Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Beggar Gritz (4) - Monologue
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They say that the place we live in is called Velaria by outsiders.
A land shrouded in a mysterious veil.
Like a woman's face hidden behind a layer of gauze, no one from the outside can peer into its depths or fathom its secrets.
A basin surrounded on all sides by mountains and rivers.
The only passes connecting it to the outside world are treacherous mountain paths barely wide enough for a single carriage.
That might make it sound like a terribly harsh place to live, but the locals here don't find it all that difficult or agonizing.
No, in fact, compared to the outside world, it's quite prosperous.
I haven't been anywhere else myself, so I can't compare directly, but that's what Grandpa and Grandma always said, at least.
This land is blessed.
Water flows in abundance, the soil is fertile, and farming yields several times the harvest of ordinary land.
With all sorts of other resources plentiful as well, there's no need to trade with the outside—we can sustain ourselves entirely within these borders.
And those who benefit the most from that bounty are orphans like us and beggars like you, they said.
In truly impoverished lands or territories, there wouldn't even be such things as orphanages or beggars to begin with.
If your limbs are intact, you'd naturally be put to work as labor, and once some part of your body breaks down and you can't move anymore, you'd just be discarded to die.
In a society with no mental or material leeway, there can be neither those who give to others nor those who survive on that charity.
That's right.
This land is a blessed one.
More precisely, it's a land blessed by the Guardian God.
The Guardian God originally resided in the distant heavens, but one day, while gazing down upon the earth, He discovered the people living in poverty here.
Taking pity on their gaunt, hollow-eyed forms, the Guardian God descended to the mortal plane, bestowed blessings upon this land, and transformed the once barren, desolate soil into rich earth through His power.
Crops flourished with every sowing, fruits hung heavy from the trees, and the people no longer went hungry as before.
The Guardian God took a maiden from this place as His bride, and their descendants became both priests serving the God and kings ruling the people.
That's the Kanilian family now.
Isn't the Kanilian family the lord's house?
Well, sort of, from what I've heard.
This Velaria is just a part of some larger kingdom out there, and their king is the liege lord of the Kanilians.
But it doesn't really mean much.
As I mentioned earlier, this land is so isolated.
No matter how much they order us around from the outside, if the Kanilians just ignore it, that's the end of it.
Unless they're sending an army through those treacherous mountain paths that are the limit even for a single horse—which is barely doable, let alone wagons.
So the outer king is content with nominal recognition of his sovereignty, the Kanilians play along by calling themselves vassals in name only, and they compromise right there.
You think I know an awful lot about this for stories from grandparents?
Well, they were just prime examples. I didn't hear all this from just one or two people.
I've always loved wandering around or chatting people up since I was little, so I pestered stories out of all sorts of folks everywhere.
Merchants who'd crossed the mountain passes, wanderers worn out by the harsh outside world who'd stumbled in, even adventurers drawn by rumors of the mysterious veiled territory.
Oh, speaking of kings—turns out Velaria's overlords have changed hands a bunch of times.
Whenever the outer kingdoms fell and new ones rose, they'd demand loyalty, and we'd give some token response.
The most recent collapse was apparently when that Demon King or whatever wrecked a bunch of countries. Gritz, have you heard of the Demon King?
According to this one adventurer uncle who reeked of booze and had a red nose, it was a dragon bigger than a castle that spewed poison from its maw.
Eh? No? A knight in black armor? Sigh, I got duped.
...Hmm, the conversation's veered off track. But you asked about the lord, Gritz, so cut me some slack.
Anyway, this land's prosperity is all thanks to the Guardian God's blessings.
That's why we select shrine maidens to express our gratitude and attend to Him.
These shrine maidens serve at the Guardian God's side for about a decade, then receive eternal life in His heavenly abode as reward.
And when the current shrine maiden ascends to the heavens, the next one waiting in line takes her place. It cycles like that.
...I know, it sounds kinda suspicious somehow.
Ascending to the heavens, eternal life—sounds plausible enough, but no one left behind can verify it.
The skeptical types see shrine maidens as glorified sacrifices, while the devout call that blasphemy.
Unfortunately, the devout voices are louder.
Because the Kanilians, who rule this land, claim descent from the Guardian God.
Unless you're as unhinged as me, who'd badmouth the lord to his face? Huh? That's weird, isn't this where you'd interject?
