That evening.
The servants who had been causing a commotion by stirring up various places in the building at the news of the elder's sudden visit soon called the believers into the chapel.
Naturally, the Crown Prince was among the crowd that rushed forward following the instructions.
But unlike the believers who were excited by the appearance of a high-ranking official, the Crown Prince's expression only looked uncomfortable.
“...Do you really have to do it this way?”
That would be the case because the Crown Prince was currently holding me inside his clothes. And I was even touching his bare body.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. If a cat with such brightly colored fur were to run around like this, it would get caught right away.”
“There’s also the option of just leaving it to me and going back.”
“That won’t do. It’s the appearance of an elder. I need to see for myself what kind of fearless bastard is trying to take my life.”
He sighed deeply as I clenched my fists and fired up my enthusiasm.
“Then please just stay still. Don’t fidget.”
"Yes?"
“Your fur keeps touching my body, making it hard for me to stay calm.”
“No, that can’t be helped. They’re touching.”
If you stay still, won't the hair touch it?
I snorted at the Crown Prince's absurd request but soon cringed back obediently.
'It would be a problem if he left me here because I didn't listen.'
Still, she felt the Crown Prince's abs twitching as they touched my back as if he was still uncomfortable.
'This is a bit embarrassing.'
I never thought I would live to see the Crown Prince's abs move.
I was scratching my cheek in embarrassment, and then I crouched down again when the Crown Prince growled, “Please stay still!”
'Oh, you're really sensitive.'
After going through many twists and turns, we arrived at the chapel and sat down in a corner.
I pulled the Crown Prince's shirt slightly left and right and peeked outside through the gap.
There were many believers there. There were not only children, but also teenagers, and even those who looked like they had just become adults.
'Wow, how many people are there?'
I was astonished at the enormous number, which must have been in the thousands.
No one noticed the growth of the number of believers in the heresy. I became even more curious about the founder of the Ibis cult.
'What a great person he is.'
As I was thinking with a serious expression on my face, the front door of the chapel opened wide and a line of people dressed in white came rushing in.
“What, are they all elders?”
As I tilted my head in puzzlement, the Crown Prince twitched his muscles again and whispered.
“That’s not true. Most of them are people I often see during pastoral time.”
“Hmm, then which one of them is...”
“Look carefully at their clothing. Isn’t there someone among the uniform clothes who is wearing something different?”
“Different clothes?”
I looked at them urgently.
There was one person whose clothes really stood out. He was wearing the same white clothes as everyone else, but he was the only one wearing a robe and a hood pulled down low.
Seeing him covered up like that indoors, he must be a well-known person.
'Who the hell are you?'
As I was looking closely at the elders, one of the pastors climbed up onto the stage and shouted.
“Brothers and sisters, please pay attention.”
At those words, the noisy room became as quiet as a mouse.
“We have a special guest at our service tonight. He is an elder of our Ibis Church. He has come to give you a good message, so please give him a big round of applause!”
As soon as the pastor finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted.
“Welcome, Elder!”
“Welcome, Elder!”
“Please convey the words of the great Ibis to us who are still ignorant!”
The elder who came up to the podium amid ear-piercing cheers and applause lightly raised one hand.
Then, the chapel became silent as if all the noise from a moment ago had been a lie.
The elder nodded as if satisfied and opened his mouth.
“Hello, brothers and sisters. I am Louis, the second servant of the goddess Ibis.”
Louis?
No name comes to mind.
I was a little taken aback by this unexpected development, as I had thought that the person who founded this scale of heresy and the high-ranking members of an organization that had kept it a secret until now would definitely be a well-known high-ranking noble.
Regardless, the elder continued his speech.
“All of the brothers and sisters gathered here are those who have been chosen by the goddess Ibis. That means you are beings with noble souls.”
A voice that was neither low nor high, but contained the power to grab the listener's attention.
“But Hethel, whom everyone praised as the guardian deity of this empire, did not recognize these noble souls. She only bestowed grace as if she were giving favor to those who offered her their wealth and precious treasures. That is why our brothers and sisters had to live under too heavy a yoke.”
