Chapter 300 - Chapter Fourteen: The Island Church
Before going to Engrio or Morandine, we decided to go to the church left by the ancients on the island in Uminohara.
According to Eleanor-sama, she doesn't know where the fifth one is, but she wants to at least establish a prospect.
The Church also has a dark history. Apparently, they did various terrible things to the people of the island, so the calculation is that if I, who have been recognized by the King and Priestess of Finis to possess the Black Stones, go there, their attitude will soften in order to investigate peacefully. Additionally, it would be even better if we could have them participate in trade and make money, so Beatrix and Mary are also participating. Fiona, who is from the island, is absent because she is in training.
In addition to the usual four-person group led by Henry-sama, Harris-sama is from the Church and Royal Palace group. Aira and Saxburg, who are participating in the farm banquet for the first time, Beatrix, Mary, me, and Bonnie, who was nominated again, are on board. Additionally, Serena, Little Serena, and Renata are on board part of the way.
"Now, here we go. Hold on tight. This is the ultra-high-speed flight of the medium-sized bowl."
"It's my first time in a medium-sized one, Sister."
"I wonder if it's slower than the small one."
"This time it's acceleration without holding back."
"That's the spirit!"
Serena and Renata extend vines from their arms to create places to hold on.
Guuuuuu!
Even though the vines protect us, sudden acceleration is not good for the body! My eyes are tearing up.
Harris-sama is closing his eyes tightly and offering loud prayers to the Goddess.
The two Princesses are rejoicing along with Little Serena.
"How is it?"
"Hmm, I wonder?"
"As I thought, the small one is faster."
"Nonsense, we can still do more. Wilson, we're going to try a corkscrew for the first time."
Please stop that!
After the grueling time passed, Fiona's island came into view.
Partly because we took a break in the Dryad's Forest to drop off Serena and the others, it was immediately the sea once we flew up.
We flew over the four islands floating in the bay of Uminohara and went to an island further offshore.
There are several small islands, but we arrived at an oval-shaped island that is the largest among them—though it's only about a quarter of the size of Fiona's island and has only about a dozen houses.
Offshore, two navy ships are anchored.
Looking at the flags being flown, one ship had the Sertorian flag and the other had the Finis flag fluttering.
I deactivated the camouflage and sent the signal that had been arranged in advance.
As we approached the Finis ship, Gwyn-sama and Eowyn-sama were there. Both are in formal attire.
Saxburg, who found Eowyn-sama, leaned out.
"Mountain!"
"River."
Eowyn-sama returned the call.
Eleanor-sama was nodding with satisfaction.
I wonder if they'll get scolded eventually...
"Brother! Good day!"
"You certainly are dressed for a good day, Saxburg."
Seeing her jump down from the bowl into the ship, Eowyn-sama was exasperated.
Aira is dressed in the formal attire of the blue-painted.
In contrast, Saxburg is dressed like a pirate, wearing clothes with knit-like things attached that resemble chain mail, a brown cloak, and a leather helmet with two horns. She has a large knife wound on her face.
It's Magdalena-sama's sense. When she said, "If it's undercover, please take these," and brought out various things, this was one of them. She seems to have liked it and came without changing.
Bandit style, pirate style, bandit style—there were only dangerous-looking ones.
The disguise is excessive. It only makes her stand out.
Actually, Aira was also dressed as a bandit with blonde long hair, a bearded face, and wearing fur with a sword on her back, but she changed upon coming to the island.
"How is it? This disguise? It's good, isn't it? Jeanne also praised me."
I had no choice but to praise her. It's in front of the original 'demon wife.' I couldn't very well disparage it.
"Saxburg!"
Eowyn-sama's eyes are sharp. Good, he should scold her thoroughly.
It's a good opportunity to correct the strange habits of the Sertorian Royal Family.
"Saxburg! Why are you calling Jeanne-sama without honorifics!"
That way?
Honestly, it's too much trouble.
"Because I was invited to Jeanne and the others' farm and we had a banquet together. Then we can become friends. You can call friends without honorifics. Everyone calls me Saxburg too. Brother hasn't participated in the banquet, right? So you aren't a friend yet. You're just Brother Eowyn."
"Th-That's..."
Yes, yes, that's enough. Please don't collapse to your knees.
Leaving the lamenting Eowyn-sama aside, I finished greetings to the others. When we landed and went to the island's settlement, the villagers were gathered in the square.
