A Sweet Gift (1)
Though this world has only one god, the faith has branched into many sects.
To preserve the world, the god divided his own body into countless fragments and scattered them across every land. People gathered at the resting places of those holy remains and built their faiths, and so the denominations naturally split apart.
The Lake Sect, born from the Miroa Great Lake in the capital. The Horizon Sect, centered on the Lint Plains of the southern continent. And others still — the Snowstorm Mountains, the Sea Roads, and more.
Their doctrines and vestments differ in small ways, yet relations among them remain largely cordial. Bound together under the Grand Cathedral Alliance, they are colleagues first.
Doctrinal differences spark the occasional quarrel, but the sense of fellowship runs deep.
Colleagues who wield the same power.
Bodies equally chosen by the god.
We are all servants.
Divine power often awakens in earliest childhood, and so their ways of thinking take root just as early.
That is why, even on days of joint operations like this one, they gather without hesitation.
"Grrraaah."
"Uwaaah."
"Gruk? Grrruk."
Beneath a clear sky, the priests of Holybell County had gathered in companionable misery.
Priestly robes of every color, necklaces stamped with each sect's symbol.
Having cleared their backlog of missions for today's sake, they all looked a little worse for wear — but that was fine. As always, if you kept rolling them, they would somehow keep rolling.
"Thank you all for gathering. I am Kabosi, acting head priest of the Horizon Sect Church in the Holybell Commercial District."
Middle-aged Priest Kabosi stepped forward before the dozens of walking zombies.
The largest church in the county belonged to the Horizon Sect, and with its head priest away, Kabosi had come to represent them.
"Judging by your faces, I'll keep this brief. The frequency of monster appearances has risen of late. For that reason, we are advancing the annual autumn Grand Cleaning a little earlier than usual. You've already received the briefing, yes? Participating priests will proceed by team to your assigned zones and carry out purification work."
"I have a question..."
"Please."
"It's good that we're moving the cleaning up, but does that mean the next one will fall in summer next year...?"
"Depending on circumstances, that may well be the case. Or, if the corruption levels stay as they are, we may have to do another one this winter."
"Oh..."
"Ah..."
"Holy..."
"This will be reflected in your performance records, so please give it your best."
The short briefing ended, and the priests shuffled toward the carriages assigned to each team. They staggered along using their staves as crutches, yet not a single complaint left their lips.
Andy cut through their ranks and waved to Kabosi.
"Priest Kabosi."
"Ah, Sir Andrew. Thank you for joining us today. The two of you may follow me."
"I understand, but there is something I wished to say first."
With that, he ushered forward a young lady no bigger than an acorn. Swallowed by a black cloak and black robe larger than her own body, she looked for all the world like a walking bundle.
She lifted the basket she had been cradling in her arms and held it out for Kabosi to see.
"Hm? What is this?"
"Um... today, I made some medicine for the priests to take."
"Medicine?"
"It's a fatigue recovery tonic. I-I'm not that skilled yet, but still—"
"Oh! What a blessing this is!"
Kabosi received the basket in both hands and hoisted it high toward the heavens. Whether Cream yelped "Eek? Eeeek?" in flustered panic or not, he cried out in a voice thick with tears and wonder.
"Everyone! Please wait a moment before you go! Here! This child!"
"Uweh?"
"Has made fatigue recovery tonics for all of you! A round of applause for our assistant — and for the Lord who granted us this glory!"
At his words the clergy burst into applause and thronged forward. They came on like zombies that had scented human flesh, yet formed an orderly line with an almost uncanny discipline.
"She made them for us..."
"She's an angel..."
"Thank you. Thank you..."
So this was what a gathering of priests looked like.
Grateful for the smallest things. Praising the smallest things.
This is wonderful.
Thinking it an excellent environment in which to raise a child, Andy nodded to himself.
He was clapping as well when the little witch girl beside him gave a full-body shudder. She only fretted silently at her hood and mask, so no one could read her expression.
Afterward, from all around came grunts of "Ooh, ooh" and "Strength is rising... overflowing..." — so the tonic seemed to have taken effect without issue.
"H-hm..."
Once the medicine had been fully distributed, Cream squared her shoulders as best she could while still trembling.
In the end she edged little by little behind Andy's back, and he couldn't help a soft laugh.
"Excellent work, Assistant."
