Kujonin Chapter 88

Kujonin
Author: Hanabokuro
—

The next morning, Merumo was sleeping next to me.
It was Seth's counter attack.
Leaving Merumo there, I cleaned my face and the inside of my mouth with Cleanup.
When I went to tidy up my bedhead, I met Seth in the corridor along the way.
"You didn't do anything with Merumo yesterday?"
"I didn't! Thanks to you, I didn't sleep much."
"I see. Well, you're going to be working together for a long time from now on, after all. Even if it gets difficult to do, it's like THAT, after all."
Well, it's not like you'll do it with a girl sleeping from a talisman, huh?
When I took care of my business and returned to the room, Merumo had disappeared.
Looks like Seth woke her up, and she returned to the womens' room.

I prepared to leave for Pastor Romeo's funeral.
That said, I don't have anything like mourning clothes, so I wrapped a black cloth around my arm to look like an armband.
"What's that?"
Seth asked, so,
"To show respect to Pastor Romeo."
When I replied so, Seth also mimicked me.
When they saw their male colleagues wearing the coveralls that had become the company's uniform with a black armband, the women also said they would copy us.
We didn't have enough black cloth, so Merumo cut up some cloth and attached them by sewing them to the upper arms of the coveralls.
Was she embarra.s.sed or was she trying to recover something or other from yesterday? Merumo's work was quick.
Ayl asked me to produce a half cup of water so she could comb out her hair.
While producing the water, I realized, wouldn't it be fine if we didn't dig up a well and just drew a water magic circle?
When I tried suggesting it to Velsa,
"Wouldn't they be screwed if the magic circle disappeared? And there are also people around who don't have a lot of magic power."
She said.
Certainly, even if a magic circle can be said to conserve energy, it doesn't change the fact that you have to use magic power.
Rather than planting a seed for strife, it seems like it's better to draw up the ground water.

Finis.h.i.+ng off a light breakfast, we headed to the church.
I was thinking we were early, but the villagers were already gathered.
Pastor Romeo was within a coffin on the altar.
The people who were sleeping from the treatment yesterday were also here, giving him their thanks.
After some time, Garcisan, his wife, and the children came up together.
He was the very person who had put an end to Pastor Romeo, but no one blamed him.
However, Garcisan stayed facing downwards without lifting his face.
Pastor Romeo's funeral began when his close friends, a priest and a sister, appeared.
They gave a memorial speech, offered him flowers, and dedicated him to G.o.d. Without any delays in the ceremony, they closed up the coffin and said they would now take him to the grave to be buried.
I could hear sobs.
It was the Sisters and the villagers. They had lived their lives together, so it's obvious they would be crying.
In our company, only Merumo was crying.
"… Our friend who has gone to heaven, please watch over us in peace…"
Together with prayers like that, the coffin was lowered into the grave, and it seemed that everyone in attendance would line up to throw earth onto it.
I quickly threw dirt onto it and bowed, told Ayl, "I'm going to meet with G.o.d real fast," and returned to the church.
Everyone was in the cemetery, so I think G.o.d will come out.

