Chapter 26 – Priestess Sisters / Under the Starry Sky – Part A

 

We arrived at the village where Ishua’s Temple adjoined and took lodging in the local inn. This village is larger compared to Verniz with about 500 people living here. The village head here is the head priest that served the royal family. The people living here are also more or less the goddess’ believers and work at the Ishua’s temple in one way or another.

When we entered the lodging room that the village head prepared for us, Mikoto-san gave her introduction to everyone else again properly. I had imagined that Filianess-san and the others would be very surprised to witness the Ninja class job that is rare to find in Aslutorum continent and I hit it right on the mark.

 

“Were you able to run that fast because of your equipment or was it because you have mastered this foreign martial art?”

 

It seems that Filianess-san is impressed with Mikoto-san’s physical technique. As people with similar personalities who are unhesitating when giving respect to the strong and having the mindset of constant self-growth, there seems to be something clicked between them. They hit it off with each other immediately.

 

“There are also some effects from the equipment but I am able to travel at high speed mostly thanks to my shinobi technique desuno. Running at the speed of a horse is not something special desuwa”

“Shinobi…… To think that there is a group of fighters like that. The world is indeed a wide place……”

“Thunder Goddess-sama always gets fascinated fast when meeting other strong people like usual~. If you were to ask me though, I am more concerned about her relationship with Hiroto-chan. I don’t even have the mood to think about other things……” *repeatedly stealing glance*

 

Well, of course, you would be concerned right? What can I say to them at this point? We were comrades in our previous lives and had passed through hell —- mostly battles between guilds back in the game —- and survived together. They would first ask whether I am still sane first if I really said that.

 

“I am someone who always moves from one place to another, searching for strong people to challenge desuno. And when I reached this Aslutorun continent, I heard the rumor about the strongest holy knight ever alive which itches me to challenge you so I run here as fast as I can. I also heard that there is a strong boy accompanying the holy knight but I am still quite shocked when I actually see him. That’s why I tried to have a spar with him and try to understand the secret behind his strength desunoyo”

 

Mikoto-san is giving her explanation with ease. It is a bit forceful but still in the realm of believable. It is not exactly lying either after all.

Different from me who are challenged in communication, she is a smooth talker even in pressing situations. Back in the game, she always acted as the moderator every time we had a guild conference while I only made the plan on what to discuss beforehand.

 

(I never imagined that I would meet and get together again with her…… If she could be with me for a long time then it would be very helpful to me though)

 

She will be accompanying me for a short while I think. But as she is someone who chases after the ultimate strength without limits, there would be times when she goes on her own way to collect rare weapons and equipment for sure. In order to stop her from going anywhere, I have to create an environment where she can definitely grow stronger and where she can have other strong people to spar with.

 

“The secret behind his strength? …… Hiroto could master a skill by only watching me perform it but Mikoto-dono, I don’t know whether you can get the same good result if you do the same thing as him. This boy is a genius blessed by the heaven after all”

“Fufu…… I can tell just by looking at him. But I can declare this one with confidence. Guild Master…… no, the biggest reason why Hiroto-kun could reach this level of strength is that he learns from someone strong like yourself desuwa. And there’s also Margit-san and Aletta-san who bring great contribution with their existence desuwane”

“Eh? …… I-I did not teach that many things to Hiroto-chan though… or rather, I couldn’t…… I don’t feel that the part where Hiroto-chan could grow this strong because I exist is right……”

“I could only see Hiroto-chan rapid growth in awe though……I-I did indeed help dress his wound after he is done with his training but…… could I count on that as a contribution?”

 

Marle-san and Aletta-san are acting shy with their cheeks blushing red. Watching the situation, Mikoto-san turns her gaze to me and looks at me with a gaze full of mischief.

 

LOG   – <Mikoto> is whispering “You really aren’t one to be underestimated desuwane, Guild Master? Of course, you would take the responsibility desuwayone?”

 

(She-she knows that any whisper would be caught in the system log and she…… she intentionally, intentionally! ……)

 

“Mu…… What happened to you Hiroto? Why did you have the kind of expression like you are having a piece of bacon get in between your back teeth?”

“Buho! …… Thu-thunder goddess-sama, that analogy is just too commoner leveled~. Thunder goddess-sama should like, act more like a proper lady, shouldn’t she? Please use a more proper analogy fitting your status. Don’t you agree with me, Mikoto-san?”

“I think I have said it before but let me say it again. I am perhaps a decade younger than Margit-san and the others so you don’t have to use polite language with me. I am 17 this year desuwa”

“Eh? Is that so? You act like an adult in a very natural way that I even thought that you are older than me. I see now, I see~. Then I am the older sister here right? So can I call you Mikoto-chan?”

