Departure

The hole in the church had been hastily patched.

Specifically, the areas of the wall and ceiling that the Otherworlder had erased were covered by lumber and oil-treated cloth. Thanks to Momo, the damage was not too eye-catching.

The morning sun was just beginning to rise. Having safely whisked away Akari from the royal castle, Menou waited for the girl to fall asleep before using the communication altar to report to Orwell.

“I see. An immortal possessor of a Pure Concept… That is troublesome.”

“Yes. At present, I do not have the means to kill her.”

Time regression.

It was a logic-defying ability that could revert physical wounds as if they had never happened. Since it activated after she died, there was no way to stop the conjuring.

As the name implied, a Pure Concept invoked a conceptual phenomenon. Even reducing Akari’s body to ash would be unlikely to stop it; if she was sunk in the ocean, chances were good that she would simply revive in a safe place.

“The even bigger problem is that the Pure Concept that has improperly attached to her soul is none other than Time.”

All Pure Concepts were a potential threat, but if it was Time, there was a limit to what could be done to defend against it.

At present, all it could do was revive Akari with Regression, but if the concept grew within her, who knew what direction it might develop in next? Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Otherworlders had an inherently high aptitude for using Guiding Force. If Akari was in danger and focused her powers to deal with it, her abilities were bound to grow. Though it seemed contradictory, the only way to safely kill Akari was to protect her and keep her from conjuring until a means of dispatching her could be found.

“About that, Menou.”

Orwell must have noticed that Menou was at a loss as to how to proceed, so she offered her a lifeline.

“Would you be willing to come here for a while?”

“What? But—”

“We have what you need. A ceremonial hall that can eradicate your Otherworlder, right here in Garm.”

Menou had assumed she was referring to the hometown visit they’d discussed on their previous call, but Orwell brought up a different point instead.

“Garm is a city so old that it’s known as the ancient capital, so we have many records and facilities that cannot be found anywhere else. Even if it’s impossible for one individual, my ceremonial hall is capable of destroying an Otherworlder’s Pure Concept.”

“Is that really true…?”

“Quite. But it rarely sees use, since Executioners can usually handle disposing of Otherworlders. Since that Master of yours was so damned talented, we never once even spoke about it. That must be why she never mentioned it to you.”

I see. That made sense.

Menou’s old teacher, the Master with the dark-red hair, was a highly individual person. She lived by the principle of never trusting others and handled everything on her own.

“Can you bring the Otherworlder here? I trust you will find a way to convince her. If the Otherworlder undergoes my ceremony, then your job will be done.”

“Understood. I appreciate your assistance. It’s small wonder you’re considered to be the protector of our world.”

“…Not at all. Try as I might to protect it, I am still inexperienced and reminded of my shortcomings with each passing day. Especially in cases such as your town.”

“But that’s…”

She trailed off, caught off guard.

Menou didn’t remember anything about her hometown.

An incident in her past had completely blotted out her memories. By now, so much time had passed that she no longer felt sad about it. She had certainly been born in this nation, but at this point, that fact held no significance for her.

While she didn’t have any emotional attachments to whatever she’d forgotten, she still felt a prickle of guilt in her chest over her inability to remember anything.

That was a simple reality of having forgotten such things.

“And as I said before, I would like to meet with you and talk awhile.”

Orwell smiled. It was difficult to tell whether she knew what was in Menou’s heart.

“There’s a troubling incident occurring in Garm right now as well. Young women are disappearing, unfortunately enough. If I cannot even save the people within my reach, then my title as archbishop has no meaning.”

“Nobody can save everyone. Death comes for all of us sooner or later.”

“I suppose you’re right. Thank you, Menou. It will take a few days to prepare for the ceremony. Let us discuss the details once you arrive.”

“Of course. Thank you very much.”

At any rate, the prospect of a solution to the perplexing difficulty of executing Akari was a great relief. Menou lowered her head in gratitude and ended the transmission.

The Guiding Light projecting Orwell vanished.

Now she had a goal for her next course of action.

Leaving the chapel area, Menou entered the room where Akari was peacefully sleeping and stood at her bedside.

The girl’s sleeping face was undisturbed, unaware that she was about to be woken. She had thrown herself down on the bed, but her noticeably large chest still moved up and down, and there was an unsightly bit of drool trickling from her lips.

Menou took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

Changing her focus, she grabbed the blanket and sharply yanked it away.

“Good morning, Akari! Rise and shine!”

