Chapter 57

The day after Naga-kun and my brother went on a trip, I spent the morning reading leisurely.

I tidied up the large room on the first floor, dividing it into two storage areas and a library. Naga-kun helped me with this while he was here, and it's well-organized, making it much easier to find things.

The book I was reading was a recommended textbook from my master and a history book of this country that my brother told me to read at the very least... The reading material is interesting, though.

"Miss! Are you there~?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing a voice from the lower floor, I headed towards the entrance.

The door on the shop side doesn't have a lock. When I'm out, the sound can still be heard from the shop... Well, with the soundproofing, you can't hear unless someone comes in. There's no other way.

"Do you have time today?"

Standing at the entrance was the smelly priest I met at the church before... He doesn't seem to have been drinking today. His face isn't red, and he doesn't smell of alcohol.

"Is something the matter?"

"Do you remember the talk about giving holy water to children on the 1st of every month?"

"Oh... You did mention that."

"That's tomorrow. We're a bit short on hands, so can you help out?"

The holy water is given to children born in the current month to help them learn light magic. It only happens once a year, but apparently, some children do awaken to it... There might be more efficient methods, but religious organizations seem to have their own shadows, so it's probably better not to say anything.

"Was it the 1st of the month?"

"Hmm? Are you already senile, Miss? Today is the 28th of the first month. Tomorrow is the 1st of the second month."

"Um, I've been in the dungeon, so my sense of date is a bit off..."

"I see. It's been a month since you appeared... You must have known, right?"

"..."

I hadn't been keeping track, but that's that. I hadn't been paying attention to the calendar.

Since there were no calendars in this world, I had been taking notes like "Day 1," "Day 2," but from now on, I'll use dates.

By the way, there are 13 months in a year, and each month has 28 days. There's a New Year's festival called "The Day of Descent" between the 13th month and the 1st month.

I arrived in this world on the 3rd of the first month. The first person to appear among the foreigners was on the 1st of the first month, the day after "The Day of Descent," so they couldn't be ignored... I heard this for the first time.

In terms of timing, it was the day after the gods were said to have descended... The Holy Kingdom is starting to treat foreigners as children of the gods.

Currently, due to the poor treatment in other countries, the Holy Kingdom is offering protection, but they won't hand us over...

I understand. If they handed over a major force, the balance of power would be upset.

But why are you giving me this information?

"Miss, you're in a complicated position, right? It's better to know the information."

"Complicated..."

"Being a disciple of Pamela is quite well-known. She's a famous person, you know."

I wondered what position this priest holds. He's technically on assignment from the Holy Kingdom and isn't a citizen of the kingdom. The church grounds are apparently extraterritorial.

Regarding the foreigners, he was asked for information from his home country but reported casually. He kept my information hidden... Instead, he was asked for labor.

Well, give and take is the basic principle. I don't mind.

"Can you help with the preparations for tomorrow?"

"Sure... Just today?"

"If possible, tomorrow as well. I'm short on hands, sorry."

I can't really refuse. I realize he's been quite considerate, even though foreigners were expected from the beginning.

But I wondered why he knew where I lived, and it turned out he had heard from Naga-kun... I see. He had apparently visited a few times without me knowing.

Since I had no urgent work, I headed to the church, cleaned, and purified the place to make it spotless.

I swept with a broom first, but it became so clean and shiny that it looked completely different.

"Wow..."

"So, what should I do next?"

"Miss, you've become quite strong. You can clean the entire chapel now."

"Um, I've been power leveling. Besides, if children and the elderly are coming, it's better to be clean."

"True... But... If a child awakens to light magic... Do you think that child will be happy?"

Happiness... That's a tough question... And you know I'm not from this world, right? I'm not familiar with the norms here... But basically, living safely and comfortably is considered happiness...

This world is harsher than the one we came from.

There are attacks by monsters called stampedes. They are more frequent during the breeding season when monsters are irritable and before hibernation when they are looking for food... Attacks by monsters can also happen due to abnormal breeding or the appearance of special-grade monsters.

Even in towns, safety is not guaranteed. Outside the town, it's even more dangerous.

Even ordinary adults are expected to be able to fight to some extent... Even in production jobs, levels can rise, so there are people with high levels but low combat skills.

In my case, I'm a production job and adventurer. I have many abilities, so I'm much stronger than ordinary people! Even in magic, my STR and DEF should be higher than ordinary people. Leonis-san vouches for it.

However, my brother and others are in a different league, being even stronger despite having similar levels. In this world, the same level doesn't necessarily mean the same strength.

Well, putting aside the stats... Actually, the only places where attacks are not a concern are the capital and large cities surrounded by defensive walls... This place is not absolutely safe.

So, what is happiness for ordinary people in such a world?

"Miss, many people seek light magic. They either cast healing spells endlessly for those who donate money or study the human body to heal efficiently. Some leave the Holy Kingdom because they dislike the internal environment... But even then, they are sought after by nobles and overworked."

"Well, if they are valuable, that's bound to happen..."

"Yes. As a result, their MP is always insufficient, hindering their growth. It's like sending awakened children to hell."

If you have money, you can save lives with magic or medicine. But not everyone has money.

That's why... Children with the potential to learn healing magic... Kidnapping and trafficking are rampant. Even within families, there are various conflicts and complex situations.

Furthermore, children gathered in the Holy Kingdom are used up based on their talent. Awakening to light magic changes their daily life, separating them from their parents and making serving the Holy Kingdom their joy. This priest considers it unfortunate.

