Chapter 91
Chapter 91
The Sacred Mountain Range (1)
“It has been a while. Priest.”
“Hello.”
When the final exams ended, Winter came to meet Dike of the Karata Order.
Dike, who had readily granted permission, willingly invested his time in her. The two exchanged greetings that were still somewhat awkward.
“How did your exams go?”
“Yes. Uh. I did well. And you, Priest of Karata?”
“I did as well.”
Dike guided Winter into the reception room of the Karata Order. When he stole a glance at her attire, she looked rather burdened.
A bag as large as her upper body was stuffed full, and she was holding several fairly heavy books in her arms.
“Shall I help you?”
“What? Ah, no, it’s alright.”
It was by no means light, yet strangely, she showed no signs of struggling. When he asked just in case, Winter gently declined.
“What kind of tea would you like?”
“Do you have black tea?”
“Of course.”
The reception room of the Karata Order carried a tranquil atmosphere. That very quality reminded me of the chapel of the Anaye Order, which I liked.
With a pleased expression, Dike brewed the black tea. It carried a different aroma from the tea Canis usually brought.
“You are working very hard.”
“I think it’s because it’s fun.”
“That is a truly exemplary attitude.”
Dike praised Winter as she took out her writing utensils and notebook. Embarrassed by the praise, she awkwardly scratched the back of her head.
“You said you had something you wanted to ask?”
“Ah! Yes.”
Because it had been exam period, she had been unable to visit, and now she asked the questions she had been curious about until now.
Dike answered diligently while admiring her scholarly enthusiasm. There were a few questions that were difficult to address, but most were productive ones.
“Come to think of it, I heard you are going on a pilgrimage during the break?”
The atmosphere seemed to have settled after roughly organizing everything. Winter diligently summarized what she had heard in her notebook.
After sipping his tea and waiting, Dike brought up something he had heard through the grapevine.
“…That’s how it turned out.”
Winter’s face darkened. Having heard many unfavorable stories about pilgrimages, her expression was full of worry.
With a gentle smile, Dike continued.
“I, too, have gone on a pilgrimage before.”
“Huh? Really?”
There were not many who went on pilgrimages. Even the Lofty Order, which boasted the largest number of believers, as well as the Karata Order, did not particularly encourage them.
Knowing this, Winter was genuinely surprised that Dike had gone on one.
“As for a pilgrimage… how should I put it. There is nothing consistent about it.”
“Consis… tent?”
“Yes.”
At his words, Winter tilted her head. She thought the sudden term felt out of place.
“Some say their Divine Power increased, and some Paladins claim they heard the voice of God. What each person gains at the holy site, from the pilgrimage, is all different. That is why I said there is nothing consistent.”
“Ah.”
His words were intriguing. The reason I was going on the pilgrimage was simple. Because Davide told me to go.
“Then why does one go on a pilgrimage?”
“This is merely my speculation. It seems your senior wishes to achieve a spiritual encounter with God.”
Dike immediately grasped the intent behind her question and spoke.
A spiritual communion.
As she mulled over the term, Winter fell into contemplation.
Thinking about it, Davide had explained his reason for going on the pilgrimage, yet he had been sincere to a suspicious degree.
“In my case, I built a foundation through the process of the pilgrimage, and when I reached the holy site, there was a mental development.”
“A mental development?”
“Yes. Simply put, my faith grew stronger, and along with it, my Divine Power became denser.”
Having not properly lived as part of a religious order, Winter did not fully understand Dike’s words. In any case, thinking it was something good, she nodded.
“There is no guaranteed reward, and the process is difficult, so most religious followers do not welcome pilgrimages.”
“But my senior said we ‘must’ go.”
“Your senior stands in the position of Cult Leader. It will be different from priests like us.”
Dike could not completely dispel her doubts. He was not Davide, after all, and could not know everything.
“The process of the pilgrimage will be quite arduous.”
“…That much?”
“Yes. Do you know the pain of loss?”
At his words, Winter shook her head.
“The holy site lies between two massive snow-covered mountains. To reach it, one must go to the gate beneath them that leads toward the holy site.”
Dike slowly closed his eyes.
Winter’s eyes shone as she waited for him to continue.
“As you climb higher, your Divine Power will disappear. It will gradually be depleted. And then you will begin to feel it. What if all the Divine Power I have gathered disappears? You start to worry.”
“Oh.”
“In the end, we lost all of our Divine Power.”
“What?”
Winter, who had been listening with great interest, was left dumbfounded by Dike’s final words.
“We truly lost all of our Divine Power. It was not a misconception. A state where there was not a single trace of Divine Power within the body. Distrust toward the God we had believed in until now. And even thoughts of the life ahead without Divine Power. Countless afflictions came crashing down.”
“……”
Only then could Winter roughly grasp just how grueling the process of the pilgrimage was.
“I already knew from what I had heard that the Divine Power would return. But when you actually examine your hollow body, you begin to doubt whether that is a lie. Quite a number of people ended their own lives because of that sense of loss.”
“I… see.”
“A terrible sense of lethargy. The confusion that comes from losing oneself. When we overcome all of that and reach the holy site, that is when we grow.”
Seeing Winter’s slightly stiffened expression, Dike smiled gently.
“This is about all the advice I can offer. I will write down the necessary supplies separately. Please return safely.”
“Are you finished preparing?”
