Volume 3 Chapter 2 (1/2)

The barrier had been put up in a reference rooh officials of the temple had been allowed to enter

A portion of the built-in bookshelf had been eway on the other side We quickly caeway in a straight line

The boy had said that the barrier couldn't bebecause it was a simplified one, but it looked like ould be able toas we didn't stir up a ruckus

”I think we should be able to hide here until toht And I believe the Reims will be hard pressed to find us here as well,”

The boy concurred as his expression softened

Since he knew about this hidden rooh social standing?

……He's not a prince, is he?

The boy aardly stopped rabbed the doorknob as I worried

”Please take my hand You'll be repelled by the barrier if you don't”

And so, we all took turns going into the hidden roo the boy's hand I was the last to enter

”The barrier's pretty large”

The room looked like it was about 30 tatained it would be There should be sixteen people in here, including ency rations, and alcohol, were stored in the closet beneath the floor for times of disaster”

”Huh……”

There were books, ainst the wall There were also plenty of candles, and the rooh that I could make out everyone's faces

I was briefly at a loss for words

There were people here And goods and light It all felt so much like a dream that it actuallyfleeting that could vanish in a blink of an eye……and I didn't know if it was okay forthe matter?”

The boy looked at me quizzically He continued,

”Please, coaze dropped toonto the boy's He noticed this too and quickly let go

”My, ies”

He didn't seem to have disliked it, but it made me sort of embarrassed too because his reaction had been so pure The knight-like wo us, likely because she found it suspicious that ere standing at the entrance for so long The boy looked relieved and walked up to her

”Dilcarette, prepare some clothes and alcohol for hiht-like woman—— quickly prepared a set of robes and some restorative alcohol I watched her work in a blank daze

I didn't knohat I should be doing here I hesitated for a bit, but I eventually sat down near the door, thinking that I'd at least keep watch for the ti, and observed the rooained their full senses, were plainly conscious of lances they'd cast at me from time to time hurt a bit

”It would've been nice if Louie and Eru were here too……”

I whispered to rew lonely from my sudden sense of alienation

The fact that I'd met Louie was incredibly precious to me I realized this anew

You probably didn't meet people like him, ouldn't abandon you even if he felt afraid of and repulsed by you, very often

I shookbad thoughts”

It rong to compare the people in front of me to Louie just because I felt like a line had been drawn between theest probleot nervous because I didn't have confidence in ht

Only, there were a few looks nore

I could clearly feel their suspicion and rejection I could tell that they saw n and wanted to chase me out of the roo eye contact with anyone without looking down altogether to preserve the peace

I didn't want anyone to speak to nored——it was the boy who lead the others who broke through the tension His e all formal

”May I have a bit of your tiht in the eye and knelt down on one knee with fluidthat he had absorbed naturally froance

I think he was a little younger than lected to expresspolite in return in times like this?

I was overwhel so completely weird

I shook my head in an atteht have been a little too curt Hmmm, what should I do?

The boy closed hiaze up a little Location-wise, it looked like he was staring at the divine stone on my forehead

”Is the stone you have on your ear a divine stone too?”

I was planning to start by talking about so we shared in common to dispel the aardness

But when I asked, the boy opened his eyes a little wider in surprise and touch his ear

”Is what you have on your forehead a divine stone?”

He ended up asking me a question in response How am I supposed to respond?

Louie had said that it was a divine stone, and there was no doubt that I'd technically received it from a God

I affirht and didn't move for a little while

”Um……”

When I called out to him, unable to withstand the silence, the boyon and came even closer

”I know that this may be insolent of me, but may I touch it?”

Honna continue?

I nodded while looking like nothing rong, though I was starting to lose my nerve on the inside The boy reached out and cautiously placed his fingers on the divine stone on ers back ieratedhot

”It's real It's a genuine divine stone,”

the boy whispered in wonder as he stared at his own fingers Was it really so it? He then continued,

”what I have is not a divine stone It's a ic stone?”

Hoas that any different from a divine stone?

I was pretty bad with fantasy stuff to begin with I couldn't even begin to iine what it was, so I sis to this temple?”

His rank was a mystery to me too

He answered, ”Yes,” but then he corrected himself and added,

”I am the 111th Rittei”1

”Rittei?”

