53 52. Cooperator.txt (1/2)

We walked past the hospital reception area and towards the wards.

The windy street has been repaired and is just barely keeping its body as a corridor. Proceeding through such an unappealing space, I enter the hospital room where Dia is waiting.

It's not only Dia, but also a row of unfamiliar faces.

”Dia, are you a visitor?

I call out to Dia, who is sitting on the bed.

Then I turned my attention to the three strange men standing in the hospital room.

The three visitors were dressed like priests.

'Gazing' at them, there was no doubt that the class was also a priest, since they were also priests. On top of their clean, light-colored clothes, something like a patterned stole hung in front of them.

His status is only slightly stronger than the average person.

'Christ ......!　Wait, wait a minute.

Yeah, okay.

I calmly answer and go straight out into the hallway.

I'm still angry, but thanks to my earlier skill ”?”, I don't have to fret. It's a good thing that I don't have to panic because of the ”??” skill.

As I was killing some time in the corridor, three priests came out, thanked me and then left.

After making sure of that, I walked into sickbay.

'Hey, Dear,'

Christ, it's rare to see you this early in the morning: ......

Dea has a troubled look on her face.

I guess she didn't want me to see the scene she's seeing now. It seems that Dea has a variety of reasons. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on.

In the first place, Dia has more talent than that Rustyala. It would be strange not to have something.

I gave myself that answer and began to talk.

''Was that the Fuzzy Yards Priestess now?''

U....... Not Hoosiers, but something similar, I guess.

You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.

”...... No, I'll tell you. They're my country's priests. They've been following me .......

Dia didn't try to hide it.

I guess she thinks she can no longer hide it. I can't guess if it was because she knew Lastiara or because the Nativity was coming up ...... the reason.

'Have you been following him?'

I'm sorry I haven't told you before. I'm a fugitive and a key figure in a country. ......

Honestly, Dear tells me what happened to her.

An important person in a country ....... After all, he must be a being with some special circumstances. Otherwise, he would not be able to explain his talent beyond Rustyala, a man-made finished product.

You may think you are telling the shocking truth as Dia, but for me, I've just finally heard the reason for my conviction.

I can't look at Dia who speaks with a very apologetic face, and I answer gently.

...... I see. But don't worry about it. No matter what happens, Dia is Dia.

Christ......!!!

Dia looks at me, impressed.

I guess she was ready for some kind of condemnation.

But I'm in no mood for that. My angry yet cold thoughts quickly move me to the next topic.

'So Dia has to go back to her country right away?

No, it's supposed to be. Not right away. I had to attend a Nativity ceremony tomorrow. I've been assigned to represent a religious faction.

The fact that Dia is in a higher position than I thought was possible makes my heart rate increase, not a little.

It doesn't help that when we met her, she was a raggedy figure who looked like she was going to starve to death. I am reminded of the importance of first impressions.

I stifle my desire to ask him for details and only talk about the practicalities of the situation.

'Are you going to leave after you attend?　Is there anything I can do to help?

No, of course I'm not leaving. I'm going to hit the ground running. And I won't need Christ's help to convince them. I don't want to get in trouble. But for now, I'll take care of things on my own.

Clearly, Dia has made her intentions known.

It's very different from any of the others. That guy and I would have been easier to talk to if we had been as honest and decisive with our feelings.

I understand. But I want to help in any way I can. You can count on me if you need anything.

'Oh, thank you. Christ.

The story of the problems that Diah may be having was finished in a matter of seconds.

Of course, I don't believe that this is all that Dia has. But I've taken care of the problem that is now within my reach. I'll get right to the point.

I'm sorry to bother you, but ...... I have a question for you.

You want to hear it?

Dia isn't driven mad by other influences like me or Rustyala, nor is she trapped by strong personal feelings like Maria. And there's also the world-weary circumstance that Dia is the only person in this other world who seems to be trustworthy.

--You're going to have to ask the trustworthy Dia for her opinion.

That was the purpose of this visit.

In order to do so, I begin to explain the relationship between Rastiara and the Nativity. Dia continued to listen to it with a divine look on her face.

◆◆◆◆◆ ...

I see.

After the general outline of the story, Dia examined the information given to her.

Dia was not completely unfamiliar with the Foozeyers' nativity, and she readily accepted the story itself.

Then she goes on to state her thoughts.

'I don't think it's just education. I'm sure there must be some kind of spiritual magic at work as well. Someone who has had multiple layers of it cast on him since he was a child. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so stubborn.

Dia pronounced Rustyala's condition to be poor.

Dia, who knows a lot about sacred magic, seemed to have a magic that came to mind.

However, I had checked Rastiara's condition by status. At least there didn't seem to be any magic that would be abnormal. If I had any idea, there was something like 'elemental body' or 'pseudo-god's eyes' in the skills.

'If you were under a mental spell, would Dia be able to undo it?'

'No, I don't think I can. If it's a magic that's easy to understand, I'd unlock it when I encountered it. It's probably a level of magical artistry that's ingrained in my flesh and blood. The guys on the Hoosiers would be fine with that much.

Deer assures him in a tone that he has seen.

'Well, I guess I'll have to give up on disarming then: ......

'But I think I'll undo the curse before the ritual of bringing down the saintly tiara. I don't think I'd hand over a body to a great man from the past who is still under the influence of spiritual magic that disrespects his own life.

”Before the ceremony, or at ......

Then ideally, after it's lifted, we'll have to take out Rastiara.

If we can't do that, we'll have to get someone who knows how to undo the spell somehow to help us.

'So what do you want to do, Christ?　I'll help you. I'm back in shape.

After Dear finished talking to me, he asked me what I wanted.

He even seemed to be willing to cooperate. I'm sure she's having a hard time herself, but she's still a good girl, willing to help out for the sake of her friends.

But unfortunately, I don't have a definitive answer for you right now.