Chapter 13

The temple doors were firmly shut and locked, but Clutchfield had already obtained the keys, so he entered without difficulty, leading the soldiers, Burley, and the others inside.

Immediately beyond the entrance was a place where worshippers offered their prayers, with several rows of wooden benches arranged across the hall. A pulpit stood at the center of the far end, and behind it was an altar upon which sat a statue of the goddess Drāra holding the Sacred Beast Pluto in her arms.

However, ever since the mana pool crisis had begun, the temple doors had remained closed to everyone except a select few, so naturally there were no worshippers present now. Only a single young priest was sweeping the floor.

“Hey, you there, priest!”

When Burley called out, the young man hurriedly set down his cleaning tools and ran over. Once he drew near, they could see that the collar of his clerical robes was light blue. This was the color worn by apprentice priests; once someone was formally ordained as a priest, the collar became white.

The apprentice priest looked startled by the sudden arrival of so many knights and timidly addressed them.

“Um, what brings you here today? The Temple Head and Chief Priest are both away at the moment…”

“We already know that. Apprentice, what is your name?”

“Ah, Royce.”

“Very well, Royce. We want to know about the water and food that the Duchess Dowager Bamford brought here the other day. Do you know where they were stored?”

Burley’s question evidently brought something immediately to mind, and Royce looked slightly relieved.

“I-I believe I heard that they were moved into the Second Storehouse…”

“I see. Then take us there immediately.”

“W-Wait, I can’t! If I were to do something like that without permission, the Temple Head would scold me terribly. Please, could you wait until he returns before…”

Even when dealing with the lord and knights, Royce knew perfectly well how severely he would be reprimanded afterward if he simply guided them to the location of the precious food and water that had been donated to the temple. He tried desperately to refuse, insisting that such a matter required someone in a position of responsibility to be present, but—

“That doesn’t matter. Those goods were removed by the Duchess Dowager without the lord’s permission—in other words, they are stolen property. And the woman who stole them is currently in the dungeon with her daughter on charges of theft. If the goods are not returned promptly, everyone at the temple will be regarded as her accomplices. Are you still fine with that?”

“N-No, that would be… Understood. I’ll show you the way.”

Perhaps panicking at the thought that dragging his feet might land all of them in the dungeon as well, Royce began leading Burley and the others at a hurried trot. On the way, they encountered a merchant accompanied by two servants carrying large bags.

“Ah, perfect timing. Priest, has the Temple Head not returned yet? I would like to thank him for all the assistance he has given me.”

The plump merchant cheerfully addressed Royce, but when he noticed the large number of knights standing behind him, his expression showed a hint of surprise.

The temple corridors were by no means narrow, but with so many knights passing through, the merchants naturally had to stop and move aside to let them pass.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my lord. I never expected to encounter you in a place like this.”

The merchant moved to the edge of the corridor and greeted Clutchfield with exaggerated politeness.

“You’re from the Babbage Trading Company… So you were here as well.”

“Indeed. I, Arlo Babbage, was caught up in this disturbance while making the rounds of our branches, but thanks to the generous offer of the Temple Head, I was permitted to take refuge here. Still, for you to come all the way here yourself, my lord… Has some problem arisen?”

“A minor one. But I now have something I wish to ask you as well. You appear to be preparing to leave, but you’ll have to give up on departing until our business here is finished. Understood?”

Babbage briefly made a displeased face, but immediately bowed deeply and signaled his acceptance.

“As you command.”

However, the moment he had moved away from Clutchfield and the others, the sound of a tongue clicking could be heard.

“Want me to go back and punch that man?”

Burley, who had also heard the tongue click, asked the lord, but—

“No, leave him. I’ve disliked that man for years, but I’ll give him a thorough dressing-down later, so there’s no need right now. Besides, I now understand how my sister managed to move such a large quantity of supplies. One of that man’s party must have a Magic Box.”

Large trading companies generally employed two or three magicians capable of using Magic Boxes. Some were people who had failed to enter the Royal Court Magician Corps because offensive magic was not their strong suit, but even one such magician could dramatically increase a company’s transport capacity, so they were all hired at high salaries.

Of course, that also required signing several magical contracts.

While discussing such matters, the group arrived before a large set of double doors.

“Um, I think what you’re looking for is probably in here.”

Royce pointed toward the doors as he spoke, and Burley immediately told him to open them, but—

“Well, they’re locked…”

Clutchfield silently pulled out the ring of keys, tried several, found the correct one, and quickly unlocked the door. Urged on by Burley’s “Well, go ahead,” Royce reluctantly put his hands on the doors and pulled them wide open. Then—

“Good grief… I didn’t expect this much.”

Burley’s impressed voice echoed through the storehouse.