When I opened the church door, there was a statue of G.o.d in a ridiculous pose that wasn't there just a while ago in front of the altar.
When I looked closely, it looks like he had put flour all over himself.
As always, what a ridiculous G.o.d.
Well, for a G.o.d, humans dying is an everyday occurrence, huh?
It seems like G.o.d is not going to move and remain frozen like that.
"Ah - I wanted to meet with G.o.d, but he isn't here, huh?"
So saying, I pointed my index finger towards G.o.d's forehead.
"………"
Without touching him at all, I stopped my finger a few centimeters from his forehead.
" … … nuooo-! It feels weird! Stop it!"
Brus.h.i.+ng my hand aside, G.o.d began to move.
"Oh, G.o.d-sama. So you were here."
"What the heck was that, that technique that feels so weird!"
"Don't mess around at someone's funeral."
"Aaah, my bad, my bad. I was bored, so I just, you know."
Without even a hint of embarra.s.sment, G.o.d sat down on a bench.
I sat down next to him.
"Will Pastor Romeo properly rest in peace?"
"Hm? Aah, he has a good soul. It might be time for him to go to the next world."
"The next world?"
"Like Mr. Komuro. It's transmigrating him to another world. The person himself wishes for it. He wants to live on, not in this world but a different world, it seems. Well, he'll be starting over as a baby, though."
I see… huh?
"Come to think of it, why didn't I start over as a baby?"
"Ah~ in the middle of it, Evil G.o.d … COUGHCOUGH! It was by the grace of G.o.d. Feel free to give your thanks."
I'm definitely not ever going to.
"By the way, G.o.d-sama. I have a question about having exterminated the Earth Hero and getting the Earth Spirit fired, but we can call this request complete, right?"
"Yup, it's fine. The Hero is no longer a Hero, and the Earth Spirit properly turned into a demon and is tending to the world tree with the Evil G.o.d."
"Then, we'd like a reward."
"Ooh, what is it?"
"We'd like to ask for 'rain'."
I requested what the company had decided on yesterday.
"'Rain,' huh? Are you fine with something like that?"
"Yeah, in the areas around Adel Lake and this wasteland, I'd like to ask for enough rain without flooding them."
"I could give you gold, magic tools, and even skills, but you want 'rain'?"
"Yeah, 'rain' please."
"You don't even want something like a brothel?"
He could even give me something like a whole brothel?
That's, well that's tempting…
"… No, I want 'rain' here."
"You were quite tempted."
I wonder what my employees would say if it didn't end up being 'rain.'
"I understand. For the next several days, 'rain' will fall. Should I say you're not much like a human, or is this just your individuality? Or should I say you're more spirit-like than a spirit…"
G.o.d began to mutter to himself.
"What is it? Is it no good?"
"No, it's not 'no good.' Mr. Komuro, don't you have any desires, other than l.u.s.t?"
"I do! I want to eat delicious things and live easily."
"What about authority, or power?"
"Ah-, I'm not interested in those~. Doesn't it seem troublesome to become someone great? I really don't have much interest in things like strength, I suppose."
"But you were about to be killed by the spirit this time."
"Aah, seriously! Please give me some hazard pay! You didn't tell me about this! That spirits were that strong!"
I stuck out my palm and demanded hazard pay.
"Now now, just what are you thinking about for hazard pay? Do you need something like a combat skill?"
"Ah- … I don't need it."
"Wh,why?"
G.o.d asked as his eyebrows made a 'ハ'
"Will a combat skill make my life more enjoyable? No, Marcus-san said it would be better for humans to acquire skills that make life more enjoyable. Right now, I can't think of a combat skill that would make my life more enjoyable, so I will abstain from that. And, well, I was thinking that even if I had a combat skill, if a hostage was taken, then it wouldn't matter. Wouldn't a negotiation skill be more useful?"
I have seen many scenes were the bad guy takes the heroine hostage in the movies and dramas from my previous world. I can't really think that I could definitely win as long as my skills are strong.
"For me, I want to be able to fight so that I won't die even if I lose. Me and the people around me."
"I see. There's also a skill for perpetual youth and longevity, though…"
"Ah, I don't need that. I know someone considers that a mistake."
I thought of Marcus-san.
"I see. Got it…"
"Ah, I might want something like a resistance skill."
"Eh!? You'd be alright with that!?"
G.o.d has a face like, "Are you for real? This guy…"
Could it be that it's easy to get the resistance skill?
If that's the case, then I want a minute.
"No, let's not. Let me think a bit."
"This is why humans are great … hahaha."
G.o.d said earnestly and laughed.
"What do you mean by that, all of a sudden."
For him to look at me and sum up all 'humans.'
"Suddenly changing your opinions, just like Mr. Komuro, right?"
"Well, that's true…"
"And so, that part of you is great."
"Just what about it is?"
"Humans change their minds suddenly, right? They will immediately take contradictory actions. I was thinking that those very contradictions and twists will attract power."
I wonder what he's talking about.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, see, for spirits, they're essence is 'power.' The power of earth, the power of wind, the power of light, that kind of thing. And all I did was confer 'words' to them."
" 'Words'?"
