It wasn't time to board the Divine Train right away.After crossing several mountain ranges since dawn, riding in a carriage, and even using teleportation twice, they were quite tired from the journey. So, they decided to rest for a day in this town where the train station was located."You can just pick any house in this village."Lete, walking beside him, brushed back her pure white hair and said, "It's a great grace and honor for them to welcome a Priest, an apostle of the Goddess, into their home."Simon blinked at her words."Isn't that a bother?""Oh, well... maybe it would be a bit much to just show up unannounced? But that's how it is here. You saw the farmers earlier, didn't you? If they just feed and house us and receive the Goddess's grace, it's a win-win for them, isn't it?"Simon shook his head."No, it's still a bother. I think it's better to just quietly check into an inn.""Well, if you insist, there's nothing I can do."The two entered a moderately large and clean-looking inn in the center of the village. The ground floor was a pub, and the upper floor was the inn.The walls were covered with crosses, sacred symbols, and various holy objects. It felt less like an inn and pub and more like a solemn family chapel.People seated at tables were enjoying drinks and food, engrossed in their own conversations.Simon and Lete walked to the counter. The innkeeper, a man with a bushy beard, was busy setting out food, seemingly overwhelmed by the number of customers."Laus! May the Goddess's blessing be with you. Do you have any empty rooms?"Simon greeted. The innkeeper, who was frantically moving large dishes, glanced at them and said, "Two people, a man and a woman? One room with a large bed enough?""Is he out of his mind?"Lete, standing beside him with her arms crossed, growled.The innkeeper, letting out a grunt as he set down a dish, wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve."Oh, young man, if it's not, just say so, no need for such harsh words..."Belatedly, the innkeeper's gaze properly landed on Lete. The moment he saw her white uniform, made of holy fabric, his mouth dropped open in disbelief."La-la-la-Laus!"The innkeeper scrambled out from behind the counter and immediately prostrated himself at Lete's feet, pressing his forehead to the floor."May the great Goddess's blessing be with the Priest!"Customers who had turned to see what the commotion was about also simultaneously exclaimed "Laus!" and rose from their seats."See?"Lete sighed deeply, brushing back her hair, and said, "I told you we should've just gone into any house. Then we'd only be bothering those people, but now that we're here, how many people are we inconveniencing?""...""When in the Federation, it's better for both us and them to follow the Federation's culture. From now on, listen to me..."Just then, Simon stood up."Good evening, brothers and sisters."Everyone's gaze had shifted from Lete to Simon. A flustered Lete mouthed words and gestured for him to sit down, but Simon smiled as if to say, 'Leave it to me,' and began to speak."I am Acolyte Ska Seraphino. If it's alright with you, may I offer a prayer for everyone?"At his words, everyone stopped what they were doing and, as if they had been waiting, began to clasp their hands together.Simon, who had skillfully taken control of the atmosphere, clasped his hands and began to pray.The content of his prayer was something everyone could empathize with.Health.Luck.And happiness.Each time Simon began a phrase, people murmured "Laus" in various places.Simon finished his prayer in a comforting voice and lowered his hands."It's a joyful night. We spend each day like this with the wine and food bestowed by the Goddess. I believe faith isn't something grand. It's our daily life, our habit. Isn't being faithful to this grace of the Goddess also a form of faith?"Simon subtly shifted his gaze."How about the Priestess allows the faithful to focus solely on the grace bestowed by the Goddess tonight, without worrying about anything else?"Lete let out a silent scoff.He was asking them to be allowed to enjoy themselves without feeling self-conscious. In that short time, he had mastered the language of the Divine Federation and made it his own, captivating the locals.The way he swayed the mood of the people with just his words truly made him seem like an acolyte.'...I hate to admit it, but he's good. I don't think we'll have to worry about being caught by an Inquisitor on the train.'Lete nodded."Alright, I'll allow it."Lete said that and raised her wine glass."To the Goddess's grace."""To Her grace!!""Everyone echoed, taking a sip of their wine or water. The atmosphere immediately relaxed, as if by magic, and people began to chatter loudly again. Finally, they were laughing and enjoying themselves, no longer feeling self-conscious around Lete, and the lively atmosphere returned.Simon sat down and said, "How was that?""...Tsk, you're pretty good."Lete had seen Simon's efforts over the past two weeks, so she didn't say anything more."But seriously, you don't even believe in the Goddess, so how do you pray so well?""Health, luck, happiness. Even if it's not faith, universal human sincerity gets through."Simon also thought he had made a good start to his role as a priest. Just then, the innkeeper came down and said the rooms were ready.The two went upstairs and unpacked their luggage. Lete, exhausted, immediately collapsed onto the bed, while Simon asked her permission to go out alone to buy something.She eyed Simon suspiciously for a moment, then buried her face in the pillow and said, "Don't do anything unnecessary, just buy what you need and come back.""Got it."It seemed that earning points with Lete downstairs had worked in his favor. Simon stepped out of the inn into the cool evening breeze.'First, secure funds.'Simon asked the locals for directions and went to the village's antique shop. There, he exchanged ancient coins, similar to those he had given to the broker, for cash.The coins were worth less than what he'd given the broker, but it was enough money to get by in the Divine Federation during his vacation.The Divine Federation's currency system was unified under 'Blanc', and the approximate value of the currency was as follows:1 Gold = 100,000 Blanc.1 Silver = 100 Blanc.He had just exchanged the coins for 20 million