The boy had apparently given me his title in order to see how I reacted to it I understood what he was trying to do, but I didn't knohat 'Rittei,' the all-important word in question, meant He looked a bit puzzled by n hasn't been very long”

”Reign?”

……Er, is he really related to the royal fanity to hih he wasn't quite a member of the royal family

Hmmm, was it okay for me to ask what kind of rank a Rittei was?

But for so that people should norht that it would be better for the future if I learned what it uous about it

Just when I'd made up my mind to ask and opened my mouth A cold voice interrupted lean from the Rittei? Isn't it only proper that you state your own title first?”

I froze up upon hearing the strict voice

The woainst the shelf with the blankets and stuff with her arms crossed The tone of her voice was too cold for even a pretense of friendliness

If I recalled correctly, the Rittei had called her Dilcarette earlier

”Why aren't you answering?”

Because I don't have a title

But I felt that she'd only get more suspicious if I was honest and said that Louie had reacted that way too

”Are you even listening? Or is it because you need to hide your identity?”

”That's not it!”

Why was she directing this piercing ener because I couldn't figure out why

”Fall back, Dilcarette,”

The Rittei quietly stopped Dilcarette when she tried to come up to me with the strict look still on her face

”But!”

”You mustn't be rude She isn't a threat to us”

”Please don't let your guard down It isn't normal to keep a monster in one's body”

A monster

I felt the blood drain frohtly to the divine sword

I was right—she had seen the monstrosity thatme with such enmity and caution

It made sense, since even I had found it creepy It was only natural for her to be worried that I iven the chance

”But it's also true that the girl saved us”

The person who abruptly cut in was the last person I'd killed outside the teed as being of a high rank He looked like a moody scholar and was quite skinny He had technically covered for me, but there was no kindness in his eyes and his tone and expression were also cold

”It's just as Sir Ilfai said Rather than a title, the divine stone she bears is proof of her identity She holds a holy aura”

Dilcarette reluctantly backed down at the Rittei's words That being said, it wasn't as if her suspicions of me had died down The Rittei seelance at ent eyes and opened his mouth

”She most likely cannot be adequately described by human titles But if you her than mine, and incomparably so”

The Rittei's explanation created a stir What should I do?—it felt like he'd started an incredibleBesides, I still didn't knohat the title 'Rittei' was supposed to dom, are you, Miss? What an utter mystery”

Ilfai, the man who looked like a scholar, twisted his thin lips like he wasat an experimental specimen

Seriously, what a ho and dull-witted I was sometimes

”Who are you?”

Even if you ask ulped I hadn't known until now that people's gazes could make your skin prickle

”I'm——I came to this land because of a vow I made with the lost Gods”

I couldn't decide on whether I should speak politely or nor weirdly blunt instead Whoa, that sounded a bit cheeky and self-righteous, didn't it?

”Lost Gods?”

Ilfai furrowed his brows The moroseness of his expression kind of suited him

”I came here to resurrect the people”

My throat was dry and I felt like I was going to cough ……Plus, I also felt like they'd figure out how du

And so, I shut my mouth

——Eru

The voice in ain

I looked to the back ofdifferent about it in particular I'd thought that the face would appear again But there was definitely a voice in my heart that wasn't mine

——The sacred beast calls for you

The voice told ly This was the face……the divine sword, right?

”Eru!?”

Eru's calling for ht here!”

I shouted and stood up before I knew it Everyone else drew back in surprise It e, as I'd suddenly yelled and startedwithout any context

”What is it all of a sudden?”

Ilfai asked quizzically I shook my head in mild irritation Most of my consciousness was focused on my conversation with the divine sword and on Eru

”Eru, over here!”

Is Eru really here? I don't feel anything at all!

——The barrier is concealing your presence, gir……Master

It felt like the sas about to call ain, but noasn't the time to care about that

”Rittei!”

”Yes?”

The Rittei looked surprised when I vigorously called out to him

”Can you cancel the effects of the barrier for just a second?”

”The barrier would collapse if I did, since it's a simplified one”

Someone snorted when the Rittei carefully spelled out his words Was that Ilfai just now?

