Prologue
“Mom, are you feeling alright?”
Iria asked worriedly, looking at her mother Sarah’s face.
It was nighttime, in a room of the church in Melte Village.
The Law God Religion, which Iria and Sarah believed in, was the largest sect on the continent and, true to its name, presided over the law. The social status of priests was high, and it wasn’t uncommon for senior priests to be entrusted with official trials and inquisitions.
Sarah in Melte Village was no exception to this. She was called upon to mediate various disputes, from small quarrels between villagers to large conflicts between villages.
In addition to the trust placed in her position as a priest of the Law God, there was also deep personal trust in Sarah herself. Even those with hot-headed disputes would typically (albeit sometimes reluctantly) lay down their arms if “Priestess Sarah says so.”
However, not all disputes were settled smoothly. Most disputes were clashes of desire against desire, revealing the ugly side of human nature. There were even those who directed their ill will towards the mediator.
Iria had experienced this many times as a priest herself. With the recent increase in disputes both within and outside the village, Iria couldn’t help but worry about her mother.
In response to her daughter’s concern, Sarah smiled and replied.
“Thank you for worrying, Iria. But I’m fine.”
“But…”
“Who do you think taught you martial arts? I didn’t train you to give up so easily.”
Seeing her mother laugh heartily, Iria furrowed her brow in concern.
Of course, she understood what her mother meant. Despite her gentle appearance, Sarah as an adventurer was not just a “priest” but a “warrior priest.” The skills she had cultivated hadn’t been lost even after she quit being an adventurer.
In that sense, it might be presumptuous for the inexperienced Iria to worry about her mother.
Iria understood this, but she couldn’t help worrying about her mother because the cause of the increased disputes was none other than herself.
In essence, the root of recent problems lay in the recent Orc subjugation. The unexpected windfall from the reward money and material sales proceeds, transferred to Melte Village at Sora’s request, had sparked heated debates in the village about how to handle this large sum of money.
It was troublesome enough with just the villagers butting heads, but now neighboring villages were sticking their noses into the discussion, causing the commotion to show no signs of settling.
Iria shook her head in irritation.
“Really, people who are so greedy are just unsight-“
“Iria.”
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Sarah called her daughter’s name shortly. Though her words and expression weren’t particularly stern, there was something in her voice that stemmed Iria’s anger.
“Ah… I’m sorry, Mom.”
“I understand what you want to say. But I want you to understand the anxious feelings of the villagers too. The poison in the Keel River hasn’t disappeared yet, and in response, the shadows of monsters have begun to appear. Thanks to you and Sora, we avoided disaster with the recent Orcs, but everyone is worried about their future lives. When such an unprecedented amount of money comes in at a time like this-“
Sarah thought it was natural for people to change their attitude. Especially when not just their own future, but their families’ futures were at stake.
That’s why Sarah didn’t see a problem as long as the disputes were being resolved through discussions.
The problem would arise if someone appeared who resorted to force for their own benefit. Given the enormous amount of wealth brought in, such people were likely to appear sooner or later from both inside and outside the village. In the worst case, villagers might end up taking up arms against each other. This was what deeply worried Sarah.
However, Sarah had no intention of sharing this anxiety with her daughter. Neatly concealing her inner apprehension, she changed the subject with a calm face.
“More importantly – I should be the one asking if you’re alright, Iria.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“You might think it’s gone unnoticed, but you’ve been sighing dejectedly at every opportunity, keeping your distance from Lars who’s returned to the village, and your mind wanders during worship. No mother would fail to notice such changes in her daughter.”
“Uh… that’s…”
“You’re already an adult, standing on your own as a warrior priest. I don’t intend to meddle uninvited, but… you must know what people are whispering behind your back, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Iria, along with Sora the dragon knight, had supposedly annihilated the large group of Orcs – that’s how the story went. In reality, Sora had done most of it alone, but to hide his abnormally high combat ability, Sora had ordered Iria to present it as a joint achievement.
Of course, Iria was forbidden to speak about this order, and she was the only one who knew the truth.
To the villagers who didn’t know this behind-the-scenes story, Sora and Iria, who had fought a desperate battle against countless Orcs, appeared to be comrades bound by a deep bond.
On the other hand, a deep rift remained between Lars, who had returned to the village, and Iria. Iria, who used to be inseparable from Lars, now avoided him and barely exchanged words. Lars, for his part, seemed to accept this relationship.
It was inevitable that some would start to speculate that [something] had happened between Iria, Lars, and Sora.
Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Sarah softened her expression.
“If you’re aware, that’s fine. In any case, think carefully and make a decision you won’t regret. If you feel you can’t handle it alone, don’t hesitate to ask for advice. There’s no shame in that.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Iria nodded with a solemn face.
Just then, voices calling for them were heard from outside the room.
“Hey, Mama Sarah, Big Sis Iria! The village chief is here! Says it’s an urgent matter!”
“It’s urgent!”
“It’s a matter!”
Hearing this, mother and daughter looked at each other.
Considering the current situation, the words “urgent matter” only gave them a bad feeling.
And their premonition would turn out to be spectacularly accurate.
Sora revisited Melte Village five days after this day.
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