NOVEL NEXT Earth hero, Gonbee Sasae.
The girl certainly did introduce herself as that.
The hero representing the Earth Church that worships one of the five Gods of Creation, Mother Earth Mantle-sama.
Why is the earth hero, who is supposed to be at the faraway Ishtar Blaze, here?
“There’s no mistake.” (Karen)
I compared the big scythe she was holding with the one illustrated in a book, and voiced out this conclusion.
“This scythe is the Earth Scythe, Seeta. It is a divine tool in the possession of the Earth Church, and ranks at the highest.” (Karen)
It is an object that lines up with my Saint-George; the Barbarossa of Mirack-chan; and the Miki-Moses of Celestis-chan.
The book we borrowed from the Light Grand Library, ‘the faraway unexplored region, approaching the mystery of Ishtar Blaze -Compilation-’, had this information written, so there’s no mistake.
“She was lend such an important thing. That means, she can’t be no other than the earth hero, but…” (Karen)
Mirack-chan, Celestis-chan, and I gather our attention at one place.
At the suspicious individual that we brought here from the city, the small girl.
“De-de-de-de-de-deeeli~~sh-dasu.” (Sasae)
We are at the parlor room we were originally having a tea party in.
After calming down the commotion in the middle of Apollon City, we brought this girl -Gonbee Sasae-chan- no questions asked.
We also contacted Captain Vesage who was searching the area, and the matter of the suspicious individual was wrapped up for now.
It can be said that it hasn’t been completely wrapped up yet and simply moved to the next stage though.
To begin with, this place was being used to have nonsensical girl’s talk, and we only left once and returned after, so the atmosphere still remains. The tea was still there, the cake and the cream-filled pastry as well, so when we offered it to Sasae-chan, she began overindulging.
First, she grabbed the target cake with both hands and brought it to her mouth.
*nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom*
After filling her mouth completely, she swallowed.
*nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom*
After filling her mouth completely, she swallowed.
What’s with this cute critter. She is so cute, I want to continue feeding her more.
“Hah~, so cute. She is so cute, the heavens might split apart~~.”
And, there was one person who was being killed by that cuteness.
Since way back, Mirack-chan has been weak to this kind of people that stir you to protect them after all -like in my childhood when I was sickly.
“Now now, if you eat so fast, your throat will get hurt, you know? You should drink tea here, and take a break first.” (Mirack)
“Ah’m sorry. I was getting thirsty, so this be right in time-nasu~~ gulp gulp—HOT!” (Sasae)
“Ah?! I’m sorry, did you have a sensitive tongue?! Okay, let me cool it down for you. Fuh~ Fuh~” (Mirack)
This Mirack-chan is no good. I have to do something about this quick.
But it is a pain, so I won’t do anything.
“But why is the earth hero in Apollon City? Ishtar Blaze is so far it would take several months by foot, right? As expected, isn’t this some sort of misunderstanding?” (Karen)
“No, there’s no doubt this girl is the earth hero.” (Celestis)
Celestis-chan who was at my side made a serious expression.
“This girl broke my ‘Water Bag’ with one attack. Only the earth element would be able to accomplish that. Due to the element affinities, the one that wins against water is earth. Earth absorbs water infinitely, and in time, it will swallow it completely.” (Celestis)
So she is talking about the fight that occurred in the middle of the city.
It is true that it was shocking how that scythe was able to easily break through the skill of Celestis-chan who was the fastest of us three in attacking.
“What? Hm, could it be…you are frustrated by it?” (Mirack)
Mirack-chan throwed a completely smug face at Celestis-chan and draws closer to her.
“Right. The water element can’t lift a finger against the earth element after all. Well, there’s many moments when you turn useless because the affinity is bad. This time, you were not blessed with the compatibility, so you were useless! Anyways, it happens, so burn in frustration as much as you want.” (Mirack)
“Aah, so annoying! You-are-annoying!!” (Celestis)
Mirack-chan has been teasing Celestis-chan a lot lately.