“Habweeeeeh?!”

With an incomprehensible cry, Akari bolted upright.

“Huh?! What is it?! A fire?! A robbery?! A car crash?! Oh, right… Menou?”

“That’s right. It’s me, Menou, the priestess—pure, proper, and powerful. Are you awake now, sleeping beauty?”

“G’morning, Menou. Man, you scared me. I thought something had happened while I was asleep again. I mean, this place is kinda old, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the church collapsed during the night.”

“I’ll ask you not to underestimate my faith. As long as the church has pious believers, it will never crumble… Good morning, Akari. Breakfast is ready.”

“’Kaaay.”

Menou responded to the girl’s still half-asleep reaction with a smile of feigned affection.

“We must discuss our next course of action.”

After the two finished their breakfast in one of the rooms of the church, Menou brought up the subject.

“First of all, we must assume you’re being pursued.”

“Who, me? …I’ve got a more important question. This was delicious. Can I get seconds?”

“I’ll explain the situation as simply as I can. And no, there is no more. Know that we do not have the money for such things.”

“Awww…”

Akari’s shoulders slumped. The budget they’d been allotted for the mission accounted only for Menou and Momo, so with Akari in the picture, they really didn’t have enough to spare.

Menou looked seriously at Akari, who had devoured her breakfast, appearing a little dissatisfied. To kill her, she had to get this girl to Orwell in the ancient capital Garm. It was very important that she give a reasonable explanation for why they needed to go there now.

“You were summoned here by the Noblesse. We managed to get you out of the royal castle, but we’re still in their territory. Even within this church, we cannot guarantee our safety.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. This church is, like, super old.”

“That’s not important right now.”

The hole made by the Otherworlder was covered only by a cloth. Menou didn’t want to get into the church’s strange state of construction, so she smoothly avoided the topic.

“These people kidnapped you to get their grubby hands on your ability, after all. They won’t give up on you so easily. We ought to leave this church as soon as possible—ideally today. Is that all right with you?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

“Excellent. You see, in our headquarters in the holy land, there is a place that takes care of lost lambs like yourself. It’s a place where a lot of Japanese people live.”

Akari nodded, looking impressed.

“Whoa. Does that mean there are more people who come here from Japan like me?”

“That’s right. On a continental scale, I’d say about five or so show up every year. So there’s a moderate amount, at least.”

“Gotcha. Does that mean it’s your job to take them in and stuff?”

“Technically, that’s only part of my job, but yes. You catch on quickly, don’t you?”

She had no difficulty getting the gist of a situation, and she asked the right questions. I guess she isn’t so foolish after all, Menou thought with a smile, analyzing Akari’s personality.

“There are some who get summoned and others who happen to end up here by natural chance. Either way, the Japanese consistently come to these parts, so we have a system in place to secure them.”

It was true that the church called Otherworlders “lost lambs” and took care of them.

The church monitored the astral vein and predicted their arrival whenever possible, but there were inevitably some that slipped through the church’s grasp. The public knew about their protection program, which served as a system of reducing the numbers that got away.

“People like you who are called from the otherworld have unique powers called Pure Concepts. Some people will try to come after you so they can use those powers.”

“Oh, they did mention that.”

Akari seemed to have been given a similar explanation from the Noblesse in the royal capital, so she readily accepted this information.

Of course, the general public didn’t know that Otherworlders could bring about massive calamities.

Generally, only a few of the highest-ranking Noblesse and the high-ranking priestesses and undercover workers of the Faust knew the truth, with the exception of some heathens who immersed themselves in forbidden antics and naturally inhabited the world’s dark underbelly.

“Those who are summoned by the Noblesse are often taken advantage of, which is why the church dispatches people like me. I hate to say it, but even your body parts can be used for conjuring, so some of the nastiest villains might take you dead or alive.”

Akari trembled as she realized how easily she could have wound up a victim.

“Waaah! That’s so scary. Since you rescued me, you must be…um, a secret agent! Or a ninja! Thank you, Menou!”

“Don’t mention it. I’m not exactly a ninja, though, just so you know.”

“You sure about that? I think it’s kinda similar… But if this holy land place is where I’m supposed to live, does that mean I really can’t go home?”

“Well, about that, Akari…”

Though the place was officially for protecting Otherworlders, there weren’t any real Japanese people in the holy land. Instead, they housed people who had failed to become Executioners. Individuals who were brought up learning about Japan and had features similar enough that they could pass for Japanese lived out their entire lives there, pretending to be Japanese.

