Chapter 56: (Self Edited) Ritual of Isus

Next morning.“You have an interesting head.” (Yuri)

When I got out of the inn and went into the bar, I said those opening words.

It was wonderfully slippery.

‘If I don’t have any shaves to get this far, I will want to praise my work.’

“I became like this when I woke up in the morning. Where and when…?” (Harold)

Harold seemed angry. The waitress didn’t seem to say anything because I told her to keep the mouth shut.

“It looks good on you.” (Yuri)

Actually, it looked quite strange. Other customers in the bar were also laughing and giggling.

“Does it look good?” (Harold)

Harold put his hand on his head and was constantly rubbing it.

‘I wonder if it bothers him.’

“Well, isn’t fine? It’s going to be a nice change of pace.” (Yuri)

“What’s a change of pace? If I find the bastard who did this to me, I’m going to beat him.” (Harold)

‘That’s horrible. Who did the terrible thing, turning him bald while he was sleeping? He shouldn’t be forgiven.’

“Would you like to have breakfast?” (Waitress)

The yesterday’s waitress came with a laugh.

“Of course. For two people, please.” (Yuri)

“Coming right up.” (Waitress)

She bowed while grinning, and left.

When breakfast came, I had the waitress hold a piece of silver coin.

“That includes the accommodation charge.” (Yuri)

“Yes. Thank you very much.” (Waitress)

“Oi, you’re rich.” (Harold)

Harold looked at the silver coin I paid and looked bitter.

‘Did you think that it was a waste?’

“I’m making a lot of money.”

In fact, there was quite a lot of money. Just recently, books printed and bound by copy printing were sold in the Silver Birch dormitory, and money came in roughly.

With the price of two gold coins per copy, I finally made 800000 Ruga for 400 copies. If I excluded the cost and royalties, the net income was about 600000 Ruga, but that alone was good enough to buy one ship.

“Lend me.” (Harold)

‘His serious face is good.’

“Are you a fool?” (Yuri)

“Please. It is as you can see.” (Harold)

He bowed deeply.

‘I can see your perfect round bald head, you know. It’s like a speech bubble in manga, isn’t it?’

“Sorry. I want to have a ship.” (Yuri)

“Are you a sailor?” (Harold)

“No. I will leave it to other people.’ (Yuri)

“Then, leave it to me. Please.” (Harold)

“No good.” (Yuri)

I just said it.

“…Let me say this. There’s no skipper better than me.” (Harold)

Harold was confident for some reason.

‘The man, who sank his ship the other day, could say such words, huh. It’s like a man, who crushed his company said ‘there’s no manager better than me’.’

“So, how many round trips did you make with the Republic?” (Yuri)

“The total is six rounds.” (Harold)

‘Six rounds. That’s pretty good. Isn’t it a place that is extremely savage over there?’

“Well, that’s no good.” (Yuri)

“Why not? I’m not going to make you lose profit.” (Harold)

“I will load my new ship with secret equipment.” (Yuri)

“…What kind of equipment is it?” (Harold)

“It’s equipment where you can always find your position even if you lost in the open sea.” (Yuri) S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NovᴇlFɪre .ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

When I said so, Harold’s complexion changed.

“What did you say? Are you keeping it a secret? Why didn’t you tell me?” (Harold)

He started to get angry.

‘Well, that’s because his ship would be safe if he had it.’

“I came up with it six months ago, and it was about a week ago that it finally took shape. That said, I wouldn’t tell you even if the invention was early.” (Yuri)

“Why not? Isn’t it fine to tell me? You’re stingy.” (Harold)

He was dissatisfied.

“This is an equipment to bring Her Majesty the Queen to Island of Aisa when the time comes. I’ll be a fool if I tell you. Since you are a simpleton, if you go to the Republic of Albio, you will leak it to Kuran without thinking when you are drunk. Then, the technology will spread to the world of Kuran. In that situation, the Island of Aisa becomes all-you-can-attack island. Can you imagine what will happen? Try to imagine that.” (Yuri)

When I said that, Harold frowned and closed his eyes. He seemed to be imagining it as I said.

“Can you imagine that?” (Yuri)

“…Well, it’s not going to be bad.” (Harold)

‘I don’t think he imagined enough. Well, it’s fine.’