From the entrance to roughly halfway into the warehouse, large barrels bearing the burned-in crest of House Clutchfield—“lilies and a bow and arrow”—were stacked high. Even at a glance, there appeared to be more than fifty. Beyond them stood piles of wheat sacks stamped with the same emblem.

“Indeed, having this much taken away would be intolerable.”

Henry nodded in agreement with Burley. Judging by the amount, there were likely more than twice as many barrels as the quantity of water they had brought this time.

“There is no question these were taken from the lord’s estate. And the fact that objects this heavy have been stacked several layers high is also proof that someone with a Magic Box assisted them. Henry, I’d like to leave this place in your hands, if that’s all right. We’ll go seize Babbage and question him thoroughly about what happened.”

After briefly coordinating several matters with Henry, Clutchfield took only Burley with him and, using Royce as their guide, headed toward the room Babbage was using.

“Now then, Babbage. How do you explain what happened?”

Babbage had apparently anticipated from their earlier conversation that Clutchfield and the others would come to see him, as tea had already been prepared in the room.

The lord was offered a seat and, compelled by etiquette, reluctantly sat down. He immediately brought up the water and wheat they had just discovered, but the merchant across from him showed no sign of panic. Instead, he elegantly sipped his tea as he answered the lord’s question.

“What explanation is there to give, my lord? Mere merchants such as ourselves could hardly refuse a request from the noble Duchess Dowager. I hope you can understand that much. So I assure you, what happened was never intended as an act of defiance against you or anything of the sort.”

“So you are saying that this whole affair was arranged by my sister, the Duchess Dowager Bamford, and the people of the Babbage Trading Company merely assisted in transporting the supplies. Is that your claim?”

“Well, yes, essentially. It is true that I lent her one of our magicians. However, while this may sound like an excuse, the duchess dowager told us that the supplies were simply being relocated somewhere safer. Naturally, we assumed that you had already approved the matter, my lord…”

Babbage adopted a pitiable air and repeatedly insisted that they had been unaware they were doing anything wrong.

From Clutchfield’s perspective, the man’s attitude was somewhat irritating, and he certainly did not believe the excuse. However, he also lacked any solid evidence with which to press the matter further.

“Let me make this clear. My sister is already married and possesses no authority whatsoever over my territory. There is no denying that you and your employed magician were involved in helping someone with no such authority remove valuable water and food without permission. However, I can understand your position to some extent, so this time I will settle the matter with a fine alone. Make certain nothing like this ever happens again. There will be no next time!”

With that, he decided to settle the matter by imposing the considerable fine of two million del and banning the company from entering the territory for six months.

“I am deeply grateful for your mercy.”

No one present noticed that a faint smile had appeared on Babbage’s face as he bowed deeply.

After receiving the fine from Babbage in cash rather than by promissory note, Clutchfield returned to the Second Storehouse and turned his attention to converting the temple into an evacuation shelter for the people of his territory.

First, he stopped the apprentice priest, who had been saying, “Then, if you’ll excuse me,” and attempting to leave.

“By the way, apprentice!”

“…It’s Royce.”

Royce, who had intended to hurry back and resume cleaning, gave the lord who had called him back a suspicious look. However, the moment he saw Clutchfield’s face, he realized that his work was not yet finished.

(That’s absolutely the face of a man planning to give someone more work. Ahh, why did something this troublesome have to happen while the Temple Head and the others were away…? Goddess Drāra, have I done something to offend you?)

With a slightly distant look in his eyes, he pressed a hand against his stomach. Unfortunately, that was nowhere near enough to make the lord’s orders disappear.

“Right, Royce. How many priests are currently here, including yourself?”

“…There are only apprentices at the moment. Besides me, there are two other apprentice priests. The rest are two women who perform menial labor, one male handyman, and the married couple who work as cooks. That’s everyone.”

“Eight people, then. That seems a little insufficient, but never mind. From now on, this temple will serve as a shelter for the people of my territory. Primarily those who have nowhere to sleep and have been camping outdoors. There should be roughly three hundred people. No problem, correct?”

Royce wondered how in the world only eight people were supposed to care for three hundred evacuees, but he had neither the energy nor stamina to resist the lord, nor was he particularly skilled at arguing. Defeated by Clutchfield’s smile, laden with pressure and insistence, he had no choice but to agree.

“Y-Yes. Understood. But will it really be all right to do this without the Temple Head or Chief Priest’s permission? And what exactly are we supposed to…”

“There should be an instruction manual for what to do when the temple becomes an evacuation shelter. Do apprentices these days not even know that much?”

“Ah, no, we were taught about that when we underwent training at the Grand Temple, but the Temple Head told us that this temple would never be used as an evacuation shelter…”

“Then he was gravely mistaken. Temples are deliberately built sturdily and protected by multiple layers of magical beast wards precisely so that they can serve as shelters during disasters and wars. Now that you understand, hurry up and remember what you were taught during training. Otherwise, you’re going to have a very difficult time. I’ll send more detailed instructions later, but for now, prepare to start cooking. Go on, tell everyone and get to work!”

