Al (3)
The ruins, which had been buried in the sand for how many years had accumulated, were now exposed to the outside.
Of course, if left alone, it would slowly be buried in the sand.
As it is a place that people don’t visit, it was empty when we entered the temple… … Now it was crowded with untimely guests.
“Ugh… … .”
“Okay… … .”
Most of them were lying on the floor, though.
All of them fell victim to the trap I set before entering the ruins.
I installed it just in case, but I didn’t expect that this many numbers would come.
Those who came out of the ruins after me seemed quite taken aback by the sudden encounter with so many people.
Douglas was the only one who understood what was going on at once and clicked his tongue briefly.
“Dad, who are these people?”
Rize, too, didn’t know what was going on, so while holding my collar, she let out a voice mixed with anxiety.
Anyone who sees a bunch of tough-looking people scattered all over the place would think that.
Especially since Rize has a new younger brother with her.
“They are bad people.”
“bad people?”
Rize tilted her head at my simple answer, and just as she was about to explain in detail, someone stepped forward.
“First of all, I need to get treatment. Everyone seems to have been poisoned… … .”
“Even though the person they were targeting was the priest?”
“… … yes?”
It was evident from this that neither the young lady nor the bewildered Hudson were still inexperienced.
It’s Astel, I didn’t expect it anyway.
I took a step forward, stood shoulder to shoulder with Grace, and added.
“If strangers who look unusual even at first sight come to visit and search for ruins… … In addition, if the ruins are presumed to be a newly discovered place, it is natural that interest will be drawn in a good or bad way, right?”
“then… … Are you saying that all these people followed us all the way here?”
“In a city like Mahalus, where outsiders don’t usually visit, always think someone’s watching. There are people everywhere who prey on tourists like these people.”
“… … .”
At my words, Grace took a close look at each and every face of the fallen people with a surprised expression on their faces.
The number of those who followed this far was thirty.
Well, if he knew that the opponents who were trying to rob his pockets were priests and paladins, there was a possibility that he would quietly back down, but he didn’t know the world.
If they were determined to plunder, no matter how much Grace tried to resolve it through dialogue, they would have no choice but to fight.
In my experience, those guys were everywhere, and when I heard that the three strangers were getting all of Mahalus’ attention, I naturally expected them to be being pursued.
If I hadn’t been prepared, they would have been ambushed and attacked the moment we left the ruins.
At that time, the result of no one shedding blood would not have happened as it is now.
“Remember Rize well. Wherever you go, you have to be careful of these people. Rize in particular is pretty, so people’s eyes will be focused on her somehow, so she always covers her face.”
“huh… … .”
I said that, thinking it would be a good opportunity to teach Rize that these dangers are everywhere.
Rize just briefly nodded, wondering what she was thinking.
From noble mtl dot com
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know now, but it was one of the things written in the travel guide for Julie Rise later.
Seeing Rize quickly becoming stronger, I felt like I was going on a trip any minute, so I had to make it in a hurry, and whenever I thought of it, I supplemented it whenever I had time.
Still, I was hoping that the day I would give it to Rize would come as late as possible.
I turned my head back to Grace and waited for an answer on what to do with them, and a reply came back that was truly priestly.
“I will treat them.”
“After treatment, it might turn into a gang of robbers, right?”
“You can’t talk about punishment for a crime you haven’t committed yet. I will talk to you after treatment.”
Should I say that she is the next saint?
She had a personality that wanted to help anyone, just like Rize.
It was admirable, but of course I couldn’t just accept it.
“I know the feelings of the priest who can’t just leave sick people alone, but I hope you understand how concerned I am for my companions.”
“Then how… … .”
“Would it be all right if I treated you after I tied you up for safety?”
Grace thought for a moment, but in the end she had to nod.
While tying the bodies of those who fell down with ropes, Grace’s treatment was carried out for those who had finished suppressing them.
It was a light poison that paralyzed the body for about a day, so the treatment did not take very long.
It was quite amusing to see these guys who came to their senses widen their eyes for a moment and then calm down after confirming that all of their comrades had been subdued.
As soon as everyone’s treatment was over, they went into fact-checking.
“Yes, yes, that’s right! I came with you because I thought I found a new ruin and wanted to steal something! It was the usual thing when a stranger came to a place like this!”
As he gently harassed the earlobe of the one who seemed to be the youngest with a knife, he blew everything he could.
The story about being in a certain organization in Mahalus and being the largest organization in the underworld, etc., was largely overlooked.
“If I had known that it was a priest and a paladin, I wouldn’t have done this! Anyway, I have a conscience! I do not rob the pockets of those who serve the gods!”
I was desperately making excuses and begging for mercy, but I was thinking about how to bury these guys well in the sand.
As if she knew what was going on, Grace proposed first.
“I’ll just let you go.”
“Even if I can’t do it, it would be better to bury half of it in the sand.”
“Mo, in the sand… … . Mmm, of course, I don’t mean to just send it away.”
Is there a recidivism prevention plan unique to the Holy Church that I don’t know about?
Taking a step back with her arms folded as if to try, Grace bowed her head once in gratitude and then turned to those who were still tied up.
