Chapter 20

Auriel Stardust was caught in a myriad of complicated feelings.

Ahead of the performance scheduled for tomorrow, she had briefly visited the slums of the city.

There, Auriel began to do what she had always done, no matter where she went on the continent.

She distributed the items she had brought for the poor, using the power of her divine aura to care for the sick.

However,

Even while others performed what could be called good deeds, Auriel’s heart was always filled more with sorrow and suffering than with joy from having done the right thing.

The items she brought were always insufficient,

and before she could heal all the injured and ill, her aura would already run dry.

The poor were always too many.

Sick and injured people existed in countless numbers wherever she went.

This held true even in this so-called rich city, Benessa.

So, as she expressed her disappointment watching the people disperse once more,

Auriel started to return to her lodgings, carrying a heavy heart weighed down by the cold reality of the situation.

Her body was thoroughly exhausted from excessive use of her aura.

Nevertheless, she did not show it and silently followed her escorts.

She thought to gather strength for the performance tomorrow…

Hoping that through her prayers,

the people gathered there would possess warm hearts to hand a coin to the poor rather than purchasing luxurious items at the auction.

At that moment.

“Uh?”

At some point, she noticed that her escort had disappeared without a trace.

Wondering if they had crossed paths by accident while she was lost in thought, Auriel tried to find her way back to the lodging as she fumbled along an unfamiliar path.

Then.

“W-What…? Who are you… Uwaah!!!”

Suddenly, people appeared and lunged at her.


They looked like thugs, binding her and starting to drag her into a sack.

Under normal circumstances, Auriel would not have been captured so helplessly.

However, in her already exhausted state, she could not put up even a decent resistance and was taken away.

‘W-What on earth is happening? Why me…. No way…?’

Suddenly, the stories she often heard about slave traders came to mind.


The wicked beings who abducted passersby and sold them at the slave market.

Thinking it through, Auriel realized that being alone and lost without her escort made her a prime target for such individuals.

Caught in the unexpected turn of events, Auriel was enveloped in deep confusion and embarrassment.

In this situation, there was only one thing she could do.

Pray to the God who dwells high above.

Calling out to Him in her heart, hoping that He would extend His merciful hand toward her, Auriel earnestly prayed.

At that moment…

-Thunk!

“A!”

In answer to her prayer, the sack burst open with a brilliant light.


What came into view next were two corpses—presumed slave traders—lying face down with their necks severed.

From Auriel’s perspective, it felt as if divine salvation had come to her.

She looked upon the figure before her who had saved her in accordance with the will of God.

A man nonchalantly standing there with a paddle in hand,

wearing a plague doctor outfit and a black crow mask, a rather large stature that caught Auriel’s attention.

Her heart began to swell with profound emotion.

This man was truly the very savior God had sent for her.

To be honest, while his appearance felt more akin to that of an angel of death than a normal angel,

still, Auriel showed her gratitude, bowing respectfully to the one who saved her.

She believed that this man, who had fulfilled God’s will, should equally possess strong faith just like herself.

And then…

“Buddhism.”

“…”

It took less than ten seconds for that conviction to come crashing down.

The fact that he did not recognize her name was shocking, but even more shocking was the mention of that bizarre cult from the distant Eastern region she had heard of before.

A sinister cult that made devotees bow hundreds of times to a golden idol with curly hair, forbidding them from eating meat,

and forcing the souls of the dead into the bodies of beasts or slaves so they couldn’t reach heaven, not to mention a terrible curse that turned believers bald.

Buddhism.

She never imagined she would hear that horrifying name in this manner.

As she processed that this man before her was not a servant of the Lord, but rather a follower of heretical beliefs, Auriel felt deep embarrassment and spoke.

“…Y-You shouldn’t. Believing in such wicked heresy, the people living on this land should believe in our holy Lord and Lady Magdalene…”

“I thought religious freedom was declared a while ago in Westphalia? Whether I worship Buddha, Shub Niggurath, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, that’s my freedom.”

