“It was your bedroom?” Yua asked, ears flicking with curiosity.
Though the priestess’ words were clear enough, neither Yua’s ears nor my Thought Steal spell were able to prove she’d said anything but the truth. The truth just didn’t make any sense.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Nerissa said, her shoulders slumping. A wave of despondent listlessness overtook her as she aimlessly twirled the young boy’s bangs around her finger.
Seeing this as her cue, and as skittishly as she could, Chloe stepped between us to retrieve the staff. She returned it to the protective embrace of her bosom and hugged it tight. Her eyes then landed on me and widened. Cheeks reddening, she was quick to look away.
“L-Lady Nerissa was in the room at the time.”
“Really?” Elane said. “Must have been a rude awakening.”
“I’d only just turned in for the night and was well awake, but yes… Spreading Tallow’s love through late-night prayer sessions for those who couldn’t attend during the day tends to take quite a while. As usual, I was fairly late to sleep.”
… But, oh, the satisfaction of bringing more under Tallow’s wing makes it all very much worth the effort, she thought and shifted her hips on the bench.
For a moment, I was stun locked. Willomina clearly took aim at that room. It wasn’t a decision made in haste to aid in her escape. She had a clear shot at me, but she chose that room. It was intentional.
Regardless, I brushed off the issue of why she’d do that for future me to worry about. Besides, Nerissa still hasn’t answered my question.
“But how did they finish the repairs so fast?”
Asking them to hurry along was one thing. Actually getting the job done was another entirely.
“Oh dear,” she giggled. “Why are you so interested in something so boring?”
“It may be boring to you, but we were actually thinking about adding a new room onto our house and I’m no good with a hammer. So, if the builders here are that skilled…”
“It’d save you quite a bit of coin,” she finished, smiling as she shook her head. “You know, the builders where you’re from may be lazy, but greed is just as much a sin as sloth.”
“Maybe, but try telling that to my purse.”
Trying not to show the strain that came with reading minds in tandem with speaking, I forced a smile. She giggled to herself, but upon remembering the boy still dozing on her lap, she covered her mouth.
“Be that as it may, I cannot offer them to you. As your lovely friend there said, there are still many construction projects being worked on in this city. And more that are only still in the planning stages.”
Besides, she thought. Can’t have my righteous followers at the fort leave us, can we?
So, there is someone back at the fort. Speedy construction crew or more bandits, it didn’t matter. We just had our next goal set for us.
“However,” she continued. “If you were to join the church of Tallow, then I could put in a good word for you. The home of your desires can be built for you, here, in Villeverdure. You won’t have to lift a finger. Or open your purse.”
Before I could ask if she even had the authority to make such grandiose promises, she looked to each of us in turn and, in a show of utmost sincerity, Nerissa clasped her hands together over her heart. The smile already adorning her lips became unerringly inviting.
“And please, let me assure you that Tallow does not look down upon men who bring multiple women into their home. After all, arrangements like that can only lead to the creation of more life. Such is Tallow’s wish.”
To this… ominous truth, Yua’s brow furrowed, more out of sympathy than anything. Mana huffed and crossed her arms, likely waiting to complain in the event she’s referred to as Yua’s daughter again.
Meanwhile, Elane’s great big, forced, confident smile did little to hide the growing flush in her cheeks. I suppose by Nerissa’s logic, the Lasserwort’s Melange potions Elane drinks every month might as well be bottled sin.
“That’s a…”
“Hold on a moment, please,” Nerissa said quickly, happy to change the subject. Or rather, she didn’t even seem to notice the nerve she struck. “Here in Villeverdure, the people suffer no more than the most inconsequential of taxes. I am confident in saying that we will garnish far less of your wages than your homeland. Although, while it won’t be asked of you, the church would appreciate an occasional donation if you manage to find success here in our wonderful little city. Sounds like a pretty fine deal for someone concerned with their purse strings, eh?”
Yea, I suppose it would be. Free housing and low taxes would be a Goddess-send to most people – guess we now know why the city’s population exploded right alongside the number of buildings.
Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t going to be buying into any such offers. Aside from being able to build an entire mansion entirely by myself in just a few hours, building it in the middle of nowhere meant we don’t have to pay taxes in the first place. We also had the benefit of no local lords (or churches) breathing down our necks.
Still, it looks like she’s not willing to give a proper answer. Better not press the issue when I was already struggling to keep a straight face.
“That’s a fine offer, but we’ll need time to talk it over. Putting that aside, I have to ask, you keep referring to what happened last night as an attack. Do you know who it was that attacked you?”
“..!”
The churchyard fell silent, as if my question caused even the breeze that’d been gently rustling her robes to vanish. Chloe stiffened. There was a fear of danger in the way she gasped. Clutching the staff harder, she dashed behind one of the beefier city guards, who, on reflex, widened his stance. The rest of the clergy shared worried looks and whispers abounded amongst them.
It was Nerissa alone that raised a brow. A knowing skepticism festered in her smile as she spoke.
“Alex, my dear. Of course I do.”
It was getting late. Shadows stretched like pointed daggers across the churchyard as the sun dipped lower, robbing the stained-glass windows and her eyes of light. Behind her, the church officials shifted uncomfortably, almost nervously. Chloe gasped, clutching the staff tighter still to her chest and moved behind one of the guards. His hand flew to the hilt of his sword, though his darting eyes said this was less on battle instinct than it was a man’s need to protect the women under his charge. He didn’t draw. Just stood there, knuckles whitening on the leather grip.
They hid it well, but I could tell my girls felt the shift in tension. Even Mana. Her tail suddenly lost its usual, happy sway and instead fell limp at her backside as she looked from face to face.
My shoulders loosened, freeing me to draw my sword.
Nerissa’s eyes never left mine. Not even when the boy turned over on her lap again, ruffling her skirt.
I’d only meant for the question to invoke thoughts, any thoughts, about Willomina, but instead her gaze was challenging. Almost like she knew something I didn’t. Almost like she knew I witnessed the attack. Like she thought I was the arsonist.
My muscles, still worn from training, tensed painfully. That same training kept me loose. My sword wasn’t heavy on my hip. If it came to it, I was ready to draw. I was never one to just throw caution to the wind, but, surely, the people would give us a chance to explain ourselves if we…
Those dammed heretics have been after me for years, but my faith is not so easily crushed.
“Heretics?”
Her thoughts slid into place beside my own and I repeated them without meaning to. She nodded and her smile softened with what might have been regret.
“Sadly, yes. For reasons we mere mortals could not hope to understand, those claiming to be righteous souls like to pit their gods against one another. To prove that their faith and their god is true, by their own hand. Ridiculous!” she spat. “Unlike those deplorable gods, Tallow does not wish to war with other deities. He merely wants humanity to prosper, to live, to love and, in the end, return to his side, complete.”
Nerissa clasped her hands together in prayer and lifted her smile to the sun. Her silvery eyes were wide and open as she stared into the vast orange canvas of the sky, but her pupils remained locked on a single point, as though looking upon something or someone specific. The rest of her flock did the same, relieved in their unity. For a moment, her mind was blank.
“Heretical followers of another god have seen our progress and wish to put an end to it,” she continued. “By now, I expect word of Tallow’s ever-expanding embrace has traveled equally as far. Obviously, the further Tallow’s reach stretches, the fewer souls these heretics can corrupt with their false gods.”
“So, you think your church was attacked by another church?”
“Indeed,” said one of the priests behind her. “Lady Nerissa was attacked multiple times on her pilgrimage.”
“Until last night, we thought she’d be safe here in Villeverdure,” timidly added Chloe.
“And I have been,” Nerissa said, her tone soft, but sturdy. “And I will be. Have faith. I’ve dealt with these heretics before. Many times. They seem to be afraid of my ability to breathe the word of our god into non-believers and awaken their dormant faith.
“As with those troublesome times, I believe they wish to test our faith. To prove theirs is stronger, but it isn’t. I have no doubt that, as he has many times before, Tallow will continue to protect us.”
We need only to root the heretics out before it can come to that, she concluded in thought. No other gods, heretics or guilds will silence your love, Tallow! Not while I still draw breath.
