Chapter 170
They safely passed through the Gate of Holiness.
However, the inspection procedure still remained. While impure beings could be detected by the Gate of Holiness, items banned by the Holy Federation—such as narcotics or forbidden books—had to be checked manually.
Naturally, the inspectors would soon come to search the freight wagon, but a method of escape had already been prepared in advance.
Flap!
Simon could feel the broker covering the wagon with a blue cloth. Then, the broker tapped the wagon twice, signaling that there was no one around.
This blue cloth had the effect of blocking the flow of mana. While covered by it, they could activate the teleportation magic circle drawn on the bottom of the crate and escape to another location.
'As long as we get inside the Holy Federation, it's fine.'
The borders of the Holy Federation were protected by white magic that blocked unauthorized teleportation. But once inside the Federation, teleportation was no longer a problem.
"Alright, let's get ready."
The two of them squeezed their bodies into the teleportation circle as much as possible. In the process, they inevitably ended up holding each other tightly in a close embrace.
Simon was horrified, but Lete calmly placed her hand on the magic circle without showing any expression and spoke.
"Random teleportation within the target radius. If we're unlucky, we might fall into water or end up in the middle of a monastery. Ready?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah. Ready."
She muttered a small "Here we go", and activated the teleportation circle.
Wuuuuung!
Simon's body floated up as the magic circle activated.
'Grrgh!'
His whole body was hurtling at an immense speed, making it impossible to tell what was going on.
It felt like moving at supersonic speed through a narrow pipe, in an abstract space where all colors were tangled together in a messy blur. He missed the Keyzen teleportation handled by professionals.
The world spun violently, and a dreadful nausea overwhelmed him.
Just when he thought he truly couldn't take it anymore—
Flaaash!
The nausea stopped, and he finally felt solid ground beneath him. Holding his forehead, he took a moment to recover, then slowly lifted his head to look around.
"…?"
Everything around him gleamed gold, and when he looked up, a blue sky with not a single cloud stretched above.
Simon had landed in the middle of a wheat field.
"Oh Goddess."
Then he heard Lete's voice from below.
"Grant me patience so I do not kill him while paying for my sins, and bless me with endurance so I do not bathe in his blood."
"?"
Looking down, Simon realized he had landed directly on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Startled, he quickly apologized and rolled off to the side.
"Just now."
She coldly said as she raised her upper body,
"You died 500 different ways in my head. Give thanks to the Goddess who granted me patience."
"…Well, we had no choice but to hug tightly like that to teleport."
"Shut your mouth."
The two slowly got to their feet.
The wheat was incredibly tall. Wheat typically grows to about one meter, but for Simon, only his head was visible above it. For Lete, only the top of her head could barely be seen.
"Looks like this is wheat grown with Holy Agriculture."
She said while brushing off her clothes, especially the parts that had touched Simon.
"Holy Agriculture?"
"Yes. Before planting, they call a priest to hold a service and infuse the ground with holiness. The crops grow better that way. It's divine blessing."
"That's… quite something."
She crossed her arms with a smug smile.
"Quite something? It's more than that. The crop yield determines the foundation of national management, you know? What does the Dark Alliance do?"
"…We just spread manure to improve soil fertility, practice crop rotation, and sometimes my father goes into town to buy fertilizer and spread that."
Lete clicked her tongue.
"Spreading that foul-smelling poop on your fields like that is barbaric. How's it any different from putting what came out of us right back into our mouths?"
"No, that's totally different. You don't even know what ferti—"
"Anyway! You'd better brace yourself, because I'll be showing you the superiority of the Holy Federation from now on."
She spun around and strode off briskly. Maybe being back in her homeland was making her feel emotionally at ease. She looked somewhat cheerful.
"Wheat thieves!"
Well, that lasted only a few minutes.
A shout rang out, and from all directions, farmers wielding weapons—no, farming tools—began closing in with a threatening aura.
"So you finally showed up after all!"
"Come out, all of you!"
The atmosphere didn't just feel serious, it turned downright hostile. Lete yanked on Simon's sleeve.
"What are you standing there for! Run!"
And just like that, a chase began. Farmers swarmed into the wheat field from all directions.
Watching the wheat part with the advance of sharp farming tools was terrifying. Since it looked like they'd start swinging those tools without hesitation, the best strategy was clearly to flee.
Lete and Simon bolted through the wheat field and rushed into a small storage shed nearby. It was filled with various farming tools and piles of straw.
The moment Lete locked the door, bang! bang!—the door was being kicked.
"There they are!"
"Hey, open up! Not gonna open?"
The hinges shook as if they'd break at any moment. Simon, holding the door with his whole body, asked,
"What now?"
"We can't say we fell in via teleportation. No need to reveal our movements."
At some point, Lete had taken out her Efnelle school uniform from her bag. She kicked off her shoes and quickly started putting on her stockings.
"It'll take me five minutes to change into the Efnelle uniform. Hold them off, please."
"Five minutes?! No way! Make it two! Skip the stockings, just do the top first!"
"Alright, so turn your eyes, you crazy bastard! Let me change!"
Crash!
The small side windows shattered, and claw-like farming tools swung in, sweeping across the area. Afraid of being scratched, Simon crouched lower.
Wham!
At the same time, a shovel burst through the door above Simon's head. Alarmed, he placed his left hand on the door and drew a magic circle.
A white wall of holiness unfolded, sealing the door shut. The enraged farmers, now having destroyed the door, began pounding directly on the shield.