"You're right!"
“From the time I opened my eyes in the morning until I went to bed, I worked so hard that I could barely eat one meal a day, and it took months of tightening my belt to buy one set of clothes.”
“That’s right!”
“And that’s not all. I lost all my savings and the shelter I had barely managed to secure due to all the disasters that struck, and in the end, I even lost my family.”
"You're right!"
“It was the goddess Ibis who saved us. She gave us food to eat, clothes to wear, a warm shelter to sleep in, and the opportunity to become workers of the new era, recognizing the noble souls of our brothers and sisters.”
"You're right!"
“Long live the goddess Ibis!”
Here and there, voices praising the goddess Ibis were heard.
The elder nodded slightly as if satisfied with the sight, and continued speaking.
“This is such a place. A place where those chosen by the great Ibis gather. A place where only such people can stay!”
As I sighed at the shouts of those who had been completely brainwashed, the elder's voice suddenly became lower.
“But this sacred place is in danger of being destroyed.”
“In danger of collapse?”
“What does that mean?”
The believers began to murmur with bewildered expressions at the unexpected remark.
The elder, who had been quietly looking at them, continued speaking.
“Last night, the goddess Ibis came to me and said that someone had entered this paradise without permission.”
“An unauthorized person?”
“Who the hell is that?”
As the believers looked at each other and tilted their heads, the elder shouted in a voice full of pain.
“A trace of the old days. Hethel’s dog!”
OMG.
The congregation held their breath simultaneously.
And it was the same for the Crown Prince and me who were hiding in his arms.
'Crazy, how did you know?'
We even disguised ourselves as a cat and an orphan to avoid being caught, so how did they know?
While I was unable to hide my embarrassment, the elder continued speaking.
“Yes, it was Hethel’s henchmen who invaded our paradise.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“How dare a remnant of the old world, which must be exterminated, enter this sacred place...”
The elder looked around at the astonished believers and let out a short sigh.
“Yes, it is ridiculous. Just as you, my brothers and sisters, are angry, the Goddess Ibis is also very displeased with the traces of the old days that have been left in this sacred area. She even wants to destroy this place that she has lovingly built and cared for with her own hands.”
“Huh, that’s nonsense.”
“So does that mean our paradise could disappear?”
“This is ridiculous! I finally found a place where I can live with peace of mind!”
“If this place disappears, we...”
Despair erupted here and there at the thought that they might lose the refuge they had finally found after enduring the hardships of life.
The elder, who had been silently looking at them, spoke comfortingly.
“Yes, of course, it can’t be. If this place that protected noble souls disappears, our brothers and sisters will once again have to live in fear, oppressed by the world. That is not what the benevolent goddess Ibis wants. So I!”
The elder paused for a moment to catch his breath and then opened his mouth again.
“Together with our brothers and sisters, we will find Hethel’s dog who dared to set foot on this sacred ground and offer it as a sacrifice to Ibis.”
“Would that make the goddess Ibis appease her anger?”
“Of course. Unlike Hethel, the goddess Ibis is a benevolent being.”
“Then, we have to find it!”
“Yes, we have to find it!”
“You dare to upset the Goddes Ibis, you must be caught and put to death!”
Amid the heated voices coming from all around, someone raised a question.
“But how are we going to drag those rascals out? If they sneaked in here, they must have disguised themselves. How are we going to...”
The elder shook his head as if to tell him not to worry.
“That’s not difficult. I have the holy relic I received from Goddes Ibis here.”
In his hand, raised high for all to see, was a small silver bell.
“This paper will cover up the traces of the old days that disturbed our goddess’s mind.”
“What kind of bell is that...”
Strange voices came from all over, but the elder did not continue speaking.
Instead, he went around looking for each believer, holding a bell.
As if they were conducting an inspection.
But even as he faced thousands of believers one by one, the bell never rang.
As if something was broken.
But.
Tinkle, tinkle.
I tightly closed my eyes at the loud bell ringing right in front of me.
'Ha, shit...'
