The Vegan Troll's Cabin, Part 16
"Sigh. We can't even ride this back."
"Yeah. The horses bolted in the first place."
Yohan and Falco exchanged brief words. The carriage, completely collapsed from the troll attack, looked beyond saving even to Yohan, who knew absolutely nothing about carpentry. At this rate, there was no way they could enjoy a comfortable ride back. Just as Falco said, the horses that had been pulling the carriage had panicked and fled far, far away.
Alternatively, they could use the Goddess's power to teleport back to a human village. But Yohan wanted to avoid wasting the Goddess's divine power if at all possible. There was no telling when they might face another situation like the one in Valifield, where they had to exhaust almost all the divine power they had accumulated.
"Well, I guess we'll just take this bastard's head and head back," Yohan spoke, lightly nudging the Troll Chief's head, which lay solitary on the dirt ground, with the toe of his boot.
Flash!
In that instant, a bright light suddenly flared before his eyes, and the Goddess manifested.
"Do you want to kick it too?" Yohan asked in a slightly startled tone at her unexpected appearance.
But she merely shook her head with a solemn, serious expression. "My Apostle. Do you not still sense the lingering presence of evil in this vicinity?"
At her question, Yohan scanned their surroundings. A village where a tribe of just over a hundred trolls had resided. But now, not a single inhabitant remained. They had all been swept up in the evil-purging flames Yohan had unleashed, reduced to nothing but ash. Even the Chief, who had managed to endure the flames, had ultimately had his head severed by Yohan's sword. All that remained were the skeletal remains of the victims they had tortured and consumed, and the swarms of insects buzzing around the decaying corpses.
"..."
Something was off. There was definitely still an unpleasant energy lingering in the area. It wasn't just the stench of rotting flesh. It wasn't a smell. It was, quite literally, the remnant of demonic energy. Thanks to being the Goddess's Apostle, Yohan could sense such energy far more sensitively than others.
"Over there," the Goddess said, pointing her index finger toward an exceptionally large dwelling. A building whose entire roof and walls were decorated with the bones and skins of victims—a place more fittingly described as a human slaughterhouse than a home. Anyone could tell at a glance that it was the Troll Chief's house.
Yohan headed toward the Troll Chief's house with the Goddess.
"Ugh—damn it, what is this?"
The moment he pulled aside the hanging curtain at the entrance and stepped inside, an evil energy incomparably more foul than before washed over him. While Yohan grimaced deeply, the Goddess, perhaps accustomed to such things, calmly scanned the interior.
"Just as I thought. There it is."
Before long, the Goddess spotted an object resting at the head of a massive bed.
"My Apostle. Bring that object to me."
"I won't get possessed by a demon just by touching it, right?"
"No such thing will happen."
Looking at it, it was just a simple wooden idol carved from timber.
"I don't get why every single one of these demon bastards is so obsessed with statues," Yohan grumbled under his breath but obediently followed the Goddess's instructions. In truth, he had been worried that some disaster might strike the moment his hand touched the carving, but fortunately, nothing happened.
"My Apostle. What kind of object does this appear to be to your eyes?" the Goddess asked, turning the wooden idol over in her hands as she inspected it.
Yohan crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Looks like some kind of totem made for ritualistic purposes. It definitely wasn't carved for artistic appreciation."
"You speak truly. Furthermore, this wooden idol is quite different from the bird statue you discovered in Valifield."
"How so, specifically?"
When Yohan asked, the Goddess set the wooden idol down on the floor. Then, she brushed the dust off her hands. "That bird statue was an ordinary object into which the Big Boss had injected demonic energy."
"Right, yeah."
"On the other hand, this wooden idol... was crafted for a single purpose from the very beginning."
A single purpose. Yohan chewed over the meaning of the Goddess's words.
"So, are you saying this idol drove the people of this village to madness?"
While Yohan was lost in thought, Billy and Falco emerged from behind the hanging curtain.
"To be precise, it amplified the severity of the atrocities they were already committing."
Naturally, the four of them gathered and sat in a circle around the wooden idol.
"Wait a second. Doesn't that mean someone made this and handed it over to them?"
"Indeed," the Goddess replied to Yohan's question.
"Then..."
"Hmm. It seems a new demon was not born from the atrocities of these cannibalistic trolls."
"I figured."
Should he consider that a relief? Yohan smacked his lips bitterly as he looked down at the idol radiating evil energy. If a new demon had indeed been born from the horrific deeds of the cannibalistic troll village as Yohan had feared, he would have had to fight yet another demon emerging from the Troll Chief's corpse.
"So that means someone else brought this idol to the village," Billy, who had only been listening to their conversation, spoke up.
The Goddess nodded silently in response.
"Did some other demon worshipper like that bastard Big Boss leave it here?"
"That is highly likely. As you have said, is this continent not currently a lawless land teeming with all manner of evil, save for its central region?"
This continent was vast. And in places untouched by the Holy Kingdom and its alliance, unspeakable horrors occurred daily. In that sense, Junk Town was a perfectly livable place, and Valifield was practically paradise on earth.
"Now, fulfill your duty as my Apostle."
