Please Wait
Cream Holybell hated priests.
That did not mean she underestimated their power or took them lightly. She hated them precisely because she knew they were a threat—beings capable of opposing a witch like her.
She knew this better than anyone.
The ending of the hazy nightmare she dreamed every night always concluded the same way: at the hands of a highest-ranking priest known as a Saintess.
A dream where she foolishly did nothing about the mansion's persecution, eventually went mad, threw the world into chaos, and died.
In the dream, she was always searching for something.
Perhaps, even as she destroyed everything living out of pure hatred, she had been searching for happiness. Or maybe freedom.
She couldn't remember clearly. Only the sensation of desperate craving remained.
After coming to the mansion, even her mother got mixed into the nightmare, turning it into a complete mess.
Cursed dreams, cursed reality.
If both closing and opening her eyes led to hell, where was she supposed to find rest?
Living with such thoughts, Cream had lately found things to look forward to in reality.
Namely, the snacks and lessons her home tutor prepared for her.
It's just a pastime. A pastime.
Snacks that burst with juices when she took a big bite, and the satisfaction of a thirst for knowledge she'd never known in her back-alley days.
In those moments, she could forget both nightmare and reality, if only briefly.
That didn't mean she had forgotten her true purpose. Occasionally her teacher would say things that shook her to the core, but the sharp and cool-headed Cream would never be swayed.
Today's outing, too, was part of her grand plan to collect stamps and drive her teacher away—she hadn't given much thought to anything else.
Well, a tiny wish of I want to see a different side of Teacher had flickered through her mind.
Just a little—about as much as the length of her own legs—she had thought about it.
I-I just want to see him flustered so I can laugh at him.
Cream acknowledged Andy's power.
That light that made her blood vessels tingle. An intense light so brilliant that just looking at it felt like it might blind her forever.
At the very least, he seemed like a 2nd-class priest—and the head priests of village churches were typically 2nd-class. Even the nobles who ruled their regions couldn't treat them carelessly.
Because she acknowledged him that much, she wanted to see it.
How delightful would it be to watch such a magnificent priest get flustered?
Come to think of it, when Cream had stepped forward earlier to write the script herself, she'd sensed a hint of fluster from him.
...Does Teacher get flustered when I'm proactive?
If she proactively gave gifts, proactively took on commissions—would he get flustered?
Would he turn red and shout the way she always did?
"..."
G-gross!
The thought of a grown man looking like that—she didn't want to see it. She was fine not seeing it.
But she was also just a tiny bit curious. No, no. Cream shook her head vigorously and crept out carefully.
She had been hiding behind the Commission Office to avoid the purification, waiting for the situation to settle before coming out.
"Eek."
And then she saw it.
A grown man blubbering with tears—a disgusting sight.
"Oh... O Embracer of the Earth... O His Son..."
Of course, it wasn't Andy doing this—it was Kabosi, the middle-aged priest.
He was expressing his emotion by calling upon God and the Holy Son, clinging to Andy as he did so, which made it slightly awkward to watch.
"I apologize, Lord Andrew... I shall withdraw the charge of blasphemy. To belittle you would itself be blasphemy..."
"It's nothing of the sort. I'm simply glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up."
"I trust the insight of one who possesses such power... A truly righteous man... Surely a person of destiny guided by Heaven itself."
"Haha..."
At some point, he had switched from "Mister" to "Lord" and was speaking with deference.
Beside them sat a fishbowl filled with thoroughly purified water.
At the bottom lay a small needle. It was the needle Cream had lightly smeared with a bit of blood earlier to test the pendant's effect.
She had dropped it into the fishbowl water, creating the illusion that the corruption had reacted the moment it touched the water. In reality, the impure energy had appeared because it left the pendant's range, but to the priests, it was interpreted as a special sealing treatment.
Looking around, all the onlookers were gazing at Andy with reverent eyes, so the performance seemed to have succeeded without a hitch. Even those who had come running from the Commission Office like it was a marketplace earlier now kept a respectful distance.
A man who could make the acting head priest weep and bow his head like that.
The citizens murmured among themselves, but none acted rashly.
And unlike them, Cream came trotting over at a quick pace and stood beside Andy.
The one and only assistant—and witch—could stand beside this man.
Whether as a disciple or as an enemy, she could always be at his side.
"Ah, Assistant. You're here."
"Ahem."
She cleared her throat for no particular reason and puffed out her chest.
Something had surged up inside Cream at the sight of priests failing to acknowledge the Andy she herself recognized.
Even if I pulled a little scam that day, it wasn't blasphemy. His power is the real deal.
And so she had arranged this stage.
There was the advertising purpose for Andy, who wanted to earn money, but she also wanted to prove his power before a large crowd.
How dare you not acknowledge a priest that a witch herself acknowledges?
—Something along those lines.
She also wanted to wrap up this commotion quickly and go get a staff.
Originally she'd been debating whether to buy him one, but watching the purification work just now had made up her mind completely. The man she'd acknowledged as her rival walking around with a tree branch simply didn't sit right with her.
Look a little cooler, yeah? As a skilled practitioner, you should at least look the part, yeah?
