The Road to the Holy City (4)
Immediately after Yohan and Annie left for the Holy Kingdom, the remaining two set to work on improving the village.
"Plant all the branches in a straight line at regular intervals! Just stick them in deep enough so they don't fall over!"
Yohan had structured the village improvement project into three major phases. First, planting various fruits, vegetables, and grains to drastically boost the village's absolute food production. Second, using the power of the ring to grow tree branches cut from the nearby forest into a natural wall, while also utilizing a virtually limitless supply of timber to renovate the shack-like houses. And third, using herbs grown in the village to brew their own potions and remedies.
The third goal was scheduled to be carried out alongside compiling the scriptures of the Church of the Unnamed Goddess once Yohan and Annie returned. Therefore, Falco and Billy had only two tasks to handle, and after consulting with the village elders, they decided to prioritize building the defensive wall.
"The length doesn't matter, so just gather as many live branches as you can and bring them to me!"
The two of them bustled around the village, supervising and assisting the residents with their work. Sweat poured off them like rain and their throats burned with exhaustion, but their burning desire to show tangible results before Yohan returned kept them going.
"Aigoo, this is hard enough to kill a man!"
"Eat some of these fruits and take a break. We've got more fruit than we know what to do with."
"That elf girl from the forest is truly marvelous, isn't she?"
Even as she hurried around the site, Falco used her exceptionally sharp elven hearing to eavesdrop on the villagers' conversations. It wasn't for any productive reason; she simply wanted to hear them praise her.
Falco especially liked that the villagers referred to her as a "young lady." If Yohan had been here, he would have nitpicked and grumbled, "What do you mean, young lady? She's a menace," but he was currently far away, traveling to the center of the continent with Annie.
Of course, Falco wasn't working solely to satisfy her own vanity. As the bearer of the ring left behind by the guardian deity, she felt a genuine sense of duty to use this power for good.
"Falco, this section is ready."
"Okay. I'll be right there."
As she sat in the shade taking a brief break, Billy approached and spoke to her.
"Everyone, step back. The trees are going to grow very quickly."
To speed up the process, the construction of the natural wall around the village was divided into two steps. First, they marked the perimeter with hemp ropes, and the villagers planted the gathered branches along the line. Once a section was complete, they cleared the area for safety, and Falco used the power of her ring to grow the trees.
Flash. She touched the lined-up branches one by one with her fingertips.
Rumble! A brilliant light erupted from the ring and each branch she touched. In an instant, the scrawny twigs—barely as thick as a human thumb—swelled and shot upward into massive trees.
"Whoa."
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still amazing."
"Isn't it literally the Goddess's miracle?"
Watching the trees that had shot up several meters in the blink of an eye, a few resting villagers chatted among themselves. Falco confirmed that the section of branches had grown properly before moving to the next spot.
Compared to the giant, ancient trees she had seen in the Great Forest, these were shorter and slenderer, but it was actually better that they weren't too large. Surrounding the village with unnaturally massive trees would only draw unwanted attention from the outside.
Though the process had been somewhat haphazard, this village and its residents had become precious believers of the Unnamed Goddess. And as companions of Yohan, the Apostle, Falco and Billy had a duty to protect them. For Billy, this village was practically a second home, making the task even more meaningful.
In any case, they had to keep the village hidden from the outside world at least until Yohan and the Goddess finished compiling the scriptures. To achieve this, several villagers who knew the local terrain and mountain ridges inside out had put their heads together to plan the layout of the wall. The ultimate goal was to make the village look like nothing more than a dense forest from the outside.
Having worked continuously from morning until slightly past noon, they decided to take a break for a late lunch.
"Alright, everyone, time to eat!"
A division of labor had naturally formed: the able-bodied men worked on the wall with Billy, while the elderly, women, and children prepared meals for the workers.
"Phew—"
"Good work. It's really exhausting, isn't it?"
Falco sat down alone, slightly apart from the other villagers. Before long, Billy walked over and plonked himself down nearby.
"Still, this is much better than my days as a grave robber. Back then, if you touched the wrong thing in an ancient ruin, you'd trigger deadly traps or run into all kinds of monsters."
"I-I see..."
The two of them immediately began filling their empty stomachs with the food before them. Since Falco's ability was strictly limited to growing plants, there wasn't a single scrap of her beloved meat in sight. Even so, Falco didn't complain. She didn't want to start another argument with the big green lump sitting next to her.
"My, why are you two eating all by yourselves?"
"Are you sharing some secrets or something?"
Before they knew it, a few villagers gathered around them. Falco looked slightly flustered for a moment, but seeing Billy's broad, warm smile, she let her own lips curl upward.
"By the way, since the Apostle isn't here, I've got to ask..."
She had hoped to just focus quietly on her meal, but a villager sitting across from them uttered a question she couldn't possibly ignore.
"We've known Billy since he was a kid, but what exactly is the relationship between you, Miss Elf, and the Apostle?"
It was a remarkably sharp question. Falco looked at the villager and offered a subtle, knowing smile.
"Are you curious about what Yohan and I are to each other?"
She asked, casually twirling the ring on her ring finger. Instantly, every villager around them nodded in unison.
"Of course! We're dying to know."
"Yohan and I are..."
"They're former grave-robbing partners. I heard they traveled together long before they met me."
Billy cut right in, stealing Falco's answer. Not only that, but he gave a response that was completely different from what she had been about to say.
Whoosh!
"Ouch! W-what was that for?!"
