Chapter 483 – Goddess (6)

#

Serena opened her eyes.

Her vision is out of focus, and she feels dizzy. Above all, her memories were very confusing.

“Are you okay?”

“You…”

A handsome man was looking at him as if he was worried.

Serena tried to smile at the kindness, but then her eyes widened.

“You… Obviously.”

In an instant, her memories came flooding back.

A mansion visited several times, a brief meeting with no results, a wait with unknown intentions. Screams, monsters, evil energy and powerful divine power opposing it. And the summoner.

Serena’s memories were cut off there.

What were you trying to do? Yes, she was horrified by this unknown combination and tried to contact the Order…

After thinking about that, Serena glared at the man in front of her.

The last thing she remembered was him reaching out for her hand towards his. Given the circumstances, the reason Serena lost her mind was because of this man.

But how?

“What have you done to me?”

“… It seemed like there was a brief misunderstanding, so I had to take action.”

“Misunderstanding? “What kind of misunderstanding is there in taking down people at random times?”

As Serena spoke sharply, the man also stiffened his face and spoke.

“We have no intention of harming the Inspector General. “If I really wanted to do that, I would have used a different method.”

You have no intention of causing harm?

At those words, Serena looked around her.

In the front is the man and the rank and file. On the left is an elf who is the owner of the mansion, and at the door is a prisoner who looks like a worker. I didn’t bother to look behind me, but there was someone at the window as well.

Serena was completely surrounded.

If Serena looks even remotely threatening, they will immediately pounce on her.

She had been threatened in many ways while performing her duties as an inspector, but this was the first time she had been left as defenseless as she was now. That makes it even more unpleasant.

“We just want to clear up the inspector’s misunderstanding and have a little conversation.”

Serena ground her teeth.

“Are you saying you’re going to interrogate me now? If you think you can get away with threatening me like this, you are mistaken…”

“Sleep, just a moment!”

The blonde lieutenant next to her suddenly intervened.

“I’m sorry, inspector. It’s because of a rank-and-file priest like me that we’ve made you come here so many times, but we really don’t want to harm you, inspector, so if you could just talk to us for a moment…”

The priest bowed his head as if he was truly sorry. Because of this, my unnecessarily large breasts bounced up and down.

Serena frowned her eyebrows. Although the attire of the rank-and-file priests was not as decadent as that of the worn-out free priests in the city, there was still a seductiveness that could not be hidden.

As expected, I don’t like it.

I must defeat these people at once and return to the church. What should I do to avoid repeating the same mistake as before…

As she thought that far, Serena felt cold sweat running down her back.

Although Serena didn’t say it out loud, she was confident in her use of force. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to serve as an inspector general in the first place.

However, this man overpowered Serena before she even had time to react. How?

Now was not the time to move her body carelessly. As this person said, it’s time to take the time while having a conversation.

“… Great. “Then let’s have that conversation.”

Serena said crossly, crossing her arms.

If we wait, there will inevitably be gaps where surveillance becomes lax. For now, we will pretend to cooperate by having a conversation as they say, then return to the church and return with our troops.

The inspector general has the power to conscript troops. Although the Westkeep branch was uncooperative in the inspection, since this matter has nothing to do with the denomination, there would be no excuse not to bring it up.

While Serena was shaking her head, the man lightly lowered his head.

“First, we would like to apologize for treating the inspector general in a somewhat forceful manner. If there is something wrong with your body, we will take responsibility and make sure there are no aftereffects.”

“…”

Serena blinked her eyes. She has a slightly different vibe than expected. A polite tone, as if you really want to have a conversation. The man continued to open his mouth.

“But I hope you understand our position as well. If you say you are going to arrest them all, it would be difficult for us. “I didn’t commit a crime.”

“Did I say I was going to arrest you?”

In response to Serena’s question, the man nodded with a serious expression.

“It’s not just that. He said that if he did not explain it properly, he would be tried for heresy, and in the end, he would be burned at the stake for insulting the religious order. So there was no other way for me.”