It was her own form of respect, offered because she acknowledged his power.
"Um... Senior."
"Oh dear. How remiss of me... I've kept a person of destiny standing on the street for far too long."
At Melan's call, Kabosi gradually came back to his senses. Wiping his tears with the handkerchief she handed him, he looked back and forth between Andy and Cream.
"Well then, Lord Andrew and your assistant. Would you be willing to come to the church for a brief conversation? Not regarding the charges, but to wrap up today's events."
"Both my student and I are quite exhausted, so going all the way to the church seems difficult."
Andy said this while gently patting Cream's head. At the unexpected gesture, Cream froze, unable even to swat his hand away.
Pat, pat—
Stress: -3%
"Of course, I personally have something I'd like to say as well, so if it can be brief, I'd like to talk."
"In that case, shall we borrow the Commission Office for a moment?"
Having drawn too much attention, the four of them decided to leave the plaza.
They asked a Commission Office employee to handle the cleanup and went upstairs. Having brought in this many customers, that much courtesy was only fair.
Unlike the lobby where people freely gathered, the upper floor had private rooms set up for discussing work.
They borrowed one and sat on the sofas.
Andy and Cream sat side by side, with Kabosi and Melan across from them.
"First of all... as my student mentioned earlier, today's events were not a challenge to the church's authority."
"Please don't worry, Teacher. We are not a band of ruffians who persecute people of destiny."
Since they might have thought they'd been publicly humiliated, Andy brought it up—and when the other party immediately shook his head, Andy's conscience pricked him a little.
He was still a complete novice whose head ached every time he purified something.
Whereas the people before him were trained professionals who officially held priest positions—and one of them was even the acting head priest.
Of course, he didn't think he'd committed blasphemy. As Andy, he wasn't particularly ashamed.
If the performance at Mrs. Welina's house that day had truly been blasphemy, the status window would have given him a penalty.
Still, he thought it important to firmly win their favor here, so he spoke.
"Thank you for saying so. Still... I will donate the entire commission fee I received from the lady that day to the church."
"Pardon? Why would you suddenly make such a decision...?"
"What you priests did to me was justified suspicion, and I also thought my student's response to that unexpected situation was magnificent. For all of this, I am nothing but grateful. An excellent priest determined not to let a blasphemer slip away, and an excellent student who willingly steps forward into her teacher's hardship. I am so moved that I wish to give thanks to the Lord."
"Oh, Teacher..."
"Today's events are a connection as well, and I'd like to take this opportunity to contribute to the church and the local community. In exchange... I have one request."
"A request?"
"Yes. I'm not seeking compensation for the donation..."
Kabosi quietly waited for the next words.
This was the main purpose of the performance Andy and Cream had staged today.
"By any chance, does the church have any work that needs extra hands?"
"Work that needs extra hands... You mean you wish to volunteer? No, Teacher. First a donation and then a request that's volunteering—if you're that holy, what are we supposed to do..."
"No, it's not free volunteering or anything of the sort. Traveling alone on pilgrimage is one thing, but with a child, it turns out I need a fair amount of money."
"Ahh... Raising a child is like that, yes."
"As it happens, I've taken a liking to this Holybell County... so I'd like to stay for a while, help the residents, and in return save up childcare expenses and this child's future funds."
Appealing through donations and service to the church.
This way, he should be able to receive a wider variety of commissions.
More importantly, since he planned to make an enemy of the count who ruled this region, it would be good to build rapport with other powers in advance.
"I understand your intentions. You truly cherish your student."
"As you saw earlier, she's a brilliant child. How could I not?"
When he tried to pat her head again while saying this, Cream shot up from her seat and fled over to Priest Melan.
Whoosh—
Andy's hand wandered through empty air.
Kabosi smiled warmly at the sight. Looking at that fatherly smile, and considering what he'd said earlier, perhaps he had raised a child before.
"I'll give you my calling card for now, Teacher. It has a communication crystal code, so please contact me at your convenience. Or you may come directly to the church."
"Thank you."
"As it happens, there's something I'd like to ask of you in the not-too-distant future—"
While the two men were discussing what might be called business, or work-related matters—
Cream, who had come before Melan, tugged on her clothes.
"Priest. Just a moment."
"Ah, yes? What is it?"
"There's something I'd like to ask, if that's okay?"
"O-of course!"
She looked like she'd only just become an adult. Cream led the somewhat clueless female priest over to the window.
While Andy was seizing the opportunity that had arisen today, Cream couldn't let her own opportunity slip either.
"R-right. What are you curious about?"
"What do I need to do to get a priest's staff?"
"A staff? Ah... those are issued to priests who are formally registered with the church..."
"Is there no way for a regular person to get one?"
"Hmm... Each denomination has artisans who craft them."
"Even the shaft part?"
"The shaft part? Ah, the rod, not the orb? For that... priests who are good with their hands sometimes make the shaft themselves."
Melan showed her own staff as she spoke. A long wooden cane about Cream's height, topped with a transparent orb.
"Mine is chestnut wood. Light and sturdy. Chestnut, hazel, and ash are the common choices. If you want something pretty, hawthorn is nice, and if you prefer something weighty, oak is good too."
