Spreading the Faith (1)
In the end, Yoanna purchased the church.
She couldn't pass up the advantages—it was cheaper than other buildings, and the spacious interior could be put to excellent use. Most of all, the expansive underground quarters capable of housing several people were simply too appealing to refuse.
After packing her belongings at the inn, Yoanna headed for the church basement with Emily and Thomas in tow.
Thomas came down by the stairs tucked in the corner of the church rather than through the collapsed floor, and peered upward with a puzzled look.
"Looking around, the building seems quite sturdy… so why on earth did the floor collapse?"
"I asked the neighbors. They said there was some kind of fight?"
"Is that so? Judging by the state of that floor, there must have been someone pretty vicious involved."
"……"
Letting their conversation wash over her, Yoanna surveyed the basement. When she had come here before to slaughter the wicked, she hadn't had time to look around.
Impressed by how spacious it was, she conveyed her thoughts to Dantalion.
The basement is quite large, isn't it?
A food storage room steeped in cool air, private rooms divided across underground floors, even a kitchen and bathroom—it was a living space far beyond what anyone would expect from a small church. Expanding a space to this degree on a small church's budget would never have been easy.
But thinking about it more broadly, it wasn't so strange either.
Well, they were a fairly sizable organization. It isn't that surprising.
Ironically, illegality had a way of raking in money precisely because it was illegal. In a world where the concept of dirty money did not yet exist, it was hardly odd that Marlon had pressed a fortune into the hands of a tight-lipped builder and expanded the building. Perhaps it had been a form of welfare for subordinates who could not walk the streets openly.
There's no law that says the wicked have to be stingy when working people to the bone.
After slowly looking around, Yoanna unpacked her things in a suitable room.
The portrait of Dantalion, the wanted poster, Jijang Bosal's Sermon Note…
Arranging the items she hadn't dared take out at the inn, Yoanna found herself smiling without realizing it.
"There's no denying that home is the most comfortable place after all."
"A personal space is a precious thing. Being able to put your belongings wherever you please is an advantage that shouldn't be underestimated."
Having finished organizing, Yoanna left her room.
Just then, Victor happened to be passing through the corridor and called out to her.
"Miss Yoanna, I've secured a contractor to handle the renovations. The upper floors aside, the lower levels were managed rather well, so there aren't any major issues—but…"
"Is there some kind of problem?"
Victor adjusted his glasses with a troubled expression. After confirming the other two weren't around, he led Yoanna down to the third basement level.
Unlike the other floors, which still retained a lived-in feel, the third basement was a storage room packed with odds and ends.
And yet…
"For a room full of junk, there's no dust."
"Yes. Warehouses like this usually accumulate dust from long neglect."
For a roughly organized storage room, it was remarkably free of dust. Rather, only certain sections of the floor were clean, as if someone had frequently come and gone.
Following the clean stretches of floor, Victor felt along the wall at the back of the storage room.
Click!
One of the bricks he pressed sank inward.
After a moment of mechanical whirring, a clunking sound came from the bookshelf to the side.
When they shifted the empty bookshelf aside, a hidden door was revealed. Beyond it, a passage lay shrouded in deep darkness.
This was no ordinary space—a breeze carrying the scent of earth drifted out. Wind meant the passage connected somewhere.
When the door was closed, a locking mechanism engaged with a clank. Confirming the door wouldn't budge, Victor spoke with a grave expression.
"It seems the previous owner was no ordinary person."
"Are you saying purchasing this building could become a problem?"
Victor nodded at Yoanna's question.
Someone with the wealth and power to construct a secret passage wouldn't simply vanish overnight. Dealing with anything related to criminals was already troublesome enough—and given the existence of a secret passage, the worst-case scenarios one could imagine were endless.
What if it involved something as vile as evil god worshippers?
"If you give me a little more time, I'll look for better properties."
"I appreciate your consideration, but there's no need to worry so much."
"Pardon?"
Though invisible, Dantalion nodded as well. At least in this city, there was no wicked person capable of harming Yoanna.
But Victor, who had no way of knowing that, could only worry. How could he not, when ruffians might lay hands on this kind young lady?
"Hmm, still, just in case, I'll speak with the captain of the guard."
"There's really no need…"
"Please don't think of it as a burden. Increasing the guard patrols is a simple matter for the captain."
Despite Yoanna's protests, Victor's resolve was firm.
