Ch.27Chapter 27. Opportunities Come to Those Who Act

“…a subjugation mission to reinforce the garrison?”

“It’s called a subjugation mission, but there’s almost no danger. High-ranking adventurers led by the Hero will handle the dangerous magical beasts, while newcomers just need to focus on reconnaissance or dealing with small creatures like goblins.”

A mission where quantity matters more than skill level, so high-ranking adventurers and newcomers gather without distinction.

Indeed, if it was something like this, anyone could take it on regardless of their level, without much burden.

Of course, if things went according to Irie’s vision of the future, I would die during this mission, but well, isn’t the risk of death the same for other quests too? No matter what I do, the danger remains the same, doesn’t it?

Moreover, I had originally decided to help Merilyn to prevent such a future.

If I wanted to minimize variables, perhaps the correct answer would be not to change anything and go there with her.

“Merilyn, what do you think about this request?”

“……”

“…Merilyn?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was unconsciously focusing on the request form.”

Merilyn spoke while carefully examining the contents written on the document.

Then she smiled gently as before and continued her answer.

“…But since I don’t know much about these things, I’ll follow Hyoseong’s opinion for now.”

“Ah, yes. Then let’s fill out the application form…”

The silence is a bit concerning, but it should be fine.

After completing the forms provided by the receptionist and confirming our acceptance, we left the guild. I glanced at her as we walked out.

“The mission starts tomorrow, so we have today free… Do you have any plans for the rest of the day, Merilyn?”

“Normally, I would look for work at places like taverns to earn travel funds, but…”

She rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Then she glanced at me and cautiously asked.

“If it’s alright, could I watch what you do?”

“Pardon? You mean me?”

“Yes, since we’ll be working together from now on, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to spend more time together while we have free time.”

Fellow adventurers who take on the same mission often drink together or share lodgings to build camaraderie.

Such things are common among adventurers, and I’ve experienced them often while working as a porter.

If only the subject wasn’t an attractive member of the opposite sex, I would have accepted it without much thought.

“You can come along if you want, but it won’t be very interesting. I’m just planning to warm up at the training grounds in preparation for tomorrow.”

“Hehe. I appreciate your consideration, but you don’t need to worry about that either.”

Merilyn turned to me with her usual gentle smile, modestly placing both hands near her waist as she spoke.

“From the moment I became interested in meeting you, I’ve been finding meaning in every moment spent with you…”

Interest, and value.

Considering the meaning and weight implied in those words, they’re not something you’d say to just anyone.

Since they’re not words meant for just anyone, it means she considers me special at this moment…

“…You’re not joking, are you?”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Damn.

This person is really not good for my heart.

****

The second benefit provided to adventurers after class selection is the training ground, which can generally be used for free.

While hiring an instructor or using premium training equipment costs money, there are few restrictions on usage for rookie adventurers like me if that’s not needed.

Of course, for someone like me who was looking for a place to test new weapons in addition to my class, the opportunity to use the training grounds for free was considered fortunate in itself.

But is fortune something that shines on its own once it finds you?

If it rolls right in front of you, you should try to grab it and make use of it somehow.

So as I gripped the spear and swung it diligently at the practice dummy, Merilyn, who had been watching from the side, took the opportunity during a break to ask me a question.

‘You’re working harder than I expected. I think you could take it a bit easier, is there a reason for this?’

Working hard…

While I was just doing my best within my capabilities, it seems even that effort appeared quite unexpected to her.

In reality, most people who came to the training grounds didn’t go all out like me, but rather just swung their weapons casually or only followed what the professional instructors told them to do.

‘Well, if I had to say, it’s because of a compulsion that I have to work hard.’

‘A compulsion, you say?’

‘Yes, you see, there was this incident before…’

While I consider adaptability and diligence my strengths, even I didn’t work this hard in my previous life.

Yet the fact that I’m working hard enough to draw admiration from observers is probably due to a past experience that had a significant impact on me.

Specifically, my experience supporting a Hero who received sponsorship from the church.

“Please don’t look.”

“But…”

“This isn’t something for you to worry about. Please don’t look.”

At that time, she was clearly in a precarious situation by anyone’s standards, but she was accepting her predicament with a composed face.

Her patience was truly admirable, even for someone like me who has considerable patience.

But even so, I couldn’t just ignore the situation.

“…Isn’t that dangerous?”

While navigating through a dungeon, she had been leading me to find a place to pray when her lower body fell into a trap in the corridor.

“It’s fine. I can get out of this on my own anytime.”

“No, it doesn’t look like you can…”

“I’m simply considering this as the Lord’s will and trying to compose myself. Don’t worry about it and go do your job.”

That damn Nun, being stubborn and glaring at me fiercely despite her predicament.

But it wasn’t entirely feasible for me to leave and do my job as instructed.

A significant portion of the luggage I was carrying consisted of items used to set up a “portable altar” needed for her prayers, and my task before she fell into the trap was to set up this altar myself.

“…Should I call someone?”

“How many times do I have to tell you that’s not necessary?”

“If we call someone nearby, they could easily get you out…”

“Sigh, this is why people without faith are so…”

People without faith.

That was a phrase she habitually used when encountering someone whose opinions didn’t align with hers.

Or more precisely, it was a common phrase among Heroes who received church sponsorship.

Those who received both the halo of being a Hero and divine power bestowed by God tended to prioritize faith in the deity they served above all else.

“You, sit down there for now.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said sit down, as you seem to need a sermon.”

Ah, yes. When told to do something, I must comply.

With such resignation, I put down my luggage and sat across from her. She cleared her throat and continued speaking with her hands modestly folded in front of her.

“Porter. What do you think faith is?”

“…It’s belief in God.”

