Chapter 178 (2/2)

I contacted Bachurka directly and was able to figure out what was going on.

“The Union will send a team of investigators, but it seems to be very behind in their priorities.”

“What?”

Like the Earthlings, the other species that composed the exploration team were of the same level.

Such beings weren’t treated as important as others from the standpoint of the Union.

“Well, I don’t plan to wait until then anyway. I’ll head there myself.”

It seemed that I would have to go on an expedition to the alien world even though I had just returned to Earth.

It couldn’t be that something serious had happened, right?

Hoping that it would turn out as nothing to be concerned about, I stood up from my seat.

I voiced out the thought that reached my head.

“Please inform Genograche to drop whatever he’s doing right now and run back. He must not have entered a Gate yet.”

I could already hear the devil’s grumbling noise in my ears.

*

As soon as the devil in golden armor returned to the guild, I immediately activated the [Door of Hope] and went through the portal.

Paht!

The coordinates I inputted were the same ones Nate and Hibiki used to cross from Earth.

The landscape before me was unfamiliar.

“What’s this?”

I tilted my head for a moment.

“Let’s go there for now!”

Paht.

The last time I sent guild members, the place was definitely a field without any infrastructure.

In that short time, many decorative structures and buildings carved out of trees had been erected. The natives had gathered to concentrate on something in front of a bonfire.

They muttered something in front of the fire and froze when we appeared.

“Huh? huh?!”

Through the interpretation magic, a baffled voice was heard.

‘They’re Lutresians.’

Their skin was luminous gray, and the head attached to their shoulders was similar to that of Earth’s seals.

“Excuse me. I’d just like to ask something.”

They most likely didn’t even know what the Union was since they hadn’t even started the tutorial.

Rather than explaining the situation in detail, I was trying to ask them who I was looking for.

Then the Lutresians seemed to have reached a conclusion after they murmured among themselves.

The individual who murmured the loudest in front of the bonfire approached me cautiously and then asked me a question hesitantly.

“Are you the emissary of a god?”

I was slightly baffled.

Interpretation magic was in effect, but I could still tell what language the other was using.

The being in front of me used a completely different language from what they used to communicate with each other.

Well, it didn’t differ much. As a result, it was interpreted perfectly, allowing me to establish communication.

I also manipulated the translation magic and answered in the same language.

“What do you mean?”

Then the seal seemed to understand my answer as a negation.

“So it means that not all of you are.”

I looked at him with wary eyes.

The emissary of a god?

Technically, I might’ve belonged in that category.

The problem was that such a concept shouldn’t exist for the Lutresians, who hadn’t even started the tutorial, let alone the Main Quest.

I raised an inquiry.

“Why do you ask such a question?”

Then the Lutresian spoke with a complicated gaze.

“I am the religious leader here.”

Was he?

I checked his body again without replying.

There wasn’t even a handful of divine power sensed from him.

Only then did I know what he meant by ‘god’ and ‘religion.’

‘It’s a similar situation to the Mother Goddess of the land that the Botarchs serve.’

They believed in a god in a dimension where the deities’ influence was yet to reach.

It’s a fake religion that served a god that didn’t exist.

I continued digging up information.

“But why are you suddenly speaking in a different language?”

“This is a secret language that only religious leaders can speak. It’s sort of an ancient language. They won’t be able to understand.”

“?!”

“A few days ago, individuals that looked just like you came here. They, too, said that they were not the god’s emissaries. Have you come here for the same purpose as them?”

I thought he was talking about the guild members.

“To be precise, I’m here to look for them.”

The seal then pointed to the forest beyond the horizon.

“They went to the Devil’s Forest.”

“Devil’s Forest?”

He still couldn’t hide his vigilance and fear, but his expression that seemed to hope we would hastily leave their territory began to show as well.

“It’s where the devil that took refuge here a long time ago hid, though it didn’t last long. The god’s emissaries, who followed the sacred voice, tracked and hunted the demons, and they didn’t reappear for a long time. That’s where the demons last fled and concealed themselves.”

Nate and Hibiki would have heard of that story as well.

The seal asked me a question in return.

“So… Is your party planning to depart to that place immediately?”

The priest seemed to be afraid of something.

I spoke in a doubtful voice.

“You seem like you want us to disappear soon.”

The religious leader glanced at those who looked at us with a mixture of awe and fear before replying.

“Even if those that came not long ago had denied that they were emissaries of a god, they showed truly amazing miracles. If such things repeatedly happen, our believers’ faith will be shaken. I’m honestly afraid that you two will stay here for a long time and cause yet another miracle. Then all my believers… will leave to search for different religions.”

To be honest, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to hear. Genograche and I didn’t even intend to stay there and reign as gods of that species.

After confirming that there was no more information to dig up, we left for the place called the ‘Devil’s Forest.’

We felt a gaze for a moment behind our backs as we did so, but it disappeared with a loud chattering noise.

Glancing back, the religious leader gathered his faithful followers together and was eagerly giving a speech.

I decided not to pay more attention to it.