Chapter 775 - Backyard of Stray Priest ㉚
This story follows Chapter 30, Story 4.
"She fainted..."
When the numerous tentacles extending from the stone monument retracted, a ghost of an elderly man wearing a simple tunic appeared.
"Thank you for your hard work, Egbert-sama."
The Grand Archbishop and Price bowed to the ghost.
After that, the Grand Archbishop cast [Hand Over] on the fallen Jeanne.
While the Grand Archbishop was tending to Jeanne, Price went to the back of the cave and brought back two spear shafts without heads and a large burlap sack. It's a common occurrence for challengers to faint, so these were prepared to transport the unconscious person to the surface.
Price spread the burlap sack on the ground. He inserted the spear shafts into both ends of the long sides of the sack. Since there were holes at both ends of the bottom part of the sack, they fit perfectly. By placing Jeanne on it and holding the two shafts protruding from the front and back, two people could easily carry the unconscious Jeanne.
After laying Jeanne on the burlap sack, the two covered her with fur.
"To release magic from her mouth, she's a girl with quite some grit."
"Indeed. After all, she's a girl who talks with the Demon Lord."
The Grand Archbishop answered proudly. As he heard various stories about Jeanne from Price and James, he thought that if it were Jeanne, the apprenticeship to Egbert that neither he nor Price could achieve would be possible. He believes that has been realized this time.
"With the Demon Lord? Surely she's a hero?"
"No, no, she's a containment force. She participated with Price's companions, the former King and Queen of Sertoria."
"But why does a containment force talk?"
"Well, when the former King and Queen of Sertoria reached the Demon Lord's temple, they apparently negotiated with the Demon Lord to let them watch the battle with the main force, and they took this Bishop Jeanne along at that time."
"Did she talk at that time?"
"It seems so. Apparently, the Demon Lord laughed."
"What is that? Does it have any meaning?"
The Demon Lord did not resurrect during Egbert's lifetime. It was a fertile era when highly advanced magic techniques such as the currently remaining caves of secret books could be used, but the Demon Lord resurrected during the generations in between, as if to avoid battle with such generations. Therefore, Egbert has no idea what the Demon Lord looks like.
The Grand Archbishop told the story he heard when he encountered the demon called the Ice Vice-Demon Lord. That it is extremely rare for the Demon Lord, who doesn't change his expression enough to make one think he's wearing a mask, to laugh. That Demon Lord laughed at Jeanne's words. And, Jeanne clearly remembered the Demon Lord showing a smile and happily told the Ice Vice-Demon Lord about it.
"What did you think when you heard that story?"
Egbert first asked the Grand Archbishop.
"I had heard that Bishop Jeanne was somehow on friendly terms with various races including spirits and dragons. I thought she could talk casually even with the Demon Lord, and that she was a wonderful priest who correctly understands the spirit of coexistence and co-prosperity, which is the teaching of the Goddess."
"Hmm. Price, you have met the Demon Lord as a hero, have you not?"
After hearing the Grand Archbishop's answer, Egbert then asked Price.
"No, I was just sticking to my companions' backs. I left the management to Henry, the leader."
"That does not matter. So, what did you think when you heard the story of the Demon Lord and that girl?"
"I had the same impression as the Grand Archbishop. Actually, I am in a position where I am receiving teachings from her about coexistence and co-prosperity. I think I am far from reaching her level."
Hearing the answers of the two, Egbert crossed his arms and looked at them.
"That might be the biggest reason why you high-ranking priests in the Church organization cannot learn light magic."
Told something unexpected, the two looked at each other. Certainly, within the range of records remaining as a Church organization, there is no mention of high-ranking priests being light magic users. They were mostly low-ranking priests or priests in the field, and there are many cases where they weren't even priests. Sertoria's first King, who was Jeanne's predecessor, was a hunter... accurately, he was a noble so he would be a knight.
"The rank in the Church and light magic. What kind of relationship is there between these two?"
The Grand Archbishop, who couldn't understand, asked.
"Do you not understand?"
"No. If you would be so kind, please teach us."
"Price, what about you?"
"I am of the same mind as the Grand Archbishop. I too would like to ask for your guidance by all means."
The two bowed their heads to Egbert, who was wrinkling his brow.
"That girl was originally a monster exterminator, was she not?"
"Yes."
"And she invaded the Demon Lord's cave as a containment force for the Demon Lord's subjugation."
"Yes."
"She must have fought numerous monsters, right?"
"That is what I have heard."
"Think about it. Why did the Demon Lord laugh? From what I hear from you, it is because he understood that the girl was actively trying to be on friendly terms even with monsters."
"Yes."
"If you had been in that place, could you have had such a conversation with the Demon Lord?"
Through this exchange, Price remembered Catherine. She was driven out of the Church for saying that monsters and humans are the same living things living on the White Island. In later years she became a hero, and because she was desired as a tutor for the Princess and Prince of Sertoria, she achieved a return. Now, she is the headmistress of an orphanage and her rank is Bishop. There is no precedent for a hero who defeated the Demon Lord not even being able to become a Grand Archbishop. She probably didn't want it herself, but the reason even voices of recommendation didn't rise is because her past statements were seen as problematic.
"...It would be quite difficult."
