CHAPTER 37: CHURCH CLEANING

Currently, the door of the Nesis Church is open and so are all the windows.

　I stand alone in the church.

　Everything in the church that could be damaged was taken outside the church.

　All that remains is the pulpit made of stone.

　There is nothing that can be ruined.

　After confirming that, I channeled my magical power.

“[Air Cutter]”

　Normally, I activated the magic that creates a wind blade that cuts through a target with the smallest amount of mana.

　I imagined the blade to be thick and wide. Similar to my failed attempt on the Rock Worm. It got thrown instead of being cut.

　I deployed the [air cutter] inside the church.

　–Gooooo !!

　The wind swirls within the church and all the dust soar through the air.

　Somehow I gave the spell directions.

　I took in the air from the windows and expel the dusty air through the door.

　And in approximately a minute.

　All the dust from the church were expelled through my magic.

“–Puha !!”

　As soon as the magic was over, I breathed in the clean air.

　I might have overdone the not breathing part? I thought, but as soon as I saw the amount of dust that had been blown out, I knew that breathing in while that much dust circulated in the air would’ve been bad.

　If I had inhaled some of those dust particles, I would not be able to breathe easily afterward.

“Wow, Toru! Dust piled up outside … bufu!” (Esther)

　Esther, who came to tell me about the situation outside, started laughing loudly as soon as she saw me.

“Ahahahaha! What’s with that face. You’re black as soot!” (Esther)

「……」

　Similar to a whirlpool in a washing machine, I was continuously rubbed by dust swirling at the center of the church.

　It seems that the dirt has clung deeply to some extent.

　I feel like a grudge is forming as soon as I saw Esther who came from outside and is totally clean.

“So Toru. What’s next?” (Esther)

“We should use [water supply]”

“I see. It’s finally my turn!” (Esther)

　Esther holds the deck brush with both hands.

　But I shook my head.

“No, I’ll do it alone first.”

　With that said, I aimed [water supply] towards the ceiling.

　Magic can be affected by the image in your mind. I have confirmed that fact on the day I first purchased a magic tome.

　So this time I am thinking of a more concrete image for [water supply].

“Water supply” is part of life magic group that produces drinking water.

　The amount of purified water is about as much as a normal faucet.

　But what if you change the image instead of just a faucet?

“Oh !?”

　Esther was surprised to see how my [water supply] looks.

　The water released from my palm reached the ceiling in a steady stream.

　The water removed dirt that has stuck to the ceiling for a long time.

“Oh. The place where the water passed! Toru, are you not really using [water ball]?” (Esther)

“No, it’s just [water supply].”

“Hmm, [water supply]? Why is [water supply] flying and flowing strongly?” (Esther)

“That’s because I changed the image.”

　I was imagining the flow from a high-pressure washer.

If [water supply] has as much water flowing similar to a faucet at normal times. The water can be pressurized if the outlet was smaller.

　Water can now reach places that are out of reach, and the pressure is enough to scrape off dirt from the surfaces.

　If we were to do this using [water ball], the water pressure generated would have been too high and the church would have holes instead of getting it clean.

　In order not to destroy the church, it was necessary to use [water supply] that could only produce as much water like a faucet.

　However, there is a limit to the range, and if I don’t focus, the water pressure will drop and dirt will not be removed.

　So I was carefully cleaning the ceiling.

“It’s amazing, it’s fun and beautiful-Hya!?” (Esther)

　Esther who watching me work on cleaning the dirt. Screamed and jumped out of the church.

　This is because the dirty water was dripping from the ceiling.

　Also, I am fully soaked.

　It can be reapplied to dusty water; it can keep removing dirt without disturbing my concentration.

(……interesting)

　Using magic to remove dirt was something quite interesting.

　It is good to see the difference between the surfaces where magic is used and the place where it is not yet used.

“I’m cleaning all of it!” “I will remove all the remaining dirt!”, I was quite motivated.

　It took some time, but I was able to remove all the dirt with the high-pressure [water supply] on the ceiling, walls, and floor.

“… Aren’t you cold?” (Esther)

　Esther smiled wryly when she saw me, who looked like a drowned rat.

　She is still pristine and clean.

　When I saw her, I can’t help but want to say, “Want to be a little dirty?”, other evil thoughts want to burst out of my chest.

　I dismissed those thoughts and used [water supply] on myself.

　The dirt was washed along with the water, and I dried myself using [drying].

“Huh. It was refreshing.”

　The lack of soap makes my hair stiff, but it’s many times better than when it’s dirty with dust or blood.

　After drying himself, I looked around the entirety of the church.

　The church has become so clean and presentable that it is incomparable to when we first saw the place.

　The fact that the wall was originally white and that the pulpit had a sacred mark on the back can be clearly seen now that the cleaning has been completed.

“Yeah. This place looks great.”