"Got it."
Yes. He had been waiting for those words. Yohan replied immediately to the Goddess's command and reached his hand toward the wooden idol.
Crackle!
As Yohan channeled divine power from his fingertips, dark red sparks erupted from the surface of the idol.
"It might explode, so everyone wait outside," Yohan then told Billy and Falco.
"E-Explode?"
"Yeah. The last one blew up spectacularly, so let's get out of here quick."
Billy asked back in a panicked voice, but Falco quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him outside. Thus, only Yohan and the Goddess remained inside.
"Alright. Let's do this again."
Yohan focused his mind and poured out an even greater amount of divine power. The wooden idol, which had only been emitting sparks, began to shudder violently.
Fssss.
After a few seconds of thrashing as if it were about to detonate, the wooden idol suddenly burst into flames and dissolved into a pile of ash in an instant. The Goddess's divine power and demonic energy were polar opposites.
"Huh. It didn't blow up this time?"
"It is likely because your skill in wielding the Apostle's Authority has improved in the meantime."
"Hmm."
Yohan stood up and brushed the dust off his pants. Now, should they really head back? With this, everything here was finished.
"No, wait."
No. There was still one thing left.
"What else have you thought of?"
At the Goddess's question, Yohan nodded firmly. "You purified that whole group of undead in the dungeon last time, right?"
"I did, yes."
"Can't you do it again this time? There are corpses and human bones scattered everywhere."
The bones littered all over the ground belonged to people who had been brutally tortured and unjustly sacrificed. Yohan wanted to offer at least a shred of compassion to the deceased.
The party temporarily laid Jack's body down in the carriage and gathered the remains of the victims scattered across the cannibal troll village into one place. It was undoubtedly grueling labor for just three people, but far from showing any reluctance, both Falco and Billy seemed to welcome the task.
"Whew—"
"This is pretty exhausting."
It took them a full three hours just to gather the visible remains into one spot. Even so, it was completed relatively quickly because of Yohan's experience helping with the flood recovery efforts in Valifield.
"Alright, everything's ready."
"Yes. You all did well."
Gazing at the mountain of remains, Yohan quickly stepped aside for the Goddess. The Goddess stood directly in front of the pile of bones, with the other three standing behind her.
Clasp.
The Goddess interlaced her fingers as if in prayer. Then, she gently closed her eyes and bowed her head.
"O nameless, innocent souls, sacrificed to the machinations of fiends in human guise."
Whoosh!
The moment the Goddess spoke, the entire pile of remains suddenly glowed brightly, and pure white flames erupted in an instant.
"Those..."
Flames of the exact same color Yohan had summoned earlier. Realizing this, Billy wore a look of considerable surprise.
"...Those who desecrated and brutally murdered you have been brought to justice by my Apostle's hand. Cast aside your lingering grudges and enter eternal rest."
The Goddess comforted the souls of the victims in a very soft, yet crystal-clear voice. The white flames consuming the remains flared even more intensely, as if responding to her words. Yet, despite the raging fire, there was not a single hint of threat. Instead, a gentle peace spread, as if soothing their battle-weary minds and bodies.
The purifying fire born from the Goddess's touch. The white flames only extinguished completely after consuming the very last of the remains.
A brief silence enveloped the area. Yohan merely watched the Goddess's back with an indifferent face, while Falco and Billy sniffled in turn, visibly moved.
How long did the silence last?
"Now!" the Goddess suddenly cried out in a cheerful voice, spinning around.
"This is the power of I, the nameless yet benevolent and righteous Goddess!"
"Wow, truly amazing."
At the Goddess's self-aggrandizing remark, Yohan clapped his hands half-heartedly.
"Ahem. Now, let us return to the village. We shall show the villagers the head of the cannibal Troll Chief and announce our victory!"
Flash!
The moment she finished speaking, the Goddess turned into her spiritual form and vanished. Billy blinked blankly, completely dazed, while Yohan and Falco exchanged a brief look before moving to retrieve Jack's body and the Troll Chief's head respectively.
"W-Wait. I will... carry Uncle Jack."
As Yohan came out carrying Jack's body, which he had temporarily laid in the carriage, Billy walked up and asked to take Jack himself.
"Sure, go ahead."
He must still feel a sense of responsibility. In times like this, refusing would only hurt each other's feelings for no reason.
"Thank you."
Yohan handed Jack's body over to Billy right away. Billy carefully cradled Jack in his arms.
"So, how long of a walk is it from here to the village?" Falco, holding the Troll Chief's head, approached and asked.
Billy looked up and glanced at the sky. The sky, which had been pure blue, was now half-dyed in gold.
"Uh... we should arrive before the sun sets completely."
"Should I just ask her to teleport us?" Yohan suggested at Billy's response.
"Wouldst thou waste my divine power on such a trivial matter?"
But since the Goddess's scolding immediately echoed in his mind, Yohan quickly gave up on the idea.
"Sigh, fine, fine. We'll just walk. Come on, let's get moving."
He had lost count of how many times he had said they should head back today. Yohan let out a deep sigh and began to trudge forward.