Chapter 8 - This, too, must be the will of the heavens (3)
This, too, must be the will of the heavens (3)
Translator : Elizabeth
Heaven helps those who help themselves.
That saying suddenly came to mind.
"I couldn't see well, so I ended up dropping it."
"Th-The Holy Water... The precious Holy Water..."
Green sprouts immediately shot up from the ground that had absorbed a bucketful of Holy Water. Although it was only a part, a section of the square that had been dry and cracked was instantly covered in green grass.
"Ah... Aaaaaah!!"
The chief screamed and scratched the dirt floor until his fingernails fell out. However, the Holy Water had already been completely absorbed into the ground, leaving not even a trace.
"They say heaven helps those who help themselves."
"Wh-What...?"
"Holy Water does not suit those who only think of trampling on others to climb up."
My low and calm voice pierced through the noisy square and echoed quietly everywhere.
"Even after seeing a miracle, the first thing you did was not gratitude or prayer. It was only ugly greed to push and trample on each other to monopolize it."
"Th-That is..."
"The Holy Water didn't disappear. You pushed it away yourselves."
I gently placed the empty bucket on the ground and calmly turned around.
"It seems the only person ready to accept this Holy Water is still May."
With those words, I moved my steps toward the building that looked like a sanctuary without a shred of hesitation.
"W-Wait... Wait a minute...!! What on earth does that mean?!!"
The chief's muffled shout came from behind, sounding quite pitiful. But despite that, I didn't look back until the end. Regardless of what words came from behind, I walked silently toward the building that looked like a sanctuary.
"So you really were chosen... I was super surprised earlier."
"Huh? What was?"
"That water. It was real Holy Water, right?"
May, who was following while being led by my hand, asked with a trembling voice as if she couldn't believe it.
"Well. Probably?"
"'Probably', you say... didn't you do it knowing everything?"
May's steps slowed down for a moment. May's hand holding mine loosened a little.
"Rather than knowing, I just believed."
"Just believed?"
"Yeah. Anyone could see it looked like Holy Water, and there was nothing bad about believing so."
At my indifferent answer, May opened her mouth wide as if speechless for a moment. Her expression was quite comical, but I suppressed a laugh and grabbed the doorknob of the old sanctuary.
"Well, whatever the process, the result turned out good, so isn't that enough?"
"I really can't figure you out..."
Leaving the bewildered May behind, I pushed open the heavy door without hesitation, and the cool, damp air gathered inside the sanctuary immediately brushed against my skin.
Creeak...
The interior was quite spacious than I thought. For a sanctuary built in a rural village, the ceiling was unexpectedly high, and layers of unidentifiable patterns and cracked reliefs were carved on every wall.
"Wow, it's much more magnificent than I thought."
As soon as the sanctuary door closed, I finally fixed the veil I had been wearing upside down.
"Ah, come to think of it, Vivian... you were a demon, right?"
"Huh? Why bring that up suddenly?"
"No, just... I forgot for a moment."
May glanced sideways at my face suddenly and blurred the end of her sentence strangely. I stared at May for a moment, then gently turned my head toward the huge stone statue placed at the end of the sanctuary.
"...Vivian, what are you doing all of a sudden?"
Rub, rub
May asked me with a puzzled expression.
"I'm wiping the statue."
"No, I can tell by looking... but why are you doing that suddenly..."
I answered while thoroughly wiping away the thick dust piled up at the foot of the statue.
"Just, out of courtesy."
The rubbing sound echoed quietly along the high ceiling of the sanctuary. It was a pleasant friction sound, contrasting greatly with the vulgar noise banging on the door outside.
"C-Courtesy...?"
"Yeah. Because I'm going to spend the night here."
"You're sleeping here?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm wiping it."
A stone statue looking very similar to the statue of the Virgin Mary I saw in the abandoned church before. Only the posture was slightly different; the benevolently lowered eyes and the mercifully extended hand were surprisingly identical.
"Doesn't your body hurt or anything?"
"Yeah. It doesn't hurt at all."
"I heard that unless it's a fairly strong demon, it's hard even to step into a holy space..."
May scrutinized my complexion intently and carefully approached near the statue.
"Really?"
"They said that's normal. That's why there's one of these buildings in every village you go to."
