Chapter 55

The floor of the church between the children and me is completely sealed.

Until just a moment ago, there was light in the corridor, but now it's pitch black.

This darkness is where a cat's eyes come in handy!

Looking around, I realized that the walls were collapsing towards me with a rumbling sound.

Hmm. If this continues, I'll turn into a fossil.

"Miss Reni!!"

At that moment, a beam of light shot straight towards me and pierced the ceiling. The voice that came from the direction of the arrow was Samyue's.

It seems that Samyue broke the door to the priest's room with an arrow.

The collapsing path made it difficult to distinguish directions and the destination became unclear, but thanks to Samyue, I could see the way clearly.

"Over here!!"

About 20 meters away, Samyue shouted at me.

But at the same time, the walls of the corridor collapsed.

This is a critical fossil situation.

But it's okay. I'm the strongest four-year-old, after all.

"I'll blow away the obstacles."

I raised my claws, which I had extended with a snap, from bottom to top.

"Cat claws!"

The slash that appeared blew away the collapsed walls of the corridor.

"When the path is clear, keep going forward."

The path was about to be blocked again.

I put all my strength into my legs and jumped through the gap.

"Jump!"

Straight towards Samyue.

The path I forcibly opened closed with a loud thud the moment I passed through it.

"Safe landing, good."

This time, I didn't overshoot and landed firmly at the target.

I smiled.

Then, Samyue quickly came to my side and knelt down.

"Miss Reni, I'm sorry this happened..."

"No, it's okay. The children are back."

...I think. I didn't see them all the way to the end, but they made it out of the ground, and I defeated all the thugs.

"Are you okay, Samyue?"

"Yes. As soon as I arrived in this room, I captured the priest. However, when I saw him, he laughed creepily, and then that monster appeared."

"Monster?"

I looked up at Samyue's words.

In front of me stood the empty suit of armor that had come to the tea party with Carries. The Crawling Armor. It was standing as if protecting the priest.

"...Living Mail."

The Living Mail had slashed at me and then immediately untied the priest. I immediately took a step back and attacked the Living Mail, but my arrows alone couldn't stop its movements... Then, the priest suddenly inserted a red crystal into a mechanism and started to destroy and seal the basement.

While listening to Samyue, I observed the priest and the Living Mail.

There were places where arrows were stuck and holes were opened in the Living Mail.

It seems that Samyue shot the Living Mail with magic-infused arrows, just like at the tea party with Carries. Unlike then, there was no Pio to physically stop it, so the priest was able to use the mechanism.

"It seems that the monster is being controlled by the priest..."

"Can a monster be on a human's side?"

"Normally, it's impossible. Monsters are not capable of rational activities. They have specific areas where they appear, and they usually attack any living beings they see. It's inconceivable for them to protect a human like this."

I nodded in agreement with Samyue.

It seems that normally, it's impossible to control monsters.

However, the priest in front of me had the Living Mail under his command—

"This is the power of the gods."

Facing our confusion, the priest spoke with a blissful expression.

"We have obtained the power of the gods. This armor was borrowed from the bishop. It was entrusted to me because of the bishop's deep trust."

"What's a bishop?"

"Those who teach the believers in the church are priests. The one who oversees all of them is the bishop. The bishop has obtained the power of the gods and bestows it upon us."

While listening to the priest, Samyue and I exchanged glances.

This is a local church of a new religious group, and the priest in front of us is the top. Above him is the bishop who oversees the priests. If the priest's words are true, the one who can control the power of the monsters is the bishop.

"You seem to respect the bishop, but why did you destroy the basement like this?"

At Samyue's words, the priest, who had been in a blissful state, suddenly lost his expression.

Then, he muttered softly.

"Because it's no longer needed."

"No longer needed?"

"Yes. The bishop has obtained the object of his goal. This church was built to help the bishop obtain it. The church was on the ground, and the facility was underground. The underground facility is no longer necessary."

"What is the object of his goal?"

The priest's eyes curved into a crescent shape.

"—Children."

His dim eyes twisted into a crescent shape.

"Children who house the power of the gods. That is our goal."

"…Hasn't the cult already obtained the power of the gods?"

"No. Our power is not yet perfect. However, if we obtain the prophesied child, we will gain the complete power of the gods. We have been working towards this goal for a long time."

"The children being sold and going missing in various places were the work of the cult, weren't they?"

"Yes. This place functioned as the center for gathering children. This is a rural village, but we would temporarily house the children gathered here and then carefully transport them to the headquarters to avoid leaving any traces. This place was the base for communication with the headquarters. Being entrusted with this task was a great honor, and I was supposed to move to the headquarters and become a chosen priest to assist the bishop."

