Chapter 08: Free Quests in the Early Stages

 

　Two months have passed since Al arrived in the capital.

　He is now a well-known face in the town of the outsiders. Mainly on the bad side.

　As they say.

・A bloodthirsty man. He shows up in the back streets night and day, waiting to pick a fight. He has never been defeated.

・Now that he has no opponent, he will attack you just by making eye contact with you in the backstreets. A dangerous man.

・For some reason, he is mumbling and hanging around the orphanage and the church. Perhaps he is an investigator for a human trafficking organization?

・He would show up at cheap bars and stay there until closing, licking and observing the interior. The owner tries to kick him out, but he pays well. What is his source of income?

・Sometimes it seems as if he suddenly disappears, and other times he appears from the depths of the sewers. Perhaps he is a secret agent from another country? Maybe he is investigating a secret passageway to the royal castle?

・In the park within Capital, he was up against a wall, checking something out.

・He was grinning dismissively at the girl who was the diva of the town of the outsiders, who was rumored to be going to be a winner in the next competition.

・He often went to the People’s District, but no one knew where he was going. Some of us followed him several times, but no one could follow him to the end.

　And so on.

　Naturally, those rumors were heard by Al, but ……

“(Hmmm…. I think I overdid it. I came to the city for a bit and got my tag off. Yeah. I didn’t realize how comfortable it would be to spend my days not thinking about fighting demons. ……The game also confirmed some of the event characters. ……We’re definitely in the middle of the main story era now. This is it. The main character is from an aristocratic family from the frontier,……, so he should be better than the aristocrats in the capital,…… and he should grow up as fast as he did in the game. …)”

　During his time in the capital, Al noticed that the capital’s nobility and those associated with them were more feckless than he had expected.

　Although he did not check the head of the family, he had a chance to see those who were associated with the nobility when he wandered around the popular and aristocratic districts.

　There were certainly some who were powerful in terms of mana quantity and quality, but That’s it.

　Not only were they not in a constant state of battle, but they did not seem to have been trained well enough to begin with.

　The city nobles may be able to use mighty magic, but if you close the distance and hit them normally, you can defeat them yourself …… or even Colin.

　They may have guards and private armies to keep them from closing that distance, but those guards are also feckless. The level of recruits in the Falconer private army.

　But that is just the extent of what I have confirmed. There is no way this is all there is. I’m not sure if this is all of them. …… and Al are optimistic at the same time.

“Well, …… these days when I go to the back streets, people run away… ……, maybe I should go to …… church?”

　The reasons for their actions are completely incomprehensible to others.

　From the outside, Al has become a completely dangerous person.

　Today too, he continues to wander around the capital.

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　The fourth district of the royal capital.

　Formerly a slum for the poor, commonly known as “the town of the outsiders”.

　Now, various urban functions have been established, and naturally, those who live and do business there pay taxes.

　Fifty years have already passed since the town of the outsiders took its current form, but even so, the unjust discrimination of the people of the third district, the “People’s District,”…… persists.

　The church believes that even in such a place, the Goddess is concerned about them and is making efforts to eliminate discrimination,……, but it is not going to be easy. The church is trying to change the hearts and minds of people.

“…… Goddess …… what am I supposed to do ……?”

　A church in a town of outsiders.

　A young man, who appears to be a deacon, kneels before a statue of the goddess Ellinora, asking for help.

　The statue of the goddess watches over the young man with a loving expression on her face, but she remains silent with her smile and never gives him an answer.

　……

　…………

“……Ku…… if this happens,……I’ll have no choice,……?”

　He spent a long time in prayer, but at …… one point, the young man makes up his mind with a bitter look on his face.

　With a will, the young man stands up. At …… the same time, the doors of the church quietly opened.

“Um – I’m here to pray. …… May I?”

“Uh, yes. No problem. You don’t need our permission as Goddesses to pray. The Goddess is always with you. Please come in.”

　Prayer devotees who appear. Al steps into the church.

　The floorboards creak as he walks.

　The air is dusty and damp.

　It even smells somewhat rotten.

　The exterior of the church is in a bad shape, but the inside is just as damaged. To put it bluntly, it is rundown. It was one step away from being an abandoned house.

“……I don’t mean to be rude to offer this, but ……why do you come to this church? Even in the Fourth District, I’m sure there are other churches that are well attended. ……”

“The days have passed since I came to the …… royal capital…… town of the outsiders, and I was curious about the church closest to the …… inn. I’m not a very religious person, but I felt that I had to greet the goddess at the church closest to where I sat down.”

　Al responds with an outgoing face.

　I came to this church for one reason.

　The young man in front of me, a deacon.

　In a manner of speaking, he is an event character.

　However, his event is one of …… so-called quest-like errand events that do not need to be completed in order to advance the regular storyline.

　The initial free quests that appear after the main story starts and after the tutorial-like events, when you can move about somewhat freely. It is the episode “The Lord of the Abandoned Church.

　Al is convinced that the current era is covered by the era of the main game, but he also noticed a subtle discrepancy.

　The key to this was the young deacon in front of him.

　In the main game, this church had already been abandoned, and the dead spirit of a young deacon who had once devoted himself to the restoration of the church was inhabiting it.

　The quest to exorcise the spirit was a free quest at the very beginning of the game, and it was stuck in Al’s memory.

(Perhaps this church will be disposed of because of various things that will happen in the future. But it would take …… quite a while for the deacon to become possessed as a dead spirit and for it to become the talk of the town, wouldn’t it? Perhaps we are a few years ahead of the game now? (If so, is it possible that the protagonists won’t enroll while I’m at the academy?)”

