Chapter 157 - Weapons of a New Era and the Unconventional Missionary (2/2)

“Ancestor, you asked for me?”

“I want to ask you about the missionary’s situation. What has he been doing the past two days? Who has he been interacting with? Has he left the territory, or were there any movements of sending messages to the outside…?” Gawain looked up from his documents. “…What happened to you?! For the sake of practicing your aiming, you finally hit yourself with a big fireball?!”

He stared agape at Heidi who stood before him, only to see the latter looking so miserable that there wasn’t a trace of her usual calm and dignified manner at all. Not only was her hair very messy, a carbon-black mark still remained on her face; even her clothes showed uneven scorched marks —— she literally looked like she had been struck by a big fireball.

…Rebecca, that iron-headed girl, couldn’t have used some extremely creative way to get her own Aunt here, could she?

Heidi had used magic to tidy up her hair and face to the best of her ability, but she, who’d hurried here, clearly hadn’t cleaned everything up. When she heard Gawain’s words at this point, the corner of her lips could not help but twitch. “When Rebecca burst into the laboratory, I was doing an experiment…”

Gawain: “…”

Although it was different from what he’d imagined, it hadn’t seemed to be too different.

After awkwardly keeping silent for a few seconds, Gawain cautiously asked, “Beaten up already?”

“Yes, I’ll give her another when I get back later.”

“…Go easier on her. She’s already a big girl.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Gawain coughed dryly, “Cough cough. Then let’s get down to business first.”

“Okay.” Heidi inhaled deeply, calmed her emotions, and started reporting the missionary’s doings. “That Cleric called Wright hasn’t left the territory these few days. Neither was there any suspicious activity from him. He wakes up slightly earlier than the others every day, mainly to pray and to do physical training. Then he’ll have breakfast like the rest and go to the building site. ——We did not assign him any work, but he actively approached the foreman. Now he’s transporting bricks in the newly planned ‘Market Avenue’. He’s almost a regular worker there.”

Gawain found it interesting. “…He so actively asked for work?”

“Yes, I got the soldiers to converse with him through chit-chatting. The missionary said that he was doing so because of the ‘guidance of the way of the Holy Light’. Because the way of the Holy Light educates people that they ought to use labor in exchange for food. He had yet to get permission to build a church, conduct sacraments, and pray for the territory, so he needed to exchange physical labor for food.”

“He really said that?” Gawain found it incredible.

Heidi nodded. “He really said that, and he had also done so.”

“…These are indeed contents that the Church of Holy Light usually propagates, but I’m afraid there are really barely any priests who firmly believe in this, much less personally set an example. All of them only use these narratives to dupe civilians into doing voluntary labor for the church or to solicit contributions.” Gawain shook his head. “Then has he been preaching?”

“I don’t know if that’s considered preaching.” Heidi’s expression turned a little odd when she came to this. “He… does indeed repeatedly talk about the Holy Light. Occasionally when he treats people with his theurgies, he would also say something like ‘May the Holy Light bless you’. But he doesn’t seem like he is seriously preaching with the way he acts. Only when he meets believers who really believe in the God of Holy Light would he seriously provide an account of the religious doctrine. But when he meets those who don’t, he’d simply carry off with a laugh.”

Gawain frowned. “Have the people sent to Tanzan Town sent any news back?”

“They’re already back. Our people questioned the Cleric in Tanzan Town’s Church of Holy Light and confirmed that there was indeed a missionary called Wright Awiken coming from the Plains of the Holy Spirits traveling in the southern borders, and the characteristics match. But according to my guesses…”

Heidi paused here and shook her head. “Instead of saying that this fellow called Wright was sent out to preach, he was more likely to have been kicked out by the central church. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be looking like this.”

“To be honest, that was what I guessed too.” Gawain shook his head wryly. “Even in the old-fashioned and strict Church of Holy Light, there’s bound to be such offbeat characters.”

“Ancestor, how do you intend on handling this missionary?” Heidi asked curiously. “Leaving him alone the whole time isn’t a way out either?”

“Wait another two to three days. If there still aren’t any problems, I’ll meet him.” Gawain smiled. “Our territory… could have a church too.”