“Anne, what are you doing here?” I demanded, feeling sowhat annoyed at both her appearance and her attitude.
“I heard that Chalm was without a proper church.” Anne sniffed. “I naturally brought so of my missionaries to establish a proper church in this wilderness. You may thank later.”
“I kept a church from being established here for good reason.” I frowned. “Besides, don’t you predominately function in the south?”
“This area hasn’t been claid by that cow church yet, so I’m claiming it in the na of the daughter!” She responded proudly. “However, right after coming to town, I felt a great miasmic disturbance. To think that you were interacting with a filthy dungeon. I am forgiving, however. As long as you allow to purify this dungeon and fund the building of a proper cathedral rivaling that palace I saw on the way in, then I will forgive this trespass.”
“So, irritating,” I grumbled. “Ladies, kick these people out of my city.”
“You would dare incite the church?” Her eyes widened in shock and her n pulled out their weapons.
“Master, it may not be a great idea to imdiately offend either branch of the church.” Carmine cut in.
“You’re defending them?”
“Of course, listen to that cow lady!” Anne crossed her arms proudly.
Carmine's cheek twitched, but she turned to with a pleading look. “The church in its current state may seem strange to you, but it has always been a major power in the south. It was the power that ultimately defeated the fey and the sa power that has kept back the demons all of these years. The Imperial Cloud adow and the church are nearly run unilaterally in the north, and you know how powerful they are. Even the king of Aberis and the tribes of the Ost Republic know to treat the churches with respect.”
Carmine had been raised by the church, so it wasn’t that surprising that she would ultimately defend it. I wasn’t completely convinced.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Even so…” I started.
“Having a church would be a major benefit in Chalm as well,” Elaya spoke up.
“You too?”
“However, you may feel about the church, they serve a major purpose in cities. They perform resurrections, job changes, healing, potion-making, marriages, and various other public services that have frankly been lacking in Chalm as we grow larger.” Elaya explained.
“Miki’s spirit clan can do resurrections…” I muttered, although deep down I knew that many of those other things would be difficult for to set up on my own.
“Although they have accepted their existence, many people are still uneasy with the foxkin and may not seek aid. Furthermore, while resurrection and spiritual repair can be done by the foxkin, there are also more basic healing needs, poisons, petrification, and curses… not all of which are covered by the spiritualist job.”
I sighed. “As useful as a church may be, her terms are unreasonable. When it cos between this dungeon and the church, I’ve made my decision.”
“I see…” Anne’s face darkened. “So, you’d rather pick darkness over the light? I’ve been willing to overlook the karmic contamination in the souls of many of your companions. After all, every dungeon diver eventually gets so darkness in their soul, but to deliberately grow and protect a dungeon like this… I won’t be able to be pol- ah… what?”
As she was speaking, a little girl had walked up to her and tugged on her dress. She was only a head smaller than Anne. I cried out, not having realized when my daughter had moved from behind .
“Am I no good?” My daughter asked with tears in her eyes.
“Eh? Who are you?” Anne blinked, her eyes looking down at the little girl, and a smile of pleasure imdiately forming on her face. “Deek, I see you are still giving proper honor to the daughter, but to bring such a beautiful little girl down into a dungeon, sha on you! Don’t worry, big sis will protect you! I won’t let any harm co to you.”
“Um… she’s the dungeon?”
“Huh?”
Reviews
All reviews (0)