Volume 2 Chapter 11 A Branched World
After leaving the mansion, we ended up waiting for the investigation team to depart on the main street.
The soldiers' figures were still nowhere to be seen. I guess we'll meet up with them outside the town.
"It's a much bigger deal than I thought."
Leanne's tone remained calm and collected.
She didn't seem intimidated at all.
"The monsters are increasing, and we need to take them down while investigating. That's the only way to make progress."
"What's the deal with that underground garden, anyway?"
"Well, as Eric the Guild Receptionist staff said, it's not just some old ruin."
The giant skeleton that appeared in the upper layer ――is it related to this incident somehow?
And that skeleton was defeated by Fatina.
Fatina, who somehow knew my name, left behind a prophecy-like warning that Leanne would betray me.
"Besides, why do strangers keep talking about us like they know us?"
"That werewolf we met in the forest, the beastmen woman... I'm not sure if I can trust her, but there's also Gaston, the knight. It's hard to believe it's just a coincidence."
"Same here. What Fatina said at the guild is also a mystery."
"If what that woman said is true, it seems I'll be the one to betray you."
"Like, suddenly a prince will appear and take care of you or something?"
"That's possible, I suppose."
"Live happily ever after."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're the one who's being suspiciously favored, aren't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"That's obvious. If I were with a woman as low-class as her, it'd be the worst."
"There's no need to say that much."
"Are you taking that woman's side?"
"No, I owe her a debt of gratitude for helping me out."
I've felt it before, but Leanne and Fatina's relationship is really bad.
The main reason is that Fatina is overly hostile towards Leanne... but for now, let's avoid places where they might run into each other.
But why do I have to worry about this? What did I do wrong?
"Let's put this matter on hold for now. Maybe the goal is to make us fight each other. We need to focus on the task at hand first."
"Yeah, that's right."
First, we need to survive and come back from the underground garden.
Now that I've decided to get a decent job, I'm fed up with putting my life in danger.
These days, I have to think every night whether I'll be alive tomorrow or not, and it's become something I want to avoid.
It would be better if nothing else happens.
"Are you there, Ark?"
I'm called out by the Knight Gaston, who's accompanied by soldiers.
"Sorry, but we've got a bit of a problem and our departure is going to be delayed."
"What's going on?"
"We don't have enough medicine, and we're in a rush to get it. It won't take much time, but if necessary, you can rest at the mansion, as the Lord Albert-sama said."
It's a kind offer, but as a commoner, and especially in these dirty clothes, I'm hesitant to stay at a noble's mansion. If I accidentally cause trouble, it'll be a problem, and I'll just end up feeling tired.
"Then, I'll take care of some simple tasks for now."
"Okay. Try to come back as soon as possible. We don't want to miss each other."
"Got it."
But in reality, there's no task to take care of. I take Leanne's hand and quickly make my way through the street.
She seems to understand my intention and follows me silently.
"Let's kill some time."
"It's okay. This area is new to us, anyway."
But the central street is lined with government offices and high-class shops, and the pedestrians are all dressed up.
There's not a single person like us, dressed in shabby clothes. It's obvious we don't belong here.
Feeling out of place, we quickly escape into a less crowded alleyway.
"This was a waste of time..."
"Well, for now. But we might be able to come here occasionally depending on our salary."
"You're optimistic."
What kind of salary will we get from our job?
No matter what job it is, during the training period, we'll only get a small amount of money. We won't be kicked out immediately, but it's unclear how long we'll be employed.
At this point, I have no choice but to trust Albert, but was this really the right choice?
Maybe he just said that to get us to investigate the underground garden. In other words, we were deceived.
Reality isn't turning out as I imagined it would.
Just when I thought things were going well, I got tripped up. Everything that had happened until now suddenly felt like a lie.
"Maybe Albert is a bad guy who's just pretending to be a good person, and once this is all over, he'll dispose of us like we're trash."
"This is ridiculous. You're being way too pessimistic."
"I just don't want to get betrayed or deceived by someone again."
"When did you have that kind of experience? You never did, right?"
"I never did, but just thinking about it makes me angry."
For some reason, an unexplainable emotion started welling up from somewhere.
"Look at me."
I was told, and I gazed at Leanne's face, which was only half-visible. And for some reason, the suspicious feelings in my heart started to fade away. I regained my composure, which was strange even to myself.
"Have you calmed down?"
"...Sorry. I was saying some weird stuff."
"It's okay if you understand."
Leanne put her hand on her hip, puffed out her chest, and then chuckled. Seeing her smile made me feel at ease.
After somehow regaining my composure, I started walking slowly down the deserted street.
Since we were close to the central district, there were no drunks or suspicious people around.
