Chapter 722 - Chapter Sixteen: Exploration of the Testament (7)

Chapter Sixteen: Exploration of the Testament (7)

According to Gnome, there have been seven people who succeeded in releasing the Testament in the past, and five of them live in the storage place of the Secret Books, and one lives in Gnome's cave. There is a gatekeeper in the Cave of the Secret Books. He's a Dwarf.

"Regarding the management place of the Secret Books, as a result of this Jeanne visiting all five locations with the people gathered at those times, it seems there are offerings about once a month now. Although there is no conversation, the priests and priestesses guided by the gatekeeper Dwarf apparently tell him about things that happened in the secular world."

He knows well. Did he hear it from Alex? Or is he making rounds?

"Only those who use light magic can enter here, and there is no gatekeeper Dwarf, so..."

"You should just hire one."

He says it easily, but can it be done?

When I looked at Eleanor-sama, she called Price-sama.

"A contract with a Dwarf is difficult, but it is possible with the cooperation of the local church head and Erikson-sama."

As expected of Price-sama, he came up with a solution easily. In short, Erikson-sama just has to be the gatekeeper. He was actually doing it until now. He was just chasing people away by the pond outside, though.

"Let's have the church prepare offerings in the name of dedication. Currently, the church head meets Erikson-sama once a week, so we can just make that a meeting with the Priestess. I don't think there's a problem with just talking about events that occurred in the outside world."

While saying so, he looks at Erikson-sama.

"Umu. Leave it to me. Even though I look like this, I was the Grand Archbishop when I was alive. I can at least serve as a conversation partner."

Erikson-sama also became enthusiastic.

"Is Jeanne not coming?"

"Me?"

Once a week is tough.

"I respect you as a fellow Priestess for having the protection of the Four Great Spirits. Of course, I also respect the Grand Archbishop-sama? Is it? and the others, but..."

"Umu. Jeanne should come too. I won't say once a week, but can't you come once every month or two?"

"Um, I cannot promise how frequently I can come. After all, I have to cross the national border to get here."

The geographical conditions are too bad. I have to come to Engrio once.

"Why don't you just participate in the banquets held at Jeanne's farm? If it's about once or twice a year with Erikson-sama, I'll provide transportation."

It's Eleanor-sama. She's probably planning to fly here secretly. How can she say that right in front of Price-sama?

"I will take her with Erikson when I am invited to a banquet."

"Is that true!"

Erikson-sama jumped at Gnome's proposal. If that's the case, it'll be about once a month.

"I don't mind. If preservation of this place is necessary, we can just block the Teleportation Circle that serves as the conventional entrance."

Blocking it is probably easy. Just swapping one stone is enough. It's no problem if the correct one is hidden somewhere. In the first place, Eleanor-sama and Price-sama intend to connect it to the church with a new Teleportation Circle.

"That would be good, wouldn't it? How about it? Why not move the magic circle that currently connects to the outside to the southern church? That way, Erikson-sama can also make it his residence as the guardian spirit of the southern church. Since the church manages it, it's safe. Besides, we can't proceed anyway without Jeanne."

Eleanor-sama is trying to get the Priestess to approve their scheme in the confusion.

"You may move the magic circle that connects to the outside. It wasn't like that originally, after all."

Everyone looks at Erikson-sama.

"S-sorry. It was my instruction."

It seems he moved it during the conflict between the north and south that occurred a thousand years ago.

I knew it. It's strange for it to be by such a pond. I didn't think the Priestess from 4000 years ago would do it. However, it's no wonder. He was desperate to hide it. With this, the doubt is finally cleared.

"Where was it originally?"

Price-sama must have expected it too. He's asking in a calm tone without being particularly surprised.

"There was a warehouse next to the church head's office, right? It was there. I don't know what that warehouse is like now."

What. Then we can just put it in the church.

