Apparently, the rest of the party was banished as well.
Translated by NotBlueYet
Edited by Trevor
Shortly after Kagura had begun to regret his decision of taking over his family’s business.
Outside the church, Seraphy and the others who had left the Hero’s party because of Kagura’s banishment barged in.
“Hey, Pope! Did Kagura-sama come here?
“He stopped by around six days ago, Seraphy. Oh, have you given up on the Hero too?”
“I’m sorry! I was forced to, Pope.”
“All right. It’s fine. If you wanted to support the Hero even after he banished Kagura, I would have been disappointed in you.”
As always, the intimidating aura radiating from the Pope was incredible.
Despite this feeling, Seraphy was happy to know that Kagura – her love interest – was held in high regard by the person she most feared.
“So, yes. So, Kagura-sama is …….”
“Kagura said he was going home to take over the family business.”
“The family business?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Do you mind?”
“No, no.. Uh, Pope, I’m very sorry to be so selfish but… I, Seraphy, am stepping down as a priest as of today”
“I see. I’m sure you’re aware of that. There will be appropriate punishment.”
“…… I’m ready.”
Seraphy gritted her teeth and let out a thin voice that trembled with fear.
Clearly, Seraphy was fond of Kagura.
Although she had heard the Hero call Kagura incompetent, she believed he was far from incompetent. He was more transparent, religious and stronger than anyone else in the party.
Even though his swordsmanship was below that of the Hero, and his recovery skill was worse than a priest, she felt he still had a great deal of power hidden away.
“I see.”
As the Pope spat out his cold voice, Seraphy felt her heart crushing fear.
I’m scared. This is horrible.
She wanted to abandon her position as a priest and chase after Kagura, who had returned to his home.
But as she thought about her goal, the Pope’s aura made her want to give up already.
“Then, Seraphy. You are going into exile. This place is deep within the mountains of an island nation in the far east. There is a deserted shrine where a man serves as the head priest. You will serve him and support him as his wife and be a good mother. That is your punishment.”
“Well, that’s …… Oh, thank you!”
Seraphy guessed.
The priest of the deserted shrine must be Kagura.
The Pope recognized Seraphy’s feelings and even approved of their marriage.
Though, Kagura didn’t know anything about all this.
“And you guys in the back, I’m not impressed that you’re eavesdropping. As punishment, you will be sent into exile just like Seraphy.”
The wizard and the bandit who had been secretly searching for Seraphy’s whereabouts shook their shoulders in fear.
“Pope-sama!”
“Fufu. If I am not mistaken you girls would still try to find Kagura anyway.”
“Th- Then, we’ll be on our way.”
Fufu. The Pope was laughing merrily and after snapping his fingers, a holy bird appeared. The same type of holy bird that sent Kagura home.
The holy bird made a squeaky sound and rubbed its cheek against Seraphy.
The bird carried Seraphy, the wizard and the rogue on his back to the Maijin Shrine.
Kagura still didn’t know that Seraphy and the others had left the Hero’s party.
And he didn’t even know that their trip to find him had the Pope’s blessing.
Kagura’s future was being decided without his knowledge.
◇
Sahar, a scorching hot city based upon golden sand, reflected the shining sun.
It took me two days by air to get there, with Yatagarasu making a fuss about Sahar being in danger of drought.
Yatagarasu was faster than the fastest bird given by the church, which was great.
“Although it’s great to be so fast, what’s the point when you end up in a crappy desert that makes you feel like you’re melting…..”
“Well, I apologize for the dullness of the city. I’m sorry you had to travel from so far, I can’t offer you enough of my gratitude.. Oops, I forgot to mention. I’m Haraja Sahar, the mayor of Sahar.”
As I blurted out in the sweltering heat, a bearded, small, fat man dressed in a white turban and robe came out.
Although I misspoke in front of the mayor, the heat didn’t make me feel like apologizing to him.
“Let’s …… do something about this drought. In other words, we need to make it rain.”
“And you can do that?”
Haraja asked in disbelief.
To be honest, looking at the overwhelming dryness of the desert, which seemed to be a black hole that would suck any water in, I didn’t have the slightest confidence in my ability to make it rain.
“In the end, it’s up to God. The only thing I can do is pray to the gods with the Prayer Kagura.”
I said, and took out my ceremonial sword from its sheath at my waist.
“Prayer Kagura: Prayer for Rain.”
Hopefully this will work. I can’t bear to stand in this heat any longer.
In order to make it rain faster, I would perform a specialized version of the Prayer Kagura.
I moved my sword like a stream of flowing water.
This Kagura was the reason why my family and I were able to live in a shrine deep within the mountains.
There were many other kinds of Kagura. Some that try to increase fertility, some that try to increase crop yield.
Every time these Kagura were performed, there was a chance the practitioner could mess up and cause irreversible damage.
That’s why we set down roots deep in the mountains and far away from people. To minimize the chance of us messing up, we have to train ourselves appropriately.