Everyone is wearing a checked pattern and is blue-painted.
A priest walked up to us.
"Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama. Welcome."
"Umu. Everyone is dressed up today."
"Yes. Because Crown Prince Gwyn from Finis, and the priest and Priestess from the Royal Capital are here. Ah, Aira-sama has also arrived. This is all thanks to the thoughtfulness of you two. We are truly grateful."
"We haven't done anything. Give your thanks to the Finis Royal Family and the current King."
I greet the priest for the first time.
"You are acquaintances," the priest said, pointing to the priest I met at Aira's machine shop and the Priestess of the Water Dragon's temple. Both are in the formal attire of the blue-painted.
"It's been a while. Is the Water Dragon doing well?"
"It's been a while, Jeanne. The Water Dragon and everyone at the temple are doing well. Thanks to Gwyn-sama's thoughtfulness, we've been able to regularly catch that large fish, and it's become a good income for the village too."
Gwyn-sama, who is wearing the formal attire of the blue-painted, was nodding ostentatiously.
"That trout is truly delicious. We give one to the Water Dragon, eat one together, and then smoke the rest and sell them to the continent."
Apparently, it becomes more than twenty gold coins for one fish. They process them into smoked fish in the village and send out five a week. The Priestess says that there has been no change in the tax amount compared to before the start of trout fishing. In the case of trout, trade with the continent is the Royal Family's monopoly, so there must be sufficient profit. Even if half is the village's income, considering the population, it's an income exceeding one gold coin per household every week.
"Well, I'm fine as long as I can drink alcohol while eating that trout once a week."
As expected of the next Chieftain.
"Now, Priest Jeanne. I hear you have inherited the magic used by the Ancient Priestess."
After being guided to the church, offering prayers to the Goddess and the War God, and finishing our introductions, the priest spoke up.
I fire the First King series.
The villagers stirred with a buzz.
A buzz? Do they know it?
"I understand well. You have certainly inherited the magic of the Ancient Priestess."
"Um, do you know of it?"
"Of course. Everyone on this island knows."
"Eh?"
In short, it seems they knew it was the real thing because they saw the light of magic bursting forth at the same time as the vocalization.
"However, unfortunately, there is no one on this small island who can actually use it. Only the legend about the Ancient Priestess remains."
According to the priest, the Ancient Priestess once visited this island.
She built a mound and left a statue of the Goddess.
"The stone statue left by the Ancient Priestess is the pillar of our hearts."
All the villagers nod.
"It's different from Finis. We the people of Finis are the descendants of the War God who serves the Goddess, and we intend to be the vanguard against those who defy the Goddess. Do the people of this island not have such a thought?"
It's Gwyn-sama. Finis has universal conscription.
"Please rest assured. Everyone on this island is a warrior. Including me, of course."
"Umu. Then it is fine."
Um, Gwyn-sama? The people of this island are Sertorian citizens.
"It is fine, Jeanne. The headquarters for those who worship the War God is in the Finis Royal Capital, and the Finis Royal Family is its protector."
"That's right. I am important. Ugu!"
At Eleanor-sama's words, Gwyn-sama puffed out his chest, but he was groaning after taking a blow to the solar plexus from Aira.
(Brother. Boasting about matters concerning the War God without reason is an act unbecoming of royalty.)
As expected of universal conscription. It seems even a Princess is no exception.
The priest from Finis who saw the two laughed, and the villagers who heard of it all looked down at once.
Once things had settled down, we were to be guided to the mound by the island's priest.
The island is, roughly speaking, an oval extending long from northwest to southwest. There is a hill like a mass of rock to the southwest. The middle is flat and has a settlement, and the northwest is a mountain. The mass of rock to the southwest is clearly visible from the settlement, and the mound is apparently halfway up it.
Since it's hard to climb on foot, we decided to go to the entrance of the mound first with the priest in the large bowl and wait for the villagers to climb up.
The entrance to the mound seemed to have been made by carving the mountainside; only that one corner was unnaturally wide, and an entrance was gaping open in the cliff.
It's built by stacking flat large stones, similar to the entrance to King Griffith's tomb. The entrance is a bit narrow, but it could be seen that it becomes wider once inside.
Is it a cave? When I asked, he replied that it's a ruin.
It's not hidden; the area around the entrance is neatly cleaned. The villagers must be taking turns cutting away obstructive branches, mowing the grass, and maintaining it.
