The Day Priestess (2)
The Day Priestess (2)
Dimona had been taken away. She was smiling, so saying she had been taken away felt rather ambiguous.
"It's a trial we're obviously going to win!"
Ashval Haltz's name carried weight. Once the retired veteran settled into the church headquarters, all the talk about Dimona died down.
"To think Divine Divine Judge Dimona was acquainted with Marquis Haltz..."
"If you fall out of the Empire's favor, you're completely backing the wrong line, church or no church..."
"This is serious... Let's watch what we say for now..."
Even the gazes that had openly disregarded me vanished. Instead, nothing but favorable words overflowed.
When you thought about it, this was practically a hero's return. Dimona was directly connected to Paramer's salvation.
On top of that, the reason she had gone there was to save me, who had been practically a child offered up by the church.
It was as if the title of a superior who willingly endured sacrifice for her subordinate had been hung squarely before Dimona's name.
"...So cool."
"As expected of Divine Divine Judge Dimona."
"Isn't she truly the one who ought to be raised to archbishop?"
"The Inquisition Office seems too small to contain her."
Public opinion flipped in an instant.
But whether it did or not, I was extremely busy.
"Matier."
"You've come! Priest!"
Watching him wring his hands was amusing. I sat in the chair and spun around.
"I didn't expect you to hire mercenaries and come to save me."
"Aren't you and I practically in the same boat, Priest? I thought that showing loyalty at a time like this would build thicker trust."
"You weren't just scared of losing all your Hectors?"
"...Haha! How could that be! You're not the sort to go off somewhere and die, Priest."
"Right? This is why I'm fond of you, Matier."
"I am forever your subordinate, Priest."
Amid his awkward laughter, I casually handed over the Nectar I had set aside.
"Use it as pocket money."
Being clear about rewards and punishments would serve me well later.
Matier's face lit up. I smirked.
"You must have emptied out all the money you'd saved, right? Five hundred mercenaries isn't a force you can hire easily. And with the talk of heading to Paramer, which was practically a death sentence, you must have had to pay several times the usual rate."
"My choice was the right one. As expected of you, Priest."
"Rewards and punishments have to be clear. Well, if Matier hadn't come..."
I shrugged.
"I don't know what I would have done."
"......"
"It's a joke. A joke. Laugh. Hm?"
"Ha...haha! What a funny joke!"
Even after rewarding Matier separately, there was still a mountain of work left to handle.
Things like saying thank you for coming, or I would have died without you.
I wasn't the sort of person to get by with just words like that. I set aside a portion of the treasures I had brought back and handed them over to Matier.
"Th-this is?!"
"Yeah."
"I-I know I did something praiseworthy, but to go this far...!"
"Send it to the Serpent Church."
"Huh?"
"If they say even one of the things I sent is missing, you die. Isabella, commander of the Serpent Church's Black Scales Paladin Order. Write it down clearly and send it. Got it?"
"......"
After setting aside the items to send separately to the Serpent Church, I settled into the Fifth Inquisition Office.
The total number of people from the Inquisition Office who had died in battle was six. I separately compensated their bereaved families.
"......."
"Th-thank...you...Priest."
These were people who had died trying to save me.
If I didn't take care of them, no one would.
But the dead were dead and the living were living. I forcibly dragged my sinking mood back up.
Heave-ho. I've got work to do.
"Radatok. I'll borrow your office for a bit."
"Eh?"
"Austin. Bring in the people I call, one at a time."
"Understood!"
Inquisitor Austin dashed out of the office. I glanced back at Radatok and Rosemary.
"Would you both mind taking out your weapons?"
"What do you..."
"Just take them out for now."
Radatok drew his weapon. A heavy greatsword. The hilt was worn smooth, as if it had been gripped for a long time.
Rosemary was holding the imperial steel weapon I had recently procured for her. A B-rank weapon. Its performance was passable, but it wasn't particularly good either.
Passable was the best that could be said for it.
"Let's see..."
Should I take care of Radatok first?
[Two Suns (A)]
One of the items made by a master craftsman. It is similar to the greatsword he currently uses. The fact that it is slightly larger might be a drawback, but it's not bad.
I sent a thread of Sacred Power through it. Flames flickered to life.
Good.
Very nice!
"Here, Radatok."
"Th-this is..."
Radatok gripped the weapon. As the flames blazed up, he looked back and forth between me and the weapon.
"Am I...really allowed to use this...?"
"Of course. If you don't use it, Radatok, who will?"
"B-but..."
"You ran all that way to save me. If I didn't at least do this much, people would curse me. Please accept it."
"......"
Radatok spun the greatsword once. He stared at the blade he had drawn from its sheath as if entranced.
"...I didn't do it hoping for something like this."
"But you're still happy to receive it, right?"
"I can't deny that."
Radatok smiled brightly.
"Thank you. Brother."
"Go try it out. You'll need to get used to a weapon you've never used before."
"Understood."
Radatok withdrew. Rosemary was desperately trying to suppress the corners of her mouth from rising.
"Hmph. Hm-hm. Hmph."
Her humming was leaking out all over the place. I glanced up at her.
"Rosemary."
"Yes?"
