novelHoly Place
| ← Ch.04 | Ch.06 → |
The light shining into the room brought my consciousness back.
It seems that today I woke up before my alarm clock woke me up.
Since I finally woke up feeling nice for once I didn't want to hear that piercing sound, so still lying down, I reached out my hand to stop it before it rang.
While groping around for the alarm clock that was always by my pillow, my hand touched something hard.
I tried to grab it from above and press the button on the alarm clock... when a sharp pain at the base of my thumb sent me jumping right up.
"Tss-!?"
When I looked at my pained right hand, I found that at a cut ran vertically down the base of my thumb, and blood was oozing from there.
In confusion at the sudden event, I looked at where I had stretched my hand towards earlier, and found that in place of my familiar alarm clock was an ominous black knife lying there.
After looking around the room still confused, I remembered that this wasn't my room.
A six tatami room with a simple table set, and, completely at odds with the rest of the room, a jet black canopy bed.
Right, I was thrown into another world, and made it to this room.
Mn?
That's weird, there's something that feels off about this.
No, I mean, being thrown into another world is off to begin with, or rather it's beyond a level you can just call 'feeling off', but leaving that aside, it feels kind of like last night's scene was a little different, or rather...
While I dragged off the jet black robe that was hard to see atop the black blanket, I frantically tried to work this mind of mine that wouldn't work well having just awoken.
Wai-, black?
Right, the thing that's off about this scene is the bed and blanket.
Last night when I went to sleep, it was supposed to be just a simple wooden bed, with white sheets and a white blanket.
And at some point it changed into a pitch black canopy bed... It couldn't be that I was kidnapped?
No, but the room seems to be the same as the room that I fell asleep in last night.
Still unable to process the situation, the knife from before entered my vision.
Earlier I was wondering why such a knife was in here, but thinking about it carefully, I realised that it might have been the curse.
I put it away in my item box, but because of the curse of being unable to unequip it, it probably flew out while I was sleeping.
Meaning that it's going to be like this every night? Today it ended with just a scratch, but if I don't do something about this I'll probably be seriously injured before long.
While licking my wound, I was at a loss as to what I would do from now on.
Having remembered about the knife, I realised what had probably happened with the bed as well.
While I was sleeping, the divine enchantment had probably activated.
There might have been a voice just like the time with the knife and robe, but unfortunately I was sleeping and apparently missed it.
In other words────
"I've done it now."
Because of the skill, it seems that I accidentally demonically remodelled the bed.
I, wonder if I'll have to reimburse them.
It's become luxurious, so I wonder if they might forgive me.
Despite running into trouble first thing in the morning, I put on my robe and shoes.
Let's just deal with it later.
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After having breakfast I left the inn.
I roughly asked the inn obasan about the placed I wanted to go today, so all that's left is to walk about and search for them.
My goals are two places; the Adventurers Guild and the church.
I want to register at the Adventurers Guild for a Guild Card.
I don't have any intention of proactively going on adventures, but it seems like various things will get annoying without ID after all, and I want to maintain a way of earning money too.
My purpose of going to the church is to dispel the curse.
I experienced trouble this morning too, but I really would like to hurry up and get rid of the curses on this robe and knife.
I'm aware that the idea of 'removing curses = church' is largely influenced by the games I've played, but given that I can't think of anything else there's no choice but to try.
Since the curse really exists, I think there should exist a method to dispel it too after all, and even if the church can't do it, if I talk to them about my problems they'll probably teach me how to approach it.
A helping hand to the lost lambs.
The church was apparently somewhat closer to the inn, so I'll head there first.
Apparently the inn I stayed in is in the western side of town, but the church is in front of the estate of the ruler's residence in the northern side, and the Adventurers Guild is near the eastern gate.
Turning left at the central plaza, I walked northwards along the road that intersected the east-west road.
After walking for a while, I could see a large building before me.
That's probably the estate of the lord of this town.
In that case, does that mean the church is that building whose distinguishing feature are the spires?
I arbitrarily had the image of 'church = cross' but thinking about it carefully, that's only limited to the Christians of my old world, and the churches of this world have no crosses.
Upon walking as far as the entrance, I could see beyond the open doors a dignified room that you could call a holy temple.
Benches were lined up, and there was a podium further in, and a person who appeared to be a priest was currently preaching.
Enshrined inside was a divine looking statue of a goddess, and people were sitting on the benches and offering prayers towards that statue.
Mn, there's no mistake that this is the church.
But still, with such a pure atmosphere, it seems that I can hold some hopes for getting this curse dispelled.
With lightened steps, I headed towards the entrance and went through that do-...MIGYAH-!?
The moment I tried to head through the door I collided face-first into the invisible wall that was there.
Taking a staggered step backwards because of the impact I took to the face, in front of me was a crack in space.
What's, with this?
Finding it strange, I timidly gave it a poke, when the crack widened from where my finger was, and with a light -pan- sound, something that was surrounding the church ruptured and disappeared.
"Ah."
Could this possibly be that? A barrier or something?
A barrier charged with holy power in order to ward off foreign enemies... Wai-, no, no, then why did I get repelled?
And moreover, with just a light poke it so easily broke too.
"....................."
"....................."
"....................."
"....................."
When I happened to glance that way, I found that everybody in the church was looking at me, frozen up.
It seems that the sound of the barrier breaking earlier resounded inside too, and they were paying attention to my every action.
Um~mm, I think that the possibility of the barrier breaking is only at a 'not completely non-existent' level, but I realised that from an outsider's point of view, it looked like I had obviously destroyed the barrier.
Now that it's come to this────
".....................Strategic retreat."
I desperately made a smile, and tilted my head in confusion before quickly leaving the scene.
I don't hear any screaming behind me, I don't hear any screaming behind me.
That my hood had been thrown off when I bumped into the barrier was something that I only realised after I made it as far as the central plaza.
Frantically putting my hood back on, I decided to take a breather at a cafe by the plaza.
While sipping the black tea I ordered, I thought about what just happened.
It seems possible that the church had some kind of holy protection cast on it, but why did I have to get repelled by it?
I'm a human, and not a devil or anything... Wai-, is this because of the 『Child of the Evil God』 titlee!?
Mn, I can't think of any other reason after all, and it probably isn't wrong.
Do people with this title get treated as non-humans? So troublesome.
Like I thought, I really do want to give that evil god a punch.
With things as they are, it would probably be better not to go near the church for now.
I had my face seen without a hood on after all, and I accidentally met eyes with them so with the effect of the mystic eyes, it won't turn into anything good.
It seems that for now I have no choice but to give up on the curse removal as well.
While drinking my black tea, I let out a deep sigh.
| ← Ch. 04 | Ch. 06 → |