Chapter 141: Harvest (1)
I stood in front of the chapel on the first floor of the Ketterland branch of the Order, located in the west of the continent.
I hesitated for a moment before opening the door.
Behind the door was the angel, the representative of the branch.
Normally, I would have greeted her briefly and told her what I came for.
But today, I felt reluctant to open the door.
Was it okay to tell her this story?
I had many doubts in my mind.
“Hmm…”
In my opinion, she was a wonderful angel.
Everyone in the Order liked her, and Estasia always prayed for everyone.
But when I thought about the work of the Order, I couldn’t expect a positive effect from her.
She was more of a hindrance than a help.
If anything, her help only delayed things more.
“Hmmm…”
But I couldn’t avoid reporting to her what everyone knew.
I was the one who handled the practical matters, but nominally, Estasia was the highest authority.
With a sigh, I grabbed the handle and entered the chapel.
Squeak.
As I opened the door and entered the chapel, I saw Estasia holding a doll in her arms.
“Good morning, angel.”
“Yawn… Hi.”
Estasia rested her chin on the white horse-shaped doll and greeted me.
She looked like she was still half asleep, with her eyes barely open.
Next to her, Aronia was sweeping the chapel with a broom.
It was Estasia’s order to make the cursed angel repent.
I nodded briefly at Aronia and walked straight to Estasia.
“You came early today.”
“I have some work to report to you in advance, angel.”
“Hmm. What is it?”
“Well…”
I glanced at Aronia, who was next to me.
She was moving her broom busily, but her body was getting closer to Estasia.
She was stepping forward, but leaning backward.
Her ears twitched as she approached with acrobatic movements.
She seemed very curious about what I was going to report to the angel.
I ignored Aronia’s antics and opened my mouth to Estasia.
“Angel. The harvest festival is coming soon.”
“The harvest festival?”
Estasia tilted her head when she heard the word harvest festival.
It was understandable.
The angel I knew had stayed in heaven and knew nothing of the world below.
The harvest festival was an event that the villages held every time the harvest season came.
It was a celebration of gratitude and joy, where people prayed and shared fruits and bread.
It was also something that happened every year in any place that cultivated crops.
“It’s a day to thank the sky for the harvest and share the happiness with others.”
“I see.”
“This time, we plan to hold a harvest festival for the believers, along with an altar for the Great One.”
I said that and looked at Estasia’s reaction.
Originally, it was a ritual to offer an altar to the goddess of abundance.
But now, we knew our true master, the Great One.
The altar would be dedicated to the right one in this harvest festival, but I was wary of bringing up the past sins.
“Harvest festival… Okay, I got it.”
Fortunately, Estasia nodded and let it go quietly.
Phew. I sighed with relief in my mind.
I had a feeling that this harvest festival would go smoothly.
Estasia didn’t seem to have much interest in it either, so there wouldn’t be much trouble.
It was a quiet festival for the angel and the believers, so we just had to enjoy it peacefully.
“Then, let’s proceed as planned…”
“Okay. I’ll invite someone.”
Just when I thought it was over.
Estasia gave me a meaningful answer.
I couldn’t help but be surprised by the sudden answer of the angel.
It was a quiet festival that we held among ourselves in the branch.
Who was she going to invite?
I asked Estasia back in confusion.
“What?”
“I’ll invite someone.”
But Estasia’s answer was still consistent.
Blink. Blink.
As I opened and closed my eyes, I looked at Estasia and finally nodded.
I didn’t know who or what she was inviting, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to accept it for now.
After all, the angel rarely went out of the Order’s building.
“I don’t know what it is, but okay.”
I thought she would just hand out some handwritten invitations to the believers at most.
I agreed with Estasia’s words and exchanged a few more words before turning around and leaving the chapel.
Thud. Thud.
My slow footsteps echoed in the silent chapel.
As I closed the door behind me, I heard the voices of the angels in my ears.
“Estasia. Who are you going to invite to the harvest festival?”
“Shh. If you’re an angel, you have to finish your own work first.”
“Eh… Estasia…”
“If you’re lazy, you’ll get scolded by the master.”
Squeak. Bang.
I closed the door of the chapel and walked towards my office.
The angels’ business was for the angel to handle.
As a bishop, I just had to focus on the Order’s work quietly.
“I hope everyone enjoys the harvest festival.”
I saw the busy believers of the Order in my eyes.
I felt like I would be busy preparing for the harvest festival for a while.
* * * * * *
A dark conference room.
With the table in the middle in front of me, I looked at the other attendees.
Was it because I was chosen by the evil god and became an apostle?
Today, I felt more relaxed than usual.
There was still some tension from the regular meeting, but less pressure than last time.
“Daniel, I heard you became a new apostle. Congratulations.”
Roan, who was across from me, was the first to congratulate me.
I always felt uneasy when talking about strength, but now I didn’t have to lie anymore.
I was now an apostle chosen by the evil god.
I nodded with a cold expression and accepted Roan’s congratulations.
