Volume 2
Chapter 6 Part
1
Secret
Meeting, Benedetta's True Intentions 1
Translator : PolterGlast
The church where the
[Holy Church of Ariadne] is based occupies a large corner of the main street
leading from the harbor.
The red-brick exterior
wall, which purely incorporates a foreign atmosphere that is different from the
elegant style, stands in the way as though it were overwhelming Akira's
presence.
Perhaps being
pressured, Saki, standing next to him, just stared at the front gate and seemed
unable to take a step forward.
A chestnut-haired man,
clearly of Western Continental origin, passed the two hesitating backs and
pulled open the front door.
The man slipped
through the gap between the doors and disappeared inside, and Akira resolved
himself to grab the door handles.
[...... St. Ariadne
will embrace the troubles of her children.
On the path of
hardship you walk, may the blessings of the West be―]
As they pulled open
the large door, which was surprisingly weightless, the words of a foreign
language struck Akira and Saki's ears with their pellucid resonance.
Benedetta, standing at
the main altar in the center of the inner sanctuary at the far end of the
church, read the words of the scripture to the kneeling young man.
―and then,
"――！！！！"
The sunlight streaming
down from the stained glass windows at the top of the hall enveloped Benedetta
and the others in a brilliant glow.
It was an
accomplishment for Saki not to have raised her voice.
Although the process
was different, the glow was a familiar sight to Saki.
A brilliance that
could be called a blessing or a grace.
What took place before
the eyes of Akira and Saki was very similar to the brilliance of the [Shrine
Parishioner Lottery].
However, unless one
breaks the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery], one can only do it once in one's
lifetime.
According to their
common sense, it is not something that should be done twice to someone who has
never broken the contract.
[Bless you.]
[Our deepest
gratitude, Priestess Casalini.]
[May the gentle winds
guide you back home.]
From their friendly
exchange, it was clear that this was not an unusual event, at least not for
them.
After having passed
another man, Akira and Saki proceeded to slip between the couches arranged in a
slightly radial pattern.
"―Welcome to the
Ariadne Orthodox Church."
"Yes, we accepted
your invitation.
I would like to speak
with you now, if that's all right."
Although no date or
time was specified, she must have been aware of their presence as soon as the
front door opened.
A smile of compassion
that did not reveal her inner feelings made Akira and Saki feel welcomed, even
if it was only a formality.
Although they were
about to be escorted to a meeting room in the back, Saki requested that the
meeting be held in the main hall.
After a brief
self-introduction, Akira, Saki, and Benedetta faced each other overlooking the
inner sanctum.
"...... Since
this is an informal meeting, we wanted to eliminate the possibility of others
overhearing our conversation."
"No, there is no particular
concern on our part.
―Or do you have something to be concerned about,
Casalini-sama?"
"No, not at all.
In that case, perhaps I'm just being overly cautious.
But, the Lord of this
land, Houri-dono was it, that person seemed to have a very strict attitude
about everything."
"I was merely
ordered to be in this land based on an imperial decree.
There is no
hierarchical relationship between me and the Lord of Kuga."
"I see. So,
Saki-sama's superior is someone whose intentions can influence even the Lord of
Kamotsu.
―That sure is convenient."
"......Yes,
indeed."
Not good, it has
already begun. Saki gritted her teeth inwardly.
By stirring up the
other party's information carefully, she was able to extract information from
the other party by herself.
Saki has also begun to
learn the art of negotiation, but Benedetta, who also serves as an emissary for
Vansuir, has the upper hand.
"I'm sure
Takamagahara has a parliamentary system in place, right? Is that person at the
top of the Provincial Council?
Or maybe even higher?
Like, the one who is in charge of the government of the province?"
"Well, I wonder
about that."
The parliamentary
system was introduced in Takamagahara about 40 years ago, about the same time
as the civilization was introduced.
Although it had been
in existence for a considerable number of years, the system had not yet matured
to its full potential, and poor governance was still rampant.
The current state of
the parliamentary system, which is becoming a notoriety, is probably beyond
Saki's comprehension, but she decided to leave Benedetta's misunderstanding as
it is.
"―May I ask you a
question as well?"
"What is
it?"
"The earlier
brilliance is [Shrine Parishioner Lottery], right?
Why is it possible to
overlap them?"
"......Shrine
Parishioner Lottery?
...... Ah, maybe, are
you are referring to [baptism]?
It is a ceremony to
attest that you are a child of God, do I have you understand with this explanation?"
