novel
| ← Ch.163 | Ch.165 → |
"What happened?" [Rheinbach]
Rheinbach asked, and Michelle explained.
After Ryouma and the others went to subjugate the lich, the girls stayed in the inn, but with nothing to do, they started to worry. They then decided to go to the church to pray for Ryouma and the other's well-being. After praying Elia went to the toilet before they left, but she never came back.
"We searched in the church and along the road to the inn, but she's nowhere to be found. Riera and the others are working with Oslo-san's group right now to find her." [Michelle]
"I see..." [Rheinbach]
"What are the odds of her leaving town?" [Ryouma]
Rheinbach sighed, then Ryouma asked that last question, but Michelle quietly shook her head before answering.
"We checked with all the gatekeepers of the town, but no one saw her. And besides, it would be really dangerous for her to exit town now. I'm sure she understands that too. We also checked her equipment just to be safe, and everything was still there in the inn. I doubt she would have left unarmed. At least, I don't think she would on her own volition..." [Michelle]
Michelle's voice gradually grew smaller as she grew more and more worried.
"... Well, there's no point talking here. We'll go look for her too. Good job letting us know!" [Shiva]
"Y-Yes! Ah, but first you should go to the inn! Everyone is reporting to Heckard to make it easier to share info, so we might learn something new if we talk to him." [Michelle]
At Shiva's words, Michelle naturally lifted her downcast face, then she suggested that we go to the inn.
"In that case, I shall bring the captive adventurers to the guild." [Sebasu]
"I'll go too, someone needs to explain what kind of treatment they've received." [Remiri]
"Alright, I'll leave that to you two then." [Shiva]
Like that Remiri and Sebasu teleported to the guild while the rest of us went to the inn.
One hour later—
Ryouma ran through the dimly lit town in search for Elia.
"Excuse me, did you see—" [Ryouma]
"Nope, nothing like her." [Villager]
"I see, thanks anyway. Just where in the world did you disappear, Elia?" [Ryouma]
They had gone back to the inn, hoping word of Elia might have arrived, but unfortunately, only the regretful face of Heckard was waiting for them. Ryouma sent the rimel birds to search for her, but there were many corners in town the birds couldn't go to, like the inside of the buildings, so Ryouma had to go himself in the end and ask whoever he could for a clue on Elia's whereabouts.
But in the end, the only info he could get was that she was last seen entering the church. Even Oslo's group who frequently got their info from this town couldn't find a lead other than the church.
"... Fuu..." [Ryouma]
Slowing down after running nonstop, Ryouma looked around him as he caught his breath and pondered.
(... If Elia had really gone somewhere by herself, there should be a lot more info on her than this. There are a lot of adventurers and merchants in this town because of the magic jewels, it's not easy to slip by unnoticed. Was she kidnapped then? It would be likely, but there's nothing pointing to that at all. )
Ryouma found himself by the corner of a heavily trafficked path.
(Barrack-san mentioned that the missing people might have been kidnapped, and he and the rest of his group seem to think it's the lich behind it... I mean when you think about it, I only found five people after a whole week of searching. A whole week where I used Cursed Song and the grave slimes to lure the undead, gathering several thousands of undead just to find a paltry five people. That's just too few.
... I don't know about the lich kidnapping people though, there's no proof of it, even though it was indeed gathering people... But darn it, what's the point of all this thinking!?)
With the odds growing increasingly higher that Elia was in fact kidnapped, Ryouma's patience started to grow thin.
(If she was kidnapped, then the culprit either ran away already or is hiding somewhere. Either way we need to find her quick... But how!?)
Ryouma grit his teeth as he thought of a way to find Elia, but in the end, he couldn't come up with anything aside from continuing the search.
(Should I send the rimel birds again? Maybe ask people one after another, or... No, there's no other method left. If there were I would have used them ages ago. )
Ryouma decided to search the town again, but just as he was about to run off, something caught his attention.
(Is that-!?)
That something was like a ray of hope, and Ryouma immediately went after it.
On the others side of the byway of the main street was a small path which led to a building annexed to a church.
Ryouma caught his breath before entering the church, then as he entered into what seemed to be a former chapel reconstructed into a hall, a middle-aged man who seemed to be a priest greeted him.
"Oh, a new face? How may I help you?" [Priest]
"I would like to pray." [Ryouma]
"... Please." [Priest]
"Thank you." [Ryouma]
The middle-aged priest must have sensed something from Ryouma's stiff face, as he asked no more and opened the door to the chapel. The place seemed to still be under construction, but the chapel was already completed, and there were even several people praying inside.
Ryouma bowed his head to thank the priest, then he took a seat in one of the many chairs of the chapel and prayed.
(Please! Someone hear me out!!)
And then light wrapped around Ryouma.
The hope Ryouma saw was none other than this opportunity to ask one of the gods. A plea to a god, so to speak. A normal person might not receive any reply even if he asked, but Ryouma's close relationship to the gods meant that he would surely receive some sort of reply.
Only, as to how much that reply would help him was not guaranteed. For it was up to the gods whether they would answer, and how much they would say.
For example, if the god to greet Ryouma would be the God of Liquor, who cared little about minor details, the odds are high that he would give Ryouma a more specific location. But on the other hand, if it were someone like the God of Magic, Fer Noevir, the odds of being rejected would shoot up.
Ryouma also rarely asked the gods for such help. This would be a first, for this time he was truly at his wits' end.
Gradually, the light grew faint. Ryouma knew that it was nothing more than for his own selfish reasons that he wished to find Elia, but even then, he hoped it would be Tekun on the other side—
"..."
Wrapped in a jet-black dress, the god to greet Ryouma was the stolid God of Sleep and Death, Meltrize.
| ← Ch. 163 | Ch. 165 → |