EP9. Magic City (6)
Levy found Sean on his way back to the inn after his first class at the Magic Tower.
The two met at an unexpected place and exchanged greetings rather awkwardly than facing each other.
“Are you on your way now?”
“Yeah… It looks like Shawn is on his way from outside too?”
“Ah, I was bored because I was only in the inn.”
It was obviously a conversation like usual, but maybe it’s because of the simple feeling that it feels awkward somewhere.
Sean scratched his head and Levy pawed the ground.
“Do you want to go in?”
“Uh, yes. Let’s go in…”
There was a slight distance between the two entering the inn.
***
The next day, the two talked while having breakfast on the first floor of the inn.
“Are you going to the tower today too?”
“Yes. What is Shawn doing today?”
“····What am I? To kill time outside like yesterday.”
After Sean’s answer, there was silence between the two for a while.
Of course I know what the cause of this awkward situation is.
It must be because of the promise we made earlier. Apart from the promise, Sean felt frustrated at the distance from Levy.
Of course, it could be true that he doesn’t know Levy more than he thinks.
But apart from that, aren’t they closer than anyone else? That was all I could be sure of. On the other hand, it seemed that he was overly conscious of himself. If I just reacted as usual, Levy would surely respond in the same way…
The situation was similar for Levi as well. It was hard to explain clearly why I brought it up with Shawn, but at least I never wanted this to happen.
Levy, who had finished eating and looked at the empty bowl, immediately raised his head, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.
“Shaun.”
“… Huh?”
“How about going out for dinner tonight?”
“……Shouldn’t you learn magic?”
“It’s class, I’ll finish it before dinner. If it’s late, you can ask to finish early.”
Shaun could see the girl’s determination in Levy’s words.
He felt cramped because at the same time he couldn’t understand why he was trying to take a step back.
“Eating dinner while looking around the city like last time. ····How is it?”
“How is it? Of course it’s me.”
At Sean’s affirmation, Levy let out a sigh of relief and smiled lightly.
Why? Shawn found the smile strange.
He’s like he’s not the childhood friend he used to know…
Just like a woman.
“Thank God. I have something to say over dinner.”
“What is it?”
When Levy said he had something to say, Sean suddenly became nervous.
Levy answered Sean’s question slowly.
“It’s a secret.”
Is it correct to call it anxiety? Or would the word anticipation be appropriate?
I don’t know the details, but Sean intuitively guessed that what Levy was trying to say wasn’t trivial.
***
Sean stepped back into the General Union Sanctuary he had been to a few days ago.
It was thanks to finally getting permission from Edward and Sepia yesterday.
‘I see. Then I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow.’
‘You can come to my lodging where you were last time.’
Remembering Sepia’s dorm that remained in his mind, Sean walked down the street.
However, the General Union Sanctuary was quite large and complex, and Shaun ended up getting lost.
“Was it left here…?”
Someone talked to Shawn, who was wandering on the street, lost in his direction.
“What is it this time?”
Sean turned his head to his side, startled. There was an old man I had seen before. It was the old man who helped Sean and Levy get lost.
“Ah, that time…”
“Looks like you are lost on the road again.”
“hahahaha. Yes. It’s always difficult to come here.”
“That is true. Are you looking for the same place as last time? I will help you.”
Sean wanted to say no, sorry, but he knew it would be foolish to turn down the favor now, so he accepted it.
“It’s not the place I went to last time, I’m looking for a place to stay.”
“I see. Are you going to the followers of purification again this time?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Then, fortunately, it’s an accommodation I know. I will guide you.”
“hahahaha… I’m sorry for being so helpful.”
The old man shook his head at Sean’s embarrassing words.
“No. We live by helping each other.”
In his heart, Sean remembered the old man as a really good man, and he started walking along with his guide.
Unlike the last time when Levy was there, since it was just the two of us, the two naturally walked down the street and had a conversation.
“Who was the party you were with last time?”
“Ah, he has other work to do at Elioden.”
“I see.”
Rather than paying special attention to Levy, it seems like he just asked because he couldn’t see it.
This time, Sean asked the old man a question on the contrary.
“Oh, come to think of it, we don’t even know each other’s names. I’m Sean, what can I call you?”
“You can call it a cruise.”
“Yes. Well, Mr. Cruz, who is the god you worship? Isn’t this a rude question?”
To Sean’s careful question, Cruise gave a cool answer with a small smile.
“Excuse me. Rather, it is an honor to announce the name of the god we serve.”
“Aha. Thank god.”
“I serve the god of wisdom.”
“Oh. Are you wiser than the others?”
Cruise replied humbly.
“It can’t be. Rather, the more I get to know the god of wisdom, the more I realize that I am foolish.”
“Hmm. I don’t know Mr. Cruz very well, but I have a feeling he’s wise enough.”
“Heh heh. That’s an overstatement.”
The conversation continued.
“But I think that there are so many gods.”
“It’s not strange to feel that way. But they all have a place to manage, so they are indispensable.”
“Then how many gods are there?”
“I don’t even know how many gods there are. However, the principal is composed of 24 people.”
Whenever we hear about religion, a new concept always pops up.
Since it was the same this time, Sean had no choice but to ask.
“What is Jusin?”
“It means the gods who have the role of presiding over them. Like the God of Wisdom I serve, the God of Purification we seek.”
“Aha. So, you mean there are gods who don’t have that role?”
What should I say? It’s difficult and complicated, but I keep wanting to hear the story behind it.
