Chapter 103: The Church of Aurena.

“Not every business closes on RestDay, as the economy of a town mustn’t completely stop on a single day every week. Adventurers may flock into town on any day and at any time, so both the mercenary and hunter guilds must stay open,” Barathan explained as we walked through the streets on our way to the temple. “Artisans and laborers will take a break on this day. With people enjoying their rest day, taverns and street vendors stay open to serve them.”

This was only my first day in town, but I already was wondering why so many people were still working today. You see, RestDay, Peolynca’s Sunday, was considered a day of rest so people may pray to the gods and heal their fatigue for the next week of work. However, the hunters guild was half full of people anyway, and even had those three receptionists working.

We left the guild after selling all of our G, F, and E rank monster materials at the guild, earning us a whopping 6743 Davi. To be honest, the only reason why we were able to earn this much was due to the mountain of pelts, claws, scales, carapaces, and fangs I’d stored up after every single “Idol concert strategy” I’ve done with Saori. The material from G and F rank monsters were practically worthless compared to those from D and C rank monsters.

We could have made even more by selling the higher tier materials, but we wanted to keep those for equipment. Ruld mentioned a blacksmith, so I’ll be waiting until we meet him or her before selling everything. Thank goodness the E rank material was profitable. Saori couldn’t stop smiling after we left the guild.

Now to our next destination, the temple, we had to walk through the same street again and that was when I noticed a bustling market nearby. That is when I asked Barathan about RestDay and why so many people were still working.

“I see, that is understandable. If you do not work, you do not get to eat. Although the day has a significant religious reason, not every man and woman can afford to not work,” Saori stated, earning a sharp nod from Barathan. “This is quite different from how you grew up, correct, Tasianna?”

She nodded to Saori’s response. “I grew up praying to Goddess Zephira during the morning of RestDay and then spending the rest of my day frolicking with everybody else. The liveness of this town cannot compete.”

This is one of the major reasons why Tasianna has been keeping us updated on the days ever since we met her. As Tasianna was religious and a devout follower of Zephira and Plesia, she took counting the days seriously. During our time together, she always spent a small amount of time in the morning to give those two goddesses a small prayer before returning to her duties, believing a maid should make her mistress’s day more peaceful.

“If you are wondering if the temple is open today, Lady Hestia, then please do not worry. As servants of the Goddess, they can never rest when their services might be needed. Winter is a dreadful time for everybody’s health, though we we are lucky Firwood does not receive storms as often as the north,” Barathan informed us before raising his head to the skies and inspecting its blue luster. “God Krunal blesses us,” he muttered.

“Services, huh? Do you mean the ‘white grace’? I’ve noticed the upper district covered in snow; don’t they have one of those temperature regulators like at Lady Ellaine’s mansion? There would be fewer people sick if it wasn’t so cold,” I asked, barely noticing the cold myself as my core was managing my body temperature.

Barathan showed me a smile before bowing in respect, continuing where he left off, “As expected of you, Lady Hestia. While their wealth may be enough to acquire a [Season Regulator], it is very unlikely that most merchants would buy one due to the maintenance costs. Nobles are born with a high affinity to mana due to their venerable bloodlines, making it easy for them to fuel manatech without the need of mana batteries. However, merchants are commoners; some have the innate talents in magic, but most cannot even write a sentence with a mana pen. A merchant might use their mana batteries for certain luxuries, but their houses are not mansions, so a simple hearth is simpler and more cost-effective.”

Ellaine always used these mana pens whenever she needed to write on something. Using her mana as the ink, Ellaine would sometimes fill out documents when I visited her. Considering she never showed signs of exhaustion whenever she wrote with it, most humans must really have low mana.

“You surprisingly know a lot about the town, considering you’re the seneschal of a village, Barathan,” I said in wonder, pleasantly surprised at how he was able to answer every question with confidence.

“Your words honor me, Lady Hestia; however, it is only natural. I was once the head butler of House Helvas’ mansion in Firwood, after all,” he stated with pride. “My grandfather was the previous seneschal of Carine village, but he, unfortunately, passed away a few winters ago; may the Goddess bless him. I handed over my role as the leading servant here to Manuela and have been living in Helvas County ever since. I would be a failure of a butler if I didn’t know this much about the town I once worked at.”

“My condolences, Sir Barathan,” Saori said politely. “How is the rest of your family? Were they not at the mansion to greet you, or do they live somewhere else?”

“My father and mother work as the leading servants at the mansion in Cedaraille, and my brothers and sister work as regular servants at the mansion in Griffonpeak. I presume they are doing well as I have not received a notice. As you might have noticed, my family are loyal servants of House Helvas, and we’ve been given the family name ‘Kiesmay’ for our service,” he answered with absolute pride, puffing his chest up as his lips curved into a genuine smile.