“Shu… Shub?… Sp… Spaghetti?… Wh-What… heretical words are those…”

Struck by the incomprehensible, she was momentarily taken by a dizzying sensation from the peculiar names she presumed belonged to an unknown cult.

It seemed that this man was deeply enmeshed in the realm of heresy.

As she wandered the continent, she had seen many people of this kind… particularly those who worshipped God Mola.

But to think that the one who saved her and had enough skill to butcher her captors in an instant was a believer in these evil and nonsensical gods!

She felt a deep regret in realizing this.

With the intent of conveying the light of the Lord to this poor soul who was lost in misguided beliefs, Auriel resolved to share her faith.

Since he had saved her, she felt she had a duty to save him in return.

‘But a half-baked sermon won’t do… it seems I’ll have to employ the best method I have.’

It is extremely difficult to turn the hearts of those who’ve fallen into darkness.

Even the words of the beloved Pope His Holiness could be thrown like stones at those who are heretics,

which is why there were also those in her sect who held radical views insisting that heretics should be executed immediately.

However, through her experiences thus far, Auriel knew they could also change.

With something even stronger than preaching.

To move people’s hearts.

“Um… Excuse me. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to offer a little thank you, if that’s acceptable?”

“If it’s something like a prayer, as I said, no thanks.”

As he disposed of the beheaded bodies into the river while speaking, Auriel felt an unusual sense of caution, feeling nervous for her unexpected self.

“That’s not it. Here… this…”

“?!”

Feeling a strange sensation, Auriel carefully revealed something she had been holding close to her chest.

A small medal that shimmered with silver light.


Seeming to understand what it was, the plague doctor spoke with a hint of surprise in his voice.

“This is… no way?”

“It’s an invitation to the Great Auction. I’ll be performing there tomorrow… please… come and see. It may greatly influence your life.”

While she had invited people like this before, today felt particularly different.


Her heart was pounding, and she could not shake a sense of intense unease.

Wondering if this man might reject her invitation…

An overwhelming anxiety.

Then.

“…Got it. I’ll definitely be there.”

“Ah!”

In response to his reply, Auriel’s heart began to fill with profound joy in an instant.


In a mood she couldn’t fully comprehend, she slightly blushed and offered a quiet smile.

*

After saving her, this girl named Auriel who relentlessly insisted on faith…

To be honest, it was becoming a bit bothersome, and I was thinking of dropping her off somewhere since she seemed to be nothing but a preachy little lady.

But in that moment, all those wicked thoughts vanished from my heart and a single phrase naturally surfaced.

“Hallelujah! Long live the Lord!”

I had never cared for religion at all, but the item she handed me was valuable enough to provoke such thoughts.

The silver medal now held in my hand.


This was the ‘Invitation’ item from the original work, originally something you could only get from a certain destroyed noble mansion in the game, there was only one in existence.

It was a key item that allowed unprecedented access to the central pavilion where the Great Auction was held, a no-entry zone.

Meaning, having this in hand, I could waltz right in without needing to deal with the soldiers stationed outside, casually explore the auction from the inside, then ambush at the perfect moment and swipe everything without trouble.

Originally, I planned to forcibly break in, but now things were going to get much easier.

A harvest I never expected had come my way.


Feeling profound joy about that fact,

I also began to realize that if she was generous enough to hand me such a valuable invitation, this Auriel was probably not an ordinary person at all.

I cautiously racked my brain, attempting to recall any information about her from the original work.

However…

‘…Hmm… I can’t seem to recall anything specific.’

No matter how deeply I thought, nothing came to mind.


The name Auriel Stardust had never been mentioned once, and

there weren’t even any items related to her.

‘The only thing vaguely related was something about religion, but… it likely has no relation to this nun girl.’

Just as I thought that, I felt a bit awkward but gradually began to pick up my pace, steering the gondola in the direction she indicated.

The truth about her also being new here and having no idea where she was going would come later.

‘Still, I think Buddha might be better… Om Mani Padme Hum…’