Chapter 4.14 - Temple Chief

Kousuke’s party was brought to a room to receive guests in the temple.

Kousuke’s party was made to sit on a three-person sofa while Laurel sits on another one facing them.

There is a table between them and that’s where a shrine maiden puts the tea served for them.

Kousuke only says something after tasting the tea.

「Ah, this tea is good.」

「You think so? Thanks. This is also my favorite tea.」

Laurel also drank tea happily.

「Then, what do you want to tell us that the public can’t hear?」

Kousuke cut the chase.

「Ara. You have noticed after all.」

「Of course….is what I want to say but it was Kouhi and not me, who noticed it.」

Kouhi only tastes the tea regardless of Laurel’s attention.

She’s also thinking of how to get tea like this for Kousuke later.

「Fufu. You have a wonderful companion.」

「I take pride on my companion desu」

Laure smiled while Kousuke agreed to what she said.

「….what are you talking about?」

Hearing the conversation of the two, Sylvia can’t help but ask.

「Sylvia, did you really think that Laurel-san, the temple chief of this temple, called us to have a casual conversation?」

「….eh!?」

Sylvia looked at Laurel instinctively.

「I’m relieved to see that you have never changed, Sylvia.」

While looking at Sylvia, Laurel smiled.

「On the other hand, it’s quite helpful that Kousuke-kun can quickly grasp our conversation.」

Laurel said so as she smiled at Kousuke. Kousuke is also smiling back at her.

「I refuse.」

「I refuse.」

「….isn’t that too early?」

Laurel sighed in amazement.

「I know what you want to say even if you don’t say it. It will either be you asking me to join this temple or you asking us to hand over Sylvia’s sacred tool, or both.」

「….Great, that saves us a lot of time.」

「Given what happened earlier, those are the only possible reason.」

「Ara, don’t you think I have other things I want to talk about?」

「Do you?」

Laurel did not answer Kousuke’s question.

Her answer is silence.

Seeing Kousuke’s meditation(?) and creation of Sylvia’s sacred tool, for a clergy like her, those are something she must have or at least must be taught to her.

It is obvious just by looking at the state of the priests and shrine maidens who saw what’s happening earlier.

Laurel can only sigh,

「May I ask why?」

「I have a lot of things I need to do. I don’t have time to get involved with the temple.」

「You are direct to the point, aren’t you?」

「If I say it in a roundabout way, it will cause problems in the future.」

Kousuke thinks that it is better to refuse her clearly to prevent any future problem.

「Why don’……?」

「No need」

「….okay. Then, what about the pendant? Are you not willing to sell it with money too?」

Laurel, who realized that it is impossible to have them join the temple, has changed her target to the sacred tool.

「Ah, that’s easy to talk about. Only Sylvia can use it. Are you going to buy Sylvia with money too?」

「Eh!? Really!?」

Sylvia was surprised.

On the other hand, Laurel has a dubious expression.

「What do you mean?」

「Literally. I made it so that it will only respond to Sylvia’s divine power. So to speak, Sylvia’s divine power is the only key to use it.」

「Divine power….that sacred tool is a divine tool!?」

「Exactly.」

Hearing Kousuke’s immediate reply, Laurel was at a loss for words.

To begin with, in this world, only magic and holy power can be used. No one has ever used divine power.

Moreover, even if people can use magic and holy power, it is said that no one can handle divine power.

Even if there are ways to use powerful magic that is similar to divine power or healing spells that are similar to divine power, common sense would say that they only used certain methods and not divine power itself.

Occasionally, things that are called divine tools have been found but they are things that can’t be used by normal people.

「You….do you even know what you’re saying?」

Given how Laurel said that, Kousuke can’t help but smile wryly.

Ever since he came to this world, the place where he spent most of his time is the tower.

He doesn’t interact with other people.

However, he is aware that he surely deviates from this world’s common sense.

「Well, I know that I’m different from others.」

「No…it looks like you don’t really understand.」

「What do you mean?」

Seeing Laurel’s expression, Kousuke can’t help but squint his eyebrows.

「What you did over there and what you talked about here just now are not something that people like us can overlook.」

Kousuke understood what Laurel was trying to say.

To be precise, he was told. By Kouhi. Using telepathy.

「…..Ah, is that so? However, that’s a bad move, Laurel-san.」

「….what do you mean?」

「First of all, as I said earlier, the sacred tool can only be used by Sylvia. Maa, even if I say that, there will be those who’ll try to forcibly take it from her….but I don’t recommend it. However, if you wish to experience divine punishment, you can try.」

「…Divine punishment?」

「Do you think it’s strange? That tool is something that can communicate with a god. In order to create it, don’t you think it is normal for me to borrow Goddess Erisamir’s power? Do you think that the goddess who personally bestowed power for that divine tool will let others use it?」

「…」

「In addition, the one who’ll try is even a temple official of a temple that uses her name…..given the nature of a goddess, do you really think it will be wrong to receive her divine punishment?」

「Personally bestowed by the goddess….not to mention it is Goddess Erisamir….」

In the history of the world, the number of times Goddess Erisamir got involved in something is very few and can be counted. It is common knowledge to the believers of Goddess Erisamir too.

「Maa, it doesn’t matter what you think….Sylvia, what about you? If she says she wants it, are you going to hand it over to her?」

「I won’t!」

Sylvia has already spoken directly to Eris.

For Sylvia, a devout believer, to hand over that divine tool to others is no less than an act of betrayal to her goddess.

「That’s it….and there’s also another one. Are you going to use the people outside to capture us by force?」

「…wha!? What do you mean desu no!?」

It was Sylvia who raised that question.

Laurel looked at him with a calm expression.

「It’s a misunderstanding. They are merely guards.」

「I see. Guards, are they?」

「Of course.」

It was obvious that they had another purpose but Laurel is still smiling.

Kousuke did not push more about it. Given the situation, it is already enough for him that she knows that he knows what she’s planning.

That’s why he decided to attack from another direction.

「By the way, can they lay their hands on an apostle of god?」

「….what are you saying?」

「No no. That question is just to satisfy my curiosity….Kouhi.」

Kousuke suddenly called Kouhi who had never joined their conversation.

Kouhi is slightly surprised when Kousuke calls her name but she understands Kousuke’s intent.

「….are you sure?」

「Yeah. But just the bare minimum, okay?」

「As you wish.」

Seeing the sudden interaction between Kousuke and Kouhi, Laurel and Sylvia are puzzled.

However, the moment Kouhi agreed to Kousuke’s request, she suddenly was shrouded in light.

After the light disappeared, Kouhi appeared in a different form.

She now has white wings on her back.

「「…….wha!?」」

The two were surprised. Kousuke then talked to Laurel while smiling.

「 As I said earlier, that’s a bad move, right, Laurel-san?」

Laurel was not able to reply so Kousuke continued.

「I’ll ask you once again. Can they….no, can YOU attack an apostle of god?」