Chapter 157: The Dream of Ansgar Part 3

The lord of Dihid, Heines, had died.

Fortunately, Heines's daughter Adena was on her way back from the capital of the Barak Empire. She sent a letter asking me to stay in Dihid until she arrived, which would be in two days.

Strictly speaking, I was the one who had killed Heines. In this pseudo-medieval land, if word got out that a druid had killed the lord, even if it was to save the city, my life would be as good as over.

However, people only said that "the lord had died" and never mentioned that "a druid killed the lord". The beastmen who had witnessed the scene in the castle all agreed to keep it a secret.

Loyalty like that is rare.

It was a stroke of incredible luck. Had anyone whispered a word of this to Adena, I wouldn't have received a reward; I would have lost my head.

While Adena was on her way back, Lloyd, El, Ayla, and I decided to take care of the castle. Perhaps it was because we were the ones who had sealed the demon Barbason and driven out the "black rain", but no one objected to us staying in the castle.

There was nothing particularly grand about the castle. In fact, far from being special, the castle was in an incredibly miserable state. From rat droppings to curtains and furniture gnawed by rats, and the mold that covered many parts of the castle due to the lack of sunlight…

"It's a total mess."

At this rate, I might catch a disease and die before Adena even returns. I gathered the castle servants and started with a "cleaning" operation. Cleaning, after all, is the most basic element of good health!

While the servants tore down the tattered curtains and scrubbed every corner of the castle, I checked my rewards.

[Quest: Our Green, Green Dihid Completed!]

[Reward: Starfish Leather Gloves]

I slipped the shimmering, glowing starfish gloves onto both hands. Before wearing them, the gloves had felt loose but as soon as they were on, they tightened around my fingers, the back of my hands, palms, and wrists, fitting like a second skin. They were light, comfortable, and not restrictive at all.

As a test, I slipped an iron ring over the leather gloves. Normally, without the gloves, my skin would have turned red and felt painful as if it were burning, but thanks to the gloves, my hands remained unharmed.

With these, I can benefit from metal accessories too.

Until now, I'd always handed metal items over to Lloyd and El, but now I could use them myself.

I wonder how well they resist fire?

I deliberately reached out to grasp a lit candle. Immediately, the gloves shrank away from the flame as if they were alive. They were trying to avoid the heat.

"So you don't like fire, huh?"

I chuckled, then blew out the candle with a puff of breath.

This is a valuable item. I need to make sure it doesn't get damaged by flames, especially by the flames of Legion.

The most important thing was the gloves' immunity to illusions. Until now, thanks to the title [Nemesis of Evil], I had been immune to fear, confusion, and shock, but not to illusions. With these Starfish Leather Gloves, it would be much easier to deal with those who use high-level magic like illusions.

After carefully examining the Starfish Leather Gloves, I headed to the Temple of Donar. I had heard that Connie had woken up.

"Connie, how are you feeling?"

"Oh, Sir Theodore!"

When Connie who had been lying in bed sat up, I noticed his tail wagging slightly behind him. He seemed genuinely happy to see me. Just like the three hunting dog brothers, the dog beastmen were always easy to read.

"Thanks to you, I'm feeling much better. I think I could even run now… but Lord Donar is so worried that I'm just resting."

"…Lord Donar is 'worried'?"

"Yes, haha. He's really such a kind person, isn't he?"

"..."

Indeed. After we defeated Barbason and reclaimed the underground temple, Connie became completely devoted to Donar. Not that it was a bad thing (and it's not exactly wrong, either). It just meant that Donar cherished and favored him as one of his priests. Once he fully recovered, Connie would become a high priest guarding Donar's underground temple.

"Have you heard about what happened while you were out?"

"Yes, Sir Draven explained everything. He told me that after I collapsed, you defeated the demon, Sir Theodore…"

"Well, it wasn't exactly defeating… more like sealing it. And that was only possible because you were there, Connie."

"I didn't do anything, though."

Connie scratched the back of his head and looked a bit embarrassed.

"You didn't do anything? Filling that vast underground temple with holy water was something only you could have done."

"Haha."

"You did really well, Connie."

"Thank you, Sir Theodore."

"As you know, Barbason is as good as dead. But he isn't actually dead."

"..."

Connie's expression gradually darkened, and his once-wagging tail drooped suddenly.

"You understand why I didn't kill him, right?"

"…Yes. If you had sent him back to Hell, Barbason would have recovered and attempted to descend again."

"We don't know how long it would have taken, but if that had happened, it would have been truly a disaster."

"You're right."

Connie shuddered as if he didn't even want to imagine it.

"But as long as my morning stars and your holy water remain, he will continue to weaken. It's practically the same as being annihilated…"

"…Do you really think so?"

"Well, as long as you don't sell the sanctuary to a demon like the previous priests did."