　Al kneels in front of the goddess statue, folds his hands, closes his eyes and pretends to pray sincerely…… and thinks.

　Seeing him, a young man who is a deacon is even impressed, saying, ‘The goddess is looking at me, ‘This church also has such faithful people who come…………. He is being deceived.

　……

　…………

　”Thank you very much. I feel I was able to face the Goddess in peace and quiet…So …… why in the world …… are you in this state?”

　After finishing his silent prayer, Al spoke to the deacon as he greeted the young man.

　The young man sighs, as if he had been expecting the question.

“…… let me tell you, it is part of the harassment of the towns of the outsiders by the people of city. It’s sad to say. ……”

　He tells the story.

　Originally, he says, the church has been a relief center …… for the poor, providing food assistance, medical care, job placement, and emergency sleeping accommodation …….

　Although it is now a town and has become an ordinary church, it still stands out more than the churches in the third district, even though it is in a town of outsiders.

　It is really a silly story.

　The Church of the Third District…. Or rather, the Royal Citizens do not like it. So they went to the trouble of building several churches in the towns of the outsiders. All with the donation of the residents.

　No matter how much the Church of the Goddess of Elinorah claims that the Goddess is equal and neutral when it comes to faith. For those who operate the church, no matter how much the church itself is in a town of outsiders, it will face the will of its sponsor, the people of the third district, the people of the royal city.

　At first, there were many residents who opposed such a move, but after all, the power of money is great.

　Gradually, only this church, the original one, was left behind and became desolate. If that happens, people’s hearts will leave, and money will not flow around more. It was a vicious cycle that has continued to this day.

“..Anyone who has lived in the town for a long time knows this story. It all started before I was born. Why are the people of King’s Town already doing this? Fewer of us know why ? …… is so “unimportant” that it doesn’t even matter. To others.”

　Profile of a tired young man. It seems that resignation has stuck and cannot be removed.

“Sorry. I have told you these stories in a place that honors the Goddess of Mercy. …… But these are also the result of man’s karma. The Goddess must be grieving.”

　The young man silently hangs his head and prays.

“(It’s kind of a silly story, really. A kid in the sandbox says, [ I made a bigger pile than you! ], I guess it hasn’t changed from the spirit of competing with each other. Well, even if you are hiding a somewhat inconvenient story: ……As for the story as it stands right now.

I guess the deacon is the only one who is getting the short end of the stick. …… That would make people want to come out of hiding and hate the world. ……Or It seems a little lacking in punch. ……(I suppose it varies from person to person.)

　I don’t even remember if the game talked that much about it. I don’t remember. But Al knows. He knows the ins and outs of the relief center.

　It was just a matter of asking a few questions in the back streets.

　The relief Institute existed in the old slum days, but it actually has a dark history of dealing in human trafficking, prostitution, and toys for perverts …… who were seeking …… salvation as commodities.

　And the customers of the “product” are the citizens of the Royal Capital.

　Although aristocrats and their associates sometimes appeared on the sly, the majority of …… customers were normal-looking, normal-living, normal-family-loving, normal citizens.

　From the Relief Institute to the Church.

　From a slum to a town of outsiders.

　At the time of the transition, it was an everyday occurrence for those who belonged to the Relief Institute to threaten the people of the Royal City, who were their clients.

　In the end, it was only as a counter-attack to them that they received a painful blow from the people of the Royal City. They put their hands out and they got hit back. That’s all there is to it.

　To Al, they’re both the same. Ugly nincompoops. They would make good neighbors. That’s all I can say.

“…… I see. Such a past is …… Goddess is noble and full of mercy ……. but we humans are still immature ……..”

　He spits something like that out with a pained look on his face.

“What are you going to do about …… deacon? With all due …… respect, I can see that you have made some hard …… decisions. ……”

　This is Al’s real intention.

　He saw the shadow of a ” Dead Soldier” on the deacon’s face.

　It was not passion. There was a certain calmness in the deacon’s face, as if he were a man who had made up his mind.

“…… wonder. You may be old enough to be called a boy, but there is a fatherly depth to you. Perhaps today’s encounter may have been guided by the Goddess.

　……It really happened just now. I have made a decision.”

　A young man who is a deacon.

　Franz further tells.

　Now he is approached with a proposition.

　A nobleman asked him to spend the night with him.

　As a servant of a goddess, he has always taken his purity seriously. For such a man, this is a truly unforgivable proposal.

　However, says a certain noble one.

　He will provide support. Not just once, but continuously.

　Citizens of the Royal City? I have no regard for them…..Seducing Franz by saying so. Like a Whispers of the devil.

“…… you are willing to accept that proposal? You are a servant of the Goddess, yet you have decided …… to defile yourself for the sake of a people in need of her salvation in order to rebuild …… the Church.”

“…………”

　No more denials or affirmations.

　Deacon Franz only smiles quietly.

　A bad premonition grows inside Al.

( Isn’t this …… going to renege on the promise? And so, eventually, the church failed and went out of business. …… The deacon, disappointed, died an untimely death. ? )

　The young man in front of me will be dead before too long. It’s still a possibility, but for some reason Al is convinced …… that it will happen if the story moves. Al himself doesn’t know where this certainty comes from.

( Well It’s a free quest anyway, So it won’t affect the main story, Let’s Follow it up a bit. The Deacon’s Story )

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TL: Just in case you’re wondering Deacon is Male.