230 - - Art. 230 The Beginning of Pilgrimage, The Explosion of Legend

""""ohohohohohohohohohohohohoho (bass voice with running noise) """"

We arrived at the venue of the pilgrimage and were overwhelmed by the countless Amazones who had gathered there.

"What is this ......"

Yes, really, all I can say is, "What the heck is this?

That's how much muscle was in the hall.

Uh, are you sure these are women ......?

"Oh, isn't this the group from the temple of the Lord God (heavy bass voice)?"

"Huh?　Oh, uh, ......."

Suddenly, a giant of a man, or rather a giant amazoness, speaks to her, and Tracy backs away in fright.

Yes, I understand that feeling very well. Because this person is so huge.

"Excuse me. My name is Ma...... Martha, a servant of the god of business.

"Huh?　Ah, yes. Hi. I'm ...... and my name is Tracy.

The female priestess, who identified herself as Martha, looked from Tracy to us.

"By the way, I don't see the head of the temple over there. (Heavy bass voice)"

It seems that Ms. Martha was not looking for us, but for the head of the temple.

"Sir, the head of the temple will not be attending this time. ......"

"Oh my God!　Are you ill? (heavy bass voice)"

"Hee?　Yes,...... the temple head is too old to participate. ......"

Although she was intimidated by Martha's huge body, Tracey managed to get a few words back.

Yes, it's overwhelming, isn't it?

"Oh, I see. Well then, I pray to my God for the health of the temple head.

"Do, hi. ......"

Martha cuts the holy seal of the god of commerce on her chest and folds her hands in prayer to God.

"Uh ...... that oh ...... what can we do for you?"

When Tracy asks Martha what her requirements were after she finished praying, Martha laughs in a cheerful, low, heavy voice.

"No, no, I just came to say hello to you.

"Ha,ha...... I didn't know that. Thank you very much for your kindness.

I'll leave you to it. Let's work hard for each other.

"Oh, yes, good luck!"

It seemed that Martha had really just come to say hello, and she left without doing anything in particular.

"B, I'm so surprised! I didn't expect to be talked to by the temple of the god of business!

Apparently quite nervous, Tracy let out a big sigh and relaxed.

"I didn't think anyone would talk to us when we were down and out. ......"

Oh, I see what you mean, I was surprised.

But I guess that means the authority of the temple of the Lord God in the Holy City is declining that much.

Now I understand why Mr. Phoca fears an imbalance of power between the temples.

In other countries, it would be rare to see such a clear difference in power between churches.

There may be more or less churches of one God in some countries, but rarely is there such a big difference in a place where several churches of God coexist.

This is the sacred place of each church, so it is even more unusual to see such a big difference in power.

"Hmph, the temple of the Lord God has a lot of leeway, chatting with each other before it even starts! (wild dummies)"

"Hyah!"

The one who appeared with a loud voice was a very dark-eyed and burly female priestess.

"Who is it?

Once again, being spoken to by a stranger confused Ms. Tracey.

"Are the people in the temple of the Lord God only polite?　It's common courtesy to say your name before asking someone! (thick, droning voice)"

"Huh!"

Although this is a one-sided accusation, it is so powerful that Tracy almost cries.

"I'm sorry, I'm Tracy. ......"

"Wait for me, sis."

But it was Gyro-kun who stopped him.

"You came here to talk to me, you can't be so polite!"

"What the hell are you doing? (thick, raspy voice)"

A female priestess with a lisp in her voice frowns when Gyro-kun contradicts her.

"It's much ruder of you to talk to me without saying your name. The guy who just came to me asked me my name, remember?

"Kisa ......, okay. I'm Sunny from Sun ....... Say your name, little girl.

"It's Janet from Ja......."

"Janet. I'll remember that name. I must warn you, the pilgrimage is not so easy for a little girl like you. Abstain while you still can if you don't want to get hurt.

"Ha ha, thanks for the advice."

"d*mn it, ......, don't regret it (thick, droning voice)."

Sunny said as if to throw up, then quickly turned on his heel and left.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

In the end, Sunny left without doing anything in particular.

Maybe that person came to say hello, too?

