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nSmith suddenly heard a female voice in his head – one that was majestic but had the affection and warmth of a mother’s. There was no doubt in his mind that this was Botin’s voice, and that he was hearing a Divine Message.

nAs someone who served the Church of Botin, he immediately reported to a senior priest that he had received a Divine Message. Within the day, he was summoned by the head of the Church to explain the details of the Divine Message.

nThat was only to be expected. This was one of the larger Churches of Botin in the Zectoah Duchy of the Orbaume Kingdom, but the contents of the Divine Message were so incredible that it was impossible to believe them right away. Even Smith himself was worried that he had misinterpreted the Divine Message.

nThus, being summoned so that he could hear the wisdom of a well-experienced clergyman was a relief to him.

nBut when he sat down, the moment he drank the tea that had been prepared for him, he was assaulted by an irresistible drowsiness. When he came to, he found himself locked up inside a basement somewhere.

n“What is the meaning of this?! Please listen to me! There is no reason for me to be treated like this!” he pleaded.

nBut he didn’t even know if there was anyone listening.

nSmith’s time in confinement continued for an unbearably long time.

n“Were you displeased by the fact that I received a Divine Message, or displeased by its contents – or perhaps both?! Even so, are you telling me that ignoring the words of our goddess is what we should do, as people who live a life of faith?!”

nEvery day he was locked away, he shouted these questions at whoever might be on the other side of the door. This was to show his defiance against the head of the Church who had drugged him and imprisoned him here, and his righteous indignation towards the high-ranking members of the Church who sought to cover up the Divine Message.

nBut although Smith himself hadn’t noticed this, he was also doing this to avoid facing his sense of powerlessness at being confined without being able to escape, and the anxiety and fear that he would be locked up here for the rest of his life.

nThose who joined Churches in the world of Lambda received training in combat in order to deal with emergency situations… such as being attacked by monsters or bandits during pilgrimages, or monster attacks on towns and villages where their Churches were.

nSmith was no exception, and because he had been blessed with a reasonable talent for magic, he had learned how to cast some spells.

nHis affinity was not for the earth attribute governed by Botin, but the fire attribute. But there was no rule stating that those without an affinity for the earth attribute could not serve the Church of Botin. There were plenty of clergymen belonging to the Church of Alda who had no affinity for the light attribute, after all… though it seemed that at some authoritarian Churches, there were corrupt policies preventing those without an affinity for the attribute of the Church’s god from advancing to higher positions.

nHowever, even Smith’s fire-attribute magic and his well-trained physical combat skills had no effect on the door. The door was made not of ordinary iron, but of Obsidian.

nObsidian was an alloy created by combining iron with small quantities of Mythril and Adamantite, and one of the two magical metals that people were able to create, along with Damascus Steel. It was inferior to Mythril and Adamantite, but it was sufficient to imprison Smith, who was nothing more than an ordinary cleric.

nSmith even considered escaping by digging a hole in the walls rather than trying to break down the door. But the wall around the door was made of Obsidian reinforced by bricks on the other side, so it was pointless to even try to dig through it. It was likely possible to dig a hole in the opposite wall, but he would likely be noticed before he could manage to dig a tunnel that led outside.

nWith that being the case, Smith thought that there was no other option but to attack the attendant who came to bring him food and force him to open the door, but it seemed that the people who imprisoned him here were aware of this. Looking carefully, Smith realized that the one bringing him his food was a Stone Golem. When giving Smith his food, the human guard simply handed the entire tray to the Golem, and the Golem would pass the tray through the slot in the door.

nWho would have thought that the one directly guarding him would be a Golem? It was unlikely that the Golem could do much other than tasks like handing him his food, but its presence extinguished any hope of escaping.

nFor an underground prison, his room was well-furnished. Other than the fact that there were no windows, it was perhaps even more comfortable than the Church members’ lodgings, where he had been sharing a room with another person – especially since there was a bathroom and a Magic Item that dispensed hot water.

nHe was provided three meals a day – the same meals he was used to eating, provided through the slot in the door that could only be opened from the outside.

nHowever, the feeling of entrapment was gradually taking its toll on him.

nEven so, the goddess did not forsake him, and he acquired ‘Botin’s Divine Protection.’

n“My goddess, I thank you!” Smith said in prayer. “I must leave this place as soon as possible so that I can repay the grace you have granted me.”