The only sound was the distant noise from the main street.
Suddenly, I felt like we were the only ones left in the world.
Of course, it was just an illusion.
But it was a strange feeling. Maybe my emotions were just temporarily heightened.
"Hey, look over there."
Leanne said, pointing. When I looked in that direction, I saw a pure white building at the end of the alley.
The old, triangular-roofed building made of white stone or something was about the size of a 2-story house. The windows were adorned with colorful stained glass, and I couldn't see what was inside.
"It looks like a rich person's house, doesn't it?"
"Isn't that a church?"
Now that she mentions it, it did look like a church I'd seen in a book.
It was probably a religious facility for the local faith. We didn't have one in our village, so it was unusual to see
With a grand building like this, there must be a lot of believers.
"Hey, let's pray for a safe investigation. It might bring us some benefits too."
"When did you become so devout?"
"The church is a place that accepts anyone in trouble, right?"
"That may be true in stories, but in reality, they'll just chase you away. Give up."
This place is a different world from the outer districts where we usually live. Poor people never visit here, and it's not like they'd be of any use anyway.
But Leanne opened the door.
The inside of the church was just as I had imagined. The solemn atmosphere, the 2 rows of long chairs lined up neatly, and the red carpet on the floor. The decorations and golden candelabras were far from shabby.
But what caught my attention the most was ――a woman sitting on the stairs leading to the altar at the back.
The woman in pure white nun's robes was gazing intently at the sunlight pouring in from the large stained glass window high above.
Eventually, the woman turned to face us and stood up.
She was about the same height as me. Her rare emerald-green hair, which reached down to her waist, perfectly matched her fragile atmosphere, and her same-colored eyes seemed to hold a hint of sorrow.
"......"
A beauty beyond this world.
She was a woman so beautiful that it was hard to put into words.
Her expression was blank, but that wasn't a problem.
Her eyes, nose, and body lines were all perfect, with no flaws to speak of.
She had a sense of completeness that made me feel like there was no substitute. Leanne would have been a beauty too if not for the scar on her face, but this woman's beauty was different. She had a human form, but I couldn't help but think she was not quite human.
"Ouch!"
"Don't stare so much. It's rude."
"It's not like that..."
Leanne tapped me on the back, and I snapped back to reality.
I had been staring, and it was careless.
"It seems you're not a believer, but what brings you here?"
The woman's clear voice echoed.
She must be a priest or something working at this church.
"I'm sorry for intruding. We were just walking and stumbled upon this church. So, we're not believers or anything... but can we offer a prayer?"
"Of course. Please, come this way."
"Thank you."
We were led to the altar without any hesitation by the woman.
"I'm worried, aren't I?"
"Huh?"
I saw Leanne's surprised face for a moment, and finally understood.
"Well, it's not like that, but..."
Ah, I see.
She always puts on a brave face, but deep down, she's not like that at all.
That's why she suggested we enter the church.
──Just because we've been together for a long time doesn't mean we really understand each other.
I remembered Fatina's words.
We arrived in front of the stone-made altar, but there were no statues of gods or anything. The name and appearance of the god were unknown.
"Can you tell us about the god?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know the name or nature of the god either."
"Huh? Is that so?"
"The god worshipped in this church is an old god whose name has been forgotten. I'm not sure if anyone still remembers."
I started to feel a bit uneasy.
There was no one else in the church besides the priestess. There were no believers, and we didn't even know what we were worshipping.
What kind of facility was this?
"The god is always with you. Even if you can't imagine its form, your prayers will definitely reach it."
"I see... I understand."
The two of us knelt down and prayed to the nameless god.
It was a meaningless act, but if it would calm Leanne down, then it was fine.
After finishing our long prayer, the priestess handed Leanne a small pouch with a long black string attached.
"Please accept this. It's a token of gratitude for your visit."
"What's this?"
"It's a charm made in the church. If you're in trouble, open it and you'll receive guidance."
If they're giving it away for free, it's not like it's a special item or anything.
It's probably got some nice words from the god written on it.
"This is a wonderful item. I'll treasure it."
Leanne took the charm and immediately put it on. She seemed to like it.
"Is the time okay?"
"Ah, I forgot!"
That's right. I was warned by Gaston that things would get complicated if we got separated, so I had to hurry back.
"Leanne, let's head back quickly."
"Thank you for everything. May I come again?"
"Yes, we'll meet again someday."
"Goodbye, until next time..."
I pulled Leanne's hand, which was lingering reluctantly, and we left the church.
This was the first time I'd seen Leanne get so attached to someone else.
We rushed back along the way we came, and soon found Gaston and regrouped with him.
And then, we had to venture into the dangerous underground garden with the team.
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