Chapter 82: Mind Boggling....
Mayor and Atla-san and I entered the church.
After closing the door behind us, I saw Mayor tilting her head in surprise.
I asked her seriously to lend me the broken necklace and explained the reason.
I used the "black bracelet" from Santony as an example.
If I said the same words, the necklace might change its shape.
I didn’t know whether it would become a magic tool or something else, but I explained that something might happen.
I gave such a detailed explanation because I had heard that this necklace served as proof of completing sister training.
If its shape changed, I would be unable to prove it until the next necklace arrived.
I didn’t know where, to whom, or for what purpose they wanted the proof, but it was obvious they treasured it.
After I explained carefully to the two of them, the serious expressions on their faces made them start consulting with each other.
They told me to wait a little and I nodded. They went into the side door.
While they were gone, I took the "black bracelet" that had changed shape out of my magic bag.
I thought it would be faster to show it to them.
At that moment, I heard footsteps running toward the door from inside.
They sounded like Mayor and the others.
My guess was correct. Mayor and Atla-san had brought Nitchi-san and Sera-san with them.
Mayor steadied her breath and handed me the necklace with the chain that had come loose unnaturally while looking at my face.
I took it with one hand since I wasn’t holding the "black bracelet" and looked at Mayor with a surprised expression.
I hadn’t expected her to hand it over so quickly.
When I offered the "black bracelet" instead of the necklace, Mayor shook her head gently with a calm smile.
"We only asked you to do things for us and never properly thanked Raide-san."
"No, but..."
"It was a decision made by all of us. Besides, I can get a new one once I contact Kael."
Mayor looked around the three girls with a gentle smile and finally looked at me while tilting her head slightly.
From her expression, she clearly had no intention of giving it back.
...She must have been holding memories in there.
I seriously put the "black bracelet" back into my magic bag and looked at the necklace.
While hoping it would become something that would make Mayor happy, I muttered the words.
"...Tiviera."
The necklace suddenly shone white.
It wasn’t dazzlingly bright, but the white light made the necklace disappear.
The light quickly faded and the necklace I was holding had changed shape.
I was surprised. Not only had its shape changed, but its size had too.
The necklace on my hand had become a human hand.
More precisely, it was an arm from the wrist up, and the wrist itself looked cleanly cut.
From its hardness and weight, I could tell it was metal, but I never imagined it would become a hand.
The hand was pointing with one finger extended, as if indicating someone.
"Ah..."
"Ugh, I’m so surprised~ Sera... what is it?"
Sera-san pointed at the metal sculpture of a hand with a surprised expression and raised her voice. Nitchi-san, who was standing beside her, spoke in a lazy voice.
Mayor and Atla-san, who had been surprised by the change of shape, looked at Sera-san’s face.
Sera-san looked at all of us and pleaded desperately.
"Everyone, do you remember? That shape... the hand of Riera-sama in the scripture."
At Sera-san’s words, the three girls turned sharply and looked at the sculpture on my hand.
Their fierce expressions and momentum were terrifying, so they ignored the object I was holding.
Since everyone was staring at the thing I was holding, I called out to them.
"Mayor-san... if you want to take a good look, just take it."
"I don’t want to. It’s scary."
"...Scary?"
"If it’s a sculpture of Riera-sama’s hand, it’s scary."
...What about me, the one holding it?
I didn’t say that out loud.
When Sera-san asked to see the back of the hand, I turned the sculpture over. There was a pattern of vines wrapping around a sword.
For some reason, I felt like I had seen it somewhere before. It wasn’t the vines, but the sword. Since it was a pattern, I couldn’t clearly see the details of the sword.
But I felt like I had seen it somewhere.
The ones who reacted strongly to the pattern were Mayor and the others.
All four of them suddenly dropped to their knees on the floor and clasped their hands together in prayer.
I was surprised and hurriedly knelt and looked at Mayor-san’s eyes.
"Mayor-san, please explain... this is too sudden and I don’t understand."
"That is the hand of Riera-sama."
"But it’s a sculpture... anyone can make that, right? There’s even one in here."
I lightly pointed at the goddess statue, but Mayor-san smiled through tears and shook her head.
The other three girls were crying happily too.
While still in prayer, Mayor-san began to explain to me.
The goddess statue was indeed a sculpture modeled after Riera-sama.
But there were parts that were impossible to copy perfectly.
That was the pattern of the vines wrapping around the sword. Time after time, sculptors would carve it and it would disappear instantly.
For years and decades, ever since the Holy Country of Kael was founded.
It was a well-known story among the sisters that generations of popes had tried and failed.
Moreover, this pattern could only be confirmed in one book kept in the Great Cathedral of the Holy Country of Kael.
Mayor-san told me she was touched that I could make something like this with a playful heart.
After explaining that much, Mayor-san closed her eyes in prayer and said,
"As Raide-san said, God exists. I never imagined something like this would happen..."
I had thought that if the necklace changed into something that made Mayor happy, that would be fine, but I was completely confused by her reaction.
...Riera-sama, I’m grateful for many things from my reincarnation, but this is going too far.
I complained to the goddess in my heart while watching the four girls crying happily, and I gave a wry smile.
After a while, the four of them calmed down...
"We should contact the Holy Country of Kael."
"But they probably won’t believe us~?"
"But this is too heavy for us..."
"But we can’t just leave it either."
The four of them began arguing fiercely about what to do with Riera-sama’s hand.
I gave a wry smile and watched them. Since they seemed a little calmer, I offered advice.
"If I tell you the words I said, that would be enough, right?"
If I did that, even someone who wasn’t me could change the shape.
I didn’t know what part of Riera-sama it would become, but it should become proof.
But the four of them looked troubled by my words, and when they saw my puzzled face, I tilted my head.
Mayor-san, who seemed to have understood that I didn’t fully understand, spoke to me with difficulty.
"Raide-san... what did you say?"
"Hm? ...I said ’Tiviera’..."
"May I hear it one more time?"
"...Tiviera."
"I don’t understand..."
Mayor-san shook her head in a troubled way.
I knew she understood the words I spoke, but she couldn’t understand what they meant.
The four of them sighed and told me it sounded like a foreign language.
I said "No way," and repeated the words many times, but they only shook their heads.
Maybe I had to see the single ancient word in the ruins to understand it?
I couldn’t take them to the ruins. That place was impossible.
The ruins were in the deepest forest, and it took a month to reach them even in the game while fighting strong monsters. In reality, I had no idea how long it would take.
Mayor-san and the others told me to take my time while smiling, and they thanked me.
Sera-san, who apparently loved old documents, was hugged while thanking me.
Nitchi-san was hugged too. Mayor and Atla-san smiled apologetically and said, "Our debt to you keeps increasing."
Then I promised to visit the church soon, and we left the church.
We walked toward [Suzuya] along the night road with streetlights turning on.
While walking, I smiled wryly, thinking that making a sculpture like that would be a trip to the ends of the earth.
Above the royal capital, two shadows danced in the moonlight.
"We’re here."
"Finally, I can meet Croana!!"
"Fufu, Raide-san too, right?"
"Au... yeah..."
"Well, let’s land first? We’ll be in trouble if we’re spotted."
"Mm, got it."
"Now... how is my little sister doing?"
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