After Tatsumi and the others left the temple, a young man bringing along others of the same age entered the temple as if waiting for them to leave.
「Oi, Vergil’s old man.That beauty… What exactly did she come to this village for?」
「……Garudo, hm? Those people came from the royal capital Savaiv temple, in order to treat the instance of the disease. Even if you’re the mayor’s son… the next mayor, you shouldn’t be that disrespectful to these people.」
「Instance of the disease？……Ahh, at Bekkuri’s daughter’s place. But doesn’t Bekkuri’s place have some kind of curse on it? His firstborn daughter all of a sudden disappeared from the village, and his second daughter caught a weird disease. Isn’t that right, old man? About that house, wasn’t it for the better that it was driven out of the village?」
As Garudo said that, the young men behind him agreed while slightly smiling.
「But isn’t that a fine woman. So that’s a woman from the royal capital. How much is she for one night? I hadn’t heard from the old man.」
From a short while ago, while looking at the beautiful woman’s body and having wild fantasies, Garudo vulgarly smirks.
In Garudo’s perception, whatever the actual job of the female traveler, they were always prostitutes.
The women travellers that named themselves as doctors or minstrels often had a「Nightly Side Job」.
In reality, there was even one woman who had wanted to be bought by Garudo.
Garudo, looking at the pretty woman from a while ago, thought that she would be cheap and was just for looks.
But, hearing Garudo’s words, Priest Vergil’s eyes changed color.
「Don’t jest so! She is not the same as the women you know! Calse has already changed from how we know her!」
「…………Calse you say？ Is that possibly, the《Liar Calse》we knew from our childhood?」
「……Yes. She is that Calse. But now she is the Savaiv Religious Association’s highest priest-sama, Giuseppe Chrysoprase highness’s adopted daughter, the famously named《Holy Maiden》. She is no longer at the same social status of someone who lives in a border town. Don’t try to treat her like how you treat other women!」
「《Holy Maiden》？ Oh yeah, I did hear that there was a beautiful woman in the royal capital who was called that.」
「Ah, so Calse is that《Holy Maiden》? 《Holy Maiden》, is that so, she became that even though she’s a madwoman?」
Garudo’s followers all roar with laughter.
They had up until now thought that Calsedonia is《Liar Calse》, and thought she remained a crazy person.
「Hah, becoming a head priest, do you know how great that is? That even the old man knows that? The person I knew becoming a head priest?」
「You moron!! Even though she’s one of Giuseppe highness’s people, far above us in social status you still say that!!」
Priest vergil, raging, lets spit fly while insisting so. But his words are still heard by Garudo almost as if he’s looking down on the continuing words of the priest, leaving the chapel.
「Hey, Garudo. Even though Vergil-sama said that, what do you think?」
As one of his followers asks him, Garudo gives a scorning smile.
「Fuun, I think priests tend to think they’re better than each other.But does she think she’s a prominent nobility in this country? A chief priest, and a dignified noble. Which one do you guys think is better?」
「Well, wouldn’t it be the nobility?」
「Yeah? Then, there’s no need to fear of a chief priest.」
Even in their childhood, Garudo and co. had known that they, the priests of Priest Vergil, were at a lower social status than nobility.
For the Priest Vergil who lived at Lagine Village, his work was to pray together with the villagers at the temple on Sundays, to give their congratulations to newborn babies, give their congratulations to the seasonal harvests, and to pray for the dead to rest in peace.
Other than that was to just help treat people that had illnesses or injuries.
Therefore, even though they say that, they don’t actually think that they, indispensable to the village, are below the nobility.
Garudo and co, who were still young – around the same age as Calsedonia, about 20 years old – knew nothing outside of the village, could not understand why the adults in the village bowed to Priest Vergil.
Maybe if Priest Vergil was a magician, Garudo and co. would have perhaps grown up to be different people.
And if they had perhaps socialized with a noble, they would have rashly thought worse than that.
A showy high class noble, and an annoying priest. From their point of view, it was obvious that the noble was superior.
