kscans

Chapter 53 - The Saint's Church

Our journey continued for five days.

Beyond the rocky mountains lay a land of roiling lava.

Rather than flowing, the lava was dotted here and there like pools of water.

The heat was so intense I considered taking off my armor, but Tina stopped me.

"Don’t take off your armor. There are monsters around here too. Please, bear with it."

Tina said, her breath ragged.

It seemed she was hot too.

A female knight, sweating and unable to remove her armor despite the heat. To find myself getting excited by such a scene… I was keenly aware of what a bad person I was.

As we made our way along a safe path through the lava, I sensed an unpleasant presence from the seething pool next to us.

It was the same kind of monster presence I often felt in the forest.

I immediately drew my sword.

Just then, an object leaped out of the lava.

It looked like a fish, but in the shape of a piranha. Its color was a dark red, and there were no signs of it having been melted. The piranha opened its mouth wide and shot towards us.

I sliced it with my sword.

From mouth to tail, it was split in two. Its carcass fell back into the lava.

There really is a rich variety of monsters. I’ve never heard of a creature that lives in lava. Wait a minute, if something like that exists, that means… I turned my face towards Tina. She seemed to be thinking the same thing and nodded.

I poured my magic into the cart and moved it at full speed.

There was no time for safety checks.

Just then, numerous piranhas began to leap out from the surrounding lava pools one after another.

As expected, this place was teeming with them. But we wouldn’t fight back. The reason was that the force of their leaping would send splashes of lava flying like water droplets. The previous one was just a single creature, so the splash didn’t reach us, but this time there were many.

The amount of spray was huge.

Even a small drop would cause a severe burn, or worse, melt that part of our body away.

Fleeing was the best option here.

With that in mind, we fled. I tried to dodge the oncoming piranhas, but the lava path was only wide enough for two carts. Dodging was difficult. The only option was to go straight ahead.

And so, we reached the exit of the lava zone.

In games, a boss usually appears around this point, but it seemed there wasn’t one here. It was a little disappointing, but safety comes first. With that thought, I urged the cart on.

After leaving the lava zone and descending the wasteland, a forest spread out before us.

It was vast, but near its center, I could see a building the size of a bean.

It looked like a Catholic church from Rome on Earth. It seemed that must be the Saint's Church.

"Tina, is that building over there the Saint's Church?" I asked.

To my question, Tina replied.

"Yes, it is. There’s a town around that building. From here, we should be able to reach it in two or three days. Naturally, there are monsters in this area as well. Please be very careful."

At her answer, a sudden thought occurred to me.

"But if the monsters around here are strong, why doesn’t Bardos live here?"

Such a question popped into my head.

Why wouldn’t that battle-maniac who loves a good fight and strong opponents move here? I wondered.

Tina thought for a moment.

"Now that you mention it, why is that? I’ve never really thought about it. Well, that’s a personal matter, so we probably don’t need to think too deeply about it."

To her words, I replied.

"You’re right. For now, I should focus on myself. I can just ask him when we get back to our country."

I came to that conclusion.

We resumed our journey.

Our goals were to get stronger and to find rare materials and ores.

To put it simply, traveling through the forest was easy.

A dense, sprawling forest. Normally, moving through such a place without a compass is like asking to get lost. But I have the ‘Detection’ skill. With this, I could get to the town without losing my way.

Along the way, we encountered monsters. The types were wolves, goblins, and even bears. Of course, we subjugated them without any trouble. I collected magic stones from the goblins, and I harvested materials from the wolves and bears, using their meat for dinner that night. But to encounter wolves and goblins in a different country… do these species exist in every region?

After three days of such travel, we finally reached the entrance of the town.

The walls were pure white, ten meters high.

The gate before us was large, about five meters tall.

There were gatekeepers on either side, dressed in full plate armor. They looked like knights, with wing-themed accessories on the sides of their helmets.

They had the appearance of royal guards.

"Is it okay to just enter normally here?" I asked.

To my question, Tina replied.

"It’s fine. But they will inspect your luggage, so please be careful about that."

She advised.

We had hidden the cart and our large amount of luggage in the forest.

There was no way I could let them see me pulling it without a horse.

It would be too strange.

I changed the cart into an iron box, stored the luggage inside, and left it in a place where it was unlikely to be found. Just in case, I drove a stake about three meters long into the ground. Preparations were complete; all that was left was to enter the town.

