Traces of Heresy, Part 5
A few days after the minor commotion at the tavern, the Inquisitor in question quickly vanished. For a few days, her routine consisted of investigating passersby heading to and from the Undercity by day, and stopping by the tavern to drink herself into a stupor once the sun went down. There was no way of knowing whether she had decided there was nothing left to find in Balifield and left to investigate elsewhere, or if she had returned to the Holy Kingdom empty-handed. Regardless of her daily binge-drinking, rumors confirmed she was indeed a real Inquisitor carrying an identification token issued by the Central Church of the Holy Kingdom. As such, Yohan considered it a stroke of immense good fortune that the matter had concluded without any major trouble.
Meanwhile, Yohan spent the next few days slipping in and out of the Undercity, lending a hand with the flood recovery efforts. While Yohan was busy with manual labor underground, Falco and Charles roamed all over the surface of Balifield. She excused this by claiming Charles seemed bored, but to anyone watching, it was glaringly obvious that Falco was the one dying of boredom. Yohan didn't call her out on it. Now that the threat of the Big Boss was gone, there was no real danger as long as she didn't venture back down to the underworld where people might recognize her face.
"Thank you so much. Those Family bastards who used to shake us down for protection money are nowhere to be seen—probably fish food by now—but having you help out like this makes things so much easier."
When a young man with superhuman strength offered to help clean up for free, the Undercity residents were wary at first. But by the third day, they were actively seeking him out.
"Right. Hey, old man, I think it's about time for me to head out."
"Is that so? I figured you'd be leaving soon."
The shopkeeper Yohan had helped on the first day had finished cleaning up his own place and joined Yohan in helping the neighbors. The neighborhood was currently in such ruins that business had ground to a halt, but the man apparently ran a general store on the first floor of his building, selling various travel supplies. In truth, calling it a general store was a polite euphemism; he likely acquired stolen goods circulating in the Undercity market and resold them at a premium. Not that Yohan was judging the man's business model. On the contrary, Yohan respected that kind of entrepreneurial hustle as a talent in its own right. Of course, thinking back to how he had been swindled into buying that statue due to Charles's bluff still made his blood boil.
"Well, I'd like to buy you one last meal before you go. Got some time?"
Yohan shook his head at the shopkeeper's offer.
"No, it's fine. A free meal is nice once or twice, but I shouldn't push it."
"You really don't have to be polite. Well, safe travels then. If you ever find yourself back in Balifield, stop by my shop and sell me some goods."
"If I remember."
With those parting words, Yohan turned and walked toward the exit of the Undercity.
—Are you more at ease now?
As he stepped into a deserted alleyway, the Goddess's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Shut it."
Yohan replied bluntly and let out a sigh.
—You have walked the streets and witnessed the damage yourself, so surely you must know. Though the river flooded the underground, the brunt of the disaster fell upon those Family scoundrels. Since the water rose from the very bottom, the casualties were remarkably low. At most, a few slow-footed Family thugs were found drowned.
Yohan quickened his pace toward the inn. His business in Balifield was finished. It was time to return to Junk Town and report the completion of the request to that muscle-bound sheriff. As for Charles... if the kid decided to tag along, he would become Believer Number Three.
—Now, we shall return to Junk Town and make my name known to its residents!
The Goddess spoke in a highly excited tone. Unfortunately for her, Yohan did not share her enthusiasm.
"I did consider using a single town as a base to spread the faith at first, but..."
—Ah, so you have conceived another plan.
"Yeah."
Coincidentally, the spark for this new idea had come from the nameless Inquisitor he had met the other day.
"Remember what that woman said to me last time?"
—If memory serves, she called you a petty miser who looked like he belonged on the streets.
"Why you..."
—Did she not refer to you as a traveler of some renown?
"Exactly. That's when it hit me."
Yohan explained his new concept to the Goddess. There was no need to stay in one place and attract the Holy Kingdom's attention. Instead, they could travel across the continent like a troupe of nomads, quietly spreading faith in the Unnamed Goddess as they went.
—The concept is not entirely without merit. The believers we leave behind in our wake may continue to spread the faith on our behalf.
"Right? It'll be more physically demanding than staying in one village, but at least the risk of those Holy Kingdom bastards hunting us down will be way lower."
I'll have to discuss the details with Falco once we get back to the inn, Yohan thought.
"Traveling while spreading the faith instead of settling down... Yes, that is a very sound approach."
Upon returning to the inn, Yohan immediately pitched his idea to Falco and Charles. Hearing Falco agree put his mind at ease.
"The Inquisitor you met a few days ago only let you go because she didn't know who you were," Falco pointed out. "But once we start actively proselytizing, the Holy Kingdom will inevitably come after us."
"Exactly. That's why they sent someone here in the first place—because that bastard Big Boss was operating exclusively in Balifield, making it easy to track him down."
With this, their future course of action was set. Perhaps it was time to invest in a larger, sturdier carriage.
"Alright, now we just need your input."
Yohan turned to Charles. The boy merely nodded, his expression solemn.
"Just so we're clear, coming with us means serving the dimwitted Goddess I worship."
"Yohan is right," Falco added. "We aren't even large enough to be called a proper religion yet, but eventually, people will hunt us down as heretics."