“And belief is essentially waiting. Heaven bestows miracles upon those who know how to be patient, and I too am trying to silently accept my current situation as a trial, following that teaching.”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

She speaks well.

In reality, she’s probably just embarrassed about falling into a trap and doesn’t want to get out right away.

“What’s with that expression? Do you think I’m talking nonsense?”

“Ah, no. How could I, a mere nobody, think such things? Everything you say is right, Hero.”

“Cut the nonsense. I can see from your expression that you’re looking down on me… Hyaang!?”

While she was venting her frustration after seeing through my insincere agreement, a rough moan escaped her lips.

Then, with a reddening face, she began looking down at the pit where her body was trapped, with furrowed brows.

“Ah, ah, ungh! Hnngh~♡”

“…What’s wrong?”

“Something, something like slimy tentacles is crawling up my legs… Ah, huh, aaah~♥”

Oh no, is a tentacle-type magical beast approaching from below?

“Let me help you!”

“N-No! This much is… Eek!”

As soon as I reached out my hand, she slammed both her hands on the ground.

Along with that, a light spread out and seeped into her body, and her previously twitching body calmed down, with serenity returning to her face.

“Phew, now I can rest easy.”

“…Did you cast a barrier on your body?”

“Yes, as long as the barrier is maintained, no monster in this underground will be able to defile my pure body.”

Barrier.

While it’s a technique that clergy can create using divine power, the barriers she uses are fundamentally different from those handled by other clergy.

Through her awakened abilities as a Hero, she can block not only physical attacks but also ‘conceptual things’ that don’t have a physical form.

Including mental attacks as well as sensory aspects like bodily nerves.

“Of course, being groped outside the barrier would be unpleasant, but I’ve also cast a sensory-blocking spell used for meditation, so I can endure it sufficiently.”

“…Wouldn’t it be better to use that power to escape?”

“Be quiet. What do you know about faith to be talking like that?”

I said that hoping she would use her power more efficiently, not about faith.

Damn, how much of the dungeon exploration is left, and she’s wasting power like this due to her stubbornness.

“As I’ve said many times, those without faith don’t feel the necessity of waiting. The Lord will someday bestow miracles upon those who prove their patience through prayer…”

After that, the damn Nun went on preaching about how one must wait for a miracle to come, like some Native American rain dance.

Even normally, she would irritate others by not casting barriers when needed during fights, but instead randomly criticizing what others were doing and delivering sermons.

As a porter, I could only watch from a distance, but seeing her preach in such an unseemly state with only her lower half trapped made my blood pressure rise in real-time…

“I’ll say it again, waiting is a virtue necessary for people. Especially in such harsh situations, those like you who haven’t acquired proper power due to lack of faith should feel the necessity of patience even more.”

That damn Nun, repeating boring words that could rival a principal’s lecture to the point where you’d want to Dempsey Roll it away, without any self-awareness.

But it was impossible for a mere foreign laborer like me to talk back to a Hero blessed by God.

If I was annoyed, I should just earn money quickly and start my own adventure.

As I was inwardly repeating such thoughts while just nodding along, I noticed her face gradually turning pale.

“So always remember this. Pray to the Lord and it shall be fulfilled. Then you will have the strength to overcome any danger in this harsh world… Ugh!”

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, how many times do I have to… Urgh!”

She seemed to be experiencing nausea, as if something was surging up from inside.

But I couldn’t immediately determine the cause.

Since she had blocked her senses with her ability, it was impossible to know exactly what and where the problem was.

“S-Something’s wrong. The Lord’s holy protection should be guarding my body, so why…”

Even she, who had been preaching until now, couldn’t ignore the abnormality and waved her hand, causing her status window to appear before her.

She could probably check the status of the barrier she had cast, linked to her abilities.

And then…

“Wh-What? The barrier is broken?”

Reflexive bewilderment in her voice.

Then her face, as she looked down at the hole, began to redden with intense anger that drove away the paleness.

“I-Impossible. Then, my body is now… Aaaah!! You filthy demon! How dare you defile this pure body dedicated to the Lord!!”

“…Is the situation serious?”

“Can’t you see!? What are you doing?! Don’t just stand there, call someone immediately… Cough!”

Damn, if you were going to do this, you should have asked earlier!

In a hurry, I abandoned my luggage and called for people at the base camp. Those who hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation followed me with slow steps.

After all, spending hours in prayer was a daily routine for her.

So even if I made a fuss, everyone thought there wouldn’t be any problem…

“E-Erg, ack…”

But what we found upon arrival was her usually dignified upper body now face-down.

Unable to escape from the hole, with her upper body pressed against the floor and gasping, it was a sight that anyone would take seriously.

“Over here! Please dig up the ground quickly!”

“Damn, what the hell happened!?”

The party members, belatedly realizing the gravity of the situation, immediately began digging up the ground where she was buried.

And soon, sand began pouring down below.

When such a hollow scene was revealed, everyone’s mouths, including mine, gaped open.

Yes, what should have been there was gone.

“Wh-What?”

The person who confirmed this sight with us.

With blood spewing from her mouth, she spoke with difficulty.

“M-My lower body, where did it…”

A sob filled with despair.

Immediately after, a mass of tentacles surged up from the ground with a swooshing sound, wrapped around her remaining upper body, and dragged her into the ground.

And then came the squelching sound.

“Aaaaargh! It’s a sensory-blocking man-eater!”

I ran away from that place without looking back.

***

“…So, like that Nun who relied on heaven, I realized that if I just wait around, I might get eaten away without even knowing it. That’s why I think I should work hard whenever I have the opportunity to act.”

“Oh, I see.”

After explaining the reason for my dedication to training by recalling that past experience, Merilyn, who had been listening to my story from the side, stared at me blankly.

Strange. Considering her personality, I would have expected her to make a few jokes.

Wasn’t this kind of story quite common in this world?