TWEM Vol. 5 Chapter 2 Part 1
Chapter 2 – Sightseeing in the Holy City!
After arriving at the capital, we decided to look for a place to stay.
However, we had no specific information on what kind of lodging would be good for us.
The Adventurers’ Guild would be helpful in such a situation. The guild staff would know of a good place to stay, and could ask them for recommendations.
We headed straight for the Adventurers’ Guild, asking people on the street for the location.
The Adventurers’ Guild in the holy city was a bit smaller than the one in the royal capital of Perdis, but it was a magnificent building with white as its base color to match the cityscape.
“Okay then, shall we.”
“Right.”
The inside of the building was crowded with people, and the reception counter looked busy.
We decided to have lunch at the cafeteria attached to the building and asked the waiter who brought us water to recommend us a menu.
“Do you have any recommendations?”
“Sure. I recommend the boiled white fish.”
“Then I’ll go with that. What about you guys?”
I asked, and they all nodded in agreement.
“All right, so, same order for everyone, thank you.”
“Got it. Please give me a few!”
“Oh, right. One more thing?”
The waiter, who was about to return to the kitchen, turned and looked at me.
I had forgotten the objective of asking for lodging recommendation.
“What else can I help you with?”
“We’re looking for a place to stay, do you have any good recommendations?”
“Oh right, then I recommend ‘Shirakaba’ inn. My childhood friend runs the place. And the food is also delicious.”
“That settles it. Thank you.”
“Not at all, I am happy to recommend my friend’s inn, as well, so I don’t mind whatsoever.”
The waiter said and headed to the kitchen to prepare our order.
While waiting for our food, we discussed our schedule for the rest of our stay.
“Does anyone have any suggestions regarding places they’d like to visit?”
I asked, and Ephyr raised her hand.
“Yes. I’d like to check out the cathedral!”
The cathedral huh, I would have gone there even if Ephyr had not suggested it. The purpose of the trip is sightseeing, no way I’m passing up checking out such a massive building.
“Yeah, me too, so I guess we’ll move it up then. Anyone else?”
“How about.”
This time, it’s Asha. It’s unusual for Asha to actively raise her hand at a time like this.
“Um, I’d like to go, or rather, if we’re going to the cathedral, I’d like to say a prayer…”
“Oh okay.”
“Does it not count?”
Asha became depressed and shaken up.
Seeing Asha like that, I hurriedly corrected her.
“Oh no, no, not at all! In fact, I’ll join you in your prayers.”
“O-Okay!”
Asha smiled like a blossoming flower.
Is it my imagination that her cheeks were slightly reddish?
Seeing Asha like this, Iris, Ephyr, Suzuno and Finne all blurted out.
“What a guy…”
“Asha…”
“’Will there be more…?’”
“Haruto…the future looks so bleak right now…”
I can’t believe the horribly cold gazes they’re sending my way!
“Well, uh, anyone else?”
The food arrived while talking about such things trying to change the subject, and we decided on our future plans while eating.
“…Well, let’s just go to the inn and sort out our accommodations first .”
When we finished eating, we asked the waiter for directions and decided to go to the inn called ‘Shirakaba’.
We found the inn without any particular difficulty, and after getting some rooms and leaving the carriage, we decided to head for the cathedral.
However, Zero, being a monster, did not seem to be interested in the cathedral at all and said he wanted to go shopping for books.
“Then I will accompany Zero. I’d like to tour the city for a bit.”
“All right.”
Since Kusel said she would accompany Zero, I gave them both more money to buy books.
“Then I’ll be off.”
“We’re off.”
We parted from Zero and Kusel in front of the inn and started walking toward the cathedral.
“What kind of place is the cathedral?”
Iris answered my question on the way.
“Well…it’s not so much that there’s anything special about it, but that the building itself is a tourist attraction.”
“Are there a lot of tourists?”
“Yes, quite a lot of them. Most of the tourists who come to the holy city are interested in the cathedral, which is where we are going.”
“Ho~, this should be fun then.”
While walking to the cathedral, Iris and Asha gave me some more information about the Holy State of Belifaire.
The head of the Holy State of Belifaire is called the Pope, and he is currently a man named Liebert Heilig.