But Menou had no intention of bringing Akari there.

“I didn’t know about this, but it turns out that the ancient capital actually has a ceremonial hall that can send Otherworlders back to their own world!”

“Huh?”

Akari’s jaw dropped.

“I… I can go back to Japan…?”

“Yes! An important member of the Faust called the archbishop told me about it. So you can be sure it’s true!”

Menou smiled reassuringly, but for some reason, Akari reeled back in shock.

“N-no way. I thought we were gonna run away together and have ourselves a grand adventure…!”

“What are you talking about?”

Why does she look so disappointed? Menou maintained her smile and tilted her head in polite confusion, then continued her explanation.

“You have some luck after all. It seems that due to geographical constraints, this returning ceremony can only occur in the hall in Garm, where the archbishop is located. If you had been summoned to a faraway nation, you would probably have had to stay in the holy land there for a while, but…guess what?! Garm is only half a day from here by train!”

“Ooh!”

Trying to keep Akari from noticing that this development was too good to be true, Menou made a deliberate effort to get her excited, which worked perfectly.

“I spoke to the archbishop, and she said that she’ll prepare the ceremony for you. We shall go to Garm at once, and in a matter of days, you’ll be able to go home, Akari. You can think of your time in this world as nothing more than a little sightseeing jaunt!”

“Wow, Menou! You’re amazing!”

“But of course! A priestess must be pure, proper, and powerful!”

Though Akari seemed cheered by the notion of being able to return to Japan, her expression still held a hint of sadness.

“Man, I’m going back so soon… It feels like a shame.”

“Oh? Aren’t you excited to go home?”

“Huh? I mean, it’s not that I’m not excited, but…when I met you, Menou, I felt like I’d been waiting for this moment my whole life, so I’m a little sad. Like I said yesterday, as soon as I laid eyes on you, I thought this was fate!”

“G-goodness, you’re making me blush…”

As Menou scratched her cheek sheepishly at Akari’s exaggerated delight, she inwardly wondered about the girl’s strange reaction.

As she had started to suspect, Akari must not have much of a strong attachment to her family and friends, or perhaps her entire homeland. But it didn’t seem like she was particularly excited about the idea of being summoned to a “fantasy” world, either.

However, she seemed to be strangely fond of Menou.

Menou thought about pressing her as to why, but it had only been two days since their first meeting. They hadn’t bonded closely enough to ask personal questions, and once they reached Garm, she would no longer need to, since her job would be done.

“Well, let’s be friends until you get back home, Akari.”

“Yeah! I’m looking forward to it, Menou!”

“Very good. Let me explain the details of our journey, then.”

I don’t need to learn anything more about Akari, she reminded herself, putting her doubts aside and continuing the conversation.

“Although, it’s not terribly complicated. Since our trip won’t take us across any borders, we can simply use the train.”

“So there are trains in this world, huh? Cool, cool.”

Since the railroad connected all the major cities and towns in each nation of the continent, travelers by land always depended on the trains. There was a direct line from the royal capital to Garm, so there wouldn’t be any complicated transfers or anything, either.

Menou explained the basic steps and shared some words of warning for once they reached Garm, then looked Akari in the eyes.

“I think that’s about it. Do you have any questions?”

“No, I think I got it. You’re great at explaining stuff, Menou.”

Akari was fairly quick on the uptake, so they were able to finish discussing their cover story easily enough.

Which meant all that was left was to prepare for the journey.

“Wonderful! Then I’m going to go do a bit of shopping. We’ll need a change of clothes for you, tickets for the train, and so on.”

“Ooh, shopping? Can I come with you?”

“No.”

Akari leaned forward eagerly, but Menou curtly shut her down.

“Akari. You’re being followed, remember? We have to avoid anything that would draw attention to you, especially in this town! Those clothes of yours stand out far too much as it is.”

“Awww… Fine.”

“I’m glad you understand. I’ll be back in a bit. Be a good girl and wait here, all right?”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Menou smiled to comfort the sulking girl, then she departed.

However, instead of heading into town to shop, she went around to the back of the building. Sneaking silently back into the church through the rear entrance, Menou carefully hid her presence from Akari as she went down the steps to the basement.

She opened the door at the bottom of the stairwell without a sound and stepped silently inside.

“Momo. Let’s hear your report.”

“Right away, darliiing!”

Waiting in the basement was Menou’s junior and assistant, Momo. They were about to have a meeting about the actual plan.