"Once you enter this entrance, the inside is like a stone passage. It's straight and not very long. Let's see... after about twenty steps, you come to a slightly wider place, but it's a dead end there. The stone statue of the Goddess is there."
"Is there an altar in the back?"
I try asking the priest.
"An altar? There is no such thing in the place we can enter, but..."
In that case, is it a barrier?
If so, the wall might disappear and allow entry to another place.
Even if it's a wall, there are five surfaces including the floor and ceiling.
I have no choice but to narrow the direction of the light and illuminate each surface one by one.
The villagers arrived, but there isn't enough space for everyone to enter together.
As the advance party, one villager guide, Henry-sama, Eleanor-sama, Beatrix, Will, Bonnie, and I were to enter together with the island's priest.
I have Beatrix fly two Fireflies to illuminate the ceiling and our feet.
Just by the light shining into the darkness, voices of prayer could be heard from the villagers.
Inside, it's a stone passage.
"Bonnie, take one of Jeanne's Fireflies and stand at the front."
"Okaaaay! Understood!"
She replied to Eleanor-sama's instruction in a voice as if the sense of tension had gone somewhere, but when I handed her the third Firefly, she slipped through from the wall without making a sound so as not to get in the way of the vanguard and went ahead. Just like that, she proceeded while illuminating the surroundings and reached the stone statue of the Goddess.
"You can make it full power!"
Hearing the signal, I make the Firefly's light full power.
Something should happen.
I wait for a while...
"It seems nothing is changing."
"It seems so."
I tilt my head along with Eleanor-sama.
There's no point in just staring, so we all go to the stone statue.
The stone statue itself is an antique, but it's nothing particularly special. Since craftsmen who have seen stone statues in large churches make them, there's just some individual difference in the style.
I extinguish the Fireflies and hold my hand over the wall to illuminate it directly, but it's not like the wall disappears.
In that case.
"Um, excuse me. I'd like to talk with just the priest, is that okay?"
There is a secret to the shrine on the island floating in the lake where the Water Dragon is, but the only ones who know are the King of Finis, Gwyn-sama, the Priestess who serves the Water Dragon, and me. If it's the same kind of mechanism, I can't tell other people. I've made a Vow of Silence. If there's a similar secret in this ruin, the people who are allowed to know are limited.
When I explained, everyone understood, and they decided to step outside for a moment.
I drop one Firefly on the floor of the passage and make it shine toward the outside. This way, the light should interfere and make it impossible to see inside from the outside.
I vow before the Goddess while kneeling that I will not speak of the content to be told in this place to anyone. On top of that, I had the priest tell me what he knows.
"There is a secret to this shrine. There is a trick to one stone in this room, and it should be possible to make it disappear with light magic."
As I thought, that's it. If it's a Vow of Silence made with the Goddess, there is no obligation to answer the Church's investigation. They shouldn't be able to force it.
It's the same as the Water Dragon's shrine. The shrine in that lake was the same, but it had been deactivated so it could be taken out when necessary, and instead the Royal Family, the Priestess, and the Water Dragon were protecting the ruin itself.
"Is there not something passed down by the five Ancient Priestesses there?"
"Yes. I do not know the details myself. However, it is likely the Black Stones that Priest Jeanne is carrying."
"Do you know which stone disappears?"
The priest nodded and pointed to one stone... the pedestal on the back side of the stone statue. Under the protruding pedestal, small stones of the same size are laid out. It's in a position that cannot be seen unless you put your face to the floor. At first glance they are stones supporting the pedestal, but apparently one of them is it.
I roll a Firefly and shine light on it.
When I had the priest search inside, two pieces of parchment came out.
On one, something was written in the ancient language, and the signature was King Griffith's.
The parchment recorded that King Griffith would take away the Black Stone that had been kept here.
The Priestess protected by King Griffith could use light magic. I do not know what kind of encounter and connection the two had. At any rate, the two met and aimed for the reorganization of the islands that had become scattered. As a result, it ended in failure, but King Griffith continued to possess the Black Stone and entrusted it to me.
"I hear you know of King Griffith."
The priest asked me, so I told him about the encounter at the tomb.
"I see. In that case, that Black Stone has been inherited by Priest Jeanne."
"Did you know that I have it?"
"Yes. I heard from Eleanor-sama. The Priestess born on this island used light magic. In other words, she was the successor of the Black Stone. And King Griffith's mother came from the north to Nakanohara as a bride, but actually the people of this island acted as intermediaries."
