Chapter 275: The Priestess’s Melancholy, and Its Reason

"...This direction. I do not think it goes outside the wall, but..."

Cathy pointed the southwest direction.

"Right~. After all, it seems the Surmares temple~."

Rosina got a rough idea of the direction and distance, and seemed to understand it was the Surmares temple.

Indeed, the Surmares temple should have been at the edge of the central district.

For now she seemed safe.

"Is she moving?"

"...She does not seem to be moving from the spot."

What was it?

Was she restrained, or put to sleep.

The body situation or mental state Cathy could not tell.

"Muriel, can you not talk with magic?"

Muriel could use magic that could talk with a far distant person.

"...I will try calling."

Muriel who stood from the seat saying that stepped back a little behind, faced the direction Cathy pointed, and began drawing a magic circle in the air with the index finger of her right hand.

"Answer my question. Even if far, I will deliver your thoughts, you will deliver my thoughts. Your name is Birga = A-Dule = Hiroyuki = Asahi"

"Telepathy!"

At the same time as finishing drawing the magic circle in the air she finished chanting the spell too, and Muriel stared at one point in that posture and stopped moving.

As is some time passed.

"Ya, sorry for being late" "Connected!!" "Hi!"

The dining room door opened, Lilli who appeared in the middle of saying something, suddenly Muriel shouted.

Lilli of the surprised appearance closed her eyes tightly and shrank her shoulders.

But though they looked at Lilli for an instant, everyone immediately directed their eyes at Muriel who shouted.

Of course me too.

In that gaze Muriel who continued looking at one point nodded irregularly many times.

"...What is it?"

"Lady Birga has not returned..."

The voice of Lilli who had moved near Yuki standing at the wall sometime asking Yuki, and Yuki’s answering voice, echoed in the silent dining room.

The persons themselves should have been suppressing their voices quite, but in the completely quiet dining room it sounded larger than thought.

When everyone’s eyes moved to Lilli and Yuki, Yuki bowed her head apologetically, and Lilli stuck out her tongue without seeming ashamed, tehe.

Well, not that voices must not be made, so directing gazes was simply because it bothered them, probably.

At that time Muriel sighed fuu.

Again everyone’s gazes directed at Muriel.

"How was it?"

I, who thought the conversation had probably ended, asked Muriel.

"Yes, apparently she was severely scolded by the temple head over there."

"Scolded?"

At Muriel’s unexpected words I unintentionally asked back.

"Yes. The circumstances of Birga becoming a Dule seemed to have offended the temple head."

What did that mean?

"She says she will return soon, so the details she will talk after returning."

Maybe because I was tilting my head, Muriel added the explanation.

"Well, if Birga is safe that is fine. Thank you, Muriel."

"Yes."

When I thanked Muriel, Muriel returned an answer happily.

Now then...

"Eh~! You did not worry about my side~!? The contact from Muriel did not come~!!"

Lilli who grasped the situation, timing after our talk ended, showed surprise ostentatiously and showed disappointment.

"Because we knew Lilli would return soon."

"Eh? Why?"

When I answered, Lilli tilted her head and asked.

"Because Cathy checked."

I answered again.

Then Lilli’s complexion gradually became blue.

"Eh... you were watching the whole time...?"

"No, I only had her check just now."

To Lilli who asked as if muttering in a low voice, I answered that.

"I-I see. What~. Ahahaha."

To Lilli laughing as if patching up, I felt some discomfort.

"What were you doing?"

But Muriel who put a hand on her waist before me brought her face close and asked Lilli.

No, better to say interrogation.

"M-meeting a friend."

Lilli who saw that scary smile of Muriel up close answered while streaming sweat like a waterfall and backing away.

"You must not make Master wait."

"Y-yes!!"

Lilli finally driven to the wall answered while becoming teary-eyed.

But though the meal time was decided to some degree, it was irregular.

In that making sure not to be late for the meal was a little unreasonable, probably.

"Well, fine. Lilli has important business too, probably."

"R-right. Even I have important business..."

"Is there business more important than Master~??"

Just when I tried to mediate, because Lilli followed in high spirits, the great demon god Muriel descended.

"Fuu. Then shall we eat."

""""""Itadakimasu""""""

If it became this sparks would fly to me too, so I ignored Lilli who while receiving Muriel’s sermon streamed tears and directed eyes seeking help at me as her own fault, and deliciously partook of dinner together with the other Dules.

...

"I am sorry."

Not to the degree of prostrating, but Birga bowed her head to the degree her head almost touched her knees and apologized.

"No, not Birga’s fault. No need to apologize. Even so, it was a disaster."

After that, just around when we finished eating Birga returned to Freit’s house.

At that time when she showed her face in the dining room she headed to me first, and put her head on the floor and prostrated.

The talk after eating, so we had Birga who did not move a bit as is sit, and had her take dinner.

I returned to my own room because it would hinder Birga’s meal, but Birga showed her face in my room soon after.

Then she bowed her head again.

"You did not eat properly, right?"