"Thank you for coming to save me. Honestly, I was moved."
"Wh-what... I didn't exactly go to save you... but if you put it that way..."
"Coming to pick something up and saving me while you were at it still counts as saving me."
"Hm. Hm-hm. Right? Now you understand what I was saying."
"Yes."
"...Huh?"
"You can leave now. I just wanted to say thank you."
Rosemary froze. She kept glancing at the door Radatok had exited through.
"A-and?"
"Hm?"
"N-no, I mean... s-saving me is saving me, right?"
"Right?"
"I mean, why..."
Rosemary, too proud to say it, pointed at the door with her finger.
"It's a door."
"S-so what?"
"Ah. Yes. You can leave through there."
"U-ugh... hnngh..."
Maybe I should stop teasing her now.
[Radiant Weight (A)]
Thud.
The axe dropped. I swung it lightly once through the air.
This was also a weapon made by a master craftsman. To be precise, it wasn't an imperial weapon. It was a weapon taken from the northern barbarians.
The haft was made of beast bone, and the edge was jagged. But despite that, it was A-rank.
Why?
Because a beast's soul dwelled within the weapon!
"Here."
"......"
Rosemary took the weapon and looked up at the axe. She frowned at the chipped edge.
"...It's a...weapon?"
"That's right. But don't bother sharpening it. Leave it as is."
"Huh?"
"The wolf inside won't like it."
Grrrrrr.
At the echoing beast sound, Rosemary glanced behind her. The forms of five wolves were watching her from the air.
"Spi...rits?"
"They're more like souls than spirits. Try hard to tame them. They'll be very useful."
An axe weapon that could conditionally reach S-rank. If tamed well, it was an item that could even be made into a Sacred Relic.
Rosemary, who had been stroking the weapon, glared at the wolves. As expected of cats and dogs.
They're already fighting over hierarchy.
"...Th-th-thank..."
"Thank you?"
"...Ugh! I don't know! A-anyway, I'll use it well! And just so you know, I'll surpass you soon!"
So dishonest.
Rosemary slammed the door on her way out. I picked up the documents.
Let's see...
Now, should I distribute some to the remaining inquisitors?
. . .
"Good heavens."
"Y-you're really giving this to me..."
"Brotheeer! I love you!"
I heard confessions dozens of times. I lightly organized the documents. I checked the list of distributed items and put the rest back into my Pocket.
Only about a quarter of what I had brought remained, but still. Even this much was enough to live on for a lifetime!
Knock knock.
"Come in."
It wasn't even my office, but I answered casually. The door creaked open, and the final visitor revealed herself.
Day Priestess Candidate, Irene.
"...Zahard."
"Irene!"
I trotted over. She was practically the number one contributor to this battle!
On top of that, she was someone who had come after fighting through several brushes with death. The ownership trial of Tarnhelm was incredibly hard to endure. And if she had reached Day Priestess Candidate in just six months on top of that...
Just how much effort had she put in with death on the line? No matter how much of a genius she was, that was effort beyond reason.
"Want something to drink? Tell me anything."
"This is the Judge's office..."
"When she's away, it's mine. Well. So, what do you want to drink? Make yourself comfortable."
"Then, tea for now..."
"I'll bring it!"
Humming, I lightly heated the water. I set down a cup and poured the tea.
Irene sipped the tea. Her eyes widened slightly.
"It tastes..."
"Bad, right?"
"....."
"It's practically plain water. Everything in this office is that kind of tea."
"Isn't this the tea Divine Divine Judge Dimona drinks?"
"She's secretly a cheapskate when it comes to herself. She says if she has money for that, she'd rather feed the inquisitors one more thing, or something."
Irene stared at me blankly.
"You two seem to have gotten close."
"Right? Given the nature of the work, I have to stick by her side."
"......."
The atmosphere turned chilly. Irene patted her lap.
"Come here."
"...Huh?"
"Hurry."
"I'll just sit next to..."
"Come here, Zahard."
Her cold smile was frightening, so I quietly went over to her side. But I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there spacing out in front of her.
"Um...you're not telling me to sit there, right?"
"Lie down next to me."
"......?"
I did as I was told for now. I lay down.
Her thigh. I rested my head on its inner side. Her skin was so soft. But something was strange.
Even when I turned my head, I couldn't see her face. All I could see was her chest!
Wh-what a terrifying weapon...
"...Zahard."
A voice mixed with a sigh flowed from beyond the place I couldn't see.
"You're too defenseless."
"I don't think I'm that..."
"You're defenseless, and you give yourself away too easily."
"Despite how I look, my guard is solid..."
"Be quiet."
"Yes, ma'am."
A soft touch stroked my hair.
"...Should I really lock you up in my estate later?"
"Huh?"
"Talking to myself."
The hand stroking my hair stopped.
"Zahard. There's somewhere I need to go with you."
"Where...is it?"
"A Day Priestess. The person who will be my senior wants to see you. Her name is Grimoire. She's kind and gentle."
"Why does she want to see me?"
"Um...well..."
Irene, seeming embarrassed, fiddled with my hair again.
"...She said she wanted to see for herself...what kind of guy I'd risked my life to save..."