“Everyone, I will tell you one of Lu Nera’s many words from now on.”
The sermon began, and I avoided the seat for a while, covering my ears.
* * *
Not only me, but Douglas and Astell took a lap around the ruins for no reason.
Except for this area, it was all sand, and although I knew of one oasis, it was far away.
In the end, the only thing to do was to find out if there was anything left in the ruins.
Inside the temple ruins, which became a dungeon, there was nothing to be salvaged except for holy relics and eggs because the monsters were destroying everything.
Even when I was in and out of this place, I was buried in the sand and couldn’t investigate the surroundings in detail.
Even if you dug up the sand to find the door to the inside, it was impossible to enter because the inside was also full of sand.
I even dug up an entire building… … All that was recovered was a bundle of old gold coins.
Compared to then, now, thanks to Digena’s miracle, even the sand inside all the buildings has disappeared.
Thanks to this, I was able to find quite a few old items that could be sold at a high price to collectors, including gold coins that I had previously found.
It was difficult to find because it was buried in the sand, but it was ironic that the state of preservation was surprisingly good.
“and! Irvin, look at this! Will this be too expensive?! After all, Dijenna-sama had a reason for leading us here!”
Astel was even more delighted than when she found the holy relic, saying that she was finally able to raise funds to build Digena’s temple, but seeing what she did, she wondered when the day she would be able to become independent would come.
After spending quite some time examining it carefully, I came back to see Grace still continuing her sermon.
The thieves’ faces… … I was completely dying.
I wondered if it would be more effective than any other punishment.
After waiting a little longer, the sermon came to an end, and as if she had suddenly remembered, she stopped Grace, who was trying to continue the story, and was ready to leave.
“Are you releasing only one person?”
“I don’t know what I would do if I released them all at once. Priest Grace taught me once, but I’m still uneasy.”
After releasing the youngest who had cooperated earlier, he told them to let the rest go on their own.
I wondered what would happen if Grace said something else, but when she heard me, she nodded happily.
“Yes, that’s fine. They will also need time to reflect on Lu Nera’s teachings.”
It’s not like I’m thinking about it, but it seems like I’ve lost my mind at all.
Grace thought that she would only have to be careful in battle, but she did not know that she would have this kind of side.
While the party took turns taking naps on top of the wagon led by the desert drake to replenish their exhausted stamina, Rize continued to cherish the egg.
“A horse? fat? beans? Mmm.”
He was muttering a series of words while contemplating a name.
I think I got attached to it faster than I thought… … For me, I was just anxious because I didn’t know what would be born there.
The anxiety continued until I finally returned home after crossing the desert through Mahalus.
From the turmoil caused by Dijenna’s holy relic, the opening of the Shureid Imperial School, Rize’s twelfth birthday, and the second Shureid Contest.
The unidentified egg did not hatch for a full year.
* * *
late night.
“Hmm.”
Sitting on a rock, I made a noise out of confusion.
Since he wasn’t alone, a suspicious voice naturally returned.
“Why is that, mister?”
I turned my eyes and looked to the side, and five children, including Claire, who had spoken to me, were sitting side by side.
They were five people who had grown so much that it would be ambiguous to call them children now.
He grew taller in a few days without seeing him, especially Rowen, who was in a period of clear growth.
“Among all the animals you raise… … Um, have you ever seen an egg hatch?”
At my sudden remark, the children exchanged glances with each other and opened their mouths.
“What are we growing?”
“Goat? Oh, goats give birth.”
“Chicken and duck.”
“The eggs I eat every morning are delicious.”
“Chickens are cute.”
Originally, Hazel lived only on farming, but I heard that she raises various animals with her children.
In Hazel’s words, she said that she couldn’t cope with farming alone because her eating mouth increased, but in reality, it must be because she wanted to feed various things fresh.
I opened my mouth again to clarify the intention of my question to the children who were talking loudly.
“My daughter picked up an egg, but no matter how long it takes, there is no sign of it hatching.”
“ah… … .”
Frederick sounded like he knew something, and for some reason, Claire glared at Frederick fiercely.
I added a comment without bothering to ask about it.
“I was wondering if I could learn something by listening to the stories of other hatched animals.”
Then the children each shook their heads and said a word.
“I never looked closely.”
“I was born at some point.”
“I am not very interested. sorry.”
“Every day, the mother chicken was brooding.”
“I saw a newborn, but… … .”
I wanted to, but as expected, I was busy, so I didn’t have time to observe for a long time.
No matter how much it did, it didn’t wake up for too long, so Rize was taking care of the egg with utmost sincerity.
At the same time, he was making an anxious expression that he might have done something wrong, so I was also trying to find out in every way.
There was no plausible information at all.
Later, I wondered if I should find an expert on eggs and invite them.
I shook my head a few times to clear my thoughts, and when I got up, the children who were talking about raising cows or horses stopped talking and stood up together.
“Then let’s begin.”
As I said that and put on the mask, the children also pulled up the mask that covered their nose and mouth.
The faint moonlight shining through the clouds was the new secret base of the Dark Truth Church.