The sky was golden and there were no clouds as far as the eye could see. There was no sign of water anywhere in the desert, but then black clouds began to cover the sky like the rainy season.
“Oh, rain clouds. …… I can’t believe it.”
Others couldn’t believe it either.
They didn’t understand the logic behind it and to some extent they probably thought it was absurd.
But to us Kagura priests, the supernatural activity that happened when we performed was normal.
It finally rained. Heavy rain poured down on the desert city of Sahar.
“Oh, it’s raining!”
“It’s a blessing!”
“God bless you!”
People who had been holed up in their houses to hide from the glaring sun were now outside, enjoying the opportunity to cool down. Haraja, too, had taken off his turban and was enjoying the rain.
I continued to perform the prayer ritual for rain until the land of Sahar was filled with water.
◇
“Truly, you are a messenger of God. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I don’t know how to thank you. Oh! Here, have this.”
He then handed me a gold ingot weighing about three kilograms.
I don’t know how much the value of this thing was, but from my estimates it was enough to get you through five years of a normal life if you exchanged it for money.
Eh? Maybe five years of slacking off, getting married, then having the best relaxed, married life?
Sadly, Yatagarasu interrupted. “No, your gratitude is enough. Thank you very much! Gaaah, we’re not here to make money. You don’t have to give us this!”
“I see. After all, you are a messenger of God. Please.. at least accept this medal as a token of my gratitude.”
After Yatagarasu ruined my dreams, Haraja put away the gold ingot and handed me a medal made of some sort of crystals.
I wonder if it’s some kind of national award for this city.
I mean, I’d rather have an ingot than something like that.
If possible, not just 3 kilograms, but 3 tons!
I want so much money that I couldn’t spend it all within one lifetime!
But I wouldn’t dare say such a thing out loud because the three-legged Yatagarasu was glowing with red eyes. He’s so scary.
I felt as if I would be poked in the side of my head with his beak if I said something unnecessary.
The Yatagarasu took the medal from Haraja and cried out, “Gaaaah! I’m going home.”
…Aren’t we going to relax for a bit..?
“After two days of travel, I’ve been dancing for half a day, so I need to relax. ……”
“No need!”
“Caw caw! Please take this opportunity to find more sources of water so a drought never happens again.”
“Yes, sir!”
With that, we left the city of Sahar, with Haraja throwing himself on the ground.
Though Kagura would be surprised that his former comrades were already waiting for him at the Maijin Shrine…
Apparently, the rest of the party was banished as well.
Translated by NotBlueYet
Edited by Trevor
Shortly after Kagura had begun to regret his decision of taking over his family’s business.
Outside the church, Seraphy and the others who had left the Hero’s party because of Kagura’s banishment barged in.
“Hey, Pope! Did Kagura-sama come here?
“He stopped by around six days ago, Seraphy. Oh, have you given up on the Hero too?”
“I’m sorry! I was forced to, Pope.”
“All right. It’s fine. If you wanted to support the Hero even after he banished Kagura, I would have been disappointed in you.”
As always, the intimidating aura radiating from the Pope was incredible.
Despite this feeling, Seraphy was happy to know that Kagura – her love interest – was held in high regard by the person she most feared.
“So, yes. So, Kagura-sama is …….”
“Kagura said he was going home to take over the family business.”
“The family business?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Do you mind?”
“No, no.. Uh, Pope, I’m very sorry to be so selfish but… I, Seraphy, am stepping down as a priest as of today”
“I see. I’m sure you’re aware of that. There will be appropriate punishment.”
“…… I’m ready.”
Seraphy gritted her teeth and let out a thin voice that trembled with fear.
Clearly, Seraphy was fond of Kagura.
Although she had heard the Hero call Kagura incompetent, she believed he was far from incompetent. He was more transparent, religious and stronger than anyone else in the party.
Even though his swordsmanship was below that of the Hero, and his recovery skill was worse than a priest, she felt he still had a great deal of power hidden away.
“I see.”
As the Pope spat out his cold voice, Seraphy felt her heart crushing fear.
I’m scared. This is horrible.
She wanted to abandon her position as a priest and chase after Kagura, who had returned to his home.
But as she thought about her goal, the Pope’s aura made her want to give up already.
“Then, Seraphy. You are going into exile. This place is deep within the mountains of an island nation in the far east. There is a deserted shrine where a man serves as the head priest. You will serve him and support him as his wife and be a good mother. That is your punishment.”
“Well, that’s …… Oh, thank you!”
Seraphy guessed.
The priest of the deserted shrine must be Kagura.
The Pope recognized Seraphy’s feelings and even approved of their marriage.
Though, Kagura didn’t know anything about all this.
“And you guys in the back, I’m not impressed that you’re eavesdropping. As punishment, you will be sent into exile just like Seraphy.”
The wizard and the bandit who had been secretly searching for Seraphy’s whereabouts shook their shoulders in fear.