Could it be that she is still hung on the fight with the Great Sea Dragon we had before? Was she still bothered by how her fire element had bad affinity against the water element?
“More importantly, the problem is this girl!” (Celestis)
Celestis-san points strongly at the little girl that was still nomming without caring at all about our dispute.
“What did the earth hero come here to do in such a faraway place from her headquarters?! Moreover, this is the headquarters of the Light Church! If handled poorly, this might even become a diplomatic problem. We have to make her talk, or we can’t release her!” (Celestis)
“…Dasu?” (Sasae)
Being threatened, Sasae-chan blinked in surprise for a moment, but she soon made an expression as if she remembered something…
“Ah, shoot-dasuuu~~!!” (Sasae)
And screamed.
What is it this time?
“Founder-sama told me ‘don’t follow strangers’, and yet, I easily be following them-dasu!! This be bad-dasu! I be kept as livestock, be domesticated, and be demanded a ransom-dasu!!” (Sasae)
Eeeh?! Reacting to that this late?!
“I-It’s okay, Sasae-chan. I am also a hero. The light hero of this Apollon City, Kourin Karen. I am by no means a suspicious individual.” (Karen)
“Not only that, I ended eatin’ all grub they brought me!! They are definitely gonna demand crazy cash, and the moment they be knowing I can’t spit it out, they will turn around their attitude and say ‘In that case, we got no choice but to have you pay with that body, little lady’, and be sold away!!!” (Sasae)
“Not happening, not happening.” (Karen)
This is a problem. This girl is the type that naturally ignores what others say.
“Uhm, Sasae-chan, it is okay. We are not scary people. We just want to ask you a few things.” (Karen)
“That be a lie-dasu!! Founder-sama and Bishop-sama told me that the city people all be liars-dasu!! Ya be thinking that just because I am a country bumpkin you can pull the wool on me easily!!” (Sasae)
“That’s not true… We simply want to ask you about a few things—” (Karen)
“What do ya wanna hear about?! Mah security number? I won’t be telling ya-dasu yo!” (Sasae)
What’s a security number?
The conversation is not getting through at all with this girl. Maybe this is called country bumpkin complex; because of that, she is under the impression that everything related to the city is evil.
“Anyways, the city be scary-dasu! It be way too cruel for a country bumpkin to survive-dasu! But, in order to fulfill the oracle given by Mother Earth God-sama, I be pushing like rabbit in season-dasu yo!!” (Sasae)
- 106: Stubborn one
“An oracle from the Mother Earth God?” (Karen)
What Sasae-chan slipped piqued my interest.
“Did you come to Apollon City with that as the reason? What is the Mother Earth God having you do?” (Karen)
“Fufufufu. Ya see-dasu na~, this be an important mission only the earth hero can accomplish-dasu.” (Sasae)
For some reason, she began speaking with a boasting tone.
“That be right, it was in a regular morning. Woken up by the cry of the roosters, I was about to head to work on the fields…when it happened. The weed be growin’ pretty thickly, so I be thinkin’ about cutting it down, ya know.” (Sasae)
“You are going pretty far back in your story huh…” (Celestis)
Celestis-chan, who was listening by my side, fiddled her hair with an irritated expression.
“To begin with, our Earth Church be standing on the motto of living together with nature! Plowing the land, and wakin’ for the land. That be the most basics of a human, and this be the way of living that brings about good fortune, and this be what Mother Earth God-sama preaches-dasu!” (Sasae)
“And she regressed to even deeper fundamental structure?!” (Celestis)
But that stupid-cuteness of hers charmed Mirack-chan even more.
“That’s why, I -the earth hero- can’t slacken on the work at the fields-dasu! With each swing, each time the hoe be hitting the ground, I give mah gratitude to Mother Earth God-sama. Once I be finished with separating the fields, the earth be giving me back in the form of beautiful crops-dasu!” (Sasae)
“U-Uhm, I understand already, so, about that oracle the Mother Earth God-sama gave you…” (Karen)
“Ah, right-dasu na! I was suddenly called by the Founder-sama and attended the Earth Grand Crimson Palace still in mah work clothes-dasu yo! What they told me that time be—” (Sasae)
“…”
Eh?
