Chapter 26 Vera

 

“A dead spirit in an abandoned church?”

Inside the office of the cathedral, which is the largest in the civil district of the royal capital, Daryl and his group were meeting with the archbishop, who was in awe of them.

The name of the meeting was an examination of Daryl and Cecily’s knowledge of the Sacred Arts.

They were gifted with magic from an early age, but were able to manipulate magic and mana that was different from the common attributes of magic. They knew that they were different from those around them, but their true nature remained unknown.

Is it was something similar to ‘sacred art’? And so, Joel and the others led the way in conversation, and here we are today. Naturally, the Joels did not act spontaneously, but only in accordance with a plot drawn up by someone else.

“Yes. Sad to say. Soon we will be sending people who can fight the spirits of the dead in the churches that preach the teachings of the Goddess with the sacred arts. Hmmm. Yes, that’s right. How about ……? Daryl and Cecily. Wouldn’t you two like to see up close and personal the sacred arts that are used in battle? I can certainly sense the mana of the “sacred arts” in you, but I can also see a strong sense of ordinary magic. It may be of some help to you.”

The archbishop also guides Darryl and the others.

Puppet show in a box yard. The puppets do not know that there is a world outside the box yard. It never occurred to them that they, or even the world of the boxyard, were being manipulated from the outside.

“Yes, I think so. If you don’t mind, I would appreciate it. If anything, we’d like to know how we can utilize this particular mana in our fight against the demons. …… Not to deny the ‘sacred arts’ by any means, but are you sure?…”

“Hohoho. No problem. Those of you who belong to the noble families of the frontier are on the front lines of the battle against demons. It is natural for such people to seek the power to fight. All of this is also due to the guidance of the Goddess. It is foolish to deny power because it is different from the sacred arts.”

The largest church in the civil district of the Royal Capital.

He is the archbishop in charge of it. His character is pure and righteous. Even if he has a history of dark struggles in which he has kicked down his rivals with impunity behind the scenes.

There is no doubt that he is pure and righteous. However, it does not mean that he is pure and righteous, that is recognized by all.

The point is, to whom is it a clean deed? To whom is it right?

He is where he is today because he is a man with the ability to work through it and ‘move cleanly and righteously of his in own belief’

　Darryl and the others are impressed by the Archbishop’s words, however, he is only spouting lines that will impress them.

The royal capital is a place where such people thrive. The same is true inside the church.

Many people call Falconer crazy, but who is really crazy?

Daryl and his team accept the “Lord of the Abandoned Church” quest.

****

“Thanks for the help, Mr. Vargas.”

“…… Hmph. I was able to make a little money on this. Thanks for the help. Well, Come back if you need anything else. I’ve got all kinds of information about this area, from the valuable to the unimportant. And if you want, you can be my guest at the inn or for dinner with the pretty lady”

Leaves “Angus’s Inn” run by Vargas.

Al thinks about this world’s quest process. Ignores Vera.

(There are quest-like things. The content itself will probably be similar to the game, but acceptance will be limited. There’s going to be quite a bias in the quests that the main characters receive. …… Well, it’s not as if you absolutely have to complete all the quests, and from the game’s perspective, it’s to add depth to the world, or to give a reason to level up. …… I’m sure many quests existed for that reason.

But what about it? In this world, I also seem to be an “apostle,” an existence that I don’t really understand. …… Is it also my role to manage the quests that the “Divine Child” can’t accept? I have some knowledge of the game. …… hmmm…… I don’t know. I need a manual…)

It’s been a few days since they started working together, but Vera understood Al’s habit of silence. And that he is seamless in his thinking about this and that.

(What is expected of me is to monitor and deter Albert Falconer. But I don’t think I can do anything about him at this range and I don’t understand the meaning of every action. What in the world is he doing……?)

Vera. Shadow of the Royal Family. A girl dressed as a man. Squire.

Originally an orphan from a noble family on the northern frontier, she was raised on the back streets and educated as a mage due to her magical abilities.

She is in a similar position to Yoel and Rauno as a member of the royal family’s Shadow Victor Squad. However, due to her origins, she is expected to work mainly as a member of the dark side, although she is a candidate for His Highness Adam’s Kingsguard.

She herself does not question it. She even understood that she was expected to become a play thing, if necessary.

She has grasped the roles required of her by those around her on the spot in order to survive, and she has responded accordingly. Fortunately, she has been blessed with abilities, and thanks to her own efforts, there have been no problems up to this point. She has lived up to expectations.

If she had not met the irregular existence that is Al, she would not have stopped at this stage.

She is unable to fulfill the role expected of her. Doubts about her own abilities. Setback. Vague frustration with Al. Insecurity.

She is forced to stop and think.

“…… For now, we’ll go to the abandoned church next. Is that all right with you, Lady Vera?”

“As you wish, Master Al. You don’t have to ask for my permission. Besides, I am Master Al’s follower now. Just call me Vera.”

“I’ll make an effort to …… haha.”

Vera and Al’s crossing paths. Or is it correct to say that they are not even close enough to pass each other?

Al’s foot goes straight to the abandoned church. And Vera, his follower, follows him like a shadow.

On the way, they pass through back streets, but there are no thugs who are making a living by violence. Only vagrants and children hang out here and there.

They look at Al and the others as if they expect mercy, but they do not approach them. Al, however, has given up after seeing Vera’s aristocratic attire and behavior. It is common knowledge in this world that “you are no match for those who use magic,” and it is a worldly practice to protect oneself.

“Hmmm. It seems that the hoodlums are gone, but the number of vagrants with nowhere to go seems to be increasing after all. They can’t even get into the underworld organizations, and the churches in the area that were providing minimal support have gone under. …… That’s what happens.”

