Chapter 387 – Farsten

“If you feel uncomfortable or want to rest, please feel free to tell us.”

The saintess nodded with her head lifted.

This is not the first time Atra has been moved while being held by Roman.

A time when Lily was fighting for her time in Malpas’ nightmare.

Majella was unable to follow Roman’s footsteps while holding Atra, so he had to take care of her all the way to the capital.

At that time, I was taking advantage of the serious atmosphere of patients waiting, and Majella was also there, so the atmosphere itself had a strong sense of work.

Now, unlike that day, there was too much information that Atra could sense.

Therefore, her condition was more complicated than at any other moment.

“I’m leaving.”

“Yes, yes!”

The moment when Roman kicks the ground at the same time as the saintess in her arms gives permission.

Atra unconsciously held her breath as the picture flashed before her eyes and grabbed Roman’s collar tightly.

‘Gee, it’s really fast…!’

If I’m not mistaken, I feel like I’m running faster than before.

The speed is incomparable to running while being held by Majella.

Nevertheless, the amazing feeling of stability that no problem would arise gradually helped me find stability.

As time passed, Atra’s body in her hands seemed to show signs of the stiffness and tension fading away, and she spoke out.

“For now, we will continue along the road. If you are tired, you can sleep.”

“I say there is nothing I can do for you, but I can make you feel more comfortable on your own…”

It appears that Atra is not feeling refreshed psychologically rather than physically.

Roman, who had been running without stopping his feet, began to speak again at the question that came to his mind.

“Atra. Then, would you please talk to me? I have a question about the church.”

“Of course, you are welcome. I am Atra…! I was also in charge of listening to the confessions of church members in the past!”

In a rare case, when Roman tried to bring up a personal story first, Atra’s eyes lit up to the point where the person she spoke to was embarrassed.

“Hmm… Now that I’m about to bring it up, I think it’s a bit of a sensitive topic.”

“The first requirement for a confessor is to have a heavy mouth. And the second is not to be consumed by personal feelings! You can trust me, Atra!”

Although Atra resolutely assured that she would never let it be leaked to the outside world under the name of the saint of the church.

The form in which he was hugged and the expression on which he was boasting were too much at odds, which in turn caused happy laughter.

“It’s not a question I’ve had since the past, but a thought that came to me out of the blue. Is it true that all life in the Federation was created and created by the hands of the Goddess?”

“That’s right. The Goddess created everything in this world.”

That’s the end of it, without any trivial explanations at the end.

Atra’s light blue eyes showed an unwavering faith.

The reason why this image seems good to Roman, who is not religious, may be because there is no excessive evangelism mixed with coercion, and she walks the exquisite line of not bringing up the majesty or achievements of the goddess until others ask about it.

“I will ask you right away without going around. I am curious as to why the Goddess only has her saints in the Empire to give oracles to her. In fact, the saints of the federal states have no divine power, let alone oracles.”

“···!”

Atra immediately understood Roman’s question.

Even though there is an empire and a federation that divides the continent, the person who hears the voice of the goddess exists only in the empire.

“I don’t know if there is a reason, but in some way, it seems like a clear symbol of favoritism. I am purely curious, without any malicious intent.”

“I understand what you mean, brother.”

Fortunately for Roman, who asked the question, even though it was a question that could be perceived as unpleasant by church members. There is no trace of such expression on Atra’s face.

“Brother Roman, I cannot give you a clear answer to the questions you have.”

“Okay.”

“But… Let me tell you one thing: I might be very lucky.”

“What do you mean?”

Atra held Rosario in her hand.

She recalled her past growing up as a religious nun and a rumor she heard one day.

“This is just a rumor with no evidence, so you can ignore it.”

“I promise.”

“In the past, news of a pillar of light rising from a small town in the Federation reached the Empire’s church. Then, news came one after another that a priest in that town had begun to manifest tremendous divine power.”

“···.”

It was the first time Roman had heard of his life as an adventurer.

Maybe I missed it because I wasn’t interested, or maybe it was because it happened on the border of the Federation beyond the Empire.

“A similar thing happened on the day I heard the voice of the Goddess. So the Imperial Church sent a letter to Saint Juberoa Blanc to congratulate and confirm the fact.”

“It may have been a lie to begin with. Or maybe the priest’s whereabouts are unknown.”

“Yes… I heard that the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a search but could not find it.”

She didn’t need to ask any more because Atra said yes in her heavy voice.

From the beginning, I dismissed it as a rumor and laid the groundwork, but is there more to it than that?

‘We cannot confirm that the saint is a suspect right now.’

He is the one with the most to lose from the appearance of a true saint, so even if it stinks, I’m not sure.

Rather, it may actually be the work of another race or group to check whether or not the priest will be used.

He may have literally just gone missing.

