I Can’t Do Something So Cold

A temple was a place where the gods were revered—and also a gathering place for priests.

There was no hierarchy among the gods; they simply governed different domains.

…And yet, power struggles naturally existed.

The reason lay in the existence of the god called the High God.

High God Elvante. There were those—well, humans—who preached that the High God of creation was the leader of all gods… and their presence caused troublesome situations.

In any case, for an ordinary person like Kikori, none of that temple politics mattered in the slightest.

This Fortress City had a temple of High God Elvante, but it kept its feet on the ground and actively interacted with priests who worshiped other gods as well.

Because it opened its gates widely even to those without a habit of worshiping the gods, Kikori could easily enter the grounds.

“Still, what should I do…?”

He couldn’t exactly ask bluntly, “What does ‘demon-possessed’ mean?”

That would only invite unnecessary suspicion and bring nothing good.

If he was going to ask at all, he needed to think carefully about how.

Ideally, he wanted access to some kind of book about such things…

“What seems to be the matter?”

“Wha—!?”

A voice suddenly spoke from behind, and Kikori flinched reflexively.

When he turned around, an elderly man who looked like a priest stood there, wearing a surprised expression.

“Ah… sorry.”

“No, no. You looked troubled, so I thought I’d speak to you.”

“S-sorry, it’s just… really, I’m sorry.”

“Not at all. I simply thought I might be of help, if there was anything I could do.”

This priest, who clearly seemed kind, was exactly the help Kikori needed… but as he weighed what to say, Kikori chose words that would get him closest to his real goal.

“I wanted to learn about the gods… so I thought maybe I could read some books.”

“Splendid!”

“Eep.”

The priest slapped him on the shoulder with a thump—surprisingly strong. Kikori felt the shock buzz through him.

“It can’t be helped, but the adventurers in this city treat the gods’ protection as nothing more than one piece of equipment. And yet… splendid! You are a splendid young man!”

“Th-thank you…?”

“Very well! Then I, the unworthy Idred, shall teach you everything from one to a hundred!”

“Uh, no. If there are books, that’s enough—”

“I can’t do something so cold! Books are, after all, things of the past! They don’t contain the latest interpretations! Come, let’s go!”

As the priest—Idred—grabbed Kikori and tried to drag him off somewhere, Kikori thought to himself.

Maybe in this city, you couldn’t survive without being pushy… maybe that was just how things were here.