Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Interlude 7. Twelve=127=Seven

I was apparently left at the church’s orphanage as an infant.

“Apparently” because I was too young to remember.

For some reason, my parents, who were in extreme poverty, left me at the Aegus Church-run orphanage under the pretense of entrusting me to them… but in reality, they abandoned me.

I don’t know what happened to my parents after that.

I never particularly cared to find out.

Soon after, I was transferred to a special orphanage directly operated by the Aegus Church’s headquarters.

This orphanage was reserved for children who were not abandoned, but rather entrusted by their parents willingly.

Unlike other orphanages, this one rigorously trained its children.

Perhaps the church wanted the excuse of having parental consent.

The reason doesn’t matter.

We were given highly advanced education in martial arts, academics, theology, pharmacology, informatics, and fantasy arts.

Those harsh times made us strong.

The orphanage was small. There were fewer than ten of us studying together.

In contrast, there were always more than twenty teachers.

By the time we all mastered the fantasy arts, I was twelve.

It happened while I was deeply praying to the Earth Mother Goddess Aegus, as usual.

Suddenly.

A faint light began to spill from my body.

The priests were more shocked than I was.

Once their surprise subsided, they gathered around me with smiles.

“Congratulations. From today, you are a wielder of holy magic.”

The miracle of the church, holy magic.

A power granted to fantasy arts users in exchange for their abilities, a divine act.

I had become an agent of gods’s miracle.

If only it had been an ordinary orphanage.

◆

“Twelve Seven. That is your name from today.”

“It means 127 in the church’s ancient language, correct?”

“Indeed. You’re as sharp as ever.”

The person before me introduced himself as “Eleven=111=One.”

He appeared to be in his late thirties to early forties.

Considering the age gap of only sixteen, it was clear how small this department was.

Not to boast, but I consider myself quite exceptional.

If they only gather such individuals, it’s no wonder the department is small.

“Your loyalty to the church is genuine. Henceforth, I will hide nothing from you. This department is the dark side of the church, a heretical division that opposes divine teachings in order to serve gods fully. Any questions?”

“None.”

I had half-expected this.

The orphanage’s education included internal church information that was never meant to be public.

The Aegus Church is a respectable religion.

99.9999% of it is likely built on goodwill.

But once it became one of the world’s three major religions, it could no longer sustain itself on goodwill alone.

To serve gods’ teachings, it must act against them… I never expected it to be stated so clearly.

I was happy.

Being told this meant they trusted me.

I wouldn’t be used and discarded without knowing the truth.

I believe in gods.

gods exists. Without a doubt.

Not because I gained holy magic, but because even after being abandoned by my parents, I lived well.

Because I lived a harsh yet fulfilling life. Surely, if I look up at the sky, gods is there.

I will gladly dirty myself for gods’ sake.

◆

The department was publicly known as the “Rescue Division.”

Its official role was to provide immediate support to churches in need.

However, its true activities included audits, espionage, and, in some cases, assassination.

Of course, the Aegus Church is a rational religion.

They wouldn’t eliminate someone simply for being inconvenient.

Mostly, they dealt with evils that couldn’t be judged by the laws of the land, handling them in secret.

The priests dispatched from this division were referred to with awe as “Numbers.”

◆

After years of service, I was dispatched to a hot, distant country.

A wasteland far to the west.

The country’s head priest had a square face. He reeked of pettiness.

I could sense the stench of internal corruption.

My experience told me as much.

I would not allow anyone to defile the Aegus Church.

“I am Umesa Kura. A secret letter has arrived from the Rescue Division. You are to cooperate in strict secrecy.”

“Yes. All support will be prioritized to me. As the head priest, you should know this.”

“Guh… You mere Number…”

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing! More importantly, I introduced myself! You should at least show your face… or give your name!”

“I currently have no name. Once my official status here is confirmed, I will reintroduce myself.”

“Guh…! Fine! Do as you please!”

“Of course. From now on, our contact will be minimal.”

Thus, I began my activities in the wasteland country, the independent city of Sevites.

While performing my public duties, I blended into the town, gathering information buried deep within the country.

About a year after starting my activities in Sevites, I was summoned by Umesa.

An urgent messenger had arrived from the maritime kingdom of Pilatus, far to the west.

The parchment shown to me was sealed multiple times with the utmost security.

The parchment itself was of the highest quality, as were the seals. It was worth a fortune.

But that wasn’t the issue.

The hidden meaning in the seals. A special format known only to those above the rank of priest was embedded in the wax.

[Urgent: A matter of utmost importance has arisen. Contact the temple headquarters immediately.]

Even I had only seen this format a few times.

No wonder Umesa, seeing it for the first time, panicked and called for me.

“So, what are you doing, Umesa?”

“What? What do you mean? This thing arrived! What should I do…!”

“Are you truly the head priest? That document is an official urgent matter to be sent to headquarters. Why did you call me? Send it to the temple headquarters immediately using the safest and fastest method.”

