Chapter 9 - This, too, must be the will of the heavens (4)
This, too, must be the will of the heavens (4)
Translator : Elizabeth
I managed to solve my thirst somehow.
But I haven't solved my hunger yet.
So the very brilliant idea I came up with.
Filling my stomach under the plausible pretext called "proof."
I nodded to myself once again. Where else would there be a more reasonable justification than this?
"It's delicious!"
Trying hard to ignore May, who was staring at me with incredulous eyes, I muttered confidently toward the villagers lined up in a long row from the entrance.
"What is the name of this food?"
"I-It's plain rye bread..."
"Hmm, I see. Seeing that the texture is rough and dry, it is definitely rye bread."
"I apologize... Because of the curse, the crops didn't grow properly..."
The woman who offered me the rye bread muttered quietly. At the same time, she lay flat on the floor with a face that looked like she would burst into tears at any moment.
"It is fine. Although the form is shabby, it was definitely tasty."
"Ah, in that case..."
"Passed. I will lift your curse."
As soon as I finished speaking, a thin drop of tear flowed down the side of the eye of the woman who brought the rye bread.
"Th-thank you... Thank you so much...!!"
"Thank you for the meal."
I handed a cup of water scooped from the bucket to the woman who had her head bowed. Then the woman, as if receiving the last remaining water in the world, carefully grasped the cup with trembling hands and drank it in one go.
"Ah, ah... The curse... The black spots on my body are disappearing...!"
The black spots covering the woman's arms and nape immediately reacted to my mana. The black spots, which began to melt slowly from the edges, vomited out turbid energy like smoke, then scattered into the air and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
"Now, next person."
Roughly brushing the breadcrumbs off my mouth, I shouted as solemnly as possible. At that moment, the gazes of the villagers, who were staring only at my mouth with sparkling eyes, immediately rippled noisily.
"It's smoked roast made from a wild boar's hind leg!"
"These are fresh fruits just picked from the forest!"
"Please taste my potato too! It sprouted a bit, but it's edible if you cut it out!"
Just moments ago, these were people who called me a witch and tried to throw stones. But as soon as I created a stage for proof, they instantly changed like devout believers.
"Hmm, this meat is a bit heavily seasoned. But since the chewing texture is honest, you pass."
"Thank you!! Thank you!!"
"These fruits aren't that fresh for something just picked. But since they are tasty, you pass."
"Thank you... Thank you so much...!"
Holding up their emergency rations high like treasures, the villagers reached out desperately toward me.
It is truly a bizarre sight, but thanks to it, my stomach is filling up at a very honest speed.
"V-Vivian... Is this really okay...?"
Just as I was leisurely tasting the food offered by the villagers like a gourmet. May, who had been silently watching the situation from afar, approached close to my side and whispered in a low voice.
"What is?"
"The atmosphere is a bit weird... If your identity gets caught later..."
"It's okay, May. Because I'll leave this village before that."
At May's question filled with all sorts of worries, I answered calmly without a shred of hesitation.
"...Huh?"
Fixing the veil I was wearing upside down slightly, I took a big bite of a sprouted potato.
"It would be different if I were a Saintess. But I'm just a demon who happened to stop by while passing through, so there's no reason to do anything more than this, right?"
"Th-that is true, but..."
"It's fine as long as I run away before my identity is revealed. So you don't have to worry too much."
I am not a Saintess. I am just a demon who luckily became able to use Holy Magic.
So it's fine to be this greedy. I'm receiving random food in exchange for getting rid of a curse; considering that, it's incredibly cheap.
"Ha, haha... I brought honey, which can be called a specialty of this village..."
"Oh, honey? That would be a sweet proof..."
After reassuring May roughly. Just as I turned my head again to continue the villagers' proof. The chief standing in front of me holding a honey jar came into view.
"I was truly sorry earlier. Please accept this honey and soothe your anger..."
"Eliminated."
"...Pardon?"
"Eliminated."
I received the honey jar, but I didn't lift the chief's curse. Looking down expressionlessly at the chief, who turned pale and trembled, I hugged the received honey jar tightly in my arms and added coldly.
"Your greed is much thicker and stickier than this honey. To hope for the Goddess's mercy with such an impure heart, you are truly shameless."
At my cold sentence, the chief's complexion immediately turned earthy.
"Wh-what do you mean?! How much I... for this village...!"
"You're loud. This honey is confiscated."
The chief banged his head on the floor and begged desperately. But despite that, I didn't blink an eye. I should dip bread in this honey and eat it with May later.
"Now, then next..."
Just as I lightly passed over the chief who had been meanest to me and was about to naturally call the next person──.
"Halt──!!"
Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out loudly like thunder from the sanctuary entrance.