“Pope-sama!”
“Fufu. If I am not mistaken you girls would still try to find Kagura anyway.”
“Th- Then, we’ll be on our way.”
Fufu. The Pope was laughing merrily and after snapping his fingers, a holy bird appeared. The same type of holy bird that sent Kagura home.
The holy bird made a squeaky sound and rubbed its cheek against Seraphy.
The bird carried Seraphy, the wizard and the rogue on his back to the Maijin Shrine.
Kagura still didn’t know that Seraphy and the others had left the Hero’s party.
And he didn’t even know that their trip to find him had the Pope’s blessing.
Kagura’s future was being decided without his knowledge.
◇
Sahar, a scorching hot city based upon golden sand, reflected the shining sun.
It took me two days by air to get there, with Yatagarasu making a fuss about Sahar being in danger of drought.
Yatagarasu was faster than the fastest bird given by the church, which was great.
“Although it’s great to be so fast, what’s the point when you end up in a crappy desert that makes you feel like you’re melting…..”
“Well, I apologize for the dullness of the city. I’m sorry you had to travel from so far, I can’t offer you enough of my gratitude.. Oops, I forgot to mention. I’m Haraja Sahar, the mayor of Sahar.”
As I blurted out in the sweltering heat, a bearded, small, fat man dressed in a white turban and robe came out.
Although I misspoke in front of the mayor, the heat didn’t make me feel like apologizing to him.
“Let’s …… do something about this drought. In other words, we need to make it rain.”
“And you can do that?”
Haraja asked in disbelief.
To be honest, looking at the overwhelming dryness of the desert, which seemed to be a black hole that would suck any water in, I didn’t have the slightest confidence in my ability to make it rain.
“In the end, it’s up to God. The only thing I can do is pray to the gods with the Prayer Kagura.”
I said, and took out my ceremonial sword from its sheath at my waist.
“Prayer Kagura: Prayer for Rain.”
Hopefully this will work. I can’t bear to stand in this heat any longer.
In order to make it rain faster, I would perform a specialized version of the Prayer Kagura.
I moved my sword like a stream of flowing water.
This Kagura was the reason why my family and I were able to live in a shrine deep within the mountains.
There were many other kinds of Kagura. Some that try to increase fertility, some that try to increase crop yield.
Every time these Kagura were performed, there was a chance the practitioner could mess up and cause irreversible damage.
That’s why we set down roots deep in the mountains and far away from people. To minimize the chance of us messing up, we have to train ourselves appropriately.
The sky was golden and there were no clouds as far as the eye could see. There was no sign of water anywhere in the desert, but then black clouds began to cover the sky like the rainy season.
“Oh, rain clouds. …… I can’t believe it.”
Others couldn’t believe it either.
They didn’t understand the logic behind it and to some extent they probably thought it was absurd.
But to us Kagura priests, the supernatural activity that happened when we performed was normal.
It finally rained. Heavy rain poured down on the desert city of Sahar.
“Oh, it’s raining!”
“It’s a blessing!”
“God bless you!”
People who had been holed up in their houses to hide from the glaring sun were now outside, enjoying the opportunity to cool down. Haraja, too, had taken off his turban and was enjoying the rain.
I continued to perform the prayer ritual for rain until the land of Sahar was filled with water.
◇
“Truly, you are a messenger of God. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I don’t know how to thank you. Oh! Here, have this.”
He then handed me a gold ingot weighing about three kilograms.
I don’t know how much the value of this thing was, but from my estimates it was enough to get you through five years of a normal life if you exchanged it for money.
Eh? Maybe five years of slacking off, getting married, then having the best relaxed, married life?
Sadly, Yatagarasu interrupted. “No, your gratitude is enough. Thank you very much! Gaaah, we’re not here to make money. You don’t have to give us this!”
“I see. After all, you are a messenger of God. Please.. at least accept this medal as a token of my gratitude.”
After Yatagarasu ruined my dreams, Haraja put away the gold ingot and handed me a medal made of some sort of crystals.
I wonder if it’s some kind of national award for this city.
I mean, I’d rather have an ingot than something like that.
If possible, not just 3 kilograms, but 3 tons!
I want so much money that I couldn’t spend it all within one lifetime!
But I wouldn’t dare say such a thing out loud because the three-legged Yatagarasu was glowing with red eyes. He’s so scary.
I felt as if I would be poked in the side of my head with his beak if I said something unnecessary.
The Yatagarasu took the medal from Haraja and cried out, “Gaaaah! I’m going home.”
…Aren’t we going to relax for a bit..?
“After two days of travel, I’ve been dancing for half a day, so I need to relax. ……”
“No need!”
“Caw caw! Please take this opportunity to find more sources of water so a drought never happens again.”
“Yes, sir!”
With that, we left the city of Sahar, with Haraja throwing himself on the ground.
Though Kagura would be surprised that his former comrades were already waiting for him at the Maijin Shrine…
