Traces of Heresy, Part 6
He had wondered what kind of grandiose condition the man would demand, but it turned out to be nothing special. Yohan, who had been secretly tense, let out a small sigh and shrugged. "If that's the condition, then sure."
There was no reason to refuse. Yohan decided to accept the shopkeeper's proposal. "Alright. The more business partners you have, the better."
In truth, even if he didn't have goods to sell, Yohan had already planned to drop by whenever he had spare time to check on Charles. How long will it take this kid to build the merchant group he talked about? It might take longer than the entire time I've spent in this world so far, Yohan thought to himself.
"Well, that's how things turned out," Yohan said to Charles. Charles looked up at Yohan and nodded silently.
"Thinking about it again, dragging around a kid whose voice hasn't even cracked yet seemed like a bad idea." Yohan offered an excuse no one had asked for. But because everyone knew why he was saying it, no one called him out. Even though they couldn't travel together for practical reasons, they still felt a lingering sense of regret.
"Then I'll take charge of this child at my place."
"Charles. My name is Charles."
"Charles, huh? That's a rare name in these parts." The shopkeeper's eyebrows twitched at Charles's introduction.
"He's from the Corporate State," Yohan added.
"Ho." At Yohan's explanation, the man gasped in surprise, his mouth hanging open.
"Anyway, we're off."
"Drop by often and sell me some goods."
"If I have time." Yohan lightly shook hands with the shopkeeper.
"Come to think of it, I didn't catch your name, old man. I'm Yohan."
"I'm Henry."
Of all names, Charles and Henry? What a ridiculous coincidence. Yohan chuckled to himself.
"See you around, kid."
"Yes. Thank you so much for your help. If I hadn't met you two, I don't know what would have happened..." Charles expressed his heartfelt gratitude. Yohan merely waved his hand dismissively, while Falco, standing beside him, gave a gentle wave.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Yohan and Falco stepped out of Henry's shop. Charles watched their retreating figures with a complex expression, his face filled with a mixture of emotions.
Anomalies are the traces of heresy.
This was a maxim repeated countless times within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. While usually chanted like a slogan, it sometimes led to absurd extremes under the pretext of "investigating the bizarre." For example... dispatching an investigator to a remote frontier based on a single rumor that traces of heresy had been found, just to bring back evidence.
"Phew."
Agnes continued her investigation, walking along a pitch-black corridor in the deepest part of the Undercity, which had only recently drained after being completely flooded. She relied solely on a single oil lantern. Splash. Although most of the river water had receded, puddles still clung to the floor, making her feel as if she were wading through a sewer. Still, it was better than an actual sewer. The sewers of the Holy Kingdom always reeked of rotting corpses.
Today was her last day in this backwater town. This place held the highest probability of containing traces of heresy. Until yesterday, the area had been completely submerged, making entry impossible. That was why her "investigation" had been limited to merely asking passersby about rumors.
Of course, her causing a ruckus in the Undercity taverns every evening had absolutely nothing to do with the investigation. That was simply because she wanted to drink herself silly and enjoy her off-hours.
How long had she been walking along this narrow corridor? Just as she felt she was nearing the end, Agnes reached a point blocked by a half-destroyed stone door.
"Ugh." I really hope this is the end. Agnes thought to herself as she squeezed her body through the gap in the stone door. Splash. Fortunately, the floor didn't drop off sharply on the other side. Agnes carefully waded forward, following the ripples illuminated by her lantern.
The space beyond the stone door was significantly wider than the corridor. Though she couldn't be certain, it seemed to be structured like a grand gallery. It stretched far in every direction, and the ceiling was so high that her lantern's light couldn't reach it.
Agnes raised her arm, holding the lantern high to inspect the ceiling. However, doing so only plunged her legs—which had been barely visible beneath the water—into complete darkness. An oil lantern had its limits. She needed a brighter, stronger light source. Agnes reached into her coat and pulled out a small sphere. It looked like a simple glass marble, but once activated, it would emit a light incomparably brighter than any oil lantern.
The problem was that it was a rather expensive, single-use item. Naturally, her superiors didn't reimburse her for such expenses. Normally, a priest of the Central Church would simply summon a bright light using Miracle Arts. But Agnes couldn't. Despite being an Inquisitor of the Holy Kingdom, she was physically incapable of performing Miracle Arts, the most basic skill of any clergy member. Though her official title was Inquisitor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, she was no different from a layperson when it came to channeling divine miracles.
"Tsk." Clicking her tongue, she squeezed the sphere in her hand. Crack. The glass marble shattered, and a brilliant light burst from her palm. Finally, the interior was illuminated. Agnes raised her head and slowly scanned the gallery. Soon, a specific spot on the ceiling caught her eye. In a corner of the ceiling, which was packed with stone tiles presumably made of the same material as the floor, a hole had been bored.
