The Fabric of Temperance
When I stepped out of the greenhouse-like chamber, the outside had already been cleaned up.
In one corner several people lay bound, while poisoned corpses were scattered here and there across the ground.
The moment Bloom and I clashed, the rest of them must have charged Bella and Alturo.
“You two all right?”
“Yes, Inquisitor!”
“I’m fine.”
As subordinates of an Apostle they couldn’t have been weak, yet against two who had once been numbered among the Seven Deadly Sins they had stood no chance.
“I tied up everyone except the ones who attacked us. After it was over, though, none of them knew a thing about the plague. Maybe I should have kept that one alive after all?”
Alturo glanced at Throw’s body wedged among the corpses.
“No need. I already got what I wanted.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’ll take these people to the nearest diocese office and explain the situation. After the mess we made, some kind of report is necessary.”
“And me?”
“You stay here with Bella and make the medicine. You said all the materials are already on site.”
“Understood.”
I told Alturo where the ingredients were kept, then turned away with the captives in tow.
I handed the research staff over to the diocese and gave the bishop a brief report.
Only the essentials: that the Flora Research Institute had been run by an Apostle of the Evil Book Society, and that they were the ones who had spread the plague through Luminara Territory.
I deliberately omitted anything about the Demon God’s scripture; that would have caused needless uproar.
The diocese was fairly distant and I hadn’t traveled alone, so by the time I returned to the institute a full day had passed since my departure.
When I reached the place Bloom had mentioned, Alturo was already at work on the medicine while Bella slept leaning against her backpack.
Alturo looked as though he had pulled an all-nighter.
“How long until the medicine is ready?”
“It’s already finished. The method and every necessary ingredient were right here. All that remains is to brew enough volume to treat the infected fields.”
Even though it was his first time making the formula, Alturo’s hands never hesitated.
“And this last batch will be done soon as well.”
“Fast.”
“Finishing quickly so I can rest is the better choice.”
He set a filled bottle aside and took up an empty one.
I leaned against the wall, watching him work, then spoke.
“Is there anything you want to do after this?”
“Suddenly? I already agreed to place my knowledge at Young Master’s disposal, did I not?”
“The exact condition was that you would use your knowledge so that it benefits others.”
“So it was. How is that different?”
“It is different. The first is compulsion; the second is your own will.”
“Hmm…”
Alturo’s hands paused for a moment as if he were thinking, then resumed their work as he answered.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Neither how to use my knowledge for others’ benefit, nor what I myself want to do.”
“……”
“But I am grateful to the Young Master who helped me. So at the very least, until I have repaid that debt, I will make myself useful to you.”
Considering that in the previous life he had been the Avarice of the Seven Deadly Sins—a man who begrudged even a cup of water—this already counted as enormous progress.
“Then for now you’ll stay at our manor. Conduct whatever research you like, diagnose the sick, that sort of thing.”
“Understood.”
“Especially keep a close watch on the house. If anyone sets their sights on our manor, don’t hesitate—bite them. If a few cockroaches die, I’ll take full responsibility.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Just then Bella murmured in her sleep and rested her head against my thigh. Alturo flicked a glance at her.
“You have a fine deacon. Any other would never have been able to handle you.”
I looked down at Bella and replied,
“I think so too. A deacon this lacking in piety is rare.”
“……”
“And she’s good at pretending to sleep.”
Bella awkwardly opened her eyes and peered up at me.
“I just woke up. I thought I’d been turned to stone or something. I simply missed the right moment to open my eyes.”
“I know.”
“Ugh…”
Around the time Bella sat up, Alturo spoke again.
“Finished. Now we just pack these up and head back.”
“Perfect. Turtle, load every last bottle onto that shell of yours.”
“Yes, sir!”
And so we set out for Luminara Territory with the medicine in hand.
We did not return to the manor at once. Instead we went first to the plague-stricken fields to test the medicine.
Alturo walked through the barren plots, dripping the remedy little by little, then stepped back a short distance to observe.
“Hmm. It seems the medicine is taking effect properly.”
Even to the naked eye it was clear. The dry, crumbling soil was gradually taking on a richer color.
Alturo turned to a nearby farmer.
“Leave the land alone until the medicine spreads fully and the soil regains its vitality. You should be able to plant summer crops after that.”
“Th-thank you!”
The farmer’s voice cracked as he seized both of Alturo’s hands.
“Uh… uh?”
“I couldn’t even sow seed in early spring and was at my wits’ end… thanks to you I can see a way to live again…!”