Maybe if they had headed at least once to the royal capital, and had seen the four great gods’ temples, their dignified appearance and magnificence, maybe their understanding of the issue would have immediately crumbled and left before the sight.
However, the biggest city they had seen was at most Toga’s city, the degree of which should not be compared to the royal capital at all.
The scale 4 god’s shrines were not nearly as big in Toga, so they significantly overlooked the religious associations
Our understanding is righteous.
We are naturally righteous.
(TL: These 2 sentences were said the same way in Japanese.)
For a long time, they have thought so, and being「Countrymen」 that live in a border town., they didn’t realize the inconsistency of their understanding of the capital.
No, it might be that they would hate breaking the idea of 「A world of only my rules」, and therefore abandon any effort to do so.
「Oh yeah, Calse did have a few companions with her. Where did they go?」
Other than Calsedonia, there were 4 guys who had arrived at the Savaiv Temple.
Within them was a nicely dressed 40 year old man, another was a companion like boy. The other two were young men dressed in armor, most likely hired mercenaries or guards.
「Boss, that nicely dressed old guy, could he have the duty of Calse’s relaxation during her trip?」(TL note: this is meant in a sexual way)
「I understand. Even though the《Holy Maiden》is called such a great position, you can’t do it unless you’re insane？」
「Either way, they probably would have come here.Even though they’re more or less dressed pretty well, their social status isn’t that great. Also, even if the boss of that group makes a fuss, we could just shut him up. Therefore… … 」
「So, when Calse came here in order to get a welcome party… from us?」
「Right. One night… no, we’ll love her until she gets tired of us.」
As they pictured the rape of Calse and her companions in her mind, they chuckle slightly.
「Preferably, after we enjoy her, we should present her as a slave to him, yeah?」
「That would be good. Even if she is insane, she is pretty beautiful. She would probably be happier that way.」
「Yeah, Calse would be happier as a slave of nobility, rather continuing to be an annoying priest.」
While Garudo and co. say selfish things, their wicked thoughts inflate while standing in the middle of the road.
「Do you remember me? I’m so happy」
While vulgarly grinning, Garudo walked up to Calsedonia while spreading his arms.
However, while Garudo was advancing on her, Calsedonia was walking back. As a result, the distance between the two did not shorten at all.
「What is it, Calse. We’re your childhood friends, you know? We used to play together in this village a long time ago. After meeting your childhood friend again, shouldn’t you want to exchange a warm embrace?」
While affixing a smile that was riddled with ulterior motives to his face, Garudo took several steps forward at the same time.
In the space between him and Calsedonia, someone cut into the exchange.
「… Hey, small fry. I have no business with you. Get out of here.」
Garudo, gripping his fist tightly, throws his fist at the person who cut in — Tatsumi’s chin as a threat.
In reality, Garudo was a man with a big build. His height was just a bit taller than that of Tatsumi’s or Morgan’s, and his width of body seemed to fit for how tall he was.
In terms of simple muscle and physical power, Garudo was certainly stronger.
However, Tatsumi, who had continued training with priests, soldiers, coworkers, and senpais, who had crossed swords with fearsome magical beasts, did not even flinch when catching the fist.
「If I’ve been hearing you correctly, you’ve been saying quite rude things for a while now?」
「Hah? Did you not hear me? Get out of here, small fry. I’ve got some business with Calse. In the first place, what’s with that plain black armor? Aa, is it that you have no money so that plain armor was all you could buy?」
When Garudo said that, the company behind him all together laughed loudly.
In that situation, Tatsumi gazed at them strangely.
What he had equipped was high-quality armor which had used a dragon’s raw materials. Certainly, to the viewer it looked like plain, one color armor, but the actual value of it was higher than the entire village land and its total worth.
「What, you couldn’t buy the gorgeous armor that actual knights use, since you don’t have enough money? The destitute mercenary life must be soo hard.」
As if he was giving sympathy, Garudo’s words are almost like they’re mocking him.
Then, Tatsumi ascertained as to exactly what type of person the man in front of him was.