“But… this could just be some nonsense from a rural church in the far west…”

“It’s not for you to judge. That’s the headquarters’… no, the main temple’s role.”

“Guh!”

“This is a document priests risk their lives to submit. Handle it immediately.”

“Ugh…! Fine. I’ll arrange for a griffon courier.”

“That would be best.”

Honestly.

Why couldn’t he act the moment he received it…?

Umesa is truly incompetent.

Well, perhaps competent when it comes to climbing the ranks.

Still, the document was concerning.

Umesa’s panic was understandable, given its importance.

Nevertheless, we must carry out our duties diligently.

A few weeks later, Umesa summoned me again.

Perhaps he didn’t understand my covert role.

But I was mistaken.

A package addressed to me had arrived from the church headquarters.

Upon reading the letter, which was marked to be read first, I was struck with such shock that I nearly lost consciousness.

An apostle…

One chosen by gods, granted the right to hear their voice directly.

It seemed a new god had been born, and with it, an apostle had appeared…

The thought was absurd, but legends spoke of such occurrences.

Though I had devoted myself entirely to Aegus, I held no disdain for other gods. In fact, I revered them as much as the Aegus Church.

If this were true, I might be granted the honor of meeting the apostle.

With that thought, I continued reading the letter.

The gods had given me a trial.

The instructions were to leave Sevites as soon as preparations were complete, head to Pilatus, and, if possible, gather information from the local priest, Letia Mutton, who would be sent from Pilatus. Then, together, we were to monitor the apostle.

That was the directive from headquarters.

To monitor the revered apostle!

If this was the fate assigned to me, I would devote myself entirely to it.

First, I had to prepare a package for the local priest and select a proxy.

For the proxy, I chose the young but earnest priest Lubnoela.

Though somewhat lacking in experience, as a priest, he would be suitable.

Ideally, I would have left immediately, but headquarters instructed me to first handle several matters in Sevites.

I entrusted Priest Lubnoela with the package and a message for Reatia Mutton.

The church provided its finest horse, so the lightweight priest would arrive quite quickly.

Priest Lubnoela, understanding the weight of his mission, set off with determination.

I, too, had to finish my assigned tasks to depart as soon as possible.

First, investigate the Three Elders Council.

Next, survey the adjacent Hanshon town.

After grasping the situation, submit a report to headquarters and head to Pilatus immediately.

Confirming my schedule, I set to work.

Unfortunately, I only managed to uncover that the Three Elders Council was plotting something, but their defenses were too tight to learn more.

The investigation in Hanshon town revealed several puzzling facts.

Goblins had been increasing strangely lately.

Perhaps a goblin hazard was occurring somewhere.

I quickly compiled a warning and sent it to Sevites and headquarters.

The situation was suspicious, but time was running out.

I decided to head to Pilatus.

I found a zebra-drawn carriage heading west and paid a small fee to hitch a ride.

However, shortly after leaving Hanshon town, we were attacked by a group of goblins.

The capable fought back, but the numbers were overwhelming.

If I joined, we might have managed. But as a mere town girl, I couldn’t reveal my abilities.

Biting my lip, I fled, glancing at those who fell.

The zebra carriage overturned, and I ran from there.

I sprained my ankle when the carriage overturned.

I began to regret not fighting, thinking it might have been safer.

Then, a strange white carriage appeared ahead, kicking up dust.

It moved faster than any horse, yet had no horse.

What is that?

It stopped abruptly a short distance away.

Someone seemed to be getting out.

But more importantly!

The goblins were still chasing us!

“Ru… run! The beasts! The beasts are coming!”

I shouted as loudly as I could, but the carriage’s occupant calmly asked,

“Hmm. Goblins, right? Are there exactly five?”

“A dwarf? …Eh? An elf??”

An odd combination.

Elves were rare in this region, let alone one with a dwarf, their natural enemy.

Though such sights were occasionally seen in Lake Rel.

“Ah… um…”

“Details don’t matter. Just tell me if there are only five or more. If it’s just five, nod.”

I stared at the dwarf, then recognized his warrior’s strength.

This dwarf was incredibly strong.

I nodded vigorously.

After a brief exchange, the dwarf and elf turned back and said,

“Alright, Akira, go kill them quickly.”

“Huh?!”

The one who responded with a startled voice was a young man with striking black hair and glasses…

His name was Akira…

The apostle…?

Yes. It matched the description and name sent from headquarters.

This was my first encounter with Apostle Akira.

◆

“Ah… I’m late in saying this, but thank you so much. I am Eutis… that’s my name.”

I gave Akira-sama a false identity.

Surely, I won’t be allowed into gods’ presence after death.

Still, I was grateful to the Aegus gods for granting me this encounter with the apostle.

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. More importantly, you had quite the ordeal. Where were you headed?”

Following my mission, I tried to gather information by engaging him in conversation.

“To a country called Pilatus, far to the west. Have you heard of it?”

“Ah… I came from there.”

“Wow…”

No doubt. This was the apostle mentioned in Priest Reatia’s report!