"Um, Janet, ...... thank you for earlier."

Tracy thanks Mr. Gyro for his time.

"What?　What are you talking about?"

"You protected me from that scary man, didn't you?"

Gyro-kun puzzles over what she is talking about, and Tracy tells him that she is thanking him for protecting her from Sunny.

"Oh, I see. Don't worry about it. I just did it because he pissed me off."

"But thank you. But thank you. It's amazing you can stand up to someone that scary.

It's no big deal.

Well, we're really men. I'm sure you don't feel like you've done anything as dangerous as you think, Tracy.

"Hmmm, that was quite a showdown you guys had."

As Gyro and his friends were talking, a familiar voice joined the conversation.

"Mr. Foca?

Yes, it was Mr. Foca.

And there were also some strong female priestesses who seemed to be his companions.

Yes, my name is Phoca, a priest in the service of the Mother of the Earth. Nice to meet you all.

It seems that Mr. Foca had seen our previous exchanges, and he greeted me himself.

Well, to tell the truth, I already knew Mr. Foca, but since we were in front of Tracy, I thought it would be better to pretend that we had never met before.

I accidentally called him by his name, but since he is a celebrity, I guess I could fake it.

"Saint Phoca!　Why?　No, no, it's nice to meet you!　I am a priest in the service of the Lord God and my name is Tracy!"

Tracy was flustered by Mr. Foca's appearance, but managed to return the greeting for the third time.

I guess it was thanks to Martha and Sunny?

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Tracy."

"Huh?"

Mr. Phoca smiles benevolently at her, and Tracey's body suddenly leans back.

"Oh my God, look out!"

Ms. Norb hurried to help Ms. Tracy, whose face turned bright red and who wobbled.

"Hah, ha~, I can't believe I get to talk to the famous saint, Ms. Phoca. ......"

It seems that Phoca's fame is great even in the Holy City, no, it's because it's the Holy City.

When Mr. Foca saw the squishy Tracy, he gave a small laugh, turned his back to her and started to talk to us in a whisper.

"Wow, you must have been surprised at all the participants," he said.

You say that as if it were something a little unusual, but it was more than a little.

"I can't believe it's a woman. I wonder if it's actually a man.

"Hey, that's just a quirk. ......"

Mr. Gyro is so outspoken that I try to stop him in a hurry, but Mr. Phoca bursts out laughing.

"Yes, that's right."

"""""""What? """""""

And instead of scolding him, he admits it!

"They are, as you say, men."

""""""Yeah!?""""""

We couldn't help but shout out at Mr. Phoca's outrageous statement.

What do you mean, a man?

But Mr. Phoca makes a gesture with a finger to his mouth.

（What do you mean?)

(It means exactly what it says. I wonder if Rex and the others have any idea what I'm talking about.)

A reminder?　That being said: ......

((((Oh))))

The three people who responded to Phoca's words were Liliela, Mina, and Megli.

(Did you notice anything, Lilieira?)

（Uh, yeah. I think I understand now.)

But Lilieira looks away with a kind of distant look.

（I mean, she did the same thing to Lex and the others, right?)

Huh?　Is that ......　

(They too took a s*x change potion and became women.)

((((Aaahhh!!!))))

After hearing Mr. Megli's words, we finally understood what Phoca meant.

（Seriously!　Were they really men?)

（Or were other churches doing the same thing?)

I didn't think that there were other people who had been turned into women by magic potions.

I mean, who would voluntarily take such a potion? ......

(This is an open secret in the pilgrimage ritual.)

To our astonishment, Phoca continues his explanation.

（Only women are allowed to participate in the pilgrimage. (Only women are allowed to take part in the pilgrimage, but the journey is beset by demons and bandits, and the journey itself is simply too demanding. The priests in the Holy City are excellent, but the number of women priestesses who can fight for the honor among the temples is still limited. (And it is not the job of priests to fight in the first place.)

Yes, it is true that the role of a priest in the service of God is to save people, not to fight.

There are exceptions such as priests of the god of war or temple knights, but even then they usually do not fight actively.

Besides, the magic of priests is more for defense and recovery than for attack. In that sense, they are not suitable for fighting.