”Isn't the barrier so periods of time anyway, Rittei? Or is it too difficult for you to ain?”

Was Ilfai maybe, just maybe, sarcastic and narrow-ic”

”Oh, so basically you can't do it”

”I don't see why I need to be insulted by you, who can't perforrimoire”2

Umm, Rittei, it's kinda scary when you speak without any inflection in your voice like that

Anyas a gri by the flow of the conversation, it sounded like soic

”Now you've said it”

Ilfai snorted again like he was looking down on the Rittei

Did these two have bad blood between the protected by this incompetent sorcerer, I wonder?”

U around the two of you right now…

”You're a sorcerer, Ilfai?”

Ilfai frowned sullenly when I gingerly cut in What kind of reaction is that supposed to be?

”……Aren't you going too far with your words, Sir Ilfai?”

The Rittei returned the conversation to its original topic with narrowed eyes Ilfai, too, looked back at him with a cold look on his face

”But it's true, isn't it? And all this despite how enerally look down on sorcery……”

”You believe that it's even worth looking down on?”

Rittei! That kind of aggression doesn't suit your face!

His response had even pierced throughon!

lfai took a deep breath and laughed froaze was like ice

”It's hard to believe that I' this from someone who's supposed to be the leader of the ritsushi+,3 the apostles who harbor ic Does everyone other than your own look like servants to you?”

Ritsushi+? Is that different frorief, the previous Ritteis uys are about to start a battle!

”Uain but was spectacularly ignored

Both of their eyes were completely dyed with fury

”Your words sound nice, but you knoell as I, Rittei, that your actions aren't anything to be proud of”

”What do you mean?”

”To think that you, the pillar of the ritsushi+ and their supreme leader, would abandon your many apostles and plan only for your own safety And there aren't any apostles here to rebuke you, either After all, they all turned into uys…?”

”Were you really planning on criticizing me? You, the person as supposed to be the first to lead everyone into battle when calamity hit, sacrificed the so-called incos, and fled for your life But, well, it looks like there wasn't even any point in fleeing, seeing that we're talking together like this”

”You're running yourthe truth”

”Hey, hold on a sec, can you just hear me out……”

”Who cares about the truth when you're about to ain? You only have an eye for the peril befalling upon yourself, and, by your own admission, you don't want to ic If you're going to ht of my power, then you can test it out for yours—”

”——STOP!”

They looked like they'd start a fight at any moment, so I forced myself between them and raised my voice

They both closed their er

”What can you gain fro? I don't uht now”

I was a little pissed off The divine sword had told ht not be able to see hiain if I wasted too much time here

There was probably soet in between But I couldn't have them definitively break away fros that I don't understand, and a s that I have to explain I know that, but I don't have the tination vanished from their eyes as surprise took its place I continued,

”I wanted to know if the barrier can be dispelled teo to where ht's only just begun, and ht be in trouble somewhere where there are a lot of Reims I can't just abandon hi me even when I didn't comprehend the severity of the situation I didn't want to be pulled away from him like this

”Rittei, if it isn't possible to dispel the barrier temporarily, then is it at least possible to let an to wander So it's possible I'd taken his hand while entering the barrier It should be possible to leave the barrier by holding his hand too?

”I' outside”

I held my hand out to the Rittei

”But……”

I peered into the Rittei's bewildered eyes

”Please”

”You're asking hiain when the latter stiffened up He continued,

”our Rittei over here only likes to keep himself safe The only reason that this hastily made barrier is effective is because of the holy aura you're eain without you That's probably why he brought you here in the first place ——Having a ic stone on his body calls monsters other than Reims to him”

”Just how far must you mock me? I would offer my assistance without hesitation if my life was the only one at stake here But there are other people here whom I need to protect!”

The Rittei shouted wildly, casting aside his initial composure

I was surprised I had a holy aura? I couldn't tell if this was true or not

What do I do, what should I do?!

——Master, the sacred beast is getting farther away

The divine sword's voice, echoing through ht never see theht had only just begun It was a long and terrifying age of darkness A minute felt like an hour An hour felt like a day——

”Rittei”

The Rittei looked to htly when I called out to him He was only just a little shorter than me Our eyes were almost level e looked at each other like this