Traces of Heresy, Part 4
"Hup." Squeezing through the crowd, Yohan made his way into the Undercity, heading straight toward its flooded heart.
Reaching the slope that overlooked the Undercity Family's headquarters, he could see that things were looking much better compared to when the floodwaters had first rushed in. Back then, the headquarters had been almost entirely submerged; now, the water had receded to about the height of the second floor.
Just like how the stone gates shut automatically once everyone evacuated, is there some kind of emergency bulkhead system that seals off the flooded areas? Yohan wondered.
"The water level definitely went down a lot since then."
—It is just as the people said. It seems the architects of this subterranean space feared that some idiot might one day breach the ceiling where the river flows.
"..."
He didn't have a single leg to stand on. To be fair, even Yohan hadn't expected the Goddess's power to be that devastating when channeled at maximum output. Then again, even if she was weakened and on the verge of fading, it was still the power of a literal deity.
When Yohan, who would usually snap back with a barrage of curses, remained silent, the Goddess refrained from nagging him any further.
"Anyway, let's go help clear some of the trash off the streets first."
—What about distributing clothes or food?
"On second thought, I'm a bit tight on cash."
He wasn't just joking. It was better to let the local lord handle the material aid while he contributed manual labor to help with the recovery efforts.
"Hey, give us a hand over here!"
Sure enough, all over the Undercity, residents were busy clearing away debris of all sizes washed in by the river. It wasn't just household trash, either. The wreckage of buildings shattered by the raging currents was mixed in, making the cleanup far from an easy task.
At this scale, it was too much for ordinary human hands to handle. Unfortunately, this world lacked heavy machinery to haul heavy loads. While there were tools powered by manual labor or mana, such luxuries were nowhere to be found in a place like the Undercity.
But that was fine. If there was one thing Yohan excelled at, it was raw physical labor. After all, the simplest way to use the Goddess's Authority was to physically reinforce his own body.
Yohan immediately joined one of the groups, focusing on hauling away the largest and heaviest debris. After assisting with the recovery efforts for quite some time, he finally managed to clear all the wreckage surrounding a single house.
"Well, I'll be. You look pretty scrawny, but you've got the strength of an ox."
The owner of the house Yohan had just cleared approached him, patting him on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Are you picking a fight with me?"
"Bwahaha! You've certainly got some bite to you! Anyway, thanks for the help. Thanks to you, young man, the area around my house is already spotless."
The homeowner turned his head to scan the surroundings. Dozens of houses lined the slope, and most of their owners were either still struggling with the debris or had given up entirely.
"To be honest, the water got inside and flooded all the way up to the second floor, but I'm just glad the outside is cleared."
"I can help you clean the inside too."
At Yohan's offer, the homeowner's eyes widened, and he waved his hands dismissively.
"Oh, absolutely not! I can't ask for more after you've already done so much. You must be exhausted, so don't push yourself."
I'm honestly not tired at all... Yohan thought, though he figured there was no need to say it out loud.
"Anyway, you worked hard, so I'd like to buy you a meal."
"A meal? A home-cooked meal?"
At the homeowner's offer, Yohan's eyes suddenly lit up. His blunt attitude did a complete 180, catching the homeowner off guard for a moment.
"It's a home-cooked meal, right?"
Yohan had a bit of a romanticized fantasy about fantasy-world home cooking. It was just that, given his lifestyle up until now, he had rarely had the chance to experience it.
"Ah, that's impossible. Didn't I just say? The inside of my house is still a disaster zone."
"Ah."
"But if we head up a bit, there's a decent place. It's not a dedicated restaurant, but a tavern on the first floor of an inn. The food they serve there is actually quite good."
It was a shame he couldn't get a home-cooked meal, but this wasn't a bad alternative. Yohan gave a light nod.
"Then let's head over right now. I was actually starting to get a bit hungry."
"Bwahaha! It's my treat, so eat until you burst!"
The homeowner laughed heartily and led the way. Before following, Yohan cast one last glance toward the Family's headquarters at the bottom of the slope, then quickly caught up with the man.
The tavern the homeowner led him to was bustling enough to be noticed from the outside. This only heightened Yohan's expectations.
"Come on, let's head inside. If there are no seats, we'll make some."
As they stepped inside, the mouthwatering aroma of cooked meat tickled his nose.
"Holy crap, that smells amazing."
Yohan muttered in awe without realizing it. The homeowner simply chuckled warmly.
—Is the aroma truly that exquisite? I, too, wish to try some.
He heard the Goddess whining in his head, but Yohan casually ignored her and took a seat.
"What kind of dish smells this good?"
"It's a beef stew, and it's absolutely top-tier. The broth is thick, and they don't skimp on the meat."
By now, Yohan's anticipation had reached its peak. He watched the homeowner place their order, then turned his head to scan the crowded tavern.
At one table, patrons were chatting away over empty plates; at another, a family was enjoying a meal together.
"Oh, oh my..."
Before long, their food arrived. Yohan picked up his spoon, his face flushed with anticipation.
