CH 7

“…… I see. I knew it would be something like that. It seems you’re really a priest, a cleric of the earth mother goddess Mikaela.”

Mikaela, the Earth Mother, is the goddess of nature, fertility, and love. It is said that Mia followed the teachings of Mikaela and practiced as a cleric, gathering wildflowers in this meadow from time to time, listening to God’s words and praying in the midst of nature.

“It’s healthy to like outdoor activities. I personally think the doctrine of Mikaela, the Earth Mother, is also good. However, not all people are good. If you can’t handle this kind of thing on your own, you should join an adventurer’s guild and find a traveling companion.”

“You’re right …… However, I don’t really want to go to the Adventurer’s Guild. I’m registered as an adventurer just in case, though.”

She took out a bronze adventurer’s card from her shoulder bag.

(Oh, that brings back memories …… My adventurer’s card is – well, I guess it’s been expunged.)

I’ve been completely out of sight for the past 20 years, and I haven’t paid my dues. There is a high possibility that I’ve been expelled from the Adventurer’s Guild. Souya thought back to his fond memories of being a member of the Adventurer’s Guild 20 years ago, after he had been transferred to another world.

“If it’s Mia-kun, I’m sure you’ll find some companions. If you want to get in touch with nature, there are adventures that center on outdoor activity fields. Even more so since a full-time cleric like you is rare and often in short supply. 

“That’s true, I suppose. It’s just that …… at the adventurer’s guild, I was courted by a man …… I said no, but he persisted, and it made it hard for me to go to the guild.”

Mia’s expression darkened, as if it wasn’t a very good memory.

“That must’ve been a disaster. I can’t tell if he was hitting on you or if he was just trying to recruit you.”

“No, that’s not it. He was obviously joking. Listen to me. He wanted me to go on adventures with him for a relationship, and one guy even said out loud that he was going to create a mia religion …… Ahhhhh, it’s really embarrassing. Seriously. I’m not sure why.”

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I knew it was understandable. In addition to being a rare full-time cleric, she is also a beautiful girl. You will want to call out to her in some way. However, it may have been a little too much. Given Mia’s earnest nature, it was understandable that she would be angry.

“That’s a terrible thing to say, assuming you’re in a relationship. He must’ve been misunderstanding something. But Miaism. Personally, I don’t see the harm in it.”

“No, you can’t. To have my own personal worshippers and leaving the Earth Mother Goddess Mikaela. Anyway, I don’t like goofy people.”

“I have a tendency to be goofy too. And I don’t mind making fun of people.”

“Souya-san is different …… No, even if you are, you saved my life. I would never hate a person like that.”

Mia murmured in a small voice and smiled softly. 

(I’m glad you trust me, but — you shouldn’t be so quick to trust someone you’ve just met. Because I’m not necessarily a good person.)

For example, this attack was all a setup, and it was actually a set-up to make Mia trust Souya. Souya came up with such a scenario on a whim. It was a bit of a big deal, but if he could bribe the thief beforehand, it would not be impossible.

He wondered if he should tell Mia about his idea, but seeing her smiling face, he decided against it. She seemed to have had a bad experience at the adventurer’s guild in the past, and had just been chased by a group of thieves. I don’t want to make her distrust people by bombarding her with all the badness in the world.

She must be a good person at heart. She is a strong believer in Mikaela, the earth mother goddess who values love, so she seems to be a good person.

“What are you going to do now, Souya-san?”

“I’m going to continue eastward through the meadow of Melborzas and head for a certain city.”

Souya traced his memory of 20 years ago. I believe the name of the town was…

“Ilstadt, right?”

“Yes, yes. The city of Ilstadt. How nostalgic, It’s been a long time since I’ve been there, actually. It looks like the city is still there. I was thinking of using it as a base for a while.”

“Souya-san, I’ve been working mainly in Ilstadt. What a coincidence.”

Mia had a look of anticipation on her face, as if she was expecting something.

(Is she trying to rely on me? Well. It’s not bad to be relied on, but what should I do? If you want, I can make a suggestion right here, right now.)

Souya looked at Mia, who seemed to want to say something, and smiled a little meanly.

I’ve just explained to Mia the dangers of traveling alone. If that’s the case, she would probably to accompany me to the city of Ilstadt.

(–I’d like to be relied on. It’s the nature of men to want to be relied on. I know it’s not very nice to be mean to someone when you’re not old enough to be mean.)

There is still a distance to the city, and if she were here, he would not be bored with the conversation on the way, so he could have suggested it to Mia himself, but he wanted to hear her say it from her own mouth, so Souya kept silent.

“…… Souya-san, you said you didn’t have the necessary tools or money for the adventure.”

“Yes, I did. That’s a problem …… I had some hopes from these thieves, but it seems they won’t lend me any money.”

“I don’t have that kind of money either, but I do have enough to live on for a month or so. So–“

Mia broke off her words and showed signs of hesitation, but eventually, she made up her mind and opened her mouth.

“I’ll take care of Souya-san.”

The words were full of strength. Souya’s face turned serious at Mia’s completely unexpected suggestion. In this way, I’ll be in a position to rely on her rather than be relied on.

“…… take care of me? Me, you say. Ah …… No, it’s true that I’m going to have a hard time finding money for lodging and meals for a while. Well, it is true that it would be a great help if you could lend it to me temporarily. No …… but.”

“It’s my way of thanking you for your help. Please feel free to be my pimp, Souya-san.”

“Pimp, you say, you know a lot of difficult words, Mia-kun. It’s more like a misnomer. A cleric of Mikaela, the Earth Mother Goddess, should not use such words.”

Souya realized that it had been a long time since he had been confused. This could mean that she got the better of me. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m having fun, and I’m trying to hold back my laughter.

“Kuku, alright. That’s fine with me. So, I guess I’ll be under Mia’s care for a while …… Well, I’m sure I can work out the financial issues soon. I’ll double your money back at that time.”

“I’ll look forward to it …… Oh, no, when I say that, I don’t mean I want you to double it back.”

“Haha, you can count on it.”

After shaking hands, the two of them finished their preparations for departure and began to walk through the meadows, where the early birds were singing, towards the city of Ilstadt.

“Wha …… W-What’ll happen to us …… S-Someone, please help us!’

At about the same time that Souya and Mia departed, one of the thieves woke up, confirmed that they were tied up tightly and could not move, and screamed.