Divine Protection of Many Gods

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

As we had planned, our party departed early in the morning and arrived at Welberg before evening .

At first, Feryu was surprised to see Knights after exiting the tent, but everything was sorted out after Lux explained the circumstances . It wasn’t my place to meddle .

「She, umm, the Shinto Priest is from Bureto . They were informed of us by the Tri-Sword, and then we just happened to meet them by chance . Since they just happen to be there we took the liberty to ask them about Welberg . 」

Half of the story seems to be true, at least the part about where Tri-sword informed them of the Monster swarm approaching the town of Bureto .

However the part about Seira, the oracle, and the search for the Hero was left out .

At that time, a member of the search party that was looking for Lux caught up with are group .

「I heard a little about you from Furon-san . Hylux-sama, I am convinced that you are the Hero . 」

The fact that Seira can nominate a Hero doesn’t seem to be wrong . A Shinto Priest is selected to be the representative of the Church . The Shinto Priest therefore has the right to choose the Hero as foretold by the mandate of the Oracle . The probability of becoming a Shinto Priest is low, but it is not zero . It is akin to buying a winning lottery ticket .

The lower wall of the castle circles the border of Welberg . In the same manner as the town of Bureto . There is a gate on both the west and east side .

The main street of the castletown is paved with stones . We enter from the west gate, there is a crowd of people . The castle is in the center portion of the town with a moat surrounding it . It must be for an emergency defense .

When we enter the town we part ways with Feryu, although her wounds have healed she wants to let Nico rest in a genuine bed .

We promise to meet up at the Adventurer’s Guild, to distribute the reward .

「Hero, we are preparing a meal at the Church, you are welcome to join us . 」

「We are Adventurers, first of all, we need to go report to the Guild . 」

「Is that so, does that mean you’ll stop by after?」

Seira is persistent, Lux states his conditions and accepts their offer .

「I want to have a meal with Hibiki, if he agrees to attend then I’ll accept」

Seira looks displeased .

「They are my companions, if my friends are not allowed then I must refuse your invitation . 」

Lux is trying to use us as an excuse to refuse the lunch invitation . I don’t want him to involve me . Baara gives me an apologetic facial expression .

Gary is grinning, while Kuesu appeared to be absent-minded .

「I understand, I will also have their portion prepared . 」

Seira looks displeased with us also attending . It’s not like I wanted to participate .

The conversation ends, and we head to the Adventurer’s Guild . The Guild and the castle are similar in design . I heard the reason is because the founding feudal lord was an Adventurer .

News of the Maou’s revival from the Church must have spread because the Guild was in an uproar .

Someone had submitted a detailed report about a swarm of insect Monsters that were headed for the town of Bureto . The rumor of the revival of the Maou may have some credibility based on the recent Monster activity . The Guild is preparing to send a subjugation force to rescue Bureto .

Lux was asked to participate, I was not . For those who wanted to take part in the mission they have until the following day to sign up .

We received our reward .

While deciding which inn to stay at, Seira appears .

「Hero, there is no need for you to find accommodations, I have arranged a suitable room for you at the Church . 」

Lux is looking in my direction for help, I didn’t think they would go to all this trouble .

「While we look for a hotel, will the dinner invitation be scheduled for tonight?」

「Yes, you may have dinner at the Church tonight, but you extras don’t have to come . 」

Seira sarcastically reveals her truth feelings .

I was planning to tell Lux I would refuse, but by the time I’d noticed we were already approached the Church .

「I bide you farewell . 」

「It’s not like we will meet again . 」

I part ways with Lux and head towards the inn the Guild had recommended .

「The 『Silver Cup』, is it this place?」

The Silver Cup inn is constructed in this world’s orthodox design . The first floor is a tavern and the second floor is the lodging area .

When we enter, despite it being in the late evening there are still customers .

「Welcome! Are you here for a meal, or to stay the night?」

The person who calls out to us is an Aunty with a stout physique . Her hair is dark red and she smells of liquor . I don’t see any other employees so she must be the owner of this place .

「We would like a room, do you have a room for three available?」

「We do, for how many days do you plan to stay?」

I had to think about it but, perhaps three days .

We are guided by the Aunty to the corner of the second floor .

「Breakfast is included, but guests must pay extra for midnight snacks . 」

「I understand . 」

The Aunty leaves the room after explaining the rules .

「Ah, I would like hot water to wash my body . 」

「Okay, please wait a moment . 」

After 10 minutes had passed, a tub of hot water had been filled .

「This is free, but next time you will be charged extra . 」

This small tub isn’t enough for three people . But with magic, providing water and fire is no problem .

I could even fill a large tub if needed .

The three of us take turns washing, and refreshing ourselves .

「I wonder are the clothes we’re wearing are suitable for the dinner invitation . 」

Now that think about it, I feel self-conscious and decide to wash our clothes .

「Usually one would wear better clothes when attending an event at a Church, but exactly how formal should we dress?」

My clothes are a long sleeve shirt made of cloth with a pair of trousers that extend to the ankles . The trousers are made of slightly thicker cloth . Our clothes we have on now are fairly common in this country .

It’s comfortable but it is our casual attire, thus it is not for formal events . Amy judges that the dinner party will not be overly formal .

We had finished washing our clothes . There is still time until the dinner party, we change into our clean clothes and had decided to look around town .