The servants who had been causing a commotion by stirring up various places in the building at the news of the elder's sudden visit soon called the believers into the chapel.
Naturally, the Crown Prince was among the crowd that rushed forward following the instructions.
But unlike the believers who were excited by the appearance of a high-ranking official, the Crown Prince's expression only looked uncomfortable.
“...Do you really have to do it this way?”
That would be the case because the Crown Prince was currently holding me inside his clothes. And I was even touching his bare body.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. If a cat with such brightly colored fur were to run around like this, it would get caught right away.”
“There’s also the option of just leaving it to me and going back.”
“That won’t do. It’s the appearance of an elder. I need to see for myself what kind of fearless bastard is trying to take my life.”
He sighed deeply as I clenched my fists and fired up my enthusiasm.
“Then please just stay still. Don’t fidget.”
"Yes?"
“Your fur keeps touching my body, making it hard for me to stay calm.”
“No, that can’t be helped. They’re touching.”
If you stay still, won't the hair touch it?
I snorted at the Crown Prince's absurd request but soon cringed back obediently.
'It would be a problem if he left me here because I didn't listen.'
Still, she felt the Crown Prince's abs twitching as they touched my back as if he was still uncomfortable.
'This is a bit embarrassing.'
I never thought I would live to see the Crown Prince's abs move.
I was scratching my cheek in embarrassment, and then I crouched down again when the Crown Prince growled, “Please stay still!”
'Oh, you're really sensitive.'
After going through many twists and turns, we arrived at the chapel and sat down in a corner.
I pulled the Crown Prince's shirt slightly left and right and peeked outside through the gap.
There were many believers there. There were not only children, but also teenagers, and even those who looked like they had just become adults.
'Wow, how many people are there?'
I was astonished at the enormous number, which must have been in the thousands.
No one noticed the growth of the number of believers in the heresy. I became even more curious about the founder of the Ibis cult.
'What a great person he is.'
As I was thinking with a serious expression on my face, the front door of the chapel opened wide and a line of people dressed in white came rushing in.
“What, are they all elders?”
As I tilted my head in puzzlement, the Crown Prince twitched his muscles again and whispered.
“That’s not true. Most of them are people I often see during pastoral time.”
“Hmm, then which one of them is...”
“Look carefully at their clothing. Isn’t there someone among the uniform clothes who is wearing something different?”
“Different clothes?”
I looked at them urgently.
There was one person whose clothes really stood out. He was wearing the same white clothes as everyone else, but he was the only one wearing a robe and a hood pulled down low.
Seeing him covered up like that indoors, he must be a well-known person.
'Who the hell are you?'
As I was looking closely at the elders, one of the pastors climbed up onto the stage and shouted.
“Brothers and sisters, please pay attention.”
At those words, the noisy room became as quiet as a mouse.
“We have a special guest at our service tonight. He is an elder of our Ibis Church. He has come to give you a good message, so please give him a big round of applause!”
As soon as the pastor finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted.
“Welcome, Elder!”
“Welcome, Elder!”
“Please convey the words of the great Ibis to us who are still ignorant!”
The elder who came up to the podium amid ear-piercing cheers and applause lightly raised one hand.
Then, the chapel became silent as if all the noise from a moment ago had been a lie.
The elder nodded as if satisfied and opened his mouth.
“Hello, brothers and sisters. I am Louis, the second servant of the goddess Ibis.”
Louis?
No name comes to mind.
I was a little taken aback by this unexpected development, as I had thought that the person who founded this scale of heresy and the high-ranking members of an organization that had kept it a secret until now would definitely be a well-known high-ranking noble.
Regardless, the elder continued his speech.
“All of the brothers and sisters gathered here are those who have been chosen by the goddess Ibis. That means you are beings with noble souls.”
A voice that was neither low nor high, but contained the power to grab the listener's attention.
“But Hethel, whom everyone praised as the guardian deity of this empire, did not recognize these noble souls. She only bestowed grace as if she were giving favor to those who offered her their wealth and precious treasures. That is why our brothers and sisters had to live under too heavy a yoke.”