“Yes, sir!!”

(Goddess, if nothing else, please grant me some stomach medicine…)

Still clutching his stomach, Royce ran off.

Temple Head Adcock and the others were dropped without the slightest restraint or consideration, landing with a heavy thud near the center of an enormous bowl-shaped crater. The impact and pain made them cry out, but because the cords were wrapped around even their mouths, only muffled noises escaped.

“Ha ha! If my princess calls this a mere hollow, then how remarkably modest she is!”

The insolent Saintess’s white fox laughed as he spoke, then lightly soared away into the sky. The people left behind could only stare blankly after him while still bound hand and foot.

Far too many things had happened that they had never anticipated for them to properly comprehend their current situation.

They had been counterattacked by the Saintess, whom they had assumed would be easy to control, bound by the white fox that appeared to be her Sacred Beast, stripped of everything except their undergarments, flown through the air while dangling from ropes, and finally dumped here.

However, realizing that remaining like this would accomplish nothing, several of them began wriggling their bodies and working at the cords. The five who had served as guards in particular were still young and strong. Little by little they shifted the bindings, and after some time, they finally managed to free their hands.

They then gathered a short distance away from the others and worked together, loosening one another’s cords and lending each other a hand, until before long all five had succeeded in escaping their restraints.

Temple Head Adcock and the remaining men had naturally assumed that the five would free them as well. In fact, they were already giving them impatient looks that practically demanded they hurry up, but—

“”“““Well then, we’ll be going on ahead.”““““

With that, the five turned their backs and started walking away. Worse still—

“Hey, do you think the lord will forgive us?”

“All we can do is apologize. If we explain that everything was the Temple Head’s order and that we only followed reluctantly, maybe he’ll let us off.”

“Think it’ll really go that smoothly? Still, if it’s only us, he might forgive us. I mean, the whole mess started because the Temple Head got lustful over some aging woman and tried to capture the Saintess because he wanted money!”

““Exactly!””

“Still, did you see their faces when they realized we weren’t going to untie them?”

“Yeah. They spent the whole time leisurely watching us struggle to free ourselves, yet they just assumed we’d untie them too. Pretty shameless, aren’t they?”

“Seriously, it’s awful. Maybe it’d be different if they’d made even the slightest effort themselves, but every last one of them just watched. If we accidentally helped people like that, next they’d probably start shouting, ‘Carry me on your back!’ That’s terrifying!”

““No kidding.””

They loudly chatted about such things as they went. Apparently, while helping one another escape the ropes, the five had secretly agreed that they would simply leave everyone else behind and flee.

Only then did those who remained finally realize that they had been abandoned. To be fair, what the five said was not entirely wrong. Adcock, in fact, had absolutely no intention of walking under his own power.

Nevertheless, Adcock thought that was an entirely separate matter from actually abandoning him, but in his current state, he could not even voice a complaint. At last, he understood that if he wanted to escape, he would have to free himself from the cords just as the others had.

Moreover, if they did not make it back inside the territorial capital before nightfall, they would risk being attacked not only by magical beasts but also by nocturnal animals.

Panicking, the men all began writhing at once, struggling like caterpillars. Even when Adcock was pushed by their frantic movements and slammed face-first into the ground, nobody had the luxury of caring. Every one of them desperately worked at the cords.

It took some time, but eventually one man after another succeeded in slipping free. Yet the instant each became able to move, he hurried away from the area as though fleeing.

They marched straight ahead with desperate focus, as though afraid that if they carelessly helped anyone else, they would only waste additional time and effort.

Until only a short while ago, Adcock had been able to order every one of them around as he pleased. Forced now to confront the stark contrast with his present situation, his irritation only grew, and with it his hatred toward the Saintess whom he blamed for everything.

In the end, more than one traditional hour after the first five had left—and another half-hour after the last of the others had departed—Adcock finally managed to move, thanks solely to Baker, who had remained beside him.

Rubbing his still-numb arms and legs, Adcock somehow managed to stand and looked around. The five who had left first had already reached the rim of the crater and now appeared to be climbing the even steeper slope on all fours. The others had also made considerable progress into the distance.

Watching them, Adcock felt utterly sick of the situation. Merely freeing himself from the cords had exhausted him this much, yet now he would have to walk all the way over there, crawl up that wall, and then continue walking all the way back to the territorial capital.

The journey seemed horrifyingly long just to imagine, but there was no alternative. He could hardly demand that middle-aged Baker carry him on his back. He would have to walk under his own power.

And he did not even have shoes.

“Damn that little brat! The next time I see her, I’ll make sure she suffers for this!”