Chapter 175

“The Temple of Armen… It’s quite large, isn’t it?”

“In order to accommodate this level of population, the temple has to be equally grand, you see.”

Honestly, rural temples are small by nature. Plus, this one honors multiple gods simultaneously.

Initially, there weren’t many village residents anyway, so there was no need for it to be big.

Anyway.

“Let’s go in first, shall we?”

“Huh? Right now? Without any preparation or procedures?”

“Do we really need such formalities?”

As I spoke, Maybel seemed about to say something but then closed her mouth again.

After all, my very presence acts as a temple pass.

Though officially, I do plan to keep my identity hidden. Just giving a slight hint to the right priests who’d understand the story should suffice.

“Are you sure this is alright?”

“Trust me on this. I’ll handle everything.”

With that confidence, I strode into the entrance of the temple.

“Is this a meeting with the High Priest? Did you make a reservation?”

“Not particularly, but…”

“If you didn’t reserve, let’s file an application now. Based on current availability…we can schedule you three weeks from now.”

“Three weeks?!”

“Yes. The High Priest of the Temple of Life is an extremely busy person, you see.”

I was stopped by a staff member at the temple’s reception desk.

“But, this is truly urgent…”

“Many people say that while trying to meet the High Priest. We must follow proper procedures.”

Should I complain about how rigid they’re being or commend their adherence to protocol?

I could sense Maybel fidgeting anxiously behind me. Hmm…

No choice. I subtly released a bit of divine power.

“That won’t work. Just because someone’s cute doesn’t mean anything goes.”

The staff member at the desk didn’t notice the divine power I emitted at all.

Ah… right. Not everyone working in a temple needs to be a priest.

But…

KLANG! THUMP!!!

“What was THAT just now?!”

The priests inside reacted differently.

“Eh? Priests? What’s going on suddenly…?”

“That divine power just now?! A profoundly intense wave of holiness…!”

“C-Could it be…the God has descended?!”

Hmm… detecting such a brief release of divine power means they’re fairly skilled.

Noticing it intentionally makes it even more impressive. If someone didn’t catch it, they wouldn’t deserve priesthood under me anyway.

“Would it be alright if we talked briefly inside?”

The priests looked at me, exchanged glances, and then nodded in unison.

This is how it should be. A temple is like the house of the deity; if the deity wants to enter their own home, it shouldn’t be blocked, right?

“With that resolved, let’s proceed inside.”

“A-ah, yes…”

Thus, Maybel and I headed deeper into the temple with the priests.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Excuse me, but…”

“Skip the formalities.”

If I told them I got cut off at the entrance without meeting the High Priest, how embarrassing would that be?

“Better not ask about my identity. Just form your own guesses internally. Whatever you think, it’s probably correct. Just don’t verbalize it.”

“Y-yes sir! Understood!”

The priests treated me with utmost reverence.

So much so that if I asked them to crawl on the floor, they’d probably do it immediately.

“So, esteemed guest, why have you come here? Could it be…a new Hero…?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. It’s nothing like that.”

“Ah, yes sir!”

Sipping a cup of dried flower tea before the priests, I sighed appreciatively.

Phew. This floral aroma is excellent.

“I’ve come here for a simple reason: I’m looking for someone.”

I gestured slightly toward Maybel standing awkwardly behind me, prompting her to step forward.

“This child claims her Mother sent a letter through the Temple of Life. Do you know anything about it?”

“Who is this child…?”

“Just someone I came across by chance due to certain circumstances. Her mother, separated since childhood, apparently sent a letter from here to her rural hometown.”

“A letter, you say?”

Maybel pulled out a neatly folded parchment from her embrace.

“My mom sent me this note when I was little. She mentioned it was sent from here, so I came to find clues.”

“Hmm…a letter…”

One of the priests examined the letter and spoke.

“Many people send letters through the Temple of Life. How could we possibly remember them all?”

“The date was roughly a year ago. Is there anyone who remembers?”

“We process dozens of letters daily. While there might be some records, identifying who sent what would be nearly impossible.”

Hmm…so many letters, huh?

“Can’t we try somehow? The sender had gray hair and was a Beastman resembling a rat…”

“A rat Beastman… hmm…”

At this, one of the priests raised his hand as if recalling something.

“Now that you mention it, a rat-like Beastman did visit about a year ago…”

“Really?! You remember?!”

“I was busy at the time and didn’t examine closely, but I recall seeing small stature and large round ears—likely a rat Beastman.”

Maybel clung desperately to the priest.

“Please! Any clue about my mom would help! Just a little hint!”

“I don’t know much myself! It was just an unusual sight that stuck in my mind…”

“And? Anything else? Think of it as helping save a life!!!”

Maybel clung onto the priest, sobbing dramatically. I gently pulled her away while speaking.

“Maybel, calm down for now.”

“But…”

I subtly infused her with divine power to stabilize her emotions, which were spiraling out of control.

“Wow…”

“Such divine power…”

“As expected…”

Ignoring the priests’ reactions,

“Do you recall anything else about the rat Beastman who visited a year ago?”

“Yes? Oh, yes. Rat Beastmen are rare in Armen, so it left a strong impression.”

“Hmm…anything else?”

The priest thought deeply, then quietly muttered,

“Come to think of it…there was an odd smell.”

“Smell?”

“Yes. A peculiar scent uncommon in Armen.”

An odd smell? Hmm…

“Any other clues?”

“No, that’s all I recall…”

Without further leads, Maybel’s shoulders slumped in visible disappointment.

“Is there really no way? No way to find my mom?”

“Not immediately, but we’ve established one fact.”

“Yes?”

I looked directly at Maybel and said,

“A year ago, someone believed to be your mother came to this temple. That much is true, isn’t it?”

“But…”

“While we can’t confirm if that rat Beastman is indeed your mother, it seems clear she sent the letter from here.”

Worst-case scenario, the letter itself could be a trap set for this girl.

Also, the rat Beastman sending the letter might not even be her mom—but that’s another issue.

For now, it appears the letter originated here.

“Clues…perhaps the smell?”

Ideally, there’d be more hints, but…

“Still, thank you, Maybel. Let’s head back.”

“What? But we still lack enough clues about mom!”

“We’ve gathered all we can for now. Let’s try another method.”

Though somewhat dissatisfied, Maybel reluctantly nodded.

We need to organize the information once we return.

As we prepared to leave, the priest dressed most formally approached us.

“Where will the esteemed guest be staying?”

“Ah, I booked a room at an inn recommended by a guard.”

It was a decent place despite being a bit pricey. But hey, silver coins aren’t exactly scarce for me.

“If you hadn’t already arranged lodging, we’d offer our temple quarters…”

“It’s fine. The inn suits our needs.”

“But…we wanted to provide better accommodations for such an esteemed guest.”

I shook my head slightly.

“It’s sufficient as is. Please don’t worry about me. And keep my visit confidential.”

“However, your reappearance in the world…could it mean we need a Hero’s strength?”

“No, it’s unrelated to any Hero business.”

I’m merely exploring the world, you see.

So…

“Just erase my visit from your mind. Understood?”

“Yes sir, esteemed guest.”

The priests nodded slightly at my words.

Sure, rumors will likely leak anyway, but mentioning it is still better than nothing.

With that, Maybel and I exited the temple.