Chapter 182 - Sixth Story: Mead
I've secured a job that occurs once a month.
Bishop Harris-sama, the Chief Secretary of the Royal Capital's Great Church, came from the capital, and the four of us—including the Archbishop of Nakanohara and Kevin-sama—sat down to read the books.
I would relay the content I read through [Thought Communication], and the three of them would transcribe it. Two of them touched me with their hands, and the other—I feel a bit bad about this—touched me with his toe.
They were writing simultaneously so that one copy could be kept at the Nakanohara Church, one at the Royal Capital's Great Church, and one at the Medioland Royal Capital's Great Church.
My reward as a stray was five silver coins per session. (T/N: 'Stray' (nora) refers to a priest who is not formally affiliated with a specific church or parish, essentially working as a freelancer.) Considering it takes half a day including the round trip, it's not a bad deal.
Since I had dedicated Mondays and Fridays to exterminating rats, it was decided that I would read the books in the cave on the morning of the first Monday of the month and handle the rats in the afternoon.
The chronicles were, as expected, the history of the humans living on this island.
In the beginning, it was mostly stories about people diligently hunting and slaying monsters with weapons made of wood and stone. Harris-sama, who had come from the Royal Capital with great enthusiasm, seemed a bit let down.
The major shifts occurred when our ancestors from the continent occupied the island and everything following King Griffith, but Harris-sama already knew about those from reading the reports.
"If I'd known it was like this, I would've just left everything to Nakanohara,"
Harris-sama grumbled during a break.
His way of speaking was a bit rough for a clergyman, but apparently, he was a former member of the guard who chose the priesthood instead of joining the Kingdom Army, specializing in monster extermination.
"So you're our senior, then."
"Well, technically, yes. But I didn't have the strength to defeat a Demon Lord like Bishop Catherine. Now, I'm just a lowly church worker. Priest Jeanne, I envy you."
It was the first time anyone had ever said they envied a stray.
"You say that, but Bishop Harris, you can use high-level [Holy] magic, can't you?"
The Archbishop said.
That's amazing. I'm still only at the beginner level.
"No, well, you see... Previously, I had the chance to work with Lord Roberts of the Eastern Plains and a Bishop named Harrison. Seeing the coordination of those monsters made me feel miserable about everything I'd done up until then."
I understand that feeling well.
I once felt depressed after seeing Angelica-san's rat extermination.
However, seeing him speak in such a bright tone, it seems he's moved past it.
"Do you know Harrison-sama?"
"Yeah, I've worked with him a few times. Come to think of it, he mentioned he was taught by Bishop Catherine. Have you known Bishop Harrison since then, Priest Jeanne?"
"No, I only had the chance to meet him recently."
I couldn't exactly say we had captured a Primordia fortress together, so I just said he was a garlic-smelling bear, which made him burst into laughter.
"That man wears a bear-fur kigurumi as a substitute for winter clothes when he enters the forest in winter. He once said a hunter almost shot him with an arrow while he was returning from an exorcism."
Since then, he apparently sings songs whenever he travels alone through the mountains or forests.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
If a bear carrying a pilgrim's staff was walking on two legs while singing, anyone would think it was a monster.
"Ahahaha, that's a good one. I'll tell him to be careful next time I see him."
"That aside, Jeanne, will you be joining the investigation of the mountain after all?"
When the Archbishop asked, Harris-sama nodded.
"I don't know if it's the same as here, but it's worth a try. The Medioland Royal Capital's Great Church is also interested."
The Medioland Royal Capital's Great Church. The Great Northern Church, huh...
"It seems the Medioland Royal Capital's Great Church doesn't intend to make it public. Therefore, Priest Jeanne and I will likely be the ones going."
"Um, the story I read here before... did it end up causing problems after all?"
When I asked timidly, he nodded with a very serious face.
"Unlike Sertoria, which has a state church system, the church over there is independent. According to the messenger we sent, they seemed quite flustered."
I knew it. After all, the Great Northern Church was the villain in that story.
I reflexively took a sip of wine from my canteen.
"However, when we learned of it here, we concluded that it was proof of the current Church's righteousness,"
The Archbishop followed up.
"Of course, that's true. But there are priests who love politics in every era. Even now, there are those approaching the nobility, trying to get a share of the interests in Medioland."
Come to think of it, when Beatrix asked Lady Gladys about opening a shop to sell marble-dyed goods in Medioland, she heard that the power struggles among the nobility were intense.
If the Church is involved in that, are they trying to interfere in the administration as well?