"You're right!"
“From the time I opened my eyes in the morning until I went to bed, I worked so hard that I could barely eat one meal a day, and it took months of tightening my belt to buy one set of clothes.”
“That’s right!”
“And that’s not all. I lost all my savings and the shelter I had barely managed to secure due to all the disasters that struck, and in the end, I even lost my family.”
"You're right!"
“It was the goddess Ibis who saved us. She gave us food to eat, clothes to wear, a warm shelter to sleep in, and the opportunity to become workers of the new era, recognizing the noble souls of our brothers and sisters.”
"You're right!"
“Long live the goddess Ibis!”
Here and there, voices praising the goddess Ibis were heard.
The elder nodded slightly as if satisfied with the sight, and continued speaking.
“This is such a place. A place where those chosen by the great Ibis gather. A place where only such people can stay!”
As I sighed at the shouts of those who had been completely brainwashed, the elder's voice suddenly became lower.
“But this sacred place is in danger of being destroyed.”
“In danger of collapse?”
“What does that mean?”
The believers began to murmur with bewildered expressions at the unexpected remark.
The elder, who had been quietly looking at them, continued speaking.
“Last night, the goddess Ibis came to me and said that someone had entered this paradise without permission.”
“An unauthorized person?”
“Who the hell is that?”
As the believers looked at each other and tilted their heads, the elder shouted in a voice full of pain.
“A trace of the old days. Hethel’s dog!”
OMG.
The congregation held their breath simultaneously.
And it was the same for the Crown Prince and me who were hiding in his arms.
'Crazy, how did you know?'
We even disguised ourselves as a cat and an orphan to avoid being caught, so how did they know?
While I was unable to hide my embarrassment, the elder continued speaking.
“Yes, it was Hethel’s henchmen who invaded our paradise.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“How dare a remnant of the old world, which must be exterminated, enter this sacred place...”
The elder looked around at the astonished believers and let out a short sigh.
“Yes, it is ridiculous. Just as you, my brothers and sisters, are angry, the Goddess Ibis is also very displeased with the traces of the old days that have been left in this sacred area. She even wants to destroy this place that she has lovingly built and cared for with her own hands.”
“Huh, that’s nonsense.”
“So does that mean our paradise could disappear?”
“This is ridiculous! I finally found a place where I can live with peace of mind!”
“If this place disappears, we...”
Despair erupted here and there at the thought that they might lose the refuge they had finally found after enduring the hardships of life.
The elder, who had been silently looking at them, spoke comfortingly.
“Yes, of course, it can’t be. If this place that protected noble souls disappears, our brothers and sisters will once again have to live in fear, oppressed by the world. That is not what the benevolent goddess Ibis wants. So I!”
The elder paused for a moment to catch his breath and then opened his mouth again.
“Together with our brothers and sisters, we will find Hethel’s dog who dared to set foot on this sacred ground and offer it as a sacrifice to Ibis.”
“Would that make the goddess Ibis appease her anger?”
“Of course. Unlike Hethel, the goddess Ibis is a benevolent being.”
“Then, we have to find it!”
“Yes, we have to find it!”
“You dare to upset the Goddes Ibis, you must be caught and put to death!”
Amid the heated voices coming from all around, someone raised a question.
“But how are we going to drag those rascals out? If they sneaked in here, they must have disguised themselves. How are we going to...”
The elder shook his head as if to tell him not to worry.
“That’s not difficult. I have the holy relic I received from Goddes Ibis here.”
In his hand, raised high for all to see, was a small silver bell.
“This paper will cover up the traces of the old days that disturbed our goddess’s mind.”
“What kind of bell is that...”
Strange voices came from all over, but the elder did not continue speaking.
Instead, he went around looking for each believer, holding a bell.
As if they were conducting an inspection.
But even as he faced thousands of believers one by one, the bell never rang.
As if something was broken.
But.
Tinkle, tinkle.
I tightly closed my eyes at the loud bell ringing right in front of me.
'Ha, shit...'
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