◆ knowledge god priest



"Ugh, how did this happen ......"



　Blown into the sky by a storm that erupted from the jewel, I lamented the misfortune that had befallen me.



　Before entering the town closest to the holy place, one of my colleagues was attacked by a demon and severely wounded.

　Her injuries were deep and we decided to leave her at the church in the town.

　We did this in order to avoid draining her magic power, as there were many demon attacks during this pilgrimage and some of us were more severely wounded.

　She also chose to stay behind because she felt that her inexperience would slow her down.



　At that time, I was entrusted with a certain jewel by my departing colleague.

　It was a magic item recovered from the ruins, and my colleague told me that it had the power to create a storm.

　He explained that by using it, only the enemy would be attacked by the storm, and we, the users, would be safe.

　In reality, however, it was a defective item that would take us all into the storm.



"I wish I had at least had time to examine the treasure myself. ......"



　They did not expect that we would not have done safety checks on the items they were bringing on their pilgrimage.



"No, now that I think about it, was that really an injury?"



　Perhaps that one took off on purpose?

　Didn't he know it was actually defective so that he wouldn't be caught up in that treasure run amok?



"But if so, what on earth for?"



　Conceivably, they could try to disqualify us by making us fail.

　But this pilgrimage is a battle to wrest control from the temple of the Lord God.

　If we interfere with that, you know that not only will we be disgraced, but our own lives will be in danger.



　Yes, there's no end to it, but unfortunately time is short.

　Specifically, we were blown sky high and began to fall to the ground.



"Hmm, it's a good thing that I at least know what it feels like to be the first person in the world to fly in the sky. ......"



　Too bad you can't pass this experience on. ......



"No, you don't have to give up so tragically. And you're not the first person in the world to fly."



"Huh?"



　I looked for the voice that suddenly came from nearby, and found a strange girl's figure right beside me.

　Oh, no, I know her. She is the girl who participated as a helper in the temple of the Lord God.



What are you doing here?　...... No, don't tell me you were blown away by this tornado too!"



"Oh, no, we were..."



"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag ...... kids into this."



　Oh my God!　You've involved a girl who's still young enough to be your daughter!

　Even though I approve of fighting political enemies, I still feel guilty for involving my child.



I am not a child. I'm an adult."



　I see what you mean, a daughter who has just come of age. ......

　Either way, he's still a child in my eyes.



"Haha, sorry. ......"



　I would like to help her somehow, but unfortunately, I can only use recovery magic, and there is nothing I can do.

　The only thing I can do is to pray to God that this girl will be called to the heavenly world after her death.



"...... so you don't have to give up. First, I have to go down to earth."



　What a thing to say. This girl is in a hopeless situation, yet she has not given up on coming back alive?



"It's more of a fall than a landing."



　But alas, those of us who cannot fly will not survive no matter what we do.



"Don't worry, we'll descend slowly. Stream control!"



　That's when it happened.

　Suddenly a strong wind blows from below, slowing the fall of me and my colleagues who were being flown near me.



"What the hell?



　What is it?　Was it the effect of the storm spawned by the jewel?

　However, the storm is still raging around us, and the wind blowing from below has a distinctly different feel to it.

　Moreover, our colleagues gathered around us, as if carried by something.

　The wind from below became even stronger, and our fall slowed down even more, slowly working our way down to the ground.

　Finally, the speed of our fall was not much different from walking, and we landed softly on the ground with no impact at all.



"Hmm, now all of us have been rescued."



　Wait, you don't think this girl did that wind just now, do you?

　But how?　Is it magic?　I don't know any magic like that!



"Good work. I'll take care of it."






　Then another girl appeared, working on the girl.

　This girl was also supposed to be a helper in the temple of the Lord God.



"Let's go!　Typhoon Burst!"



　The girl activated her magic and a storm was born around us.

　Magic that creates storms?　Another magic I don't know!



　The storm was quite strong and the strong winds were coming towards us, but unlike the storm created by the jewel, it did not blow us away.

　It made me think that if the power of the treasure was as described, it might have been like this.