Her eyes narrowing to slits, Falco hurled her half-eaten potato straight at Billy. Billy let out a sharp cry of pain and protested, but Falco merely snorted.
"Shut up and eat your food. We have a mountain of work to do."
She snapped coldly.
Just as Annie had said, it took exactly three days to reach the nearest city. They passed through a Holy Kingdom checkpoint along the way, but thanks to the identification token Annie carried, they slipped through without any trouble.
As the sun began to set on the third day, they finally arrived at the city.
"Whoa, now it finally feels like I'm in a foreign country."
Yohan remarked, taking in the sight of the stone buildings lining the streets.
"This is Easthold, the easternmost city of the Holy Kingdom of Justia."
"Heh. You can tell it's in the east just by the name."
"Easthold... I have never heard of this place before."
The Goddess chimed in on their conversation. Of course, Annie couldn't hear her, so Yohan simply let it go in one ear and out the other. Above all, now that they had entered the Holy Kingdom, he absolutely could not risk trying to converse with the spiritual form of the Goddess. In Junk Town, people would just write him off as a lunatic, but here, he could easily be branded a subversive element and dragged off for interrogation.
"And from now on, you'd better watch your tone."
"Ah, yes, ma'am. Will do."
Right. For now, I'm just a country bumpkin from the edge of the continent who's supposed to meet Inquisitor Agnes and dedicate myself to the Central Church. Yohan nodded, keeping this thought firmly in mind.
"From here, we will take a teleportation magic circle to the Holy City. There are a few layovers along the way, but it won't take long."
"Do as you wish. This humble servant will place all his trust in you, Inquisitor."
Yohan spoke with an overly exaggerated, dramatic tone as he looked at Annie. Annie tried to maintain her usual expressionless face despite his teasing, but Yohan didn't miss the faint twitch of her tightly closed lips.
"Since we've done nothing but travel except when sleeping, let's secure a reservation for the magic circle first and then rest for the day."
"A reservation... you say?"
Annie gave a slight nod at Yohan's question.
"Long-distance teleportation magic circles require a cooldown period after each use. On top of that, the demand for circles heading toward the Holy City is incredibly high every single day, so we need to visit the station beforehand to make a reservation."
"Can't you just use your fancy Inquisitor title to force them to adjust the schedule?"
"In theory, yes, but there's no reason to draw resentment from the citizens unnecessarily."
"True enough."
She says that, but I bet other Inquisitors abuse their authority like crazy, Yohan thought.
"Let's head straight to the station then. The streets are complicated, so make sure you don't fall behind."
"Sure thing... I mean, yes, ma'am."
Yohan followed Annie, keeping his eyes wide open to take in the sights of Easthold. The Holy Kingdom was clearly one of the continent's two great superpowers; even this border city boasted a level of grandeur and vitality that rivaled most major capitals.
Yet, it was obvious that not every resident enjoyed a life of luxury and leisure. Down narrow alleyways, he occasionally caught sight of people dressed in exceptionally shabby clothes compared to the rest of the populace.
"The city's poor," Annie remarked, noticing where Yohan was looking.
Her voice was flat, but Yohan could sense the complex tangle of emotions hidden beneath her calm exterior.
"How tragic... Even in a city as prosperous as this, there are still so many who must wander the streets."
The Goddess, who had been quiet until now, openly expressed her sorrow. Strictly speaking, those people were also potential believers of the Goddess of Justice, so her reaction was only natural.
"Apostle. One day, I shall rebuild my faith and create a land where my believers will never go hungry."
The Goddess spoke with a voice heavy with sorrow, yet burning with a quiet resolve. Although Yohan couldn't reply aloud, he felt a deep sense of empathy for her in his heart.
A utopia is a perfect world, and because it is perfect, it cannot exist. However, this was a fantasy world where multiple divine beings with transcendent powers actually existed. In a place like this, a paradise that would be deemed a mere pipe dream in his original world could very well become a reality.
Of course, being theoretically possible was one thing; actually achieving it would require enduring countless trials and tribulations.
"We've arrived. This is the station."
While Yohan was lost in thought, they had arrived at the teleportation magic circle station.
"Will you wait outside? Or would you like to come in with me?"
"Of course I'm going in. Let's get moving... ma'am."
The two of them dismounted simultaneously, tied their horses' reins to the hitching posts, and stepped inside the station.
The interior of the station was built in a similar style to the other stone buildings outside. The only unique feature was the reception desk selling reservation tickets right in the center of the hall, which gave Yohan the distinct impression of being in a train station from his original world.
Yohan quietly watched as Annie arranged their travel schedule.
"I'd like to book a one-way trip toward the Holy City. If there's an opening today, that would be ideal."
"I'm terribly sorry, but the teleportation schedule for the Holy City is fully booked until late tonight. However, we still have plenty of openings tomorrow morning. How does that sound?"
Annie conversed smoothly with the receptionist. After a brief exchange, she received a wooden token engraved with their departure order and time, then walked back to Yohan.
"Good. The reservation is set. Tomorrow morning..."
Annie said, showing the wooden token to Yohan.
"Inquisitor Agnes, is that you?"
But before she could even finish her sentence, someone suddenly approached and spoke to her.
Who the hell is this guy? Yohan shot an annoyed glare at the uninvited guest who had suddenly intruded.
"My, I never expected to run into you in a place like this!"
But his annoyance lasted only a second before he quickly averted his eyes. Standing before them was a man clad in incredibly polished, gleaming plate armor. No matter who looked at him, he was unmistakably a Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom.