Chapter 245

“The bishop has been acting strangely lately.”

“Oh, is that something you should be telling me?”

“You're my teacher, so it's all right.”

“I feel like you've skipped a few steps there.”

Jio sat on the bed of Aram, the Moon Cult's saintess.

“If you want to ask your teacher for advice, you're welcome to. Listening to my disciple's troubles and helping her find a way to grow is part of my job.”

“Then I'll take you up on that. I'm too bewildered to judge the situation objectively. But I can't go around talking carelessly about the bishop's affairs when she's the pillar of the Moon Cult...”

“How conscientious of you.”

Aram looked as though she were struggling to hold back a sigh.

“That's what I'm trying to say. The bishop has changed.”

“In what way?”

“For one thing, she's excluding me from important events.”

“What sort of important events?”

“I was left out of the meeting to discuss what to do about the new dungeon. I used to be called to those meetings often, but the bishop hasn't said a word about it. It's strange.”

“I imagine she wants you to get plenty of rest, since you haven't fully recovered.”

“I think so too, but...”

When Aram hesitated, Jio supplied the words for her.

“Something doesn't sit right with you?”

“... Yes. She's always talked about how important it is to look after my health, but this seems to be going on a bit long. I'm much healthier now, aren't I?”

“If a child I thought of as my daughter had spent years suffering in a form that looked neither human nor divine, I'd give her a long time to rest too. And I doubt I'm the only one.”

“Even if that's understandable, she's been looking at me so often lately. Her hand tenses as though she's about to stroke my hair, then relaxes again. It's... How do I put this...?”

“Hmm.”

Jio pretended to consider it before asking,

“You mean she seems unsettled?”

“Perhaps.”

The bishop had always been calm and composed. In other words, she had excellent self-control. Yet lately, she hadn't looked at all well.

“She looks so tired, as though she hasn't been sleeping, and she's been going around practically every archive in the Moon Cult. Then on other days, she goes into her bedroom and never comes out... She even seems somehow uncomfortable when she sees me.”

That hurt.

“My training must have been inadequate, if something this trivial upsets me.”

“Of course it hurts when a comfortable relationship with someone close to you starts turning awkward.”

“I want to ask what's going on, but perhaps it's my imagination—she seems to be avoiding talking to me. She seems to be getting worse, and I'm so worried...”

“That's certainly cause for concern.”

Jio thought,

'This is hopeless.'

Aram had absolutely no idea why the bishop was behaving that way.

'It hasn't even occurred to her that the bishop has started looking at the child she considers her daughter with ordinary human concern. Then again, the bishop herself doesn't seem aware of what she's doing, so perhaps it's only natural...'

If the Moon Cult's system collapsed, Aram would no longer have to become the next Moon. The possibilities arising from that premise were making the bishop anxious and restless. The evil god Arjio had steered her toward them.

Even so, he found it absurd.

'But for her to mistake these little displays of love for attempts to distance herself... That's a serious problem. The Moon Cult's priests really have no social skills. None at all.'

Jio patted Aram's back.

“I've never had the impression that the bishop wants to distance herself from you. Perhaps she's worried about you but doesn't know how to express it, so it feels unfamiliar.”

“I'd be grateful and relieved if that were true, but...”

“She certainly hasn't been looking well lately.”

“That's what I'm saying!”

“Could she be working on some research of her own?”

“...”

Aram looked downcast.

“... Something makes me uneasy.”

“What is it that makes you uneasy?”

“I feel as though so many things are changing. Like I'm standing on the floor of a high-rise that's about to collapse, or sitting on a branch that might snap.”

“That's rather specific.”

Was this a saint's intuition?

'She's remarkably perceptive.'

How had she figured out he meant to uproot the Moon Cult entirely?

“Do you have any idea what it might be?”

“Not really.”

“Then?”

“... I think I'm more anxious because I've been feeling our teacher's absence so keenly lately. Our teacher was often away, but I could at least have little conversations with the Moon. Lately, there's been no word at all...”

“You sound like a child looking for a parent who's away on a long business trip.”

“It isn't so different for me. We've been together since I was very young.”

“I suppose that's true.”

She had put her finger on it quite accurately.

'Young as she is, she was chosen by the Moon itself, so perhaps that's only natural. But the Moon Cult may notice something is wrong sooner than I expected. In that case, a little intervention on my part should be enough to keep things going smoothly...'

Jio grinned.

“Still, I've been very happy to see how you're doing lately, Aram.”

“... Me?”

“The bishop is an adult, isn't she? I've been more worried about you than her. You were in quite a state when we first met. Imagine how shocked I was.”

“B-back then... I didn't know it would get that bad either...”

“I'm happy because you seem to be doing what you want now. Of course, you were already following the path you wanted, but even you must feel that you see things a little differently now.”

“... That's true.”

After some hesitation, Aram nodded.

“I didn't realize then that I had so much more to learn than I'd ever imagined.”

“I know how hard you were trying, but it doesn't hurt to look beyond your surroundings once in a while.”

Jio took his hand from Aram's back.

“You could try talking more with your brothers in discipleship here in the Moon Cult.”

“They're all busy. I don't want to bother them for no reason.”

“It's another opportunity to share knowledge and wisdom with them. Didn't you only discover the joy of eating and the wisdom that comes with it after you first tasted the rice gruel I made you?”

“You mean it's the same sort of thing?”

“Yes. The knowledge and wisdom humans can acquire aren't limited to complex theories and unexplained mysteries. From what I've seen, the Moon Cult's priests seem to be missing the most fundamental lessons of all.”

