Chapter 90

Two days later. Althis and Solte, who had taken on the role of porters—essentially guards—and the mercenaries hired as guards set out from the capital.

Their destination was the three new villages in the northern frontier region.

The area had originally been a dangerous land where wild beasts roamed.

However, after Althis slew the monster known as the "Bell-Approacher" and a large number of mercenaries and soldiers hunted the beasts for the sake of development and mining, the danger had significantly decreased.

While it wasn't completely safe, the area had settled down enough that mercenaries with decent skills could travel without much risk.

From what Althis could see, the mercenaries hired as guards were rather poor, but they seemed capable enough to drive off the occasional beasts that attacked.

"Don't worry, we'll protect the Sister well."

The swordsman's smile, directed at Solte, seemed insincere, but so far the mercenaries had performed their guard duties competently.

Thus, they spent about seven days visiting the villages.

"Finally, this is the last one."

"Yes, I'm glad it seems to be ending without any trouble."

Solte, having finished her service in the last village, smiled at Althis.

Her face, relieved that their mission was ending without major incidents, showed a relaxed expression.

The "service" wasn't anything special.

She led the worship, listened to the villagers' concerns, and used her free time to preach and help the children with their studies. It was all very ordinary.

While Althis didn't have a good feeling about the church that worshipped the goddess, he had a different impression of Solte, who served the people with dedication.

"Didn't you have free time while in the village? You should have participated in the worship."

The tone of the girl, rumored to be a future saint, was innocent.

But those words were enough to drain the emotion from Althis' face.

"Pray? Me? To her? That's a bad joke."

"Always saying such things..."

Solte sighed and dropped her shoulders.

"What makes you so stubborn, Althis? Could it be something painful from your past?"

Her face, still retaining a hint of youth, took on a more solemn expression.

"Indeed, the trials given by the goddess can sometimes be painful. But she doesn't give us trials to make us suffer. Overcoming those trials is what she desires."

Words like a prayer flowed smoothly from her small mouth, turning Althis' emotions cold and flat.

"Some may lament that the goddess doesn't offer salvation, but we must overcome hardships with our own strength. She watches over us, but she doesn't intend to make you suffer."

Solte, trying to ease Althis' troubles with good intentions, spoke these words.

But they didn't resonate with Althis.

To Althis, the goddess was the root of all evil.

"Let's stop this talk. It's pointless for both of us."

This exchange had been repeated many times since they visited the first village.

Initially, Solte had hesitantly approached Althis, who was napping in the shade instead of participating in the worship.

Since then, Solte had tried to counsel Althis on every occasion, but the conversation always went in circles, with no progress for Solte.

While Althis didn't have a bad impression of Solte personally, he avoided the topic, deeming it futile.

He had given up on trying to reason with someone who blindly believed in the goddess.

"But—"

"Hey! Sister! The village chief wants to talk about tomorrow's departure time!"

A voice calling out to Solte came from a distance.

"Ah, yes! I understand! I'll be right there!"

The girl turned and quickly responded, showing no signs of fear.

"Althis, let's talk later."

Leaving behind meaningless words, Solte walked away.

Her pink hair swirled as she approached the mercenaries.

Since their departure, a noticeable change had occurred in their relationship.

Althis had joined the trip at Solte's insistence, but the difference in their views on the goddess had created an awkward atmosphere between them.

On the other hand, Solte's relationship with the mercenaries had improved significantly.

Initially wary, Solte had gradually let her guard down as the mercenaries diligently performed their guard duties.

Now, she even acted alongside them, leaving Althis behind.

Perhaps it was due to her youth and inexperience, or perhaps it was because she was a cleric... Althis couldn't tell if it was "familiarity" or "complacency."

But at least Althis remained vigilant and was determined to protect Solte if anything happened.

"Our job is to guard the Sister, not the porters. We have no obligation to protect them."

The mercenaries, who spoke bluntly where Solte couldn't hear, were naturally on high alert.

"Fine. If nothing happens, that's the best outcome."

---

The church in the capital Gran.

The priest with distinctive ears was perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"Even I don't know what's going on..."

The priest with distinctive ears was being confronted by five mercenaries.

"We received a formal request. But the person we're supposed to guard has already left. What's going on?"

The young man who seemed to be the leader thrust the request letter in front of the priest.

"Indeed... This is a genuine request letter issued by our church. But if that's the case..."

The mercenaries showed him a request letter to guard Sister Solte on her journey to the northern frontier.

It was undoubtedly a legitimate document issued by the church.

"The departure date is today, right? Am I missing something?"

The young man asked angrily.

His companions, standing behind him, made no effort to hide their frustration.

Naturally, they felt the church had reneged on the request.

"Please, wait a moment. I'll check and get back to you. Please wait here."

The priest with distinctive ears hurriedly held back the mercenaries and ran to a certain priest's room with the request letter.

"Father Doret!"

Father Doret, who was doing paperwork at his desk in his assigned room, looked up in surprise.

"What is it? Has a parishioner complained about the length of the worship again?"

"No, it's not that. Please, look at this!"

Handing over the request letter, the priest with distinctive ears began to explain the situation.

After hearing the story, Doret stood up and pulled out a bundle of documents from a bookshelf on the wall.

Spreading the documents on his desk, he found a specific one and, frowning, asked the priest with distinctive ears for confirmation.

"Hmm... Sister Solte has already left with the guards, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"The request letter you brought is indeed a genuine document with the church's seal. But—"

He glanced at the documents from the bookshelf.

"—the request letter brought by the other mercenaries also doesn't appear to be forged."

As Doret said, the request letter brought by the mercenaries who had left with Solte was also a genuine document with the church's seal.

"We need to ask the monk who arranged the request, but it seems there was some mistake."

While Doret made an optimistic judgment, the priest with distinctive ears looked serious.

"Father Doret, could it be that someone is trying to harm Sister Solte?"

Solte was just a nun, but she was also a talented individual rumored to become a future saint.

She often received envious looks, but that also made her a target for jealousy and resentment.

"Isn't that an overreaction? I can't imagine anyone trying to harm the beloved child of the goddess."

"Perhaps. But I've heard some troubling rumors."

"Troubling rumors?"

"Yes. About wicked individuals who fear not the glory of the goddess and rejoice in the chaos and evil in the world."

These were rumors about followers of the evil god who was defeated by the goddess during the Divine War.

Even if the rumors were not credible, they were intolerable to the devout priest with distinctive ears.

Reflecting on it, the first group of mercenaries didn't leave a good impression.

There were no women in their group, and their attitude seemed somewhat frivolous.

Solte had felt uneasy, and he had allowed additional personnel to join as porters to reassure her.

But even the additional porters were suspicious.

They showed no reverence for the goddess and even seemed to harbor hostility.

While he tried not to show his negative feelings, he could not tolerate their disrespectful attitude.

The porters were chosen by Solte herself.

But it seemed they had only met once, and even that encounter might have been staged.

"I've heard those rumors too, but I think you're overreacting. It's more natural to assume there was a mistake in issuing the request. For the mercenaries who came today—, yes, I'll apologize and offer them half the reward as compensation. I'm sure they'll accept that."

Reaching a conclusion, Doret began giving instructions to someone.

"Perhaps... you're right..."

The priest with distinctive ears muttered to himself, unable to shake off the doubts in his mind.

He hoped it was just a mistake. All he could do was pray to the goddess for Solte's safety.

2019/08/11 Typo correction: 元を離れ → もとを離れ

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