...I'm just stating facts—what's there to nitpick? Harsh.
Anyway... there have been doubters like me in the past.
One even flat-out refused to become a shrine maiden because she didn't want to die.
People pitied her but also watched the Kanilians nervously, wondering if they'd lash out and punish not just her but everyone around her.
But for some reason, the Kanilians didn't punish the candidate at all.
They said the shrine maiden's will is paramount—if she refuses, there's nothing to be done.
The candidate, now free of her duty, joyfully thanked the Kanilians, and everything seemed to resolve smoothly.
Until, that is, record-breaking famines hit starting the very next year.
Rivers dried up, earth cracked open, even trees withered away.
You know what? Velaria has way more people than other territories its size.
With farming always bountiful, the population boomed accordingly.
Which also means a lot of mouths to feed.
And with almost no contact outside, no aid from elsewhere either.
People blamed the shrine maiden candidate.
She'd refused to serve the Guardian God, so in His anger, He'd withdrawn His blessings from the land.
Go beg His forgiveness now and fulfill your role, they said.
According to Grandpa, who lived through it, only a handful spoke up loudly—most just stayed silent... but in that climate, silence was tacit agreement.
Still, the candidate held out, they say.
She snapped back at her tormentors: You're just telling me to die in your place. If it's such an honor, you do it.
People raged but couldn't lay hands on her directly—what if divine punishment came?
So instead...
Her brother stepped in.
Hanging from a massive tree near their home, his corpse dangled limply—like a message meant for the candidate.
The incident was ruled a suicide.
Doesn't matter if his head showed blunt trauma or the noose looked odd for a hanging.
The townsfolk declared it suicide, so it was.
Shamed by his sister's sins, too ashamed to face people, so he died.
The candidate couldn't hold out anymore.
Maybe she didn't even try. Holding out further might "shame" her remaining family into the same fate.
Once she accepted her role and vanished from the city, the land slowly regained its bounty.
Failing crops didn't recover overnight, but with stockpiles and foraging in the mountains, they scraped by until the next year.
That's when people realized.
Ah, those ancient tales passed down weren't just fabrications.
The Guardian God is real, and it's His grace that makes this land prosper.
And if a chosen shrine maiden shirks her duty, calamity will follow.
One person, every ten years.
Just one sacrifice, and countless here live in plenty.
Irresistible for the chosen, really.
So I decided not to refuse.
No, I'll gladly accept it.
But you know.
If I throw a fit and say no, or tremble in fear, it just burdens those around me.
The orphanage director or the other kids can't help me.
No, they shouldn't even try.
The townsfolk tolerate me and my acquaintances with awkward guilt while I accept my role, but the instant I resist, they'll turn hostile.
Even if it's just one in a hundred, that's unstoppable violence against the powerless.
So I smiled.
Said I was fine, eating well, dressed nicely, spending plenty of money, and after a few tough years, eternal bliss awaited.
But... it's not working well.
Back at the orphanage, no matter how brightly I act or laugh, that faint sadness lingers in their eyes.
Strangers or distant acquaintances are easy to fool, but the ones I want to reassure always watch me closely.
So every time I return to the Kanilian estate, I brood.
Was my acting off? Should've said this instead? Ah, wanna go back to day one. Stuff like that.
Lost in those thoughts, unwanted ideas bubble up, and no matter how I try to banish them, they won't leave.
Like an apple dropped in water—push it down, push it down, it just floats back up.
Can't force those away. Best to distract with something else.
So, yeah, Gritz—that's why chasing you was fun.
I could act like a total fool without restraint.
Forget all the headaches and thoughts I didn't want.
But now that's coming to an end.
No more stories? Haha, I do have some left, but it's more fundamental.
The training period to learn the dignity and etiquette befitting a shrine maiden, so as not to displease the Guardian God with improper conduct.
It's almost over.
Once it ends, I'll fulfill my duty as shrine maiden.
...Hmm! Feels good, actually.
I planned to leave without telling anyone, but spilling it out feels surprisingly relieving.
Maybe because you're so weird, rude, and beyond normal measure, Gritz.
Thanks for listening.
Pardon? What'd you say?
Dumb, suffocating, zero-awareness bitch? Wow, harsh words!
I wasn't expecting grand comfort, but straight-up insults? Uh, what do you mean?
I'll see?
No, it's not that simple...
......For real?
"Yeah, you foolish girl."