Chapter 16: Confirmation of the Current Situation
[space_man][space_man]”What will you do, Mary?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I will return to being an adventurer. Up until now, I’ve been completing requests once a month, so I’ve remained at C-rank.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ah, that’s right, you did say something like that. I just recently returned to D-rank.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Danna-sama was busy, so. From now on, we’ll be together again……”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary falters slightly.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Mary……will you work with me again?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Y-yes……that’s why I came here……”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary’s face reddens.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Thank you. I look forward to working with you again.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld gently places his hand on top of Mary’s.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yes. Please treat me well.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Seeing the two of them, Tohlight clears his throat.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”By the way, Bocchama, how have you been this past month on your own? Is anything different?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Well……”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld hesitated for a moment about whether to mention the Goddess’s contract, but he decided to tell them everything that had happened in the past month without hiding anything.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I see, a Goddess, you say. I never imagined that Bocchama would be someone who could see a Goddess.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yeah. However, I can’t say for sure whether I saw her because I went to that space or if I went to that space because I could see her.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld says while drinking his tea.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Honestly, I’m not very religious, so I didn’t know, but are there many Goddesses?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary asks.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard that there are many Goddesses because they have different abilities that they govern.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]However, if what the Goddess of Protection you met, Bocchama, is saying is true, this is the first time I’ve heard of there being multiple Goddesses with the same abilities.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Wow. This country has been around for quite a while, but there are still things we don’t know about Goddesses, huh?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The Lutodelein Kingdom has been around for about 3000 years, but there are records that show Goddess worship has been practiced since its founding.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]And yet, the fact that there are things we don’t know, as Mary said, is probably the best proof that there are extremely few people who can hear the Goddess’s voice, and that no one has ever had such casual conversations with them.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’m not interested, so I don’t really care……”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary looks at Eld. She knows that Eld not only lacks faith in the Goddesses but also harbors a slight aversion towards them. Mary believes that this is because he was betrayed after having faith in the Goddesses with his parents since he was a child, and they have become the target of his resentment.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary, too, understood all too well from a young age that nothing would happen even if she prayed to the Goddess. In Mary’s case, she might have gotten away with just having a weak faith because she never had any faith to begin with.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”……Is everything alright at the house……no problems, right……?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld opened his mouth several times but hesitated, afraid to ask, but finally mustered up the courage to speak.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yes. There were no particular problems when we left. Millenia-sama and Jaylot-sama were both doing well.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Tohlight says. Hearing that, Eld breathes a sigh of relief.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Rather, it was quite impressive how surprised Sandrea-sama looked when we went to say goodbye to her before we left.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary said with a laugh.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”She probably thought we wouldn’t quit because our names weren’t on the list of those wishing to resign, but I can’t understand what she was misunderstanding, considering that our salaries were originally paid from Danna-sama’s pocket money.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld could only offer a dry laugh at Mary’s venomous remark.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It’s true that for the sake of convenience, he had Sandrea prepare the amount to pay Mary and Tohlight along with the other servants’ salaries from the monthly salary he received.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld thinks that might be why Sandrea misunderstood.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”She asked us to stay, offering to pay us more than what Bocchama was giving us, but we have no reason to stay in that house without Bocchama, so we politely declined and came here.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Aside from me, Tohlight-sama was also Danna-sama’s advisor, so he has knowledge of territory management.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Haha. It feels like her plans backfired, huh?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld thought that since Sandrea was more competent than him, as long as she didn’t make any mistakes in her approach, things would probably work out, even if it was tough. Thanks to the Goddess’s contract, the curse was being prevented, so there was no need to worry about failure.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Oh my, it’s already this late. I need to start preparing dinner soon, but do you have anything you want to eat?”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Mary says as she stands up.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”No, I’ve mostly been eating out, so there’s nothing here. Let’s go shopping together while I show you around town.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Eld also stands up.
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”In that case, I’ll accompany you as well. I’d like to visit some acquaintances and say hello.”
[space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The three of them head to town. After finishing their shopping and returning home, they enjoy Mary’s home-cooked meal and toast to their new beginnings with some fine sake before retiring to their respective rooms for the night.