Volume 3, Chapter 17 – Sightseeing in Ianshui: The Grotto Temple

“Huh? It’s closed?”

“I am terribly sorry, but we have no plans to reopen for the time being.”

We had arrived at the Grotto Temple for some sightseeing, full of excitement, only to be stopped at the entrance.

“No way. And we came all this way, too…”

Well, it’s not like this was our only purpose for coming here, but still.

“I know! Fiene-sama has come all this way to see it. Under the circumstances, we can make an exception and unseal—”

“Ah, Chris-san, that’s just going to make things complicated, so please be quiet for a moment.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.”

Oh, I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve seen Chris-san go off the rails like that.

Yeah, I’ve definitely gotten better at stopping her.

“So, did something happen? If it’s something we can help with, we’d be glad to lend a hand.”

“Those clothes… you are clerics from the West, aren’t you? Hmm, I see. Very well, I shall tell you. To be honest, a ghost has started appearing in this temple. It hasn’t done anything decisively wicked, but there have been minor pranks, like cups flying through the air. In a situation like that, we simply couldn’t allow the general public inside…”

“I see. If that’s the case, then it’s our turn to shine.”

I reached out and grabbed the cloak of Chris-san, who was trying to sneak away.

“Chris-san?”

“G-g-g-g…”

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“It’s time to help some people, you know?”

“…Yes.”

Chris-san’s shoulders slumped as she gave a weak reply.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Onee-sama, this is rare for you.”

“Hmm? What is?”

“Well, I didn’t really have the image of you being so proactive about helping people.”

“Oh? Despite how I look, I used to do quite a bit, like visiting orphanages and helping out at hospitals. It’s just that I haven’t had many chances since we started traveling. Orphanages, unlike troublesome adults, are full of nothing but cute children, so they’re real healing spots.”

The fact that I started doing it to grind EXP and ended up losing a massive amount of money is a fond memory now.

“I had no idea.”

“Besides, I’ve dealt with ghosts before. Although it was quite a struggle being chased for half a day by a massive army of dolls that just kept increasing the more I defeated them…”

“Ugh, that sounds traumatizing.”

“It was. I didn’t want to see that kind of doll for quite a while after that.”

I gave a wry smile as I remembered the evil spirit Joseph. However, this didn’t seem like an actual evil spirit, so I doubted it would turn into a disastrous situation like the one with Joseph.

Besides, if we go in now, we can sightsee while the place is basically chartered just for us, with no other tourists around.

As a tourist, this is the absolute best way to see the sights.

“I see. Fiene-dono is skilled at dealing with those not of this world, after all. I shall leave it to you with confidence and take this opportunity to tour the temple myself.”

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Oops, Shizuku-dono just declared she was sitting this one out.

“Um, I’ll fight using these arrows that Onee-sama enchanted with Purification!”

“My apologies. This temple houses many items of historical value, so please be extremely careful not to damage or destroy anything.”

“Ugh… yes…”

Well, it can’t be helped.

As for Chris-san… she’s useless against ghosts anyway, so I won’t even count her as part of our strength.

“For now, could you give us a general tour?”

“Understood.”

And so, having secured an official tour guide—apparently her name was Yuen-san—we were shown around the inside of the Grotto Temple.

The temple was built as if clinging to the cliffside, and deeper in, caves had been excavated. Inside, murals and Buddha statues were packed closely together.

And sure enough, that guy was casually mixed in among the statues.

“Um? What is this statue?”

“Ah, this is the Bodhisattva of Class. I believe he is known as the God of Classes in the West.”

“Yes, ah, that’s right.”

They really do worship the same God. But ‘Bodhisattva of Class’… is such a simplistic name really okay? ¹ Bodhisattva of Class is the official translation used here because Class is a term that exists in this world’s setting. If translated literally, it would be “Bodhisattva of Employment.” To Japanese readers, this would sound more like “the deity of finding a job” rather than “the deity of Classes.”

After we spent about an hour taking a leisurely tour, we ended up back at the entrance.

“Um, nothing appeared, did it?”

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“It didn’t… well, if you’d like, would you care to see the back area as well?”

“Yes. Understood.”

Chris-san was shooting me looks that said she wanted to go home as soon as possible, but I chose to ignore her.

It’s not in my nature to have someone give us a tour and then just say “we’re done” and leave the moment our business is finished.

As we were walking down a passage reserved for staff, a small metal cup suddenly came flying and struck Yuen-san, who was leading the way, square in the head.

A crisp clang echoed, and the cup rolled across the floor with a clatter.

“Ouch… There it is! Surely that was the work of a ghost. Now, please!”

I peered into the room the cup had flown from and saw something white fluttering, which then slipped away into the depths.

“Hiiieeeeee!”

Chris-san let out a pathetic scream.

“Hm? Is Chris-dono afraid of ghosts?”

“G-g-g-ghosts c-c-can’t b-be cut, c-can they…?”

“Hahaha. You are quite the coward, Chris-dono.”

“B-but…”

I strode into the room and looked in the direction the white thing had disappeared. Another passage continued further inside.

“Shizuku-san, could you go catch that ghost for a moment?”

“Me?”

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“Yes. You’re probably the most suited for it.”

“I see. Understood.”

With that, Shizuku-san disappeared down the inner hallway with incredible speed.

A moment later, I heard a man’s muffled “Gueh!”, and then she returned to us, dragging something white along the floor.

“Chris-dono, I have captured the ghost for you.”

Shizuku-san called out with a mischievous grin.

“Hii!”

Chris-san recoiled, trying to hide behind me.

Hey now, Sir Holy Knight. Is that really okay?

“Look, Chris-san, look closely. That’s not a ghost.”

“Eh? Oh… it’s true. You scoundrel, how dare you deceive me! Prepare for judgment!”

“Whoa, wait a second, Chris-san! You can’t do that!”

She becomes such a total mess the moment ghosts are involved. Some things never change.

“Is it alright to remove the cloth now?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

When Shizuku-san yanked the cloth away, a slightly chubby, elderly monk was revealed.