"Lete! Hurry up!"
Simon shouted, pressing his back against the shield to hold it.
"If you even peek, I'll kill you and march into heaven, you got that?"
"I'm not looking!"
Thunk!
Just as she finished putting on her top and buttoning it up, she drew a magic circle in the air. Then, she snapped her fingers.
Flaaaash!
"Ugh!"
A blinding light erupted, swallowing Simon and Lete. It instantly blew apart the storage shed and scattered in all directions.
"Haaah!"
"What the...!"
Startled by the massive wave of holiness, the farmers recoiled in fear.
After the flash soared up, beyond the collapsed building, a boy was seen collapsed on the ground, and beside him, a girl wearing a white uniform.
As Lete untied the ribbon from her head, her pure white hair cascaded and fluttered in the wind. The farmers' eyes widened.
That was unmistakably the Efnelle uniform, made with sacred thread.
"Still,"
Lete's cold voice echoed,
"you don't understand the situation?"
Clatter! Thump!
The farmers all dropped their tools and threw themselves face-down onto the ground.
"We greet the Priest of Efnelle!"
The atmosphere shifted in an instant, leaving Simon utterly dumbfounded. On the other hand, she looked completely used to it, snorting as she stared down at the prostrated farmers.
"I descended in awe upon seeing the beautiful wheat blessed by the Great Goddess, only to be threatened with blades without so much as a greeting. Are you prepared to die?"
"We have committed a grave sin!!"
The farmers cried out, heads bowed in fear.
Seeing all of them trembling in terror, Simon blinked. The Holy Federation certainly did have a strict social hierarchy.
"If, as you said, you committed a grave sin, then you must of course be punished, right?"
Lete spread her fingers with a cold voice.
"All of you——"
"Priest."
At that moment, Simon stood up and lowered his head with a solemn expression. The skilled, elegant gesture as he made the sign of the cross was just like a real priest's.
With his palms joined, Simon said,
"The sin of the faithful failing to recognize their priest is indeed great. However, they were all desperately trying to capture those who harmed the wheat field. I ask that you have mercy and grant them absolution."
The farmers, still face-down in fear, looked up at Simon with wide eyes. They clearly didn't expect someone to take their side.
Lete, too, looked dumbfounded.
"Absolution? After just a few days with me, you're already overstepping your bounds. Does an apprentice priest dare to question a Priest's decision?"
"This golden wheat field, which even you descended in admiration to see, is one of the few things the farmers are tasked with protecting. Though they acted rashly, it came from pure faith to protect the Goddess' blessing. I humbly ask that you show compassion and reduce their punishment."
'…Wow, this bastard.'
Lete gave a small, incredulous laugh inside. Was his silver tongue always this sharp?
Lete had originally intended to punish the farmers for threatening her safety.
But Simon's logic appealed to the will of the Goddess, it was a mistake made in carrying out her holy mission. And when weighed against the Priest's personal safety, the will of the Goddess naturally took precedence.
Besides, she'd just explained Holy Agriculture to him, and now he was regurgitating it with fluent eloquence, so smooth that even the locals wouldn't notice. His ability to apply what he heard was commendable.
"…You're not wrong. Raise your heads."
Lete decided to let it go just this once.
As the farmers bowed their heads and expressed their thanks, it became even more clear how immense the power of Priests—and Efnelle—was in the Holy Federation.
Although they were still some distance from their original destination city, the farmers immediately offered to prepare a wagon.
While the two waited, a feast of food was laid out before them.
'…Feels like I'm at home.'
They were only staying for about 30 minutes until the wagon arrived, but the farmers kept bringing food non-stop. Simon felt a bit uncomfortable since it was all free, but Lete began eating without hesitation.
"Don't hesitate, eat."
Lete said.
"It's common culture here to offer food to visiting apprentice priests or priests. Especially for apprentices undergoing the 19 tribulations, there's even a saying that if you don't feed them well, the Goddess' curse will befall your home."
"That's a strange culture."
"And anyway, it's not really free food. Eat as much as you want. I'll go pay the price soon enough."
It was true, refusing food that was already prepared felt rude. Simon tried a bite of the Holy Federation's specialty wheat noodles.
"Tastes great!"
"Hmph, of course it does."
Compared to the food in the Dark Alliance, it had a lighter, more bland taste. Still, it was quite enjoyable.
Lete later went out with some farmers and returned after blessing the fields being prepared for farming. The farmers bowed their heads as if a goddess had descended, overjoyed.
She trudged back, sat next to Simon again, and resumed eating the wheat noodles.
"Being a priest means never going hungry, huh?"
"If you're jealous, become a priest yourself."
Lete said that and then gave a crooked grin.
"By the way, have you ever ridden a train?"
"Train?"
* * *
Poooooooot!
As soon as the two arrived in the city by wagon, they headed to the station.
Simon's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was just a small-town boy from the Dark Alliance.
"W-What is that?"
A massive, steam-breathing chunk of metal with wheels was approaching the station. Some of the tracks were laid on the ground, while others extended into the air.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Apparently, this train didn't stop at this station. It sped through, and Simon stared wide-eyed at the sight of it disappearing in the distance.
"Five days."
Lete placed her hands on her hips and smiled.
"We're taking this Holy Train across the Holy Federation. It's swarming with Inquisitors, so be prepared."
"…Haha."
Simon thought to himself, this was turning into quite a dynamic summer break.