Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: 1+1+1
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Those clad in white priestly robes adorned with golden embroidery surrounded us.
The temple folk were wary of me.
Each gripped a silver-plated sword as they encircled Shan and me.
"...Shan! Why are you with a demon worshipper?!"
The priest seemed to know Shan. He shouted in an agitated voice, and Shan clicked his tongue, shaking his head at the sight.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding. Ellie is not a demon worshipper."
"...Isn't that gloomy aura proof of being a demon worshipper?"
Shan exchanged a glance with me over his sunglasses.
"It's true that Ellie is connected to demon worshippers, but she's actually the victim. The demon worshippers cast a curse on her to turn her into a vessel for their kind, forcing her to carry their aura. But Ellie resisted, escaped successfully, and though she bears their aura, she hasn't become one of them."
"...Even if I trust you, Shan, I can't trust that girl."
Well, yeah.
What Shan had just said was basically a hasty excuse pieced together on the spot.
But there was the simplest and most perfect proof that I wasn't a demon worshipper.
I took off my sunglasses.
Shan spoke up.
"Ellie has a curse on her eyes. Merely looking into them amplifies disgust and revulsion. I believe the faithful hearts of the temple folk, unyielding to evil, can overcome this curse."
"What...?"
The priest looked flustered but still met my gaze.
He flinched—
I could see his grip tighten on his sword.
Should I draw my sword and defend myself?
I hesitated for a moment but decided to trust Shan.
We suspected each other, but we were reliable comrades too.
Without any guard up, I stared straight at the priest. At Shan's signal—a light pat on my shoulder—I put my sunglasses back on.
"That should prove it."
"...Indeed."
The priest looked at me with contempt but soon let out a thoughtful hum as he gathered his thoughts.
The priest blushed with embarrassment, sheathed his sword, and bowed his head to me.
"I'm sorry. It was my mistake. Please forgive my rudeness."
"N-No, it's fine."
I hadn't expected such a shamefaced apology, so I waved my hands and head in fluster. The priest burst into hearty laughter.
"Truly, such a beautiful person couldn't be a demon worshipper."
"...Not to brag, but yeah, it feels like being pretty gets you forgiven."
"What better proof could there be?"
As he said, demon worshippers all had faces melted away, but knowing treatment varied by looks made it bittersweet—I couldn't just be thrilled.
"Ellie, was it?"
"Yes."
"As atonement, what can I offer you?"
"...Pardon?"
"We were rude first, so this is the price we must pay. Please don't hold back—tell us what you desire, and if it's within our power, we'll make it happen."
"...Then, could you remove my curse?"
"...I'm sorry. It's beyond our abilities. It's not that we don't want to—it's simply that we lack the power."
I shrugged at the priest's courteous apology.
Too bad.
But I'd expected as much.
So I wasn't disappointed.
Learning it was even harder than I'd thought was satisfaction enough.
People adapt, and the more they do, the higher their threshold rises, or so they say.
Gazes thick with disgust had become negligible at some point, so it wasn't urgent anyway.
"That's fine then."
I could have asked for money, but I had no intention of brushing this off for a few coins.
With a temple priest personally apologizing and offering any request, best to leave it as a burden on their conscience without using it.
Grinning wickedly, the priest shuddered.
"If you two are settled, shall we return to the main topic?"
"...Yes."
"Got it."
At Shan's words, the temple folk lowered their guards, sheathed their weapons, and gathered back in their seats.
They'd summoned us city survivors to ask something, but my aura had made them forget their purpose momentarily, leading to the standoff.
"This time, with Shan and..."
"You can call me Ellie."
Seeming unsure how to address me since I looked so young, I told him to use my name. He nodded gratefully and continued.
"We called Shan and Ellie here because something unusual was found in the city you survived."
"...Something strange?"
Shan reacted first, and the priest gestured to a subordinate to bring something over.
It was a small wooden box.
Opening it revealed contents wrapped in white cloth.
Inside gleamed a purple gem, lustrous yet ominously.
"Shan, and Ellie. Do you know what this is?"
I had no idea, so I looked up at Shan, who shook his head as if clueless too.
"Aside from its intensely ominous aura, it looks no different from ordinary amethyst."
"We asked because it's unfamiliar to us too. It was found inside a demon giant's body."
"This was?"
I wondered if it was some demonic organ, but if it were that simple, they wouldn't have called us.
"No need to answer now—please think it over carefully."
Feeling I shouldn't brush it off lightly, I closed my eyes and recalled the city.
Tori and the kids came to mind first, but this clearly wasn't related.
Then, suddenly.
Something tugged at the edge of my memory.
But I wasn't sure if it connected to this.
"A few months ago, while working in the city, I heard a rumor."
"...What?"
All the priests focused on me, which felt burdensome, so I kept my head down and continued.
"I'm not sure if it's directly related. I only heard it in passing, so... well..."
A merchant in the inner city had bought an extremely rare gem.
A magical gem that stirred emotions just by looking at it, to be crafted and resold to city nobles.
I hadn't thought much of it then.
Merchants peddle common cold medicine as a panacea and ordinary iron swords as peerless blades, after all.
Their exaggerations were commonplace, so I paid no mind.
But a gem that stirs emotions...
Disgust and revulsion were emotions too, so it wasn't wrong, yet selling such a thing to nobles seemed odd.
I relayed the rumor as I remembered it.
"...So, someone bought these gems from the demon's body, had them crafted, and sold them to nobles?"
"I don't know for sure. Just that the rumor was going around."
It was common knowledge among city folk, worthless gossip.
But with us as the only survivors, even that had value now. I sighed.
"...If true, it's gravely serious. We don't know its function, but it wasn't used for nothing."
Yeah, probably.
If my rumored gem matched this one, it surely had a purpose.
Embedded in a demon's body, after all.
"A headache... First, these gems need sending to the grand temple for investigation. And if as Ellie says, someone's circulating them..."
The priest's eyes sharpened.
It was a deep killing intent unfit for an ordinary holy man.
"We must root them out to cleanse some evil from the world. Ellie, once confirmed, we'll pay a bounty separate from our atonement."
"...I'd rather not have to take it."
I hoped brazen demon worshippers openly peddling such ominous gems was just a misunderstanding.
If real, it went beyond mere circulation.
Melted faces couldn't sell ominous gems openly.
Someone was proxying for them—meaning a trusted individual or group was aiding demon worshippers in distributing "ominous" goods.
But.
As life goes.
Desired things don't happen.
Undesired ones keep piling up.
Two weeks later, two shiny yellow gold coins were in my hand.
"...Huh."
And I realized one more thing afresh.
In this era, anonymity was a pipe dream.
Heading back to the inn after training.
About to cross a dark street.
The dice rolled.
D6: 1
Villain E +1
Gloomy Aura D +1
Result: 1+1+1=3 - Event Difficulty: Normal!!
Figures emerged from the darkness, surrounding me.
Their forms were hard to make out in the shadows.
But a revolting sensation hit me, like spotting cockroaches or centipedes.
The moon peeked from behind clouds, casting light.
They all wore eerie masks.
I swallowed dryly.