We arrived at the next village just before dark.
It is located along the road, right in the middle of the royal capital and Metekal.
The fish caught in a large lake on the outskirts of the village is the specialty of the village, Cecil explained.
I've been following the back of the Iturna cult's carriage (about 50 meters by my reckoning), so I didn't get attacked by any demons.
But then, as soon as we arrived at the village, the carriage quickly moved toward the outskirts of the village, which made no sense. In a completely different direction from the lodge, towards an unpopular lake.
The Iturna Order doesn't seem to want to stay at the inn, and since we are a group of about 10 people, we won't be attacked by any demons, which is fine.
We decided to take a hotel in the village and choose a corner room to rest from yesterday's lesson.
''I've heard that the 'Iturna Order' was created by a group of lower class nobles.
In the middle of unloading his luggage in the inn room, Cecil said.
''It's said that it's decided that nobles are the ones who can attain the rank of priest or higher in the Order. I heard that the others are sent to the battlefield or sent to a party of adventurers after awakening to the 'Divine Power'.''
"'Divine Power' is like a wizard's 'magic power', the power used for recovery and supplementary magic, right?
'Yes. So when you become a follower of the 'cult', you can get priority to turn in people who are in recovery roles. So there are ordinary believers, there are executive nobles, and the kids who are picked up by the Order work on the battlefield and at parties .......
'We're talking about the exception of Rita being picked up and made the chief priestess to attract followers.
'Still, the fact that he didn't go to the battlefield or the dungeon to work at the headquarters, I think he was still very good. Besides, he was a nice guy.
Cecil was looking at the 'Healing LV1' crystal ball that Rita gave him.
For a while, I thought I had it in the palm of my little hand.
Please keep this one for Nagi.
Cecil held out the crystal ball to me.
"Cecil gave you this, didn't he?
I don't take things from slaves.
I am a master (master) from civilized society.
This is more worthy of Nagi than me.
Cecil declared without a moment's hesitation.
'Because if Nagi-sama dies, I will die too.
What?
...... You're kidding, right?
But Cecil's eyes, which are lower than mine, are very serious.
You don't decide your life based on the fact that you're my age (looks a lot lower), do you? Tell me you won't!
What should I do with my husband who threw his life away two days after I met him?
...... Yeah, that's right. Cecil, didn't you just say you were going to get 12 million for your services?
I digressed for now.
'What was that? Cecil paid 120,000 for it, and if you do a job that's worth it, you'll be free. Isn't that what a 'contract' is for?
'I calculated what Nagi-sama gave me and that's how much I got.
Is that from me?
'They didn't discriminate against me because I was a demon, they treated me as an equal.
I'm from another world. I'm not a demon or anything.
You made me into a 'little chick'.
They need to know each other's skills and to experiment.
"...... me as ...... 'yome'.
'I've got a lot to talk about to accompany the Sorry Faithful!
'I don't care what Nagi-sama thinks at this point!
Isn't this a little harsh?
Listen, Nagi.
Cecil takes my hand in his slippery one and continues.
''We demons are a 'resonant race'.
Demons were born in this world as part of nature, such as water, wind, earth and fire.
The reason they have powerful magical powers is because they can borrow the power of natural phenomena.
Basically, there is no 'individual' in natural phenomena.
Trees are part of a forest, water is part of a river or ocean, and the individual is always integrated into the group.
Hence, the demon race, who had become conscious of being individuals, were rusty.
So they learned to find something that resonated with their soul and spend time with it.
The partner could be a tree, a flower, or a bird.
Because of their characteristics, the demon race did not fit in with civilization and could not live a human-like life like the other demi-humans. So they were robbed of their land and destroyed.
But sometimes there were rare demons that resonated with humans.
Like me, that is.
Cecil concluded his explanation.
I think I resonated with Nagi," she said, "because with Nagi, I feel happy. I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do that, but I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do that. This is the first time in my life I've ever felt like that.
What am I going to do? I'm serious.
I bought Cecil out because Ashtartey asked me to and because I wanted an informant.
Of course, I just wanted him by my side!
I'm not going to tie you up forever.
If I did that, ...... I would be a black employer.
I was going to rebel against the 'contract' for a reason sooner or later and let Cecil live as he wants.
I mean, at this point, it's already too heavy a decision to possess a slave for life!
Cecil is cute, though! You're so vulnerable, and you're so straight.
The clerk casually placed the silver coin in the pocket of his apron.
'They won't attack you if you don't enter their territory or provoke them.
Entering the territory or provoking it?
For example, it's not good to camp by the lake, or to cook a fire, or to shout. They will get excited and attack you. Well, no one in the village would do such a foolish thing.
I've asked the Metecal guild to exterminate it, you know. It will be taken care of by tomorrow night.
There's no need to be afraid, so please don't leave the village now.
It's even more dangerous on the road at night - after saying that, the shopkeeper went back to the kitchen.
...................
This bread is so hard! The soup is cold.
I'm mooching.
But it's precious to think that it's completely organic with no pesticides!
Crunchy and munchy
.............................. Huh.
"Cecil," "Nagi-sama.
We sounded alike.
"After you.
Cecil put his hands on his knees and waited for me to speak.
'The 'Iturna Order' carriage was heading towards the lake, wasn't it?
'You don't stay at the inn, do you?
We'd better have a watering hole if we're going to make camp.
And a bonfire is a must, right?
I heard that the 'Iturna cult' sings into the sunset.
You said it was very powerful.
'Leviathan' seems to attack you when you provoke it.
Huh.
We all sighed in unison.
'Nagi-sama. I wonder if Rita-san knows about 'Leviathan'?
I don't know. He himself is kind to the demi-humans, but the other priests are like that. The village chief of this village, I saw him earlier, he's a dwarf, right?
It's ......, right?
Munching and crunching.
The meal was over.
When the waiter lowered the dishes, there was nothing more for us to do here.
All that's left is to go back to the inn and sleep. ............
...... Oh my god.
It's just a matter of time.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us. The theory behind "Normal and Peaceful Life" is that you don't owe them anything and you don't owe them anything. If you owe me, I'll worry about it, and if you owe me money, I won't feel comfortable.
I don't care about the priests around me.
'Cecil. Would you like to go practice your magic?
Magical?
I hadn't yet checked how long it would take to chant the ancient language of attack magic.
Yes, that's fine, but...
'We'd be better off away from the village for practice, wouldn't we?
Okay.
If you see someone you know on your way to an unpopular place, you'll at least say hello, right?
Yes. And I think we can at least exchange information.
You know, to make sure people are safe.
Nagi-sama.
What the f*ck?
I think it's cute like that.
......
Cecil's gaze was so straight that I couldn't help but turn my head to the side.
She might be mistaken, but honestly, I've calculated the advantages and disadvantages.
It will take one more day to get to Metecal.
If I can accompany the 'Iturna Order' carriage tomorrow, I'll be safe.
For that to happen, the other side needs to be safe.
Besides, if you owe them a favor, they might be able to help you in your time of need. I'm on the radar of the royal family, as well as the capital's slavers and skilled traders.
So, it's a misunderstanding that Cecil is looking up at me like he's seeing something so dazzling.
Hopefully, he'll give you something in exchange for the information.
No, I'll demand it.
So we left the diner and headed for the lake.
Too late.
"Hey! Oh, my God! Nyu-yu-yaaah!
The Iturna Sect's caravan was already destroyed.
Rita, the chief priestess, was alone, fighting a swarm of tentacles that were attacking her from the lake.