nHis determination to escape was renewed, but unfortunately, the divine protection did nothing to change his current situation.

nHe shouted at the door that he had been granted Botin’s Divine Protection. He took a part of his meals to use as ink to write this news on the toilet. But there was no reaction from those who were keeping him imprisoned.

nSmith groaned in frustration. “I suppose people who would try to cover up a Divine Message wouldn’t take any notice of the fact that I have been granted Botin’s Divine Protection…!”

nDivine protections granted by gods were, simply put, blessings that added potential for the recipient to grow further. Depending on the divinity of the god granting it, a divine protection would lower the wall the recipient needed to overcome in order to surpass their limits in their growth, or lower the number of Experience Points needed to increase their Levels, but that was all. These were the main effects of a divine protection, though there were others such as making Skills of certain categories easier to acquire and increase the Levels of, depending on the god.

nEven though Smith had been granted a divine protection, he was being imprisoned, so there was no use in it since he was unable to increase his Levels or change Jobs. However, he thought of the goddess who had granted him this divine protection, and this prevented him from giving up hope and ending his own life.

nI must persevere for now. I mustn’t give up; I’ll just wait for an opportunity so that I can one day relay the words of the goddess to the people, he told himself as he spent his days enduring this confinement.

nAlthough Smith was unaware of this, notifying his imprisoners that he had acquired Botin’s divine protection was helping them in maintaining the current situation.

nThe head of the Church of Botin that he belonged to seemed like a devout worshiper at first glance, but he was actually a traitor who had connections to the Church of Alda, which he used to fill his own pockets. Just as there were politicians who used politics as a means to serve themselves, he was a clergyman who used religion to do the same.

nSince that was the kind of man he was, he claimed to worship Botin but did not sincerely do so. Naturally, it was absolutely impossible for him to receive a divine message from her. From Botin’s perspective, he was one of the people who called themselves her worshipers but weren’t really.

nThere was nothing to fear about a young, pure-hearted worshiper who didn’t know anything about politics and shouted things like, “You would ignore the will of the goddess?!”

nBut even those with no devotion for the gods feared them. The head of the Church understood that Botin granting Smith her divine protection meant that she was watching over him, and he feared that harming him would bring her divine retribution upon himself.

nIn truth, gods could punish believers for their errors, but in the present era, they had almost no means of punishing false worshipers or those who were traitors to the core, like the head of this Church.

nIf a devoted worshiper who had been granted a divine protection and the ability to summon familiar spirits upon themselves were to stray from the path and fall to depravity, they could be punished by having their divine protection removed or having no familiar spirits sent to answer their calls for aid. Depending on the person, the gods could also speak to them directly through Divine Messages.

nHowever, this could not be done for people like the head of this Church, who had no divine protection or ‘Familiar Spirit Descent’ Skill to begin with. For traitors like him to be punished, gods would have to descend upon the world themselves and deal with them personally.

nBut even great gods could not expend massive amounts of power every time they wanted to punish a traitor. Gods would never directly punish someone unless they had done something like making a contract with an evil god and plotting the annihilation of humanity… Urgen Tercatanis’s recent actions fell into this category, but Vandalieu had taken action before Alda took notice.

nSo, when traitors like this surfaced, gods did not act directly. They believed in the ability of their believers to keep themselves pure and watched over the believers that were following their teachings correctly.

nThus, the head of the Church was unable to have Smith killed due to his fear, and Smith’s faith and sense of duty prevented him from yielding to the head of the Church or killing himself. This deadlock situation was likely to continue.

nSome might wonder whether it was really alright for things to progress so slowly. What about the people who became victims while all this was taking place? … But there was nothing to be done about it, so it couldn’t be helped.

nEvery day, somewhere in the world, a mortal believer of some god somewhere was having their possessions or loved ones taken from them, or being raped or murdered. This was no different.

nHowever, there was currently a historically unprecedented being in the Orbaume Kingdom who was capable of visiting the Divine Realms where the gods resided and exchanging far greater quantities of information and opinions, far more freely, than Divine Messages which had many restrictions.

nThe cleric had finished his meal and started doing some push-ups in order to stave off his boredom and the effects of the lack of exercise on his body when this being suddenly appeared in front of him without warning.

