Aftermath
The priest’s face twisted with open disgust the moment the name left my lips.
“Do not speak the name of the apostate. He is one who has forsaken his god.”
“Apostate? You mean… Lepe? That narrow-eyed priest actually turned traitor?”
His expression made it clear that even hearing the name was unpleasant. I couldn’t help but wonder what in the world had happened.
“I met him once before. At the time he was an incredibly devout priest. What exactly occurred?”
“He denied his god and dared to challenge him.”
Priest Louis sat down with a rigid posture, his face clouded with hesitation as he debated how much of the story he should actually tell.
He let out a long sigh. “Because he once worked so diligently, many still remember him as a man of deep faith. But you must forget him now.”
“So he’s dead?”
“He is not dead. Yet it would be better for everyone if you thought of him as such. The truth is…”
After Priest Lepe finished handling the rescue of the Chabel Tiger, another assignment had come down. Instead of accepting it, however, he returned to Sturm Mountain where the main temple stood.
Even on the journey back, the words spoken by the young girl named Yanne continued to echo in his chest, throwing his heart into turmoil. She had claimed that God Lecherot was willfully neglecting the corruption of holy beasts for the sake of the church’s interests. He had been unable to offer any rebuttal.
She had argued that if the church had simply eliminated the ritual of challenging divinity—so that holy beasts would never turn black in the first place—people would not be dying like this. The fact that God Lecherot knew this and still allowed it had struck Lepe like a physical blow.
The old Lepe would have answered without hesitation that the god surely had some deeper intention or divine arrangement in mind. Yet that very answer only circled back to the same conclusion: the god was indeed neglecting the problem.
Since his own faith and reasoning could not comprehend the reason, he decided to seek an answer from one of the high priests at the main temple.
“High Priest Lutena. If there had never been any holy beasts corrupted by the curse of punishment, would the people still seek out and follow Lord Lecherot as they do now?”
“Hm? What manner of question is that?”
“I was told that the church deliberately overlooks the corruption of holy beasts in order to increase the number of believers during pilgrimages and maintain the church’s prosperity. I knew I should deny it, but I could not find the words.”
“Hmm.”
“I told them Lord Lecherot must have other reasons and arrangements for allowing it, but even to my own ears the answer felt insufficient.”
“That is understandable. To an outsider, removing the ritual of challenging divinity would eliminate corrupted holy beasts entirely, and thus the resulting harm. It is only natural they would see it that way.”
“Exactly. I wanted to give them a proper answer, yet my own inadequacy left me speechless. Please enlighten me.”
“Very well, Priest Lepe. Even I do not fully understand why we continue to permit challenges against divinity that bring harm to the outside world. Still, I can answer you in another way. Do you see the priest sweeping the path with a broom over there?”
Following the high priest’s gaze, Lepe saw an elderly man with a balding head and a long white beard quietly sweeping the courtyard of the main building.
“Yes. That is Priest Mateo.”
“Correct. For more than thirty years, Priest Mateo has swept this courtyard at precisely this hour. Tell me—does he have a particular reason for doing so every single day for thirty years?”
“…Most likely because thirty years ago someone instructed him to sweep the courtyard at this time every day.”
“Precisely. And the same is true for Priest Leon preparing meals in the kitchen, and Priest Altenda who cleans the believers’ restrooms. A task was created for a reason, and because it was entrusted to them, they carry it out faithfully.”
“Then… are you saying that the practice of challenging divinity to become a lesser god has simply continued because it has always existed?”
“Yes. Nowadays some might claim the practice must be abolished because it causes harm. But if we stopped sweeping the courtyard simply because it stirs up dust, what would happen?”
“It would become filthy again within days from all the visitors.”
“Exactly. The corruption of holy beasts is the same. If we eliminated the challenge to divinity because of the damage it causes, a different problem would inevitably arise. And it might take us a very long time to even notice that new problem.”
“So even though damage is occurring, we must maintain the system because abolishing it could create other issues.”
“Correct. That is why we priests travel across the continent to purify corrupted holy beasts and reduce the harm. Both Lord Lecherot and the church are doing everything in their power. When someone asks such a question, you may answer them in this way.”
Lepe understood the logic, yet something about it still felt incomplete. The idea that they must preserve a flawed system simply because removing it might create new problems seemed like nothing more than a stopgap excuse. A temporary measure to maintain the status quo without any real progress.
He wanted to ask whether they intended to simply remain stagnant, but High Priest Lutena had already risen, claiming other duties, and disappeared into the main building.
