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< 42 : Estasia (3) >
A mansion in the city.
Eutenia was staring at a book with a blank expression, while Peter and Roan were having a conversation in front of her.
Evan, who would have been with them, had entered the inner castle with the eldest son of the count.
Therefore, the only ones left in the mansion were Eutenia and these two.
Archbishop Roan, who was in front of Eutenia, quietly opened his mouth as he looked at Peter and Eutenia.
“I’m planning to kill the count when I get a chance.”
“Kill the count?”
He wanted to kill Mayer Count, the lord of the city.
Peter was shocked by Roan’s words.
It was a grave crime to try to kill a noble.
And if the other party was a count who ruled a territory, the matter would be too big.
It was incomprehensible to Peter, who had always looked up to the nobles as if they were heaven.
Of course, Roan’s way of thinking was the opposite of Peter’s, who had lived as a dark mage all his life.
“That’s the fastest way to replace the count.”
“But if you get caught…”
“Once the count is taken care of, Evan’s movements will become an internal matter of the count’s family. If that happens…”
Eutenia interrupted their conversation and intervened as Peter worried about the punishment if they were caught.
“My master has sent me a divine message.”
Eutenia closed the book she had opened and said to Roan.
While they were talking, her master had secretly sent her instructions.
Roan and Peter’s attention focused on her as Eutenia said she had received a divine message.
The story that the god of heaven told humans was something that anyone living on earth would be curious about.
Roan asked Eutenia with an expectant face.
“Are you saying that you received a divine message from the great one?”
“I think I have to go out for a while. He entrusted me with a task.”
“It seems like you’re leaving the city.”
Roan nodded at Eutenia’s words.
The trust that Eutenia received from him was something that she could not fulfill in this city.
To keep the word of the great being, she needed to pack her belongings and leave the city.
Working for her master was the only meaning of existence left for Eutenia.
“He said I have to go to the southwest of the empire.”
“The southwest of the empire… Is there something there?”
“An angel descended from the sky.”
“An, an angel…!”
Peter was shocked by the word ‘angel’.
He looked more surprised than when he heard the words ‘kill the earl’.
Peter was hiding in a place where the cult that served the evil god gathered.
The fact that an angel who conveyed the will of heaven came down meant that it would not be strange even if they were slaughtered by the angel.
Peter imagined the appearance of the angel in his head and soon felt sorry.
‘The apostles of the evil god are finally trying to kill the angel.’
The apostle of the evil god brought up the story of the angel, surely to get rid of him.
That was what Peter judged and looked at Eutenia.
At that moment, a story that was completely opposite to Peter’s expectation came out of Eutenia’s mouth.
“Thanks to the angel sent by the great one, the number of believers in the cult has increased a lot. So he decided to send me.”
“Huh. Without me knowing, the grace of the great one spread there.”
“…?”
The feeling of astonishment soon turned into confusion.
Peter looked at Eutenia and Roan alternately with an expression of incomprehension.
Why did the evil god send down an angel?
It would have been normal for the evil god to send down a demon instead.
At the very least, he could have understood if it was not just an angel, but a fallen angel.
But the angel sent by the evil god was creating believers for the cult.
It was a situation that completely contradicted Peter’s common sense.
“I’m thinking of appointing a new bishop for the cult in the southwest. It would be nice if Roan, the archbishop, could write a letter of appointment for him.”
“A new bishop… I see. After this is over, we will transform into an even bigger cult.”
Of course, regardless of Peter’s bewilderment, the conversation of the cult proceeded faithfully.
Hearing Eutenia’s words, Roan began to think about the letter of appointment that he would deliver to the new bishop.
Soon after Eutenia arrived in the southwest, a new bishop would be born there.
Neither Roan nor Eutenia doubted the appearance of the angel.
Was he the only one who had a strange thought?
Peter looked at Roan with a puzzled face, and Eutenia, who was next to him, spoke to Peter.
“Peter. Get ready to move soon.”
“Yes, yes?”
“You have to drive the carriage, right? Roan will talk to the earl’s house and prepare a map for you.”
She was telling him to prepare to move soon because they were leaving soon.
A journey to meet the angel.
When Eutenia said that she would accompany him, Peter asked her reflexively.
“Am I… going too?”
“Who else will move the carriage without Peter?”
“Oh…”
Eutenia had entrusted Peter with driving the carriage as if it was natural.
He had become a true servant in no time, even though he felt like he was just pretending when he talked to Evan.
Before he knew it, it had become something he could not deny.
Would he remain as Eutenia’s servant forever at this rate?
Peter, who was full of worries about his future, was spoken to by Eutenia again.
“Peter?”
“…I’ll get ready.”
Under Eutenia’s continued urging, Peter reluctantly accepted her request.
If Eutenia had decided so, there was no other choice left for Peter but to follow her.
So Peter prepared for Eutenia’s trip without being able to solve the many questions in his chest.
***
It had been a week since Estasia descended to the ground.
During that time, many changes had occurred around her, but the biggest change was that the cave became more splendid.