Benedetta, with her
hand on her cheek, pondered, but quickly came up with an answer.
It seems that similar
rituals do exist, after all.
By nodding her head,
Saki returned an affirmation.
The scope of effect of
the [Shrine Parishioner Lottery], which is a contract with a land god, is
inevitably limited to the land governed by the divine pillar with which the
contract was established.
If one can ignore the
limitations of this sacred contract, it means that one can surpass the limits
of the land.
This is an assumption
that Saki, who is a direct descendant of the feudal family, could not ignore.
"It is not a
particularly strange thing.
―There is only one God, the originator of all the
divine pillars that pervade the world, and that is St. Ariadne."
After saying so, she
unfolded the sacred scripture set on the main altar and showed it to them.
"[The Divine
Pillar sculpts the world with the words of the beginning].
Ariadne once wielded
her chisel of words and divided the world into heaven and earth.
She turned the fire
into a heavenly furnace, the earth into a field, and the water into a basin,
and filled the world with words by transforming herself into the wind that
blows across the world,
―And finally, as a mirror of herself, Ariadne weaved
the human being."
Benedetta turned to
Akira and Saki as she recited a verse of doctrine from the Sacred Church of
Ariadne.
"To be human is
to be a beloved child of St. Ariadne.
―Even if you leave your haven, Ariadne, the wind that
blows, can only give her blessing to you."
This is absurd.
Saki wanted to yell
that, but so did Akira.
Living tied to the
land. That is the common sense of the ordinary people in Takamagahara.
But [Holy Church of
Ariadne] says that they can ignore such common sense.
It is an unreasonable
fact that while Takamagahara can only choose to be on the defensive, the other
side can choose to be on the offensive.
Of course, it is
impossible for a mere doctrine created by human beings to produce such an
absurd result.
There must be some
restrictions, but even taking this into account, it is undoubtedly beyond what
was expected.
"―Now, may we
proceed to the main subject?"
"......Sure, go
ahead."
"We, the
Vansuirs, have made repeated requests to the Kuga family to return the Kamotsu
Wind Cave."
*Snap*. With a crack,
the atmosphere between Saki and Benedetta tensed up.
"Fu-fu.
Casalini-sama, are you
particularly fond of insane and absurd requests?"
"There is nothing
strange about this request though.
―In the first place, this world belongs to St. Ariadne,
the one and only God.
All the divine pillars
are merely the subordinate deities of St. Ariadne, and even the divine pillar
of Takamagahara is one of those born from St. Ariadne.
There is no need to be
distressed. We only want to remind you of the fact that we are your
ancestors."
"Do you think we
are ignorant infants?
No matter what the
truth about the Divine Pillar is, the fact remains that you are spreading the
flames of war in your colonial greed.
―Which one of us is the one who despises and humiliates
the Divine Pillars?"
Confronting Benedetta,
Saki clutched the Shojinbina in her hand.
Now that they've
declared clear hostility, this place has turned into a battlefield, even though
it may seem calm.
Naturally, the other
side knew that a battle would ensue.
"It's a matter of
perspective. St. Ariadne is known for her love and compassion for all things.
Anyway, it is a pity
that you refused. Let us yield then.
―Now, Akira-sama."
"Yes?"
Benedetta's gaze
pierced through Akira, who was standing behind Saki.
On the contrary, Akira
did not expect to be spoken to.
It took a moment of
delay for him to respond.
"Akira-sama, have
you reached your conclusion about the problem you asked me about the other day?
This Benedetta
Casalini, would love to see what you have gained in the lifetime of your
suffering."
"...... No, not
yet."
"I see.
―If you still have doubts in your heart, then why don't
you come to Vansuir instead?"
"Huh?"
Akira's thoughts
stopped at the sudden invitation.
However, Benedetta,
ignoring Akira's confusion, continued speaking without concern.
"The other day we
had a conversation and you told me that you were a commoner until recently.
We often hear of
stories in which the lowest rank is elevated to the top, but in reality, there
must be a lot of hardship.
However, in [The Holy
Church of Ariadne], knights of the church are regarded as the same class as
both nobles and commoners.
―If you were in Vansuir, there would be no one who
would condemn you for being a commoner."
"A…………"
"What nonsense!"
Before Akira, who was
at a loss for a response, could even speak, Saki shouted back at her, covering
her words with her own.
She stood there,
protecting Akira with her right arm to prevent him from stepping in front of
her.
"Akira-kun is a
protector under the custody of the Kihouin family, and there is no way he will
be allowed to move to Vansuir!!"
"Oya~.