Barathan continued giving us small historical trivia of the town, exciting Saori enough to awaken the historian inside of her. The two of them conversed mostly one-on-one while Tasianna and I ignored them. After reaching the upper district, we immediately made our way to the temple, which was next to the noble district’s gate we’d passed through earlier.

Looking at the temple, it fitted perfectly with the nobles’ decorated mansions, as its walls were pristine white and filled with intricate engravings. Although the building was considered a temple, it looked more like a gothic catholic cathedral to Saori. She drew our attention to the murals and stone ornaments plastered on the temple’s twin towers, which towered even over the surrounding walls. Beautiful stained glass windows depicted various figures on them. In particular, the largest showed a winged woman shrouded in a veil of light as she smiled peacefully with eyes closed.

A pair of guards stood before the gates to the temple, who prompted us to show our IDs before we entered the temple area. Barathan went forwards before I could say anything and produce the same document he showed the other guards. These guards, however, weren’t able to read well, so Barathan had to read everything out loud. Suffice to say, those guards will probably remember my party’s faces from today onwards.

Honestly, the amount of people that document has scared is baffling. I know you’re the lord of Firwood and a greifnoble but Marquis Sirius, you have sealed an unworldly power into this piece of parchment.

“Barathan, I heard white-robed priests are nobles. I wish to avoid them if possible,” I told him as we entered the temple’s premises.

“Is that so?” he wondered as he raised a brow, but quickly accepted it with a nod, once again showing what a proper butler he was. “In that case, you have nothing to fear, Lady Hestia. While it might be true that most white-robed priests are nobles, as your grace is aware, but that doesn’t mean commoners cannot become priests.”

Barathan then proceeded to give me a quick rundown of how the clergy worked, beginning with the two types of priests: white-robed and grey-robed clergymen. At the bottom, grey-robed priests and priestesses are members of the clergy who are usually either orphans or commoners who were banished there as punishment. Rarely, there will be pious people who wanted to join the church as a grey-robe, but there was usually a better alternative.

The reason for this is ‘cause grey-robes are treated similarly to servants. In the church’s ecosystem, the grey-robes serve the white-robes similar to a servant and master relationship. While they wore the robes of a grey priest, these people were the property of the church. As hard as it was to say, that was the reality of the situation.

As mentioned by the villagers, white-robes are usually nobles. That was why they treated me as one after I introduced myself. However, commoners born with the potential to become mages were also allowed to enter the church to become an official white-robe, theoretically possessing the same influence and power as a noble priest.

Barathan informed me the reason why he tested me with the presents was ‘cause the Count wasn’t sure if I was a commoner or not. They had to test me to see what my social rank was by using the Count’s name in an attempt to intimidate me.

“However, as our discussion back then progressed, your [Noble Aura], or maybe even [Regal Aura], was obvious to me. You exuded it with every word, although I must criticize how you accepted the letter, Lady Hestia. And you too, Miss Saori, Miss Tasianna. A master must never physically accept a present before their retainers have made sure it is safe. I hope you will be more prudent in the future, Miss Saori and Miss Tasianna,” Barathan informed us about his intentions with a smile, but then frowned as he chided the three of us. Once we acknowledged his reasons, he returned to his explanation. “I informed Lord Count Helvas about my findings, but it seems you noticed how he winced when you omitted the ‘lord’ part. Back then, my lord was not aware of how much you outranked him.”

Continuing his explanation on the church, white-robed priests and priestesses were responsible for spreading the white grace and the word of the Aurena to the populace. Aside from healing people’s wounds and illnesses, white-robes were responsible for performing the many religious rituals, like the one I gave during the God Thanking Festival.

As most white-robes were nobles, they needed servants to attend to them, and this tradition also spread to the white-robed commoners. Whether they came from the slums or a rich merchant house, every commoner white-robe was given the same duties and right to grey-robes, which made them pseudo-nobles.

“Today is RestDay, and it is likely most of the noble white-robeds have returned to their demesne in the noble district. During their tenure, all white-robes are members of the clergy and they possess the influence of one, however, nobles are nobles still. A noble cannot retain their House’s noble rank, but if they weren’t banished to the church through trial, they still retain noble privileges,” he answered to reassure me. “All remaining white-robes are commoners. At most, the shrine maidens will remain in the church, but they must make preparations for the ‘Binding Festival’ next week.”