Truly a fine thing.
Children really did need a wide range of experiences. To see more, to live more, and through that to discover their own worth.
Thanks to the pendant, she had been given this chance to stand before the clergy. The status window itself could not have been more encouraging of such behavior.
"...You aren't suspicious?"
Cream asked quietly from beside him.
"Suspicious of what?"
"I told you before. That I might play a nasty trick with the medicine."
"Ah... well, I knew you wouldn't, of course."
The hooded Cream lifted her head a fraction. He could not see her eyes, but he felt the weight of her steady gaze — as if asking, And how would you know that?
"Because our assistant has perfectionist tendencies."
"...What do you mean?"
"The only reason I can stand here today is because of the place you prepared for me in the square last time. Thanks to that, the power of 'Andrew' was acknowledged."
"..."
"But if you played a prank here, that reputation would take a hit. And your name would take a hit as well."
"..."
"You would hate that very much. Even rumors like 'she botched the formula because she's a child' or 'she put in the wrong ingredients.'"
"Why would you think that?"
"Because you enjoy making medicine."
"..."
"Wouldn't you dislike it if a stain fell on something you love?"
Having heard that much, Cream spun on her heel.
"That thinking is wrong."
"Is it?"
"It's just... because of the stamp. The stamp. That's why. You don't need to overthink it. I don't even like making medicine that much... and you shouldn't talk as if you know everything just because you're the teacher."
"Dear me. I shall have to reflect on that."
"...Hmph."
For someone claiming he would reflect, his voice was laced with a soft smile, and Cream let out a prim little sigh.
Still, she slipped a hand into the bag at her waist and fidgeted.
Emotion: +1
And one more praise stamp as well.
Corruption drifts through the air.
In residential streets, in bustling markets, in the countryside, the forest, the river — corruption exists everywhere.
At the concentrations found in daily life it does no harm to people, but once it gathers past a certain threshold, problems begin.
It acts like a poison, addicting those it touches, eroding their bodies; and when the concentration grows denser still, the corruption itself transforms into monsters and inflicts damage directly.
That is why priests perform a periodic Grand Cleaning.
The clergy of a given region gather, identify in advance the places where corruption tends to pool most heavily, and purify them.
Preventing an accident is always better than cleaning one up after the fact — which makes this an essential rite.
Andy and Cream, who had joined the effort, stepped down from the carriage.
Today they would be assigned to Kabosi's team and assist them.
They had arrived at a field not far from the commercial district. Ahead lay a dense stretch of forest that looked dark even at midday.
Stray only a little from the village and human presence vanished entirely; if something went wrong out here, calling for help would not be easy.
"All right, let's move with some energy."
The carriages could not enter the forest, so the people had to haul the supplies themselves.
A female priest they had not yet been introduced to loaded stakes and translucent thread onto a handcart. When Andy helped her, she bowed her head.
"Thank you."
"We just need to move everything over, is that right?"
"That's right!"
Once the carriage's contents had been more or less transferred to the cart, she held out her hand first.
"I'm Viola. Fifth-class priest of the Horizon Sect."
"Ah, Priest Viola. I'm Andrew. I look forward to working with you today."
"I-I've... really wanted to meet you, Teacher."
"Pardon?"
Andy studied her face.
She looked even younger than Priest Melan — late teens, perhaps — a priest with purple hair.
Horizon Sect vestments, a necklace stamped with a wheat-shaped symbol.
Viola pressed on.
"Mrs. Welina's commission."
"Ah, yes."
"We were the ones who went there first."
Ah.
Andy discreetly looked her over — carefully, with a measure of tact.
That scam — no, that advance purification job — the full commission fee had been donated to the church, so a portion of it would have become part of this person's salary.
In that light, everything had worked out for the best. Everyone had won.
Unfortunately, the other party might not see it that way. She might simply think of him as the bastard who ruined our performance record!
But resolving a conflict of this scale was hardly difficult. Andy was a professional home tutor who could even talk a witch around.
In this world there were people you could reason with, and people you could not.
Among the former stood Cream and Kabosi; among the latter, Count Holybell.
In the latter case, Andy did not waste his strength. He was not so foolish as to speak to a wall.
But in the former case, he was more than willing to persuade.
And so, in this moment, the jaws of calamity were about to open—
"—Please teach me, Teacher!"
