Two months have passed since Leitin's defense.

　When Ardis came back to the capital, there was a lot of talk about it, but as expected, after two months had passed, there were few people talking about it.
　I'm not going to be able to get the same amount of information from you.

'No,'

　Ardis answers curtly.

　The inn on the front street of the royal capital Gran, the Sesame Street.
　There are two people sitting at a table in the tavern attached to the first floor of the inn.
　One is Aldis. The other is the man who acts as an intermediary for requests to mercenaries.

''Don't say that,''

　Jean, who is a familiar face to me, gave me a look of dismay.

That's right, I know Aldis doesn't like the church. But, you know, it's okay to ask for a nomination and at least listen to what they have to say.

'I'll just end up listening to you anyway. You're wasting your time.

　A troubled look on his face as he bites down on Aldis's answer, which he can't seem to get rid of.

You can't refuse a request from the church without a reason. It's not a difficult job, it's a nomination. It's not a very difficult job, and since it's a nomination, the compensation seems to be quite generous, right?

　While saying this, Jean holds out a piece of paper with the request written on it. Rather, it's as if he's pushing it on you.

It's a job as an escort, though. The target of the escort is about the same age as Ardis, and more importantly, she's a pretty girl, right?

Well, that's quite a hassle, isn't it?

　Aldis showed a look of astonishment, but Jean brushed it off with a flourish.

''Besides, the target of the escort is Sister Sorte, the famous candidate for saint in the future, right?　I suppose it would benefit Aldis later on if we were to get to know each other?　I mean, I'd love to get to know you.

"Sorte?

　Aldis, who had been listening to Jean's words while biting down on a yawn, responded to the name of his escort target.

'Solte, is that it?　Could it be a little girl with cherry-red hair?

What, you know. You don't like the Church, but you've got your eye on Sister Sorte all over the place.

　Jean's tone was teasing.

'Not really. We've only met before on business.'

　The name Sorte reminded Ardis of the name Solte.

　When he was still working in Tria, he and Ted and the others took on the job.
　It was a request to search for and rescue the students of Mariusius Academy who had entered the forest of Causus, and one of the students to be searched was a girl named Sorte.

　As I recall, I thought I heard that she was a gifted woman who was allowed to enter the school despite being a church sister, or that she was a genius who had mastered the art of healing despite her young age.
　Among the five students, the two most memorable ones were the aristocratic boy who was proud in a bad way, and Solte, who was the only one of the five students who had a better reception.
　A request from the church, and the name Sorte. As it happened, those two things brought back memories for Aldis.

'Do you know each other?　So why on earth would I say no?　It's supposed to be a request from the church, but maybe that's what he wants?

He did?

Look, there's a small sign at my client's place.

　Ardis reluctantly peered at the request form and looked down at the client column.

　It is true that the client itself is a church, but a small signature of Sorte was left at the bottom right of the letter.
　Normally, they wouldn't bother to write even the name of an individual.

I've been asked by an acquaintance, and I even get paid for my work, but I don't think it's a good idea for people to keep on gossiping about it, I think.

　Jean said, giving off an air of inexplicable reluctance to refuse.



　In the end, Ardis told him, "I didn't say I'll take it. I'll decide after I've talked to him directly," he said, and let Jean leave.

　Normally, he would have refused any request related to the church.
　But the other party is not a stranger, and Solte's impression of him was not bad at all.
　That is the biggest factor that made Ardis decide to compromise.

　The next day, Ardis went to the church that she would normally never go near.
　It was a corner near the center of the royal capital. The building is located one street away from the city's central square.
　The church is said to have been built two hundred years ago by stacking only carefully selected white stones.
　The simple, unadorned outer wall gives a sense of simplicity, while at the same time, its solemn appearance leaves an overwhelming impression on those who see it.

　The entrance gate is open to worshippers, but a gatekeeper is stationed there to guard against unwanted people, such as Aldis.
　Aldis announced his business to the gatekeeper, and a priest came from inside to usher him in.

'Thank you for your patience. You are the one who asked for it. Sister Sorte will be pleased.'

No, I haven't decided if I'm going to take the commission yet. I just thought I'd give you a listen for now.

'What?　...... So, I see.

　Aldis's answer was probably not what he had expected.
　The priest, with his impressive blessed ears, was momentarily taken aback, then choked up, but continued to speak.

'Well, well, come on in. Sister would like to explain the nature of your request in person.'

　Guided by the priest, Aldis stepped into the church.
　The interior of the building was an open space with an atrium.

　Placed at the entrance to the front of the building is a single statue of a goddess carved out of pure white stone.
　You will find a lot of people kneeling and praying to it and Ardis glared at them with a hateful expression.

What is wrong with you?

...... No, it's nothing.

　It's a good idea to make sure that you have a good time with your friends.

It's a good idea to pray afterwards if it's okay with you.　It's past the time of reception for the service today, but I have a special deal with you because you are the one who asks for the church. Normally this is not a very complimentary thing to do, but I'm sure the gracious Goddess will allow it.

(No, that woman is a being who lives in a world far removed from words like tolerance.)

　Aldis swallowed the words that were about to come out unintentionally.
　What came out instead was more benign than he swallowed, but profane enough.

'Is it really that great? Goddesses are so great.'

Of course. It was the Goddess who protected this world from the evil gods' armies during the Divine World War and gave us the wisdom of magic. It is because of her grace that we were born into this world and that we can live peacefully every day. That is why all human beings should give gratitude and respect to the Goddess. It is our duty to offer our gratitude and respect to her because it is our duty to be able to live a full life thanks to her!

　The priest's voice gradually increases in volume as he speaks.

　In inverse proportion to the feverishness of the priest's words, Aldis was filled with cold emotions.
　At the same time, he was struck with unspeakable anger and frustration.

'Look at that. That mural.

　Without seeming to notice Aldis' emotions, Father Blessed Ear pointed to the wall.

''It's a depiction of the Divine World War.

　Where the priest points, there is a huge mural that covers an entire wall.

　What is depicted there is a scene of war.
　But of course it is not a picture of human war.
　What is depicted is a battle of the gods.

　The battle between a goddess who protects the world and an evil god who wants to destroy it.
　The structure of the conflict between good and evil is easy for even a child to understand.

　The largest figure in the painting is a goddess dressed in a pure white robe and holding a shining sword in her hand.
　Surrounding her is a depiction of angels led by the goddess and the holy army composed of them.
　On the other hand, depicted in the corner of the mural are the beings that the church calls evil gods, and their army of demons.

It's an act of the Goddess defeating the evil gods. If she hadn't defeated the evil gods in this way, we would be living in a world shrouded in darkness. Perhaps the world itself would have been destroyed.

　Aldis moved his eyes to the evil gods.
　The picture on it depicts the head of the demons with sharp fangs sprouting from the edges of his mouth, which is split open to the cheeks.

　Eyes that bear an evil light.
　Long, sharp claws.
　His skin was hairy and sallow, like that of a beast.
　Ten arms sprouted from his back, and each held various weapons such as swords, spears, axes and clubs. All of them were wet with red blood.
　The miserable appearance of these weapons aroused the disgust of those who saw them.

(You made it up as you went along.)

　Ardis desperately resists the urge to destroy it to pieces.
　Doing so would not change anything about the current situation. It would simply turn the church against it.

　But even though she knew that, the humiliation that clung to Ardis was unbearable.

'Oh?　What's wrong?

...... No, it's nothing.

'I see. Well, I'm sure Sister Sorte has had enough of waiting, so I guess it's time to go.

　Without seeming to notice the anger that dwelt in Aldis's eyes, the priest walked forward and resumed his guidance.