“When that happens, Her Majesty the Queen, Her Majesty Carol and Eisa-Sensei will be killed. That’s what happens when you slip your tongue. At worst, you may destroy the ancestry of Shanti. In that case, killing you will not bring any consolation. So, it’s not something that I can tell you easily.” (Yuri)

‘Since celestial navigation is probably a technology that the Kuran hasn’t invented yet, it must be kept secret by all means. That’s why I didn’t even apply for a patent.’

‘If I apply for it, it will spread to others I don’t know. Although I applied for a patent for sextant as an astronomical observation device, I didn’t report the astronomical navigation myself.’

“…I understand. But what kind of people are you going to entrust the ship to?” (Harold)

“I haven’t decided yet. If I tell them about this, they won’t be able to leave the ship, you know? So, if they say that they want to live independently, go to another ship, or want to land on the shore, I have to kill them. That’s why these people must be responsible.” (Yuri)

“…Is that so?” (Harold)

“Well, you’re not a bad skipper. You just need to prepare for it.” (Yuri)

“What do I need to prepare for?” (Harold)

“You have to prepare to keep my secret even if you have to sacrifice your life. If you know the information that would kill you, you’re better be ready to die.” (Yuri)

“That’s true.” (Harold)

“By the way, I’m going to head back to the royal capital. Will you come too?” (Yuri)

“…I’m going. Since I haven’t died yet, I have to tell my father what’s going on.” (Harold)

Harold said it with a determined face.

‘Didn’t you tell me your ship has sunk…’

“Well, I’ll lend you money. Two silver coins are good enough, right?” (Yuri)

“Aren’t we going together?” (Harold)

“I came from the sky. My Eagle King can’t fit two people.” (Yuri)

“Haa. That reminds me, you’re a Knight… I got it.” (Harold)

I ate breakfast and then said goodbye to Harold. After that, I went to the prefectural governor’s office. I retrieved my Stardust from the office and headed back to the royal capital.

—

Then, four days later, it was noon. While Suzuya was here, we were eating in the secondary residence, a butler came and told us that Harold was at the door.

“Okaa-san, I’m sorry. Something came up.” (Yuri)

When I said so…

“Oh you. Both of you and your father are busy with work. I wish you take care of your Okaa-san a bit more.” (Suzuya)

…Okaa-san was somehow pouting.

“I’m sorry. I will make up for it soon.” (Yuri)

“Surely? That’s a promise, right?” (Suzuya)

“Of course. Have I ever broken my promise?” (Yuri)

“Uhm, I wonder if there were three promises to make up in the past year.” (Suzuya)

‘Oh my… Come to think of it, I feel like I remember something.’

“I’m sorry.” (Yuri)

I bowed down like a child and apologized.

“It’s fine. But don’t break your promises with your precious girl.” (Suzuya)

“Y-yes…” (Yuri)

“If you understand, you can go.” (Suzuya)

She gave the permission.

“W-well then, please excuse me.” (Yuri)

I left the room.

When I went to the front door, Harold, who had been stopped from entering by the guard, was standing in dissatisfaction.

‘Well… isn’t it reasonable to stop? As I expected, he isn’t wearing something like a vagrant, probably because he had been back to his home and changed his clothes, but it doesn’t look cool.’

He wore a wool hat on his head to hide his baldness,

“What do you want?” (Harold)

I was displeased because I got separated from Mama.

“What I want… didn’t you tell me to come to the royal capital?” (Harold)

“Hmm. So, who’s that child?” (Yuri)

I saw a young man next to Harold. He looked as young as I was.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Gora Hanyam.” (Gora)

He bowed flatly.

“I’m Yuri Hou. I think you have heard about me from him.” (Yuri)

Gola was a young man that looked like an adult.

However, despite his slender body, his body was tightly packed, and his face was sunburned.

“This guy is a navigator.” (Harold)

‘Heh…’

“Shouldn’t your navigator older than him?” (Yuri)

“The old man is… He died. He didn’t get to land. Did you feel relieved when you saw the land?” (Harold)

Harold had a painful look on his face.

‘Aah… I see. Did he come back alone?’

“You’ve heard bad news…” (Yuri)

He probably heard about it yesterday. Gora’s expression was dark.

