Chapter 54
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: 12. To the West. (3)
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In a gloomy back alley somewhere in the Holy Kingdom.
Three men had one woman surrounded.
The cute-faced woman trembled pitifully like a baby bird, pleading, "Please don't do this." Meanwhile, the three rough-looking mercenaries teased her slyly. "Aw, so cute."
That's when a woman appeared at the mouth of the alley. She had deep pink hair tied back and wore an eyepatch over one eye, dressed in a nun's habit.
"Brothers."
The three men stopped smirking and stared at the woman standing there all alone. Huh. Their smiles slowly faded, and their carefree postures gradually stiffened.
"Got some business with our sister or something?"
The guy with the scruffy beard and yellow teeth lowered his voice into a sinister growl.
"What the fuck is this crazy bitch..."
"Hey, hey, cut it out. C'mon, let's go."
The one who seemed like the leader urged the other two to leave with a tense expression.
"It's the Blind Saintess. Fuck. Let's just bounce. Hurry up."
"...That chick?"
"Move your asses already."
The three stumbled away awkwardly, giggling like idiots as they tried to slip out of the alley. But the Blind Saintess thrust her arm out in front of one of the men trying to pass her by.
"Hold on a moment."
"......Pardon?"
A charming smile quickly spread across the Blind Saintess's stern, impassive face. She clasped her hands together politely and brought them to her ample chest. The bald man's gaze flicked briefly to her luscious breasts before dropping away.
"Brother. Are you aware that a great crisis is descending upon the continent right now?"
"......Ah, yeah, there's always some crisis or other. Sure."
"As a result, God's work has suffered major setbacks."
"Is that right. We're, uh, not really into the religion thing, haha."
"Oh no!"
The Blind Saintess looked utterly regretful. But then she smiled again, as if to say not to worry.
"However, the Holy Spirit is infinitely merciful, granting even brothers and sisters without faith a fair opportunity."
Only then did the three realize something was off. But what could they do? It was already too late.
"So, I was wondering... could you lend a hand to God's work?"
Fuck!
One of his buddies had warned him a thousand times: if you see a nun pretending to be blind, get the hell away from her.
"Ah, yeah, uh, help, sure. Not sure how much we can do, though..."
The Blind Saintess's smile deepened. She extended the hands she'd clasped tightly over her chest toward the man.
"Please. A donation. Half of everything you've got... that'd be perfect."
Is this a saint or a goddamn scammer?
But the mercenaries, their momentum already crushed, had no choice but to meekly pull out their money pouches. Odd-Eyes snatched the guy's pouch with pinpoint accuracy despite the eyepatch, as if she could see everything, and scooped out a hefty portion of the coins.
After working over all three pouches, she handed them back. The bald guy frowned.
"That's more than half..."
"Oh, that? You saw my breasts, Brother. The sin of lusting after God's creation. Consider it paid in donations."
The bald guy nearly yelled out, "Fuck you, you bitch—" but barely managed to hold it in.
"This precious donation from you brothers. I'll make sure it's used effectively for God's work. You may go now."
The three mercenaries bolted from the scene like they couldn't stand to see any more filth. She pretended not to hear the faint "goddamn bitch" muttered from afar.
Odd-Eyes slowly approached the woman huddled and trembling in the alley corner.
"They're gone, Master."
Only then did the woman straighten her back with a snap, crack her neck, and shoot her disciple a sly, impassive smirk.
"Your acting's gotten better, huh?"
"......Not as good as yours, Master."
"Pushing the business too hard lately, maybe. Hardly any suckers willing to donate anymore."
She held out her palm toward her disciple, the Blind Saintess. Odd-Eyes placed a heavy money pouch on it.
"That one you slipped into your pocket earlier too."
How the hell did she see that!
"Oh God. What am I to do with this disciple of mine."
"...No, that was payment for him seeing my breasts."
"The sin of lusting after God's creation."
"My tits!"
"Even those tits are filled with God's will."
The Blind Saintess ended up handing over the money from her own pouch to her master, suddenly understanding the mercenaries' anguish all too well.
Blasphemously, the disciple felt an urge to beat the shit out of her master. ...Of course, she'd get beaten right back if she tried.
After pooling the donation funds for God's work, the master handed a portion back to her disciple. Huh? At the pittance of an amount, the Blind Saintess fumed, but her master clasped his hands piously.
"How could a saint indulge in personal greed for wealth?"
"......Yes......"
As always, the disciple obeyed her master's will this time too.
The master and disciple walked side by side down the alley.
"Did you go hear that fortune telling yesterday? How was it? Accurate, right?"
Having blown two silver coins that were like drops of blood, the Blind Saintess bolted upright in her sleep just thinking about it.
"Accurate my ass. Telling a pure virgin her dream was a prophetic one? Makes no sense."
"A prophetic dream?"
"...Or some noble personage coming. Your fated one or whatever. Please."
Her master's faint smile gradually faded. But the disciple, oblivious to the change, stared straight ahead and kept babbling on.
"What kind of 'accurate' fortune teller is that? I could spout the same crap. Maybe I should become a fortune teller myself. One who receives God's revelations. Sound good? Bet it'd rake in decent cash."
"......We'll see. I'll head inside first. Getting on in years, I tire after just a bit of walking."
"...Yes, Master. Then I'll go buy ingredients for dinner."
"Alright."
After parting ways with her disciple midway, a dark shadow crossed the master's face.