“… Did I really say that?”

You really said that? Serena couldn’t believe she had said something so drastic. However, looking at the priest next to her, whose pupils were shaking wildly, she did not seem to be talking without a man.

He continued to open his mouth.

“Sorry. It seems your memory is not perfect. I guess my actions were a bit excessive. Is there anything wrong with your body?”

“… No. “My body is fine.”

Since the other person was polite, it was difficult for Serena to be overbearing anymore.

If you think about it in reverse, his position is not at all incomprehensible. He rushed to arrest me for not answering questions, so the backlash was natural.

Of course, that didn’t mean the thought of dragging him away went.

Serena continued to ask questions.

“Then what was that monster… Woman?”

“… It’s a bit long to explain.”

The man said something Serena didn’t know.

In the city now, guilds, clans, arenas, bureaus, and churches were fighting faction battles.

The church withdrew priests’ support for the guild, and the arena artificially created a monster wave. And under the pretext of that ideology, it was said that a behind-the-scenes fight was taking place between the management bureau and the guild to seize the authority to manage the dungeon.

“… A factional fight that even mobilized artificial monster waves. That’s impressive. But that doesn’t answer my question, does it?”

Clique fighting is not something Serena touches. It was none of Serena’s business what the groups in this city did to each other. Because Serena was the inspector general of the church.

However, the fact that the woman who was the owner of the arena had become a monster, and the evil energy that the monster gave off, was something that I, as a priest and not an inspector, could not ignore.

The man sighed softly.

“We don’t really know why she changed like that. Just.”

The man’s guess is that it might be some side effect of the research process to create the monster wave.

Serena frowned her eyebrows. But how can a person become such a monster?

According to what this man said, the church is the one causing trouble in the city. Although Serena is suspicious of the city’s church, she is nonetheless a member of the cult. It was difficult for her to accept those words at face value.

“Where is she? “I will have to interrogate him myself.”

“She is not here. “He was a monster that we couldn’t handle, so the guild and clan officials had already dragged him in.”

“… Is that so?”

“Now it is the inspector’s turn to answer.”

He said They say they’ve answered enough questions so far, so now it’s their turn.

“We never heard why the inspector wanted to drag Lenny away. “If you want to get our cooperation, wouldn’t it be correct to first explain the situation to the inspector?”

“That’s…”

Serena opened her mouth and paused.

At first glance, what he said seemed to make sense, but when you think about it, there was nothing clear about it. They ignored what had caused Serena to lose her mind, and it was impossible for her to interrogate the owner of the arena.

Serena decided to stretch a little further.

“What you say sounds plausible, but there is no evidence, right? And haven’t you already hidden from me the fact that you are the summoner? “Then what can I trust in you and talk about what’s going on inside the church?”

Serena poured out her words one-sidedly. The word conversation was almost meaningless. But surprisingly, he just quietly listens to Serena. Serena didn’t stop talking even though she felt a little uncomfortable about that fact.

“… And what were you doing here in the first place?”

That was the fundamental question Serena had for him.

Serena had also heard of cow patients. Strangers from similar but different worlds. Those who have incomprehensible and powerful abilities but have no faith. From what she heard, there was no god in their world.

Serena couldn’t imagine such a world. Because those who wield divine power can instinctively feel the presence of the goddess.

In any case, few people actually saw the summoners. They were told that as soon as they were summoned, they would go on a journey that was strictly controlled by the royal family and the central church, and that at the end of the journey, they would return to their original world.

But Serena couldn’t even guess how this man escaped central control and was here.

Perhaps this is a royal conspiracy to pressure the church using summoners?

Serena glared at the man, unfolding a conspiracy theory that bordered on delusion.

He was unfazed by Serena’s rude attitude. As if he had been expecting that question, he looked at Serena intently and took a short, deep breath. As if I’m going to say something important from now on.

The man opened his mouth.