"There's a lot of variety."
"Right? Besides that, people also attach ornaments that help when using divine power. Clear red garnet aids blood circulation, and sky crystal has the effect of resisting corruption just by existing. See, I've attached some to my staff too."
She spoke with less tension than before, as if this was a subject she was confident about.
Just below the orb, a branch jutted out from the shaft, simply decorated with metal rings and gems.
Listening to the explanation, Cream painted a picture in her mind.
No orb—just the cane part.
Length: short, about the size of a conductor's baton.
Materials, the ideal form, the production process.
This was a girl who planned things out this way even when making medicine.
"Is the shaft part no different from an ordinary wooden cane?"
"Pretty much? Of course, it needs a consecration ritual at the church so divine power can flow through it..."
"Hmm..."
"I-if that's the case, m-maybe you'd like to register with our sect?"
"What?"
Cream, who had been thinking, slowly raised her head. In the middle of a conversation about staffs, a sudden recruitment pitch.
Well, looking at her teacher's power, it was only natural, she thought as she glanced at Melan's face.
And then she was startled.
"The Horizon Sect has much better benefits than other places. Full compensation even if you're injured on a mission, pension benefits, holiday gift benefits, family ceremony benefits, and even performance bonuses on top of that—and come to think of it, didn't a monster appear in the park recently? I heard a duo resolved it, and I think that might have been you and your teacher, and if so you'd be even more welcome so won't you join our Horizon Sect no just come—"
"I-I'll pass!"
Faced with eyes gleaming more hungrily than a starved beast, Cream fled immediately.
The middle-aged man who cried rivers of tears was one thing, but this person wasn't normal either. All priests were mentally unhinged.
"Ah, d-d-don't be scared. Big sister was just disappointed. Just disappointed..."
Melan hurriedly blocked Cream's path and pulled a candy from her pocket. But would a girl with a witch's blood flowing through her veins fall for something like this?
I can't accept candy from a priest.
The girl whose veins ran with the hamburgers and ice cream she'd been fed all this time made a firm resolution.
Anyway, as she stared blankly at the candy, something else caught her eye.
Melan's left ring finger. A ring was fitted on that slender finger.
So even a strange person like this had a lover.
Some denominations forbade priests from romance, but the Horizon Sect was free with both alcohol and romance.
Lake Sect priests: alcohol allowed, romance forbidden.
Snow Wind Sect priests: alcohol allowed, romance only with one's first partner. And so on.
As she thought about this, a sudden curiosity arose.
...What denomination is Teacher from?
Just a spark of curiosity that flickered past.
"—Then we'll leave it at that... shall we get up now?"
"It was a productive time, Teacher."
It seemed the conversation had ended around then.
Cream scurried over to Andy's side. After that, they exchanged farewells with the priests and parted on warm terms. For the record, since she couldn't blatantly ignore Melan's candy, she'd put it in her pocket.
The noisy moments passed, and at last it was just the two of them.
Unlike in the plaza, the two of them now blended naturally into the crowd.
"You've worked hard today."
"...You too, Teacher."
"What shall we do now? Shall we continue picking out a gift?"
"With how things turned out today, let's just go home. We're both tired."
"Oh dear. You must be quite disappointed. I'll have to praise you a lot when we get back."
"I don't need that!? Just give me lots of stamps—"
"Let's come out again another time."
"..."
"I promise."
"...Sigh."
The face of the child who'd been putting on a mysterious air cracked, revealing her usual young lady self. A face that pretended to be haughty yet was colorful, that seemed prickly yet was innocent.
She sighed and grabbed Andy's sleeve.
Currently, Cream still had a fair amount of stamina left. The sun was still high, so there was plenty of time.
And yet there was a reason she'd deliberately suggested going home.
"...Teacher."
"Yes."
"Just so you know, you can't put in a commission at the Commission Office for a staff."
"Pardon?"
"I asked the priest earlier, and she said a consecration ritual is needed. So putting in a commission with a regular person would be pointless."
"Aha. In that case, I could ask those people—"
"Don't."
Whoosh—
Cream yanked on his sleeve.
"Young lady?"
"I said don't."
She firmly gripped Andy's left wrist—the part wrapped in bandages—and spoke.
"You absolutely cannot put one in. Absolutely. You must not put in a commission. It's forbidden."
"...Since you dislike it so much, I'll do as you say. But may I ask the reason? If there's a critical problem for you, young lady, I need to know."
"That's because I..."
"You, young lady?"
"I-I'll... myself..."
Her insides churned strangely.
"With my o-own hands... m-ma..."
The elation from the success of today's script gradually shifted. A witch was a being who deceived people, so she should have been allowed to enjoy herself all day—yet her mood was rolling and churning in ways she couldn't understand.
Holding his arm with both hands, she kept catching the scent of his skin. Was that the reason? Even with her mask on, it barely helped.
"...I don't know."
In the end, the girl spoke weakly and closed her mouth.
But she added one more thing.
"Just... please wait a little."
Clutching the arm that still bore the marks of her own teeth.
Wisdom: +1
Sensitivity: +2