Momo delivered her first piece of information in an icy voice.

“Report number one: It made me sooo angry to watch boob-lady eat the food I prepared just for you, darliiing. I should have poisoned her.”

“Nobody asked about that, Momo.”

Menou responded without thinking, since it wasn’t like her dependable assistant to make such a bizarre report.

“Besides, I ate that food, too. I would prefer that you not poison me…”

“Nngh, that’s riiight…”

Momo grumbled, and Menou’s frown deepened. She might just be fooling around, but for Momo to blurt out such refutable nonsense made it seem like she really had lost her cool.

“Now, what’s the situation?”

“The Holy Inquisition of the monarch has formally begun. At present, they’re holding a meeting aaaand are discussing the length of time the defense will be allowed.”

“Understood. No doubt this will leave them little time for other matters.”

Finally, Momo was responding normally.

While Executioners like Menou couldn’t be made known to the public, they knew that an inquisitor had come from the holy land to the royal capital to determine where the official blame fell for this current incident.

Once the trial began, the masterminds behind the summoning would undoubtedly have their hands full. Menou’s side had decided to take this opportunity to go on the move. Bringing Akari along was an unexpected hitch, but Menou had already succeeded at convincing her. There was no reason to remain in the royal capital any longer.

“Sooo, darling. Before we get moving, let’s just execute that girl. Morale is at an all-time high. I’ll kill that boob-lady with my own bare haaands!”

“No. Not yet.” Menou chided Momo, who was clearly getting worked up. I suppose she’s still inexperienced in some ways.

“Why not? I know direct attacks won’t do much, but we could at least try slower methods, like poison or medication overdose, nooo?”

“I think not. Any methods that weaken the target might make her Pure Concept go berserk.”

The idea wasn’t bad in theory, but they couldn’t risk it.

Among the taboos that existed in this world, one of the worst was to attempt to break the spirit of an Otherworlder who possessed a Pure Concept.

The Pure Concepts that were improperly attached to their souls were in a perpetually unstable state.

Their minds held the reins to the power they drew from their soul. Guiding Force was generated in the soul, controlled by the will, and suffused the body. If their willpower broke while their body remained intact, the Pure Concept was likely to go haywire and potentially cause serious damage.

“We need that girl to maintain a healthy mind and body until directly before her death. Besides, her ability activates her the moment she dies, remember? We can’t just go killing her willy-nilly.”

Akari’s Pure Concept could very well grow in power just by repeatedly activating Regression to revive her. The more times they tested out methods to kill her, the more dangerous it became.

“We mustn’t attempt to kill her in any way but the method with the highest chance of success.”

“Grrr. In that case, I suppooose I understand.”

“Very good. Now, Momo, have you finished the preparations?”

“Of cooourse.”

Momo still looked a little peeved, but she handed Menou the things she had already purchased.

It was everything they needed for the journey, including a change of clothes for Akari. Menou couldn’t actually leave Akari alone and unsupervised in the church, so she’d asked Momo to get things ready in advance. Menou checked over the items, impressed with Momo’s skillfulness. Finally, she asked to see the train tickets.

“Right here. They’re for this afternooon.”

“Great. Thank y—”

The destination was the ancient capital Garm, where Orwell would be awaiting them. Once they got on the train, they would reach it in less than half a day. Menou started to express her gratitude and take the tickets, but then she froze.

Momo had bought three tickets.

“…Momo.”

“Whatever is the matter, darliiing?”

Momo smiled innocently, as if to say she couldn’t possibly have made a mistake.

However, Menou wasn’t falling for her assistant’s act.

“As we’ve already discussed…you are to stay here and keep tabs on the Holy Inquisition.”

“I’d rather diiie.”

Momo’s tone left no room for debate.

She wore her usual smile, but since they’d known each other for so long, Menou knew what was really going on. At times like these, Momo would never budge, no matter who she was talking to.

Originally, this was where they were supposed to split up.

After the mission was over, Menou would escape on her own, and Momo would stay here and rendezvous with the Holy Inquisition. Before, Momo had agreed, however reluctantly, to the plan of taking separate routes across the border and reconvening later.

But now that the monkey wrench—Akari—was thrown into the mix, Momo was rebelling.

“Listen, Momo…”

How could she talk down her assistant, who was clearly determined to come with her? Menou hesitated for a moment before deciding to appeal to her sense of logic.