"Cease this filthy play immediately!"
The villagers' gazes immediately focused on the entrance where the sound came from. Even the chief, who was lying prostrate helplessly with a pale face, raised his head to look there.
"You dirty and ugly cultist, impersonating a holy relic to deceive lowly people and extort offerings!"
A woman standing tall at the sanctuary entrance, kicking up acrid dust. Wearing shining silver armor, she drew her sword straight at me with the momentum of an angry lion.
"I am Lumina Evangeline, of the Papal State's direct Holy Knights!"
Licking the honey on my finger slowly, I stared at her intently without saying a word.
"Reveal the hideous true form hidden behind that veil! How dare you mimic holy divine power and suck the lifeblood of the villagers!"
She kicked off the sanctuary floor with fierce momentum and approached closer and closer to me. The radiance of her brilliant armor strangely cut through the dull air inside the sanctuary, and the cape fluttering magnificently behind her back instantly silenced the murmuring of the villagers.
"H-Holy Knight...?"
"No, why is a Holy Knight in our village..."
The villagers were scared in advance by Lumina's overwhelming majesty. Unlike them, the chief, who had been sitting collapsed after having his honey jar taken away, thought this was his chance. He crawled servilely in front of Lumina and lay even flatter.
"F-finally you came... I was waiting for you..."
"Are you the chief of this village?"
"That is correct! But I never requested help from the Papal State..."
At the chief's words, Lumina's brow immediately furrowed sharply. She scanned the chief's servile appearance, the pile of food heaped at my feet, and the honey jar I was holding in my arms with an unpleasant expression, and answered.
"Originally, a High Priest was scheduled to be dispatched to handle the situation, but due to the sacred duty of examining the nearby plague, I inevitably came in their stead."
Lumina's meaningful remark settled coolly along the high ceiling of the sanctuary.
"Now, cultist. Stop that abominable magic mimicking divine power and reveal your identity. Or shall I cut off your head along with that veil?"
The sharp sword energy faintly emitted from the tip of Lumina's sword gently grazed the end of my veil.
"V-Vivian..."
May, clutching my clothes, began to tremble like an aspen tree. As soon as the name 'Papal State' came out, the villagers hid themselves hurriedly to the edge of the sanctuary as if they had made a promise.
"I-I see... It has been a long time since we made the request... but still, it is reassuring, Sir Holy Knight!"
As if he had never bowed his head to me. The chief opened his mouth quite triumphantly in front of Lumina's feet.
"That nasty witch extorted the village's food under the pretext of the curse and mocked us!"
"Is that true?"
Lumina looked down at the chief with cool eyes and asked.
"It is true indeed! Look at the food piled up over there!"
As the chief's accusation continued, the killing intent dwelling in Lumina's eyes became thicker and thicker.
"The patience allowed by the Goddess ends here. Take off that abominable veil immediately and kneel before me."
Lumina's sword blade flashed and approached right in front of my neck. However, despite that, I didn't let go of the honey jar I was holding in my arms until the end.
"This is food received in exchange for lifting the curse. It is the price of legitimate labor."
"Shut up! How dare you compare holy doctrine to labor!"
Simultaneous with Lumina's rough rebuke, the sword energy poured out even stronger. The villagers immediately screamed and covered their heads, but I rather twisted the honey jar I was holding slightly to the side and frowned with one eye reluctantly.
"Sword fighting in a holy space... the Goddess will be very angry."
"Wh-what...?!"
At my brazen retort, the tip of Lumina's sword trembled minutely for a moment.
"Did you see the black spots that appeared on the villagers' bodies?"
"Of course. Isn't it a precursor created by evil energy!"
"The situation is this serious, so why did you come only now?"
At my calm question, Lumina's expression stiffened hard for a moment.
"Th-that is, as I said earlier, the nearby plague..."
"Were the people of this village pushed back in priority?"
"Impossible! All lives are equal under the Goddess!"
"Hmm, I see. All are equal..."
Pushing Lumina's sword blade away gently with my fingertip, I took a small breath.
"The Goddess dislikes lies very much."
A meaningful remark uttered shortly after. At that moment, the air lingering inside the sanctuary immediately froze cold.
"It's not too late even now, so just honestly..."
Just as I was spitting out whatever words came to mind and secretly plotting a way to escape.
Rumble...
The statue of the Goddess supporting the center of the sanctuary began to vibrate bizarrely as if it were alive.
Rumble...!!
Along with the unpleasant noise of stones grinding against each other. A pitch-black crack rapidly spread from the foot of the shiny statue to the entire sanctuary floor in an instant.
Swept away by that unusual atmosphere, I inadvertently ended up activating 'Glow'.