This girl stopped in the most important part.
“—!! Close! I was almost caught in a leading question! The city people are truly good at fooling people-dasu yo! But it be okay! I didn’t crock a single fly about the important bits-dasu!” (Sasae)
So she noticed!
But, we didn’t do any sort of leading though. This country girl is seriously tough.
Even though she spills so much out of her mouth, the parts that we really want to hear, she guards them with pinpoint accuracy.
“…You say that but…” (Celestis)
At this moment, Celestis-chan, who was finally out of her dumbstruck state, joined the conversation.
“You -the earth hero- stepping inside the headquarters of a different church of yours, moreover, without permission; do you understand how big that is? The heroes are in basis the face of the Church, and their strongest fighting force. It is like the tip of the sword. And if that tip of the sword were to enter the another territory on their own whim, it can be taken as a declaration of war.” (Celestis)
Hearing this, I looked back at my own past actions and thought ‘I really did some outrageous things huh’.
“Moreover, you even created a small commotion in the city. In order to vindicate that you hold no hostility, don’t you think there’s the need to explain the reason why you came all the way here? But well, if you really just came here to pick a fight, you wouldn’t have any reason to explain anyways.” (Celestis)
“And, who are ya-dasu ka?” (Sasae)
Even when being pushed with such threatening tone, Sasae-chan was still going at her own pace.
“Guh… Can’t be helped. Even if I am an idol, the popularity wave of Celes-tan still hasn’t reached the countryside huh. Fine, I will grant you the honor. I am the water hero, Celestis. And while I’m at it, that muscle lesbian there is the fire hero, Mirack.” (Celestis)
“Did you just insult me real hard as an afterthought?” (Mirack)
Everyone ignored the complaint of Mirack-chan.
“Hoheh~, then, everyone here is a hero-dasu ka? This be the first time I see the other heroes-dasu yo.” (Sasae)
“I am also surprised at this first encounter of ours. To think the earth hero was a loli that was so difficult to hold a conversation with.” (Celestis)
Celestis-chan, please don’t lose your composure, okay?
The other party is still a child after all.
“But but, this is the city of the Light Church-san, right-dasu na? Why are the water and fire heroes here-dasu?” (Sasae)
“Nuguh!!” (Celestis)
“I be an outsider, but isn’t the water and fire heroes the same-dasu ka? Why are ya here-dasu? Ya here to pick a fight-dasu ka?” (Sasae)
Sasae-chan looks as if she doesn’t understand the conversation, and yet, she stabs at the parts that hurt.
“About that, I will explain.” (Mirack)
Is what Mirack-chan says as she tags in.
“Celestis and I were invited here by the light hero Karen. That’s why there’s no problem at all.” (Mirack)
“You were invited here-dasu ka?!” (Sasae)
“That’s right. We three had a lot going on between us, but now, we have formed an alliance, and are incredibly friendly with each other. That’s why, even if we enter the other’s territory, it won’t turn into a fight!” (Mirack)
“That be incredible-dasu! So movin’-dasu! Can heroes become friends-dasu ka?!” (Sasae)
“Of course. If you feel like it, we will be happy to welcome you -the earth hero- into our hero alliance!” (Mirack)
“Seriously-dasu ka?! I don’t understand this hero alliance thing, but it sounds hella cool-dasu! Please let me join-dasu!” (Sasae)
“Fine, we won’t close our doors to someone that wishes to join!!” (Mirack)
And so, like this, Sasae-chan became our comrade.
…Hm?
“In that case, secrets shouldn’t be kept between friends-dasu na! I be tellin’ ya why I am here-dasu!!” (Sasae)
Eh?
We had so much trouble making her talk, and yet, now she is so easily willing to…
Mirack-chan turns her head in my direction and gives me a thumbs up.