He is highly respected and treats the poor without discrimination.
There seem to be no bad rumors at all.
Also, the Pope’s daughter is a user of sacred magic and recovery magic, and is called a ‘saint’ by everyone.
Her name is Ilmina Heilig.
She is 17 years old, just like me. And she’s friends with Iris, as her position is similar to that of a princess in other countries.
The position that assists the Pope, the king, is called a cardinal, which is similar to a prime minister or minister in other countries. In this country, religious organizations are closely related to the operation of the country, and this is why they are given such titles.
As we were talking, we arrived at the foot of the cathedral.
Looking up, I realized that this cathedral is a work of art.
Each of the pillars was decorated with detailed carvings, and lots of people having to stop to just get a good look and admire them.
We walked inside the cathedral with such people in our sights.
The inside of the cathedral was as much a work of art as the outside.
If I were to compare with similar structures on earth, I would hardpressed to find a handful. At the very least, I have never seen such a magnificent and artistic structure in my life.
I looked around the cathedral again.
Sunlight shines through the brightly colored stained glass and glass windows, illuminating the interior of the cathedral.
The paintings on the walls and ceilings were so fascinating that they seemed ready to move, and the statues so detailed that they appeared to be alive.
I guess this is exactly what it means to be moved to the core.
Finne and the others were so stunned and were like, “It’s so beautiful”.
I wanted to keep looking at it, but standing near the entrance would have gotten in the way of other people, so we decided to walk around the cathedral for a bit.
I wondered how long it had been since we started looking at the paintings and sculptures in the cathedral.
The light coming in was orange-tinged, and I realized that the sun was beginning to set.
“Whoa, how fast time flies. Shall we pray one last time and then go back to the inn. Zero and Kusel are probably waiting for us.”
At my suggestion, Finne, Iris, Asha, Ephyr and Suzuno nodded their heads.
Finally, we went to an area called the chapel.
As we entered, the sunset light illuminated the statues of the goddesses, making them glow with a divine radiance.
There was a girl kneeling in front of the statues, her hands folded in front of her chest in fervent prayer.
She was dressed in a sisters’ uniform and had straight blond hair. The setting sun reflected off her hair, making it shine.
Iris looked at the girl and murmured.
“…Ilmina?”
Wait a minute, Ilmina, the saint?
The murmur seemed to have reached the young girl’s ears, and she stopped praying and looked back.
Her amber eyes caught Iris’s and…
“That voice… Iris?”
“——I knew it had to be Ilmina!”
Iris, convinced that it was Ilmina, ran up to the girl and hugged her.
“Wow, Is that really you, Iris?”
Iris still hugging the girl, but then she pulled away and faced Ilmina.
Upon seeing Iris again, Ilmina was wearing a surprised expression.
Of course, she would be surprised to see Iris, the princess of a country, appear without any prior information.
“It’s been two years since I last saw you and now you’re all grown up. Are you not together with His Majesty Dillan?”
“No, I’m not. I’m traveling together with these people at the moment! And of course, I have Asha with me!”
Iris answered with pride as Ilmina looked at us and muttered.
When Ilmina looked at her, Asha bowed, “It’s been a while, Lady Ilmina”.
Ilmina bowed her head in return and then turned her gaze back to Iris.
“I’m glad to see that you’re doing all right, Asha. So, who are these fine people?”
“That’s right♪”
Iris bragged with her nose up as if to pierce the sky.
We stepped forward and introduced ourselves.
“Hello. My name is Haruto, an adventurer. Pleasure to meet you, saint. And beside me are——”
Finne and the others introduced themselves after being prompted.
“Finne. I am also an adventurer like Haruto.”
“I’m Ephyr, an elf.”
“My name is Suzuno. Pleasure…is this good enough?”
Ilmina also introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you all. My name is Ilmina Heilig. Although I’m called a ‘saint’, you don’t need to be formal with me.”
Everyone was impressed by the graceful manner in which Ilmina bowed.
Then Iris looked at me with a surprised expression.
“Ha-Haruto, why are you being weird?”
“Iris~…what do you mean weird, this is how I usually am when I meet someone for the first time, okay?”
“It’s fine, Ilmina doesn’t care about that sort of thing!”