Shrine maidens, compared to priests and priestesses, were responsible for the maintenance of the church and the preparations of the various rituals and festivals. While a priest would handle matters concerning the political and economic side of the church, the shrine maidens took care of the day-to-day situations involving the church and its members. They were responsible for the grey-robed priests and the orphanage.

Similar to all white-robes, they too could grant the white grace and had servants to take care of their needs and follow their orders. However, most of them only prepared rituals. Rarely would they perform them. During a [Prayer], the priests and priestesses would be the caster of the spells, while the shrine maidens supported them with mana.

The division in duties might seem a bit lopsided in the priest’s favor, but it seems this divide in duties was to accommodate the different personalities of the white-robes. Not every white-robe wishes to participate in the church’s politics. They still had the same influence and power at the end of the day.

As we entered the temple, Saori once again pointed out how similar the temple was to a cathedral. It was huge and wide, so grandiose that it made me feel tiny. The first room we entered was a long hallway with benches along one wall, leading to an altar.

Barathan then directed my attention to the crowd of people congregating near the altar, and informed me that a few priests were there, granting the white grace. Concerning the recipients, I only noticed humans in fine clothes, but none of them had a [Noble Aura] like the one I felt from Ellaine and her family. Were they merchants?

As I was pondering that question, a lanky man suddenly approached us from the side, wearing a well-maintained grey robe. “The church of Aurena humbly greets your-Ah!” as he was greeting us, he suddenly noticed me behind Saori and quickly kneeled down, holding his arms together in a pose of prayer. “I humbly ask for your forgiveness for not having noticed you, my Lady Shrine Maiden! May the Goddess bless your every step on this holy ground.”

Huh?!

The man didn’t raise his head for a moment, diligently keeping still as if he was waiting for something. As I wasn’t saying anything due to my confusion, Barathan whispered, “Your white robes, my Lady,” which quickly made me realize what was going on. This guy thought I was a priestess of Aurena!

“Y-You may rise,” I told him, timidly.

“May the Goddess bless your soul,” he gave his thanks, rising to his feet before asking what I was doing here. “How may the Firwood temple serve you, my Lady Shrine Maiden. If you are here on a pilgrimage, should I call a white-robe priest at your behest?”

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Barathan then informed me the reception would’ve been more fitting if I had gone through the noble district’s temple entrance. White-robed priests would have come to greet me and gave me a proper welcoming, but that required me to announce my arrival beforehand.

I had to send one of those messenger bird gargoyles to inform the temple I was coming, as it was considered rude to appear without warning. As I wanted to enter the temple immediately, Barathan thought it would be faster to come from the commoner’s entry to avoid all the commotion. A decision he considered validated once I told him I didn’t want to meet any nobles.

As I looked up the tall grey priest, I spoke with a mix of casualness and nobility, “That won’t be necessary. I have come today to pray at the shrine of the gods. Nothing more. Please, lead me to it.”

The priest gave me a swift nod the moment he heard my wish, almost as if he didn’t even question it. With my retinue, he led us out of the altar room and into a room to the right, where six shrines were placed there.

“If you have more orders for me, I shall await them gladly,” he said as he bowed to me.

“That won’t be necessary. You may stay if you wish or go.”

The shrine of the gods, a place of worship for the various followers of the origin gods. Barathan informed me when I said I wanted to pray at a “shrine of Goddess Aurena” that every temple or church should have a place where all the origin gods’ shrines were placed together. Although the temple was dedicated to Aurena, the denizens of Peolynca still, in one way or another, worshiped all the origin gods.

Similar to how Tasianna had Zephira and Plesia as her main goddesses, or how the lizardmen prayed to Kargryxmor and Marsven, the god of darkness, most people usually worshiped two or more subordinate and origin gods. This place was there for everybody to pray.

…But it seems the popularity of the God also affected the appearance of the shrine.

Jeez, Shiterno, why does your shrine look so sad? Does nobody pray to you?

If I were to rank the overall appearance of the shrines, then I would start with Danterno at last place…and honestly, it wasn’t even a contest. His shrine was covered in dust and spiderwebs, but unlike the other shrines, this one didn’t have a statue of a person, only a flame. It was small, and nothing was put before it as an offering.

Marsven’s shrine was nearly as barren as Danterno’s, but it seems a few people left black amulets and statues before it. It certainly looked clean and well-maintained, at least. The next was Plesia, although, compared to the former two, her shrine was decorated with plenty of gifts and offerings. Although, Plesia wasn’t super popular in Firwood, she was still admired and respected by plenty of citizens. It made Danterno and Marsven seem like minor gods.

