71. The Defense of Niren and New Transferees
Purification seemed to be over. The priest, Myra, and Ira let out a sigh of relief.
I was vaguely watching the scene when there was a knock at the church entrance door.
"We're closed for the day~!"
For the time being, I called out from inside.
"Mash, it might be an injured person coming to visit."
Myra's words reminded me that this was a church. But with the mountain of monster corpses at the entrance, would any injured person still try to come in?
Either way, monsters wouldn't knock on the door to enter, so it had to be people. I had a bad feeling about it.
Since none of our party members moved toward the door, the priest approached it. At that moment, with a crashing sound, the door blew inward.
A massive stake was embedded in the blasted bronze door.
It was the same kind of stake I'd seen piercing the pink Big Hopper in town.
An unfamiliar group of six entered.
The chubby guy in the lead took in the whole scene inside and started clapping. The dry sound echoed through the room.
"I figured if I tossed one in here, we'd wipe them out, given how lame the fighting outside was."
Black hair, black sunglasses, black outfit. And a black cane. He looked like a clown.
"As you can see, the gods are off today. That's why the church is in this state, and the town is a total mess. Could you head home?"
No one answered, so I spoke up for now. My party members gathered around me, wary of the six.
"Can't do that. We've been waiting for your guard to slack off."
The chubby man laughed. His speech was polite, but it carried a mocking undertone. Next to him stood a tall, skinny man also dressed in black, wearing sunglasses. Were those things sold in this world? Or were these two transferees who'd brought them? Behind them were two muscular men with slave crests, sporting beastman ears. Dog-eared clan like Fam? But their sharp gazes lacked any of her approachable warmth.
"Werewolf clan."
Fam answered, noticing my gaze. Her intuition was as sharp as ever. Please stop reading my mind.
Bringing up the rear was a woman in priestess-like robes similar to Myra's. About Mizuki's age? A slave crest peeked from her sleeve.
Next to the priestess stood a mage-like man. Another old guy. His robe was hiked up, revealing muscular arms unfit for a mage. No slave crest on him.
"Sorry, but there's nothing in this church. Just a priest whose hobby is groping women's asses."
"Eek, how do you know that?!"
The priest let out a small shriek. He'd seemed composed with age, but maybe he was a coward after all.
"You look more pervy yourself, though~..."
The chubby man slid down his sunglasses, eyeing the women appraisingly. Mizuki got extra attention. It felt like she'd been defiled.
"That's gross! Let's just beat these geezers already!"
Cecily snapped. Her mouth was as foul as ever. I wished she'd remember the last time she'd trash-talked us and lost.
"Don't think your skills can beat us."
He was right. I warned Cecily mentally.
"How about it? That mage girl and the dog-eared one. Trade for our two werewolves? I'll train 'em nice."
The man grinned creepily.
"No can do on that dog-eared one. She's wearing asagi-colored clothes."
One of the werewolf men said to the chubby guy. I glanced at Fam. She was glaring at him. As feisty as Cecily. Did asagi color mean something? The werewolf's words piqued my interest.
"What's wrong with asagi?"
"You don't know? When dog-eared find their lifelong master, they wear asagi items."
His words shocked me. Was that why she'd chosen asagi clothes? Looking at Fam again, she bit her lip and averted her eyes. She'd picked something so obvious, yet didn't want it known? But her reaction confirmed it. She wore asagi for that reason.
Myra cleared her throat lightly to distract me. She knew too. Mizuki, Cecily, and Ira looked as surprised as me.
"Sorry, no dudes. So, what do you want with the church?"
I'd ask Fam about it later. Time to get back on track.
"Too bad... We need something in the church basement."
The man replied.
"The graveyard...? Grave robbing?"
There were nobles' tombs, but if it was their ornaments, it'd be inefficient.
"You don't know? The hero from 100 years ago sleeps here."
His words mildly surprised me. But what good was desecrating a tomb? I doubted there was anything valuable enough to wreck the town. Maybe a powerful weapon or item buried with him?
"You started this mess for a grave visit? People have died. Your ancestors are crying."
"If only a few...~"
The man grinned meaningfully.
"You stole regular Big Hoppers, evolved them into pink ones here in the church, killed them in town, and spread their fluids. That about right?"
Since he seemed ready to confess, I confirmed how they'd caused the incident.
"You think I'm church staff?"
"Nope."