n“Excuse me for the sudden intrusion. My name is Vandalieu. I’m someone who’s been sent by a god to help you.”

n“Huh? What? A-a god?” stuttered a completely bewildered Smith.

n“Yes, a god. Botin, in this case.”

n“J-just where did you come from, and how?! I am certain that there was a barrier around this room that prevents entry through space-attribute magic!”

n“I teleported here from my house in Orbaume with a friend’s space-attribute magic. And it was Tadano here who helped figure out the correct destination for the teleportation.”

nThe mouse that Smith had often been seeing around recently in the corner of his room or one of the air vents squeaked as it poked its head out from Vandalieu’s hair.

n“As for the barrier, ‘overcoming an obstacle as insignificant as this is simpler than child’s play,’ apparently,” Vandalieu said.

nThe head of this Church of Botin was merely a human; his anti-teleportation measures had apparently been the equivalent of a house made of straw to Gufadgarn, an evil god of the space attribute.

nSmith’s expression made it clear that he was not keeping up with Vandalieu’s explanations, but despite his immense surprise, he was regaining his senses. “Are you Vandalieu? The one who liberated Botin from the Demon King’s seal?! The savior?!”

n“Yes, I am that Vandalieu. Just to be sure, you’re Smith Willow-san, right?” Vandalieu asked.

nHearing Vandalieu speak his name, Smith Willow tilted his head towards the ceiling, overwhelmed with joy. “So the goddess did not forsake me after all!”

nBotin had indeed worried about Smith, just as much as she worried about any of her other worshipers whom she had granted her divine protection. But at the same time, she had hesitated to aid them.

nTheir predicament was not so small that she was able to rescue them by reaching her hand out a little, like she would have been able to do during the Age of the Gods. And she was a goddess; she had deliberated whether it was appropriate for her to act thoughtlessly rather than allowing the humans to make the effort to solve their problems on their own.

nVandalieu had then suggested, “Since I’m a human, why don’t I go and solve the problem?” Botin had replied, “YES, you ARE indeed A human,” and requested him to rescue Smith and other worshipers like him.

nIncidentally, Peria had asked him to rescue her followers in the same way while he was at it.

n“Now then, let us hurry and get out of this place,” Vandalieu said.

n“Please wait! I have a duty to deliver the Divine Message to the people!” said Smith, a fiery passion in his eyes.

n“I respect your determination, but there isn’t really any need to do that from this Church specifically, you know? Would it not be better to escape this place first, and then deliver the Divine Message from somewhere safe?” said Vandalieu. “And besides, in order to make Botin’s Divine Message public at this Church, you would probably need to do something about the head of the Church and those who obey his orders.”

n“You’re completely right,” said Smith, his face falling.

n“And the head of the Church is not currently being publicly scrutinized, so we should think twice about beating him to a pulp, though I think things would work out if we were to gather and secure evidence with which to convince the other people from the Church or the duke,” Vandalieu added.

n“That is… true. I have been so focused on my own training that I have not made enough effort to form connections with those around me… I have neglected the importance of making allies, and that has come back to bite me,” said Smith, realizing his own failures.

nPart of the reason for this was simply that he had trusted the priests and the head of the Church because they were his superiors, but his simple trust in them had led to him being drugged and imprisoned.

nIf Smith had truly trustworthy colleagues, powerful priests and high priests within the Church, and friends and acquaintances outside the Church to rely on, he would have had more options available to him.

n“That’s all in hindsight, and I think it’s harsh to expect perfection from someone as young as you, so let’s not blame ourselves,” said Vandalieu.

n“… But there is no dignity for me now that I am being told that by a child who is far younger than me,” said Smith.

n“I am an emperor, and you are a cleric, Smith-san. I’m sorry for putting it this way, but there is a sizable difference in our positions,” Vandalieu pointed out.

nAt many Churches, the position of cleric was held by those who either lived at the Church or commuted to it. In other words, they were the low-grade workers.

nPeople often referred to them as “cleric-sama” because they held a trusted position in society as clergymen who served the gods, but the position of cleric was a low one within the organizations that were their Churches.

nThe positions above clerics differed depending on the Church, but those below clerics were considered apprentice clerics as they went through a period of training. Acolytes were the equivalent of assistant managers or team leaders, priests were the equivalent of section or department heads, and high priests were the equivalent of senior managing directors or branch directors. The position of cardinal was one that existed in larger Churches that administered multiple smaller Churches, such as the Great Church of Alda in the Amid Empire, and it was equivalent to the position of executive in a large company on Earth.