"Y-yes... um, it would not pass my throat..."

Birga answered in a dark voice.

Having her eat first was a bad move, maybe?

"I see. So what happened?"

I asked the depressed-looking Birga.

"Yes. Actually, the temple head said to bring Master..."

Birga raised her head, looked at my face once, then bowed again and answered apologetically.

But for me Birga’s words were too ordinary, and from Birga’s state I thought it unexpected.

"That, Rosina said too. She was told the Anirofe temple head wanted me to show my face."

Rosina had said with a happy expression contrasting with Birga.

Then why did Birga look apologetic?

"Rosina... why did the Anirofe temple head say that?"

Birga distorted her face a little and asked me.

"Who knows. Rosina said she was blessed, but maybe she just wants to greet as Rosina’s master?"

When I conveyed the talk with Rosina as is to Birga, Birga made a stern expression and hung her head.

She had said she was scolded by the temple head, so maybe she was told something bad?

"W-what is it?"

"...Um... whether I have the qualification to make a Surmares priest a Dule, he wants to confirm..."

Birga bowed her head, and answered while flickeringly looking at my eyes.

Qualification to make a Surmares priest a Dule?

Surmares was the god of war, so...

"That is, he wants to confirm whether I am strong?"

"I explained many times. I talked about the oracle from Lord Surmares too. But... he would not listen..."

Birga had been talking with her face raised, but the latter half she bowed again.

Why would he not listen?

At the meeting too, whether the temple head or not unknown, but at least a Surmares priest should have been at that place.

If so he should know I was introduced as the Demon Lord killer.

"...At the strategy meeting a Surmares priest was on the other side, right."

"Eh? Ah, yes. The temple head was there."

When I confirmed with Birga, he seemed to have been there indeed.

Moreover the temple head.

"Then why would he not believe Birga’s talk?"

"I do not know... because he cannot believe my talk, he wants to fight himself and confirm..."

"..."

At Birga’s answer I held my head.

That sort of thing.

"I-I am sorry!!"

Birga, maybe misunderstanding the reason I held my head, bowed her head again.

"No, Birga is not wrong at all. In short, that Surmares temple head just wants to fight me, right?"

The so-called battle junkie.

Probably that temple head just wanted to fight me attaching some reason.

Birga raised her head, tilted her head with a blank face and looked at me.

Still she did not seem to get the point.

"That temple head just wanted to fight me out of interest. So he pretended not to believe what Birga was saying."

So I rephrased so it was easy to understand.

"Eh? Th-then, that I was scolded was..."

"What were you scolded?"

"For now, bring him. With an irritated appearance..."

Ah, because the talk did not mesh, he got irritated, right.

"Anyway, no need to mind. Later I will visit. Better to talk various things to the temple head too. Roughly, Birga is too pure."

"I am pure?"

Oops, I said something unnecessary.

Stroke Birga’s head, and let us gloss over.

But in Muriel’s matter I had to duel with the guy called Albert (Muriel), in Rosina’s matter I had to show my face at the Anirofe temple.

And in Birga’s matter probably I had to fight the Surmares temple head.

...Was there no method to settle it all at once?

...

So the next day.

I asked Muriel, Rosina, and Birga each to convey a message to the other.

Muriel’s matter aside, Rosina said there was probably no problem.

Even if no good, just showing face at the temple and greeting was fine.

The problem was Birga.

Would he approve...

If only Muriel’s matter fine to use the garden of Freit’s house, so I waited for the reply from Birga’s other.

"Master, he approved."

Birga who returned reported to me somehow happily.

Then I went to the arena, and asked Nikolaus the field head to let us use it from this afternoon.

He had said no plans for a while, so I thought we could use it.

"Yes, fine to use. But..."

I was told if there was an urgent important interrupt to leave immediately.

Something, the large-scale bandit hunt currently being done was approaching the climax, apparently.

If they captured bandits alive, that bandit would be executed using this arena, I was told.

Now no talk of having captured yet, so probably today fine, but.

...Would Nadja and them be fine.

They killed many nobles to free Dules, I was told.

...Anyway.

I had come to the arena again around evening.

For form I was the one who invited, so I arrived earlier than planned.

The Dules who followed me were Muriel and Rosina, Birga, then Sheena.

I did not want to spend much time, so I brought only those related.

Rosina wore the Anirofe priest clothes with chest open and a short dagger for self-defense.

Sheena wore priest clothes with chest and buttocks parts exposed too, but did not wear anything like a weapon.

And Muriel and Birga both wore armor and carried their own weapons.

Muriel would fight from now so necessary as...

"Birga, why are you in that getup?"

"In case something happens, to protect Master."

Birga directed eyes as if having firmly resolved something and answered.

I thought nothing would happen.

But if something happened and Birga tried to protect me, it might become opposing the Surmares cult.

Birga was still trying to protect me, that meant.

"Ah, I am counting on you."

I could not pour water on that resolve, so after nodding I said one word to Birga.

Birga, while about to break the stiffened expression, nodded firmly.

Now then...