Chapter 19: The Pages of History (Part 1)
“Ah, Young Lady, I understand your doubts. Of course, you wouldn’t just take our word for it. So, let’s get Miss Ailna to spill the beans herself! Some of this stuff is even scribbled in those dusty old books in the cellar… You all are destined for greatness, and I’m just an old codger… cough cough”
He coughed and pulled out his pipe, stuffing it with some tobacco while bowing repeatedly and backing away: “Cough! I’m just a simple old man doing my bit to help Miss Ailna with some inconsequential tasks… Helps me sleep better at night…”
Old Man Robert flashed me a smile full of wrinkles and waddled off.
Of course, he’d back up that woman…
But that’s not the answer I was looking for…
I didn’t stop the old mayor; I just stood in front of the dirt house watching his hunchbacked form disappear into the distance, my eyes flickering, biting my nails as I fell into deep thought.
Hmph…
He definitely figured out what I wanted to ask, but he pretended not to notice, rambling on about a bunch of useless nonsense…
This old man isn’t so dumb…
Though he seems simple and honest, he probably knows everything.
As for the truth about the deities and the world, the townsfolk likely have an inkling, even the little girls know something… There’s no way Ailna told each one of them individually.
If it were just a straightforward partnership, that woman wouldn’t need to spill every truth to the townspeople. And frankly, letting them know the full story could scare the daylights out of them! To avoid unnecessary trouble, she should be trying to hide more than share.
So, what it really means is…
The townsfolk probably knew a lot more than they let on! They might have learned about the deities’ existence years ago and figured out what the Abyss really is. That’s likely why they accepted the Gate of Truth and chose to collaborate with Ailna instead of treating her like some demon or heretic.
They must be fully aware of what the Church has done, knowing a significant part of the truth about this world…
But the old mayor wasn’t keen on sharing that with me.
It’s not that he wanted to hide things from me, or that he bore any ill-will; he simply doesn’t trust me, the outsider—just like I don’t trust him.
Oh well…
If I get another chance, I’ll chat with him more.
Once his figure vanished into the distance, I turned around and headed back into the dirt house, making my way to the cellar. Soon, the veiled women brought in some warm meals. It was pretty much the same as last night: purple lizard meat and dry bread, nearly enough to feed a small army, but thankfully, no more bug delicacies.
These women might gossip about me behind my back, but when they came in front of me, they behaved very politely and timidly, heads down, hardly daring to breathe. They didn’t even show a hint of surprise at my ability to finish an entire table of food, just quietly cleaned up and left without a word.
By noon, that little girl named Betty actually brought me a kn*fe!
It was a curved, large steel kn*fe, long and sharp, about half a meter in length. While it wasn’t the best craftsmanship compared to what you’d find in the central forge, it was quite nicely made—probably the best kn*fe the town could muster.
I didn’t really need a kn*fe, but the old mayor’s gesture made me feel more secure. In a situation where I had no clue when my strength would return, having a sharp weapon was definitely a good thing.
The people here… the men and most of the women, have truly treated me with respect, almost like I’m royalty. After mulling it over, I figured it out.
Bottom line: They respect me because of my status as the successor to the goddess, Ailna’s guest.
These townsfolk probably see me as some sort of angel of the Goddess of Sin, or something along those lines; they aren’t respecting me as a person. I haven’t done anything for them. They’re respecting the deity and the power she’s granted me…
So, these past couple of days, I’ve been eating like a king with meals big enough to feed ten! Lizard meat every meal and soup at night! That’s practically a royal feast in this town. Once, I saw Old Man Robert squatting by the dirt house’s door, puffing away on his pipe, with a bowl of some dark, unidentifiable herbs at his feet. He’d occasionally shovel some into his mouth with a piece of dry bread—now that’s what you call everyday meals.
But even seeing that, I won’t be polite! Sure, they can send bathwater every other day, but when it comes to food, I won’t compromise unless forced to! I make sure to eat as much as I can because I can feel my strength returning, even if it’s at a crawling pace.
I stopped wandering around and behaved myself in the cellar. Sometimes, I’d step outside for fresh air and sunshine, waving at Old Man Robert if I spotted him.
He seems to live in that slightly larger dirt house with a yard across the street. I once saw that little girl hiding behind the wall of their yard, peeking through a hole, and when I caught her, she scurried away like a startled rabbit.
Two days whizzed by, and the woman named Ailna still hadn’t returned.
The next evening, I spotted Old Man Robert again and asked him once more. He said Miss Ailna had probably run into a delay on the road and urged me to be patient for a couple more days; she would definitely be back.
We chatted about little things; I told him I was from the Valen Empire and asked if he had any news from there. He told me he didn’t know, as Meiser Town is incredibly isolated—no church here, no newspapers making their rounds, and many folks, including him, can’t even read, so they never bother with the outside world. Hence, he couldn’t tell me anything.
However, he did share that the closest town was a few days’ journey east over the Yellow Mountains. That place is more prosperous than here, with men occasionally heading that way to trade their lizard meat for fabric, salt, and basic supplies. Sometimes, they even brought back coins.
That was way closer than I thought!
But from what the old man said, even that town is only slightly more prosperous—it has a market for trade, but it’s mostly self-sufficient. There aren’t any outside merchants, and no church there either. It’s likely just another remote, impoverished settlement, which was a bit of a letdown.
After dinner back in the cellar, I spent the rest of the time poring over those documents, piecing together clues.
After finishing the woman’s notes, I found two more incomplete ancient books on the shelf. I’ve spent nearly all my time reading these past few days.
And in one of those ancient books, as the woman mentioned, it contained parts of the truth about history from a thousand years ago.
