Mel and the Archbishop were meeting for the first time, but they seemed to have become quite friendly.
As they talked about various things, Mel asked what was ahead, and he said there was an altar.
"An altar?"
"Yes. It is an altar made by the people who lived on this island before our ancestors crossed over to it."
I wonder if it's the same kind as the one on the mountain.
On the way to that altar, there was also a cave with traps set.
"An altar for what purpose?"
"The altar itself is the entrance to the place with the barrier."
What does that mean? I investigated the altar on the mountain thoroughly with Eleanor-sama and the others...
Since the lantern wasn't enough light, we must have illuminated it thoroughly with [Light]...
"You will understand when you see the actual thing, but various patterns are carved into the altar as decorations. If you move some of them in a set order, the lock will be released, and the altar itself will become movable."
I see. I didn't realize that. I never would have thought that the patterns would move.
"There is a staircase under the altar, and an underground passage continues further, but there is a door that won't open along the way. According to King Griffith's journal, it opens with light magic."
It's a quite complex mechanism.
"The monsters are beyond that altar, right?"
When the Headmistress asked, the Archbishop nodded.
"Actually, I only confirmed that the altar moves. I have not gone beyond that. However, such things are recorded in the handover matters left by successive church heads. And there was a similar description in King Griffith's journal."
"What is there?"
"Kinds of insects."
"Insects?"
"Yes. Things like house centipedes, slugs, and spiders."
"There are many kinds, aren't there?"
"Yes. I do not know why, but it is not just one kind. It seems normal rules do not apply."
"Slugs are a nuisance."
Harrison-san had said that the slime had to be washed off with soapy water.
"Bishop Catherine, have you also fought insects before?"
"Yes. The early stages of the cave where the Demon Lord lived were full of insects."
"How did you defeat them?"
"I didn't. Eleanor just drove them away with fire magic."
I see. Certainly, if you defeat them all, there's no end to it.
But can slugs be driven away with fire...
"Magic doesn't work on slugs. So, we ran away."
"You ran away?"
"Yes, those guys are slow. So, we dug a hole, dropped them in, and ran away."
"I see. Umm, is there anyone in this party who can use [Clump Sand]?"
No one.
I had excluded Lyudmila, who could use it, because she was busy with farm work on the Flatlands. Did I perhaps make a mistake in the selection of people?
"Well, we'll manage somehow. Since they're slow, we can just run away."
It must be what they call the composure of a hero. She said it as if it were nothing.
All the traps seemed to have been triggered, but we broke through without any problems.
Just by proceeding through a single path inside the air bubble, we arrived at a hall.
It had sufficient space like the one on the mountain, but the height wasn't that much. It was about two stories high. A dragon wouldn't come out here.
The hall seemed safe, so the air tube was also deactivated.
The secretary poured oil into dishes installed on several walls and transferred the fire from the lantern, so although it was dim, light was secured.
I had been illuminating with [Light] for nearly an hour, so I was finally able to rest.
"There are monsters ahead. Let's take a short break here. I brought wine, so everyone please drink."
We all shared the water bottle the Archbishop held out.
I had brought [Highway Cookies], so I had everyone eat them.
I also brought honey water and sun-warmed water, so they reached Mel and Flora too.
After taking a breather, the Archbishop began to speak slowly.
"This investigation is actually related to the investigation carried out at the mountain in Medioland."
He revealed the secret. Is it okay?
"As you all already know, there are various rumors about the Primal Ruins. That there are four of them, or that the ruins in Nakanohara Lake are connected to this church underground."
Paul-san told me that. But according to Dune's story, there is no underground passage that connects to the bottom of the lake.
"What can be understood from the traditions of the Nakanohara Church is only that the ruins in Nakanohara Lake are the ruins where the Goddess and our ancestors first encountered each other, and it has not been passed down that there are no second or subsequent ones."
"In other words, you're saying there are four or more?"
The Archbishop nodded at the Headmistress's question.
"To be precise, we do not even know how many there are."
Are there that many?
"If the Goddess responded to our ancestors' words that they wanted to protect the ruins and created such a terrain, isn't it conceivable that similar phenomena occurred in other places of encounter?"
"Archbishop. If that's the case, it's also conceivable that humans intentionally chose the Primal Ruins... no, the places of encounter with the Goddess?"
"That is so. It seems the Royal Capital Great Church thought so and carried out the investigation of the mountain in Medioland. Henry-sama and the others apparently told the church that there was an altar in the mountain's underground."
"Jeanne knows too, doesn't she?" he asked.
It's the place where I met Mel and Wilson-san.
When I nodded, the Archbishop continued the story with a smile.
"The result was that the altar Jeanne and the others saw indeed had an underground passage, and the door beyond it was sealed. It seems they spent quite a lot of time trying to break the seal in various ways, but they were unable to release it."
Does that mean... that? If we succeed this time, will I have to go and break the seal in the mountain's underground passage?
"Most likely, that will be the case. At the moment, it seems to be nothing more than a guess, but there are said to be four ruins. As Bishop Catherine said, if Jeanne is the only one who can use light magic, you might end up breaking the seals of the remaining three locations as well."
It's become quite a large-scale affair. The other two were, if I recall, the fire of Engrio and the earth of Regnentes?
Setting aside the allied nation of Regnentes, I don't want to go to Engrio.
"For what purpose are you investigating that far?"
"I do not know. I have not been told either."
"In other words, it's an instruction from the Royal Capital Great Church?"
"Yes. The contents of King Griffith's journal this time have also been conveyed to the Royal Capital Great Church. Then, the other day, an instruction came to test it."
"What is beyond the seal?"
"According to the traditions passed down in the Nakanohara Church, there is an altar."
"Another altar?"
"Yes. A place where the Priestess receives oracles."
"Hmm," the Headmistress said, crossing her arms.
"That's the place of encounter—in other words, the place where the Goddess descends, right?"
"I do not know about that. Considering the traditions, the place of encounter with the Goddess would be Dune-dono's dwelling. The altar ahead may have a different meaning."
It's become an extraordinary story. The Goddess descending?
Perhaps I might be able to meet the Goddess in person.
"Is it okay to tell such a story to us commoners?"
The hero who is known throughout the island was saying something strange.
She must have been ordained as a knight in all the countries.
"If Jeanne were not here, it would be out of the question. Besides, it was Bishop Catherine who involved Priest Katherine and the Class of 175, was it not?"
The Archbishop and the secretary burst out laughing.
"Was it?"
She looked at me nonchalantly.
"Headmistress. Please pull yourself together!"
When I complained, she shot back, "You're the one who involved the spirits and the ghost, aren't you?"
Come to think of it, that was true.
This is bad. My armpits are sweating profusely.
"Both master and disciple, cut it out!"
At Priest Katherine's words, the Archbishop and the secretary laughed out loud, and I was glared at intensely by everyone else.
"Well, it's fine, isn't it? It sounds interesting."
"Yes. We need things like this once in a while."
I was saved by Mel and Dune. Flora and Fiona also nodded.
"Thank you—"
Headmistress, I'm the one who gets to hug first.