The cave where Estasia stayed was now decorated with countless ornaments.
It was a completely different look from the barren cave that she saw on the first day.
They were all gifts from the believers who flocked to see Estasia.
Estasia smiled as she looked at the splendid cave and went outside.
“Ahem.”
As soon as Estasia came out of the cave with a cough, the believers who were waiting outside rushed to her.
The believers who came to see Estasia each had a basket in their hands.
Estasia sat at the table and looked at the baskets in the hands of the believers one by one.
All kinds of baskets contained various fruits.
The first one who ran to Estasia was a believer who had a basket of strawberries.
“Angel. These are the strawberries you asked for last time.”
“Good job.”
Estasia took the basket of strawberries and put one in her mouth.
The sweetness of the strawberry filled her mouth.
It was a fresh strawberry, maybe because it was just picked.
She felt like stuffing her mouth with strawberries because they tasted so good.
Estasia put a handful of strawberries in her mouth and put the basket on the floor.
Another basket came in front of Estasia, who was chewing on the strawberries.
“Angel! I’m the one whose leg you healed! I found some sturdy grapes and brought them!”
“Hmm. They look delicious.”
The one who came with grapes was the human who met Estasia on the first day.
He brought a bunch of grapes with big seeds and handed them to Estasia.
Estasia took the basket and put a grape in her mouth and rolled it around.
It was as sweet as the strawberry, and it filled her mouth with juice.
She also stuffed her mouth with grapes, and another basket came in front of her.
“I brought you some apples.”
Apples. Strawberries. Grapes. Oranges.
All kinds of fruits were lined up, waiting for her to come.
Estasia took the fruits one by one, tasted them, and put them on the table.
There were enough fruits to last her all day, even if she ate nonstop.
Every time she woke up and got up, she was given this many fruits.
They brought her countless fruits just by sitting still.
It was a dreamlike situation for Estasia, who hated working.
“I like apples too.”
Estasia moved her wings as she was impressed by the taste of the apple.
Flap.
Estasia’s wings spread wide, and a halo rose above her head.
The people around her were moved and cheered by the sight of Estasia with her halo and wings.
They were all believers who served Estasia and her master.
They came to the cave every day to see Estasia.
“An angel has spread her wings!”
“This is the holy light…”
“Hey! Everyone be quiet!”
The village chief, who had become the representative of the people who came to the cave, opened his mouth.
The number of people who came to see Estasia had increased greatly, but even so, they all accepted the village chief as their implicit leader.
He was also the one who established various rules for meeting the angel.
The village chief, who calmed down the people, knelt down and prayed to the angel.
The believers around him also joined in prayer following the village chief.
Estasia, who was watching the praying believers in front of her, muttered with a satisfied face.
“The earth was… better than I thought.”
She had heard a lot about the earth from other angels early on.
That there were humans with evil hearts crawling on the ground.
That there were some humans who enslaved their own kind.
That sometimes they could find monsters from the abyss that appeared to lure humans.
They were all stories about the horrors of humans and monsters.
But the ground that Estasia experienced was different from the rumors.
“I don’t have to work and fruits keep coming.”
The humans on the ground were very kind to Estasia, who was an angel.
If she wanted to eat fruit, they brought her whatever fruit she wanted.
If it was a hard-to-find fruit, they would try their best to get it, even if it took some time.
She could taste a lot of fruits that were hard to get in heaven here.
“Jewels keep coming too.”
Not only fruits, but also expensive jewels were brought to Estasia.
Estasia’s cave was littered with sparkling jewels that the believers had collected.
They were precious items that they brought to her as offerings.
They were expensive-looking items even to Estasia, who didn’t know much about jewels.
She thought she could sell them and buy fruits if she had any problems later.
Of course, now they were just toys that she threw and played with when she was bored.
“This is heaven…”
Heaven was not where the angels lived, but here was Estasia’s heaven.
It was a paradise that did not exist anywhere on the ground.
Estasia, who only rolled around in the cave all day, felt happy these days.
Now was the time to offer a sincere prayer of gratitude.
“———.”
She smiled and clasped her hands, and her halo shone brightly.
The angel’s halo worked properly and connected the sounds of heaven and earth.
Estasia, who connected the halo, began to pray to the god who would hear her voice.
“Please give me delicious fruits tomorrow and the day after…”
-“Estasia! Where are you and what are you doing!”
“Huh…?”
But the voice that came to Estasia’s ears was that of the angel who lived with her.
It seemed that the halo was connected incorrectly.
Estasia immediately disconnected the halo.
Flash.
The light of the halo went out, and the voice that rang in Estasia’s ears also disappeared.
When the voice disappeared, Estasia sighed with relief and muttered.
“Phew… I almost let them know that there are a lot of fruits on the ground.”
The fruits here were all Estasia’s.
It wouldn’t happen because of the magic problem, but it would be troublesome if other angels came to the ground.
Estasia, who was startled by the unexpected situation, began to adjust the connection of the halo again.
It was a moment when she almost had a big problem.