Nerissa continued to stare into the sky, her gaze transfixed on what only she could see. Reading her mind offered no images of what, or who, she was looking at, though it did offer up more prayers she kept to herself.
Belatedly realizing I’d nearly blown our cover, I stopped my eyes from rolling themselves right out of their sockets.
Of course. I should have guessed as much. The people of Earth weren’t the only ones who suffered the consequences of religious zealots duking it out to prove whose faith was superior.
While I myself knew of at least one Goddess who was real – a fact that made these sorts of disputes a little worrying – that was hardly the issue here.
I’d seen Willomina’s lightning strike the church. I knew she was a bandit and I knew they were likely working together. The idea of this being a feud between churches was almost as laughable as the possibility that I might have dreamed it all up.
Checking her expression for any cracks her thoughts denied me, something she said suddenly slapped me across the face, demanding I notice. But before I could do anything about it, Mana jumped in.
“If you’re scared someone’s going to attack you, why are you sitting out here?”
We were effectively out in the open. With only the church’s wall covering her back, the only thing guarding her from the front was a large, mostly empty yard – grass and bushes could do little to stop an arrow. In fact, Mana herself could have shot her from the other end of the street with ease. That is, if we could somehow prove that the cat-kin that’d spent the last few days carrying a bow wasn’t the one responsible.
Despite this, nobody batted an eye at their priestess’s supposed defenselessness. Nerissa herself only nodded.
“Because, my dear,” she started, brushing the boy’s hair back again, this time checking to be sure he was asleep. “I am using myself as bait to draw out another attack.”
“What…?” Elane said, clenching her fist.
“It’s simple, really,” Nerissa said. “They attacked me last night, not the church itself. So, since it’s me they want, I decided to spend my day out here, enjoying nature and reading scripture in order to draw them out. When they finally show themselves to be the heretics we know them to be, the city guards will apprehend them and…”
“Excuse you?!”
Gritting her teeth behind her lips, Elane took a heavy step closer. The deep furrow in her brow and the vein bulging in her temple brought back a few memories that had me flying past the other two. With the both of them looking baffled by the sudden change, I threw up an arm in front of Elane to stop her from stepping any closer.
The guards all reached for their weapons this time, but hesitated to draw when Nerissa shot them her usual calm smile.
“Elane, calm down! What are you even…”
“You’re using yourself as bait when there’s a child laying on your lap?!”
Connecting the dots my mind reading failed to let me notice, I looked again to the boy on the priestess’s lap and I failed to stop disgust from wrinkling my face.
Thanks to the yelling, the boy stirred. Wearily, he lifted his head and blinked his eyes. He took a look around us, stopped when he saw Nerissa’s smiling face beaming down at him and quietly laid his head back down into the comfort of her thighs.
Her smile sweetening ever so slightly, Nerissa started combing her fingers through the boy’s hair, lulling him to sleep again. She looked over her shoulder to the guards, who were still tensing for a fight they clearly didn’t want. One look from her had them backing off.
“I understand your concern,” she said. “But as I said, I’ve dealt with these sorts before. Let me assure you, they would never risk harming this or any other child. Any damage done, will be done to me and me alone.”
“A-And it’s not like Lady Nerissa planned for the boy to fall asleep on her, um… on the bench,” Chloe said, peeking around from behind the guards. “He always ends up falling asleep during church, so…”
“That doesn’t make it okay! And even if it did, you have no guarantee nobody else will be hurt by accident! And you people! You’re just letting her do as she wishes?!”
The others surrounding her were, at least, not entirely unbothered by this realization. Chloe included, they all did at least seem like they were reluctantly aware of what was going on and accepted it begrudgingly.
Nerissa, however…
“Tallow’s will shall protect us.”
“What?!”
“Elane, seriously, take a breath and…”
I pressed her shoulders back, but she brushed my hands off her and stomped towards Narissa. I lunged to grab her wrist and she broke free the same moment my fingers wrapped around her. Her strength made it pointless. The axe strung across her back looked uncontrollably thirsty.
Shit… Am I going to have to knock her out?
The guards grabbed at their weapons and had them half drawn before Nerissa lifted a hand to stop them yet again. Unlike the rest of us, she was nothing but calm in the face of the woman who had once unintentionally terrorized an entire city. And for good reason.