"Exactly. It's not limited to Medioland. There are many such countries, starting with Regnentes, which is still deeply involved in administration. In a sense, the country where non-intervention in administration is most thorough is Engrio."
If what's written in these books spreads within the Church, the faction favoring non-intervention will gain strength, and the internal power struggles will tilt in that direction.
They're the ones who caused everything in the first place, so what are they talking about? They should just reflect quietly and think about how to be useful to people.
"Quite right. However, Priest Jeanne. When you go to investigate the mountain, don't accidentally say things like that. They'll likely bring along a bunch of people from the pro-intervention faction. If you get glared at by people like that, it'll be a hassle later on."
That's scary. Would they find some excuse to excommunicate me? I don't think they'd resort to a backstab, but...
Just in case, maybe I should ask Mel to be my guard.
While I was deep in thought, someone patted my shoulder and told me not to worry.
"Priest Jeanne, you're an Honorary Knight of Medioland, aren't you? As a result of His Majesty the King pulling strings in Medioland, it seems Crown Prince James will be participating under the pretext of protecting a priest who was knighted by the King of Medioland from monsters. You don't have to worry about anything happening on the spot."
I heard that in Sertoria, which has a state church system, a report on this matter went up to the King. Consequently, out of friendship between allied nations, a personal letter was sent to the King of Medioland stating that our country's priest would be going and to look after her.
I'm really glad I listen to the King's grumbling on a regular basis.
I'll have to thank James-sama when I see him.
"Jeanne is amazing, isn't she? Moving an entire nation."
"Indeed, Archbishop. After all, whenever I go to the Royal Palace and mention the names of Jeanne and the Class of 175, both His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister break into smiles."
The Archbishop and Bishop Harris were smirking.
When did I start getting teased even by people like this...
In the end, the book reading took four months, but the main part for the Church was the section around King Griffith that I read first; there weren't many notable parts before or after that.
It was just that the clashes between hunting villages with wood and stone weapons had changed into wars between kingdoms with steel-clad soldiers; the things they were doing were the same.
The part where our ancestors plundered the island and the purge by the Great Southern Church had already been reported by the Archbishop of Nakanohara.
For Harris-sama, it seemed to leave him with a sense of indigestion.
However, the mountain investigation still remained.
What comes after human history? The four of us pondered this as the investigation concluded.
"Regarding the next investigation, there's coordination with Medioland, so I'd like some time. I'll contact you once something definite is decided."
Saying that, Harris-sama left the day after he went wild at the Water Splashing Festival, as if to vent his indigestion.
After seeing Harris-sama off, I was told there was something to discuss and was called to the Archbishop's office.
I sat on the sofa as invited.
The Archbishop and his secretary sat before me.
"Jeanne. Would you like to try drinking this?"
Mead was brought out.
It was the kind made by priests at the church.
Of course, anyone can make mead, but it seems the Church, having taken the lead, has the advantage; no matter which country or town you go to, the church-brewed mead is rumored to have the best flavor. Along with wine, it's one of the Church's sources of revenue.
"It's delicious."
It was strong because the sweetness was suppressed, but the clear golden liquid flowed smoothly down my throat along with a faint scent of apples.
I hate to say it, but it was incomparable to the stuff people make themselves in local pubs.
"Is that so? I'm glad. By the way, regarding this investigation, what were your impressions?"
I see. So that was the goal of asking me.
It's a secret even within the Church.
Impressions aren't something you can easily ask people for.
The fact that five people led by the Headmistress, along with spirits and ghosts, participated was a major decision in itself.
I replied that there was only one thing on my mind.
"Bishop Harris-sama mentioned he wanted to investigate monsters..."
Apparently, he wants to know why monsters spawn.
"He likely wants to know about the Demon Lord, not just monsters,"
The Archbishop said.
"Bishop Harris said those things, but in his youth, he was quite a capable monster hunter."
He uses high-level [Holy] magic.
As long as he buys enough time to finish the incantation, he could wipe out local monsters in one fell swoop.
Even though it was used by the Headmistress, a super-high-level mage, the Fenrir that we struggled so much with in the Eastern Plains was silenced in a single shot.
"Originally, it started when his family was killed by monsters during the previous resurrection of the Demon Lord. I've heard that the reason he sought the priesthood instead of going from the guard to the Kingdom Army was that he wanted to be a monster hunter fighting on the front lines."
Even when he was an acolyte, he apparently stuck close to priests doing monster extermination and fought alongside them. If he had become a stray, he might have ended up like Harrison-san.