“I’m sorry for making the atmosphere more gloomy than expected.”

“Oh, no! I brought this up because I thought it might be related to Nema Natas, so it would be good for you to know.”

After that, we continued to chat about small things. I took a few more steps at Roman’s pace.

I could see the village that Atra had mentioned.

However, the place where Roman’s feet stopped while pushing the ground was not that village.

Roman decided to pass by the small village with only a few households.

I glanced at the map that Atra had unfolded from my arms and arrived at a city in the Federal Republic before night completely fell.

Atra got down from Roman’s arms and looked blankly at the city walls and hanging flags.

I couldn’t believe that we had arrived now after driving from sunset to the distance that would have taken all day even by carriage.

“You really came this far after running…”

“Atra. Do you know this city?”

The saint’s eyes moved away from the wall and turned to Roman.

Actually, what’s really surprising is that even though I ran this distance.

It’s even more shocking to see Roman not even breathing or breaking a sweat.

“···It’s a city called Farsten. I used this city’s gate every time I headed to the federal capital.”

“Ah! I remember hearing that.”

Even in Roman’s opinion, geographically, it was a location that could be considered a land of gold.

It was a name I had heard of in passing while working on a request for a federal agency.

“Let’s go in first.”

The guards at the entrance to Farsten are two humans and one elf who is quite skilled.

Thanks to the saint’s letter, the two were able to pass smoothly without any problems.

Step by step, next to Roman.

Atra, who had set foot in the city, looked around with a childlike face upon seeing the Milky Way.

“This is my first time appreciating Farsten so leisurely…”

“It’s definitely a different atmosphere from the Empire in many ways, including the architecture.”

Roman quietly followed Atra, who walked alone as if possessed by something, without saying a word.

Then, when he saw the brightly lit church, Atra seemed to come to his senses and moved his gaze towards Roman.

“Before I move tomorrow morning, I would like to send a letter to the Empire through the Order of the Federation.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to do it now?”

“Even if the church doesn’t stop at any time, it has to be sent through the postman, so it’s the same as now or in the morning. I also have to prepare a letter…”

“I understand. Then, let’s find accommodation.”

After receiving Atra’s affirmation, Roman walked half a step ahead and looked around her.

Let the two approach the neat inn right in front.

A prisoner who appeared to be an employee sat at the entrance and glanced at Roman and Atra.

“Are there two rooms? They’re adjacent.”

“Hmm… Where are you from?”

The prisoner, whose gray ears twitched and tilted his head at Roman’s voice, asked back while showing something resembling a sneer.

“Nice to meet you, brother. The Imperial Church stopped by Farsten on business.”

“Ah~ It’s kind of an accent… There’s no room.”

“I see. Thanks for letting me know.”

Atra, who interrupted her, smiled until the end and lowered her head.

She tugged on Roman’s sleeve as a sign to leave her position.

Atra, who volunteered to take the lead in case Roman might be offended, entered the next inn.

But the next place and the place after that were treated equally poorly.

Unlike the time when everything was supported by the federal government, Atra, who had experienced numerous failures, opened her mouth with extremely embarrassed eyes.

“I think it’s because Farsten is a city close to the old border.”

“You don’t have to worry. I’m used to it.”

“···.”

Discrimination is something I have experienced tirelessly from my past life as an Asian to the present as a low-level adventurer.

Especially in this world, there are no deep thoughts.

“Atra. The solution to this problem is simple.”

“···Yes?”

“More money. That’s the answer.”

Now that she was behind Roman, who she said she would, Atra followed behind her, holding her anxiety in her heart.

Even though I looked around, the inn I could see was a place that could be considered my last attempt.

··
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Money is what extinguishes small sparks between races.

Therefore, it is possible if you spend excessively.

The last inn received proper hospitality by paying several times the amount.

The only problem is that there is really only one room left in the inn.

Atra, who was speechless and unable to say anything, was forced into the room with her backpack.

Roman lay down on a wide cloth on the roof of the building.

‘Well, it’s not bad.’

Isn’t the advantage of being an adventurer that you can sleep anywhere just by attaching your head and back?

After finishing watching the starry sky, I took out the crystal ball from my inventory and was about to contact the mansion.

A palm-sized ball of light floated and approached and stopped in front of Roman.

Atra’s voice was heard inside.

– Brother Roman! If you sleep here, you’ll catch a cold…!

“It’s okay. I’m strong so I don’t suffer from minor illnesses.”

– Well, still…

Roman stood up, ignoring the ball of light swirling around as if he had something to say.

– Brother?

The person who had been circling around earlier and making trouble finally came within a stone’s throw.

I was tempted to look down from the roof.

‘Look at this guy?’

Roman caught the eye of a prisoner climbing up the wall with its claws stuck, holding its breath.