If change and development brought new problems, those problems could be solved in turn. Yet the answer he had received was simply to do their best within the existing boundaries. The explanation left Lepe’s chest feeling even heavier than before.
Lepe flinched at the sudden voice. He looked around, but no one was there. Perhaps he had imagined it.
“Wh-who are you? If you are an evil god, begone. This is the Sturm Main Temple, blessed by Lord Lecherot’s protection.”
“Then… are you a lesser god of the hundred beasts?”
‘I am curious. What is the reason? Why does he permit harm to come to his followers?’
Lepe thought back and realized that in all the time since he had become a priest, no oracle had ever descended.
‘Then who are you? Are you truly a lesser god? If so, give me your name.’
Lepe searched his memory but found nothing. Still, the fact that this presence could wield power inside the Sturm Main Temple—saturated with Lecherot’s blessing—meant he had no reason to doubt the claim.
‘If Lord Lecherot is asleep, is there truly no way to wake him?’
Lepe knew that direct communication with a god always demanded a sacrifice. Yet the thought that his own sacrifice might awaken the god and reduce the suffering of others hardened his resolve. He chose martyrdom.
‘What must I do?’
‘What? Challenge divinity? Is that even possible?’
The sudden command left Lepe at a loss. ‘If I challenge divinity and fail, what becomes of me? Will I also be punished and corrupted?’
Lepe agonized, but the desire for martyrdom burned strong within him. He resolved to challenge divinity. Success would let him ascend as a lesser god and awaken Lecherot. Failure and corruption would not matter; this was the Sturm Main Temple. He would be purified easily.
‘I will do it. I will challenge divinity.’
“In truth, priests of Lecherot cannot challenge divinity. They do not belong to the branch of the hundred beasts. Yet that fool fell for the whispers of an evil god. He was corrupted as punishment for his challenge, and because of it the Sturm Main Temple burned and countless lives were lost.”
Priest Louis shuddered as though the memory of the charred temple still haunted him.
“When I saw him in the forest he truly seemed like a man of sincere faith…”
“Therefore, should you encounter any other priests of Lecherot, do not speak that name aloud.”
“I understand. What became of him afterward?”
“Purification failed. The wretch fled, and the church’s paladins are still hunting him.”
“How terrible…”
“Another priest approaches. From the emblem, I believe he serves the water god Rius.”
The priest who arrived with the Rangers wore deep blue robes. A glass vial filled with gently sloshing water hung from his staff.
“I am Pelani, assigned to join the expedition into the Undead Dungeon. May the gentle warmth of a mother’s amniotic waters be with you always.”
After exchanging greetings and discussing their strategy for entering the dungeon, Pelani mentioned he had come from the southern Durendal territory.
“Yanne is from that region. Nothing unusual is happening there, I hope?”
“I do not know when you last visited, but the area has grown rather chaotic of late.”
“Chaotic?”
“If you are familiar with the region, you surely know the Hool Lake swamps. Unicorns and various aquatic races have gathered there in great numbers. The entire area is in uproar.”
The mention of unicorns brought to mind that picky black unicorn who only accepted virgins.
“The medicinal herbs that grow around Hool Lake are said to be three times more potent than those found elsewhere, so their price has tripled. That attracted swarms of mercenaries.”
“Ah, I’m aware of that.”
Of course I was aware. After all, I was the one who used buffs to grow those herbs in the first place.
“The mercenaries began harvesting the herbs, but the unicorns and fairies disliked their methods and interfered. So the mercenaries started killing the fairies to gather the plants unimpeded.”
It was a nuisance, but the thought of Tinkerbell fairies dying still saddened me.
“The real problem began when the Lizardmen entered the lake. Now unicorns, Lizardmen, and forest dryads have formed an alliance against the mercenaries. The whole region has become a battlefield. And a strange cult has joined the fray as well.”
“A cult?”
“Yes. They claim to serve the god of the fairy race. They fight while chanting bizarre spells. The Lizardmen in particular shout ‘Omani Banme’ from their distinctive mouths. Because of this cult’s influence, the mercenaries are being driven back.”
At Priest Pelani’s words, my eyes met Yanne’s. Neither of us could laugh or cry. We had never imagined that buffing the herbs and selling them as potion ingredients would cause such chaos.
“Ahem. I see. In that case, our two shield warriors will take point. The two newly arrived Rangers will handle scouting and support in the middle, followed by the priests and mage. I will bring up the rear. Let’s proceed.”
I awkwardly changed the subject, quickly assigned positions, and led the party toward the dungeon entrance.