134. God, Religion, and Tricks (2)
“It is said that the wall was built when the demons invaded. Because of the prolonged war, it is said that it has reached the present height by continuing to expand.”
In front of a barrier built in the wilderness.
Estelle spoke like a tour guide.
‘I know more about religion.’
He seemed excited to be able to pretend he knew something to Cain.
“It’s war.”
“It is said that an apostle of the gods came down from heaven and helped fend off the demons.”
Cain stroked the wall.
An apostle of God wearing a cloak.
Demon with spread wings and a weapon.
Scenes of an epic battle between the two factions were embossed throughout the walls.
Cain looked at Estelle who was babbling.
“Why, why? What did you put on your face?”
In order to cure the horse disease, you have to face the uncomfortable truth. Will she be able to withstand the situation?
“Estelle. You said you would follow me without asking any questions. Not simply because of the restrictions imposed by the oath. Is that mindset still valid today?”
“… Absolutely.”
Cain thought of the orders he would give Estelle at the end of this work.
‘It will be a difficult command to follow.’
A very uncomfortable situation will arise.
Also, you will be faced with a choice.
It was possible to force action by an oath, but the choice had to be of her own will in the end.
Otherwise, all of this will be meaningless.
It took practice.
The practice of enduring uncomfortable situations.
Cain licked his lips.
“Steal Elder Utahs’ necklace.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Estelle asked involuntarily.
I was preparing my mind to give an order. However, a very unexpected command was lost.
“Why is that a necklace? .”
immediately perplexed.
Elder Utahs knew that the necklace he had had since childhood was more precious to him than his life.
The worn-out necklace was a token of his long religious life and a record of the countless battlefields he had fought through.
Cain didn’t answer.
Realizing that he was sincere, Estelle said as if pleading.
“Other things can be brought in secretly. But necklaces are hard. It’s like an elder’s clone.”
“It is a necessary item to find a hideout for Leica. To cure your horse disease.”
Cain was adamant.
“Finding Laika’s hideout and curing demons are related.”
I had heard that word before.
hatred of humans.
For this reason, Leica lives alone.
Somewhere in a hidden hideout.
All of the subordinates’ residences were located in common areas within the district, so Silver Fang was in charge of handling them.
“There is an artificial forest to the north of the district. I thought it was hidden there. Although all trees are figurative… .”
“I won’t talk much. So that you can bring me the necklace by midnight tonight.”
Cain turned his back and got into the car first. Estelle stared blankly at Cain like that.
* * *
The two walked around the area figuring out the location of the building where the remnants of Leica were located.
“After we eat, we go around the rest of the area.”
with daughter.
Estelle, who entered the restaurant, was startled.
At a table inside, a bunch of unmasked cultists were sitting.
“… Go somewhere else. If I had known that I was a priest of the Order, I could have gotten into an argument.”
“No, not here.”
Cain strode in and sat down. It was the table right across from the cultists.
“… … .”
Estelle sat down with Cain without any fuss. Then he looked at the man in front of him with an incomprehensible face.
What does the necklace have to do with finding Leica’s hideout?
Why are you being so rude now?
“The food you ordered has arrived.”
There must be some reason.
Because I’m not the kind of person who will bully others for no reason.
“Don’t pick it up.”
Estelle covered the back of her hand with her sleeve and began to eat carefully.
“You said three years at the latest! The devil will come down to this land and destroy the world! There is no point in working hard now!”
Then a drunken voice was heard from the table where the cultists were sitting.
One of them got up and pointed at the other table.
“What good is a goddess? Years like crap. Rather trust our teacher! When the demons come down, you can get on the ark and be saved!”
The cultists at the same table giggled in agreement, while others were busy avoiding their gaze for fear of sparks.
Cain thought.
‘I don’t think it’s an ordinary pseudo-religion.’
What the cultist said was based to some extent on facts, and I was a little surprised.
The continent will end in a few years.
For reasons other than the devil.
An ark to serve as a shelter is also being prepared.
‘It must be a fact that only a small part of the ruling class knows.’
Cain had no choice but to feel even more curious about the person called the headmaster.
‘Did the interrogators arrive in two days?’
tomorrow at the earliest.
If I met the teacher, I had to hurry.
There will be nothing left where the inquisitors have passed.
“I believed my whole life, but my life didn’t change. Bitch like a whore!”
Estelle’s eyebrows twitched.
No matter how much his faith had faded, he could not hear those words.
She looked at Cain.
His eyes asked if he could silence the commotion.
But Cain, as usual, gave no instructions.
“A year to kill! The donations I have made so far are not worth it.”
The fork she was holding trembled.
endured and endured again.
“You know what? Goddess is… .”
“I already burned all the Bibles.”
thud!
She slammed the table and got up. The sleeves fell, revealing the marks on the back of the hand.
“Let’s hear it, what do you mean?”
The cultists flinched for a moment, but when they saw the sign, they changed their expressions and sarcastically.
“I asked who it was, but it was a priest. Did we say something wrong?”
Judging from the strong attitude, it seemed that the mana users were mixed among them.
Numerical superiority would also be a reason for confidence.
“I think it is possible to believe in other religions. But it is against the case to insult the gods of others!”
“Does our priest still believe in goddesses? No matter how many prayers I pray, the God who doesn’t get an answer?”
There were not many people in the crowd who originally believed in the goddess.
They knew quite a bit of the doctrine of the denomination, and soon had an argument with Estelle about it.
“So, have you ever seen a goddess manifest in the world? Do you have any physical evidence?”