Still clutching Alturo, the farmer turned to me.
“Young Master, thank you as well! You’re busy enough with your duties as an Inquisitor, yet you still look after us…”
“I was just killing two birds with one stone.”
“It feels like only yesterday you were running through these very fields, Young Master…”
The farmer sniffled, tears welling.
I was fairly certain I had been pilfering crops because I was hungry rather than simply “running about,” but whose memory was distorted I couldn’t say.
The farmer whipped back toward Alturo.
“Benefactor! Won’t you please tell me your name?”
“Uh… uh?”
“How can I even give proper thanks if I don’t know your name?”
Yet Alturo only stood there like stone, eyes wide. This was clearly the first time anyone had ever praised him.
“His name is Alturo.”
I answered for him with a faint snort of laughter.
“You’ll be seeing a lot more of him, so remember it.”
Having confirmed the medicine’s efficacy, we finally returned to the manor and formally introduced Alturo to the family.
“This is Alturo. He’s the one who will solve the plague. He’ll be staying at the manor for a while and assisting us.”
Alturo gave a brief bow. Father stepped forward.
“A pleasure. I am Benedic, Baron of Luminara.”
“Yes… I am Alturo.”
“If you need anything, simply say so. We do not treat our benefactors poorly.”
“I am merely repaying the help I received from the Young Master…”
“Then we are mutual benefactors.”
Father’s lips curved slightly; Alturo froze solid once more.
He seemed weak against Father’s type. Leaving his “re-education” to Father might be the better plan.
Work for us for the rest of your life…
After that we spent some time touring every plague-stricken field and spreading the medicine.
I had no particular plans for the immediate future, so for a full month I inspected the territory while refining my newly strengthened body.
During that period some people began sowing summer crops; others prepared their fields in anticipation of the autumn harvest.
“Ahh, we’re finally free of this plague!”
“They say Young Master Cael and Deacon Bella found the method?”
“And the one who actually made the medicine is a fellow named Alturo!”
“Haha, all three of them are amazing!”
The plague that had tormented the territory for nearly half a year vanished completely.
“Inquisitor Cael. As of today, the Skallen territory has become the property of the Luminara family.”
That was the news Cardinal Barun delivered through a communication crystal.
Having finally rid ourselves of the bothersome plague, we now had the leisure to accept the territory.
And Father, formerly a baron, was naturally elevated to viscount.
The first to wag his tail was, of course, Scriben.
“Congratulations, Baron… no, Viscount Luminara.”
“Hoo… I’m not entirely certain it’s good news. The number of people I must look after has only increased.”
“I shall head to what was once Skallen territory at once and put things in order. I’ll also try to find some decent personnel.”
The Father of old would never have allowed it. Yet this time he nodded after only a brief moment of thought.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
I still didn’t feel completely at ease, so I casually laid a hand on Scriben’s shoulder.
“Don’t try anything foolish.”
Scriben pushed his glasses up and answered with complete seriousness.
“I have no desire to die either. If I absconded with even a single coin of the fortune, Young Master would chase me all the way to hell.”
“You understand well. Put things in proper order and I’ll make sure your pay isn’t stingy.”
Until now Scriben had been working solely in exchange for his life.
Understanding the weight of those words, he bowed his head.
“I will work diligently, Young Master.”
“Good.”
In truth there was no one better suited to manage the place. Scriben had once worked under Baron Skallen, after all.
I also planted the seed I took from Malphira near the manor…
Barely a month had passed since planting, yet it had already grown as tall as an ordinary tree.
The family had even given it a name already: Noah.
Looking after Noah could be left to the people remaining at the manor.
Time to start moving again.
For the sake of the next plan, Bella and I left Luminara Territory.
We arrived in the city of Darsein within the territory of Bishop-Prince Bartello.
Bella took in the city streets and spoke.
“We came an awfully long way just to buy clothes.”
“That’s how important these clothes are.”
What I was after was the holy relic of Saint Lumen, the Temperance among the Seven Great Goods.
Lumen had lived to the age of one hundred eating nothing but bread and water from the day he first became a saint; the cloth he wove in his hundredth year contained a peculiar power.
Garments made from it possessed self-repair, armor-level defense, sweat absorption, and temperature regulation.
Comfortable in both summer and winter…
I knew the relic was here because one of the local merchant lords had once worn clothes fashioned from Lumen’s fabric.
“Where did you get that outfit?”
“F-from a descendant of Lumen.”
“A descendant of Lumen?”