Seeing Iris like that, Ilmina nodded.
“Iris is right, everyone, please make yourselves comfortable and act as you normally do. I really don’t mind.”
Her smiling face was truly saintly.
“Okay. Don’t mind if I do then, Lady Ilmina.”
“Please call me Ilmina, since you’re a friend of Iris.”
Iris then repudiated her conception which led her to believe that we were friends.
“Haruto is not my friend, you know?”
Ilmina seemed lost by Iris’ denial.
Can’t blame her. If we weren’t friends, I wouldn’t be able to talk to the princess so casually.
“Your bodyguard…?”
“Not quite, Haruto is my husband!”
“… …Come again?”
I cautioned Iris as I looked at Ilmina, who had stiffened up upon hearing the word ‘husband’.
“Whoa, that’s still a long way off…I mean, are you sure you want to make this public?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s already been decided that Finne will be the first wife and the secondary wives will be me, Suzuno, and Ephyr.”
Seeing Iris’ face giving the “of course not” vibe, I too was like “o-oh…right”.
And then Ilmina finally seemed to grasp the meaning behind Iris’ words, her face turned red and she opened her mouth with a gasp.
“Fo-Four brides…h-how immoral…”
The saint seems to have a weakness for this kind of story.
While covering her face with both hands, Ilmina glanced at me through the gaps between her fingers.
I cleared my throat and decided to change the subject.
…Definitely not because I feel embarrassed.
“More importantly, we are here on sightseeing and thought we could also pray while at it…”
“Huh?! Oh, right! Sure, you’re welcome to pray!”
With a flushed face, Ilmina showed us around.
I’m starting to feel a little sorry for her…
Then I asked her about something that had occurred to me.
“By the way, I’m thinking of making a donation…is there a fixed amount or something?”
“Oh thank you very much. There is no such thing, it depends entirely on the individual.”
Is that right?
I’m grateful to god, so I’d like to give a reasonable amount.
Although the god I met was an old man, the statue is of a goddess. Well, I certainly don’t mind, because I’d rather give money to a beautiful goddess than to that old man.
So I took out an appropriate amount of money from the dimensional storage and handed it to Ilmina.
Then, perhaps it was more money than she had expected, Ilmina’s eyes lit up.
“What? T-This much? Are you a noble, Haruto?”
“No, like I said before, I’m an adventurer.”
“Wha? …Are you perhaps a high ranking adventurer?”
I’m no noble, but an adventurer with money, or so Ilmina thought.
“Haruto is an EX rank adventurer!”
Iris answered proudly, as if boasting.
Iris, why are you the one answering…
Hearing this, Ilmina stiffened again, and after a few beats, she let out a loud yell.
“Say, whaaaaaaaaaaat?! Oh, that person who is said to be the strongest adventurer is actually you, Haruto?!”
“What? Is that what they say in this country too?”
“Yes. I heard that you single-handedly annihilated a horde of ten thousand vicious monsters.”
“Well, they are not wrong…it’s also thanks to everyone who held out on the front lines, so it kind of gives me mixed feelings when they say it like that as if the credit belongs to me alone.”
Seeing my expression, Ilmina smiled.
“Still, it is true that you defeated vicious and powerful monsters and saved a lot of people.”
“I guess so.”
I nodded honestly, since it was not something to deny so stubbornly.
“Anyway, that’s why I have money, so take it. I’m grateful to god, too.”
“All right. Thank you.”
I handed the money I had taken out to Ilmina.
“Okay then, everyone, please come this way. The manners are not strict, so please just do as I do.”
“Got it.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
As Ilmina walked up to the statue, she got down on her knees, and folded her hands in front of her chest.
We followed Ilmina and performed the same prayer behind her.
I gave my thanks to the old man——god.
Thanks to you, I’m alive and had the opportunity to meet everyone. I was able to protect the people I wanted to protect, the people I cared about. For that I’m grateful.
It seems that everyone finished praying at about the same time as I did.
Iris turned to Ilmina.
“Thanks for today! I’ll be staying here for a little while, so I’ll come by again♪.”
“Please do, Iris. I’ll speak to my father——the Pope, too, everyone, so feel free to come by.”
We nodded in agreement and decided to return to the inn for the day.
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