As for the history, it was in a corner of the first church, moved during the construction of the current second church, and a thousand years ago, the Priestess of that time was made to evacuate it. Erikson-sama was accidentally executed on top of those paving stones. He was tortured regarding the Testament but didn't speak. And he was apparently killed just like that. The northern forces that invaded used the movement to exclude dark magic and Revenants as momentum, and as a result, dark magic users and Revenants were destroyed or fled one after another, which is probably one of the reasons why Charm couldn't be used. And it remained as a mystery. Knowing such history, I can understand why the southern church tried to protect dark magic users and those who had already become Revenants.

In the end, it was decided to move the magic circle used for the entrance from the pond side, and it came under the church's management. That way, Erikson-sama can live in the church, so it's just right.

The banquet with the Priestess became not a girls' party because the men participated halfway through, but well, let's call it good. We talked about old stories and modern stories and were all surprised, but we had a fun time.

"Why don't you greet the current church head while you're at it?"

I followed Gnome's sudden suggestion obediently, and we actually decided to go to the church together. We'll stay overnight and come back together tomorrow.

"Then, I'll take you up on that. Someone please provide alternative light."

When the Priestess said that, the ghosts emitted a pale blue light. It's bright enough.

As if confirming that, the ceiling that had been glowing began to lose its light from the edges. At the same time, the middle part began to hang down like a drop of water. And as if all the light from the ceiling were gathering, it grew and then slowly descended to the floor. As it gradually approached the floor, two horn-like things came out and stuck to the floor, and instead, the part that had been stuck to the ceiling came off. And the lower horns became what appeared to be both legs, both hands came out, something like a head also came out, and finally it became a glowing humanoid.

While I was surprised, this time something like a black mist began to cover the surface. I thought it had left the ceiling, but apparently the mist had been stuck to it. When the mist completely covered the humanoid, a human figure appeared like a black and white picture. And then color was added to the face, limbs, hair, and even the clothes, and she became a single Priestess who looked alive.

The Priestess is wearing a white tunic-style outfit with a sash of red, yellow, and green colors, and sandals. She has a face with deep features, red hair, a slightly dark skin tone, and dark brown eyes. Her height is about the same as mine. She has characteristics common in Finis women. Her age is about in her late twenties. Probably, the main body person released the Testament at about that age.

"Nice to meet you."

Her elegant feeling is that of a young lady from a good family. Her face is as cute as Sianya's.

"It's as if she's a real human. Look, her shadow is the same as a living human's."

Erikson-sama pointed at the Priestess's shadow while raising a voice of admiration. Ghosts don't have shadows. Unlike that, there is a clear shadow. It's the same as the Four Great Spirits.

"Are you going outside right now?"

Eleanor-sama asked.

"If possible, could you give me a little more time? I need time to become accustomed to this form."

"Then, please sit over there."

For some reason, she points next to me.

The Priestess came next to me and sat down primly.

"Have one."

I hand her a Highway Cookie and an Owan and pour wine.

"Thank you very much."

Her manner of receiving it is also elegant.

"Me too. Give me another one!"

The Wetlands Priestess reached for the box of Highway Cookies and snatched one. She carries it to her mouth and eats it in one bite.

"Mmm, it's delicious no matter how many I eat."

It's quite different.

Since the Priestess said she was fine, we move. When we jump with Gnome's teleportation, we come out by the pond outside. It's on top of the paving stones that serve as the entrance to the cave. The magic circle has already been flipped over, and there are soldiers hired by the church around.

"It's the outside air after a long time. It's fresh."

The Priestess crouched down as she approached the pond and scooped up water with her hands.

"Ah, it's cold. This sensation of water. How nostalgic."

With an innocent expression, she is splashing at the water's edge.

The Wetlands Priestess slid up to her.

"Here!"

She splashes the water she scooped with her hand onto the Priestess.

"Kyaa!"

"Here, here!"

"Oh, stop, that's mean."

"Here, here, here!"

"No! Stop, you're being mean!"

Both of them are beautiful because they are noblewomen, regardless of rank. The noses of the soldiers watching the two of them playing cutely began to grow long.

If you two are going to do any more than that, you should charge money.

When the dripping wet beautiful women were finished, the Owan appeared. Of course, it's the Priestess's first time. After raising voices of admiration for a while regarding the applied use of magic, it became a sightseeing flight as usual. For some reason, I was also dragged along, and I ended up with teary eyes next to the Priestess who was shouting "Kyaa, kyaa" and rejoicing.

