Volume 12 Chapter 2 The City Of Water And The Barrier
――Where is the center of the world?
If you ask that, many people would point to a certain spot on the map.
That place is here.
A white city floating in the center of a massive lake――.
――It's the Holy City of Sanctia.
"Wow... it's truly a sacred place!"
As I step off the boat and onto the white marble road, the scenery before my eyes is a dazzling contrast of white and blue.
The city's buildings and streets are meticulously white, as if it's a sin to be anything but white, and numerous sky-blue waterways weave through them.
This is a majestic and mystical city of water.
The air itself is imbued with a sense of sacredness, and a clear, quiet stillness envelops the city. Anyone who sees this sight would naturally feel a sense of reverence.
'The walls are so white... it's amazing!'
Even Juju is excited about something other than food for a change. This is truly rare.
"Pure white " "...It's white, indeed!"
Sui and Ram are also holding hands, running around the area with excitement.
It seems that even my equipment has caught the romantic atmosphere of the day.
I can't help but feel a sense of excitement.
'This is a great spot for graffiti!'
"Huh?"
"Let's go, Sui, Ram! We'll carve 'Juju has arrived!' into the walls of this city!"
"No way!" "...We'll do it!"
"...You don't have to do that."
'Squish'
I stick Juju's head in my waist bag.
"Seriously... you're a rude tourist, aren't you?"
Well, it might be unreasonable to expect an equipment to have human manners.
"Wow, it's so nostalgic...! White! It's a shocking whiteness!"
Cirrul has been in high spirits since we arrived in the Holy City.
"By the way, isn't this your first time coming to the Holy City, Cirrul?"
"Yes! I used to come every year!"
Come to think of it, Cirrul used to be a member of the church.
As a former saint, she's a person of considerable stature. It's not surprising that she has a deep connection to the Holy City.
"In the summer, when there were fewer religious events... we used to call it 'summer break.' During that time, I would come on a pilgrimage every year. So, this place feels like a second hometown to me."
"Hmm."
"Really, it's nostalgic... I wonder if Rav is doing well..."
As Cirrul gazed at the cityscape, her eyes seemed to wander far away.
Was she reminiscing about her childhood memories?
"The second hometown, huh?"
For Cirrul, who was driven out of her first hometown, this place might not just be a nostalgic spot.
Because of the mysterious letter from someone calling themselves "Doll Master," I reluctantly came to this holy city... but if Cirrul was happy about it, that alone would make it worth coming.
"And yet... we were able to get in surprisingly smoothly."
'What's with that? I wanted more thrills!'
"I don't want that."
There was just a slight catch.
The permit issued by Ravenyard's Cursed Inquisitor, Miss Roreis, the other day worked without a hitch. As a result, I was able to enter this city without any issues.
However, this holy city is said to have the world's top-notch security.
And it's also the headquarters of the Cursed Inquisitor, who has a motto of "Dead or Dead" and doesn't hesitate to kill those with curses.
In other words, this place is enemy territory for me.
I don't think things will go that smoothly. It's better to raise my guard level from now on.
I didn't come here for sightseeing... I need to stay on my toes....
'So, which shop should we visit first? As for me, it's summer, so I'm in the mood for something spicy.'
"Ram wants to eat ice cream " "...Sui also wants something sweet and cold."
"Ah! I know a lot of hidden shops "
'Thanks! It's not often that your reptile abilities come in handy, you know!'
"I'm not a reptile! I'm human!"
The girls chattered excitedly.
They were already in a 100% sightseeing mood.
"But, we didn't come here for sightseeing, though."
'So, what did you come here for?'
"That's to meet the person called 'Doll Master'..."
'Is meeting them more important than sightseeing?'
"Absolutely, the former is more important."
'I don't think so.'
"Hey, it's a bit sad to have that denied..."
Anyway, I've been working hard to meet the "Doll Master" up until now.
Of course, it's a case related to my past, and even if others aren't particularly interested, there's nothing I can do about it...
Personally, it's a pretty important case. If not, I wouldn't have entered the Holy Kingdom despite being a "curse bearer".
"Anyway, let's first try to contact the 'Doll Master' in this holy city."
If I show the seal on the letter to the appraiser here, I'll probably be able to tell who sent it. But maybe the other party will contact me first...
Thinking that, I made up my mind and took a step forward――.
"Ah, Sir Noroa, what's..."
"Whoa!?" "Woah!!"
I bumped into something like an invisible wall.
"Sir Noroa!?"
"Ah, master!" "...and, by the way, are you okay, Big Sister Juju?"
"No, I didn't take any damage to my HP... but what just happened?"
I looked around, but there was nothing.
I was confused, not knowing what I had bumped into.
"Ah, it's a barrier."
Cirrul explained to me.
"This holy city has barriers set up in each district."
"A barrier..."
Indeed, when I looked closely, I could see a faint, transparent membrane-like thing. The sign on the side had the words "Beyond this point, Authority Level B".
"To enter this barrier, you need an 'Authority Level' that matches it... and since we only have a Level G permit, we can't enter most places."
"Ah... I see, that's right."
I had heard about this before entering the holy city.
――The Barrier City.
This holy city, Sanctia, has many barriers protecting it, earning it that nickname. And the city is divided into areas by barriers, each with its own authority level.
I had heard about it, but...I didn't expect it to be this extreme.
"Isn't the barrier system too complicated?"
When I looked around again, I saw that each road and building had its own separate barrier. This is like a maze for people with low authority levels.
They can't even walk properly on the streets without checking the signs.
"That's why this city is the safest in the world, you know."
Cirrul let out a wry smile.
"People from outside can't even reach the castle, let alone attack it."
"...I see."
It's been 700 years since this city was built, and not once has it been seriously attacked... I think I understand the reason why.
If I'm told that this inconvenience has a meaning, I have no choice but to accept it.
'Well, as long as our gourmet tour isn't disrupted, I don't care about anything else. Reptile, just guide us to the hole-in-the-wall shops, okay?'
"Ah... that shop might be in the Level E district..."
'...Noroa, take out the Bloodsucker Blade. We're going to expel the barrier from this city.'"
"I'm not doing it."
I don't want to engage in meaningless destructive activities.
"But this city does seem hard to live in."
"You'll get used to it, it's not that bad, Sir Noroa."
"Is that so?"
However, if something were to happen in this city... this barrier might become the biggest obstacle...
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)