Episode 292 Connection with the Holy Land (2)
Glien’s temple was larger than expected.
The pillars of the temple, which look pious even at a glance, majestically keep their place.
On the left side, there is a building where priests live, and on the right side there is a chapel.
The tall temple was crowded with visitors every day.
The paladins who led Ray and the two patients ignored the queue of guests and arrived straight to the front of the temple.
They cast suspicious glances from the entrance.
“I’ll tell you in advance, but it would be better not to do anything crap.”
“Ah, have you all been deceived? Because I am not doing anything.”
I was even caught quietly, but seeing that I still doubt it, I think that people called paladins are really weak.
They coughed awkwardly and dragged Ray.
“I’m a bit busy, so please finish quickly.”
“That’s for the priest to decide.”
Ray, who had clicked his tongue once at the cold answer that would surprise even the Ice Dragon, glanced behind him.
Then, unlike himself, who seemed to be arresting criminals, Hedra’s priest and paladin, who were receiving the utmost care from the priests, caught his eye.
Why is the treatment so different?
Well, since they are priests and he is the one who walked them like dogs in front of the temple, he understands them to some extent.
Following the friendly (?) guides of the savage paladins, as they wandered around the temple, a splendid building appeared shortly thereafter.
In front of the green-colored lake, an old-fashioned, moss-covered temple boasts a mysterious appearance.
For a moment, I thought it might be a ruin.
It was just amazing that a place like this existed in the kingdom of Celia.
As Ray looked around and admired, the paladin pulled the rope.
“Don’t act frivolous. This is the temple of Goddess Gaia’s mercy.”
Goddess Gaia’s mercy is dog horn mercy.
To him, all the good memories with the goddess were trauma.
Even though he was a saint, he could not even hear his voice, let alone meet him.
Is that all?
It’s divine power, he gave me an air purifier and always made troublesome things, and when I went, he even took away my mana load.
Now, Ray’s teeth gnash at the mere mention of the name Gaia.
While admiring the temple, he suddenly started grinding his teeth, and the paladins distanced themselves a bit.
I’ve been thinking about it since the beginning, but it seems like I’m crazy.
Upon arriving at the entrance, one of the paladins put a message before meeting the priest.
Soon after, a priest runs out and nods.
It seemed that he was permitted to face the priest.
The highest-ranking person in this temple can be said to be the head priest.
If this place wasn’t even a holy kingdom, there was no way there would be a high priest.
As he expected, when he entered the office, a middle-aged man wearing the priestly robe was sitting there.
His faith can be seen in his well-groomed beard and clever eyes.
A Ray whose memory has surpassed that of a human.
One look at him and he knew right away that it was a face he had seen once before.
However, the priest did not recognize him because he was wearing a mask.
A cold voice flowed from the priest’s mouth.
“Is this the one who did the shameless thing?”
The paladin answered right away.
“yes. When I found it, the priest and paladin were tied up and dragged around. He even tried to enter the tavern in that state.”
“Originally, it deserves to be punished, but… I’m a little suspicious of Lee’s claim, so I brought him to the priest.”
“Are you suspicious?”
When the priest turned his head, the paladin hit Ray.
It means to speak up.
Ray changed his mind when a being who knew his past self appeared.
“Please take off this mask before you speak. I keep writing, and it’s frustrating.”
“You’re bothering me.”
Even though the paladin grumbled, he granted his request.
When the mask covering the face is removed, the hidden eyes are revealed.
Her gray hair falls down in a mess, and her off-white color shows off her appearance.
It was a look that even elves admired.
The physical training of the Paladins, who should not have been small, stiffened in an instant.
However, the priest’s surprise was greater than theirs.
If the Paladins’ bodies were simply hardened, the priest shivered like an epileptic patient.
The priest, who had been sitting still in the chair, immediately lowered his body.
“I see you, Holy Son!”
When the paladins were stunned by the sudden action, he let out an angry roar.
“Release the restraints immediately!”
“Yes yes….”
The priests who were bewildered were also the same.
Are you a saint?
What does this mean?
There is no way that a saint called God’s representative could be met in a place like this that is neither a dog’s name nor a holy kingdom.
However, judging by the priest’s actions, it doesn’t seem like he was mistaken with someone else.
The priests unraveled the rope tied to Ray’s body.
Ray, whose body was free, moved his hand around and said.
“It’s been a while, Mr. The last time I saw you, you were in the Holy Kingdom, when did you come to the Kingdom of Celia?”
“Two years ago. At one time, I was in charge of overtime in Selonia, but I was invited by the Kingdom of Celia and came to the current temple.”
Lay dissuaded him from talking with his head lowered.
“I’m not a saint anymore, so I don’t have to be so polite.”
“How could you not show respect to the person chosen by the Goddess? Even if you say that you are not an adult now, there is no change to me.”
“This is so…”
The priest is a quick-witted person.
With that ability alone, he took over as the branch manager of the Shillien branch of the Gaia Temple.
That’s what he thought.