Instead of his usual silent contemplation, Al dares to speak as if in a monologue. This is because Vera’s mana has been slightly shaken since entering the backstreets.

The one being watched and the one doing the watching.

The one who is being watched is also watching the watcher.

“What do you think Vera? About the reality of these back streets of the Royal City?”

“I don’t have any particular thoughts. Reality is reality. I think it is the natural order of things that the powerless and the weak are sacrificed.”

(Hmm….You’ve become more rigid. Your heart. You seem to have something on your mind. You are good at sensing, but not so good at hiding it. Vera is a little different from Joel and Rauno. She is probably not a genuine city aristocrat. Or is she really a member of a frontier aristocratic family?)

As expected, Al is also thinking of making a move toward Vera. However, he doesn’t realize that his approach is not very good. You can’t try to sway her or secretly probe her.

“I see. The reality is that weakness is self-responsibility. …… If this were a battlefield, I would agree with you, but in a place where people live normally, especially in a capital city like the royal city, I don’t think so. What is a country without the peace of its people? The aristocrats in the royal capital don’t fight on the battlefield for the people. They are fighting each other for taxes and their respective interests. The people are getting fat and the majority of the people are getting thin. …… Well, I guess there are still enough people to meditate on the thinning of the people. I can’t help but notice the bad parts of the city’s aristocrats. I miss the simplicity and clarity of the frontier.”

Righteous indignation.

Half to sway Vera, but half with real intention.

The reality is that while the corrupt aristocratic families of the capital indulge in pie jockeying, the people are being sacrificed.

Al has memories of his previous life. It is no longer a distant memory, only the impression of another person’s biography, but certainly the memory of a man who had lived an ordinary life in a scientific civilization.

There were many problems. Not that the Japan I remember is great in every way. However, in everyday life, there was no competition for survival with unknown species called Demons or Monsters, and there were technically few cases in which people’s lives were in danger due to differences in status. There was certainly poverty, but there were also laws and systems to help the poor.

But in this world, for better or worse, survival is self-imposed. The weak die mercilessly without the protection of the strong. That is the norm on the frontier. That is why the powerful help the powerless. The powerless help the weak and do what the powerful cannot do by themselves. This kind of mutual assistance is alive and well.

But what about in Royal Capital? The meaning of self-responsibility and competition for survival is a little different from that of the frontier, Al feels.

In warfare, it is mildly warm. But in the reality of life, it is cold as a knife. There are many situations that are harsher and more unreasonable than the frontier.

“… Master Al. That may be true on the frontier, but such an idea is not acceptable to the metropolitan nobility. I think the meaning of the word “fight” is a little different from that of the frontier. The vagabonds and the people who have lost their peace in front of you are simply those who have lost the “battle” in the capital.”

(Ha ha. You say so. You’re the one who’s always trying to figure out the right way to keep me in check by fighting violent battles. Well, the aristocrats in the capital just call it “fighting,” don’t they? I understand that. But I want to tell them not to make the people pay for it. I’m sure that even Vera knows that. …… It seems that it’s not easy to understand her just by piling up superficial words.)

Al’s silence made Vera keep her silence as well. However, her insides were disturbed. In the first place, these back streets, the vagrants in her eyes, remind her of her former self.

****

When I was a child. Memories of wandering the town as an orphan.

Both my father and mother were related to the nobility, but they were not able to use special fighting magic, and they worked as artisans making magic tools in the town.

They were a common, ordinary family, Vera recalls.

One day, both parents died in an accident at the same time, and before she knew it, she was wandering around town as an orphan.

The town is a hell of a place where there is a clear pecking order among the weak, and the weak prey on the even weaker.

Once, she was sheltered in an orphanage, only to escape a few days later when she was about to be sold as “merchandise”. Naturally, the hardships continued even after escaping.

At the time, she thought of herself as a disposable tool, but being picked up by a person in the shadow of the royal family was not a misfortune for her.

Rather, she looks back on it as a blessing in disguise, as it allowed her to escape the hell of cold reality.

For Vera, the vagrants of the back streets are herself.

She hopes to be rescued, but does not know what to do with herself. They are helpless and weak. She hates remembering her weak self. A kind of homophobia.

(Hmmm……… I guess I shook her up a bit more than I thought I would. Did I do something wrong? Well, it’s not like I’m going to be with Lady Vera all the time. I will be patient for a while, and she will be patient with me. When the main characters and His Highness Adam deepen their friendship, Vera will be involved with them. She also said that she is a candidate for His Highness Adam’s Kingsguard.)

When I tried to get to know Vera’s personality, I unintentionally shook her heart so strongly that it clearly resulted in her walls against Al becoming thicker and taller.

(Albert Falconer. No matter what a blessed man like him says, “reality” remains the same. The weak will only be crushed. No one will help them.　He is proud of his strength. His status is guaranteed. He can do as he pleases. You are a know-nothing.)

Vera, on the other hand, remembers her past and her dark secret is lit up, even if Al did not intend on doing so.

She had gone through the same training, but she was still different from Joel, and the others, whose origins were still uncertain.

I am still a disposable tool who is expected to do the dirty work.

I usually dress in men’s clothes, but fortunately, or unfortunately, I am a good-looking person. I know that many people have sexual desires for me. She also understands the reality that she is expected to do “such things” as part of her duties.

If it were not for such a role, someone like myself would not have been allowed to approach His Royal Highness Adam, who is a member of the royal family.

Thoughts that are usually kept close to deep inside the heart.

Vera has another HER inside of her.

It is covered, and even she is unaware of it.

She is still a little girl.

A young child seeking a father and mother.

A week being just waiting for help.

No, no, no, no!

The truth is, I hate fighting!

I don’t want to die or sell myself for a mission!

I just wanted to live a normal life!

Why won’t anyone help me!?

****

And It overflows a little.