“Of course. It is up to you what you want to call me. Would it be better if I were to call you Marle-san also I wonder? …… Guild Master, how did you call her?”

“Eh? …… M-me? I always call her Marle-san though”

 

I am surprised that she does not hesitate in calling me guild master anymore and it is not just me who is feeling surprised, everyone is. But in the case of everyone else, they have a question mark hanging on their head though.

 

“Mikoto-dono, why are you calling him Guild Master?”

“Is it Hiroto-chan’s nickname? …… [Guild] as in the adventurers guild and [Master] as in having his name well known in there? Like being widely known as a strong yet super handsome child?”

“Buh…… I-I am not that handsome okay? Marle-san please don’t forcibly praise me like that”

“For me, he is the most…… Well, saying that thing in front of Mikoto-san is too embarrassing……”

 

Aletta-san is feeling shy and does not clearly continue her statement but when I try to imagine what she will add after [the most]…… Guh, I somehow feel embarrassed too.

 

“I now know that Hiroto-sama also had an acquaintance from another continent…… That is what I’d like to think about but aren’t you two just met”

“Princess, aren’t you also the same? Even with me, he has climbed up the fixed-line and had a deep relationship with us…… No, in that kind of meaning, even this Ianna has already sat on an equal rank……”

 

(—- You are not allowed to say any more of that you know, Ianna-san? Didn’t I already severely teach you of that?)

 

“!!!…… Ha! …… Thi-this Ianna would like to retract everything that she had said beforuuu……!”

 

It seems like Ianna-san understands my intention from just realizing my gaze on her. Your mouth could also be your cause of disaster. I keep on repeating that wise quote on her in that two hours scolding session so there should be some mark left on her.

…… Hey, why did my mind turn sadistic all of the sudden? If I were to meet an enemy that is a woman in the future, let’s put it in mind to treat her in a more gentlemanly way if possible. Well, Ianna-san is not an enemy though.

 

“……Guild Master, you seem to be living an unheard-of before dream-like everyday desuwane. I am getting more and more curious about you desuwa”

“So that is why there is a great change in Ianna-dono’s attitude since this morning…… she should have been able to recognize Hiroto’s magnanimity and receive it with all her heart, right?”

“Ye-yesh! That is absolutely correct! I have learned to respect Hiroto-sama not from his blood lineage but from the nobility that seeps from deep within him. I deeply adore him”

“…… Ianna, let’s not do anything like that ever again okay? I am also self-introspecting myself for that matter”

 

Luche seems to be able to somehow grasp what happened to Ianna-san…… But even so, she still showed her goodwill to me. In a way, this means that she is……

 

(Don’t tell me that Luche is an M…… Still at the tender age of 10 and already an M? No way! Hey, again, me, control your thoughts!)

 

“Hiroto-sama, I need to do a final check for my ceremonial outfit. Let us meet again at the dinner table”

“Tha-that’s right. This Ianna has totally forgotten about such an important matter. Well then everyone, until later”

 

After Luche and Ianna-san leave the room, Mikoto-san crosses her arm under her chest while looking at me, grinning suspiciously. Wha-what is it? …… Are you trying to emphasize your breast and allures me with that?

 

(…… Eh? What is it? I feel like I’ve been overlooking something…… What is this uneasy feeling?)

 

I know that Mikoto-san has quite a large breast as when she took off her clothes before when she was charmed, my scouter automatically worked on itself at that moment and got her exact measurement. Her [Maternity] skill is only 20 yet she already has a great pair. It means that she has a natural big breast even before getting the ‘boost’ from [Maternity]. Still, when compared to Filianess-san and Marle-san’s class, hers is still a grade lower and being more compact. It is still large…… Why do I keep on thinking about women’s breasts in a complicated way like this?

That’s not it, this feeling of uneasiness is something different. I feel like there’s something weird when I am talking to her while we show each other our own status window…… Umm, nope, nothing really comes up no matter how hard I think about it. I’ll think about it later.

When I am still thinking hard about my uneasiness, the sound of someone knocking on the door could be heard. When Marle-san opens the door, a man’s figure could be seen there.

 

“Excuse me, I am the village head’s…… No, the head priest’s messenger. I come here to convey his message. The head priest has something she wants to talk about so she asked the commander of the escort group to come to his place”

“I am the one in command but…… Can I also bring this kid along with me? And please don’t ask why”

“Yes, there is no problem with that. We are also interested in the one chosen by the holy knight-dono, so it is instead of us who should be thanking you for bringing him along. Well then, I will be your guide”

 

I follow Filianess-san behind obediently. She does not think too much about having me join the discussion which shows how much she is trusting me.