“It’s the nature of this mission…well, specifically Akari. If I were to make a mistake, you would need to deal with Akari. Considering that possibility, we have to make sure she doesn’t find out about you, no matter what. You must understand.”

“But, darliiing…”

Ah. I shouldn’t have tried to use logic on her when she’s being this way.

Momo’s whiny tone made it clear she wasn’t listening to a word of Menou’s argument. She gave a wheedling smile.

“I would rather force the Holy Inquisition to end by killing every last member of this nation’s Noblesse myself than let my beloved darling travel alone with that doltish, big-boobed Otherworlder. I’ll go with you even if it kills me, okaaay?”

Her eyes were deadly serious.

Most disturbing of all, it wasn’t even a threat. The way her speech spilled out in one breath, her gaze full of darkness, made it painfully clear that she was all too willing to act on her words.

“That woman is dangerous. My Momo sense tells me so! It says I mustn’t ever let you be alone with her, darliiing!”

“I’m fully aware of the danger she poses.”

“No, you are nooot! You don’t get it at all, darliiing!!”

Momo pounded her fist on the desk furiously, but Menou understood the danger perfectly well.

The Pure Concept of Time transcended even death. The danger of this ability was far more than simply protecting its user from dying. Of course, Menou would be on her guard at all times.

Which was why Menou firmly reassured her assistant.

“It’ll be fine, Momo. Believe in me!”

“Grrrrr!” Momo growled in a way that made her dissatisfaction very clear, her eyes narrowing. “Fiiine. I agree to disagree…”

“Oh, good. So you understand.”

“I’ll just follow you in the shadooows.”

Ah. She doesn’t get it at all.

“I swear I’ll make sure that boob-lady never sees me. Let me go with yooou!”

“In the shadows? Momo, this is…”

Menou resisted the urge to rub her temples.

Knowing Momo’s skills, she could pull it off. In the monastery where they were raised and trained to be Executioners, their education included a thorough mastery of stealth. Since Momo had made it out of that monastery at the young age of fourteen, she was more than qualified. Among the assistant Executioners, she was already recognized as a rookie with a bright future.

Menou glanced at Momo.

Her posture made it clear she wasn’t willing to yield any further.

Menou sighed. “All right. Fine.”

“Hooraaay! Oh, and, darliiing…”

“What is it?”

In all truth, having her assistant around would expand Menou’s options. After she reluctantly agreed, Momo hesitated a little, then tacked on yet another request.

“I have one more suggestion, or perhaps you’d call it an appeal, buuut…you’ve never spent so much time with a target before, right?”

“Hmm? I suppose not.”

Until now, Menou had taken care of most of her missions very swiftly. Part of the reason was that she was following the example of her teacher, who had carried out more hunts of heretics than anyone else.

“What about it?”

“Since this mission involves being with the target for an extended period, please let me do it instead.”

Momo’s expression was earnest.

For once, she dropped the usual sugary tone and elongation of her words, looking Menou right in the eyes and speaking hesitantly but clearly.

“I don’t think this mission…suits you, darling. If you would trade roles with me, I could take her to Garm instead. I’m sure you could easily convince that girl to go along with it, even if we did it now.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Menou shut her down immediately, but Momo pressed the subject.

Why?

It was simple.

Menou didn’t want Momo to kill her.

This target wasn’t a heretic who’d willfully indulged in breaking some taboo, or a warrior willingly risking her life in battle, or a criminal who’d committed grave sins. She was just a good person who’d done nothing to deserve getting dragged into this.

It was foolish. Menou knew that. Momo had chosen to become an Executioner of her own free will. Sooner or later, she would have no choice but to kill someone like this.

But even so…

“This is my job.”

As long as Momo was working under her, Menou had no intention of backing down on this matter.

Momo lowered her eyes and bit her lip.

“It’s only for a week or so. If what Archbishop Orwell said is true, it’ll all be over within three days of reaching Garm.”

The tickets Momo had handed her were for a train leaving that very afternoon. Even if the trip went a little slowly, they would certainly be in Garm by tomorrow.

Including today, that made two days total. Orwell said the preparations for the ceremony would take a few days, so it was likely they would end up staying in the city a little while, but it would be finished within less than a week.

That still fell within the range of a short mission, most likely.

“I’m not going to slip up in such a short time. It’ll be fine, I promise you.”

“I hope you’re right…”

Momo kept chewing on her lip.

“…But that’s not exactly what I’m worried about, you knooow.”

Momo’s parting murmur rang bitterly in Menou’s ears.