After seeing him off, Yoanna returned to her private room with a complicated expression.
Then she opened Marlon's notebook, which she had hidden in a drawer.
January 13 — Five snakes, seven flowers. Traded for 21 gold coins.
January 17 — One snake, five flower buds. Traded for 10 gold coins.
January 21 — Nine flowers. Traded for 17 gold coins.
* * *
These were not transactions one could dismiss as ordinary snakes and flowers.
Just as she had when searching for Marlon, Yoanna concentrated her holy power into her eyes. Having grown familiar with the technique, she no longer needed Dantalion's help.
Moments later, ink began to seep from the notebook.
The ink that soaked the floor slithered down the corridor like a living snake, guiding Yoanna along.
Following the trail, she arrived at the bookshelf on the third basement level.
Confirming the ink passed beneath the bookshelf, Yoanna felt along the wall and pressed the brick-shaped switch.
Once again the door opened, and the ink trail continued beyond…
"I should go take a look, shouldn't I?"
"I have no intention of forcing your will."
Dantalion answered evenly. He had already taught her every ability she could currently use—there was no need to involve himself further.
Taking that as permission, Yoanna tore a page from the notebook and wrote a message.
I'll be out for a bit. —Yoanna
If Emily found this, she would understand the situation easily enough.
Leaving the note behind, Yoanna stepped into the darkness beyond the door.
Whoosh!
Flames rose from her palm.
Relying on that handful of light, Yoanna headed deeper into the passage.
The secret passage was as complex as a maze, and wide enough to move goods by cart.
Walking endlessly was harder work than expected.
Confirming there was no presence nearby, Yoanna carefully spoke.
"What do you think the items in the notebook are? They can't possibly be ordinary snakes and flowers."
"What do you think they are?"
He answered a question with a question, but Yoanna didn't mind. After a moment's thought, she replied.
"Something like dangerous drugs, perhaps? Both snakes and flowers can be used as medicinal ingredients."
It was a guess born more of experience than speculation. Such things had been common sights in Albert's temple, where people lost themselves in sinister pleasures.
But Dantalion shook his head.
"Not a bad guess, but you haven't hit upon the answer."
"Does Lord Dantalion already know the answer?"
"One cannot judge a sinner without knowing what crime they committed. Once you grow more accustomed to wielding holy power, you'll be able to discern the sins others have committed."
Still, he had no intention of simply telling her the answer.
Before she knew it, Yoanna had reached the end of the trail and stared at the door before her.
An uncontainable stench seeped through, and a dry, cracked voice could be heard faintly beyond.
Confirming the presence of the wicked with her holy power, Yoanna slid her sword into the gap of the door.
Slash!
The superheated blade split the lock on the other side in a single stroke.
Yoanna found the surprisingly flimsy locking mechanism odd. They kept merchandise important enough to catalog in a notebook this carelessly?
Click.
Opening the door and stepping inside, Yoanna aimed her flame toward the source of the voice.
Her fire banished the darkness and revealed the owner of that voice.
"Why is there a person…?"
Inside a prison cell as cramped as an animal cage, men and women covered in wounds stared at her, breathing irregularly.
Seven people in total, left immobilized inside the cells.
Then a girl—small enough that she could still move—locked eyes with Yoanna.
"Eek…! D-don't hit me! I'll drink the water and eat whatever you give me! I won't look for my mom either! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!"
"……"
She looked to be about seven years old.
Hunched over like a dog, the girl trembled as if feverish. Pus-tinged blood seeped from untreated wounds on her arms and legs, yet she showed no sign of pain.
As if the light brighter than darkness itself frightened her, the child couldn't look at Yoanna's flame and dropped her head toward her own shadow.
"A 'snake' is a euphemism used to refer to a man's genitals. And a 'flower,' in any world, often means a woman."
"Then a flower bud would be…"
A flower bud—a flower that has yet to bloom.
Understanding the meaning, Yoanna felt a wave of revulsion rise from the depths of her emotions.
It was like swallowing a live insect, like parasites crawling beneath her skin.
But there was an emotion stronger than all of that.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
"You haven't done anything wrong."
It was compassion. It was kinship.
Because in that child, Yoanna saw her past self.
A girl who could do nothing but offer prayers that would never reach anyone.
For that girl, Yoanna carefully drew the child into her arms.
So that the gentle warmth she herself had once longed for might, at least for this child, be delivered.
She held the child close without a word.