“Well, it’s fine. Because of that, he becomes an adult now. He got the old man’s approval.” (Harold)

‘I wonder if he had been trained by that person.’

“But, why wasn’t that old man’s disciple on board?” (Yuri)

Although it wasn’t an important voyage, the fact that he was staying at home didn’t make sense to me.

“I was about to have a kid, so I stayed on land.” (Gora)

‘Kid? You mean baby?’

“??? Eh, how old are you? Aren’t you the same age as me?” (Yuri)

“Uhm, aren’t you sixteen years old?” (Harold)

Harold asked Gora.

“Yes. I will be sixteen years old this year.” (Gora)

‘Sixteen years old???’

“Have you had a child yet?” (Yuri)

“Yes. We’ve been married for a year.” (Gora)

‘Wait a minute. I’m still a virgin.’

‘This bastard, far from being a virgin, is already married and has a child. Having a child at sixteen years old…’

‘Were you busy doing this and that after the first ejaculation? Having such a matured face… Isn’t there another four years before you turn an adult?’

‘If he is a meathead like Dolla, I will have a feeling of ‘Aah, that’s probably it’. What’s going on in this world? Damn.’

“Hmm. W-well, that’s fine.” (Yuri)

I pretended to be calm.

“What the heck did you come here? Didn’t you two decide to open a restaurant together?” (Harold)

“That’s not it. I’ve made up my mind too.” (Gora)

‘Ooh~’

“So, you’ve made up your mind, huh. I don’t want to say anything, but you can say whatever you want with your mouth alone.” (Yuri)

“It’s not just the mouth alright. I will swear to Isus-sama.” (Harold)

‘He swears to God. But this guy is like a sudden believer, isn’t it? Aah, yes.’

“Alright, I understand so far.” (Yuri)

“Alright!” (Harold)

Harold did a gutsy pose with a lot of momentum.

They seemed to be pleased. Rather, I thought that it would be Harold if I entrusted it from the beginning.

“Let’s go to Eisa-Sensei.” (Yuri)

—

“Oh my, it’s you, Yuri-san, Harold-san. It’s been a long time, Harold-san.” (Eisa)

When we entered the preparation room for the Kura language, Eisa-Sensei welcomed us warmly as always. The same atmosphere was always flowing here.

“Sorry for not contacting you.” (Harold)

As always, this guy had a strange tone in front of Eisa-Sensei.

“Oh my, who is he?” (Eisa)

“His name is Gola, and MY only subordinate.” (Harold) (TLN: That MY is written as Ashi, instead of Atashi)

‘MY…

What’s with the choice of first-person pronoun?’

“Nice to meet you Gora-san. My name is Eisa Viene.” (Eisa)

Eisa-Sensei greeted her courteously.

“Nice to meet you too. I am Gora Hanyam. I’ve heard a lot of you.” (Gora)

‘I supposed Harold told him about her many times.’

“So, what can I do for you today?” (Eisa)

“Eisa-Sensei, you were talking about the rituals of the Isus doctrine before, right?” (Yuri)

‘I have been listening to a lot of stories before. There are various secret in Isus religion, such as the baptism ritual which is similar to joining a religion.’

“Yes. There are many of them, but which one are you asking about?” (Eisa)

“The vow ritual.” (Yuri)

“The vow ritual, is it? That is the ritual that a clergyman will become a witness of a person’s vow.” (Eisa)

“Can you do it, Eisa-Sensei?” (Yuri)

“Of course, I can. I’m going to do it according to the ancient rite of my sect.” (Eisa)

‘I’m a bit nervous when she talks about her sect naturally. Speaking of the ancient rite, what is it exactly?’

“Then, may I ask you to perform this?” (Yuri)

When I asked that…

“For Yuri-san?” (Eisa)

…Eisa-Sensei was a bit confused.

‘It’s probably reasonable.’

‘It’s natural because there is no meaning when a person who isn’t Isus believer performs the vow ritual of Isus doctrine. It’s very hard to find a man who wants to build a mosque and perform a groundbreaking ceremony.’

‘Their clergy would be like ‘Eh, wouldn’t this be like praying to the God of the land?’ and they become worried.’

“This is going to be the vow with Harold-san.” (Yuri)

“Aah, is it Harold-san? If it’s the case, I understand.” (Eisa)

Eisa-Sensei nodded as if she was convinced.