Sean, like a student eager to learn, continued to ask Cruise questions.
“We usually call such gods pagan gods.”
“… Heresy.”
As I said all the familiar words, I remembered the explanation I heard from Sephia.
I’m sure it was said that the followers of the God of Truth distinguish between pagans. It seemed clear that he meant the same heretic.
“So, are pagan gods bad gods?”
“That’s a complex issue. There are people who believe that pagan gods are the same god after all, and there are people who believe that only 24 main gods should be acknowledged.”
After hearing Cruise’s explanation, Shawn nodded his head.
Even if it’s heresy, it seems that there is a complicated story involved. I don’t think it’s a big deal.
After hearing about religion for the first time in a while, Sean suddenly thought of Lielcia.
Of course, she rarely evangelized Sean or brought up religion.
In the first place, I had never seen Rielcia pray. If you come to know, wouldn’t she be such a faithful believer?
Seeing that she did not bother to come to her small country village and live there, she may have left the city to live peacefully like Wilhelm.
That’s because even after Rielsia came, there wasn’t a single person who believed in God in the village.
It was not unreasonable to judge that evangelism was just an excuse.
“Hey, where is the sanctuary that serves the Spirit of Prophecy?”
“…The god of prophecy?”
“Yes. There was a priest of prophecy in his hometown. Of course, I didn’t serve, but I thought I’d take a look…”
After listening to Sean’s words, Cruz hesitated for a while and eventually told the truth.
“Anyway, that priest must be an impostor or an infidel.”
“・・・・Yes? What is that?”
“There is no Spirit of Prophecy among the 24 Gods.”
“・・・・No?”
“Yes. He must be a pagan god or a invented god.”
Sean was taken aback by his sudden words. But he didn’t seem to be lying, judging by the look on his face.
“In my personal opinion, it’s more likely that he made it up.”
“Why?”
“Those who believe in paganism do not lie in the name of God. That’s why most of them turn their backs on the prestige of the ‘nameless god’. Because ‘the nameless god’ is the only god who openly allowed paganism.”
I didn’t quite understand what Cruise said about the nameless god.
But that wasn’t the point right now. If Sean understood it right, there were other, really pressing issues right now.
“Are you not mistaken? That priest…”
“That’s pretty common. Acting as a priest of the main god in a village, earning people’s trust and then committing fraud.”
“·······.”
Lielsia serves the God of Prophecy.
Until now, Shawn had never doubted that fact.
But is it all lies? Then, what the hell is Riel noona?
The questions just keep growing like tags.
And Shawn finally arrives at one truth.
‘Lielcia, she is a witch’s child.’
****
“Shaun. You are late.”
“…More than that, your complexion is very blue. Did something happen?”
The two of them who saw Sean at Sepia’s lodging immediately worried about him.
That must mean Sean’s condition didn’t look good. Sean answered a beat late.
“It’s nothing.”
From noble mtl dot com.
“Hmm. It doesn’t seem like anything.”
“Please let us know if anything happens.”
Sean hesitated to brush off their concerns. And with a glimmer of hope, he carefully questioned the two.
“…Then do you know about the Spirit of Prophecy?”
“God of Prophecy…? I’m sorry, but there is no such god.”
“Maybe it’s not the main god, but a pagan god.”
“That can’t be. Don’t you know that if a pagan god recklessly pretends to be a god, he will incur the god’s wrath?”
Edward’s words were the truth. However, Sepia looked at Shawn and offered a hopeful opinion.
“····Still, I don’t know. There is a possibility that he took it and camouflaged it.”
“What. If you say it that way, it might be.”
Sean let out a big laugh. Now it has become an undeniable fact.
Is Lielcia, who is clearly engraved in one of her memories, a con artist? It was honestly still hard to believe. But it was an undeniable truth.
“Are you really okay? It seems to have gotten worse.”
“It’s okay, so please tell me what you were supposed to say yesterday.”
“Hmm. If you say so… I see.”
It was Sepia who started the explanation.
“Do you remember when I said that monsters are artificially created monsters through curses?”
“Yes. So, who made that monster?”
“They are scattered across the continent, casting curses and wreaking havoc on the world.”
Shawn, who was already full of confusion, reacted with a sharp attitude with a little annoyance at Sepia’s unclear answer.
“So, who the hell is the one who caused that curse!?”
“Seriously. Since you’re so excited, isn’t Miss Sepia trying to calm you down?”
“・・・・Yes. Sorry.”
“Ms. Sepia is scared, so calm down.”
Contrary to Edward’s words, Sepia’s appearance has not changed at all. She continued her explanation, maintaining her calm demeanor.
“The existence that causes the curse is an artificial life form, the homunculus.”
“····What? For a moment····.”
“They are beings that imitate witches. We call them ‘witch children’.”
Before Sean could react to Sepia’s words, footsteps were heard from the hallway outside the dorm. Sepia, who heard the sound, said.
“Ah, it looks like you came just in time.”
“Come in! Don’t introduce It’s another colleague of ours.”
The door opens and she enters. Pink hair. Blue eyes. Languid eyes.
The eyes of a boy and a woman meet. The two looked at each other without saying anything.
“My name is Tina. A friend who serves the god of truth.”
“·····Ha. hahahaha.”
Looking at Sean, who seemed to have gone mad, Tina opened her mouth.
“It’s been a while. Shawn.”
EP9. Enchanted City (Wan)