　And then the storm created by the girl swelled up and collided violently with the storm created by the jade.



"Whoa, whoa, whoa!



　The storm and the storm collide, creating a tremendous backlash, and strong winds blow around them like a shockwave.

　The fierce battle between storms of the same scale seemed to last forever, but surprisingly it did not.

　The storm created by the girl crumbles the storm of the jewel as if it were on top of her.

　Once that happened, the battle was over in a flash.

　The storm of the jade was thinning as if it were being consumed by the girl's storm, and in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

　And the girl's storm, when it had done its job, disappeared by itself.

　Afterwards, we were left with nothing but a silent space and us, as if nothing had ever happened.



"All right, it's settled. Are you guys hurt?



　When the storm dissipated, the girl was concerned about our injuries as if nothing had happened.

　But there was something I couldn't understand.



"Why ......?　Why did you save us?"



　We got ourselves involved in the end, but we created the storm in order to sabotage you!



Hm?　Oh, it's no big deal. It's just that our good-natured people said they didn't feel good about abandoning you."



"What?　Is that just ......?"



　No, no, no, it's not that simple ......, you'd have to owe us more or make us do something you want ......



"That's it. It doesn't matter to them what you think you're doing with that thing. It's just that there were people in trouble, and they were trying to help. So we helped. That's all there is to it."



　What the hell is that?　Isn't that just being a softy!

　What kind of idiot would do such a good guy thing? ......



I don't know about you guys, but there are some good-natured people out there.



　As if she could read my mind, the girl replied.



"Well, we're going."



"Where?"



　I ask myself a funny question.



"It's obvious, isn't it? We're still in the middle of the ordeal, right?　Then the destination must be the goal!"



　The girl looked at me as if to say, "What are you asking me?

　When I heard those words, I understood everything.

　It was as if I had gained the knowledge I wanted to get from a book.



"Oh, you guys have really been on a pilgrimage!"



　Like the young people of the past, you just keep on helping those in need.

　And we, too, were the ones to be saved, you say. ......



　◆ ◆



　There, a golem suddenly appeared and ran amok.



"Stop!　Stop!"



　Near the golem, a priest of the god of commerce is frantically ordering it to stop, but the golem, which seems to be out of control, refuses to obey the order.

　On the contrary, the adventurers who are guarding the golem are lying on the ground beside the priest, apparently having been attacked by the golem.



Why don't you listen to me!　Weren't you obeying the orders of the one who holds the jewel?



　But the golem, without responding to the summoner's question, raises its fist in the air.



"Whoa, whoa!



"I won't let you!"



　I wield my sword, which is powered by the magic I've used to strengthen my body, and slash the golem's arm off.



"What?



　I had expected the golem's anti-magic defense mechanism to kick in, but there was no sign of it at all, and the golem's arm was blown off without even a hint of resistance.

　Puzzled by the unexpected lack of response, I observe the Golem, which is now off-balance with one arm missing.




　Upon closer inspection, the golem was broken in many places and did not appear to be in very good condition.



"Ah, it looks like the device that receives commands is broken. And the other mechanisms are not working properly either.



　I'm surprised they decided to use it in this condition.

　At least maintenance would have made it a little better.

　However, we can't just leave Golem running amok like this, can we?



You know...



Yes?



　I call out, and the stunned priest of the god of commerce comes to his senses.



"This golem belongs to you, doesn't it?　It seems to be running out of control, so can I break it?"



"Uh, ah, ah... No problem."



　Okay, I've got your permission, so you won't have to charge me for repairs later!



"Okay, then. ......"



　I quickly try to defeat the golem, but I suddenly notice a strange magical movement in the golem.



"This is ......."



　When I focused my attention and looked at the golem, I saw that the magic was unnaturally concentrated in one part of its body.

　Or perhaps that is the location of the magic stone where the magic power is stored. ......



"Ah, could it be that the state preservation magic is incomplete, so the parts are aging and the magic is on the verge of bursting?"



　This is bad!　Maybe the magic stone used in that golem was made before the invention of state preservation magic, or maybe it's an inferior product made by an unscrupulous store to cheat its customers!