“…Yes.”
I looked at Winter’s gloomy face in confusion. Tomorrow marked the beginning of break. We would board a ship bound for the mainland and begin our full-fledged pilgrimage.
We had gathered in the chapel for a final check, but her expression was not bright.
“What? You don’t want to go?”
“N-No. That’s not it. It’s just. I’m just a little scared.”
At my question, she spoke with difficulty. What worried her was not the hardship of the journey, but the fear of getting hurt or breaking down along the way.
Considering her fragile personality, it made sense. For her, this pilgrimage would never be easy.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. If it gets too hard, we can give up and come back. There will be plenty of chances.”
Only then did her expression soften. She seemed to fall into brief thought before soon setting her face with determination.
“I’ll definitely complete it.”
“Will you now.”
It was admirable how she steeled her resolve. I turned my gaze away from her and looked at Worden.
Just as I had instructed, he was packing a combat backpack, though the sight was messy and unreliable. I offered occasional advice and helped him pack.
“Oh. For your information, the holy site is in a snow-covered mountain range.”
“Ugh.”
Worden made no attempt to hide his displeasure, yet he did not stop packing.
Since he inherently disliked the cold, this pilgrimage would not be easy for him either. Even so, I liked that he still wanted to go.
“We’ll discuss the schedule while we travel. The time is—”
Bang!
Before I could finish speaking, the chapel door was flung open violently. Wondering which lunatic it was, I immediately turned my head.
“Sorry.”
The one who offered a calm apology was Bereninche. Not Canis, but Bereninche. At her sudden appearance, the others tilted their heads in confusion.
“What is it.”
Even if she had apologized, it did not change how unpleasant it felt. I asked bluntly.
At my tone, Bereninche let out a faint laugh and slowly approached. She waved in greeting to the bewildered Winter.
“You have to go on the pilgrimage?”
To show up out of nowhere and say something like that.
Before feeling offended, I first considered why Bereninche would say such a thing.
“Something’s happened.”
“You’ve gotten sharper. That’s right. The Duhein Family’s movements are unusual.”
Sitting down on the sofa, Bereninche spoke in a serious tone. I had expected they might make a move someday. As expected.
“Little sparrow. Could you bring some tea?”
“Hm? Me?”
When Worden pointed at himself and asked, Bereninche nodded brightly.
Worden subtly glanced at me. I let out a small sigh and waved my hand. It meant he could decide for himself.
“You came all the way here, so I assume you intend to properly inform us.”
“Of course. Winter and little sparrow mustn’t get hurt.”
I let out a quiet laugh. I understood her concern for Winter, but since when had she grown close enough to Worden to look after him as well?
In any case, the information Bereninche brought was always high quality.
“An assassination?”
“More precisely, a retest.”
At my word, Bereninche only half agreed.
“It seems the Holy Scripture is quite appealing. Father doesn’t believe in mere rumors, so aside from the Scripture, there’s nothing else it could be.”
In short, it was indeed a test.
Duhein would be testing whether I was useful enough for Nerva to make use of. If I passed, I would become Duhein once more. If I failed, I might die as I was.
“A dilemma.”
Quite literally a dilemma. I did not welcome the test itself.
“Even so, we’re proceeding.”
“Hmm. You’re going to put the others in danger over personal matters?”
Even so, we would go on the pilgrimage. At my firm answer, Bereninche frowned.
“Winter will become my vassal, and little sparrow will become my knight. I can’t lose them here.”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
At Bereninche’s words, Winter and Worden both made blank sounds. Only then did I grasp her intention.
Right in front of me, she openly declared she would take them away. It was very much like Bereninche.
“Sorry, but unless I die, that’s absolutely impossible. And even my death is close to impossible.”
“Oh?”
At my bold words, her eyes gleamed. It wasn’t baseless confidence; my gaze was serious.
“If you need it, say the word. I’ll take you to the Demonic Realm.”
“The kids too?”
“Yes.”
In other words, avoid one hell by heading into another. At her words, Winter’s face turned pale. She knew the reputation of the Demonic Realm.
“The Demonic Realm…”
“Senior? You’re not considering it, right?”
Her voice was almost pleading. A pilgrimage at least had a purpose and some justification. But the Demonic Realm was different.
There was no need to suffer unnecessarily.
“Now that I think about it.”
As I trailed off, everyone looked at me.
“Worden might actually be suited for the Demonic Realm.”
“Why?”
Various expressions appeared at once. Representatively, Bereninche stepped forward and asked.
“The holy site isn’t particularly dangerous. But the Demonic Realm is different. And Worden likes that kind of danger.”
What kind of place was the holy site?
It was a place for religious classes to undergo their job advancement.
Through an advancement trial that could only be taken at the holy site, one could grow stronger. That was the primary goal. Though I had no need of it, since I already held the position of Cult Leader.
“If Winter goes there, she’ll definitely die, so she’s coming with me to the holy site. Worden, what about you?”
Winter would come with me without question. If not the holy site, her means of growing stronger would drastically diminish.
But Worden was different. From the start, he was a ranged dealer who did not properly use Divine Power. There was no real need for him to strengthen it at the holy site.
“Hmm? Hm.”
Looking as though he didn’t quite grasp the situation, Worden tilted his head.
If he followed Bereninche and trained under her, he would likely grow even stronger.
After thinking for quite a while, Worden finally nodded.