nIncidentally, adventurers and ‘clerics’ who journeyed to remote regions without belonging to any Church were referred to as clerics for the sake of convenience; they did not work for any Church in particular. Such adventurers and traveling clerics held some degree of trust from the public, and they were able to receive support from Churches. And in exchange for their support, Churches could take some credit for the achievements of those who fought against monsters and traveled to villages while worshiping their god. It was a relationship of mutual benefit.

nIn comparison to that, Smith was nothing more than a regular young worker; it would be harsh to blame him for not having a diverse range of connections that he could rely on in times of emergency.

n“Even if I were to testify that the contents of the Divine Message you received are real, it would probably have the opposite effect on those who doubt it, and doing it in the name of Mom or Vida… would likely cause people to argue that I’m overdoing it,” said Vandalieu.

nDarcia, who was an incarnation of Vida, had an immensely influential voice in the Orbaume Kingdom. Vida was a goddess just like Botin, and if she were to relay Botin’s will to the people, none would dare challenge her claims publicly – though it would decimate the public image of Botin’s worshipers, so Vandalieu had little desire to ask her to do so.

n“That’s how it is, so let’s get out of here for now. Come, give me your hand,” said Vandalieu.

n“Alright,” said Smith, assuming that they would be escaping via teleportation.

nBut as he took Vandalieu’s hand, he gasped in shock a moment later as he found himself standing in a field.

nIt was a greater freedom than he could ever have hoped to taste while imprisoned, but Smith was unable to feel it as he was so astonished that he simply blinked and stared blankly.

n“This is a special space created by one of my Unique Skills. Please wait here for a while,” said Vandalieu, who was still holding Smith’s hand.

nSmith looked around to see an enormous tree that resembled a castle, and some nearby tables and chairs. He sat down on one of the chairs and found himself pressing his palms together in prayer when facing the tree for some reason. And then he spotted several people in the distance, who were enjoying themselves in a leisurely fashion.

n“Who are those people…?” Smith asked.

n“They worship different gods from you, but they’re people who were treated in similar ways,” Vandalieu replied.

nSmith was shocked to learn that he was not the only one to be confined and imprisoned for the sake of covering up Divine Messages, and his righteous indignation towards the Churches was renewed.

nAnd he now felt certain that Vandalieu, the one who had rescued him, was someone worthy of being considered an ally, as instructed by Botin in her Divine Message.

n“Try talking to them while enjoying the light meal that I’ve prepared,” Vandalieu said. “I’m sure they want to speak to you as well, Smith-san.”

n“What are you going to do now?” Smith asked.

n“I’m going to go and rescue more people who have suffered similar treatment to you. Some people are being held in places where security is too tight to rescue them peacefully; I’ve asked everyone else to rescue those ones. I still need to rescue seven more people,” Vandalieu said.

nAt this very moment, Vandalieu’s companions – wearing masks to conceal their identities – were being teleported around by the space-attribute Ghost Jane Doe and rescuing those who had been imprisoned for the same reason as Smith from Churches and Church-affiliated facilities all across the Orbaume Kingdom, except the Farzon Duchy.

nTheir methods were even more forceful than burglars breaking into a house, and those who did not know of the surrounding circumstances could only describe their visits as disasters in the form of humanoids who refused to employ lethal force but stormed in and destroyed the Churches.

nThey indiscriminately knocked out or immobilized anyone who tried to stop them, destroyed any walls or floors in their way with their fists or magic, sent those who pursued them flying into the air, and then left.

nMany such incidents were taking place simultaneously in multiple duchies, but it seemed that no useful clues to discover who was responsible had been found yet.

nAt first, the people of the Jahan Duchy did not welcome events like these.

nThe people’s words were harsh.

n“These fools have mistaken hymns for something to put on display as a show.”

n“Who would want to see Dark Elves and Ghouls singing and dancing? Just what has gotten into the Duke?”

n“I’m sure the long years of exhausting work have caused his mind to grow tired. It’s sad to see.”

nThe majority of the people were worshipers of Alda, or those who worshiped Botin but believed that Alda was the chief of the gods, or worshipers of Nineroad and Farmaun. Given this, perhaps one could even say that it was fortunate that they did nothing more than verbal criticism.