Blanc, which was about 200 Gold in the Dark Alliance. This was a very, very generous amount of travel money."Where is the market in this village?""Ah! At this hour, the night market should be open. Go down that road over there.""Thank you!"Simon naturally blended in with the residents. Sometimes, when he realized he was a Necromancer, he felt a strange thrill about being in the Divine Federation. Of course, as he had done at the inn earlier, he was confident he wouldn't be caught.'Yeah, this is just a place where people live, too.'He thought it was a problem that both the Dark Alliance and the Divine Federation had such strong animosity.The Divine Federation taught that the Dark Alliance was a cursed land occupied by evil demons.They described it as a place where 90% of the land was rotting away, untouched by the Goddess's grace, where not even a blade of grass grew, where most of the citizens had turned into zombies, and where immoral acts were rampant, like a pit of evil.The Dark Alliance was no different.They depicted the Divine Federation as a place where corrupt priests exploited and squeezed ordinary people to death in the name of the Goddess. They said that the streets were piled high with the corpses of people who had starved to death, but this scene seemed far from reality.In truth, if they just visited each other's lands, they would quickly realize those stories were false.'Wow.'He arrived at the night market. Even at night, exotic bright lights were lit everywhere, and countless stalls were tightly packed together.Simon, a stranger, truly felt like he was traveling as he wandered through the brightly lit market.'First, what I need to buy...'Simon stopped in front of a displayed stall."Laus! May the Goddess's blessing be with the adventurer. Are you looking for something?"Merchants in the Divine Federation were less prone to loud hawking. Instead, if a customer stopped to look at an item, they would immediately approach, greet them, and then become actively engaged after receiving a greeting in return."How much is this?"What Simon held out was a mask that covered the entire face. It had a white base covered with geometric black patterns around the eyes and cheeks.Looking around the market, there were quite a few masks like this. It would be impossible to investigate who bought which one if he bought this.It's 5,000 Blanc!"Approximately 50 Silver. That doesn't seem bad.'So, which one should I choose?'There were many similar designs, so Simon pondered which color to pick.***It smells.A smell.The man had smelled it thirty minutes ago, and he had turned his steps as if possessed, entering the night market.'...'There are many people in the market.When there are many people, smells mix.But this terrible stench, a faint burning smell mixed with a foul odor, was distinct even among countless other smells.'The smell of Jet Black.'The man walked.He walked relying solely on his sense of smell, not sight.He bumped into a few people, and they grumbled or shouted, but the man ignored them. He was obsessed with the smell like a madman.The man, walking frantically through the night market, sniffed and flared his nostrils.The unique burning smell of Jet Black.And the smell of corpses.The man was certain.'A Necromancer is somewhere here.'He frantically moved, looking around.The smell is strong.The burning smell stung his nose.This is the place.He quickly stopped and looked around.Where is it? Where is the bastard?And beside the man, who was frantically looking around, was Simon, blending into the crowd, choosing a mask at a stall.Simon chose a mask he liked, paid for it, and walked away."You."Grab!The man quickly lunged and grabbed someone by the collar.However, the man he grabbed was not Simon, who had just passed by, but a burly man next to him. The burly man, whose collar was suddenly grabbed, frowned."Wh-what? This bastard."The man ignored him, yanked the burly man's clothes, tearing them, and then buried his nose in his bare skin.Sniff, sniff, sniff.His nose flared as he sniffed the left side of the chest.It wasn't the burning smell.Just the ingrained, foul smell of sweat. Nausea rose...CRACK!The man fell to the ground, having been punched by the burly man. The burly man shouted with a disgusted expression."This crazy! What? Who is this insane lunatic!"Murmur, murmur, murmur.The market people backed away, forming a circle around the two men."What, a fight?""Wow, look at that guy's size."The burly man cracked his knuckles and approached with a menacing expression. The man staggered to his feet.'Damn it.'The metallic taste of blood rose to his nose, and he lost the scent.Losing the Necromancer he had almost caught, a sudden surge of irritation welled up. "Oh, Goddess."The man staggered to his feet and made the sign of the cross. Then, in a small, cold voice, he began to murmur, "I have awaited the time of judgment. Today, I send your creation into the Goddess's embrace. If his punishment is light, embrace him; if his punishment is heavy, cast him into eternal hell.""What are you mumbling about, you bastard! Haven't you had enough?"As the burly man strode forward, the surrounding crowd quickly parted left and right. Soon, the burly man roared and threw a punch.Thump.The burly man's punch, thrown with all his might, was lightly blocked by the man's raised hand.The burly man sweated profusely, but no matter how hard he pushed, the man didn't budge. His fist wouldn't even come loose.CRACK!"A-a-a-a-a-agh!"The burly man's knuckles and wrist met. When the man released his hand, the burly man knelt on one knee, clutching his dislocated wrist."You."The man squatted down."Are you a heretic?"At that single word, the burly man's face turned pale.The reactions of the surrounding people were the same. They covered their mouths or screamed. Some people far away even turned their backs and ran away."You made me lose him. You did it on purpose, didn't you? What's your relationship with him?"A subspace opened behind the man's back.Clang! Thud! Boom!Torture wheels, cutting machines, torture racks, large saws, maces, spiked maces, stocks, and countless other torture tools fell and scattered across the ground."Inquisitor Metin."He gripped a spiked mace and raised it above his head."I will begin the inquisition."
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