“Thank you.”
“Of course, it’s only natural that the Great One would take interest in ‘the Silent Butcher’.”
But I still felt uncomfortable when I heard the familiar name.
Was it because of the ridiculous misunderstandings that had accumulated over time?
I felt sick when I heard my nickname that came out of nowhere.
I thought I could get over it without any problem, but it was unexpectedly stressful.
I clenched my hands and feet and pretended to be calm.
“I guess so.”
I felt like I could endure it if I put some strength in my fingertips.
I wanted to exchange greetings and move on to the main topic.
But Roan seemed to have no intention of doing that, and he continued to talk about me.
He told me about the heretic inquisitors that his disciples had caught by chance after learning how to slaughter.
“And I heard that many of your disciples are already capable of dealing with heretic inquisitors…”
– “Heretic inquisitors… They’ve become excellent assassins.”
“Yes. You’ve trained your disciples to handle heretic inquisitors so quickly. Daniel, you must have a great talent as an instructor.”
Roan praised Daniel as he brought up the story of the heretic inquisitors.
For some reason, Arcrosis also nodded slightly and joined in.
Of course, Daniel felt like dying as he listened to the story.
He knew nothing about assassination.
All he taught was slaughter.
If they ever visited the farm, they might find out the truth.
It was a story that made his heart race with anxiety.
“Daniel? Is something wrong?”
As Daniel stood stiffly with sweat running down his back, Roan asked him with a worried tone.
No matter how much he became an apostle, he couldn’t reveal that everything was a lie now.
Daniel racked his brain for a way to make Roan stop talking about him.
There was only one conclusion that came out of Daniel’s mouth.
“Roan, Archbishop. An assassin’s achievements should not be known outside.”
“Oh… I made a big mistake. I’ll be careful from now on.”
– “You’re wise and prudent.”
“Killing enemies without anyone knowing. That’s the pride of assassins.”
Fortunately, Daniel’s words worked, and Roan didn’t continue to talk about him anymore.
Phew.
I sighed with relief in my mind.
Becoming an apostle didn’t mean I could completely relax.
As the story about me ended, Roan turned to the young man who had just joined the meeting and opened his mouth.
“Peter, congratulations on becoming an apostle. You have received the grace of the Great One.”
“Well… It’s complicated, but that’s how it turned out.”
I also looked at the young man called Peter.
It was his first time attending the meeting, and he was wearing a shabby outfit.
He looked rather poor compared to the other apostles.
I shouldn’t judge people by their appearance, but he looked more like a country bumpkin than an apostle.
As I thought that, Estasia stood up from her seat and pointed at Peter with her finger and shouted.
“Groom…!”
“Who are you calling a groom? I’m Apostle Peter.”
“Groom… became an apostle…”
“No, I’m not a groom…”
Estasia called him a groom, and Peter snapped at her.
As I listened to their conversation, I finally realized who Peter was.
He looked a bit shabby, probably because he used to be a groom.
No wonder he wore different clothes than the robe-wearing believers of the Order.
‘He was a groom before. He must have been lucky to become an apostle recently.’
I came to a conclusion in my mind and nodded to myself.
I also became an apostle by chance, so there was no rule that a groom couldn’t become one.
As I felt sympathy for Peter from my empathy, Evan stepped in this time.
The second apostle, Evan Allemier, looked at Peter, who had become an apostle, and spoke.
“Anyway, congratulations on becoming an apostle. Peter.”
“Thank you… sir.”
Peter gave him an awkward answer to his question.
It seemed that he was struggling with honorifics.
He didn’t let go of his respect for Evan after all.
Evan and the others congratulated Peter one by one.
Most of them seemed to know Peter well.
When it was Estasia’s turn, she got up and approached Peter.
“I’ll give you a special gift for becoming an apostle.”
And she gently stroked Peter’s head as she spoke.
Peter looked at Estasia’s hand that was stroking him with a puzzled look.
He didn’t know what she was talking about.
“Gift…?”
“Yeah. I’ll invite you to the harvest festival.”
She said she would give him a gift, but it turned out to be an invitation to the harvest festival.
Peter’s expression started to get weird.
He looked at Estasia with a questioning expression.
He had a piece of bread in his hand that he had picked up from the table.
“You’re inviting me to the harvest festival?”
“It’s Estasia’s gift. Of course, I’ll also invite some other people specially.”
It was almost time for the harvest festival.
It was the season when the villagers who had finished harvesting gathered and enjoyed a modest party.
Estasia must have had that in mind when she brought up the harvest festival.
It wasn’t a bad idea to hold a big harvest festival and invite guests.
But the guests who were invited were all extraordinary.
In Daniel’s mind, skeletons, fairies, and vampires lined up in the harvest festival scene.
“And you can bring Cuebaerg too.”
As she said that, Estasia had a white Cuebaerg doll in her hand.
A huge lump was added to Daniel’s mind.
Ugh.
Daniel sighed as he looked at the doll.