“I am carrying out the mission given to me by the goddess.”

“… What?”

What kind of absurd thing is this person saying right now? Serena was so ridiculous that I couldn’t stop her from saying rude things.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

But everyone in the drawing room took those words as if they were very serious. Even the rank priest next to me could feel the heat in his eyes. It was a look of absolute trust.

Serena was amazed at that sight.

“Priest of rank! Didn’t you say you were this man’s colleague? How can you just let someone do something stupid like this!”

The priest said hesitantly.

“I really am. Mr. Eugene really received a mission from the goddess…”

At those words, Serena’s anger rose.

“Shut up!”

Serena was strangely unable to control her emotions. She was embarrassed by herself, but that didn’t stop her mouth from bursting open.

“How can you be so confused by such nonsense?! And he is a priest! Have you forgotten the doctrine?”

“Well, just calm down a little…”

“The Goddess does not interfere with the underworld. Because we are not dolls!”

The Goddess does not interfere in the affairs of the underworld. People solve people’s problems.

If the Absolute were to directly intervene in the problems of creation, it would be no different from controlling a puppet with strings. That is the logic of the church, and it is also the logic that Serena has no choice but to hold on to.

Serena felt old memories coming back to her.

While wandering through the mountains, she came across a village of poor and sick slash-and-burn farmers. There, she was exploiting people by lying that it was an incurable disease that could easily be treated by an old free priest.

In that slash-and-burn village, she placed children who had lost their parents to illness in a church-sponsored orphanage. The children at the orphanage were particularly starving. It was because of the priest who was embezzling the budget that was supposed to go down to the orphanage.

After solving that problem, there was a story that particularly caught my ear at the inn I stopped by on the way to Westkeep. It was said that the land consecrated by a certain priest would yield a good harvest. She likewise caught the fraudster and took him to the church.

In places where central surveillance is lax, use divine power directly. Otherwise, use your position.

Some people were willing to inflict pain on others for their own gain. However, despite such improper use of divine power, they were not punished.

The goddess gave her divine power, but she did not manage that power, so her punishment was Serena’s responsibility.

This is because the goddess is not involved in the affairs of the underworld.

“But how dare you…!”

But how dare a stranger receive a mission from the goddess? How dare those who don’t even have faith because they come from a world where God doesn’t exist!

“…!”

As Serena thought about that, she felt like one side of her head was twisting.

The fact that he who came from another world has divine power is, in other words, the same as saying that there is no relationship between divine power and faith.

Perhaps, perhaps, the goddess, or rather, the fact that she is a goddess is just an illusion.

The strong evidence was right in front of her.

Serena imagined something more blasphemous than she had ever done before and unleashed her divine power at her fingertips.

There was no need for conversation anymore. She will use her physical powers until her truth comes out of the mouth of this unholy one.

Protection and physical strength enhancement. Even if you don’t have a weapon, it’s not a problem to make at least one person a murderer.

The man who saw Serena’s actions pulled out her sword from somewhere. Are you trying to rebel? Serena lowered her voice threateningly.

“Put down her weapon and be quiet…”

Serena couldn’t finish her sentence.

A ring of light appeared around the sword he held in front of him as if he was doing a sword salute.

Then, at this moment, only Serena and the sword remained in the space.

“What the…!”

A certain image forcibly rushed into Serena, who was astonished.

#

“…”

Serena was looking at her past self through the eyes of her other self.

How could Serena, who was lost in the mountains, accidentally discover a hidden slash-and-burn village?

Why did Serena decide to take the child who lost her parents to her orphanage instead of leaving him alone in the slash-and-burn village?

How did the story about the fraudulent priest come to my ears in that busy inn?

Now Serena knew.

The Goddess was never indifferent to her children. Everything Serena felt was touched by the touch of the goddess.

Serena fell to her knees with tears in her eyes.

.

.

.

The man’s eyes were rolling when he saw Serena on her knees. As if he was so embarrassed.