Ellen and Falma were observing the cathedral when someone came outside. She was a devout believer and was often seen here. Ellen and Falma called her over.
“Ah, the Other World Pharmacy’s shopkeeper-sama. Bonnefoy-sama as well”
The elderly woman was a frequent customer of the pharmacy as well, so she recognized Falma’s face. She was also an acquaintance of Ellen’s.
“Hello. Was the head priest replaced?”
“That’s right. Just a week prior, you know”
“Why was that?”
“From what I’ve heard, the previous head priest-sama was taken to the Holy Kingdom on charges of treason… rumors are that he’s been imprisoned. It seems like the new head priest was sent by the Holy Kingdom directly”
Don’t forget, it’s only a rumor, the elderly lady reminded them with a lowered voice. She shook her head. It’s a shame, I thought the previous head priest-san was a good person.
“What was the act of treason?”
Falma kept asking questions.
“Well, that’s…”
But it seemed that the elderly lady didn’t know the details.
“If we’re talking about treason rather than betrayal, that’s quite a severe crime. The punishment could be the death penalty or the forced closing of one’s divine circuits”
It’s likely very serious, Ellen said again with a gloomy expression.
“I think… it’s probably my fault”
Falma spoke haltingly as he confided his feelings.
Given Falma’s reputation within the Imperial City, it’s not surprising that information about him had leaked to the Holy Kingdom. Ellen knew that Solomon had been preventing leaks by stopping them at the source, but it seems that rumor have spread, and Solomon couldn’t hide the information any further.
“Before, the Holy Kingdom ordered that the boy without a shadow be found”
“I didn’t realize…”
Ellen also thought that it was only a matter of time before the Holy Kingdom noticed Falma. However, she didn’t think about it too much because there was no point.
“Still, depending on the situation, the death penalty? Aren’t they a religious organization?”
Falma denounced it as being a bit too ruthless.
“The Holy Kingdom is a hierarchical society. To betray the High Priest, who can open and close divine circuits, is severely punished”
Upon hearing that, Falma reached for the Medicine God’s staff that rested by his hip.
“Maybe this is why he’s being accused of treason… it seems that losing treasure is a serious crime”
The word treason could apply too.
In Falma’s hands, the Medicine God’s staff shone with divine power. It not only withstood Falma’s power, but also amplified it. It was one-of-a-kind and couldn’t be replaced, so to say that Falma felt no attachment to it would be a lie. However, Falma could use divine arts even without a staff, and it was more important to free Solomon. Nothing was more important than human life.
Falma didn’t succumb to the temptation.
“I’m going to return this staff to the cathedral. Solomon-san lent it to me, but I think they suspect that he lost it”
“But you can’t use any other staffs, right? Isn’t this just a waste of an opportunity? Wouldn’t it be better to get permission to use it?”
Ellen was reluctant to return something that was unusable. However, it’s hard to deny that this was similar to stealing from the Holy Kingdom.
“I was able to use this through the generosity of Solomon-san, but I don’t know the Holy Kingdom, so I don’t think it’s right for me to keep using this. I’ll return it and ask for Solomon-san to be released in exchange”
Falma resolved himself and entered the cathedral of San Fleuve. The atmosphere was completely different from when Solomon was the head priest. “It’s dangerous to go alone”, said Ellen as she followed him inside. When Falma stepped inside the cathedral, the floor lit up with a pale blueish-white color.
The cathedral’s floor had detected Falma’s divine power and the entire cathedral was turned into a sanctuary.
“Eh-?”
Ellen was speechless. She didn’t think the cathedral would glow in response to Falma’s power.
“Isn’t the cathedral amazing?”
“Well, if this is the case, you’ll be found even if you try to hide…”
It was Ellen’s first time seeing the cathedral react to Falma, so she was surprised. Ignoring her reaction, Falma looking around for the new head priest. Upon confirming that he wasn’t in the chapel, Falma immediately headed towards the head priest’s office as Ellen followed. Light leaked out from behind the door to the office. The new head priest was inside. Falma raised his voice and called out.