"That's right. When I gave them 'words,' they became able to think. Each one began to think, and each one developed their own characters. That's what spirits are. The spirits began to stick names to the phenomonens, situations, things, and incidents around them. Through that they were able to understand the world, but there was a group of mysterious existences that they were unable to understand."
"Are you trying to say that those existences are people?"
"That's right. There are things where you understand you should but you can't stop, right? Things that you know you shouldn't but do anyway? Or else, things you can do but you don't?"
"Well, there are."
Certainly, I don't not have those feelings when I don't have money but go visit a brothel.
"The spirits see people acting in these ways and feel like they absolutely want to understand it. There are also ones who watch for too long and fall in love. Even ones who think about giving them their blessings."
"Eh? Is that what we call Heroes?"
"Well, that's right. Heroes should all have some kind of contradiction somewhere."
I wonder about Garcisan. I don't know about his past, but if  he could vaguely feel that the cotton plantation was giving off some kind of bad influence, and while realizing it still wouldn't stop, then that could be the contradiction he had?
"In that sense, the Earth Spirit is originally a spirit that's closest to humans. When he hit Mr. Komuro, he was saying something incomprehensible."
"Mu~ I think he was saying some kind of messed of law of the world."
'If good people's efforts aren't recognized…' or something like that.
"Well, if it didn't say so, its existence would disappear, so it can't be helped."
"Its existence would disappear?"
"Yeah, if it's fired, then it loses its 'words' and returns to simply being 'power.' It would release all of the power it's acc.u.mulated until now and huge explosions and earthquakes would probably happen."
What the heck! Its not just its body that was crumble?
"Isn't that seriously dangerous!?"
"Previously, the Earth Spirit had achieved an overwhelming personality and said 'words' different from G.o.d's words. And so it entrusted its body with its emotions, naturally becoming a demon. In one sense, you can say it was protecting the Hero, the Hero's family, and the villagers."
"What do you mean, 'you can say'! It's super dangerous, isn't it?!"
"And so, Mr. Komuro performed brilliantly."
"In the future, just how are we supposed to fire the spirits?!"
"As you might expect, from now on, you should be at the scene as much as possible when the spirits are fired. I've understood that it could be dangerous otherwise."
"What? Was this the first time this happened?"
"That's right. I guess it was kind of like this was a test run."
For real!?
"I kind of don't have any confidence about the future."
I said sulkily.
"But it properly magic crystallized, right?"
Magic crystallized? You mean…
I took out the crystal-like cube that was glistening with yellow light from the item bag.
"Is this it?"
"Yeah, yeah, that's it-! It's not that big because it demonized along the way, but if I know the position, this kind of thing is also possible. And so, when the spirit is fired, tell me the exact location. Well, if you contact me with the communication bag, I can grasp the location."
"And suppose I wasn't able to tell you the position; then there would be a giant explosion?"
"That's right."
"What the heck, G.o.d-sama! Then that means, if I suddenly meet a spirit, even if it's about to kill me, you can't suddenly fire it?"
"Yup. And so, be careful, Mr. Komuro. I think there will be rumors among the spirits."
c.r.a.p! What should I do!? I'll die!
"So cruel, you're so cruel! G.o.d-sama!"
"It will be fine. As long as you don't stand out too much, they won't find you out. You also don't have a t.i.tle. There's no way they'll think an exterminator is firing the spirits. The should have their eyes on a stronger, cooler-looking adventurer."
"S,so … among the combat type skills, is there anything that will help me defend or evade?"
"I said it earlier, but spirits are essentially 'power.' Even if there's a way to defend, physical 'power' and 'magical' power are a part of spirits. As for a method of evasion, there isn't an existence of 'power' for it. Well, right now they won't find you. Mr. Komuro should make an original, unique skill yourself. If you contact me, then I'll put it into use."

Clng! Clang! Clang!
The sound of bells reverberated.

"Ah, the funeral is over. Well then."
G.o.d took a pose like he was about to crash into the pillar.
"Not 'well then' …! G.o.d-sama! Wait a second!"
Even if I hit or kicked him, there was absolutely no response and just like that he became a statue.
["Leave a donation to that statue at that church, okay?"]
G.o.d's voice came from the communication bag in my breast pocket.

—

"Let's take actions that don't stand out from now on."
I said to my employees that returned to the church.
Merumo quickly undid the threads that attached the black armbands for everyone.
"What's wrong? Did your talk with G.o.d not go very well?"
Ayl asked me.
"No, the reward part was fine, but it seems like other spirits will be aiming for me."
"What, so that's what's wrong? Do your best."
Velsa said.
"Please do your best."
"It's fine. If you die, we'll gather your bones."
The newbies slapped my shoulders.
"Well, don't' bring any trouble to the company. Alright, let's start today's work!"
Ayl said.
After that, I walked sneakily until Seth warned me, "President, that's weird."

Sorry for the delays. Had some rl stuff, some computer stuff, and writer's block … and now I'm going out of the country for two weeks.
Uh… well, here's two chapters?>