「Hey, Calse. Is this guy… a moron?」
「Yeah, from a long time ago I had thought his only boasting point was his physical stamina and strength, but I didn’t get the impression he was smart. As danna-sama says, he is stupid.」
Tatsumi intentionally asks like he couldn’t hear Calsedonia, with Calsedonia grins while responding with biting words.
「Oi, small fry! It seems like you want to meet a very bitter ending? Say that one more time!」
Just as he thought, Garudo took the bait Tatsumi had set up, and walked closer with zero caution, his anger visible.
By looking at how he carried himself and his gait, Tatsumi determined that Garudo had not trained in chivalry nor magic at all.
It seemed that exactly as Calsedonia had said, Garudo’s only boasting point was his arm strength. With his strength, it seemed he had been called the「Kid General」.
In an attempt to restrain Tatsumi, Garudo extends his burly arms toward him.
However, Tatsumi had slightly more talent in handling his body, and let just his left arm pass, and grab him.
Just now, Garudo’s line of sight suddenly changed.
Up until now, he had been looking at the man in full black body armor, but for an instant his field of view was dyed blue.
「…………The sky？」
He sees floating white objects – clouds, and Garudo recognizes that the blue he sees is sky.
And the next moments contained an impact to his back.
His back was suddenly slammed against the ground, and the air in Garudo’s lungs was suddenly forcibly expelled.
The moment his arm touched him, Tatsumi threw Garudo’s body.
Rather than being a throw that made him fly far away, he remained in the same position, and the way he was facing was just forcibly changed.
The front of his body that was facing Tatsumi was suddenly facing the sky. In a state where his body is horizontal to the ground, the height he saw was somewhere around Tatsumi’s chest.
And, Tatsumi grabs Garudo’s virtually defenseless neck with his right hand.
He suddenly accelerated Garudo’s right hand downward, slamming it from his back toward the ground.
To put it into words, Tatsumi used the motion of his body in a throwing technique.
The resulting choking from the impact of his back, Garudo’s lungs struggled and gasped for air.
However, Tatsumi’s right hand was digging into his throat, and he was unable to inhale.
As he watched Garudo’s face quickly changing color, Tatsumi finally loosened his right hand.
「If you don’t want to meet an even more painful end, don’t say anything rude to Calse again, got it good-for-nothing?」
Tatsumi, while coldly looking down on Garudo, told him so in a low, resounding voice.
(TL Note: 背中を地面と水平に向けた状態で、その高さは辰巳の胸の辺りだろうか。Not sure exactly how to write this correctly. Translated it as “In a state where his body is horizontal to the ground, the height he saw was somewhere around Tatsumi’s chest”.)
「What are you guys doing!!」
Suddenly, with an angry voice, someone quickly rushed over.
Tatsumi, raising his head to see who it was, sees Priest Vergil. Hearing an uproar outside of the temple, he rushed out of the temple in a panic.
「Garudo!! After I told you that much, you bastard… For this incident, as a parent and as the village mayor you shall receive strict protest!!」
「Shut up, you annoying grandpa!!」
Garudo, while violently coughing finally manages to stand up.
「Hey!! Oi, we’re going!」
But, while Priest Vergil’s angry voice had been slowly gathering a crowd of villagers, and while going past them, Garudo said something to his friends before Tatsumi and Calsedonia could see him.
「Don’t take it too easy, Calse. You absolutely won’t be able to resist me, okay?」
As Garudo started to go away, he vulgarly smiled as he said that. Of course, Tatsumi had also heard those words as he was next to her.
Without fully realizing the meaning of the words, Tatsumi and Calsedonia exchange glances, Priest Vergil finally arrived at where they were.
When Priest Vergil finally arrived at Tatsumi and co., he was out of breath due to his old age, but without waiting he sat down at their feet.
「I’m terribly sorry,《Amaka》-dono! 《Holy Maiden》-dono! In his place, I apologize for his rudeness! Somehow… Somehow, please take a kind mindset and show mercy….!! Please do not let their error make your impression on this whole village… if needed, please settle for his and my shortening life!! I ask you… earnestly, earnestly!!」
Tatsumi and Calsedonia again exchanged gazes as Priest Vergil continued to apologize, prostrating with his forehead on the ground.
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