　That's not good. I can't stimulate you any more than I already have.

　I mean, I'm glad I didn't cut your torso in half on the first try.

　Oh well, maybe the priests of the god of commerce knew that and were fooled by their inability to attack so carelessly.



"Then, we have to make sure that our attacks don't impact them carelessly or give them magical power. ......"



　I plan to evade the golem's attacks and neutralize it.

　However, if I defeat the golem too cleanly, the priests of the god of commerce may come to collect the remaining wreckage to reuse it later.

　They are extremely averse to loss. They will collect even a piece of metal if it can be reused.

　But that would be dangerous, because it might irritate the storage stones when it is recovered.



"Okay, let's make it disappear!"



　In order to dispose of it neatly and without causing further damage, I decide to make the golem disappear with spatial magic.



"Dimension Eraser!



　When the magic is activated, the space distorts to encompass the Golem, dividing it into inside and outside.



Compression!



　And a moment after the keyword "compression" is chanted, the space surrounding the golem makes a creaking sound and becomes smaller and smaller.

　The space becomes smaller and smaller, and the body of the golem itself is crushed.

　Naturally, such a stimulus would have no effect on the golem, which is on the verge of bursting out of control.

　As a result, the runaway storage stone blows up the golem from the inside. Moreover, the flying pieces of iron made it even more vicious and powerful.

　However, the space surrounding the golem completely contained them, and they had no effect on the outside.

　On the contrary, it compressed the space with its raging energy, and in the end, it became smaller than dust and disappeared.



　In its wake, a subspace tinted with mysterious colors was created, but it returned to its original scenery as if it had been dyed by the surrounding space.

　And when all the subspace was filled with the original space, only the golem that was supposed to have been there disappeared completely.



　This is the dimensional division magic "Dimension Eraser.

　It is a magic that isolates the target from the surrounding space and makes it disappear by super-compression.

　The most convenient thing about this magic is that it can defeat only the target without adversely affecting the outside like now.

　By the way, this magic is the same as the magic bag as a system of magic.

　The difference is that it can be stored in subspace or it can be annihilated.



"Okay, the golem is done. It's done.



　Having defeated the golem, I tell the priest of the god of commerce that we are safe now.



"Go to ......?"



　But the priest of the god of commerce was still in a daze, as if he had no idea what was going on.



"I'll take care of your friends while I'm at it. High area heal.



　Let's heal the injured priests with range recovery magic just in case.



"Uh-uh. ......"



　Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, and the wounded soon regain consciousness and begin to pick themselves up.

　It seems that the golem itself was defective, and the damage it inflicted was minor.



"Well then, I'll take my leave. Let's work hard for each other!"



"Huh?　Uh, yes."



　After confirming that everyone was safe, I went back to the others to resume the ordeal.



　The other priests of the temple



　We were seeing miracles.




　Miracles show their backs to us without warning in the face of hostility.

　No, from the beginning we were not considered enemies.

　To them, we are followers of the same gods. ......



"No doubt, they are the messengers (saints) sent by God. ......"



　Oh, how foolish we have been.

　I am now ashamed of my own stupidity, which has only been driven by the struggle for power and the fulfillment of my own greed.



"But it was not so from the beginning. ......"



　Yes, indeed, it was different in the beginning.

　The day I made a vow to serve God, I was certainly thinking of spreading His teachings to the world and saving people.

　But I left that feeling behind somewhere.



"Oh, where did I go wrong. ......"



　This should make God angry. ......



"But God did not abandon us completely. "But God did not abandon us completely, because he sent us these women.



　She said that the pilgrim's journey was not yet over and that he should not give up until the end.

　In other words, now is the time to show our faith.



　Then we must stand up.

　As servants of God, we must fight fair this time!



"Nuh!"



　Shaking off feelings of regret and repentance, I stood up.

　And I step out with my friends.

　Click!



""""" what? """""



　Just as we thought we heard a disturbing sound, we were blown into the air by a pillar that came flying out right beside us.



"""""Gwah!!!"""""



　I forgot about the ordeal: ......