I continued chatting, gathering information.

The artifact carriage.

The disappearance of Pilatus.

Though not typical small talk, the disappearance of Pilatus was believable. My intuition told me so.

I asked Akira-sama, who was heading to Hanshon town, to let me ride along.

There was a risk of being attacked by goblins there.

If it came to it, I had to protect Akira-sama at all costs.

But they seemed intent on charging into the goblin hazard.

I had heard that dwarves and elves hated goblins, especially goblin hazards, but I hadn’t expected this level of hatred.

At the tavern, they dragged in a lizard couple, and before I knew it, they were planning an assault.

It was far too reckless.

Listening to them, I realized the dwarf and elf were the famous Iron Hammer and Black Needle, which made some sense, but it was still reckless.

However, they went to the mayor’s house to get permission to enter the goblin colony.

I took a room, healed my ankle with holy magic, and secretly headed to the goblin colony.

If they moved in that carriage, I wouldn’t catch up. I decided to go ahead and watch from hiding.

◆

I had misjudged.

The goblin hazard had grown into a historically unprecedented large-scale colony.

Before even reaching the abandoned mine considered the colony’s heart, goblins were pouring out everywhere.

I managed to handle groups of about ten, but as soon as I dealt with one, another would appear.

Despite my self-defense training, without using my powers, I had limits.

I thought I had found a route back to town, but I was finally spotted by a medium-sized group.

I ran with all my might, but my stamina was at its limit.

Then, a shadow leaped out in front of me, blocking my path.

It’s over, I thought.

But then, a massive fireball appeared above the figure.

“Get down!”

I dropped to the ground instinctively, and the fireball flew just above me.

The goblins chasing me were instantly turned to ash.

An incredible user of fantasy arts.

It was a beautiful, yet still somewhat cute, young elf girl.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Why are you alone here… no, never mind. We need to hurry and escape…”

The elf girl tried to stand but staggered, falling to one knee.

“Ah! Are you okay?!”

“Y-yeah… but I think I overused my arts. I can’t use any more.”

“Are you perhaps part of the extermination team that left a few days ago?”

I had heard about them. That’s why I thought the situation might already be resolved.

That’s why I let my guard down.

“Yeah.”

“That’s good. Another elf was worried about you. Here, have some water.”

“Ah… thank you.”

“That’s what I should be saying. Don’t drink it all at once. Slowly.”

“Okay.”

“This place is dangerous. We need to escape quickly.”

“Right… but…”

Peeking from behind a rock, I saw goblin groups roaming everywhere.

The elf girl nodded with determination.

“…Take this to the town.”

“Huh? What is this?”

She handed me a tally. It meant that many people had already died.

“It’s the wish of the heroes who protected me. I’ll be the decoy, so you must return to the town.”

“No! At least let’s go together!”

“No. We’ll just be surrounded. Honestly, I can barely use my arts anymore… I’ll just be a burden.”

“I can’t do anything either. Let’s work together.”

“No. I need you to deliver this. And… you don’t have the resolve to… end yourself if it comes to that, right?”

“…Huh?”

The resolve to end myself?

I’ve had that for a long time…

So there’s no need to worry about that!

“You must absolutely return to the town alive!”

“Ah!”

She shouted, drawing the goblins’ attention, and ran off.

What is she doing…?

Now, all I can do is call for help!

I tried to return to town without being spotted by goblins, but there were too many.

What a waste of the chance she gave me!

I was finally spotted and chased to a withered tree.

But… I won’t give up. Even if I lose an arm or two, I’ll return to town and call for help!

Gritting my teeth, I looked up and saw a cloud of dust.

What’s that…?

“Get on!”

The strange horseless carriage, having run over two goblins, pulled up beside me.

The door opened, and a hand reached out.

Akira-sama…

But before I could thank him, I could only cling to him.

If it’s the apostle, maybe…!

“…An elf went ahead to save me…”

“What?!”

“She said she didn’t have enough strength to use her arts anymore, so she’d be the decoy…”

Please… save her. I beg you!

◆

The apostle was truly the apostle.

He saved the elf girl, Ralaira, and then went on to crush the goblin hazard and save Hanshon town.

Afterward, I returned to Sevites to deliver the tally.

When Akira-sama arrived in Sevites shortly after, he began doing something strange.

He took an interest in my false identity as a seamstress.

I sought help from Felicia Molred, the head of the Tailors’ Guild, one of the few who knew my true identity.

What emerged was a strange new tool called a “sewing machine.”

It was revolutionary.

If this spread, clothing in this world would become much cheaper.

Many things happened afterward.

Umesa’s arbitrary actions were unforgivable.

I contacted headquarters and ensured he received severe punishment.

But I had gotten too close to Akira-sama. It was no longer possible to secretly observe the apostles.

So I asked to join them on their new journey.

If secrecy was impossible, I would simply join them openly.

Akira-sama readily agreed.

Ah.

Indeed, Goddess exists.

She allowed someone like me to be by the apostle’s side.