SLAM!
But at that exact moment, a heavy, dull impact echoed through the tavern. Startled, both Yohan and the homeowner whipped their heads toward the source of the noise.
"Ah, damn it! This is so freaking annoying!"
The source of the commotion was a woman with a sharp-looking face. She was clearly wasted, her face as red as a beet as she bellowed at the top of her lungs.
The table she occupied was a complete mess, soaked in beer that had splashed everywhere when she slammed her mug down.
—She appears to be spectacularly drunk.
The Goddess offered a brief observation. Yohan silently agreed. Is she the type who's usually cold and quiet but turns into a total beast when she drinks? he wondered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh dear, ma'am, you've had way too much to drink. Let me clean up the table for you."
"Clean? Clean it up? Yeah, you said it."
The woman seemed ready to pick a fight even with the employee who had approached to wipe down the table.
"Hey. Do you know what my specialty is?"
Yohan quickly looked away, terrified of making eye contact.
"Huh? Under the orders of our great and fucking glorious Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I track down those goddamn heretics and wipe them off the face of this earth. That's my specialty!"
—What did she say?
But the woman had just uttered words that neither the Goddess nor Yohan could possibly ignore.
—Did you hear that?
"Yeah."
Yohan was so startled that he accidentally answered the Goddess out loud. Fortunately, everyone's attention was glued to the shouting woman, so no one noticed him talking to himself.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and heresy. Those two keywords pointed to only one thing. That woman was undoubtedly an Inquisitor dispatched from the Holy Kingdom.
Yohan suddenly recalled what Big Boss had said—that the Church seemed to have caught wind of something, so he had thrown them a decoy.
—Could she have come here after sensing my presence?
No, that's highly unlikely, Yohan thought, shaking his head at the Goddess's worried voice. The Inquisitor had almost certainly come here tracking Big Boss's trail. The problem was that Yohan had absolutely nothing to gain from getting involved with her.
"Heresy, huh... Must be from the Holy Kingdom."
The homeowner muttered nonchalantly and resumed eating. Yohan, however, couldn't bring himself to touch his stew.
"Eat up, friend. It won't taste good once it gets cold."
"Y-yeah, right. Let's eat."
"Just ignore her. This kind of stuff is daily life around here."
At this rate, even if he managed to swallow the food, he doubted he could digest it. Suppressing the urge to bolt from the tavern immediately, Yohan forced his spoon to move.
Don't panic. As long as I don't catch her eye, there's absolutely nothing to fear, Yohan reassured himself.
But wait... What crime did I even commit to be this terrified of an Inquisitor? Once his thoughts reached that point, a sudden wave of indignation washed over him.
—Calm down. There is no way she could know your true identity. From your appearance alone, she would sooner take you for a common street thug than an Apostle of a deity.
It seemed the Goddess had read his inner turmoil through his facial expression.
"Ugh..."
The situation was incredibly uncomfortable, yet the food was undeniably delicious. Trapped in a bizarre mix of anxiety and culinary satisfaction, Yohan continued his meal.
Or rather, he tried to.
"Hey, you there."
The drunk woman's voice sounded from right behind him. In that instant, Yohan felt his heart drop, but he desperately forced his expression to remain neutral.
"Who, me?"
"Not you. The black-haired guy over there."
Please don't let it be me. Holding onto a sliver of hope, Yohan scanned the room for anyone else with black hair.
"Fuck."
Before long, he realized that he was the only black-haired person in the entire tavern.
Yohan briefly contemplated jumping up and running for his life, but he quickly realized that doing so would only make things infinitely worse.
"W-what is it?"
He had only one option left. Answering in a slightly trembling voice, Yohan slowly turned around.
"You look like a traveler who's been around the block. Have you seen any heretical cults around here?"
I'm the Apostle spreading that heretical faith, you crazy bitch. Swallowing the words that surged to the tip of his tongue, Yohan simply shrugged.
"I wouldn't know. I only arrived here a few days ago anyway."
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
The woman cast a suspicious glare at Yohan's nonchalant response. But he wasn't actually lying. Yohan really had arrived in Balifield just a few days ago.
Even if she possessed some ability to detect lies, he had spoken the absolute truth, so his identity shouldn't be exposed.
"Tsk. Every single person I ask doesn't know a damn thing."
The woman grumbled sarcastically, picking up her beer mug and bringing it to her lips.
"What? It's empty."
But because she had slammed the mug down earlier, spilling most of the liquid, there was barely a drop left inside.
"Hey! Bring me another beer!"
—Did I not tell you? As long as you do not say anything foolish, you will not arouse suspicion.
Yohan tuned out the Goddess's nagging and picked up his spoon once more.
"..."
But for some reason, after taking a single bite of the stew, he froze. The homeowner, who had already finished more than half of his own bowl, looked at him with a tilted head.
"Damn it, it's completely cold."
The rich, savory flavor from earlier was entirely gone. The stew, which had thickened as it cooled, was now nothing more than a bowl of greasy, lukewarm broth.