It is not written anywhere in the scriptures that monsters, including the demon race, are enemies. However, it is a fact that we have been giving such guidance to the populace, and we have actually fought blood-for-blood battles with monsters that attack humans. The spirit of coexistence and co-prosperity takes precedence over everything, but hostiles are another matter. In fact, it is said that the Goddess handed a silver sword to her son, the god of war, so that humans would not be eradicated by monsters, and instructed him to subjugate monsters.
"That is so, is it not? To the Church, monsters, including the demon race starting with the Demon Lord, are enemies. Is that not right?"
"Yes. There is a history of guiding the populace in that way."
"Is it not? I understand your true feelings. However, your position within the Church does not allow it."
"Yes."
"However. In the myths we know, there is another interpretation. Or rather, should I say there was?"
"A-another interpretation?"
What is that?
Both of them thought so. They had never heard of it. Moreover, it was spoken of in the past tense. Could it be that the record was erased?
"Egbert-sama, what on earth does that mean?"
They must ask. The two thought so.
"First, carry that girl upstairs. You're probably keeping the mage who came with you waiting anyway. After carrying her to the carriage or whatever, you two come back."
"Understood."
The two bowed, stood up, and carried Jeanne outside.
Egbert's story was heard after the two carried Jeanne to the carriage James was watching and returned in a hurry.
"That was when I was compiling the scriptures with my companions."
The three sat in a circle, and Egbert began to talk while drinking wine. The two had been requested and performed a [Vow of Silence] beforehand.
"A debate arose over which should be prioritized: coexistence and co-prosperity, or the subjugation of the demon race."
That debate has not reached a conclusion even now.
"There was a history of frequent conflict with the demon race. However, coexistence and co-prosperity is a universal teaching. A conclusion was not easily reached."
There were those who could be called the pro-war faction, who said that since they were incompatible with the demon race, they were exceptions and not subjects of coexistence and co-prosperity. On the other hand, those who could be called the moderate faction said there were no exceptions. If anything, the pro-war faction was dominant. The debate aiming for a unanimous consensus did not settle easily, and the compilation of the scriptures stalled there.
"I too was originally in the pro-war faction. Because I was commanding monster subjugation. It was the predecessor of the current monster extermination squad."
In the unit Egbert commanded, there was a light magic user. And they spent their days fighting monsters together. The era is after the time when some of those who crossed from the continent encountered the Goddess and Nakanohara Lake was said to have been created.
At one time, he noticed something along with the Priestess.
"The groups of monsters led by the demon race... the remnants of the Demon Lord's army today. Back then the scale was small, and compared to now, the scale of one unit was two digits different... that unit would not come out past a certain line."
The reason was unknown. He thought it might be the Goddess's protection. One time, he suddenly thought of it after hearing the story of a villager who fled from an attacked village. In that village, they had originally cleared a forest to make a village and also made fields. He thought that perhaps the monsters attacked lands that had been cleared and developed from forests.
"I wasn't taken seriously back then. But when I walked around and investigated, I found that while magic beasts like bears and boars that ravage fields were another matter, the villages attacked by groups led by the demon race were mostly like that. Of course there were exceptions, but it was a proportion that could be said to be almost so."
Forests are the domain of monsters. Hunting normal animals near the outer edges was possible, but when one ventured deep inside, there were many magic beasts. Since it was before silver weapons became common, most hunters who encountered magic beasts lost their lives. Humans feared the magic beasts deep in the forest and did not try to enter that domain.
Such a situation changed because the full-scale start of agriculture using ironware introduced from the continent increased grain yields, and as a result, the population increased. To obtain more fields, they cleared more and more forests.
It was around the time when conflicts between humans settled down and clearing began in earnest. The battle between pioneers and monsters became fierce.
"I wasn't taken seriously. I was even called a coward. After all, many people were being killed. Everyone was bloodthirsty after having their families and friends killed."
As someone who had made a name for himself in monster subjugation, he couldn't insist any further after being called a coward. And he fought alongside the Priestess, succeeding in subjugating several groups of monsters.
At that time, there was no resurrection of the Demon Lord. As a result, the human side, while suffering many casualties, eventually largely succeeded in winning and driving the groups of monsters deeper into the forest than ever before. During that time, he continued to feel doubt about his own actions.
And, he found a way to resolve the contradiction in the scriptures.
"The scriptures list universal things as the Goddess's teachings. And, as the Church's policy, we guide the populace by identifying the Demon Lord, the demon race, and monsters that are hostile to humans as hostiles. However, if they are not hostile, we aim for coexistence and co-prosperity. We decided to interpret it that way and not list the demon race as hostiles in the scriptures."
It must have been a choice made at the limit. If the demon race had been listed as hostiles... the ideology held by Jeanne, and by Catherine who could be called the starting point for Jeanne as a priest, might not have been born.
"That girl, I do not know what kind of education she received, but she must have correctly seen through the essence of the scriptures we compiled after much agonizing. And, she is the owner of a straight heart who can speak those thoughts without fear even to the Demon Lord."
"Yes. I think so too."
"You said she was a stray?"
"Yes. She has never belonged to the Church even once."
"That is why. That is where she is different from you."
"Yes..."
The two hung their heads. One was born as royalty, and one was born as a great noble. Both became Church priests after their families desired it. And, although there are differences in family status, many high-ranking priests on the White Island are in similar circumstances. On their backs, the great mission of maintaining the organization is pressing down.
"You understand your role, do you not? Support her as much as possible."
"We understand."
The three toasted once again.