Big Boss (1)
Of course, he would never voice these thoughts. If he did, he would immediately become a laughingstock. Yohan did his best to maintain a composed expression.
"You asked earlier why Yohan talks to thin air, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Regardless of what Yohan was thinking, Falco and Charles carried on their conversation.
"Actually, Yohan receives a sort of divine revelation. That's how he obtained the power to destroy the sacred relics of evil gods."
"Whoa..."
It wasn't technically wrong. The problem was that Charles, listening to Falco's explanation, looked genuinely amazed.
"Yohan saved my life once. So I decided to help him with his work."
"That's... amazing."
It felt a bit exaggerated, but... whatever. It would all work out. Instead of nitpicking her story, Yohan decided to just listen quietly.
"He sounds just like a Holy Knight from the Holy Kingdom."
"He is pretty similar."
―Hah?
At Charles's remark, the Goddess suddenly let out a disgruntled huff.
―Are those of the Holy Kingdom not the very scoundrels who deem all but their own Primary God as heretics? This is rather offensive.
However, her outcry was heard only by Yohan, and he didn't even pretend to listen.
"Ah, whatever. Since we're talking about it, let's just get started."
He couldn't stand sitting around doing nothing anyway. Yohan sprang up from his seat. He strode over, picked up the bird statue imbued with the evil god's energy, and set it down on the table.
"Ugh..."
He had set the stage, but honestly, he was a little nervous. Yohan crossed his arms and stared blankly at the statue.
"Alright, I'm really starting now."
But he couldn't just stand there forever. Yohan uncrossed his arms and slowly reached toward the statue. Watching him, Charles's eyes sparkled with intense anticipation. It seemed Yohan's actions, combined with Falco's story, had set the young boy's heart ablaze.
"Hey, hey. What am I supposed to do now?"
Yohan whispered to the Goddess, asking for help. He had talked a big game, but in truth, he had no idea how to actually destroy this statue.
―Pfft, hahaha...
"Oh, come on. Seriously?"
Amused by Yohan's pathetic display, the Goddess, who had been fuming just moments ago, burst into laughter as if she had never been angry.
―Very well, very well. Do not fret, for I shall personally instruct thee on the method.
Yohan nodded at the Goddess's words.
"Whoa, did you receive another revelation?"
"Probably."
Charles and Falco exchanged remarks as they watched him.
―It is no difficult task. Firmly steel thy heart with the resolve to purify this wicked thing.
"Got it."
Yohan gave a brief reply to the Goddess's advice. I'm going to teach this damn evil god a lesson for ripping me off of thirty silver coins. With that thought in mind, he focused his mind.
Crackle!
"Ugh!"
The moment his fingertips touched the statue, a reaction unlike anything before occurred. With a shockwave that rattled the surroundings, red sparks erupted from the statue's surface.
It had been perfectly fine from the moment he won the bid until they brought it back to the inn. Nothing had happened when he touched its surface or even kicked it in frustration.
"Shit, what is this?"
Not only Falco and Charles, who were watching from a few steps away, but even Yohan himself was momentarily taken aback.
―My divinity and the evil god's energy within the statue are clashing. Apostle, approach this with a more devout heart.
"Alright, alright, I get it."
―This is no mere destruction of a filthy statue. It is a sacred ritual to purify evil in the name of a god.
Right. Purifying evil as the Apostle of the Unnamed Goddess. He repeated this to himself several times as he focused his mind once more.
Crackle!
Once again, red sparks crackled across the statue's surface. At the same time, Yohan felt a tingling pain start from his fingertips and spread throughout his entire body.
―Focus, focus!
As the Goddess's voice echoed in his mind, Yohan suddenly saw an illusion of her hand overlapping his own.
No, this was no mere illusion. Her divine power had manifested in her form for a brief moment. He could feel her presence—which should have been completely spiritual—right against his skin. At the same time, he had a strong premonition that he could destroy this statue now.
Screeech!
The more divine power he channeled, the more sparks erupted from the statue. Along with that, its metallic surface began to crack, emitting a grating, resonant screech.
"Ugh..."
Yohan groaned involuntarily at the intensifying pain. Watching this, Falco frowned, and Charles reflexively covered his ears.
Still, he could do it. No, he had to. There were two reasons why he absolutely had to succeed.
First, because he was the Goddess's Apostle. Since they were bound to protect each other's lives, he couldn't back down. And second—which was actually a bit more important:
"Ugh..."
If he failed here, he would die of embarrassment. Summoning every ounce of his willpower, Yohan slammed the Goddess's divine energy into the statue.
A few seconds passed.
Crack!
From deep within the finely cracked statue, a loud fracturing sound echoed.
―――――!
Immediately after, an explosion accompanied by a blinding red flash filled his vision.
"Gack!"
Blown back by the sudden blast, Yohan crashed straight into the wall of the room. The impact of his back hitting the hard wall sent a sharp, stabbing pain through his chest.
"Ugh..."
Yohan wasn't the only one left in a battered state by the explosion. Falco, Charles, and the room's belongings were all scattered across the floor in utter chaos.
"Son of a..."
He felt as if he had been beaten to a pulp. Grimacing heavily, Yohan let out a heartfelt curse.
―Thou hast succeeded. Well done.