Parents who sell their children for money are also a sight he doesn't want to see... I agree with that.

But if a child awakens to light magic but not healing magic, it's even worse. The backlash is as great as the expectation. This priest dislikes it and discourages people from coming to the church.

...That's not right. Even if he pretends to be a smelly priest and makes the church dirty, it's meaningless. Shouldn't he think of a better way?

"How about if the priest educates them?"

"No, they are gathered in the center. After intensive education, only the useful ones are kept."

"Because the priest reports, right? Explain to the parents that only those with talent will be kept. If the priest educates them and decides they lack talent, that's it. If they still want to go to the Holy Kingdom... There's nothing more to be done."

If the priest, who knows the reality, assesses the children's talent, they won't be ignored.

If they don't listen, there's nothing to be done. There are toxic parents everywhere. Even if you feel sorry for the children, you can't do anything to replace them.

Interfering in family matters or child-rearing is not a good idea. Unless there's violence or neglect... If the orphanage also protects runaway children, that's different. This church doesn't have that function.

However... If the ability to use healing magic is the key criterion, the report can be delayed until the talent is assessed. But... Despite questioning his own organization, he's not very effective.

"I see... But how do you deal with kidnappings?"

"The country should prevent buying from anyone other than parents. If a child says the person is not their parent, the buyer should not be paid and it should be treated as blasphemy. If they are caught, it should be punished."

"Hmm... The problem is whether the church will accept the lack of talent."

"Instead of reporting 'awakened to light magic,' report 'can use healing magic X times.' Only those who can use it have value, right? The priest can use the pretext of 'sending only useful people to improve the Holy Kingdom's impression' to smooth things over."

It's better than making the church dirty and discouraging people from coming.

I believe injured or sick people should be treated in a clean environment. The current approach is counterproductive. If saving people is the church's mission, it should be done properly.

Well, I don't know if the priest can change a large organization alone. But he can reduce the number of unhappy children to some extent.

"...Miss?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you have a 'Craft' skill? The monk had it, do you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then, can you prepare the holy water for tomorrow? I need to prepare documents, so I can't give you instructions."

"...The recipe... I see. The container, right? How many do you need?"

"Let's say 100. Fill them with water if you can."

The recipe given was for wooden containers and their lids. Hmm...

It's not difficult, but... Shouldn't this be prepared earlier? Furthermore, shouldn't such containers be outsourced? The church should only prepare the holy water. Making the containers is not ideal.

Priest... I'm sorry, but you're not good at management, are you? It's very inefficient.

By evening, the priest hadn't returned, so I prepared 200 sets of containers, lids, and water before going home.

The next morning... The 1st of the second month.

I woke up to the priest's call and went to the church to help.

The dark circles under his eyes suggested he had been working hard on the documents. However, he came to pick me up much earlier than usual. I wanted to sleep in more!

Checking the contents of the containers, the water had turned into holy water, so he must have worked hard on that too. But only 30 were prepared. What happened to the other 170?

"So... What should I do today?"

"Listen to the sermon with the children, then distribute the holy water. After that, have each child infuse magic into this crystal."

"I see... Where will they infuse their magic?"

"No, right there..."

Strange. Is this priest incompetent?

Smelly priest → Actually a good priest → Incompetent priest new!

He knows that Naga-kun and I have different religious feelings and that the monotheistic religion in this world doesn't suit us. He even seems to be protecting us. He knows the flaws in his own religion. I thought he was a priest trying to reduce unhappiness, even if it's a bit awkward... Is he incompetent? No, we talked about taking measures yesterday, right?

"...Are you an idiot? It's one by one, right? You need to hide it from other children and parents to prevent rumors and kidnappings!"

"But... There's no room. Besides, I need to explain to the parents."

"Separate the room and only call the children who react on another day. If there's no room, use curtains to block the view. I'll buy some fabric."

So, I hurriedly bought black fabric and set up a small room in the back of the church... I want to make it look better by next month...

I managed to set it up just before the children arrived. At the entrance, they were complaining, "I don't want to go!" and "There are ghosts!" but once inside, they said, "It's clean!" and "There are no ghosts!"

Hmm? ...Unexpectedly unpopular with the children. Is the effect of not awakening light magic working?

If children dislike the church, they might also dislike light magic.

But... When injured or sick people come, it's a problem.

The sermon went well. In the end, no children in this month's group awakened to light magic. When parents asked about what happened behind the curtain, I glared at the priest and made him talk to each family behind the curtain.

I explained to the other families that they would be called in order and had them sit and wait.

Suddenly changing the method... But it aligns with the priest's goal, so it's fine...

The children, who initially disliked the church, were playing around because it was clean. Some even wanted to play with Momo, which was a bit challenging.

Even though she's quiet, she's a monster... But she was popular. I realized that animals can calm crying children.

But... In the evening, Lady Razu came.

Yes... Mr. For was there, smiling wryly.

"So, what did you do~?"

"Let me report."

I reported what happened yesterday and today. I was already helping at the church to cover up my ability to use light magic, so I didn't lie.

Additionally, the priest said he couldn't report to his superiors and gave me the documents he wrote, so I had to write a report.

Well, as a reward, I got some good paper!

I can't use it normally, but I'll use it when writing to Lady Razu.

At least, I don't want to just say things and do nothing... I'll summarize my opinions. The rest is up to Lady Razu and the others.

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Thank you for reading the afterword.

I will be resuming the serialization from today.

I plan to post every three days. Thank you for your continued support.