Both Zephira’s and Crustacia’s shrines almost had the same amounts of offerings, looking prettier than Plesia’s, giving weight to Ellaine’s words when she said the Greenveil Duchy also worshipped the Goddesses of Wind and Earth. Being an agricultural land would make you like the two Goddesses responsible for land management.

Lastly, the largest shrine belonged to none other than Aurena herself.

I walked closer to her shrine as everybody else stayed back. I wasn’t a religious person in my past life, but, as if something was speaking to me, I knew exactly how to pray to her. I kneeled down, kept my hands together, and closed my eyes. I then focused on the image of the statue on the shrine, the figure of an angel-winged woman with flowing blond hair.

And the moment I opened my eyes, all I could see was a white and formless world. I wasn’t in the temple anymore and no matter how often I turned my head around, Saori and Tasianna weren’t there. I was alone.

My surroundings immediately changed the moment I spouted, “Where the hell am I?” The ground turned into clouds, but it felt soft and stable to stand on. I peaked down, noticing the lack of shadows in this place.

My body was then forcibly turned around before stopping before a room decorated with white and golden furniture only a rich girl could ever possess. The luxury and wealth inside this room would even overshadow Ellaine’s mansions. It could only be called the epitome of opulence, keeping everything tastefully stylish without including anything gaudy, meaning the designer of this room knew exactly how to decorate fashionably.

“Welcome, my dear champion,” a serene voice full of warmth suddenly called out for me, filling not only my ears but also my soul with a feeling of relaxation. All the anxiety I had was just swept away with the tone of her voice.

“A-Are you, Goddess Aurena?” I asked, finally noticing a woman sitting down at a table, sipping her tea inside the beautiful room. Her appearance fitted perfectly the image of the statue I just prayed to.

She smiled so genuinely it felt a bit nostalgic, as she gazed at me with golden irises. “You are correct, Hestia. Aurena, the Origin Goddess of Light and a primary administrator of Peolynca, is here. Sit, we only have a limited time together.”

As her elegant hand movements mesmerized me, I followed her order and took a seat at the table, before a piercing headache assaulted me. It stung my brain, feeling like a sharp needle was slowly piercing through my head. I clutched the table. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t open my eyes anymore!

“Arck!”

ARRGGGGH! STOP! STOP! MAJOR HEAL! MAJOR HEAL! ARRGH!

“Child!”

The pain coursed through me like a wave of blades, slicing not my body but my very soul. I desperately tried to use [Major Heal] to fix myself, out as I have been doing up until now, but magic circle manifested. I couldn’t feel my mana. I couldn’t invoke my powers. I felt helpless. I felt helpless as I struggled to keep myself sitting on the chair.

But at the next moment, everything was gone. I clutched my chest, breathing heavily as I collapsed with my head on the table, too fatigued to even sit back up. However, even this feeling eventually disappeared completely, replaced by calmness.

What was that?! I thought I was about to die.

“I-I apologize for that, Hestia. I was so elated to finally speak to you that I forgot the situation of your soul,” a womanly voice apologized softly, causing me to sit back up and face a frowning Aurena frowning, her blond eyebrows furrowed together as she regarded me. She looked more worried and troubled than angry that I nearly slobbered over her white table.

As I kept looking at her with bewilderment, prying her for an answer, she opened up mouth to respond, “Do you know how your soul was able to ‘usurp’ my control over the title I gave you? Yes, due to this ‘rebellion’, my divinity was actually overpowering your soul instead of nursing it.”

“M-My soul?!”

“Your soul is currently visiting my home, my divine realm. Through the connection from my shrine, you are here with me. I apologize, most mortals who visit me are my followers so this never happened before,” she explained to me with a wry smile.

Rebellion?! Usurp?! Oh, scheiße!

From the shock of remembering those things, I jumped up like I hadn’t just been hurt, waving my arms around in complete denial. “Wait, wait, wait! I didn’t do it on purpose! I didn’t do it! I swear, I swear! I don’t know how it even happened in the first place, it just happened out of nowhere, I never even wanted to usurp your title at all. I swear, I swear!” almost like my mind was affected by that extreme crushing, I apologized to her profusely.

“Hold on, I should be the one to apologize. I invited you here and I nearly erased your soul accidentally.”

YOU NEARLY WHAT?!

But before I could freak out again, Aurena only needed to say “calm” to strip away all the fear I had in my mind, resetting my mindset to tranquility. “Please, I meant it when I said we have limited time. Instead of wasting our time on this accident, I must tell you what you must know before we part.”

Seeing as she was serious about it, I simply sat back down again and asked her to proceed. “Thank you. First, let me tell you exactly why Kargryxmor and I have summoned you to Peolynca, Hestia.”

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