Chapter 19

■■■ Mutton Laytia ■■■

I wake up before dawn and offer my prayers to the gods.

I clean the church from top to bottom. There are still few visitors, but I have no intention of slacking off.

This church was converted from a tavern. When it was renovated, a bell tower was added to the roof almost by force. I ring the small bell in the tower at sunrise.

This is my morning routine.

I used to travel as a traveling priest, mainly in the western region, but one day a year ago, I was given a role that was far beyond my capabilities.

It was an assignment to the westernmost city-state on the edge of the wilderness, where the establishment of a church had finally been permitted, and I was to be its head.

Starting with the selection of the land on a tight budget, the renovation of the building, the permission to install the bell tower, and the permission to conduct missionary activities, I even had to request an audience with the king himself at times.

...I can't forget the king's gaze at that time.

All of these tasks were heavy burdens for a young priest like me, but I was expected to handle them.

This is also reflected in the surname I was given with the assignment.

Without a surname, no matter how devout a believer one is, one cannot rise to a high position in the church. I have no desire for advancement, but I am determined to fulfill this role with strong resolve.

Before I knew it, a year had passed in a whirlwind. It has only just started to settle down.

Until now, I had been so busy with major tasks that I had neglected the important but smaller missionary activities and church services. Now, I am putting more effort into these areas.

When I rang the bell and went downstairs, a few believers had come for the morning service. I am grateful for this.

After the prayers, I went around and asked each person if anything had changed or if they had any problems.

I felt fulfilled.

I offer my renewed gratitude to the Earth Mother Goddess Aigas, who has given me such a wonderful role.

I had planned to conduct missionary activities today, but a large amount of paperwork from the headquarters in "Lake and Mountain Country Lakelel" arrived in the early afternoon. It was probably instructions in response to the report I had sent the other day.

I spread the documents on the desk in the back and started working on them.

I never imagined that running a church would involve so much paperwork as a traveling priest.

I may have to ask for support from headquarters if this continues. However, I also want to accomplish this on my own. But if I fail, it will be disastrous.

Perhaps because of my inadequate training and the struggles I was facing, the gods gave me a new trial.

Someone unusual came in at noon.

In this town, most people who come to pray do so in the morning and evening, so I noticed immediately.

There are no evil-doers in the church, so I greeted the man with a smile. He was standing inside, looking around curiously in unusual attire.

When I spoke to him, his response was not good.

He might have some troubles, so I asked him what was on his mind, and it turned out to be about a donation.

I see, his attire is unusual, but he is very clean, so he must be a noble or someone associated with one. Perhaps he is an agent for a large merchant.

His speech was blunt, but he offered a donation. It must be a sign of divine favor.

When he showed me what he was donating, it was a hand-carved wooden figurine. It didn't look very skillful... but for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off it; it was strangely captivating.

I asked what it was... and that's when my life changed dramatically.

"Ah, I was asked by the god of commerce, Merhes. It's the symbol of that god."

At that moment, I couldn't understand what he meant.

"...Symbol... god... Merhes?"

As a representative of the gods, it was inappropriate for me to be so unprepared to process the information.

This was a moment that made me realize how inadequate my training was, and I will never forget this experience and will use it as a lesson for the rest of my life.

He said he would visit all three major deities. It's a rare pilgrimage these days, but it has been around since ancient times.

However, there was something more important.

I swallowed hard and asked.

"Ah, I apologize... but... who exactly asked you to do this?"

"Huh? Merhes, of course."

The foreigner in front of me was, in fact, an apostle.

My blood rushed from my head, and I felt a chill, then I lost consciousness.

In the darkness, I felt someone talking to me.

I had a vision of a swan flying into the darkness.

It seems I was lying on the floor, and someone had helped me sit up and given me water to drink. I remember having some conversation, but it's not clear.

When I finally regained consciousness and was given water again, it was very cold and clear.

Then I realized that the person who had been tending to me was the apostle!

The deity I most revere is the Earth Mother Goddess Aigas, but I respect all the other deities equally. To trouble the apostle in such a way is to shame Aigas!

I forced myself to sit up, but I could only manage to sit on a nearby chair.

The apostle, in his magnanimity, forgave even such rudeness.

Moreover, he gave me the precious clear water to drink. What a compassionate person he is.

There are times when a church must assert its authority.

If the believers denigrate the lord, it may be necessary to exercise power. My attitude was extremely disrespectful to the apostle. If the apostle had wanted to, he could have taken my life, and I would have had no right to complain.

I offered prayers of gratitude to the god of commerce, Merhes, and took deep breaths repeatedly.

However, when I confirmed that I was feeling better, the apostle said he was going to leave!

This is a big problem; the apostle's donation is far beyond my capabilities.

I hurried to stop him, but he didn't hide his displeasure.

Of course, it would be very unpleasant for the apostle to be detained by a minor priest like me, but I couldn't accept this. When I bowed and asked for more time, he reluctantly agreed.

His magnanimity brought tears to my eyes.

I held back my tears and asked the apostle for his name.

What a surprise.

I should have introduced myself first, but in my confusion, I was sure I would be struck down by divine punishment. However, I was prepared to accept it. With that resolve, the apostle gave his name.

What a magnanimous person he is.

When I introduced myself, Apostle Akira extended his hand. I didn't understand at first, but he was asking for a handshake.

I suppressed my trembling heart and gently shook his hand.

Apostle Akira's hand was as smooth and uncalloused as one would expect from an apostle.

――――

After Apostle Akira left, I immediately wrote a letter.

I used a format I had never used before: "Urgent Notification of the Most Important Matter to the Temple Headquarters."

Any documents submitted in this format are reviewed by the temple headquarters. If they are deemed not important, the priest who submitted them will be expelled from the church or demoted to a novice, or in the worst case, lose their head. Despite the severity, I had no hesitation.

The letter was first sent to the city of Sevites, where the nearest griffin mail service is available. Of course, the fastest horse mail service would be used to get it there. This horse mail service uses three fast horses at full speed, and even if one horse collapses or is attacked by wild animals or bandits, the surviving horses continue the delivery, making it the fastest and safest communication method in the western wilderness.

The horse mail service often handles government documents, and bandits rarely attack it because the national army will intervene if it is attacked.

I took almost all the gold coins from the church's treasury and entrusted the letter to the horse mail service.

I prayed to my god for its safe and swift delivery.