‘That’s cute. Since Harold is a splendid believer in Eisa-Sensei’s mind, there should be no problem in what he does.’

Eisa-Sensei turned to Harold by turning her humble chair where she was sitting.

“But Harold-san, do you understand? Breaking the vows made by the vow ritual means insulting God. Of course, you will be in hell after death. Now that you have been baptized, it’s not a good vow to do lightly.” (Eisa)

Unexpectedly, he had been baptized.

‘I wonder if you have baptismal name or something.’

“I understand it very well.” (Harold)

“If that’s the case, I understand. Then, please tell me the contents of the contract.” (Eisa)

‘Eh… Do I have to tell you?’

“Do I have to tell you everything?” (Yuri)

“Yes. Otherwise, he would be irresponsible.” (Eisa)

‘It seems like that.’

“Is that so…?” (Yuri)

‘Yeah.’

“Of course, as with confession, we keep our secrets strictly. Even if it against my faith.” (Eisa)

‘I see. Then, let’s tell her.’

‘Even if the heavens and the earth turn upside down, Eisa-Sensei will not let go of her faith. Unlike the abrupt believers here, I can trust her as much as I want. Even if she is tortured, the secrets she decided to protect will not be revealed.’

“Understood. I’ll tell you.” (Yuri)

I started talking.

—

“I don’t know because I’m not a judge, but when I hear that, Harold-san has to be employed for life. That sounds a bit unreasonable. Isn’t it a vow to substitute?” (Eisa)

Eisa-Sensei complained about Harold’s non-retirement clause.

‘I was also wondering because I had just said it in a threat. There’s no constitution in this world, but this is a matter that deprives the freedom of the occupation choice for the rest of one’s life. On the other hand, if I’m confident that he will not leak the technology, there’s no problem if she asks me to stop the vow. The problem is people aren’t reliable.’

‘Human are selfish, and they forget about the past. I can’t believe that the existence of humans who will not forget kindness and continue to serve even after one hundred year. However, using such enforcement to humans will not make the business expand.’

‘It’s a trade off in a sense. If I don’t make my point here, the other side won’t do the same. If I’m being too selective on manpower and narrow the choices too much, my business will not expand. Then, I will miss important opportunities.’

‘Coming to Eisa-Sensei and having him perform the vow is a measure to reinforce the trust.’

“If you think about it, you’re right. Harold-san is a devout believer of Isus, so he will be fine.” (Yuri)

And I agreed to omit the clause.

“Yes, of course. Harold-san is my third follower.” (Eisa)

‘Eh?’

“Isn’t he your first follower?” (Yuri)

‘I’ve been here for a long time, but I haven’t seen or heard that there are any followers other than Harold.’

“My first and second followers are Jose and Wasap, but they were martyred, and they are waiting for the judgment in the afterworld. Of course, Harold-san is the first disciple of the Shanti.” (Eisa)

‘It seems she had Kuran disciples before.’

“Is that so… Sorry about that.” (Yuri)

‘Perhaps, they fled when they came out of the

“No, it’s alright.” (Eisa)

“Really?” (Yuri)

“It is a shame that a teacher survives because of the protection of her disciples…” (Yuri)

‘As I expected, she is more or less worried about it.’

“I’m sure those two are proud to have saved Eisa-Sensei, and they are living well in the afterworld.” (Yuri)

‘In Isus doctrine, the soul after death goes to the place called the afterworld, and it is supposed to live there. The afterworld is a kind of different world, with mountains, rivers and cities.’

‘People go there after death and live their daily lives, but there are spiritual laws that exist in the afterworld. So those who have done bad things before their death can’t live a good life there.’

‘In the real world, humans can go if they want to physically go, whether it’s the fertile land or to the top of Mount Everest, but they can’t do that in the afterworld.’

‘The sinners, who committed crimes in his life and whose soul is dirty, aren’t able to approach it because their body would burn when they approach the fertile land, and the crops harvested there would taste muddy and inedible. Those who have been guilty by doing crimes in their lifetime, it’s not possible for them to reach the highest layer of the fertile land where God is because they will be walking on the surface of the sun.’