The two took turns warning Charles. In truth, Yohan secretly hoped the boy would join them. It was because Charles had ended up in a situation so similar to his own. However, he didn't let it show. The kid had to make this decision entirely on his own. This godforsaken world had no mercy for children. From the brother who had exiled Charles from his family, to the bandits who murdered his nominal bodyguards, to the thugs who threatened their employer's life despite being paid—none of them cared about age.
"Whichever you choose, I will respect your decision," Falco said. "And in Balifield's current state, you should be able to find a way to survive on your own."
Charles tilted his head in confusion at Falco's words.
"A massive influx of Undercity residents, who weren't even counted in the official population before, have flooded the surface," Falco explained.
"Ah."
Hearing Yohan's previous explanations, Charles finally understood what Falco meant.
"And since Balifield is a reasonably large city, there are facilities that take in homeless children."
Though you'll have to strike out on your own once you're old enough, Falco added inwardly.
Charles fell silent for a long time. Yohan and Falco waited patiently for him to speak.
"Yohan."
At last, Charles parted his lips.
"You told me back then... that rather than dying helplessly, it's better to go down swinging, even if it kills you."
Yohan nodded silently.
"I've been thinking about it, and I believe you're right."
"Then..."
Falco murmured softly, anticipating Charles's decision.
"Yes. I'm going to stay here and build my own merchant group."
"Your own merchant group..."
It wouldn't be easy. In fact, it was bound to be incredibly difficult. Yohan crossed his arms, turning the boy's words over in his mind.
"Of course, I'm not just saying this without a plan."
Charles looked up at Yohan, his voice brimming with confidence.
"To be honest, he wasn't just sightseeing these past few days," Falco chimed in, standing beside Charles as if she had already heard his plan beforehand.
"Well, in chaotic times like this, it wouldn't be strange at all for an unfamiliar kid to show up at an orphanage."
It was a bit of a shame, but what could they do? Yohan decided to respect Charles's wishes. No matter how much the boy's young age triggered his protective instincts, ultimately, it was Charles's right to decide how he wanted to live his life.
"Alright. In that case... Oh."
Suddenly, another idea popped into Yohan's head. A sly grin spread across his face as he clapped a hand onto Charles's shoulder.
"Hey, how would you feel about working at a shop that provides free room and board?"
Yohan brought the two down to the Undercity. Charles was fine, but Falco couldn't show her face, so she wore a hood that completely concealed her features.
Once inside, the trio headed deep into the Undercity. Their destination was the home of the general store owner Yohan had been helping for the past few days.
Having recovered significantly from the flood, the neighborhood felt remarkably peaceful. Aside from the hard stone ceiling overhead instead of a blue sky, it was barely distinguishable from the streets above.
"We're here."
Yohan led Falco and Charles to a building. It was the general store, which had already finished cleaning its interior and resumed business.
"Yo, old man."
"Oh! Have you come to say your final goodbyes before leaving? Or did you already find some goods to sell me?"
As they stepped inside, a familiar face greeted them. Yohan shook the shopkeeper's hand lightly and gestured with his chin toward his two companions.
"And they are..."
"Oh, my friends."
Yohan replied with a grin.
"...Your wife and daughter?"
"What the fuck?"
The shopkeeper's question made Yohan swear reflexively.
"I'm afraid we're not in that kind of relationship," Falco stepped forward, correcting the shopkeeper's misunderstanding.
"Ah, my apologies. You two just looked so much like a young couple with a little daughter."
"I-I'm a boy!" Charles protested.
The shopkeeper stared at the three of them, utterly dumbfounded.
"Anyway, that's not why we're here," Yohan said, patting Charles's shoulder as he spoke. "Old man, do you happen to need a kid to help out around the shop?"
"An extra hand... Well, it would certainly be nice. You mean this little guy?"
At the shopkeeper's question, Yohan and Charles nodded in unison.
"Yeah. He might not look like much, but he's incredibly fast with numbers and sharp as a tack."
"Y-You don't even have to pay me. Just food and a place to sleep is enough..."
The two pitched themselves in their own ways.
"Still, this is a bit sudden..." the shopkeeper muttered, his expression turning serious. He fell silent, deep in thought for a long moment.
"Well, yeah, it's not an easy decision to make on the spot. I know it's a lot to ask out of nowhere," Yohan said, offering an excuse.
Even so, Yohan desperately hoped the shopkeeper would accept. Although the Undercity Family had been wiped out for now, it was only a matter of time before new factions emerged to claim the vacant throne of the underworld. This kid still needed a guardian.
"If it helps, I can pay you some money upfront," Yohan offered, reaching into his coat for his coin pouch.
"No, that's not what I meant," the shopkeeper stopped him.
"You've already helped me so much. It would be ungrateful of me to demand money on top of that."
At his words, Yohan and Falco's expressions brightened.
"How about we make a contract instead?"
"A contract?"
"Indeed. You want someone to look after the kid, and despite how I look, I'm a businessman."
"Though I was forced to close shop this past week because of the flood," the shopkeeper added with a sheepish laugh.
"I don't mean a formal contract with paperwork and signatures. Just keep doing what you do, and if you find any decent goods on your travels, bring them to me first."