"..." Agnes crossed her arms and stared at the dark, bottomless hole. In that brief moment, various theories flashed through her mind. Not long ago, the Undercity had been flooded due to a sudden influx of river water, and the very spot she stood in had been completely submerged. Judging by the layout of the surface city and her current location, a river undoubtedly ran directly above her head. Yet, in the ceiling beneath that river, there was a hole so deep that even her powerful light couldn't reach its end. That hole must be where the river water poured in. At least, that was the conclusion she reached based on the information she had gathered so far.
Then, why did that hole exist? It could have been made by the builders of the Undercity. Ventilation was crucial in underground spaces, so the hole might simply be part of the ventilation system scattered throughout the Undercity. "No." This hole was different from the other vents. Rather than being bored from the start for ventilation... Wait. Something is off. Agnes waded through the thigh-deep water and positioned herself directly beneath the massive hole. Up close, she could see it much clearer. She realized that the cut surface of the hole was unnaturally clean.
If the hole had been meant for ventilation as she first assumed, the cut stone should have been worn down over the years. But it wasn't. It looked as if a highly skilled mage had blasted it with a concentrated beam of light. Then, Agnes spotted vitrified crystals along the edge of the cut. This confirmed it. This hole in the ceiling of the deepest part of the Undercity had been intentionally blasted by someone powerful, and relatively recently. Of course, she couldn't tell whether it was a demon worshiper hiding in the Undercity or a hero who had vanquished them. Still, this was more than enough.
Flicker. At that moment, the tool she had used reached the end of its lifespan, and the light illuminating the gallery vanished in an instant. Time to head back. Agnes turned back toward the stone door without hesitation. Investigating the flooded ruins was one thing, but first, she needed to go back to the surface and meet the lord. She would use the lord's authority to track down any powerful individuals currently staying in Balifield or who had visited recently.
A week after the commotion in Balifield, Yohan and Falco finally returned to Junk Town.
"I thought there was at least a fifty percent chance you'd run off for good."
"Is that any way to greet someone who just got back from a hard day's work?"
As they drove the carriage into the town, Wilhelm, who happened to be standing outside the security office, walked over to greet them.
"Hup." Yohan grunted in response to Wilhelm's greeting and hopped down from the driver's seat. He walked around to the back of the carriage and swung the doors open.
"Did you capture them?"
"No. That was impossible," Yohan replied, shaking his head.
"Not a failure, but impossible from the start?"
"Yeah. They were already dead. The entire tomb-raiding crew is gone, except for me and her." Yohan glanced back at Falco as he spoke.
"An annihilation. Did the higher-ups prune their branch office?" Wilhelm quickly grasped how the situation had unfolded. Yohan nodded in agreement and pulled something out of the carriage.
"But I managed to scrounge up a few things from the market." Yohan held out a highly decorated kitchen knife—the stolen item belonging to the innkeeper. "You recognize this knife, right, old man?"
"Yes. It seems you did make an effort to complete the request in your own way." A faint smile played on Wilhelm's lips. This meant Yohan and Falco were officially cleared of all suspicion.
"Good. With this, I'll believe you two weren't in league with them. Good work."
"..." Yohan froze at Wilhelm's declaration. Had a simple "good work" ever struck his heart so deeply? He was genuinely shocked.
"Y-Yeah. I really did work my ass off." At first, he had only intended to retrieve the stolen goods and teach some bad guys a lesson. Somehow, he had ended up dueling a gang boss possessed by a demon and slaying the demon itself. And that wasn't all. He had also participated in an auction and had his hard-earned money extorted...
"Ugh. I really can't do this anymore."
"It must have been tough. You're not usually the type to complain like that." Hearing Yohan's grumbling, Wilhelm offered a rare word of concern. "So, are you leaving right away? Or will you rest for a few days first?" Wilhelm asked.
Instead of answering immediately, Yohan crossed his arms and pondered.
"Well, we'll leave soon, but we don't really have a specific destination in mind." Yohan had already discussed it with the Goddess and Falco. Rather than settling down in one place, they had decided to travel across the continent to spread faith in the Goddess. The problem was that while they had made the decision, they hadn't set a concrete next goal. Since we're here, maybe I should introduce our dummy Goddess to the people of Junk Town like I originally planned, Yohan thought briefly.
"Well, wherever you go is up to you, but you'd better avoid heading north."
"Why? What's up? Did a war break out nearby?" When Yohan asked, Wilhelm shook his head.
"Nothing like that. But I heard rumors of man-eating trolls appearing." Man-eating trolls. They were certainly dangerous creatures. There was no need to take unnecessary risks...
"With your skills, you'd struggle to survive an orc raid, let alone a troll. So there's no reason to go that way—"
"Hey, we're going north."
"Yeah. Let's go north." Yohan shouted to Falco before Wilhelm could even finish his sentence. Falco replied without a moment's hesitation, as if she had been waiting for those exact words.
"That muscle-brained sheriff is testing us! Apostle, if we do not go north, we have already lost!"
The will of the great Goddess matched the two perfectly.