‘As a result, those who sin during their lifetime will continue to fight for the flesh and meat of the other sinners in cold infertile land, and they will live with hunger while being ill-treated by starving ghosts. In Isus doctrine, this land is called hell.’

‘However, there is a kind of relief here. By repenting your sins even after going into the afterworld, it will gradually bring you to an abundant world.’

‘According to the scriptures, the people, who lived in the land at the bottom of hell, eat the leaves of chameleon plant growing and squid that lived in rotten muddy soil. Those are probably the food that Isus actually hate.’

‘Of course, since Hose and Wasap were martyred, they (should) live without any inconvenience, bathed in the grace of God while talking with the most sensible wise men in the top layer of abundant land.’

“If you say that, I’ll feel somehow relieved.” (Eisa)

Eisa-Sensei smiled softly.

“Well, my third disciple won’t betray the vow.” (Eisa)

“Ouh, I won’t.” (Harold)

Harold said it confidently.

“Well then, shall we start?” (Eisa)

‘What exactly is a vow? I don’t know.’

Eisa-Sensei grabbed a small bottle on the desk, opened the lid, poured a watery liquid into the glass cap, and put it in his mouth. Then, the water contained in the mouth was returned to the cup, and it was passed to Harold.

“Drink it.” (Eisa)

‘… Eh, what?’

When Harold quietly received the cut, he put his mouth on it, and drank the liquid.

‘Eh? Uhm, Eisa-sensei?’

‘I can almost imagine the implication of the previous act since it is a pledge using your mouth. Perhaps, the liquid returned once it has been mouthed has some magical meaning.’

‘However, in this picture, it is a beautiful eyeglass Eisa-Sensei, but what if this is a sweating and oily old man… If it’s me, I think I’ll vomit after eating garlic or something…’

“Our mouth is now sanctified.You can’t speak false words.” (Eisa)

‘Ooh, that’s the Kura language.’

“Yes.” (Harold)

Harold said so.

“Well then, Harold Patella Harrel.From now on, we will begin to hold the vow ritual.Harold Patella Harrel vows to Lord Isus.” (Eisa)

It had started.

“One, never betray Yuri Hou.Don’t leak it to others in return for being taught Yuri Hou’s technique of crossing the sea.In using the given technique, you will take the responsibility of managing its confidentiality.You’ll be hired by Yuri Hou while using the technique, and after leaving it, you will forget everything about the technique and never use it.” (Eisa)

‘As expected of Eisa-Sensei. What I said was perfectly translated into the Kura language. Despite the improvisational translation, the phrase had a poetic sound.’

“Do you declare Patriarch Eisa Catholic Viene as a witness to the vow above? To change this vow is not only to deceive oneself, but to deceive your master, and it means deceiving the Lord and turning back on His love.In that situation, your soul container will be severely damaged.” (Eisa)

Speaking of ‘soul container’, it refers to the rank of the afterworld based on Isus religion. If it’s a game, it should be something like virtue, I think? If the ‘soul container’ is severely damaged, you’ll become stuck in the layer of hell. That’s it.’

“Harol Patella Harrel fully understands and swears to the Lord.” (Harold)

“Alright.Your declaration has been sworn to the Lord.Hallelujah.” (Eisa)

After the solemn oath, Eisa-Sensei clapped her hands.

“This is the end. Thank you for your hard work.” (Eisa)

“Thank you very much.” (Yuri)

I thanked her. It was an interesting ceremony.

“Harold-san. You must not forget your oath. If you break it, it’s going to be a lot of trouble.” (Eisa)

“Of course, I won’t.” (Harold)

‘Oi, stop with that tone.’

“I didn’t really understand, but how troublesome is it?” (Gora)

Gora, who had been outside the mosquito net for a long time, said so as he was the only one who didn’t understand Kura.

‘That’s going to be a lot of trouble, you know. I don’t know how troublesome it is, but I guess it is as she says.’

‘Harold will wonder through hell after this death, and even if it doesn’t matter since he’s an abrupt believer, he will break off relationship with Eisa-Sensei and will never hear anything from her again. That’s a big deal for Harold.’

“Since this oath has no secular restraint, it doesn’t matter. If there is, I will die.” (Eisa)

“I see. I feel like I can relax… eh??” (Harold)

‘??? Did she say she will die? Eh?’

When I unintentionally looked at Harold, he opened his mouth wide.

