Divine Fists and Dusty Relics
Even if it was to find a sacred relic and restore the Goddess's divine power, hunting down a horde of monsters that had practically set up house in a dungeon was not something two people could just casually decide to do.
Grave robbers were people who swept up treasures sleeping in ruins, not combat specialists who swung blades and slung spells to hunt monsters. The crew Yohan and Falco used to run with was no exception. There was a reason they had always gone out of their way to avoid sleeping beasts, quietly making off with only the antiques. So, while Yohan put on a calm front, he had actually been quite terrified inside.
But his worries turned out to be completely unfounded.
*Boom!*
Every time Yohan threw a punch, the undead monster in front of him turned into a handful of dust. This wasn't just crushing rotten flesh and bone with sheer physical force; the divine power imbued in his fists was liberating the deceased from the shackles of their physical forms. It was, quite literally, a one-sided massacre... no, a purification. Thanks to this, Yohan, who had been utterly terrified at first, was now marching forward with a broad grin after only a few swings.
"..."
Falco watched in utter dumbfoundment as Yohan sent the swarming undead straight to the afterlife with single blows.
—What did I tell you? I told you there was no need to fear.
"Ha. This is seriously awesome."
It was incredibly cathartic. A thrilling rush of relief washed over him, clearing away all his lingering anxiety. Even when Yohan had personally taught those grave robbers a lesson earlier, he had felt his punches were incomparably stronger than before. Now, it was on a whole different level. Best of all, there was absolutely none of the lingering guilt that came with beating a fellow human to death.
—Behold! Even this is but a fraction of my divine authority. If you gather enough of my followers and their faith in me grows...
The Goddess's voice echoed continuously in Yohan's mind. She seemed quite thrilled with the situation herself, her tone far more excited than usual. In just a few minutes, the undead horde filling the underground ruins was completely cleared out. All that remained in the chamber was the ash of what had once been the purified undead, and the two humans covered in it.
"Even a high-ranking Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom couldn't do this," Falco, standing beside Yohan, offered her honest assessment.
Instead of answering, Yohan simply shrugged.
"Alright, then."
"Yeah."
They hadn't ventured deep into the ruins just to beat up monsters. Yohan and Falco immediately began searching the empty interior.
*Flash!*
"This way. Follow me."
The Goddess deactivated her spiritual form and manifested once more. Yohan and Falco immediately headed in the direction she pointed.
"It is right there."
"Uh... is this really it?"
There was indeed something where the Goddess was pointing. It was a partially rusted statue lying on the stone floor, covered in a thick layer of dust. If they hadn't been looking closely at the ground, they would have missed it entirely.
"No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem to have much value."
"Selling something like this wouldn't fetch much anyway," Falco agreed with Yohan.
In fact, because the statue had been abandoned for so long, it looked like it would be hard to sell even to a collector. Antique collectors didn't just love anything old. Yohan knew how to distinguish worthless junk from genuine antique collectibles.
"No. That is not it."
The Goddess shook her head as she looked at the two of them.
"My Apostle. Examine that statue more closely. The el—ahem, Falco might not know, but you should be able to tell."
Since I'm her Apostle, I should be able to notice something different? Yohan nodded, squatted down, and carefully examined the statue.
"Ah."
He felt it. Yohan finally realized that this old statue was no ordinary object. The faint energy radiating from it... was undoubtedly identical to the power coming from this snot-nosed Goddess.
"But if I don't focus, I can barely feel it."
"That is because you have not yet grown accustomed to my divine authority."
"Hmm."
With those words, the Goddess picked up the statue from the floor with both hands.
"The amount of divinity dwelling within this object is far greater than the necklace we found earlier."
"And here I thought the necklace looked way more like a sacred relic from the outside."
Guess I'm learning something new every day, Yohan thought to himself as he replied to the Goddess.
"Now then."
*Crunch!*
The Goddess suddenly brought the statue to her mouth, opened wide, and took a bite. The old statue crumbled instantly, like a crispy cracker.
"..."
Even though this was the second time, it was still a bizarre sight that they couldn't get used to. Yohan and Falco reflexively exchanged glances.
"Mmh. It is still far from enough, but it suffices to stave off my hunger."
Having devoured the statue, the Goddess wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she spoke.
"As I mentioned earlier, the Apostle's Authority I bestowed upon you is not some cute little trick that merely makes your punches stronger."
"R-Right."
She looked up at Yohan and continued.
"As you gather faith in me and grow in strength, your authority will gradually transform into a shape suited to you."
A shape suited to me... Well, he could worry about the details later. More than anything, Yohan just wanted to get out of this creepy place as quickly as possible.
"We're all done here, right? Let's get the hell out."
At Yohan's words, Falco nodded silently. Even though all the undead had been purified, a chilling aura still lingered throughout the underground ruins due to their long-term presence.
"No, wait just a moment longer. There is one last thing left to do."
"Ah, seriously, what is it now?" Yohan grumbled at the Goddess's words.
But she didn't answer. Instead, she slowly walked to the center of the basement. Spreading her arms wide, she gently closed her eyes.
"My Apostle. Why do you think so many of the deceased gathered in a place like this, which possesses no other antiques of note?"
"Who knows."
Yohan answered honestly. He glanced over at Falco, but she shook her head, equally clueless.