Half a month after departing the mercenary city of Vermandua, the Allen Mercenary Corps finally entered Holy Kingdom territory.
As if to prove it, the number of penitents trudging along the dirt roads on pilgrimage to the holy sites visibly increased. Of course, none of them signaled for a ride on the carriage. They simply pressed on toward the Holy Kingdom, one steadfast step at a time on their own feet.
The carriage carrying the Allen Mercenary Corps soon halted at a depot outside the outer walls. Carts weren't allowed inside the city.
The members who disembarked let out small exclamations of admiration at the beautiful city.
"Whoa, holy shit."
A dazzling white spire rose proudly at the center, as if in celebration of the Holy Spirit's blessing. The city felt less like a single fiefdom and more like a work of art. Even the atheist Allen felt a momentary surge of awe.
Allen collected their escort fee from the accompanying merchant lord and entered the city with his men.
Curiously, there were no checkpoints. The gates on either side stood wide open, reportedly unclosed for over a century. As if to declare that the Holy Spirit kept the gates of heaven open to all.
Of course, the Holy Kingdom wasn't free of mercenaries. It was a place where people lived, after all, so all sorts inevitably gathered. Still, undeniable that it was a boring place.
Every building's door bore dangling sun emblems symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The Holy Kingdom lived up to its name.
The Allen Mercenary Corps checked into an inn. In any other city, the common room would be a cacophony of curses, shouts, and laughter. Here, it was subdued. Not quite cathedral silence, but hard to believe it was a tavern.
"Fuck, they stare like crazy."
They took seats at two tables in a dim corner. When a server approached, Captain Aiden placed their orders smoothly.
The bald guy, glancing around warily, whispered with his voice lowered just a touch.
"You think Holy Kingdom folks even during sex go, 'Oh God...'?"
"At this rate, seems possible."
Captain Aiden chimed in agreement. He'd traveled many cities, but this was his first so solemn. Just like bald Billy said, maybe the fucker and the fuckee both shook yelling "Oh God."
Soon, steaming bowls arrived. But the food wasn't particularly divine.
Ravenous, they licked the bowls clean down to the bottom with their tongues. Then they grabbed their gear and headed up to their rooms.
They rented two quad rooms and one double. Allen tossed his gear bag carelessly onto the floor the moment he entered and flopped onto the bed. Compared to the ground, the cozy comfort made him want to yell "fuck!" in sheer bliss. No other word captured the feeling.
Even the cramped room was plastered floor-to-ceiling with sun emblems. Unfortunately for them, Allen wasn't the type to fall for such half-assed proselytizing. Back on Earth, through all his lonely, grueling days, he'd never turned to God or even cults. ...Though sex-based evangelism might've given him pause.
"Kallisman, got a few spots to hit tomorrow."
"Understood. I'll keep it in mind."
"Good."
As sunset painted the Holy Kingdom city rosy, it grew even more beautiful. In a prolonged era of peace, living in a place like this wouldn't be so bad.
......But yelling "God!" during sex? Unthinkable, no matter how he sliced it.
After spending the night in the Holy Kingdom, the next day.
Allen rose early, wolfed down breakfast, and headed out with Kallisman.
Two things on the agenda today.
One: Scout for a caravan heading west together. Two: Meet the Blind Saintess.
The Blind Saintess, Odd-Eyes.
Like 10-Strong Mercenary Leader Viola, a representative named character fixed with the [Mind's Eye] trait.
She and her master worked to cleanse the Holy Kingdom's streets. One might mistake a saintess for a healer, but hilariously, she was a brawler swinging fists.
How does a blind woman fight? She didn't see objects with her eyes but sensed them through their energy. ...The phrasing might be odd, but that's according to the Guild Master lore.
With her deep pink hair, she was a top pick for pink-hair enthusiasts. Her blindness drew defect fetishists, and her faith made her a target for blasphemers.
Come midnight, the community boards overflowed with depraved posts about her, posted and deleted in cycles. Ravaged in both official and underground doujins alike—the ultimate human-desire lab rat.
Still, any attention meant she was a worthwhile character in Guild Master. Total trash performance? Not even mentioned. That's the scene's rule. ...Fetishists aside, of course.
The reason to seek this acclaimed powerhouse named character so early was simple: to team up for the mission in the western region.
Say what you will, she was a devout believer at heart. Hated warlocks to her core. Thus, in Guild Master Chapter 1, the Black Mage Festival, you could temporarily hire the Blind Saintess. Of course, once Chapter 1 ended, she'd ditch you without a backward glance. Hence her frequent cameos in "fuck you bitch, I loved you" parodies as the remorseless pink-haired Odd-Eyes chick.
Anyway, a chance to wield those killer stats—even temporarily? Why pass it up! That was precisely why he'd detoured through the Holy Kingdom.
Being a celebrity there, Allen grabbed a passerby and asked her whereabouts. A young man with a slightly reluctant expression spilled readily.
"Heard she lives somewhere on Caliph Street with her master. Ask around there for details. ...But be careful. Especially don't stare at her chest...! Oh God."
The passerby walked off briskly, warning like he was cautioning about a rabid dog. The two men watched his retreating back for a moment, then exchanged subtle glances.
"......She's a real saint, right?"
"Far as I know..."
...Sure, she had some quirky sides, but this wasn't grounds for blasphemy.
Devout and justice-loving? That made her a saint. What was the big deal!?