CH 96

Chapter 96 – To The Cathedral

I finished my meal at the restaurant the boy led me to and returned to the inn.

Eh? You asked me what I thought of the meal and the information I got from the boy? Oh, yes. The meal was, well, it was meat, bread, and soup. It wasn’t bad, and it was generous, but nothing to write about, to be honest.

In this world, if you use a lot of salt and pepper, it’s considered a gourmet dish. In addition to salt and pepper, the Elven villages of the Black Forest had honey and various other seasonings, and they seemed to be advanced by world standards. And the food that I create with my craft goes above and beyond that. Well, yeah. Let’s not get our hopes up for the inn’s food either.

And as for the information I got from the boy… well, it was just small talk. It’s not like he’s an informant or a know-it-all. However, there is no doubt that mercenaries and adventurers like me are gradually gathering in the area.

In addition, the church knights in their beautiful armor had arrived a while ago. They’re probably guards for the saint.

Are they strong? I asked the boy if they were strong, but he said he didn’t know. I’ve heard that church knights are unbeatable, but if that were the case, they would have won the war against the empire long ago, he said. It seems that they are generally considered to be an elite group of knights, but the boy seems to think it’s just spitting in the eye.

Hmm, I can’t really judge. I’ll have to ask Beth or Poizo when I get back to the underground.

So, I’ve had my meal, and I’m back at the inn.

“There’s nothing to do…”

I glanced out the window of my room and estimated the height of the sun. It was a little past noon, around two o’clock in the afternoon. There is still time before sunset, but should I go to the church now and get the mithril rosary…?

I think I can get there in plenty of time, but I feel like I’ll miss the point if I rush too much. I’m sure I’ve had my fair share of nervousness and mental fatigue today, so I should probably just stay in my room and be quiet.

However, I can’t craft or kill time in this small room. How do mercenaries and adventurers kill time in general?

I thought about asking the landlady or the inn girl, but would that be unnatural? I don’t know if it’s a great warrior, but a mercenary or adventurer who makes enough money to stay at this inn will ask how to kill time in general… Yes, it’s strange.

No, wait, what? I’ve got some free time on my hands, so I’m thinking of going somewhere to hang out; any suggestions where I can go? I’ve never been to Merinesburg before. It wouldn’t be unnatural if I didn’t know where to go since I’m new to this Merinesburg.

So I asked the inn girl, who was passing by just as I left my room.

“A place to hang out, huh?”

“Yes, a place to hang out, or rather, a place to kill time. I’ve never been to this city before.”

The girl seemed to be afraid of mercenaries and adventurers, so I tried to be as gentle and friendly as possible. Let’s see. But…

“U-um…”

For some reason, she averted her eyes with a troubled look. Why?

“Well, do you have any idea?”

“No, I mean, it’s not that I don’t have any idea. Do you want to ask me about that?”

“Eh.”

“Eh.

I feel like our conversation is fatally out of sync.

“Well, I’m fine with tourist spots, stores that sell something interesting, or bookstores…”

At my words, the girl’s face turned red after a puzzled look on her face. Why…? Oh, uh… you mean? Is it possible that she misunderstood me?

“It may be my fault for misleading you, but I wouldn’t ask a girl of your age about something like that…”

“I-I’m sorry…!”

The girl’s face turned red, and she apologized. Yeah, that’s what mercenaries and adventurers do for fun in this world. I understand well.

Even so, I wouldn’t ask a girl of her age where a brothel is. No, I wouldn’t. I’m not a sexual harasser old man.

“Um, let’s pretend that never happened. Yeah, for both of us. So, do you have any suggestions for places I could go?”

“Y-yeah, sure. Well, if you walk down the main street towards the center of the city, you’ll come to the central square. There are bards and jesters there.”

“Oh, I wonder if there are any bookstores?”

“A bookstore…? I don’t know what it is. However, in the northwest part of the city, where the nobles and wealthy merchants live, there should be stores that sell such things and jewelry.”

“I see. That’s right… What about weapon shops?”

“Those kinds of shops are located around the south gate of the city.”

“I see, thank you.”

With that, I pushed a few copper coins at her. It’s a tip. She looked a little troubled, but in the end, she accepted it. Isn’t there a culture of tipping? But she accepted it, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

“After going to the central square, I will take a peek at the craftsmen’s district. I’ll be back around dinner time at the latest.”

“Oh, yes. Take care.”

I left the room key with the landlady at the reception desk, waved my hand to the girl who saw me off and left the inn for the central square.

So, was it enjoyable…? Well, it was subtle. Not at all. The bard was a so-called storyteller. They played guitars or lute-like instruments and sang about local heroic tales… I didn’t know the original story, but I couldn’t understand the point of humor or the point of excitement.

To be honest, I enjoyed the comedians more. There were also jugglers and tricksters.

The weapon shop was… empty. The shelves were empty. It seems that the Holy Kingdom’s army is collecting weapons, so there are only so-called “decorative weapons” left. If there was a weapon you wanted, you had to have it custom-made.

There was a market near the craftsmen’s district, so I dropped by, but a group of housewives complained about the recent price hike of groceries. The shopkeepers were also grumbling about the high prices, but I guess they were retorting that the Holy Kingdom’s army was gathering supplies and there was a shortage. As expected, the Holy Kingdom’s army continues to move toward the recapture of Erichburg rather than another invasion…

I’d like to get back before the army starts moving. I might as well take a serious look at running back home. Taking into account my running ability, I think I’ll be able to make it unless something goes wrong.

However, it’s not good that I’m completely out of luck if something goes wrong, right?

I guess I’ll just have to take one thing at a time. I’ll get the mithril rosary, go back underground, build a large golem communicator, and contact the Liberation Army. Let’s focus on that.

