The Land Abandoned by God (1)
The dawn in Lampades was silent. No matter how late the festival lasted into the night, by 5:00 AM, it was usually time for people to head to bed—or for those preparing for the morning to begin their activities. Yet, Lampades was deathly quiet, devoid of even a flicker of light. It was as if the Goddess of Dawn’s light, which illuminated the darkness of the desert, refused to reach this place.
"Senior. Is it because we came out too early?"
"No. You’re probably thinking the right thing."
I walked the streets after leaving the hotel with Shin Yuhee. We followed the map drawn by the hotel manager, Akundal, and witnessed the dawn of Lampades exactly as it was. Dark, gloomy streets. A silence so profound that not even the cry of a child waking from a dream could be heard. There wasn't a single person in sight, a quality that felt bizarre, or perhaps even uncanny. Even if many were sleeping off a night of heavy drinking, the lack of people was strangely excessive. The only ones out were the soldiers patrolling the streets.
"May the Goddess embrace you."
"May the Goddess embrace you."
The patrolling soldiers clasped their hands toward us, offering prayers to a deity. A prayer to a Goddess who wasn't even the indigenous deity of this desert city. You could tell from my and Shin Yuhee’s appearance that we were typical foreign travelers, yet even though we were walking the streets at this ungodly hour, they just greeted us and passed by?
"Looks like the word has spread. About us."
"We’re just guests, but the fact that even the soldiers have been briefed is definitely strange."
"What do you think?"
"Since this is a Tutorial, it might be an extreme thought, but aren't we the only guests visiting this city right now?"
"That’s exactly it."
Strictly speaking, there was one more, but—
"Two strangers showing up when it’s not even the season for visitors. Seeing as the information has trickled down to the low-ranking soldiers, it seems someone quite high up is keeping a close eye on us."
"The person called the Desert King...?"
"Yeah. They’re watching us closely, that’s what it means."
I have a rough suspicion of who it is, but I can't just plant prejudices in Shin Yuhee’s mind.
"Well, if they’re just watching, we should take everything we can get without disrupting the order of this place. Whether it’s information or technology."
"Will we have the Goddess’s blessing?"
"We’ll have to check that right away. Since we got good information from Mr. Akundal, let’s go confirm it. And we have a guide waiting, too."
I pointed to a word written on the map I received from the manager, Akundal. It was written in the language of this other world, but thanks to magic—or perhaps the brain-replacement effect—it appeared to us as Goddess Cult Temple. Language ability. A magic basically installed in all prospective heroes by the angels. Since the text appeared in Korean as if an AI translator had processed it the moment I blinked, there was no need to learn the local language. It had been possible since the survival logs, but back then, I was too busy surviving to pay attention to such things.
"They should be coming soon..."
"H-hey!"
Just as I was lost in thought, the guide finally came running. "Huff, huff...! Phew, almost late!"
Markard. The man who provided the opportunity for us to hide our identities by initially misunderstanding us as newlyweds. He ran up with bloodshot eyes and caught his breath.
"Whew, I didn't think you'd come out at such an early hour."
"Mr. Markard. Did you happen to not sleep?"
"Ah, this? ...N-no, it's not like that. Haha."
Even at Shin Yuhee’s cautious question, Markard scratched his cheek and avoided answering. Unlike someone who had been drinking all night and came out at dawn, he looked exhausted in many ways. Like a soldier on guard duty, awake at a time when he should be sleeping to perform his 'mission.'
"I heard the story from Akundal. You two, you want to offer prayers to the God? Especially since the young lady is from the Holy Kingdom."
"Yes. We came here following the guidance of a winged angel. Her name is Estiel. Do you happen to know her?"
"T-that much, I don't... After all, we are believers of the Earth Mother. Ah, don't misunderstand! Even if other places are different, our Lampades doesn't ostracize people as heretics just for believing in a different god! That’s why there’s a Goddess statue here in the first place."
"A Goddess statue..."
Shin Yuhee swallowed hard, looking troubled. She couldn't help it. We were resurrected after our souls were salvaged thanks to the Goddess, and we were currently proceeding through this Tutorial stage because of her.
"That’s a relief. I was worried about what we’d do if we couldn't pray."
"H-haha. That’s true. There’s no one here like those traitors of the other deserts... *ahem*, those radicals who try to destroy things just because they aren't the Earth Mother! Such people couldn't even enter a place like this in the first place!"
Markard raised his voice and pointed toward the temple where the Goddess statue was located. "C-come! Follow me! This way!"
His pace was somewhat fast. As soon as there was some distance between us, Shin Yuhee poked me lightly.
"...Are they intentionally leaking information?"
"It means they aren't the type of people who hide information as thoroughly as we do."
"Yes?"
"It means they are people who are awkward at hiding things. The fact that they seem a bit foolish or show weaknesses... is probably because their nature leans fundamentally toward the good."
Foolishly kind. Even if they are abandoned by others, even if it’s unfair and bitter, they eventually accept it. Even if they try to hide their true intentions, their nature is so kind that their original self pops out before they know it.
"Tsk."
"...Senior?"
"It’s nothing. Let’s go to the Goddess statue first. Once we get there, something will happen."
Unfortunately, there was no Goddess statue in Chekhov's Arena. If there had been a Goddess statue there, the difficulty of the arena would surely have dropped from A-class to about B-class.
"Who knows? Maybe the Goddess will really grant us her blessing."
"Ernette-nim. Won't we get caught if you tail them like that?"
"Shh, be quiet."
The head maid, who had come out under orders from the hotel manager, couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at Ernette, the captain of the guard, who was still tailing them without taking off her maid outfit.
"The distance is sufficient. At this distance, our tailing won't be discovered."
"I wonder if it’s even necessary to tail them. They are devout believers trying to go to the Lampades Goddess temple to offer dawn prayers."
"That cannot be."
"...The reason?"
"I-I heard that newlyweds sleep and then engage in sexual intercourse from dawn. And yet—"
"Sex is for procreation, but having a child is the priority, isn't it?"
"......."
A stiff silence. Ernette, unable to continue, bowed her head once, but her gaze remained fixed on the two people heading to the temple.
"What on earth..."
The head maid couldn't easily understand Ernette’s attitude. There was no way they were minions of the Demon King. Why on earth was the guard captain so obsessed with them?
"Why to this extent...?"
"...It seems I can't hear them."
"Yes?"
"Strangely, their stories don't reach my ears well."
Ernette pointed to her own ears. "I know they are talking about something, and I can clearly hear them, but it sounds strange."
"......."
"Did you not notice anything strange in their conversation? It’s as if it’s empty every time they talk."
"I'm not sure..."
"I see. ...But this is definitely a problem. Even if there is no problem with them, if there is a problem with me, I need to fix it."
Tap, tap-tap. Ernette tapped her ears with her fingers several times. "If I lose my eyes, I might have to rely on my ears."
"......."
Even at the somewhat extreme and seemingly mismatched remark, the head maid shook her head with a bitter smile.
"Understood. Then... will you continue to tail them? I have other work the manager instructed me to do, so I must be