“... I think you're right, Teacher.”

“Aram.”

Jio asked gently,

“Do you want to become the Moon?”

“Yes, I...”

Though her answer came instantly, the rest followed a beat late. Aram continued,

“... I'm going to make the world more peaceful.”

“So that's your dream.”

“Yes.”

My own choice. My pride.

“I can do it.”

“Of course.”

Jio affirmed it.

“You can do anything.”

* * *

Sometimes, Ater felt as though his present life couldn't be real.

“...”

“What is it? Are you hungry?”

“... You ask that whenever I so much as stare into space. I trust you don't think a lack of fuel is the only reason humans malfunction.”

“Judging by that long-winded reply, you must be hungry.”

“I suppose it is mealtime, but no, it's not because I'm hungry... Ha...”

This very moment, exchanging nonsense with the evil god Arjio, was one such thing.

“Would you like some bread I made earlier?”

“... It's soft and sweet. But isn't this usually eaten for dessert?”

“A little sweetness on your tongue won't stop you eating a meal. What's the problem?”

“I wouldn't go so far as to call it a problem...”

So was the fact that the bread he'd baked himself tasted so good.

“Is your room to your liking?”

“Oh, yes. I've been comfortable, thanks to you.”

“If you wish, I could find you a place in the Black Forest or the beasts' village instead of these ruins...”

“As I said before, the Black Forest is too damp, and I haven't yet found the courage to approach this new world you mentioned. The room you've given me suits me best for now.”

“How brave of you.”

And so was the fact that the evil god had personally given him a corner of his own tomb.

“I thought you wouldn't much like this place. You have no pleasant memories of it, do you? I've worked hard to reshape and rebuild it, but even so, you have remarkable nerve.”

“All my companions died here too.”

Of course, even now, remembering his days trapped in that cramped coffin of thorns sent chills down his spine. But that was a past he had to overcome, not avoid forever. Recovering all his companions' remains would take considerable time as well.

Above all, his feelings about these ruins weren't entirely bad.

“... To be honest, we were treated most decently when we were exploring these ruins and trying to slay you, the Demon King. Surely I can't call even my memories of talking and eating with my companions back then bad ones.”

“I'm very glad you have such a positive outlook.”

“I never imagined you would be like this. You're remarkably generous with praise.”

Quite unlike what his appearance suggested.

The corner of the tomb the evil god had given him was comfortable. Sunlight even reached it, though it must have been deep underground. When Ater asked how that was possible, he said he had used the Sun's powers.

What had happened while he was sealed away?

'And then there's his human form.'

The evil god Arjio that Ater remembered had been closer to a sinister, mysterious beast than a human. Too immense to take in at a glance, that being had looked like a mixture of human and beast. His present appearance was distinctly different.

'He did say that his current personality belongs to the last saint sacrificed to him. Then that body must belong to the last saint too. But why... I don't quite understand why he goes out of his way to accommodate human sensibilities.'

Yet the bedding he provided was soft. The meals were warm and delicious, and, absurdly enough, their conversations were quite enjoyable. Arjio was good company. Ater wondered how he had come to take on a nearly human form, and what had happened along the way.

“...”

But that could wait.

“... Thank you for helping me bury my companions here.”

“You hardly seemed in your right mind when you buried them, but it looks as though you've sorted through many of your thoughts and feelings during your time alone.”

“I apologize again for my rudeness then...”

Through a god's powers, Ater had gone from meat mush to a human being. Yet even a stalwart hero's mind sometimes crumbled before the lingering shadows of the past. Time and again, he would be thinking and acting normally, as he was now, only to thrash like a beast when those memories stabbed him.

'Is that why he gave me time alone?'

Arjio had returned to the ruins after quite a long absence. In the meantime, Ater had been occupied with recovering his companions' remains one by one. Fortunately, the evil god had restored their bodies to a presentable state, sparing him some effort.

'If he hadn't, I probably would have been out of my mind much longer.'

He felt apologetic and awkward.

“... We ‘champions’ belong to the old age. Now that a new age has dawned, it's only right that we be buried in the old one. That's why I wanted to bury their bodies with my own hands... in the soil of the old age.”

“Though I do wonder whether the evil god's tomb is the right place to bury them.”

“I thought it would be better than the Black Forest.”

In that damp, dreadful land, buried bodies would soon be dug up again. His companions' bodies had finally been restored through a god-given miracle. He didn't want them ruined so quickly.

“Will you be staying here for a while, then?”

“Most likely.”

Jio nodded.

'Aram's condition has fully stabilized too.'

In truth, she had been healed quite some time ago.

His staying by her side after that had been nothing more than his own selfish desire. But with things growing busy lately over the Amusement Park of Dreams, it had become awkward for him to remain, so he had simply packed his bags and left again.

“Is there anything you'd like to eat today?”

“... Hmm...”

After a long moment's thought, Ater said,

“... I'd like some jerky soup.”

“I make an excellent jerky soup.”

“You don't look like you would at all.”

“Surely a wanderer who's spent nearly his entire life in the Black Forest can manage that much? But jerky soup, of all things. You must be thinking of your companions.”

“It was a little crude, but... yes, it brings them to mind.”

“Food filled with memories is special.”

At how readily he responded, Ater pressed his lips together.

“...”

He couldn't help wondering.

'... Is this side of him false, or real?'

Meaningless though the question was.

(To be continued)