The Goddess's voice echoed in his mind once more. Picking himself up, Yohan looked back at the table.
In place of the statue, a pile of shattered metal fragments lay on the table. Yohan could sense that the ominous energy the statue had been emitting was completely gone.
"It actually worked."
Yohan muttered with a look of disbelief.
―Dost thou react so over merely destroying a single statue? If thou wieldest the Apostle's Authority well, thou couldst tear even a descended demon limb from limb.
Her highly excited voice filled his head. Ignoring her, Yohan gently poked the fragments piled on the table.
The moment his fingertip touched them, the fragments crumbled into fine powder. It was hard to believe this was the same metal statue that had remained perfectly intact even when thrown or kicked.
In any case, a success was a success. Reaching that conclusion, Yohan finally relaxed his face and smirked confidently.
"Heh, did you see that?"
Knock, knock.
Just as he was about to boast to the other two, a sudden knock sounded from the door.
"Wh-who is it?"
Yohan stood in front of the door and spoke through the wood.
"Is everything alright in there? We received complaints about a loud noise coming from this room."
It turned out to be the innkeeper.
"Yes, yes! Everything's fine. I just dropped a heavy object while unpacking my bags."
Yohan blurted out a lie on the spot.
"Alright then."
Fortunately, his flimsy excuse worked. Yohan let out a small sigh of relief as he heard the innkeeper's footsteps fade away.
―What an utterly absurd excuse, yet thou hast managed to pass it off.
"Well, he probably just doesn't want to get involved in anything troublesome. If I broke the room, he can just charge me when I check out anyway."
People avoided unnecessary trouble. That was the same reason why none of the passersby had helped Charles. Balifield was simply that kind of place.
The next day, the group visited the Undercity market once again. Although they had recovered some of the Junk Town residents' lost belongings while searching the market and auction house the previous day, there might still be things they had missed.
"Then I'll head over that way. Let's meet back at the inn later."
"Sure."
Falco went to search the market on her own, while Yohan decided to accompany Charles. Though it had been an impulsive promise, he had agreed to protect Charles for as long as they stayed in this city.
Falco quickly wove her way through the crowd. Watching her disappear, Yohan finally turned his gaze to Charles.
"Shall we get going too?"
"Yes, sir."
Frankly, if Charles's safety was the top priority, it would have been better to leave him at the inn and have only the two of them search the Undercity. However, cooping him up in the room all day would be suffocating, so Yohan chose the next best option: taking him along but keeping a very close eye on him.
"Well, you probably have a decent eye for merchandise, so keep a lookout for anything good on the stalls."
"Are we competing to see who finds better items, then?"
Yohan shook his head at Charles's question.
"No. I'll just look for the items we need to find. You should focus on making some money."
"Ah."
Although it was a significant sum for a child to carry, Charles's current funds were a bit tight for surviving alone in a foreign land. He had likely spent a fortune hiring those thugs as escorts. Yohan shook his head, thinking of the boy's predicament.
The two of them searched the market for about two hours. Since the market was located underground, its physical size was limited, but the sheer volume of goods for sale was still staggering.
After scouring various corners of the market, they finally managed to find one stolen item that matched the description given by a Junk Town resident.
"Hmm, is it about time to eat?" Yohan said, patting his stomach.
"Let's go grab some food first."
"Yes, sir!"
After all, a well-fed person works better. Yohan led Charles out of the market and into a restaurant that caught his eye along the main street of the Undercity.
"Welcome. How many?"
"Two. Me and this kid."
"Take a seat at that empty table in the corner."
The restaurant was quite crowded. This was proof that the food here was decent, which was a welcome sign for Yohan.
Sitting down, Yohan naturally tuned in to the conversations of the people around him.
"Did you hear that loud noise from the surface last night?"
"Yeah, I heard. Apparently, some idiot mercenary got drunk and set off magic in his room."
It had barely been half a day, and the rumor had already spread to the Undercity.
―He was indeed an idiot, but he was neither drunk nor was it magic. Hehehe.
"Shut it."
As he listened to the exaggerated and bloated rumors, the Goddess's voice chimed in his head. Yohan snapped back in a low whisper and leaned against the back of his chair.
Meanwhile, Charles kept glancing at Yohan for some reason. Did he have something to say?
Yohan shrugged as he looked at Charles.
"Something on your mind?"
"Well... I was just thinking about what you said yesterday," Charles replied with an awkward smile.
He was referring to Yohan's words about how it was better to land a blow before dying rather than just dying helplessly.
"Hmph." Yohan snorted softly, but his expression was far from mocking.
―True words. Even if it is in vain, failing to do what one can is far more unsightly. The Goddess's reaction mirrored Yohan's.
As they sat quietly waiting for their food, someone soon approached their table. It seemed their order was ready.
"Excuse me for a moment." However, the person who stopped at their table was not a restaurant employee.
"Who are you?"
The man had a gloomy, shady impression that contrasted sharply with his neat attire. Not only Yohan, but also the patrons at the surrounding tables turned their attention toward him.
Sensing their gazes, the man swept his eyes over the room. Instantly, everyone who had been staring looked away and resumed eating as if nothing had happened.
The man turned his gaze back to Yohan. Then, in a low voice, he spoke.
"The Boss is looking for you. Please come with me."