In the meantime, the men finished loading all the stones of the magic circle onto the ship, and by the time the flight experience was over, they had already boarded the ship.

The Owan group floated on the river like a ship and followed along, chugging on their own. In the meantime, whether the Priestesses hit it off or not, the Priestess was pointing here and there and receiving explanations from the Wetlands Priestess, reaching her hands out to the water, saying "Kyakkya, kyakkya." She's like Saxburg, as if she's returned to being a child.

When we arrived at the church in a state of almost playing with water, the Priestess was the first to kneel before the statue of the Goddess and offer a prayer. Her figure is that of an ideal Priestess serving God.

After that, she returned to her original state. At dinner... or rather, the banquet, she said the food was delicious and gobbled it up, requesting seconds, and as for the wine, Fiona even proposed a drinking contest. If that were done, all the church's alcohol would disappear. I managed to stop it and avoid any trouble.

The night also continued until late as an extension of the girls' party, and we finally got to rest near dawn. Erikson-sama even noticed the voices when he tried to do early morning prayers and gave a warning through the door.

The next morning, I was absent-minded, and since the order for the mirror armor and helmet proposed by Eleanor-sama required several days, I was able to spend time with the Priestess until they were finished.

While waiting for the armor, helmet, and shield to be finished, the Wetlands Priestess and Fiona did dark magic training. They actually look at a template, create an image, and think of and memorize appropriate incantation words. I think it's quite difficult.

However, both of them have learned Heaven's Roar. Their magic control power, in human terms, is sufficient, so they just look at the real thing many times and imagine. Price-sama, Harrison-san, me, and for some reason Eleanor-sama also ended up participating, and I saw Attract... the magic to gather insects... for the first time.

Since it can't be done near the church, we go to the pond side on Eleanor-sama's Owan. I had her cast it there.

It's near the mountains. I was bracing myself while being terrified, thinking that insects would swarm in as soon as it was cast and I should be ready to cast Repellent at any time, but it was different. Insects gathered at the place where it was cast.

She cast it on a place where weeds were growing, and small moths and grasshopper-like things gathered. Of course, there are ants, spiders, earthworms, and cockroaches too. A quite disgusting scene is created. Fiona, who hates spiders, merged with me. She must have evacuated. Surely, she herself won't learn it.

"For what purpose is this cast?"

If it's to ruin an enemy's field, it would be extremely malicious magic.

"For what purpose do you cast Repellent?"

I was asked in return.

"To drive away or kill insects that get on livestock or pests that come to fields."

"That's right. But if you cast it on a field, the range is wide, so it's hard, right?"

I see, it's more efficient after gathering them with Attract.

"That's how it is. But if you misuse it, you'll ruin a village's fields or food storehouses."

I knew it. If used wrongly, anything becomes a tool of war.

"Dark magic, you see, has many that are pairs with light magic. So, it's inevitably easy to be used for conflict. But the basis is magic to make work necessary for life easier. Even a blade is necessary to cut things, but it's also used to kill people, right? It's the same as that."

Actually, most of the dark magic users 4000 years ago were apparently priests. However, the priests of that time not only existed as religious leaders but also had a quite large influence on rulers. In other words, they also did war leadership and went to the front lines.

"That is likely the cause of the current church's reaction, which is sensitive to the point of being excessive regarding opposition to war. Currently, political influence is not as large as in the past, but even so, it becomes a great military force if a group of priests can use magic. If the ruler's power is large, priests are also used."

Saying so, Price-sama looks toward the Engrio Royal Capital.

"To avoid that, notices of non-participation in war have been issued by successive Grand Archbishops."

The turning point was, as expected, the conflict between the north and south a thousand years ago. Setting aside elemental magic, which has value as magic for hunting or agriculture, if dark magic, which is easy to divert to war, is made into forbidden magic, corpses cannot be made into soldiers. They thought it would be a great deterrent, but in reality, only mercenaries were used and the number of war dead swelled. And it allowed the rise of mercenary groups that came from the continent. Could it be that ancient times were more peaceful?