Ellen and Falma were observing the cathedral when someone came outside. She was a devout believer and was often seen here. Ellen and Falma called her over.
“Ah, the Other World Pharmacy’s shopkeeper-sama. Bonnefoy-sama as well”
The elderly woman was a frequent customer of the pharmacy as well, so she recognized Falma’s face. She was also an acquaintance of Ellen’s.
“Hello. Was the head priest replaced?”
“That’s right. Just a week prior, you know”
“Why was that?”
“From what I’ve heard, the previous head priest-sama was taken to the Holy Kingdom on charges of treason… rumors are that he’s been imprisoned. It seems like the new head priest was sent by the Holy Kingdom directly”
Don’t forget, it’s only a rumor, the elderly lady reminded them with a lowered voice. She shook her head. It’s a shame, I thought the previous head priest-san was a good person.
“What was the act of treason?”
Falma kept asking questions.
“Well, that’s…”
But it seemed that the elderly lady didn’t know the details.
“If we’re talking about treason rather than betrayal, that’s quite a severe crime. The punishment could be the death penalty or the forced closing of one’s divine circuits”
It’s likely very serious, Ellen said again with a gloomy expression.
“I think… it’s probably my fault”
Falma spoke haltingly as he confided his feelings.
Given Falma’s reputation within the Imperial City, it’s not surprising that information about him had leaked to the Holy Kingdom. Ellen knew that Solomon had been preventing leaks by stopping them at the source, but it seems that rumor have spread, and Solomon couldn’t hide the information any further.
“Before, the Holy Kingdom ordered that the boy without a shadow be found”
“I didn’t realize…”
Ellen also thought that it was only a matter of time before the Holy Kingdom noticed Falma. However, she didn’t think about it too much because there was no point.
“Still, depending on the situation, the death penalty? Aren’t they a religious organization?”
Falma denounced it as being a bit too ruthless.
“The Holy Kingdom is a hierarchical society. To betray the High Priest, who can open and close divine circuits, is severely punished”
Upon hearing that, Falma reached for the Medicine God’s staff that rested by his hip.
“Maybe this is why he’s being accused of treason… it seems that losing treasure is a serious crime”
The word treason could apply too.
In Falma’s hands, the Medicine God’s staff shone with divine power. It not only withstood Falma’s power, but also amplified it. It was one-of-a-kind and couldn’t be replaced, so to say that Falma felt no attachment to it would be a lie. However, Falma could use divine arts even without a staff, and it was more important to free Solomon. Nothing was more important than human life.
Falma didn’t succumb to the temptation.
“I’m going to return this staff to the cathedral. Solomon-san lent it to me, but I think they suspect that he lost it”
“But you can’t use any other staffs, right? Isn’t this just a waste of an opportunity? Wouldn’t it be better to get permission to use it?”
Ellen was reluctant to return something that was unusable. However, it’s hard to deny that this was similar to stealing from the Holy Kingdom.
“I was able to use this through the generosity of Solomon-san, but I don’t know the Holy Kingdom, so I don’t think it’s right for me to keep using this. I’ll return it and ask for Solomon-san to be released in exchange”
Falma resolved himself and entered the cathedral of San Fleuve. The atmosphere was completely different from when Solomon was the head priest. “It’s dangerous to go alone”, said Ellen as she followed him inside. When Falma stepped inside the cathedral, the floor lit up with a pale blueish-white color.
The cathedral’s floor had detected Falma’s divine power and the entire cathedral was turned into a sanctuary.
“Eh-?”
Ellen was speechless. She didn’t think the cathedral would glow in response to Falma’s power.
“Isn’t the cathedral amazing?”
“Well, if this is the case, you’ll be found even if you try to hide…”
It was Ellen’s first time seeing the cathedral react to Falma, so she was surprised. Ignoring her reaction, Falma looking around for the new head priest. Upon confirming that he wasn’t in the chapel, Falma immediately headed towards the head priest’s office as Ellen followed. Light leaked out from behind the door to the office. The new head priest was inside. Falma raised his voice and called out.