"It was precisely due to the presence of the sacred relic imbued with my divinity."
Yohan immediately understood what she meant. The undead monsters of this world were wandering spirits, neither dead nor alive. And instinctively, they yearned for eternal rest. To them, an object imbued with divine power would have felt like a beacon of light in the darkness.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, a brilliant, dazzling light erupted from the Goddess's tiny body.
"W-What the?"
Yohan was momentarily startled by the blinding light, but he quickly swallowed his words as a warm, comforting energy washed over him.
"O pitiful souls who have wandered the underworld without end. Since you have sought rest and followed my traces to this place, I shall personally grant you eternal slumber."
The Goddess prayed for the undead monsters that had inhabited the underground ruins. Overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere, Yohan and Falco couldn't utter a single word. After some time had passed, the light radiating from the Goddess finally faded.
"There! It should feel much better now."
The Goddess looked at Yohan and gave him a toothy grin, proudly flashing a thumbs-up.
"W-Wow, it really does."
Just as she said, the unpleasant, clammy air that had hung over the underground ruins vanished without a trace. Instead, the Goddess's divine energy filled the void. The monster-infested dungeon was gone, replaced by what felt like a sacred sanctuary right before their eyes.
After emerging from the ruins, Falco rummaged through the gear left behind by the grave robbers who had arrived before them. Meanwhile, Yohan gathered some of the deceased grave robbers' personal belongings he had brought out and buried them in the nearby ground, raising a small mound over them.
"If they were the bastards who stabbed me in the back, I would've laughed and said they got what they deserved. But looking at them, they're complete strangers."
Yohan muttered, almost as if making an excuse to the Goddess. At his words, the benevolent deity from moments ago vanished, replaced by a mischievous child who stood with her hands on her hips.
"Hehehe! My Apostle, are you already trying to emulate the good deeds of the deity you serve?"
"Shut it, brat."
Of course she'd say that. He knew this would happen. Yohan shook his head and let out a sigh.
"That's not it."
Suddenly, Falco chimed in. Both the Goddess and Yohan turned their attention to her.
"Yohan has always been like this. He always said that for the guys who died after doing nothing but suffering in this line of work, the least we could do is wish them well on their way out."
"Hey! Why the hell are you bringing that up? Whatever, forget it. Let's get moving."
Yohan grumbled in embarrassment at Falco's revelation. The Goddess smirked, nodding as if she had heard enough.
"Then where shall we head now? To that place called Junk Town you mentioned earlier?"
"Yeah. I can't think of anywhere else to go right now."
Shrugging, Yohan turned his head to look in the direction of Junk Town.
"I wonder how far it is from here."
"About four days on horseback, including rest stops."
"If it is that far, it would be better to use my power as we did before."
Yohan nodded silently. By devouring the second sacred relic, the Goddess had recovered some of her nearly depleted divinity. However, that didn't mean they could just throw her authority around recklessly. While Yohan agreed with her suggestion, he couldn't help but worry about her well-being.
"Do not worry about me. It is merely transporting a single human and an elf, is it not?"
As if reading his expression, the Goddess puffed out her chest and spoke proudly. Yohan could only let out a wry smile.
"Come, let us depart at once."
As the Goddess spoke, she held out both hands. Yohan and Falco reached out and took them.
"We need to land somewhere a bit away from the town first."
"And why is that?"
"If people catch us teleporting, it'll be a massive headache. If we're really unlucky, we might get dragged off as heretics practicing black magic."
"That is... a dreadful thought indeed."
In the past, it might have been celebrated as a divine miracle, but nowadays, it was the perfect way to get misunderstood. Teleportation was an incredible feat, even in a world teeming with all kinds of magic.
"And once we arrive, keep yourself hidden as much as possible. There's no benefit to drawing attention."
"I understand."
With those final words, the Goddess closed her eyes.
*Flash!*
And just like that, the three of them teleported to the wasteland near Junk Town.
"Ugh...!"
Since it was Falco's first time teleporting via divine power, she seemed dizzy from the sudden shift in environment. Yohan, on the other hand, felt perfectly fine. I guess being her Apostle means I've already gotten used to this snot-nosed brat's authority, he thought.
—Now, let us head in at once.
The Goddess, who had returned to her spiritual form, spoke directly into his mind.
"Yeah, let's go... Ah, wait a second."
The Goddess wasn't the only one in their group who would easily draw attention. Yohan turned his head and glanced at Falco. Realizing that her severe full-body burns had completely vanished, Falco also showed a hint of panic.
"Keep your mouth shut as much as possible, and let's start by pulling up your hood."
"Okay."
Following Yohan's advice, Falco pulled up the hood of her cloak to cover her head. Apparently, an elf's long, pointed ears folded down quite nicely when tucked inside a hood.
"Okay. This should do. Let's g—"
*Boom!*
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the direction of Junk Town. Thick gray smoke began billowing over the wooden palisade surrounding the settlement.
—What in the world is that?!
The Goddess's startled voice rang out in Yohan's head.
"Looks like something blew up inside."
"Indeed."
In contrast to her panic, the other two calmly exchanged brief remarks. Then, they began walking toward the town at a leisurely pace.
—D-Did you not just see that? An explosion occurred right over there!
"Don't sweat it. That place is always like that."
In a town like this, a quiet day was far more suspicious.