Is Takamagahara such a
narrow-minded country that it would not even allow a commoner like Akira to
leave the country?"
"Silence!!"
Even though she knew
it was a bad move, she couldn't help but yell at her.
Saki couldn't let this
woman open her mouth any further.
Before she could even
think about the reason, her sixth sense sounded an alarm at the highest level.
Was I really
wrong to be so cautious?
--No.
"...... A~a. You
didn't tell Akira-sama anything, did you?
―You did not tell him about the divine protection that
resides in his body, a protection that could even distort the world."
It is still
too early to tell.
"Divine
Protection, huh?"
"Yes.
Originally, divine
protection is the grace of the divine pillar that serves to protect the people
and the environment, but having a lot of protection is not necessarily a good
thing, just as those who aim high will be burned by the sun and fall to their
deaths.
In one of the heroic
tales of Vansuir, there is a hero who was loved too much by a divine pillar.
The protection of the
divine pillar, which is described in these tales, protects the hero from
various malice and battlefields,
―In the end, however, the burden of the divine
protection itself led the hero to his own demise."
"Died from the
burden of the divine protection?"
"At least to the
extent that one cannot hope to die in one's lifespan."
Benedetta held up the
cup on the desk by the main altar and showed it to him.
*Plunk*. A slight
shimmer of light shone through, indicating that the cup was filled halfway full
of water.
"Let us assume
that this cup is merely a human body.
If so, the water in
the cup would be the spirit.
If we were to include
the spiritual power of the human being alone, the cup would be 90% filled with
water, and the blessing we receive would be the act of pouring more water into
the cup.
―In other words, to be given a blessing without regard
to one's own upper limit is to have the cup crushed by the burden that exceeds
the limit."
"On what basis do
you say such nonsense!?"
"On what basis?
As you both saw
earlier, we are able to be blessed and receive more blessings.
Regarding the limits
of blessings that one can receive, I am proud to say that I am quite
knowledgeable."
"That's-"
"―What do you think, Akira-sama? If you were to praise the glory of St.
Ariadne, I would attenuate the blessing before it becomes irreversible."
"It is a very
tempting offer, but I must decline."
Saki was impatient
with anxiety and Benedetta was inviting him with sweet words.
The decision that
Akira arrived at in the face of these two contrasting figures was tinged with a
dry tone and a severely diminished sense of urgency.
Benedetta's offer was
not of interest to Akira.
The faces of Granny,
Shuka, Tsuguho, Kansuke, and Genji passed through his mind one after another.
Even if he were to be
threatened with death, there was no way that his pride would allow him to
betray the people who had welcomed him with open arms.
"......May I ask
why?"
"It's simple.
I shall be the one to
decide whether or not the blessing will kill me, that's all.
―Besides..."
"?"
"If you're going
to attack Takamagahara, it's not fair that I, the protector, don't stand up to
protect my own country."
"I see,
......That's a
shame."
Benedetta's eyes were
downcast with sadness.
That was the moment
when a decisive rift opened up between Akira and Benedetta, and between
Takamagahara and Vansuir.
"......I couldn't
read your intention of inviting me in a very roundabout way, but your real
purpose was to persuade Akira-kun to come over to you, wasn't it?"
"No. Every
negotiation is done because it is necessary.
That said, I have a
word of advice for you, Saki-sama.
―The basic principle of negotiation is to give the
other party a false impression of your intentions."
Although she avoided
stating it explicitly, this one word confirmed Saki's suspicions.
To help Akira mature
calmly, she has been restricting access to information, but it is hard to
accept the fact that Benedetta's interference is about to ruin everything.
"Let's go,
Akira-kun."
Saki turned on her
heel, as if to conclude the meeting. Akira turned on his heel to follow closely
behind,
"―Saki~!!"
Wrapping his arms
around her slender waist, Akira kicked the floor as hard as he could with a
poorly-activated [Aragamioroshi].
Although lacking the
appropriate strength, the two danced together in mid-air.
―Bang.
The place where the
two had been until just prior to their escape, turned into a cloud of dust,
scattering the floor and the pieces of wood that used to be the chairs into
tiny fragments.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
Marvin Sanchez
Matthew Shuler
Swagaraga
[Gold]
-
[Silver]
Adrian Betancourt
ArUnInAcTiOn
CoolmanMTD
Glasses Kun
Nazmun Saikat
Thiago Leite Denedai
Anton Lim
Creris
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Duncan Rodgers
Freyja Bjarnadóttir
Muzic Yasko
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