The priest's dim eyes became even darker.

"However, it seems that the object of the goal was obtained through a different route. And it's no longer necessary to gather children."

"Does that mean you obtained a child with the power of the gods?"

"Yes, that's what it means. And I was left to continue as a priest in this rural village. ...It's impossible. It's wrong... I worked so hard for the bishop, and it's wrong to end my life in this rural village."

The priest scratched his head as he spoke.

"How much groundwork I did to gather the children...! I even locked up the children of this village to keep it from becoming public. All for the bishop...!!"

The priest's breathing became heavy with excitement.

"But, the goddess did not abandon me after all!!"

With heavy breathing, he gazed at Samyue with a blissful expression.

"It's you. The elf who came to this village...! I am about to wither away here. So, I want to spend my last moments with you, the closest existence to the goddess."

His cheeks were flushed, but his eyes were dim.

Hmm. I see. I understand.

"Selfish."

Sacrificing many children for your own advancement, and when you realize you can't advance, you destroy everything and try to take Samyue.

This is probably why you're spilling information so freely. You think both of you will die, so there's no need to hide anything.

"Shut up! A beastman like you!! First, I'll deal with you!!"

The priest pointed at me.

The Living Mail started to move with a creaking sound.

But—

"The Living Mail is resisting."

—I can hear a voice.

It sounds like 'I want to go back.'

"...Gather the warmth in your chest."

I focused on the boiling heat in my chest.

And—

"Turn into light!"

—I directed the heat in my chest at the Living Mail!

The light I released hit the Living Mail and enveloped it.

Then, the Living Mail collapsed with a clatter.

"What... What is this...? What's happening...! Why...!? Why can a beastman child do such a thing!! A beastman is the farthest from the goddess!! I couldn't even stand for you to be with this elf!! Know your place!!"

The priest, agitated and angry, shouted.

Samyue, who had been watching, coldly said,

"Know your place."

Then, she pulled her bow taut.

"Can't you see Miss Reni's radiance?"

The arrow she released aimed for the priest's right shoulder, tearing his white robe.

Samyue could have hit him, but she deliberately missed.

"To think that a beastman and an elf are the closest and farthest from the goddess is just a human fantasy. What does it matter if the goddess even exists?"

Samyue looked at the priest with cold eyes.

"—With Miss Reni right in front of you."

The priest, as if noticing my presence for the first time, widened his eyes.

"...Could it be, yes... No, but... However, it can only be... Yes, indeed..."

He muttered to himself.

Then, he shuddered and shouted.

"So, it's you...! Your age and power...!! That power is undoubtedly... the power of the... gods!!"

The mockery in his eyes was gone when he looked at me.

Well, it doesn't matter. There's only one thing to do!

"Cat punch!"

I rushed forward and entered the priest's embrace.

I punched his lower abdomen with a clenched fist, aiming at a 45-degree angle.

"Turn into stardust!!"

"Uaaaaahh!!"

—Kiran.

"Good."

A hole in the ceiling of the basement, with the priest's body.

Hmm. I saw a beautiful shooting star.

"Samyue, let's get out of here."

"Yes!"

We jumped out of the hole to the ground.

The angle of the hole was perfect, and there were no buildings or people around.

The children seemed to have returned home safely, and the adults of the village had gathered around the church.

They seemed to have noticed us coming out of the hole, and cheers rose.

They had been worried about us.

I could see the children running towards us. I waved to them, saying it was okay—

"Samyue, I want to go to the headquarters."

"Yes, that's right. It seems the gathering of children is over, but the children haven't returned yet. It's also concerning that they caught the target child."

"You're right."

"I'll check the room."

"Okay. Please do."

Samyue returned to the basement through the hole.

Samyue would find something that connects to the cult's headquarters.

While waiting, the villagers surrounded me and thanked me one after another.

Many were crying, and everyone was happy to be reunited with their families.

As I was thinking this, I heard a mental message—

"Miss Reni! I have something urgent to tell you!"

"What is it?"

Samyue's voice was more anxious than usual.

What's wrong? I focused on the mental message, and what I received was—

"The bishop's name is Gailim Gairal. —He is the lord of this region."

—This is not good news.

Lord Gairal is the person who brought Carries from the capital to the regional capital.

He had slicked-back gray hair, a gentle demeanor, and a calm smile.

He is... the bishop?

If so, the most dangerous person right now is—

"Carries"