「Come on, you say it too!」
『It seems the scum is trying to make the church guy say something』
Yuu, who is looking outside through the small window next to the entrance, looks at me. I nod and mouth 「Thank you」 to him.
「We understand that with the power of your two children, we can save our young lady. Saving our young lady is natural for those living in this village. Now, hand over the two children quickly. This is the will of the Goddess」
Bang bang bang.
「You heard the Priest’s words, did you not? If you heard, open this door and hand them over!」
Bang bang bang.
「Are you sure about this? Even if you cannot live in this village anymore? You will lose your jobs too!」
If I do not do something about these trash people, Rina’s family is going to be in serious trouble.
I hug Mother a little tighter.
「Rina, it is okay. They will leave soon」
Rina’s family accepted the current me. Although I have piled up various lies, they are precious to me.
I must protect them.
Yuu, who was glaring outside, looks at me.
『It seems the neighbors have gathered』
「Madam. People are gathering around. Let us stop here」
「Tch」
Thud.
At the Priest’s words, the scum hits the door in frustration.
「Think carefully. Will you defy me and lose all three of your children? Or will you manage to protect just one? Ah, do not think you can leave this village. I will absolutely not allow that. Even if you run away, you will never escape」
I could see her leaving while laughing happily at the end.
『The neighbors look a bit different from before. Some are looking at us with bad moods』
I let out a small sigh at Yuu’s report.
It is probably because we caused trouble with the nobles. If this continues, we cannot rely on the neighbors. There might even be people watching us.
「Rina, it is okay to move now. Let us go back to the living room」
When I look up at Mother, her complexion is quite bad.
「Mother, are you okay?」
「Yes, of course. Come on, let us go quickly. We must not stay here」
I feel a faint tremor from Mother’s hand on my back, clench my fist tightly, and suppress my frustration. When we enter the living room, my younger sister Suna is trembling on the sofa, covered with a blanket. Mother rushes to Suna and hugs her tightly over the blanket.
「Mo…ther」
Suna calls out to Mother in a small voice, choking up.
『I want to blow those guys away right now!』
Yuu’s angry voice echoes in the room.
Rattle, rattle.
「Eh?」
I look at the window. Then, I look at Yuu.
Did the window just vibrate from Yuu’s anger? With spiritual power level one, he should not be able to move objects…
「Suna, it is okay. Thank you for keeping your promise. You can make noise now」
「Ugh, waaah～」
Suna is only three years old. To scare such a young child.
『Hey, Rina. Can we not do something about them? They are definitely dangerous』
Yes. Those trash people take human life lightly, so there is a fear that they will do anything. I need to think of countermeasures quickly.
「Mother, I am going back to my room」
「Eh? It would be better if we stayed together…」
Mother looks at me with worry.
「I will be fine」
I will surely handle this somehow.
「By the way, do you have any books with the teachings of the Church? I would like to read them」
『Instead of such books, should we not first think about how to crush those guys?』
Yuu looks at me with a suspicious expression.
I also want to think of a way to crush those trash people. But I need to know how dangerous what I am planning is in this world.
Because I intend to use ghosts to crush them.
『Huh? What is this? A chill』
He is a ghost, so he should not feel chills. What is he talking about?
When I glance at Yuu, he is actually rubbing his arms. Could he really be feeling a chill?
He is truly a mysterious existence.
「Rina, you really like studying, do not you?」
Eh? I like studying? Rina does not seem to like studying that much. Ah, she was working hard because everyone praised her. However, her grades were not that good.
「If it is books with the teachings of the Church, there are a few on the bookshelf」
As expected, they had them. Since they are devout, I thought they would have books related to the Church.
「For Rina’s age, this one is good」
I take the book, which is clearly intended for children, from Mother.
「Thank you」
『Really, are you going to read such a book? It is a waste of time!』
Ignoring Yuu, who shouts discontentedly, I return to Rina’s room.
『Hey, what good will that do!』
「Sigh, listen, Yuu」
When I look at Yuu while sighing, he has an unhappy expression. Seeing him like that makes me sigh again.
『If you sigh, happiness will escape』
「Who do you think is making me sigh?」
When I smile at Yuu, he averts his gaze.
『More importantly』
Ah, he changed the subject.
「What?」
『Is that really necessary right now?』
Yuu points to the book in my hand.
「It is very necessary. Because I need to know what position ghosts hold in this world」
『My position?』
Yuu looks puzzled.
「Yes. Whether ghosts are considered good or bad beings by the Goddess」
If they are considered bad, I must absolutely not let Yuu be discovered. It would involve Rina’s family as well.
『I see. So in this world, there is a possibility that I am a bad existence』
Leaving Yuu to ponder, I sit on the bed and open the book Mother recommended.
「Ah」
Right, this is a different world. It is natural that the characters are different. Moreover, Rina is only five years old. It is understandable if there are characters she cannot read.
『What is wrong? Ah, the characters are different. Could it be that you cannot read them?』
「It seems there are characters I can read and ones I cannot」
『Rina is still young, after all』
Well, I seem to be able to read quite a bit, so I should be able to understand it somehow.
「I will try reading it for now」
『I want to know too, so could you read it aloud? The characters seem completely incomprehensible to me』
「Sure」
When Yuu comes behind me, he peers into the book with me.
Huh? If he cannot understand the characters, why is he there? Well, whatever.
Stumbling occasionally, I manage to finish reading and close the book.
『In other words, I am…』
Yuu stares at the book with a sad expression.
「It seems ghosts are beings punished by the Goddess」
In this world, it is believed that when you die, you go to the Goddess. However, that is a place only for those who have performed good deeds. The text stated that those who committed evil deeds are punished by the Goddess and wander this world eternally.
「Since it is for children, it is written simply, but the important points should be there」
『Yes. In other words, ghosts are considered bad existences in this world』
That is how it seems.
「And those who can see bad existences… might they also be considered bad?」
『That… could be the case』
Yuu looks at me with an apologetic expression.
『Sorry. Because I am by your side』
「Do not worry about that. I am glad that you are by my side」
If I had possessed this body alone, my mind might have broken.
Besides, I am glad I managed to deceive them about Yuu when talking with the family. If I had told the truth, things would have become terrible.
「I would like to read a book with more details. With just this book, there are many parts I do not understand」
Since it is for children, there are probably many vague expressions. It said it was the Goddess’s punishment, but this book did not explain what kind of punishment it was. Also, whether beings that can be seen actually exist or not.
「I understood a little about curses」
I did not learn the methods or types of curses. However, it seems that the Archbishop imposes the punishment decided by the Goddess on those who used curses or cooperated with them. It also stated that if one is cursed, they should seek help from the Church.
『The last part is a lie, though. That priest was like that, right? The Church cannot be relied upon』
「Yes」
But if we need to ask for cooperation, it has to be the Church.
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