So the priests of the god of commerce started to use the recipe of the magic potion for feminization that they had found so conveniently. Then the information leaked out, either intentionally or accidentally, and if the Temple of the God of Commerce was going to use such a method, we all started using it too. And so the temples, no longer restricted by gender, began to gather the best talents from all over the world in search of more powerful pawns.

（（（（（（ Wow ......））））））

Most of those participants are actually men. ......

But I see, the venue has such a cosmopolitan atmosphere because they have gathered the best from all over the world.

The man over there is obviously dressed in an Eastern style, and the burly man with dark brown skin and silver hair over there is probably a man from a southern country.

They all came all the way from faraway places to participate in the pilgrimage and took the medicine to become a woman. ...... I wonder how they felt when they took the medicine?

(But really, Lex, you and your friends really blew me away.)

And then Mr. Phoca said something very meaningful.

（What do you mean?)

(As you can see from their appearance, the appearance of the feminization potion is similar to that of the original body.)

(Huh.)

If it is a magic potion that has a predetermined form to transform into, but if it is a simple transformation into a female body, the original body will definitely be used as a base.

(That's why their bodies will be transformed into girls without changing their trained bodies. Even if their mothers were slender and beautiful, they would not look like their mothers. But Lex, you are pretty girls, aren't you?　(I'd say they were of good original quality, or had the right qualities. ......)

Foca grins and smiles happily. I mean, it's kind of scary. ......

"Hey, hey, hey, who said anything about hijinks?　Take a good look. Look at those abs!

Gyro-kun then turns up his clothes to show his stomach.

""""!

At that moment, all eyes in the hall were on Gyro-kun.

"What?　You've got a proper cracked belly. ......"

"Hey, idiot!　What are you showing me?

Mina-san saw the scene and rushed to cover Gyro-kun's stomach.

"What are you talking about? It's just a belly, right?　It's not embarrassing to be seen."

"Usually, I'm embarrassed!"

Mina grabs Gyro-kun by the hand and pulls down his sleeves.

"For God's sake, act like a woman!"

"What are you talking about, I'm a ......"

"You're a girl, right?"

"Oh, yes. Yes.

Gyro-kun nodded hurriedly when he caught Mina's piercing gaze.

(That's why about 90% of the female participants are men. (That's why about 90% of the participants are men.)

(haha ......)

Then I suddenly noticed the people beside Mr. Phoca.

These people are also quite burly, but maybe they are ......

I tried to look at Mr. Phoca's friends, but they immediately turned their faces away from me.

Is he a shy guy?

I can understand if the reason is because they don't want their acquaintances to see them, but I don't know any of Mr. Phoca's friends.

(Then we'll leave you to talk for a while, since talking too long makes people suspicious. (We wish you the best of luck, Lex!)

As we watched Phoca and the others leave with these words, Gyro suddenly muttered something.

"......So, my brother ......sister."

"What's the matter, Ja......net-chan?"

"If 90% of them are men, that means 10% of them are women, right?"

"Yes, ......, that's right."

We looked around the venue.

There we can see some ordinary women like Phoca and Tracy, but still their number does not reach even 10% of the total.

That means that ......

"Which one is a real woman ......!"

"Ja...... net, if you care, I think you'll lose."

I mean, I really don't think you should care: ......

<<

While we were talking about such things, someone who seemed to be in charge of the operation announced the start of the ceremony.

I saw that there were seats for the management staff at the side of the hall, and some elderly priests were already sitting there.

And when we participants became quiet, an old man in a well-tailored priest's uniform stood up from the officials' seats.

"""""Buff!!!"""""

The word "maiden" causes the entire hall to erupt.

Well, I don't think there are any maidens among this group of people ...... because 90% of them are men, you know?

>

The story about the pilgrim's journey by the representative grandfather priest begins at .......

"It's a long ......"

"When is this going to end?"

Yes, Grandpa Priest's story was very long.

It was the same in the past life and the life before, but these stories are always long. ......

<>

And so the long story finally comes to an end.

>

The start of the pilgrimage was announced, and everyone started moving in unison .......

"Oh, no!　Don't push!

"Whoa, watch out!"