"That's the first time I've heard that."
Oho, so that's why there was a sanctuary building in this remote rural village. I unintentionally gained important information.
"But seeing that Vivian is fine, you must be a incredibly strong demon unlike your appearance."
"Well, that's not exactly wrong, but in the first place, I'm a special demon who can use healing magic."
"Ah, come to think of it, did you say you were a demon chosen by something?"
I answered calmly and carefully removed the cobwebs gathered near the legs of the statue.
"If my thought is correct, that 'something' is definitely the Goddess."
"Gasp, the Goddess?!"
"Yeah. That's probably why my body doesn't hurt at all even in a space like this."
A subtle luster began to hover at the foot of the statue, which was wiped clean enough to make a rubbing sound.
"Unless it's that, there's no way I, a demon, could use Holy Magic and create Holy Water."
"True, a demon curing diseases and handling Holy Water... it really makes no sense..."
May nodded slowly from her spot as if she finally understood. I felt inexplicable curiosity in May's eyes staring at me.
"What are you staring at so much?"
"It's just fascinating the more I know."
May sat gently on the old wooden chair near the statue and let out a pouty breath once.
"As I get to know about Vivian one by one, for some reason, my head gets more and more complicated."
I stared at the dusty statue for a moment, then naturally turned my head toward May.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Vivian is really fascinating. It feels like you're not a real demon."
May murmured quietly as if talking to herself and slowly lowered her head.
"How should I put it, the appearance is a demon... but the inside feels like a human."
Well, it can't be helped. Actually, only the appearance is a demon, and the inside is a human.
"...I'm somewhat grateful you think so."
"So what does Vivian want to do in the future?"
While I was shaking the dust-covered cloth vigorously in the air. May's curious question rang clearly in my ears once again.
"In the future?"
"Yeah. If I were Vivian, I would have gone around scattering miracles to people!"
"Hmm, that's quite a childish thought."
"Childish thought, you say... you're a child too."
Scattering miracles to people...
It's not a bad thought. But remembering what just happened, I'm not that drawn to it.
"Just scattering miracles thoughtlessly isn't unconditionally good."
At my firm remark, May flinched her shoulders immediately and shrank back greatly.
"...Why?"
"If miracles become common, people don't call them miracles anymore. They just act as if it was their share from the beginning."
I climbed the huge statue as if climbing a tree, wiped away the dust stuck in every corner, and answered calmly. Then May's lips immediately pouted, and her expression became a little sullen.
"I don't understand a single thing you're saying. Your words are too difficult."
"I guess so. May is too young to understand this."
"I don't think there's much age difference between us, but you keep acting like an adult..."
I lightly ignored May's grumbling. I climbed up to the head, the highest part of the statue, and carefully wiped the face.
Rub, rub...
"...Then, what do you intend to do now, Vivian?"
Perhaps realizing late that her words weren't getting through. May leaned her back slightly against the chair and changed the subject reluctantly.
"The people outside?"
"Yeah. They keep knocking on the door."
Finally wiping the smooth forehead part of the statue cleanly. I jumped down lightly to the floor and shook the cloth I was holding in my hand nonchalantly.
"There is no miracle to give to people who just sit with their mouths open like baby birds."
After murmuring that sentence quite seriously. I settled down and sat at the foot of the statue, the cleanest wiped spot.
"Until the people outside prove themselves, I won't take a single step out of here."
As soon as I finished speaking, May's eyes flashed wide for a moment.
"P-Prove...?"
"Yeah."
I raised my knees and rested my chin on them. And I took a calm breath once.
"Where is there a miracle without a price? If you receive something, there should naturally be something you give."
At my firm remark, May wore a blank expression for a moment. But that was only for a moment; soon, as if realizing something, she burst into a small laugh.
"Vivian really seems too calculating to be a demon, and too cold to be a human."
"I just thought realistically."
Despite my soulless reply, May's expression was still bright. That clear smile was strangely embarrassing, so I inadvertently avoided her gaze.
"So what is this proof Vivian is talking about, ultimately?"
May's innocent question followed.
Sitting with my chin on my knees, looking at the cleaned statue with satisfaction, I spoke quietly.
"Satisfying my stomach, which is starving!"