She’d noticed Elane’s gaze was not on her – she was looking at the boy.
“I’m not about to let you pull this shit,” she said, shoving her hands under the boy’s arms and lifting him. “I’ll take him home.”
Cradling the boy in her arms, she let his cheek press against her chest much more gently than she usually did with Mana. Though the fact that he was resting against the cold steel of her breastplate was probably a factor.
“You go ahead and risk your life. Just leave others out of it.”
“Your love for Tallow’s children has not gone unnoticed. May his light guide you safely.”
“Tch.”
Turning on her heel, Elane stomped off on her own. Concern filled Mana’s expression as her eyes darted between me and Elane. Ultimately, I nodded for her to follow and she took off after her.
“He lives three streets over that way,” Nerissa called, pointing. “His father is likely already on his way to pick him up!”
Elane didn’t stop to show that she’d heard, though I expected that if she wasn’t holding a child, she would have flipped her off. Mana, surely, heard and relayed the info regardless.
“Sorry about her,” I said. “She, uh… has a bit of a temper about these things.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I can see her heart is in the right place.”
“Thanks, but we should head after her.”
“Of course.”
Wanting very much to be done with this nutjob, and relieved she didn’t seem to be aware of the reputation Elane had earned herself, I eased some of the tension in my shoulders and started off after Elane and Mana. Yua hurried along after me.
“Oh, Alex. One moment, if you please.”
I stopped in my tracks when I heard feet quickly shuffling across the grass towards us. I turned, half expecting to see a knife fly at me for daring to let my guard down, but all I got was the pleasant smile of the church’s head priestess.
“Uh, yes?”
She smiled, as always and somehow it wasn’t a lie. Her braided golden hair practically shone beneath the amber hues of the setting sun. She was a woman who felt no shame in letting a child risk their life for her ends, but I had to admit, she was abhorrently picturesque.
Tallow, the Goddess, whichever divine being had a hand in creating her clearly spent too much time sculpting her in character creation and not enough time in not making her a piece of shit.
Regardless, it took all I had to keep from recoiling when she took my hand in hers.
“Alex, I understand that it must have been difficult, but thank you.”
“Um… You’re welcome? But what am I being thanked for exactly?”
She tilted her head, and for some reason, her smile almost seemed to turn sympathetic. I looked to Yua, but she too looked confused.
“Because you’ve managed to stop staring at my breasts, at least in public. I know my habit is a little revealing, but I’m proud of you for overcoming your desires.”
“…”
“…”
“That being said, if it means you staring at my dear Chloe’s bosom instead, I’d rather you just look upon mine. Though, I still think it best you focus on the women already beside you.”
Goddess…. Why are you still talking?!
And how did I not notice where I was looking? Again?? Is that why Chloe jumped behind the guard, because I was looking at her?
“I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Nerissa whispered, “But Chloe’s a little on the timid side. I can easily bear your gaze, but she…”
“I get it! I’m sorry, alright?!”
I ripped my hand away from hers, grabbed Yua’s without checking her expression and hurried off after the other two. They’d gotten far enough ahead of us to have to use my rights as their master to search for their outlines.
Thankfully, Yua chose not to tease me along the way. Neither of us were in the mood.
It was getting late and the streets were mostly empty by now and what little crowd there was, was dwindling more and more by the second, so we had an easy time catching up to the others.
Elane, still fuming, was stomping along fast enough for Mana to have to break into a light jog just to keep up with her. Only when Mana tugged on her sleeve and pointed to us, did she slow down.
“Tch… Alex, I know I’ve been joking about her, but when we end this, I want that damned priestess for myself.”
“… What’s got you so bothered? You’re usually able to keep cool in situations like that.”
I mean, yes, she did once go berserk over some stolen panties, but she had good intentions at the time. Ridiculous as they may have been. She only wanted to punish the criminal that wronged me, her then new husband.
This, though, was entirely different.
“I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that I’m an orphan, right? It may not be the same, but I know what it’s like not knowing my real parents. I’d rather not let this boy’s parents learn what the opposite side of that coin is like.”