‘Didn’t you know? It seems that’s not my mistake.’

“I heard that Eisa-Sensei will die a moment ago, but am I mistaken?” (Yuri)

‘Let’s try to clarify.’

“Yes? Aah, I’m sorry. I have made a misleading statement. It’s just that I may die.” (Eisa)

‘Oh my. That’s right. It doesn’t seem like suicide. But, speaking of she may die is a dangerous matter.’

“Why you may die?” (Yuri)

‘What is the meaning of that?’

“Well, the ritual I just said is a ritual that legally secured the responsibility of the master which pledger has the obligation to keep the content of his vow. The origin of the vow ritual in the first place is told in the third verse of the New Testament Apocrypha by Casso. This is–… to explain briefly, it is a story that the follower of Apostle Sahara committed murder immediately after declaring renunciation, but since Apostle Sahara felt responsible for that, he meditated for a month without putting anything in his mouth in front of Isus-sama’s grave.So, he had made a visit to the Lord. So, if Harold breaks his vows, I need to do the same.

‘What the hell? …She’s going to do it.’

‘I should ask for an explanation in advance. In short, this seems to be a system like a joint guarantor. She becomes a witness of his oral promise. I thought it was just a ritual.’

“So, if anything, I also need to meditate for a month. Actually, there is a private room near the sacred bedroom of the Holy Sleeping Sanctuary, but since it’s impossible, I have to go into the forest. With God’s forgiveness, I can survive like the Apostle Sahara.” (Eisa)

‘Uhm. Speaking of entering the forest, is she going to sit at the root of a big tree? There are quite a few wild wolves in this forest, and if a woman like Sensei meditates there, rather than a month, she won’t last a week.’

“Are you fasting during that time?” (Yuri)

“No, I can drink water.” (Eisa)

‘…’

“But that’s the story of Catholics. My sect doesn’t require me to do it.” (Eisa)

“In today’s Catholics sect, it’s just a fine or money paid to the government. This method is an old method that was used by the Catholics about 500 years ago. In my research, the New Testament apocrypha by Casso isn’t considered a forgery, so the vow ritual is valid.” (Eisa)

‘Damn it, there is no turning back. I wonder if her sect is surprisingly fundamentalist.’

‘Although her sect is fasting until death, I wonder if it’s fine to do it like Catholic sect where you just need to pay…’

“…Please cancel it.” (Harold)

Harold suddenly said.

“Oh my, why?” (Eisa)

Eisa-Sensei seemed to wonder frankly.

‘Dang, you can’t get through this person.’

“I can’t afford to involve Sensei.” (Harold)

‘Yes, yes, say it. Say that it’s mainly my fault.’

“What do you mean Harold-san? You have sworn in the name of the Lord just now, but are you going to betray it rather quickly?” (Eisa)

The tone of her voice changed. It was a hard, dry voice. There was no usual gentleness, and quite anger seemed to be in the air. This was the first time I had seen Eisa-Sensei got angry.

‘Scary.’

“But… bringing trouble to Sensei is…” (Harold)

“I don’t think it’s troubling. If I think so, I won’t accept the vow. That’s a cancerous attitude.” (Eisa)

“But…” (Harold)

“There’s no ‘but’. You have made a vow to God, so you don’t have to worry about breaking your vow. You are firmly determined. It’s a good idea to keep fulfilling your vow without yielding your mind. Nothing will happen. Or else, did you say you’ve come for the ritual just to break the vow from the beginning, Harold-san?” (Eisa)

‘Scarrryy.’

Depending on his response, it may break the relationship between teacher and follower. The intention is clearly transmitted.’

“That’s not true…” (Harold)

‘Poor him. He seems withering.’

“Then, there’s no problem. Harold-san, you mustn’t kneel in front of the Lord and if you have been baptized, don’t say something like revoking the ritual, alright.” (Eisa)

—

TLN:

I just translate directly whatever it says on the religion part.I’m not familiar with Christian religion, so I can’t say whether my translation is accurate on that.As for building mosque, I’m not sure why the author said Muslim won’t do a groundbreaking ceremony. I think in my country, the only purpose of doing it is to let know others that they are going to start with the construction. But then again, I’m not sure how Muslim in other countries view about the groundbreaking ceremony practice