Well, Qubi has information about the Liberation Army’s weapons, tactics, and golem communicators… I guess there’s nothing I can do about that now. We’ll just have to be careful in our operations while being aware of the fact that he knows about it.

I don’t think they can be imitated, though. Crossbows may be imitated, but it seems that projectile weapons are not welcome in the Holy Kingdom, so they will not be used on a large scale for a while. Bombs and firearms can’t be imitated due to technical problems, and the Golem communication device will be impossible unless the Golem Core can be mass-produced. In the first place, the formula for creating them is too complicated to be copied.

I can do whatever I want with my crafting abilities, though. These are exactly the kinds of things that are cheats.

☆★☆

The next day.

It’s been a while since I’ve slept alone, and it’s kind of lonely. Since coming here, I’ve hardly ever slept alone… I feel like that alone is more than enough to make my coming to this world worthwhile. I’ve been through many painful and scary experiences, but it more than makes up for it. Yeah.

I got ready, put on my leather armor, and went downstairs to the cafeteria. I had dinner yesterday at the Ruffin Inn’s cafeteria, and it was even better than the restaurant where I had lunch yesterday. Maybe it was just that the restaurant yesterday was too delicate. Perhaps it was just that yesterday’s diner was more quantity-oriented than quality-oriented.

“Well…”

The smiling landlady saw me off, and I left the inn in the early morning. I’ve been in this world for a while now, and early to bed and early to wake up has become ingrained in my body.

I had already researched the location of the church of the Adel religion. I had asked the boy who was guiding me about it yesterday. As it was a religious facility that supported the country’s foundation, it was built in a very conspicuous and easily recognizable place. It was right next to the royal castle.

“Oh…”

I couldn’t help but look up at the majesty of the building. Religious buildings are usually solemn and have an atmosphere that overwhelms those who see them. This cathedral, as well as many others, had a magnificent appearance.

“But what’s this all about?”

The majestic and magnificent cathedral was filled with a somber atmosphere. Knights in matching armor flanked the entrance and the path leading to the cathedral. No matter how you look at it, they are on high alert.

I was a little scared, but I called out to one of the knights on guard.

“Excuse me, what’s going on?”

“There’s a holy day service and preaching by the saint. We’re on guard for that…”

I felt a sharp gaze piercing me from behind the face of my helmet.

“Are you some sort of mercenary or adventurer?”

“Yes. I know it’s not good to carry a weapon in my hand… but I’d like to leave it before entering the cathedral.”

“Umu. You can drop it off at the entrance of the cathedral.”

“Yes.”

“May the Holy Light be with you.”

The church knight made a sign, and I bowed and headed for the cathedral. Hmm, it seems I came at the wrong time. I didn’t expect to run into the saint of truth when she was here… No, this time, it seems to be just a worship ceremony and a sermon, so unless they want to pinpoint her for questioning, it won’t be a problem.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as to what kind of person the saint was, and I’d be suspicious of the church knights if I turned around and went somewhere else. If I keep as low a profile as possible, there will be no problem.

It’s okay; it’s okay. Nothing is going to happen. If it does happen, with this many church knights, I should be fine just standing in a corner and being quiet. No problem, no problem.

I don’t know, I feel like I’m raising a flag, but I think I’ll be fine.

I left my sword belt as well as a bag and leather armor that I could use to hide my weapon with the church knight who was guarding the entrance to the church and stepped into the cathedral with only my wallet.

“Oh…”

The high ceilings, the religious paintings, the glittering stained glass, the golden glow of the cross. It was so overwhelmingly majestic that even I, a man of no religious faith, couldn’t help but be amazed. This is amazing.

I don’t know much about the doctrines of the Adel religion, but I was almost moved, so I guess for the people of the Holy Kingdom, who are true believers, the cathedral is even more wonderful than that. Well, I feel a little bad when I think about how many subhumans were sold, oppressed, and robbed of their property in order to build this gorgeous and majestic cathedral.

Be that as it may, there is no doubt that this cathedral has artistic value. I really hope that this cathedral won’t be destroyed after the Liberation Army takes back Merinesburg.

So I took a seat at a proper table.

“O God, forgive my sins. O God, protect me. O God…”

The person next to me was mumbling and praying to God with bloodshot eyes. I looked around anxiously to see if other people were doing the same, but it didn’t seem to be the case. It seems that this person sitting next to me is the only one who is not normal. Honestly, it’s scary.

While I wondered what I should do or whether I should change my seat, the sound of bells began to ring loudly, and the doors of the cathedral closed. The inside of the cathedral became silent, and a tranquil atmosphere began to drift around. To put it bluntly, it seemed as if it would be unacceptable to leave my seat and move to another place.

The people next to me were still bloodshot-eyed but quiet, so I decided to be patient.

After the bells finished ringing, several people who looked like priests appeared from the back of the cathedral. They were uttering some kind of blessing words, but I couldn’t make out the meaning, whether it was the old wording or some other factor. Maybe it’s not a word.

Then, after a sort of blessing speech, a girl dressed in a pure white robe appeared from the back of the cathedral. She walked to the lectern with a graceful, shuffling gait, opened her closed eyes, and looked around at me and the other believers in the cathedral with her crimson eyes.

She is a beautiful girl. She has shining blonde hair that extends to her waist, crimson eyes like red jade, rich breasts that assert their existence even under the thick holy robe embroidered with gold thread, and skin as white as white porcelain. It’s no wonder she’s called a saint; she has a divine atmosphere.

Her crimson gaze caught mine, and for some reason, I thought I saw a hint of confusion. But it was only for a moment. No, perhaps I was mistaken.

At any rate, there was no trouble like suddenly being surrounded by church knights and being taken away, and the worship ceremony seemed to start without a hitch. Now, I’m looking forward to hearing what they have to say.