King Griffith's grandfather and father did not lack respect for the ancients. They aimed for harmony between their own vassals who came from the continent and those who originally lived there, welcomed a bride from one of the northern lords, and built a country. The people of the island are people of the sea. They have had connections with various places via sea routes since ancient times. However, with the concept of kingdoms along with borders being born in various parts of the White Island, that path was also closed. At least officially. It seems trade had continued in a small way, but of course it was smuggling. The Sertorian Royal Family... might have been turning a blind eye.
"I hear King Griffith's wish was the coexistence and co-prosperity through the harmony of each country on this island. Our ancestors of the island must have taken his thoughts into account and entrusted the stone to the Priestess."
And King Griffith took over from the Priestess, didn't give it to anyone, and gave it to me. It's probably because I use [Light].
I decided to leave the explanation to Henry-sama and the others to the priest. I should be able to tell others what the priest spoke of.
The priest put the first parchment back in its original place and came outside with me holding the second one. After telling everyone, he will put it back. On the second one, something like a single dragon is drawn. However, the shape is strange. The background is also the sea or a lake; waves and ships are drawn.
"Is what's drawn on this map the White Island?"
"Yes, that's right. There are marks in five places. There must be something related to the Ancient Priestesses."
I was astounded hearing the exchange between Eleanor-sama and the island's priest.
The White Island is a dragon?
When I look at Beatrix, her eyes are wide open. On the other hand, there's no change in Bonnie's expression. Will is... I won't know unless I ask because she's never moved by anything.
"Did you know?"
I try asking Beatrix.
"It's my first time hearing it. How about Bonnie?"
"Paul-san taught me."
"I already knew. Between you and me, I've been allowed to go to various places."
Come to think of it, she was a habitual offender of illegal entry.
The five marks are placed on the dragon's eye, the chest where the heart is, the stomach which is the center of the torso, the base of the rump... I mean the tail, and the wing part.
"The wing is a bit subtle, isn't it?"
Beatrix's argument is reasonable. It must be the peninsula in northern Sertoria and the surrounding islands, but it's quite small compared to the torso. The tail is also short, and it's more like a rabbit's tail than a dragon's.
"Please interpret that as it being folded."
The priest hurriedly followed up. Well, it must have been a forced fit originally.
"From what I see on this map, are the five places with marks Finis, Morandine, Engrio, Primordia, and this island, respectively?"
At Eleanor-sama's words, Gwyn-sama and Aira exchanged glances. The mark for Finis is the Water Dragon's shrine.
And there is a mark on this island too. The secret of this island was the Black Stone. In other words, this drawing of an ungraceful dragon is a map showing the whereabouts of the Black Stones. I don't know where the one the Demon Lord had came from, but the reason I vaguely feel it smells like Engrio is probably just my imagination.
The map was returned to the priest without being copied, so the two of us put it back in its original place.
A formal request for cooperation in preventing the Demon Lord's resurrection was made to Gwyn-sama and Eowyn-sama, and they readily agreed. And so, it was decided to proceed with a joint investigation by the four countries from now on.
"It was a great achievement. Thanks to everyone, the possibility of unraveling the island's secrets—in other words, the possibility of preventing the Demon Lord's resurrection—has grown. I am truly grateful."
"Umu. I also thank the people of this island. Because you have continued to protect the island's secrets. I want to express my gratitude in some form. If there are any requests, I shall convey them to His Majesty."
Hearing the words of Eleanor-sama and Henry-sama, the island's priest talked with everyone, and the result was that the islanders' wish was to participate in trade. Because the scale is small, it's difficult to participate in trade with foreign countries. All the dried fish they catch is sold at the Uminohara market, so the price is low.
"Mary, how about it? Could you take the cargo from this island?"
If it's cargo for the Class of 175, it's small to begin with.
"Understood. If we transport it to the port of the Old Gram Capital, we can trade with merchants who come from the continent, so I think it will sell for a good price. If possible, it would be good if there were dried octopus... the monster kind of octopus."
"Octopus? They appear occasionally, so everyone on the island comes out to exterminate them."
"What? Are you not farming them?"
"Farming? Is such a thing possible?"
Apparently, they haven't been coordinating because their religions are different. Immediately, Eleanor-sama took Beatrix to the rocky area and made arrangements for the construction.