53 Part 1

Episode 53

The Shrine Maiden and the Visitor’s Work Consultation

The day after I signed the ‘Master-Slave Contract’ with Rafilia.

Cecil,Rafilia and I were visiting Iris’ mansion.

Cecil is my bodyguard.

Rafilia is meeting Iris for the first time, so we’re doing introductions as well. Of course, she covers her elf ears with Aine’s homemade hood and wears a disguise while walking outside.

We met Iris to greet her on her arrival in Irgafa and to ask her about the current situation of the Order of Divine and the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Irgafa Lord” ──Iris home is a building that looks like a scaled-down royal palace, with a huge double door at the entrance, and a gatekeeper.

It was the gatekeeper who had received my letter to Iris when I visited here this morning. He seemed to be able to talk to me properly and politely told me to go around to the service gate.

We were led through the service gate, and the maids led us down a wide hallway…

“Actually, I would like to ask Souma to investigate the sanctuary of the sea dragon.”

We were told about the quest by Iris, who was waiting for us in the parlor.

“Wasn’t the Sea Dragon Sanctuary the place where the ‘Festival of the Sea Dragon’ ceremony was held?

I asked Iris.

I learned this knowledge from Rita and Aine.

In the morning, I had the two of them go ask around. Thanks to Aine’s communicative skills and Rita’s auditory investigation, I’ve been getting a lot of information.

A festival for the sea dragon Kerukatoru, the guardian deity of the port town of Irgafa, is to be held in a few days. There seems to be some trouble at the festival, where Iris is a Shrine Maiden.

“The tip of the peninsula. I’ve heard rumors of a demon appearing there.”

“Yes. It’s a rare occurrence, but it seems that the wards around the holy place are weakening.”

Standing at the window, Iris began to speak.

She is wearing a yellow dress with accessories of the same color on her head and arms. Her green hair was swaying in the breeze that blew in through the thinly opened window.

“There is a cave – a small dungeon – in the sacred ground that is used for rituals. There have been reports of demons entering and leaving the cave.”

“What is the nature of this demon?”

“I don’t know, but the fact that they don’t show themselves clearly suggests that they are very cautious. It is difficult to deploy a large number of soldiers in a dungeon, so I think it would be better to ask the adventurers to investigate.”

The Holy Land is the place where the sea dragon Kerukatoru appears during the festival.

If there was a demon there, the sea dragon might be wary and stay away, and Iris couldn’t go there either.

“The dungeon is not a suitable place to deploy a large army. If we try to get rid of the demons and destroy the sacred ground in the process, the sea dragon might not come back. Then there would be no point.”

“That’s why they want to send a skilled person to investigate and get rid of the demon. The strongest and most trustworthy people that I know is Souma and his party.”

Iris announced, her green hair fluttering in the ocean breeze.

“Of course, this is an official request from the Irgafa family. Iris will be responsible for the ‘Contract’.”

“What about rewards, deadlines, and other conditions?”

“The reward is 4000 Arusha. This is a success reward. There are no penalties for quest failure. The dungeon is small enough that I can reach the center of the dungeon by myself during the ritual. It should take a few hours at most to conquer. Due tomorrow, if possible.”

“You mean as soon as possible.”

“Yes. As soon as possible.”

“I’m sorry. I knew you were in a hurry.”

The festival is in six days. I understand the urgency, but it’s a little hard to make a request today and have it done by tomorrow.

“The reason I’ve set the deadline to tomorrow is because after that date, the request will go to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Iris turned her eyes down and said…

“If that happens, that Order of Divine will make its move.”

“…Whoa.”

Rafilia held her mouth in deep disgust. Yeah, I know.

“They are strong, but they have a messed up way of doing business. That’s why we don’t want them in the sanctuary as much as possible. That’s why we’re in such a hurry to get the job done.”

The tone of Iris’ voice was also very unpleasant.

How much are you hated, Order of Divine?

“I saw them yesterday, but who are they?”

“I don’t know the details either. But I do know that he brought letter of introduction from the nobles of King’s faction and that they are a powerful party.”

“I’ve seen the way they work. Honestly, it made me want to throw up.”

“I’m glad that Souma has the same values as me.”

I think so too.

Rafilia is cowering with a pale face, probably remembering what happened yesterday. Cecil is patting Rafilia’s back and looks as if she’s swallowed something sour.

I think they deserve to be declared enemies just for making my slaves look like this.

“The truth is Adventurer’s Guild were requested to survey the sacred site every year. We had to make sure there is no danger before we perform the ritual on the day of the festival. But right now, the Adventurers’ Guild is not functioning because of the Order of Divine.”

“It’s not working?”

I nodded back at Iris’ words.

…That’s right.

Rafilia was being pressured in a job interview and she was completely out of it. It was only when I brought up the “God of Contracts” that the Order of Divine Command finally gave up. If it were true, the guild would have stopped them. In the original world, they would have repeatedly bashed the people who came for interviews until they took them to court, and then the people who introduced them to the job would have turned a blind eye.