At the gate, a soldier said.

"Excuse me. I’ll need to inspect your luggage."

I handed over my bag as requested.

Inside were several history books and some field rations. Tina’s bag contained field rations and money.

After finishing his inspection, the soldier said.

"There doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious. You may enter. By the way, sir. May I ask you a question?"

The soldier seemed to have a question for me. I nodded.

The soldier asked.

"What business brings you from the village today?"

To this question, I replied.

"? What village are you talking about?"

The soldier thought for a moment.

"My apologies. I was mistaken. Please forget I said anything."

He apologized and returned to his post.

I wasn't sure what that was about, but it seemed he had mistaken me for someone else.

I didn’t dwell on it and entered the town.

To describe the town in one word, it was a town of white.

The streets were overflowing with cleanliness.

The water fountains were pristine.

There were many people, but the atmosphere wasn't chaotic. It felt orderly.

It had the kind of discipline you’d expect from a nation governed by a church. Seeing a town like this sparked a desire in me to see all sorts of things.

I looked at Tina, and as if she understood my thoughts, she agreed.

As we were walking around town, we found a tool shop.

I wanted to see what kind of things they had. When I entered the shop, the inside was neatly arranged and organized.

The tool shops in the Kingdom were the kind where they just put things wherever there was space, making the walking paths narrow. But here, the walking space was wide and comfortable.

As I was looking at the tools, the shopkeeper said.

"Welcome. What have you brought for us today?"

To his words, I replied.

"? I just came here to shop."

The shopkeeper looked at me.

"...Are you not from Owari?"

I tilted my head at his question.

The shopkeeper said.

"My sincerest apologies. Seeing you in that armor, I mistakenly thought you had come from Owari Village to deliver goods."

The shopkeeper said, bowing his head.

"What is Owari Village?" I asked.

To my question, the shopkeeper replied.

"Owari Village is a village in this country, but its exact location is unknown to anyone. From that village, tools and seasonings are sent to us irregularly. And all of them are top-quality items that are very popular. The people from that village wear armor like yours, customer. That’s why I made the mistake."

The shopkeeper said apologetically.

Like me?

This Japanese-style armor?

Curious, I asked.

"Which tools and seasonings are those?"

To my question, the shopkeeper replied.

"These tea sets, soy sauce, and miso sell well. Would you like some?"

Without hesitation, I bought the soy sauce.

Sitting on a bench in the town square, I tasted the soy sauce I had just purchased.

It had a good flavor, but it was a taste that reminded me of old times.

Tina, sitting next to me, asked.

"How is it? The taste?"

To her question, I replied.

"It’s a good flavor. It’s no wonder it’s so popular."

To my answer, Tina murmured, "I see," and gazed out at the square.

At that moment, the word "Owari" reminded me of something.

Of the historical figure from Japan, Oda Nobunaga.

He was born in Owari and was a daimyo who fought one battle after another to unify the country.

I believe his most famous nicknames were the "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven," and the "Fool of Owari," which basically means idiot. He was called that. It was also recorded in history that he showed an interest in tools from the southern barbarians.

If Oda Nobunaga had come to this other world when he was a boy…

Then the existence of Owari Village, seasonings, tea sets, and even Japanese-style armor in this world would make sense.

And it would be natural for Oda Nobunaga, having learned about this world and its vastness, to develop an interest in foreign goods. Furthermore, if he started calling himself the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven after returning from this world, it would make sense in a way. After all, he had returned from another world. It would be natural for him to think of himself as a chosen demon king.

From this conclusion, it seems the two worlds are closely connected. At this rate, there might be items from other worlds circulating in other countries as well.

As I was thinking this, a bell suddenly rang.

At first, I thought it was time for prayer, but the people around us began to leave the square.

Something was about to happen. Sensing this, Tina and I decided to leave as well.

But I was a little curious, so I watched from a distance.

Then, a suspicious-looking group wearing white hoods entered the square.

Seeing them, some residents who were also watching from afar began to whisper.

"It’s that group again. The ‘Man Beloved by God.’"

"Not again. I wish they’d just go home already. Our luck will run out."

"Seriously, the air has gotten so unpleasant ever since they started showing up."

They whispered among themselves.