I was tilting my head like Myne did.
It’s because long queue was formed in front of the church. Were they going to pray, no, I know the most that few people at the slum kept their faith intact.
After all, there were those who don’t receive the benefits from a skill. Moreover, they were forced to live like this. Among those who’ve been abandoned by God――keeping faith was an absolutely severe effort.
One could say some poetic words like ‘God is testing your faith’…..but that’s what people with proper skills would say. Well, it’s the most convenient way to tell off the others with less advantages than they did.
I stopped praying to God at young age after my father died of sickness. Even now, I still believe that it was the right decision. No, it was the most convincing path I had to take.
Anyways, this is really crowded. When I tried to get into the crowd,
[Hyiiiiii!!]
The guy who noticed me screamed. He then immediately made his escape.
As a result, the people who saw me moved away to the side of the road one after another as if frightened by something. Not only stopping there, some had even fallen on their butt.
After seeing what happened, Myne snorted a laugh while looking at me.
[Fate, did you do something terrible to these people?]
[I didn’t!]
Was it because they’re scared of my skull mask, or was it because I’m a Holy Knight? My clothes were quite different from that of a Holy Knight’s. You’ll understand if you see the embroideries, but I can’t really imagine that they’ll get scared from just seeing it.
Perhaps, it’s because the stats that aren’t completely concealed…..they might have sensed the powerful aura of area E. These people are repulsed by the strong, I knew this myself.
Myne then told me that she had expected this kind of thing.
[Your training is still insufficient]
[I can’t really argue to that.]
Judging from how Myne looked, I had a feeling that she’ll come up with another borderline deadly training for me once we returned back to the mansion. Recently she didn’t seem troubled from doing so. After all, I did have Auto-Recovery and Auto- Recovery boost skill.
Thanks to that I got to understand the limit on how much damage I could take before I will truly die.
She’s also of Area E, and more capable in term of controlling her stats. And since her grade was higher than me, when she pummeled me, it felt like my bones were being crushed, and as they were recovered by skills, their structures also changed.
Well, my durability has become much higher than the time I was in Gallia.
Myne didn’t care about the surroundings, she simply proceed to the church as is. Then, we noticed a small tent just outside the entrance. Even when I didn’t enter the tent, I could tell from the smell. It’s just as I thought.
The church was distributing meals to the people.
There was only one menu, vegetable soup boiled in a large cauldron. Sniff sniff…there is no meat in it judging from the smell. Even so, it’s winter and the day has become colder.
Even though it’s just a simple soup, anyone here would really appreciate it since it’ll help warm their body up. As evidence, there was that long queue.
But then, I was wondering myself about how the church could afford the funds to do this….it’s a mystery.
Myne said while watching the soup.
[I want to eat]
[No can do. That’s not the meal prepared for us. Come now, let’s go.]
I pushed Myne’s back, heading toward the church.
Oooooh!?
This would be the first time I entered the church, and I was mildly surprised to see the interior was actually more in order than the exterior. Especially the god’s statue in the altar, it was actually in much better condition than the building itself.
I looked at it, breathed out a long sigh, then went to ask the sister who was praying.
She turned around, then asked me with wide-eyes.
[This…Holy Knight-sama. Why, in such a place?]
[My name is Fate Barbatos. I came here because I want to have a cooperation with the church.]
I told her the current situation of the Barbatos territory, and that I wanted the church to help gather people to help with the reconstruction. And I specifically asked for people without proper skill to get a job.
The sister was perplexed, especially since it’s under the King’s permission. But after thinking about letting the people be able to get a job even if it’s a physical labor kind, she seemed relieved.
And since it’s the request of a Holy Knight, someone who is close to the absolute beings she worships, she’ll obey even if she was forced to do so.
[ I won’t force you. If, there are people who live peacefully here but have no place to return home to, then it’ll help me if you could introduce these kind of people to me.]
[I see…..will it be alright if I ask about several things?]
I nodded, then she began to ask after apologizing.
[Will they receive proper meals? What about the guard for the journey?]
We also talked about various other things. Apparently, the slums condition was worse than the time when I was still living here. It seemed to be because the absence of the Heart family, who had been keeping the more unsavory members of the Holy Knights away from the slum. Roxy’s father died in Gallia, and Roxy herself had gone to Gallia.
With nobody to keep them in check, the Holy Knights would come to the desolate slum to do some unspeakable violences.
Indeed, when I told the King about my intention, some of the holy knights showed a blatantly dismayed face. I guess they think that I’ve stolen their toys.
I told the sister that the Barbatos family would come back later, and told her my detailed plan.
First of all the team would do an inspection while having the sister follows as an overseer. No matter how much you say with your mouth, trust could only be obtained through actions and results after all.
After talking about the whole things, I noticed that Myne wasn’t around. After a brief look, I noticed her sleeping on one of the couch. As expected….a first class warrior can rest at anywhere and anytime….nonono, that was no good.
Wasn’t she just standing behind me before? As usual, the “My pace Myne”.
If I wake her up incorretly, she might go mad, so let’s just leave her as it is for now.
The sister smiled upon looking at Myne’s sleeping face.
[Such a cute sleeping face]
[When she’s asleep….yes she is. If only she stays like that all the time, how wonderful it will be I wonder]
[That’s a harsh thing to say]
[Ahahaha, I’m just joking.]
Whilst answering, my face turned serious as I turned toward the god’s statue. The sister also turned toward the same direction.
[What’s the matter? The Laplace God?]
[Aah…now I remember, that name. I have abandoned my faith in the past. But seeing this, feels nostalgic.]
[I see. That is the God who created this world, so even if you are a holy knight, please refrain from saying blasphemous thing while you are here.]
The faceless God stood there silently. The Creator God Laplace, he has given the people in this world a special gift called skill.
However, the contents were not equal and it causes great disparity. Either you were a chosen, or not chosen……those are the two positions one cannot changes until one dies.
The sister also said it.
That it’s merely a great trial of faith laid by the god to us…..
If that so, what about me? I wonder if the Gluttony skill is also that so-called trial from the God.
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