I shook my head.
"Then let me ask: Do you really think the church produces miracles through faith?"
"...It doesn't?"
I had my suspicions. If faith created miracles, any place would do. Yet you needed the church. I'd thought it was because of priests with strong faith.
"It's the power of the Crystal Core. Fragments of mana from the Holy Oil Jar. Though you probably wouldn't get it."
The man said.
"The magic stone that forms dungeons?"
It was a gem full of magic that spawned dungeons and monsters. Destroy it, and the dungeon vanishes. The goal of every dungeon explorer.
"Exactly. And it's something much closer to home."
The chubby man pulled a palm-sized gem from his storage. It glowed rainbow hues from within, not reflection. Were dangerous things like this scattered worldwide?
"A Crystal Core is a magic stone storing immense mana. Its role isn't just dungeon control. Empires and churches manage them strictly."
Myra said. Cynically, it sounded like a tool to control the masses and faithful. I kept that thought to myself; no point arguing with Myra here.
"I won't explain in detail now, but Crystal Cores hold vast mana ordinary humans can't control. Hence the church."
She added. So the man had a special skill to control it?
"...Got it. I surrender. Let me go, and I'll leave."
Time to bail. I'd learned what I needed, so I raised my hands.
"Don't joke. You gonna let these guys roam free?"
Cecily readied her staff. Ira silently followed with her mace. They expected my Goddess Summon? But the chubby guy was definitely a transferee with comparable power. No telling who'd win. I didn't want the risk.
"You guys sane?"
I wanted them to value life first.
"Sorry, but I can't forgive them. Though you won't like it, today I'll make you a hero. Fight with us for our world's people?"
Myra readied her mace.
"...Shu-sama. I know you said you'd surrender for us."
Fam drew her weapon too.
Only Mizuki and I stood stunned. I wasn't in the mood. Their malice wasn't aimed at us. If they didn't know we were transferees, they might let us go. They'd caused this to avoid trouble. I knew it wasn't right. They'd do it to other towns. But could I pretend ignorance and run? They were human. Fam and Mizuki would face them.
"Mizuki..." I closed my eyes. "...Please. I want to be a hero."
"Liar. But leave it to me."
Mizuki drew her sword last. Relying on her again.
"Mizuki, is it? That girl..."
The man said. The black-suited men weren't prepping for battle, but the two werewolf men stepped forward with hand axes.
The priestess-like woman stood by the chubby man. The mage-like man by the tall one.
"Tell me the names to carve on your coffins. I'll specially line you up next to the 100-year-old hero after drying you out."
I said. The priest shook his head in the distance.
"We need your names."
The tall one spoke for the first time.
"Fair. Hero-style introductions, then. I'm Mash. The girl that black pig's smitten with... you already know. Dog-eared is Fam. Mage is Cecily. Priestesses are Myra and Ira—don't bother distinguishing them. And we're sent by Goddess Rakushel. Of Levante."
The black-suited man's lips twisted.
"One more thing. Leave now, or today the two black suits and your mage die."
Final warning. I didn't want that day yet. Please back off. I clenched my fists in prayer.
"Mizuki rings a bell. You the transferees who summoned a goddess in Rishel?"
I waited for his next words.
"Then we'll introduce ourselves too."
Words from someone not backing down. Tougher than sneaking into a normal church. With powerful special skill guards, no less.
"I'm Mii." The chubby man said.
"I'm Kei." The skinny one followed.
Fake names like mine. Silly for their faces. I muttered it in my head to avoid pissing them off.
"Got it. Men in Black!"
Mizuki said, eyeing them. Makes sense—they screamed Japanese doing the American urban legend duo investigating and covering up UFOs. Cosplay? I hadn't noticed till she said it; she'd seen the movie.
"UFOs in this world too?"
She said it like they existed back home.
"Who knows. No UFOs maybe, but aliens somewhere in space, I bet."
As I answered Mizuki, a werewolf cleared his throat.
"Let's continue. I'm Fang. This is Task."
The werewolves bared fangs. Task had longer canines.
"Doris." The priestess-like woman said.
"I'm Izark." The mage-like man last.
"No need for team name. The god who summoned us is Tarsan."
The chubby man added.
"Rakushel's enemy, huh. You after a wish too?"
"Who knows~?"
He laughed. Annoying guy.
"Shall we begin?"
Battle declared.
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