In the capital of Agartha, snow has been falling since the day before yesterday, and it is continuing to fall with increasing force. This year's snowfall is unusually heavy, and in some parts of the city people are seen shoveling snow from the streets, which is a rare sight.
In the midst of such heavy snowfall, representatives of the Klimiana cult, who had landed in Garbee about ten days ago, arrived at the capital of Agartha. As soon as they arrived, they immediately offered an audience to Rinos.
"I am glad to hear that the King of Agartha is in a good mood. My name is Vieille. And here with me is Cassel, a member of my family. He may be young, but his loyalty to you is the deepest of all. I will surely lead this nation and this world to the right path. Please know that I am at your service.
Vieille greets them in a clear voice. Linos watched him without expression.
"Vieille," he said. You're still young. How old are you?"
"Yes, I am fourteen years old."
"Fourteen? Huh. You've come a long way at your age. Is that Kassel over there? You're... eight? That's great. Oh, isn't that Mr. Koffreski over there? It's been a long time. I'm glad to see you're doing well. What can I do for you today?
"Yes. I have a letter from His Holiness the Pope. I've come to deliver it to you.
"What? The Pope's letter?"
Linos looks to Knogen and Matkal, who are standing around him. Knogen makes a face that says, "I didn't hear that. Rinos takes the letter with a suspicious look on his face and looks it over.
"...What the hell is this?"
Rinos says nothing of the kind, and hands the Pope's letter to Knogen.
"It says that you have sent two men to help turn the city of Agartha into a paradise.
Vieille opens her eyes and smiles.
"The city of Agartha is where the Great Demon King descended. I heard that the Demon Lord has been defeated, but there is a possibility that the Demon Lord, or some similar demon, will descend again. With the blessings of the Lord Goddess Klimiana, we will prevent his descent and bring true peace to the land of Agartha. We believe that the development of a nation is first and foremost based on peace and tranquility of mind. That is what we wish to bring to our land.
"The Great Satan... You too?
What do you mean, "you too"?
"In general, when you say Daimaou Daimaou, is he really such a bad guy? I don't think he wanted to be one, do you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Vieille's eyes are getting sharper. Cassel's voice is small, "Are you an evil person? He is muttering something like "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
"No, it's not like the Great Demon King did anything directly to me."
Vieille laughs a refined laugh.
"This is the king of Agartha! No, I beg your pardon. I have heard that King Agartha has been in the Heedata Empire for a long time. Then it is only natural that you do not know how formidable the Great Demon King is. The Great Demon King has reigned here for a long time, and has created a hellish mess of corpses. He has taken the lives of all living creatures, destroyed this land, and even inflicted harsh punishment on those who survived, creating a living hell in this world. Such a tragedy must never be created again. Only our Lord Goddess Krimeana and we, her devout followers, can prevent the coming of the Great Demon Lord.
Linos listened with a wry smile on his face, but eventually shook his head slowly from side to side.
"Furthermore, I have heard that the King of Agartha has heard the voice of the Lady Klimiana standing at the bedside of his dreams. This is a sign that he has received the blessings of Lord Krimeana. It is only natural that we who serve the same Lord Krimeana should help you. I would like to help Agartha, this city, to become a paradise.
Vieille with her bright, shining eyes speaks. Linos sighs and opens his mouth.
"Everyone should be able to live peacefully, happily, and peacefully. A country where there is true happiness.
"...People have different values. Everyone has a different definition of happiness, but is there such a thing as true happiness?
Yes, sir. If there is peace, joy and tranquility in our lives, we will all be happy.
"Ha ha ha ha. I'm sure of it. I see. Then what exactly are you going to do?
Leave it to us. The country of Agartha is still in its infancy. No, it is a country that must continue to grow and prosper. This is the view shared by our Pope and all the followers of the Crimiana faith. The faithful from all over the world are already flocking to Agartha to assist in its development.
"I see. But first, let me answer my question. What exactly do you guys do in this country?"
I beg your pardon. We will contribute to the development of this country. Specifically, some of us live in this country and serve as soldiers, some as sorcerers, some make weapons and magical tools, some save the sick, some cultivate the waste land, and some build cities. Each member of the congregation has skills and experience. By making use of them in this land, we will make the land of Agartha prosper and build a paradise on earth. Furthermore, I believe that the country will be financially enriched by having believers living in this city.
"I see, the congregation understands. So, Vieille, what exactly do you do?
"I am the one who will set the d*mned on the path of righteousness. That is to say, I consider it my duty to make the d*mned follow the Way of Heaven.
"Obey the Way of Heaven... That's pretty good.
Cassel, who had been watching the exchange between Linos and Vieille, interrupted.
"The King of Agartha would be grateful if you would give us the opportunity to work in this country. We have excellent doctors. The recent epidemic has not yet dispelled the belief in the germ theory of beastmen. It is possible that an outbreak of disease may occur here in Agartha. I will do my best to prevent that from happening.
He bows reverently.
"Well, I understand what you said. But as you can see, this city is already overpopulated. There is not enough room to welcome so many believers. When we protected the beastmen earlier, we wanted to protect them inside the city, but we could not, so we built a beastmen village outside the city to protect them. Basically, the nation of Agartha does not accept all comers. But as I said before, there is no place for them. They will have to build their own place to live outside of the city. If that's all right with you, I'm not going to say anything.
The eyes of Vieille and Cassel gleam. Vieille immediately flashes a broad smile.
"I knew that King Agartha would accept us. Thank you very much."
"No need to thank me. In this country, however, the one and only rule is not to cause trouble. We don't need people who cause trouble in this country. I don't think you people of the Crimiana religion will cause trouble, but please be careful on that point.
"Awe, sir. I'm sorry for your concern. Our mission is to save people. We are here to help people, not to cause them trouble.
Vieille replies with a pleased look on her face. Linos looks at him with a wry smile.
Vieille and the other messengers of Crimiana returned to Garbee and left Linos, saying that they would return to the capital of Agartha with their congregation.
"Rinos-sama, are you sure about such a promise?"
Matkal looks worried.
"Don't worry, Mat. Let's see how good they are. Let's hope things go their way. Let's see how far they'll go...?"