"He once mentioned that at some point, he aspired to protect the country. I don't know the reason. Since then, he's been working for the Church, but in the war against the Demon Lord's army, he led a group of priests, sometimes fighting monsters and sometimes helping the injured, and was quite active, I hear."
So, the Archbishop says he probably wants to investigate the Demon Lord to help with the subjugation.
I think he's a very admirable person.
Because of seniors like him, when we started monster extermination, Adolf-san and the people in the guard were cooperative.
"Originally, he was someone with a much more intimidating aura, but before I knew it, the sharpness around his eyes vanished, and he gained that gentle expression. Now, as the Chief Secretary, he acts as a mediator between the Royal Capital's Great Church and the Royal Palace. Regardless of the trigger, holy magic is not something to be used just for venting grudges. He likely realized that."
I see, that's why he felt miserable when he was with Lord Roberts and Harrison-san.
Both of them always approached things with great generosity.
One could say it's the composure that comes from having strength, but Lord Roberts fights for the citizens, and Harrison-san fights for the poor.
The two of them surely didn't say anything.
However, there must have been something he felt while fighting together.
The misery might have been a feeling toward his own heart. Is that why he was so bright?
"Jeanne. I don't know the reason, but I heard from Bishop Catherine that you chose the path of not belonging to the Church in order to start monster extermination. But I've also heard that you always offer prayers for the monsters you've slain. You also always pay attention to spirits and ghosts, treating them without discrimination. Please cherish that mindset you have now."
I was reflexively humbled by the Archbishop's words as he spoke to me gently and admonishingly.
If he found out I was doing it to make money, he might scold me.
"And I hear you're using the money earned from monster extermination to buy wasteland and plan to graze livestock."
"Yes. It's small, but I thought it would be fine if I combined it with monster extermination."
"That's wonderful."
I was praised to the skies. If he knew it was a practice run for managing a large plot of land in the future, I don't know what he'd say.
I started to sweat.
I took a sip of mead.
"It is said that monster extermination and land reclamation were the first jobs of a priest."
"Is that so?"
I didn't know that. I thought for sure it was conveying the words of the Goddess.
"Of course, there's that too. However, it is said that was the job of the Priestess. The priest would read the calendar and, based on the oracles obtained by the Priestess, decide the day to start farm work and the schedule for monster hunting for that purpose. And in battle, they would defeat monsters with [Holy] and heal the wounded with [Heal]. Later, the teachings were systematized, the gatherings of priests were organized, and eventually, it became a group that centers on prayer and preaching to the masses, presiding over ceremonial occasions like it is now."
So that's how it was. That's why the Priestess is still treated specially. In the end, priests were nothing more than intermediaries.
"By the way," the Archbishop changed the subject.
"The priest who came to investigate the silica in the Flatlands last autumn mentioned it. That you're going to plant clover and do beekeeping."
"Yes. Right now it's just goats, but once the clover increases a bit more, I'm thinking of keeping sheep and honeybees."
He was nodding, saying, "I see, I see."
"By the way, how is it? This mead. It's delicious, isn't it?"
"Yes. Very much so."
"If it's alright with you all, why don't you try making mead with the honey collected from your clover? No, we'll teach you how to make it. Kevin will arrange it so."
The secretary nodded with a smile.
Is that okay?
I reflexively swallowed hard.
I'm sure it would sell for a good price.
However, I heard the Church's production methods are strictly kept secret; is it really alright?
"It's fine. You are a priest, after all. If it's between priests, we can share it. In fact, there are priests who have returned to secular life and make a living from mead."
"But why?"
Even though I'm a priest, I'm a stray. There should be no reason for the Church to go this far.
"Living your daily life according to the teachings based on the Priestess's oracles while observing the precepts. Doing farm work and monster extermination. And presumably, until a church is built in the Flatlands, you will heal the wounded and offer prayers at funerals. In other words, that is the ideal form of a priest. This is a small token of gratitude toward you, and toward all of you who didn't give a second thought to the history of the Church's mismanagement. Won't you please accept this offer?"
I see. It's a way of saying, "Don't refuse requests for funeral prayers during your reclamation work."
However, the offer itself is truly appreciated. Regardless of my daily life, I never intended to refuse requests for funeral prayers in the first place.
I expressed my gratitude politely and accepted.
But won't I become a business rival?
I'd hate to be resented by the priests making mead at the church.
"There's no need to worry. Even if the method is the same, we will definitely be able to make it more delicious."
The Archbishop and the secretary both puffed out their chests with pride.