‘There is no way that the Holy Son visited the temple without incident. Besides, according to what I’ve heard, the physical condition of the priest and paladin wasn’t normal… Something must have happened.’
It will never be a small thing.
Seeing that he had come to the temple of the Silien branch in person like this.
The priest spoke quickly.
“I know you have something to say. If you feel uncomfortable, I will bite you around.”
It’s a welcome sound for Ray.
As there was no information about the password, there were many ears to hear, so nothing good happened.
“I’d appreciate it if you would.”
* * *
Princess Celestia is killing all of Billo Village.
At first, I took my time thinking that I would find it soon.
However, I became impatient when news didn’t reach me for over a week after wandering around Viscount Gade’s territory.
“I’m sure you didn’t run away…”
The lady-in-waiting heard her murmur and answered.
“Where would I go to see the beauty of the princess? It will appear soon.”
“Is that right?”
Princess Celestia has never left the royal castle since she was a child.
As a result, the lady-in-waiting is the only person she can talk to.
He just believed that it must be because the lady-in-waiting, who had some outside experience unlike himself, said that.
Of course, I thought it would come back when the time came.
That acted as a defeat for the princess.
Ray had no intention of going back to Princess Celestia.
Or rather, to the point where he wouldn’t mind turning around to avoid her.
Besides, in the first place, Aira was standing around Ray.
Anyway, even if he has a crush on me, Ira will knock him down.
The princess did not know that King Celia’s pink retirement plan had fallen into abyss from the beginning.
As Celestia continued to feel depressed, the maid came forward.
“Don’t worry, princess. One month is long. We’re not even halfway here yet, so there must be a chance.”
“But what if he doesn’t come?”
“Because it can’t be. I guarantee that he will definitely come back.”
As the lady-in-waiting patted her chest and spoke loudly, Celestia’s self-confidence revived.
In fact, it’s the right thing to say. Where else can you find a bride like yourself?
She is the princess of the kingdom of Celia and a beauty that represents a kingdom.
She was a talented woman with a full background and many talents.
It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but I don’t think it’s a good look even when compared to an elf.
As the lady-in-waiting continued to raise her self-esteem, the princess’s nose rose considerably.
Celestia, who had been restless with impatience until just now, drank tea leisurely.
“joy. I’ll have to say something when I get back.”
“Exactly.”
The dream was also wild.
* * *
In the priest’s office, only Ray and the priest were left.
As he looked at the surroundings quietly, Ray took out a parchment from his bosom.
As the thick material was taken out, the priest looked at it with interest.
“Please look inside.”
When I handed out the parchment, the priest accepted it without question.
The priest’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he looked at the curled hair.
“…It’s a password.”
If it’s just that, there’s no problem.
No matter how suspicious the parchment was, passwords weren’t that rare in this world.
However, the problem is that this is a familiar password that I have seen while in the Holy Land.
The Holy Kingdom was once shaken violently by the power of Proxia.
That is why, when it comes to Proxia’s password, all high-ranking officials at least once knew it.
The same is true of the head priest.
At first, the interesting thing he watched became unusual, and the priest’s expression gradually darkened.
After thinking about something for a while, he asked Ray.
“Even though I can’t fully interpret the meaning, there is a corner that undoubtedly matches Proxia’s password. What does the Holy Son intend to do with this?”
“…This story gets long, but the priest and paladin who were with me were poisoning the village.”
At those words, the priest gripped the handle of the chair so hard that it was broken.
“Become a priest in the West and what!”
Ray dissuaded the agitated man and continued.
“Calm down and listen. They were making money by selling holy water. I was even thinking of occupying the village. This is from the house the two of you were staying at. Put simply, they may not have been the only ones who received the parchment. I don’t know if there are any leftovers, but if I wasn’t an idiot, I probably would have burned them.”
“That means… that the power of cryptography can be far greater than we thought…?”
“That’s what I mean.”
Ray was excited when he met someone he could talk to after a long time.
“I plan to send it to the Holy Land. With those two, of course. To do that, we need some escort troops…”
If you’ve talked this far, the priest understands.
He folded the parchment and nodded happily.
“Please leave it to me. It’s related to the Holy Kingdom, so how can I pretend I don’t know?”
The way he speaks with weight is very believable.
Ray, who passed the lukewarm tea over his neck, picked up the backpack that had been confiscated.
“Then let me ask you a favor. As much as possible, let the high-ranking party receive it. I’m busy with work, so I’ll go.”
“I don’t know what to do because you took such a precious step. I will take responsibility for those two and punish them.”
“Maybe they know something. Tell them to dig it up while they can.”
After saying the last words, Ray rose from his seat.
It’s the first temple scent I’ve smelled in six years, but I can’t get used to it.
Especially since I don’t have good memories.
He hurried out of the temple.
Looking at Ray’s back, the priest gave a satisfied smile.
“As expected, he is a person who will become a great person. Even though he quit being a saint, he always does things for the goddess. There is a lot to learn from watching him.”
If he had heard this, he would have started swearing.