“that… !”
Estelle slowly pushed back.
The parts that the cultists attacked were things that he had always questioned but could not find the answer to.
“If you believe in the Goddess, you can be saved in the afterlife! No matter how good you are, what is the use of good deeds and faith when the present moment is painful!”
A situation where you can’t accept anything in a cool way. Estelle bit her lip.
“Let’s go! I just ran out of alcohol!”
The cult had left, and she returned to her seat with a blank expression on her face.
“… Sorry. out without permission. I couldn’t help but listen.”
“Okay.”
“These people, the interrogators, were coming soon, and they didn’t care if they told me that their lives were in danger. I have a strong belief in the person who is the teacher.”
Estelle had a crazy face.
It continued to do so while eating.
“A knife is a tool used for slicing meat. Not soup.”
“ah.”
“Are you going to break down meat into particles? Stop it and put it in your mouth.”
“ah?”
It was because he had heard the things he had been suspicious of alone through the mouths of others.
‘Do I want to believe in God? Do you want to deny God?’
None of them could respond.
And I could feel it.
That there are not many people besides themselves who doubt the existence of God.
That evening, even after returning to her hotel room, she was confused.
“I go to the remnants of Leica to dispose of the captured items. rest.”
It was right to follow him as an escort, but his head was complicated and he couldn’t.
“I will be back late at night. There are some things we need to check to predict the next number of bosses.”
widely.
“In the meantime, I guess that means bring me the necklace.”
The head is complicated.
Once you move, you have to stop thinking.
She left the hotel and headed to the Cathedral of Utahs.
“Estelle! What are you doing at this hour? The last service in the evening will be over soon, so would you like to sit down and wait for a while?”
He nodded and sat in the back seat.
“The Goddess says not to believe only what you see here… .”
Despite the small number of believers in attendance, Utahs zealously continued worship and preaching.
sometimes gently.
sometimes recklessly.
After the service, Estelle and her assistant priests cleaned up the church.
It wasn’t until they all left work that I was able to be alone with Utahs.
“I want to come and change clothes. It was a pity that we couldn’t talk for a long time in the morning. Don’t even bring some tea. Did you like tea the most?”
“Right. Please feel free to go.”
The person who always changes the priest’s uniform last.
And the person who watched him the longest with Priest Adele.
“Don’t go fast.”
Estelle nodded and about a minute passed.
She killed her presence and headed inside the church where Utahs disappeared.
‘Nothing has changed here.’
It was just like my childhood memories.
As I walked down the hallway, I heard the hum of Utahs from the utility room inside.
Biting his lip, he headed for Utahs’ office.
I could see the priest’s uniform draped over the back of the chair and his belongings lying on the desk.
Among them was a necklace that Cain had ordered to bring.
I came here because I wanted to, but the opportunity came easier than I thought.
‘I wonder if the elder already knows that I’m going to take the necklace.’
My heart raced with anxiety.
‘The hum has stopped. You may be watching from behind now.’
Imaginations that were unlikely to swell freely in my head.
‘I’m just borrowing it for a while. I’m sorry.’
Opportunities should be seized when they come.
Estelle closed her eyes and held the necklace in her hand.
Kihehe-!
At that moment, a terrifying laugh was heard.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
There was no time to calm down, and the sound of breaking windows could be heard from the hallway outside.
She lifted the folding mace that had been tethered to her thigh and lifted the tension.
I looked at the window of the office that had not yet been broken.
Kihee-!
Lights and shadows flickering outside the window.
It felt like the hairs all over my body were standing up.
Unidentified beings were spinning around the cathedral at high speed as if they were performing a ceremony.
Clap!
A face appeared in the broken window.
‘Devil… ?’
No, it wasn’t the devil.
They were cultists in demon masks.
Estelle reflexively swung her mace towards the enemy who had jumped over the window sill.
Wow!
“Great!”
The enemy wrapped around his shoulders and sat down.
Then, the enemies who were about to jump over the window sill noticed Estelle’s presence and flinched.
“What, what? Didn’t all the priests say they left work?”
“Boo, it certainly was. There is only one old man left.”
What is Elder Utahs’ purpose?
Is the purpose of breaking into the cathedral?
“It’s a woman! Don’t be afraid!”
He knocked out the enemies coming through the window one by one, but the numbers were not formidable.
“Find that old man! Because you said you always wore a necklace!”
bang!
Enemies poured in from the side of the open door along with a shout.
‘necklace?’
My body moved instinctively.
She snatched the necklace on the desk and at the same time rotated her body.
Boo-!
Enemies that were stuck were swept away by the mace and flew through the air. They collided with those standing outside the range and tossed around.
“Captain! That woman over there!”
Estelle wrapped herself in mana and broke through the enemy.
‘Why did the enemy wear Elder Utahs’ necklace? Cain did too. Is there something on this necklace?’
I could not fully understand the situation, but I could not hand over the necklace to the enemy.
As I went out into the hallway, I heard a commotion from the utility room where Utahs was.
‘Elder Utahs will be fine. He’s a lot more experienced and talented than me.’
Understanding the situation first.
She headed towards the center of the cathedral.
“… … !”
What unfolded in front of me was a mess.
Dozens of cultists were tossing around the cathedral. Household items were scattered around and torches thrown by cultists were burning everywhere.
gang! gang!
“Destroy the abominations! There is no need for false gods in the world to come!”
“It is the devil, not the gods, that we should serve!”
The moment she saw them smashing the statue with a giant iron hammer, she felt the back of her head stiffen.