　Esther was looking at me who was happy with my cleaning skills.

“Hey, Toru. Did you only use [water supply] to clean?” (Esther)

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“No, but I thought there should be more water that was used to clean the place…” (Esther)

　Apparently, there is very little water used.

　Hearing Esther’s words, I looked at my feet.

　There is still a small amount of water on the floor. It’s natural because I also cleaned the floor using [water supply].

　From here on, I was planning to use [drying] to remove water.

“… Sure, there are few puddles.”

　The amount of water produced by me does not match the amount of water that is on the church floor.

　Water flowed out of the church. It was clear from the traces of water that overflowed outside the church.

“–Oh?”

　Looking at the water on the floor, I noticed that the water was flowing somewhere.

　Following the flow, I found a small gap between the pulpit and the alcove. [T/N: An alcove is a cavity or depression on a church wall.]

　It was a square gap, just like underfloor storages in Japanese houses.

　I searched for a handle somewhere, but I couldn’t find one.

　I had no choice but to use the [Magic Sword].

　While praying that it wouldn’t break, I inserted it into the gap and used the [magic sword] as a lever.

　Then, the floor lifted quite easily.

　I put the cover to one side.

　There was a staircase going down.

　It’s a pretty steep staircase too.

　The other side of the stairs is completely hidden in the darkness.

　The entire staircase was also wet.

　Most of the water from “Water Supply” probably flowed down along this staircase.

“What is this? Maybe a secret treasury!?”

“Sorry Toru. This is probably a shelter. There are underground shelters not only in Nesis Church but also in other churches.” (Esther)

“What … a shelter?”

　I thought it was a secret treasury.

　Esther’s words cooled my excitement.

“Don’t feel bad. The church is considered a safe house for the general public. In the event of a big fire or disaster, the citizens will gather around the churches and move to an underground shelter.” (Esther)

“I see”

　Because of Esther’s explanation, I finally realized the reason behind “all churches are made of stone.”

　Stone is resistant to temperature changes. Even if Finlis is hit by a big fire, if they escape to the stone churches, they can survive a big fire.

　Also, because it is more robust than wooden structures, stone buildings are less likely to be destroyed in the event of a war or enemy attack.

　It wasn’t for aesthetics or a show of power, but for the protection of the citizens that these churches are made from stronger materials.

“But if there is a shelter in the Nesis Church, no one can easily reach it, right?”

“That … maybe it’s not a problem. Maybe.” (Esther)

　Esther’s reply was quite vague.

　I would like to say that it’s going to be okay, but I couldn’t say it when I saw the church looked like it hasn’t been visited for quite a long time.

　Aside from that, it is also an underground shelter.

“We have to clean this shelter, right?”

“Probably.” (Esther)

　The cleaning mission is to clean the Nesis Church.

　As long as the basement is part of the Nesis Church, the request will not be completed unless it is also cleaned.

　I used [Lighting] on my palm and went down the stairs.

　The ceiling was low, but the space was as large as an average gymnasium.

　This can accommodate many citizens that would need evacuation.

　I can’t say anything other than the place is wide.

　There is no treasure box where treasure can be hidden, and there are no storage spaces.

　I thought, “Is there nothing here?”, I sighed disappointed because of the empty basement.

　Unlike the room above, the shelter is not as dusty.

　Instead, moss was growing all over, probably because of the high humidity.

“In this case, I wonder if it is okay to use [air cutter].”

　I cast some more [lighting] and removed the moss and dirt on the ceiling and walls by using a high-pressure [water supply].

　However, a new problem appeared.

“… Our feet are flooded.”

　Since there is no place for the water to flow out, water has accumulated up to our ankles.

　There is no place for water to flow because there is no drainage or ditch.

“This place is vulnerable to water-related disasters… If the church is blown away, the rainwater flowing down may become life-threatening.”

　The shelter is not fully thought through.

　However, if a disaster like a flood really happens, the people under the shelters will be doomed.

　It is useless to think about how to they would survive at that moment.

　Aside from that, I still have to be cleaning right now.

　I was pondering for a while with my arms crossed, so I decided to try something. I placed my hand in the water

“Get in!”

　Then,

“–Oh!?”

　The dirty water was flowing towards my hand.

　The water was getting stored in my [inventory].

　After being warned by Marie, I tried to not use [inventory] as much as possible. But I am impressed by how useful it is.

　All the water collected in the shelter was getting stored in my [inventory].

　Even as I store the water, I still don’t feel that I’m close to its limit.

“How large is [Inventory Lv4]? I make plans if I knew exactly how much space [inventory] has… Well, I have to find a way to check the size then.”

　After storing all the water, I immediately begin cleaning the floor.

　I remove the moss on the floor and store the remaining water simultaneously.

　After that, [drying] was used for the entire basement.

　It was at that time.

　–*crumble*.

“What the!?”