“The owner of a clothing shop called ‘Four Seasons.’ I only learned of it by chance during an investigation…”
Circumstances had forced me to kill the man and take the clothes, but the size was wrong so I simply burned them.
Only a descendant of Lumen could work the fabric, and by then the shop called “Four Seasons” had already vanished.
It would be nice to wear that cloth this time around, but it won’t be that simple.
If the owner were a villain I could simply kill him and take it; if he were a good person, things would become awkward.
I glanced at Bella’s clothes.
“While we’re at it I’ll buy you some new ones too. Summer’s coming soon.”
“Ah, thank you!”
“Stop sending every last coin to the orphanage and spend a little on yourself. That place is already overflowing with milk and honey thanks to you.”
“Hehe, the director said the same thing in her last letter… I’ll keep it in mind!”
Before we knew it we had arrived at the clothing shop called “Four Seasons.”
While Bella was quietly admiring the clothes on display outside, I sensed a presence and briefly handed her my sword sheath.
“There’s a customer inside. I’ll do a little eavesdropping.”
“Yes, sir.”
I opened the door and stepped in. Behind the counter stood one woman and two men; the atmosphere was anything but friendly.
The men glanced at me once, then resumed talking to the woman. I began selecting clothes for Bella while listening carefully.
One of the men spoke.
“…It’s time you stopped resisting. How exactly do you plan to repay that money?”
“That’s my business to handle.”
“The merchant lord who lent it doesn’t see it that way. Accept his proposal of marriage and everything is settled—why refuse?”
“I don’t want to solve it that way.”
From what I gathered, the merchant lord had offered to cancel her debt if she accepted his proposal, and she had refused.
“What, are you going to sell clothes to pay it off? Who’s going to buy clothes from a swindler?”
“That’s…!”
Swindler?
That was news to me, so I listened even more intently.
“Clothes are ultimately worn to present oneself, aren’t they? Who would wear your clothes knowing what kind of condemnation they’d face? Regrettable as it is, no matter how carefully you make them, no one will wear your clothes anymore.”
I continued examining a garment and muttered,
“They’re pretty, though.”
“……”
I felt the man’s gaze land on the back of my head. I didn’t turn around; I simply kept choosing clothes.
Soon the gaze left me.
“So how do you intend to repay the debt now? Unless you’re planning to use that natural beauty of yours, I can’t imagine.”
“…What did you just say?”
The woman glared daggers at him. The other man lightly smacked the speaker’s shoulder.
“Ah, my apologies. I only meant that Miss Katrina has no other options left.”
“……”
“What will you do now?”
Katrina lowered her head and bit her lip hard.
I had finished assessing the situation and chosen Bella’s clothes, so I picked them up and walked to the counter.
I passed between the two men and set the garments down.
“Shopkeeper, ring these up.”
Katrina looked up in flustered surprise; the two men stared at me as though I were insane.
One of them spoke.
“Father. Have you not heard the rumors about this place?”
“You mean the rumor that the shopkeeper is a swindler?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t heard the details. Enlighten me.”
The two men exchanged glances, then one opened his mouth.
“This shopkeeper forged the seal of Bishop-Prince Bartello.”
“That’s quite the scandal.”
“…Is that all you have to say?”
“In the end it’s just a rumor. Rumors always grow in the telling. And if something like that had truly happened, this shopkeeper wouldn’t still be standing here.”
I pointed at Katrina, whose mouth had fallen slightly open.
“She supposedly impersonated a bishop-prince? Anyone with half a brain would realize how absurd that is after a moment’s thought.”
“……”
A brief silence settled over the shop.
One of the men heaved a deep sigh, placed a hand on my shoulder, and whispered,
“Father. You clearly aren’t from around here, so you don’t understand. Just leave.”
“……”
“I’m telling you not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
I doubted my own ears. I rolled my eyes thoughtfully, then asked him,
“Do I look like an ordinary priest to you?”
“Unless you’re wearing those vestments under false pretenses.”
“I see.”
These men were lackeys of the merchant lord. And Katrina was in debt to that same merchant lord.
If I handled the situation skillfully, I might obtain Lumen’s fabric with ease.
Therefore…
I clenched my fist and lightly struck the man across the face with the back of my hand.
KWAANG!
His unpleasant face vanished from in front of me and the next instant he was rolling ungracefully across the floor.
The others stared at the scene in blank astonishment; the man who had been sent flying groaned and slowly lifted his head.
I looked down at him and smiled faintly.
“That settles it, then.”
So go fetch your master for me.