In the capital of Agartha, the rain that had been falling for two days continued to fall. The thick black clouds that covered the sky made people feel depressed. In a room of the city's guest house, Linos was told an even more depressing story.
"...What do you mean?"
I look into his eyes and nod my head. The man and the woman standing in front of me are smiling at me.
"I will say it again."
A thick voice, as if squeezed from the bottom of his stomach, echoes through the room. He is small and thin, but his voice is powerful. I look at the man, but his head is still tilted.
"We, the Church of Crimiana, request your country to deport all Cannibals, Blutbaden, and Cat-Beastlings, and to capture all Sheep-Beastlings. After a month, we would like to escort the Seelenguter captured in your country back to our capital, Aphrodite. Therefore, we ask your permission to allow our ships to land in the revived port of Garbee.
With that, they bowed reverently.
"Beastmen are the cause of the incurable disease? I don't understand. I've never met anyone like that in my life.
"You are right that you do not understand. But the best medical experts in the world say so. There is no mistake. If this situation continues, there is a possibility that a plague will spread throughout the land. I implore you, King Agartha, to save the people of this land.
"Well, I understand what you're saying."
I would be most grateful if you would say so. After all, the Kingdom of Agartha has close ties with the Kingdom of Heedata, the Kingdom of Lamaron, and the Principality of Niza. If the King of Agartha would take the initiative to cooperate with us, the other nations will follow his lead. May the Lord Goddess Krimeana bless you, my king."
The man pauses in prayer.
"I say this to King Agartha."
The woman in the back steps forward and bows her head.
"You can call me Linos. No, I didn't say anything about cooperating with Klimiana. Don't go ahead with this on your own."
The woman smiles at my firmness.
"I beg your pardon. By the way, King Agartha, I heard that your wife is a Seelenguter..."
"...... Oh. Half Dwarf, half Seelenguter, to be exact. Technically, I'm not a Seelengut. What about it?"
"The queen will be sent to our capital, Aphrodite. I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't mind, we'll send one of our priests of the Crimiana faith to be near the king of Agartha. I am sure that we will be able to help him.
The woman smiles an innocent, girlish smile. I straighten up and open my mouth.
"What? Why do you want to ...... May? Why should I send my wife to the capital of Klimiana? You, watch your language, will you? She's the queen of a country. How can you be so rude as to ask her to give it up? Agartha is not a province of Crimiana. If that's what you think, change your mind. If you insist, come and get them by force of arms. We are always ready for you. And you don't need a priest. Well... I'll look into the beastmen's disease myself for now. If it's really caused by the beastmen, then I'll find a way to deal with it.
"...... left, sir. But ......, the queen is, I believe, a criminal slave, is she not?"
What?
Your name is Meilius. Are you sure?
"......"
I stare at the girl silently.
"Then you must be escorted to our capital, Aphrodite."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Did you know that? A criminal slave is owned by the person who designates him or her as a criminal slave.
What do you mean?
"Its Meilias ....... Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It is our religion of Crimiana that has made Queen Meirias a criminal slave."
What the hell is that?
It was the Crimiana cult that captured Meirias, the murderer of many men, and made him a criminal slave.
What then?
"As you know, King Agartha, who was originally a slave, a slave is a person whose owner can restrict all of his actions. A common slave cannot be killed, but a criminal slave can be ......"
"No way. ......"
"Now do you understand? We would like to take you to Aphrodite in as good a condition as possible. Please do not worry about the journey. She may be a criminal slave, but she is the queen of a kingdom. We will treat you with the utmost courtesy.
"Wait a minute, that criminal slave's ......"
"Well, perhaps you should calm down and think about it."
The woman interrupted me with a serious look on her face. Then she smiled again with a sickening smile.
"If you will not send us the sheep-beastmen of Agartha, that is also fine. But then, I wonder what will happen to the queen. ....... Oh, by the way, I heard that King Agartha and Queen Meirias are expecting a child. Since she is the child of a criminal slave, that child might be ......"