As everyone started to run at once, we were pushed hard from behind and almost lost our balance.

That's when it happened.

Then we heard a click under our feet.

""""""" what?

Boom!

And then, with a tremendous sound, the venue was enveloped in a huge explosion.

Committee members

"Oh, this year's show is even more spectacular."

When we saw that the participants were caught in the explosion, we deactivated the magic items we had put up in advance for protection.

"Well, it seems that one of the participants stepped on a magic item for battle that happened to be buried and caused a huge explosion by bad luck.

It is not a common occurrence, but at the site of a pilgrimage, anything can happen.

Because every trouble is a test that God has given to the participants.

Oh, my God, that's terrible! Will the participants be all right?

We confirm that the participants who have come out of the flames are members of our own temple congregation.

"Oh, our participants are safe. Well, it's a good thing that I made them carry expensive defensive magic items just in case.

"Me, too. I never thought I'd have to play my trump card so early in the game.

"Oops, it looks like the other temples are safe. The danger of the pilgrimage increases year by year, so I guess all the temples are well prepared.

The pilgrimage is a ritual that recreates the grueling journeys of the first popes, and is an offering of piety to God.

Perhaps that is why, for some reason, each pilgrimage is riddled with incidents that would never happen on a normal journey.

Therefore, each temple hires skilled adventurers and mercenaries to protect themselves with more expensive magic items.

"It seems that all the temples have equipped themselves with magic items for defense and magic items for fast running to get off to a good start."

It is no exaggeration to say that what is needed to win a pilgrimage is solid ability, ample financial resources, and connections to purchase high-performance magic items.

That's why ......

"Hmm?　Wait a minute. The temple of the Lord God doesn't appear?　Could it be ......?"

"Speaking of which, I hear they can't afford the budget because of the downfall there. Maybe you got caught up in the situation due to inadequate countermeasures?"

"Oh my God!　I never thought the Temple of the Lord God would drop out this early in the game!"

Those without power, money, or connections are not even qualified to participate.

It is probably significant that the most experienced temple director abstained this year, citing his age.

"But on reflection, perhaps it was for the best. The pilgrim's journey becomes more dangerous as it progresses. It would have been better for them if they had dropped out."

The priest of the God of Knowledge says deliberately that it was your men who set up the magic item.

But it is not only in the temple of the god of knowledge.

Every ordeal on this pilgrimage is in fact a sabotage between the temples.

They call it a divine test to cover up such blatantly unnatural sabotage.

Yes, if this journey requires power, money, and connections on the surface, it requires treachery and intrigue behind the scenes.

For piety is of no use to us.

"Oh, the smoke is clearing. I hope there are some of you alive."

The smoke from the big explosion finally clears, and the hag, a priestess of Daichi-mother-goddess, speaks up in a whitewashed manner.

This woman has been so incredibly boastful to us, the followers of the God of Commerce, that the priestess in her temple, whom she calls the saint, has been so disgusted with her that she has been sent away halfway through the festival.

It is a well-known story that she was throwing a tantrum because we had ruined her plans to make a fortune in the name of the saint's healing magic.

"If there are any survivors, I will have my young men heal them. I'll pay for their treatment later."

Here it is. I wonder why this woman believes in the Mother of the Earth.

Well, it's not profitable to compete for customers among believers of the god of business, or something like that.　

Well, good. If they live, I'll treat them a little cheaper than this old hag.

It's called mercy.

As I was thinking that, I saw something moving in the smoke.

Oh, you lucky bastards. I didn't know it was alive.

But it was such a big explosion. They can't be all right. ......

"Oh, my God!"

"""""...... What? """""

"What in the world is going on, like a sudden explosion?"

"Hey, hey, you're suddenly very welcome. Tracy's sister, is every pilgrimage this loud?"

"No, no, I don't think so. ...... I only know what the temple director told me."

"So you think that was someone trying to sabotage us?　That's a pretty bold thing to do."

"It's not a matter of audacity!　You're too eager to kill!　I'm going to die like a normal person!"

"Smoky."

"Kyuhuhn."

Out of them came the priests of the main temple, not a scratch on them.

""""" huh?