There are various shops lined up along the main street . Above all, an Adventurer should familiarize themselves with the location of the equipment shops and the blacksmith shops .

This place is indeed an Adventurer’s town .

After reaching the center of the town, we arrived near the Lord’s castle .

I observe the roads, the area here seems to be designed to circle around the castle .

I turned left off the crowded main road and into a side alley .

When I turned around, there was man tending to a suspicious street stall .

Because I was looking around restlessly the man mistook me for a country bumpkin, and called out to me .

「Onii-san, take a look~ . This here is an accessory that Adventurers in this town use . 」

I see rows of accessories, they’re probably made out of ores .

I check the accessories with the Menu, they all appear to be low quality . At best they could be used as simple decorations . I glanced at the accessories and lost interest . I think Amy could make something like this .

The man grabs Hibiki’s arms to prevent him from leaving .

「Onii-san, please buy something from me . 」

With the tone in which the man spoke, it was obvious he was trying to pressure me into buying something .

「Stop it, people don’t come to this town to be duped by merchants like you . 」

When I look behind him, I see a woman standing there . She is carrying luggage in both hands . Although she wasn’t tall, the luggage she is carrying looks heavy . Her hair is tied back in a ponytail .

「What is it, don’t bother me little miss, I have business to attend to . 」

「Do you mean selling those accessories that aren’t accessories?」

The owner of the stall seems disturbed .

「W-what are you saying!! These here are splendid accessories!!」

The man appears nervous, his true nature is showing . He never stated that the accessories were equipment . Even if the ponytailed girl claims those are fake accessories, the man has protected himself by saying they are “splendid accessories” .

「Like I said, those aren’t equipment! You’re nothing but a scammer!」

I know she was trying to help, but instead of shouting she could’ve been more civilized . She shakes off the man’s hand and pulls me away from the vendor . He shouts something back, but doesn’t move from his stall .

I caught up with Ayla and Amy momentarily, they appeared dumbfounded .

「This area is not the main street, be careful of strange shops . 」

「Ah, sorry . You saved me . 」

「If you have money, spend it at a proper shop, there is no need to waste it on random vendors . 」

This must be her place . She does look like a shop employee . It can’t be helped, it’s a matter of courtesy, I’ll stop by her store .

「My name is Toto and this place here is my store . 」

Further down the side street, we entered the shop, there is a sign that reads, Thill’s Blacksmith Shop for Adventurers and custom orders . There was also a slogan written on the sign, “Buy the equipment that suits you here” .

The shop has a simple wooden design . There are weapons and armors arranged in rows, it feels similar to the equipment shop in Bureto .

The woman with the ponytail places her luggage on the counter and turn to my direction .

「So, see anything you like?」

I’m surprised by the sudden conversation, I’ll start taking a look around . I look through the rows of weapons and armors, searching for anything that has a 『+』 quality . I come across a 『Sword of Iron +3』 .

「This is great . 」

I muttered, Toto also agrees .

「You can see its value, yes . This may seem like a rundown shop, but in the past we use to receive custom orders from the castle . 」

So, I wonder why this place isn’t popular .

「Father is too stubborn . 」

Toto shrugs, a loud roar can be heard from inside .

「Toto!! Did you buy the thing I asked for!?」

「Shut up you’re too loud!! We have guests!」

「Is it a customer!?」

A bearded man, shorter than Toto, with a well-built physique appears . Is this person Thill? This fellow, I wonder if he is a Dwarf .

「Ah, are you a customer? Ah, what do you want?」

I didn’t come here in search of anything in particular . But now that I think about it, I remember that my sword and armor were ragged, and I also want a new set of equipment for my other Party Members .

「Well now then, ain’t cha got a pretty good stance, just how strong are ya? . 」

I guess he is referring to my level . I had Ruby who was in my leather bag in order to not seem suspicious to spit out the raw material we had accumulated so far .

「Oh, it seems like you can do some work, I can make some weapons or armor for y’all with this easily . 」

This person is nodding arrogantly while confirming the material .

「How about getting something made with these materials?」

If it is possible, the armor created from this Monster material will be far stronger than the current leather armor I’m wearing . Not to mention it will also have higher magic resistance .

「Please, if you’re able to . 」

I explain what I need .

I plan to use a magic sword in the future .

For Ayla I need equipment that is both sturdy and easy to move in, I don’t want to sacrifice her speed .

And for Amy, something lightweight . If possible, I want a better weapon for her, perhaps something made from the Shooter Bee material .

When I finish describing what I need, Thill raises an objection . There is insufficient material, so I take out more .

I’m told I will get an estimate of the cost the next time I visit .

「Since there is a good amount, come again in three days . This is a custom order, so I think it’ill take bout a week to complete . 」

When I was planning to talk about the cost, Toto barges into the conversation .

「I’ll inform you of the price three days from now, I can’t leave the accounting to father . We’ll occur a loss . 」

I laugh, and nod . I would have to decline if the price was too high . To break the ice Thill suggested that I didn’t have to pay the rest if I didn’t have enough .

Toto sighs . I tell her I’ll pay as much as I can before leaving the shop .

The time for the dinner party is approaching, I need to hurry to the Church .

「Where is the Church?」

「I don’t know . 」(Ayla)

「I also don’t know . 」 (Amy)

Oh my God . It sure is cold . (Oh my God is said in engrish)