It can’t be helped that she is feeling proud of it. She even made progress in the matter of the hero alliance that I spoke of not that long ago.
“Mirack-chi, why are you the one making a breakthrough in the situation? So nauseating.” (Celestis)
“I accomplished something, and yet, what’s with that treatment?!” (Mirack)
Celestis-chan, can you stop stirring things up already?
“Now then, heroes from other lands! Once again, mah name is Gonbee Sasae, the earth hero-dasu! I be inexperienced, but please take care of me-da!” (Sasae)
“You got it. If you have any problems, you can come consult me anytime you want!” (Mirack)
“Hah…can’t be helped. She is cute, so I will welcome her.” (Celestis)
Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan were able to accept this super sudden turn of events.
And I…
“Sasae-chan, here as well. I am the light hero that protects this Apollon City, name is Kourin Karen.” (Karen)
“Yes-nasu! Light hero-san be a damn good lookin’ babe-dasu na!” (Sasae)
We exchange a light handshake.
“So, returning to the original topic, Sasae-chan, why did you come to Apollon City? Coming all the way from the Earth Church to the Light Church. Did you have something you wanted to tell us?” (Karen)
“Right-dasu! Now that it be come to this, I would like Karen-sa to cooperate as well-dasu! To accomplish the mission given to me by Mother Earth God-sama!” (Sasae)
And then, Sasae-chan revealed the objective of why she came to Apollon City.
“To subjugate the personification of the evil Dark God Entropy, Kuromiya Haine-dasu!” (Sasae)
- 107: Wicked Oracle
For a second, I doubted my ears.
“Eh? Uhm…sorry. Can you repeat that?” (Karen)
“As I said, I be told to erase the personification of the evil Dark God Entropy, Kuromiya Haine-dasu! That’s what I was told in the oracle of Mother Earth God-sama-dasu!” (Sasae)
As I thought, I really didn’t hear wrong.
But, I couldn’t understand it at all.
I was really familiar with the name that was spoken by Sasae-chan who I had just met today.
“?!”
When I turn my head, I could see the bewildered expressions of Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan.
“What is the meaning of this?” (Mirack)
“I don’t know. We should ask this girl in more detail.” (Celestis)
It is as Celestis-chan said.
We decided on listening to a bit more of what Sasae-chan has to say.
“I was called by the Founder-sama and was told this-dasu.” (Sasae)
Summing up the story of Sasae-chan, the Earth Founder-sama got an oracle from the Mother Earth God, Mantle-sama. And then, in that oracle, he was instructed to erase the Dark God Entropy, Haine-san.
“According to the oracle, Entropy apparently be an incredibly dangerous and scary God-dasu. And this God be disguised as a human and slipped into this world-dasu.” (Sasae)
‘If we let it be, the world will fall into calamity for sure’, being told this via the Founder, she was ordered to head to the place where the Dark God Entropy is, the place where Haine-san is.
“And I, carrying this important task, departed from Ishtar Blaze-no dasu! The oracle said that Kuromiya Haine be in Apollon City, so I headed straight here-dasu!” (Sasae)
Sasae-chan says eloquently.
“I was scared of the people outside, so I thoroughly bounced all settlements-dasu! Advancing through pathless paths, tearing off the bark of trees, eating boiled grass, and after an unwavering month, I finally arrived at Apollon City-dasu!” (Sasae)
“What a wild life!” (Mirack)
“Is there any meaning in going so far to avoid people?!” (Celestis)
Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan were shocked by how harsh the journey of Sasae-chan was.
But that wasn’t the issue I was bothered with right now.
“Finally arriving at mah destination, I be thinking of how to search fer Kuromiya Haine-dasu yo. But, am glad-dasu. Meeting such nice people. If ye can, please help m—” (Sasae)
“That’s a lie!!”
The loud shout I let out made Sasae-chan shrink her shoulders.