 

“In that case then we will wait for Thunder Goddess-sama to return from business to start dinner. Please return quickly though. My stomach and spine feel like they are getting glued to each other……”

“Marle-san, the boss is having an important talk so please eat some emergency rations first if you can’t hold back. I can share my snack if you want to”

“Eh? I can have your snack!? I love you, Aletta-chan~! Nom nom nom nom”

“Then Guild master, I will sightsee around the village desuwane. I already make it a habit to explore every new place I visit”

 

I would also do the same if this is a game. I would have already explored each and every corner available but so far, Mizell is the only town that I have complete knowledge of. There is no other reason besides that exploring with my own two feet is much more troublesome than when I was exploring in the game.

But seeing Mikoto-san who keeps on preserving the ABC of role-playing games even in this world, I feel that I have to learn from her and nurture my gamer’s habit back up. But I have to listen to what the head priest wanted to discuss so this matter takes precedence.

 

◇◆◇

 

This village that is mostly populated by the believer of Goddess Ishua is named Ishuaral. The word [ral] meant [servant] in this world common language so Ishuaral means the servant of Goddess Ishua.

The village head cum head priest’s house has the same sizes as the other houses around. There are not many sizes or quality differences even. Instead, it is the inn where we stayed that is far larger in comparison. It seems that the head priest is trying to not put too much difference between her own livelihood and her villagers’.

We entered the head priest’s house and then entered the living room. There, we meet a pair of tan-skinned girls. The two of them have long hairs that reach up to their back but each of their hair has a different color. One is red and the other one is blue. Their looks are quite similar to each other but the blue-haired girl seems to be a bit shorter when compared with the red-haired girl and she also looks younger too.

 

““Welcome to Ishuaral. Holy Knight Filianess-dono…… For your bravery of escorting the royal princess here, we as the servant of the Goddess and also the servant of the royal family offers our gratitude for you””

 

The two girls then bow their heads together. I also imitate Filianess-san and bow my head down together with her. It seems that there is also the culture of bowing in Junegan Kingdom.

The two girls made a gesture to invite us to sit down in the chair. The two girls then sit down on the opposite side of the table, effectively sandwiching the table in between. After a moment of silence, the red-haired girl who sits on the left side opens her mouth.

 

“My name is Fam Farenna and this is my little sister, Aira. It is a pleasure to meet you. We will be in charge of singing the holy hymn and doing the offering dance in tomorrow’s ceremony”

“So the head priest-dono will be the one who is going to sing the hymn. But I heard that it was usually another songstress who sang the holy hymn on sacred rites like this……”

“She is currently not in this village for the sake of doing her missionary work. Originally, that girl…… Sera Chiffon is the greatest songstress in the history of our sect. But because of some reason, she suddenly lost her singing voice……”

“!!!…… Eh? Sera? …… Is that the same Sera-san that I knew off?”

 

Fam-san’s expression hardly changes when she talks but when she hears my question, her eyes open slightly wider. Aira-san who sits beside her is also showing the same reaction.
(Eros: the author wrote the name “Reda” here. It abruptly appeared out of nowhere so I guess that was a typo and changed it to the little sister’s name there. I dunno, maybe “Reda” is the one guiding Hiroto to the village head’s place so I just place this note here to let readers know)

 

“…… Are you perhaps someone who lived in Mizell?”

“Ye-yes…… I was born and raised in Mizell”

“Is that so…… I read in her letter before that she is currently giving her assistance to the missionary work in Mizell town’s church. How is she doing there?”

“If it is about Sera-dono then this child…… he is called Hiroto, should know the best. Sera-dono has been visiting his house frequently and has been in a friendly relationship with him after all. She is a pious believer of the Goddess and there were times when I am also fortunate enough to receive her teachings. I never imagined that she is the famous Ishua sect’s greatest songstress……”

 

Someone who devotes their sword to the royal family and then to the goddess. That is the meaning behind Filianess-san’s title as the holy knight. It would only be natural for her to spend some time visiting Sera-san to listen to her sermon whenever she came to visit him in Mizell.

 

“We are far inferior in singing when compared to Sera but we have enough training to complete the baptism ceremony without any problem…… It just that, there is something that makes us feel worried”

 

Fam-san deep scarlet eyes that are far deeper color than her hair are looking at Filianess-san and then those eyes turned direction, focusing on me. I could tell that Aira-san who sits beside her suddenly turns stiff.

From just looking at that reaction, I could somehow tell what she is about to say…… Adding to previous intelligence about our opponent who doesn’t hesitate in playing dirty, it is not that hard to forestall the enemy’s movement.

 

“You have been receiving pressure to not perform the baptism ceremony for Luche…… is that correct?”

“!!!…… Ho-how did you……”

 

Fam-san spilled out the beans because of the shock. Filianess-san is also surprised by my statement but she quickly regains her composure and accepts the fact. She is indeed fast in understanding the situation and making decisions. I know since I’ve been looking at her since forever.