"If you touch Mei and her daughter, you'll never get away with it. I'm going to crush you guys with everything I've got, okay?"
"My apologies. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. However, the ship transporting the Seelenguter will arrive in Garbee in a month. We would be grateful if you could make a decision as soon as possible. Perhaps... the Empire of Heedata and the Kingdom of Ramallon, both of which have adopted the religion of Crimiana as their state religion... At the very least, these two countries will make their move soon, so I would advise you to keep abreast of them."
With that, the two men bowed reverently and left the room. I watched them go in a daze.
That night, when I returned to the house, I told my family about the Klimiana cult. As expected, May could not hide her shock and was in a state of shock. Seeing this, Rico opened his mouth.
"I can't believe this. I can't believe that those beasts were the cause of that incurable disease..."
They act tough, but they still cannot hide their upset. Still, Rico continues to speak.
"And what proof do you have? Besides, you can't take May and Alyria hostage ......."
"I just had Alyria appraised and there was no indication of criminal slavery. Now we just need to figure out how to free May from her status as a slave. And in the meantime, Crimiana's emissary left us this."
I put the booklet I got from them on the table.
"This... this!
Sadie screams.
"This is... Sanctuary. It is the most prestigious medical book in the world.
May took the booklet silently and began to flip through the pages. Then, she picked up the booklet and started to flip through the pages. She kept her eyes fixed on the booklet for a while.
No one spoke, and everyone was watching May's every move. The only sound in the dining room was the sound of May turning the pages, and then she turned her head to the ceiling and let out a big breath.
"What do you think, May?"
"Logically... it's perfect."
"I've never been a good student, so I don't really understand, but I guess the cause of the incurable disease is the beastmen, and the cure is the bile of the sheep beastmen?"
"From reading this... it seems that way."
"No way..."
Sadie is also stunned.
"It's an honor just to have our research featured in the Sanctuary, and when it's endorsed by Dr. Imani and Dr. Dalinar, it's almost a certainty."
"But why would the Church capture an innocent Seelenguter?"
Ferris opens his mouth. May gives Ferris a gentle look.
"To make a cure for one person, you need the bile of five Seelenguter. I don't know how many people in the world are suffering from these incurable diseases. If we want to save at least a few thousand people, we would need about 10,000 Seelenguter.
"Oh, no. Why do you have to go to such lengths to save people?
That's the Klimiana cult. It is a religion that will do whatever it takes for the good of humanity.
"Master Linos..."
Ferris looks like he's about to cry. I let out a short breath and open my mouth.
"I'm not going to let them have May. Besides, will humans die if the disease is not eradicated? I am not convinced that human lives should be prioritized at the expense of such a great number of beastmen.
"Linos..."
Master... please...
"Don't worry, guys. May. I won't let you take May.
The heavy discussion is over. Everyone leaves for their rooms in silence. I take a bath alone and think about the future. The more I think about it, the more various things come to my mind. And I can't find any solution. I stare at the bathtub and think.
"There's nothing to think about. It's all in the moment. I'll figure it out."
With that, I zapped my face and got out of the bath.
When I entered the bedroom, no one was there. It was supposed to be Rico today, but I couldn't see him. I got into bed alone, and May came into the room.
"May, what's wrong? Where's Alyria?"
"...Sidie said she'd take care of it..."
"I see."
"Actually, it was Rico, but he... he told me to go..."
Mei, come here.
"..."
May comes into bed apologetically. But she is not the usual May. She is lying still in her pajamas.
"...May."
May slowly looks up and sees me.
"Master, I have a favor to ask you."
"Yes?"
I'm coming to the Church.
"Don't be silly."
"In return, in return... Alyria, Alyria stays here."
"Don't, don't do this, May. I'm not giving May to the Church. And Alyria, of course. I'll make sure her criminal slave status is freed. I'll get rid of anyone who comes along. I'll protect her, I'll protect her, I'll protect her!"
"Master..."
May was crying. I had never seen her cry like this before. In the end, neither of us slept at all that night.