“What you said is all a lie! There’s no way Entropy-sama would be an evil God! There’s no way Haine-san would be scheming something evil! It is obvious that it is all a lie! Did you come all the way here from Ishtar Blaze just to spread those delusions?! That’s just way too much of a pain!” (Karen)
“Wait, Karen! Calm down!” (Mirack)
Being seized by Mirack-chan, my words finally cut off.
But at that time, as if natural, the expression of Sasae-chan froze.
“Wa, Karen-chi, don’t go losing your steam on a little girl you just met. Well, it is not like I don’t understand how you feel though.” (Celestis)
“I am sorry… But, there’s no way Haine-san is the enemy of the world. Something like that is impossible. Mirack-chan and Celestis-chan understand that as well, right?” (Karen)
The two know Haine-san in person.
They should know about the many people that he has protected.
“Don’t worry, Karen. We also don’t think of him as such an evil individual.” (Mirack)
“That’s right. As a hero, I am pretty confident in my eye for people. Haine-chi may have a bit of a sadistic side, but he is in basis a good person.” (Celestis)
I was a bit relieved by the words of those two, and regain my calm.
“But then, why did the Earth Church give out such an oracle? That’s the issue here.” (Karen)
“Right. Since the name of the Dark God Entropy has come out, I can’t think the existence of that oracle is a lie in itself… Leaving aside for now the heavily retortable part about Haine-chi being the personification of the Dark God.” (Celestis)
An oracle is a core factor in representing the holiness of the five Churches.
The words of a God can be directly told to people. The only ones who can receive those oracles are the Founders of their respective church.
It seems each Church has different ways to receive the oracle, but the contents of it are varied as well.
Predicting the future correctly, telling ways to counter disasters that humans wouldn’t be able to deal with, and it is said that there’s even times when they are told the weaknesses of the enemy’s army in war.
Since the early periods of history, the reason why the five Churches were able to grow bigger in influence was because they were able to control information. Because of this, even if an oracle are seen as proof of the Gods having a direct connection with the Church, an oracle is also something absolute.
“But, if that oracle of the Earth Church is true, then there’s a point that bothers me.” (Celestis)
“And that is?” (Karen)
It seems Celestis-chan has noticed something. I ask her about it as if clinging to it.
“If it is as what the oracle says, that Haine-chi is an existence that is overwhelmingly dangerous to this world, then why is that danger only being warned by Mantle?” (Celestis)
“Ah.”
“If it is an evil existence that can throw the world into predicament, the other Gods would also give out warnings and raise the awareness of it. But, at the very least, an oracle like that hasn’t been received from my Water Church. What about you girls?” (Celestis)
Celestis-chan’s gaze moves equally between Mirack-chan and I.
“I haven’t heard of it either. Thinking about the personality of our Founder, I don’t think they would hide anything.” (Mirack)
“In my Light Church too! Yorishiro-sama is a person that would say things that feel like they have a hidden meaning, but…but when it is about Haine-san, there’s no lie!” (Karen)
I-Isn’t that right, Yorishiro-sama?
“In that case, it really is strange that only the Earth Church received an oracle. Hey, Sasae-chan, can you please tell us your story in more detail? First, when was the specific time this oracle was received…….” (Celestis)
Celestis-chan turned the conversation to Sasae-chan, and, at that moment, she noticed the discomforting atmosphere.
The atmosphere that Sasae-chan was forming, it was a completely different color from the ones until now.
“…Liar-dasu.” (Sasae)
“Eh?”
“As I thought, the city people be all crying wolf-dasu! Baiting ya with kind words. I thought ye were people I could trust, so I told ye about the story of Founder-sama, and yet, ye all called me a liar!! As I thought, the city people be all scary-dasu! Can’t trust ‘em-dasu! I ain’t stayin’ in a place like this!!” (Sasae)
Saying this, Sasae-chan runs and pushes the door as if tackling it.
“Sasae-chan?!” (Karen)
“Crap! After her!!” (Mirack)
“No other choice. Good grief!!” (Celestis)
Mirack-chan, Celestis-chan, and I chased after Sasae-chan.