I lightly tapped Connie's shoulder with a playful smile.

Though I spoke lightly, the weight and importance of this task were anything but light.

But Connie could handle it.

…It's a good thing Donar is so fond of him.

It was only natural; after all, he had restored Donar's underground temple and shown a "true faith" that was rare in this era.

With so many miracles occurring, Donar's influence in Dihid was bound to grow even stronger in the future.

But I can't just keep doing good deeds for others.

Wasn't it obvious?

If something goes out, something should come in.

It wouldn't be fair if the bear does the tricks and Donar reaps all the faith, would it?

We can't forget our goddess.

After all, it wasn't just Donar's "holy water" supplying divine power to the underground temple now.

The reason the sea stones were able to regain their divine power was thanks to the morning stars, which had bloomed through Lynshaka's power.

So,

When it came to regaining the underground temple that Barbason had almost taken and bringing peace to Dihid, our goddess also had a "little" share of the credit.

I have a conscience; I don't intend to claim all the credit for us.

But I do think we should make the name "Lynshaka" resonate a little more in Dihid, where our goddess's influence is lacking.

As Lynshaka's fame grows, so too will the benefits I can gain as her follower.

Like the port city of Rabata, the river-bound city of Dihid also had a strong influence from Donar due to its regional characteristics. And since Dihid, like Rabata, was a city with heavy traffic, once Lynshaka's name took root…

The goddess's fame would spread farther and wider.

I had no intention of doing anything grand like building a temple.

– The god of rivers and seas, Donar, doubts your true intentions.

– The goddess of forests and earth, Lynshaka, finds you admirable.

So this was goodbye to Donar's favor, which I had earned by completing the quest [Our Green, Green Dihid]. But it didn't matter. After all, the one I needed to impress was Lynshaka.

"Connie."

"Yes?"

"This is just a courtesy, but I wanted to mention something."

"Y-Yes?"

I gently grasped Connie's shoulder and smiled.

"Do you remember the cat tree?"

"Oh, yes. Sir Draven mentioned it. He said that people returned to normal after eating the fruit that grew on it…"

"It was all thanks to the mercy of the goddess Lynshaka. Isn't that truly fortunate?"

"Y-Yes, it certainly is."

"So, here's what I'm thinking."

I began speaking in the most impartial tone I could manage.

"I plan to plant purification trees around the cat tree and erect a statue in honor of the goddess Lynshaka. Don't worry, the statue will be sent from the Lynshaka temple in Rabata, so there's nothing for Donar's temple to concern itself with."

"Oh, oh… I see! That's… that's…"

"Lady Adena, the future Lord of Dihid, has readily given her approval. She's extremely grateful for the goddess's mercy in aiding Dihid, a city to which she has no ties."

"Ah, th-th-this…. wait a moment, Lord Donar?"

It seemed to have started. Connie grabbed his temples and squeezed his eyes shut; he was groaning like someone suffering from a severe headache. Donar was likely pouring a stream of curses directly into his head. Well, it wasn't like I could hear any of it. I smiled leisurely and waited for Connie to come to his senses.

"L-L-Lord Donar…"

Connie stammered as he finally escaped his headache.

"The Lynshaka temple in Dihid, yes, yes. I'll relay the message properly, Lord Donar. So, about the Lynshaka temple being established in Dihid…"

"Oh, don't misunderstand. I have no intention of building a 'temple' for Lynshaka. I simply want to honor the fact that Lynshaka sealed Barbason and protected this city."

"T-That's what he says, Lord Donar… Yes, yes."

Honestly, at times like this, it's hard to tell whether you're dealing with a god or a six-year-old kindergartner. So petty, so greedy.

After sweating profusely and dealing with Donar in his head for quite some time, Connie finally let out a weary sigh and nodded his head.

"Yes, yes. He grants permission."

"That's good to hear. How beautiful is it that the two gods together saved Dihid?"

"…Ugh!"

At my words, Donar must have yelled again because Coni's ear twitched.

"Anyway, that's great. I'll be going back now. I also need to think about how to arrange the area around the cat tree."

"Yes… ugh."

"It's probably best to plant morning stars, right? The underground temple is also filled with them."

"Ugh… Please, just go now."

It seemed Donar was really giving him a hard time.

"Alright, Connie. Take care of your health. And give my regards to Lord Donar."

"Yes, goodbye…"

"The statue of the goddess Lynshaka should probably be made from oak wood, don't you think?"

"A-Aaaah!"

I held back my laughter as I waved at Connie who was practically screaming.

"Alright then, get some good rest!"

-The goddess of the forest and earth, Lynshaka, is pleased.

-The goddess of the forest and earth, Lynshaka, bestows her blessing upon you.

-The [Loved by the Forest] trait evolves into the [Trusted by the Forest] trait.

Gods, they really are simple.