“And that’s very admirable of you,” I said, hands up and trying to calm her. “But it’s really not necessary.”
She stopped mid-step and I slammed against her back. She swiveled to face me, glaring as the child in her arms snoozed.
“Are you seriously going to stand there and tell me you don’t care that…”
“Elane, I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, that it was one of the bandits that attacked the church, not some religious nutjob, right? I don’t think the kid was ever in any danger. Hell, neither was she.”
“Er…”
Relaying this point, which her temper seemed to have her forgetting, stole the angry wind from Elane’s sales. She blinked and, finally, realization dawned on her far too late.
“That aside, Yua…?”
“Go ahead,” she said, sighing as her ears flicked. “Just don’t be too loud.”
“That aside, I was reading her mind, remember. She mentioned something about guilds and heretics in the same sentence. She probably sees any adventurers that come sniffing after her as heretics.”
For all it’s worth, given what she’s done, including whatever it was that earned her that Bandit tag, her faith is real. Anyone trying to take her, a priestess of Tallow, down for her crimes must be nothing but a heretic in her eyes.
At the same time, she trusts that these adventurers wouldn’t dare risk hurting the kid, lest they end up with more adventurers hunting them down as murderers.
“So, she doesn’t suspect us?” Yua asked.
“I don’t think so.”
Thankfully, Elane’s outburst didn’t put the spotlight on us just yet.
“I don’t think she knows anything.”
She essentially risked it all, her life and that of a child’s, just to draw out her attacker. Why bother if she knew it was us?
Us taking the time to sit in and listen to her during mass must have excluded us from suspicion for the time being. That, or maybe Giulio put in a good word for us? One could only hope.
“She didn’t say or think anything about who specifically attacked her, so she isn’t actually as sure as she says she is. She’s just jumping the gun since Willomina clearly hasn’t told them it was her yet.”
As for why Willomina did it, not even the priestess’s thoughts could say.
At this, Elane’s face quickly turned bright pink. Thankful that it at least didn’t turn red, I chose not to comment. After all, she was trying to do the right thing.
Mana, however, was not so kind.
“Do you really like kids that much, Booby-Lady?”
“Why, you li… mmg!”
Elane tried to complain, nearly speaking the word Mana hates most, but in the face of the girl’s genuine interest, she slackened. Her lips pulled into a pout.
“Uggh. I can’t stay mad at you, Kitty… I grew up in an orphanage run by a church in Guerraway. Since it was falling apart even back then, I kind of spent a lot of the coin I earned in my travels building another one for them. Then I had to stick around to make sure it got built right… So, I guess I was around kids a lot. That’s all.”
“Really? That’s why you got mad despite knowing who…”
“Yua, I can still be mad at you.”
Shrugging, Yua leaned towards the boy, took a whiff of his scent and walked off ahead of us to lead the way. Her ears flicked as she occasionally lifted her nose to the sky, searching for a similar scent that’d likely belong to the boy’s father.
I pressed a hand to the small of Elane’s back and ushered her forward. She reached a hand towards the boy’s hair, but sighed and stopped herself before she could touch him.
“Sorry I almost screwed everything up.”
“No worries. I almost blew it before you did anyways.”
“Mm. Alex… Can you take my breastplate off? I don’t want it to hurt him.”
“Alright, but if he starts trying to suckle, I’m putting it back on.”
“Oh, shut it. He’s too old for that.”
Seeing that the boy was still fully asleep – the priestess’s preaching must have been either incredibly soothing or insanely boring – I went ahead and did as she asked.
Once the steel covering her vanished into my item box, the boy’s cheek sank deep into her mountainous breast. Then, sleepily, his face slid down the slope of her mound and into her cleavage. And still, he snoozed.
Yea… If that didn’t wake him, he might as well be dead to the world. Almost as a joke, I checked his life bar to make sure he was actually okay.
After we ran into the boy’s father and dropped him off, we made a hasty return to the church. We did not, however, return to the bench where Nerissa and company spent their day. Instead, I used Material creation to build a temporary ladder into the side of a nearby building.
From the roof, just as the sun was beginning to fade into night, we did a little recon before jumping into the next part of our reason for being here.