nThose who did go to watch the events were musicians and bards who wished to judge the performances rather than enjoy them, as well as a portion of the youth who just wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

n“Hmph, interesting. Let’s see what the music of these uncultured barbarians is like.”

n“I’ve never seen a Dark Elf or a Ghoul before. Rumors say that there will be a Scylla and Arachne, too!”

n“They won’t be performing tonight. But I’ve heard that there will be a Kijin and a Vampire.”

nBut the performers didn’t mind. None of them expected to be warmly welcomed in the first place. And they were certain that things would change the moment the stage’s curtains were opened.

nThose who watched a performance did a complete turn-around and found themselves absorbed in it.

n“A rhythm that changes in unprecedented ways, instruments that I’ve never seen before, a novel way of musical performance… With music like this, I could create something to express what I’ve always wanted to!”

n“I’m going to convert to worshiping Vida. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince my mother and father.”

n“Adorable. Simply adorable. I have nothing else to say.”

n“Those drums and that deep, unique singing voice resonate in my heart. Incredible…”

n“Ever since I saw that performance, I’ve been dreaming about it every night. That thing that was shining above the stage… It’s apparently called a ‘disco ball.’ It’s always shining in my dreams… It gives me the feeling that I’m being watched over, even now.”

nWith that, there were more people coming to see the performances – those who gained an interest after hearing the rumors, and those who wanted to see scary things. There were even those who found everything suspicious and wanted to see what was going on.

nOn the other hand, there were a certain number of people who didn’t experience any change even after watching multiple performances, but that didn’t matter. After all, the performers were simply singing, playing musical instruments, and dancing on stage.

nThere were no suspicious spells being casted, no drugs being aerosolized to brainwash the audience, and people weren’t being secretly replaced by Demons or Undead. There was nothing that broke the law in any way.

nNobody could make the irrational argument that these performances should be banned simply because they were extremely popular.

nThe curtain closed on yet another day’s performance.

nAfter the curtain fell, the performers took a shower and rested in the dressing room.

nIn one corner of the room was Miriam, who was on her hands and knees. On either side of her were Kanako and Zadiris, trying to comfort her.

n“My life… is over… There’s no way I can correct the course now,” Miriam groaned.

n“No, I don’t really think your life is over or anything,” said Kanako.

n“Indeed, do not be so pessimistic. Your life is only just getting started. Anything can happen from now, you know?” said Zadiris.

nA disco ball… an illumination-type Demon King Familiar, was watching Miriam with concern as well.

nBut Miriam showed no sign of recovering from her gloomy state.

n“I understand that this is important work. That’s why, after a lot of thought and consideration, I acquired the ‘Heroic Guider’ Job. But the result is ‘Heroic Princess!’ Why in the world does it have to be that way?!” Miriam shouted.

nMiriam had taken part in the plan to perform live idol performances to guide the audience and shift public sentiment in the Jahan Duchy in Vida’s favor. As a result, she had gained many fans… especially renowned knights, high-ranking adventurers, leading figures in the Mages’ Guild, and veteran mercenaries. Combined with her reputation in Orbaume, she had acquired the ‘Heroic Princess’ Title.

n“Zadiris-san, I’m sure this is all thanks to your curse!” Miriam said. “How are you going to make it up to me, and thank you very much!”

n“I did not really mean it when I said it, and your Title is a reflection of your own efforts, so it only troubles me that you are blaming me and thanking me for it,” said Zadiris.

nEven after the performance was over, the dressing room was lively for a while longer.

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nJob explanation (Written by Luciliano):

nHeroic Guider

nA guider who guides heroes… It is commonly written in the biographies of heroes that a guider’s companions who are guided by them eventually become heroes, but it seems that this Job affects those who are already heroes, those who possess the qualities to become heroes, and those who are striving to become heroes.

nMiriam insists over and over that she is not the kind of person who should be able to acquire a Job such as this, but… given her past accomplishments, I believe she is more than worthy.

nTitle explanation (Written by Luciliano):

nHeroic Princess

nThis Title does not seem to be for someone who is a ‘Heroic Guider’… It seems that Miriam acquired it while she was singing and dancing on stage.

nIt is likely that she has acquired it because many of her fans are high-ranking adventurers and famous knights.

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