After more than a dozen days in the mountains, we came to a point where we could see our destination town in a mountain valley.
　It was a small town of a few hundred people, with what looked like a church bell tower in the middle of the town.
　From Mullaj's information, I had imagined it to be a more run-down town, but it was nothing like that, just a relaxed frontier town.

　The sight was so disconcerting that Seretia let out several sighs, saying things like, "I think that man tricked me.

I haven't even looked into it yet," she said, sighing. In the time it took me to travel, I learned third level magic and Neya managed to circulate magic, so that's good.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to hear it, but I'm afraid we'll have to camp out again on the way back. Will we be able to sleep in a proper bed today?

　If you ask me if there is a place to stay in this remote town, I can only answer that there is not.
　If there is a church, there might be a few extra beds available.

　As I entered the town and drove the carriage toward the church, I noticed that there were surprisingly many people living in the town. Many of them were more than two men and two women.
　In a town of this size in the middle of nowhere, it should be expected that many of the young men would have left for work, conscription, or the volunteer system, but I see them all the time, as if they have nothing to do with that.

It's an ordinary town.

It looks like a normal ...... place.

　Neya's expression was a little more grim than Seretia's.
　She looks around the town and tilts her head.
　I've been traveling in the Crown system for a while now, and I've never seen anything like it.
　If I hadn't traveled under the Crown System, I might not have noticed this little anomaly.

"Mr. Walls, we're almost to the church, but there's something strange going on.

　The church that Fiel is looking at.
　However, the door of the church had been destroyed, and it had already lost its shape.
　The bell at the top of the tower, which was visible from afar, did not have a bell where it should have been, and there was only an empty space.

It's a bit more blatant than I expected when I got closer.

I suppose it's worth the trip.

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find it here.

Should I be happy about that?

Of course not. There is definitely a clue.

　It's true, but I can't help but be wary of the fact that this level of disdain for the church means that this town has become infected with paganism and is in danger.

Let's take a look inside.

　I parked the carriage by the side of the church and stepped into the dimly lit, dusty church.
　It must have been unattended for quite some time. The couches arranged in a neat vertical line were covered with a reasonable amount of dust, and the statue of the god Edina in front was faded.

The statue of Edina in front was faded. "I'm pretty sure the priest abandoned this place.

　Judging from the state of disrepair, I can't help but wonder why the church didn't prioritize the search for paganism here.

What are you doing here?

　From behind me, a shrill voice echoed through the church.

"We're not shady. We're just adventurers. We're just adventurers. We're just passing through and looking for a place to stay. I said, sounding like I wasn't interested in Chlorine.

　The old woman in front of me had a bent back, but her eyes were sharp, and she was watching us carefully and keeping a watchful eye, which made me think she was not just any old woman.

She must be from the church.

Do I look like one?

That's what everyone says when they come here.

　So the church was not just sitting on its hands, but was trying to do something about it. But they didn't know if it had anything to do with paganism. ......?

The moment I said, "You've got to be kidding me if you think we look like church people," I shot a non-attribute magic at the faded statue of the god Edina and smashed it to pieces.

"How's that?　Now you know.

　The old woman looked surprised for a moment, but quickly returned to her normal face after sniffing.
　The old woman looked surprised for a moment, then sniffed and her face returned to normal.

I've never seen anyone go that far before. All right, you can stay at my place.

　The old woman turned her back and walked slowly, only to turn her face toward me.

But I'm going to have to ask you to leave this town as soon as possible.

　The old woman calls out to the young man waiting outside, who bows to her and runs up to the old woman. The man supports the old woman as if to help her, and together they leave the church.

You're a godless man, destroying the statue of Edina. You don't know who the pagans are.

"You'll have to forgive me for that when we're trying to defeat the pagans.

　Celestia chuckled and walked after the old woman.

　I've been studying reanimation magic.
　I'm a researcher of reanimation magic, and I've once deviated from the world's rules of reincarnation magic, and that's a much greater sin.
　When I think about it, I even think that my very existence is that of a pagan.

Mr. Walth, let's go.

　The next thing I knew, Neya had followed Seretia out of the church, leaving me and Fiel alone.

"Yeah, I guess so.

　The smile on Pheuel's face seemed to make me feel a little better.