Assuming that Nerissa’s confidence that she would survive any attacks that came her way was due to there being more guards hidden somewhere in the area, I had Yua and Mana both on lookout on the buildings nearest us.
As their ears worked their magic, and while Elane was cooling off in the corner, I used her spyglass to survey the area. Checking first to confirm Nerissa had retreated into the church for the night, I scanned everything my eyes could reach.
“They weren’t joking when they said they upped the number of guards.”
There were easily four times more men patrolling the grounds than the last time we visited the area at night. And, as promised, Giulio spent most of his time parked out front of the church’s main doors. Although his frequent yawning suggested he wasn’t particularly happy to do so – it wasn’t even 10:00PM yet.
It took a while, but thanks to memorization, I managed to map out the patrol route of every guard I could see. Even though they were thorough in making sure every side of the church was covered at all times, they only cared for the ground level. There were plenty of holes in their routes where none would be able to see my portal.
Positive that I knew when the next of the longer holes would come, I waited until after Giulio’s next yawn, just in case he decided to stretch and look up. And, like clockwork, the man’s jaw fell open, his brow wrinkled like that of a warrior bellowing a deep, terrifying war cry, only for him to quiet down moments later and lazily scratch his ass.
Trying not to let his yawn become contagious, I aimed the spyglass for what was once a burnt window and opened a small portal.
I took a page from Elane’s plan and poked my head through just long enough for my eyes to adjust to the portal’s blue lighting. It felt a little ridiculous, needing to go through so much effort for a quick look, but that was really all I needed.
In seconds, I had the entirety of the repair work memorized in exacting detail and nearly let out a sigh of relief.
There were hammer marks everywhere. Not only this, but seen from up close, there were clear differences in the coloring of the newer materials used to patch up the fire damage. The spot where the lightning hit – where the fire spread – all looked brand new when compared to the duller, older sections that remained untouched.
Most importantly, there were gaps between the new and old. Small and well-hidden, but plain as day if you were looking for it. The materials weren’t fused together. There were no other users of Material Creation here.
Deciding it best not to linger, I began to pull back through the portal when out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the window that’d been hit. Its glass was impressively clean and looked just as new. Same for the windowsill.
Inside the room, however, was another story.
Peeping into what I knew was the bedroom of a regrettably beautiful woman should have had me put on some sort of list, but she was not there. I had not stumbled upon Nerissa in a moment of weakness, unintentionally giving me a sultry strip show as she shed her clothing for bed. The room was empty of life.
Rather, what I found were indeed the contents of a bedroom, only all the furniture was pushed to the far wall opposite the window.
A bed pressed into the corner. A dresser slid against a wall, blocking the lower half of a scenic painting. A wardrobe and a desk placed back-to-back. And what might have been a laundry hamper, given the pile of damp-looking towels spilling over its side.
Peering closer, I saw that the bedroom door was left open and what looked like a pile of leftover wood planks laid against the side wall. The majority of the floor was left bare, save for a light coating of sawdust.
“…”
I’d seen enough. Yanking my head back through the portal, I cut the spell and fell back beside Elane. Without lifting my head off the roof, I opened two more portals for Yua and Mana to join us and they crawled on through.
“So?” Elane said, thumping the back of her hand on my chest.
“Nobody used Material Creation. But whoever did the repairs is good at their job.”
“That’s good, but it doesn’t tell us how they managed it.”
“I know.”
The girls all let out a collective sigh of relief. Our questions remained unanswered, but at least we weren’t facing up against anyone else with Material Creation – or any of my other abilities.
“What do we do now?”
Turning my head, I watched the last of the sun’s warmth sink below darkness as it was swallowed by night. I drew a deep breath and sat up.
“We’re going to the fort. Tonight. We know Giulio won’t be there and Nerissa thinks she’s in danger. She’s probably going to hole up in the church all night.”
From what we’ve seen, two of their three biggest players weren’t going to be there to get in our way. This was our best chance to do some real recon. Regardless of who they are or what they’ve done, Nerissa said she had someone waiting there. We still needed to know their numbers before we moved on any of them.
“… And I want to see why Giulio went out of his way to avoid the fort when he took us into the forest.”
