Shop 16.2

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Chapter 16.2. Slender Beauty Priestess In The Wilderness

Listening to conversations at street stalls, it seems there's only one church in this country. I need to visit 3 of them.

Hmm, what were they again? I might remember if I go.

Without thinking too much, I head to the place I was told.

It was in the middle of the southern residential area.

The church looks more modest than I thought, with slightly sturdier construction compared to the surrounding apartments.

At the entrance, a stone carving of a goddess holding a sphere is accompanied by the inscription 'Mother Earth Goddess Aigas Church'.

That's still in Japanese.

"Oh, right, it was something like Aigas."

My memory isn't great, but the impact was strong enough to recall it somehow.

It's a delivery quest entrusted to the rising newbie god.

Oh? Wait, what's the name of the god?

I've never thought about it.

-Registered as the God of Commerce, Merhes-

Huh?

I nearly jumped at the sudden robotic voice.

Can I get more details, please?

My soul's cry is, as usual, ignored, and only silence passes. 

It seems the voice has no intention of telling me anything more.

As more passersby give me suspicious looks while I'm frozen, I clear my throat and decide to enter the church.

The solemn atmosphere I associate with churches in Japan is somewhat different.

"Are you here to pray at this hour?"

Emerging from the back was a young woman in a loose-fitting priestess robe with a predominantly green theme.

She's probably a bit younger than me.

She's slender and tall, with only a modest chest. 

If her face were hidden, she could easily be mistaken for a guy. 

She has chestnut-colored long hair, tied at the back into a ponytail. Down tail, I think it's called.

Her skin seems like it was originally very fair but is now healthy and slightly sun-kissed.

Her large eyes give off a determined and willful impression.

Certainly quite beautiful. No, more cute than beautiful?

"Uh, well..."

I came impulsively, but what should I say?

"If you have any troubles, would you like to talk about them? Sometimes, sharing your feelings with a god can lighten your burden."

She spoke with a gentle tone.

After some hesitation, I decided to be straightforward.

"Uh, actually, I was asked to donate something to the church. So, I stopped by."

I regret speaking in Japanese the moment I do it. "Damn," but it's too late now. Let's just go with it.

"Donation? I accept. Can you hand it over today?"

"Yeah, here it is."

I reach into the bag and hastily purchase the symbol. 

The name on the list has changed a bit: 'Symbol (God of Commerce Merhes) = 100 yen'.

My remaining funds is 178,729 yen.

"What is this?"

The beautiful priestess takes the symbol, a character resembling a circle intersected by a horizontal line, or even the kanji character '画', and observes it closely.

Beautiful priestesses make anything they do look good. Yeah.

"Oh, this was requested by the God of Commerce Merhes. It's the symbol mark of that god."

"...Symbol... God... Merhes?"

I nod.

"Well, can you wait a moment?"

"Yeah, no problem."

She quickly retreats to the back and returns after a while with a book in hand.

"Sorry for the wait. I'm still in training, and I haven't memorized all the gods yet. I checked in the Church's Dictionary of Gods, but there's no mention of a god named Merhes..."

The book she holds seems to list the names of various gods.

"Oh, that makes sense. I'm like a provisional driver in this world, trying to be recognized as a proper god by the 3 gods. Oh, gods are pillars, right? I was told to place this symbol in the three churches, and it's natural not to know because I'm still in the probationary period."

The priestess opens her mouth in shock.

Did I say something weird?

"Hey, Miss Priestess."

"Oh, um, I apologize... Um, who exactly asked you to do that?"

"Huh? Obviously, Merhes himself asked."

The priestess promptly faints.

――――

I'm pouring water from a PET bottle into my mouth.

"Are you okay? Seriously..."

The priestess, who collapsed dramatically onto the ground, got up after a few seconds.

Honestly, I was chilled to the bone. I thought she might have died just like that.

She's tougher than she looks. I'm saved.

"I-I'm okay."

Her face was pale, and she didn't look too well.

But she bravely stood up and sat on a nearby bench.

"I apologize for this appearance."

"No, no, don't force yourself. Here, have some water."

"Thank you."

The priestess slowly drank the water, and her complexion slightly improved.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes."

"That's good. Well then, I'll be going."

"W-wait a moment!"

With my errand done and seeing that she seemed okay, I was about to leave the church, but she clung to me, stopping me.

"Please let go! My pants are slipping down!"

I pushed her away with a wry smile.

"We can't accept symbols like this at our church."

"Huh? Why not?"

It was an unexpected statement.

"As you can see, this church is on the western edge and is small in name only. Moreover, offerings from the newly-ascended god would likely be for the temple... probably not even the main temple of the church can handle it. This place is just a renovated former tavern, and a newly appointed priest like me is not allowed to accept such things!"

"Really..."

In a country that doesn't even have all three deities, getting rejected at the only existing church is troublesome. Very troublesome.

"I'll contact the nearby high priest immediately, so could you wait for a moment?"

"How long is 'a moment'?"

"Well... it will probably take about a month for the message to reach the headquarters, even if it happens quickly."

"Seriously?"

I was dumbfounded. 

Waiting is fine, but my money will run out before that.

"Oh! We'll cover your stay expenses, and if you don't have a place to stay, you're welcome to stay here at our church!"

Perhaps she sensed my concerns, she clung to me, pleading. 

It's not a bad feeling to be begged by a slender beauty, and her desperation came across even more strongly.

"Alright! Alright, but please do it as soon as possible!"

"Understood. I'll prepare a letter right away, so may I have your name and the place you're staying?"

"Hmm? I'm Akira, staying at Whale Inn."

"I am Muton Laetia. Nice to meet you."

I shook hands with Laetia.

.....

At that moment, I still didn't notice.

That there was a shadow watching this whole scene.