"...Pardon?"
Before he could speak, Viola cut him off.
"You saw through corruption that my senior and I completely missed...! When I heard that story I was so ashamed, and so moved!"
Her face blazed with zeal until it seemed to glitter. Andy wondered whether a human face was even allowed to shine like that.
She thrust that radiant face toward him as if she might spit at any second.
"No matter how many times I replay that day, there wasn't a scrap of malice — it's truly astonishing!! I'm so curious about your insight and your power!!!"
Her voice kept climbing.
Andy, whose eardrums felt ready to burst, simply smiled.
The demure act had lasted all of five minutes after they met; she was an extremely passionate person. At the very least she seemed to hold no grudge against him — only a fierce respect for his ability.
"This world overflows with hardship!! Every day the clergy endure grueling work with no end in sight! And in the midst of all that, for someone like you to come to this region — this can't be coincidence, it must be destiny!! Truly a meeting guided by the heavens—"
"That's enough."
Just as the priestly long-winded speech seemed destined never to end, another male priest strode over and cracked Viola over the head with his staff.
Clang!
"Aaack!!"
"My apologies, Teacher. She does this at the church fairly often, so please bear with her."
Viola glared at the male priest and stuck out her tongue, then bobbed a quick bow to Andy and scurried off. She felt less like a priest than a schoolgirl.
As Andy watched her go, the male priest stepped in front of him.
"I'm late with the introductions. I'm Antonio. Fourth-class priest of the Horizon Sect... and, ah, Viola's partner, as of a moment ago."
"Partner?"
"Yes. Fifth-class priests cannot operate alone and must travel with a senior or another fifth-class, so I was assigned to her."
Andy looked over the composed Antonio.
A priest in his mid-twenties, a little older than Andy himself.
In all likelihood, this man and Viola were the ones who had taken Mrs. Welina's commission.
"I've very much wanted to meet you, Teacher. To see you like this today is a blessing."
"Not at all. If anything, I'm the one who should be grateful for the chance to meet you priests and learn from you."
"I'd heard you were humble, and I see it's true. I look forward to working with you today."
He smiled first and held out his hand, and Andy took it.
In the middle of the handshake—
"Today, I very much hope to see your power, Teacher."
"Pardon?"
"I'll be looking forward to it."
For an instant, it seemed strength entered his grip.
After that he bowed politely, finished his greeting, and turned away.
Andy watched Antonio's retreating back. Staff in hand, vestment skirts fluttering, walking toward his colleagues — and then the man glanced back and gave Andy a small smile.
It was not quite a sneer. More like...
Pure expectation?
Just then, he felt someone tug at his clothes from behind.
He turned and found a walking black bundle right under his nose.
"Young la— Assistant. What is it?"
"...Teacher. Over here."
In a strangely subdued voice, Cream pulled at Andy's sleeve. While the priests busied themselves with cleaning preparations at the forest entrance, she led him toward a quiet corner of the path.
"What is the matter?"
"Well, um..."
After dealing with adults, having to drop his gaze so far to look at Cream was oddly amusing.
Wondering what she meant to say, he bent to match her eye level — and she only fidgeted in silence.
One hand clung tightly to Andy's sleeve, the right one he had just used to shake hands with the priests.
The other was buried deep in the bag at her waist.
Her shoulders twitched; something inside was being fretted over without rest.
What on earth did she have in that bag?
"So, um."
"You may take your time."
"For you, Teacher, it's not anything special, really."
"Yes."
"Before we start the work in earnest, um..."
"Ah."
Around then, Andy nodded as if he had understood.
Quite naturally, he held out his left arm.
"You're thirsty. Here—"
"I-I don't need that!"
"Right, there are eyes on us here."
"Eyes or no eyes, I said I don't need it...!"
While Andy casually offered his arm, having taken her hesitation for thirst, Cream clamped her mask firmly in place and hopped up and down in agitation.
"—Sir Andrew, Assistant! We're heading in now! Please come this way!"
"Understood! ...Assistant. The moment we're alone, I'll give it to you at once. Just hold on a little longer."
"I'm telling you, that's not it...!"
"For now, let's catch up before we lose the group."
Watching Andy set off first at Kabosi's call, Cream screwed up her face.
Cheeks faintly pink, she clutched the ribbon-wrapped gift box inside her bag as tightly as she could.