Became an Apostle of an Ancient God

Chapter 6

"When I grow up, I want to marry you, Noona!"

In a quiet countryside village, lying on a pavilion that could be found anywhere, the boy spoke thus.

The vast night sky, the same color as his own hair.

After pointing his finger towards the far side of the universe where no end could be seen, the boy slightly turned his head.

The warm thigh of the girl was there. Burying his face in the hem of her white dress, the boy, drenched in happiness, felt love, perhaps an affection deeper than that, from the girl who was giving him a lap pillow.

The girl with purple eyes.

The girl, not even properly understanding the concepts of love and marriage, swept back the hair of the boy who had boldly proposed to her and asked.

[Is that, really true?]

"Yes! Really!"

The girl's hand, which had been silently stroking the boy's hair, paused for a moment. The boy's pure confession of love, delivered suddenly without deep meaning, was enough to move the girl's heart.

Sweeping back her long hair, the girl readjusted the shoulder strap of her dress that was about to slip down and took the boy's hand. And carefully, she held the boy's pinky finger and smiled.

[Then, let's pinky promise. That when we grow up. We will definitely. Get married.]

"Yeah! Of course. Is it a promise?"

* * *

"..... kay.... are..., you?"

"Are..... okay..?"

"Are you. okay?"

At the faint echoing voice, Lee Haru lifted his heavy eyelids with a severe cough. Faintly, the sound of waves, swish- swish-, could be heard near his head.

"Where am I."

It seemed he had fallen onto a beach somewhere.

Supported by the owner of the voice, Haru painfully straightened his back and wanted to say something, but before that, the salty taste of salt rose from the back of his throat.

"Cough. Cough cough."

"Thank goodness. If it had been just a little later, it would have been big trouble."

Haru coughed with difficulty and turned his head towards the owner of the voice. The owner of the voice, who had been observing him so closely that their noses almost touched, was a nun wearing a white habit.

She had blonde hair that sparkled beautifully in the sunlight, and she was a beauty whose blue eyes, shining brighter than the light of the currently washing waves, stood out.

And next to her, there was another beauty standing like a faint haze. In contrast to the blonde nun, she had long, straight black hair and rare purple eyes, she was...

"Shub Noo,"

[Shh.]

Just before Haru could greet 'Shub Noona' with delight, Shub carefully brought a finger to her lips as if soothing a young sibling.

Looking closely, unlike the blonde nun in front, his Noona's form seemed somewhat faint and transparent. As if she wasn't a human of this world.

"Phew. Really, I wondered what would happen."

Appearing after her was a sturdy man wearing a steel mask. It was Iron Mask. He passed right 'through' the hazy Shub like a mirage and stood before Haru.

'I have a mountain of questions, but now doesn't seem like a good time.'

Haru gave a small nod towards his Noona.

[I don't dislike quick-witted children.]

Leaving those faint words, his Noona smiled. It was the same smile his Noona always showed him when he was young.

"Iron Mask ahjussi. Where is this place?"

"Uh. That's..."

Iron Mask scratched his head as if troubled, then sighed and answered.

"After the ship carrying that prisoner was half-destroyed, we somehow managed to get a lifeboat and escape, but. The storm was quite fierce."

"So?"

"So what. We didn't even have a chance to row or anything and got swept away by the storm. And the place we drifted to is..."

Instead of Iron Mask, who trailed off, the blonde nun picked up the veil that had fallen on the sandy beach and put it on her head.

The nun, having covered her beautiful blonde hair with it, placed a hand on her chest and introduced herself, and this place.

And that introduction was not very welcome from Lee Haru and Iron Mask's perspective.

"My name is Amelia. This is the beach north of the Hall of Atonement."

"Does that mean."

In other words, they went through all that trouble to escape the ship carrying prisoners to the Hall of Atonement, only to be shipwrecked right at the Hall of Atonement?

At that moment, Lee Haru lost a bit of his coolness and composure.

For a very brief moment, a shadow fell over his expression.

Having learned from the incident on the Holy Maiden Jeanne what kind of treatment he might receive from an Inquisitor for one slip in expression management, Haru immediately fixed his expression.

"I see... then."

"Judging by the restraints. It seems you are prisoners who received the atonement sentence? You too. And this child too."

Amelia spoke towards Iron Mask. It seemed she thought it better to explain the situation to Iron Mask, the adult who appeared to be the child's guardian, rather than the young child.

"Then what will you do. You're not planning to wield a whip like the Inquisitors on that ship, are you?"

"No. Why would I do such a thing. I think you're misunderstanding something."

Amelia carefully stood up from her spot and extended a hand to Haru.

"'Atonement' is about rehabilitating those who serve the gods of other religions. Not indiscriminately executing Heretics, torturing them. It's not like that."

"Ah. Is that so?"

Iron Mask snorted and loosened his clothes, which were no better than rags. Showing his battered body, adorned with numerous scars, he shouted towards Amelia.

"Do you even know who caused all these wounds? Inside the ship coming here. These are all wounds from being whipped by the Inquisitors. All of them. Got it?"

"Th- That's."

Just as Amelia stuttered, trying to say something, the guards of the Hall of Atonement who were patrolling nearby noticed the commotion and approached.

"Lady Amelia. Hey you there. What do you think you're doing!"

Are they people who can't use Divine Power, Haru initially thought upon seeing them.

Because unlike the Inquisitors who were on the ship, they weren't carrying staffs or maces separately, but had long muskets slung over their shoulders.

The power of the mysterious mask Iron Mask possessed.

Plus Shub's power and his own rite.

It looked like a level they could sufficiently break through.

Haru, weighing the risks and returns, shook his head slightly. There was still too much he didn't know about this place, and making such a sudden move might lead to irreversible consequences.

"These are survivors from the Holy Maiden Jeanne ship."

"The Holy Maiden Jeanne ship... Is that the ship that was scheduled to dock this time."

"Yes. It's the ship of prisoners sentenced to atonement. I will instruct in the name of Amelia of the Hall of Atonement. This... uh. Your name is?"

"It's Iron Mask."

The masked man proudly gave the name Haru had given him and glared at the guard. Amelia, sighing as she looked at the man who gave a name far from his real one, 'Iron Mask', looked at the guard and commanded.

"Then. Guards, please escort Mr. Iron Mask to the prisoner camp."

"Understood. Excuse me, but the child."

"I will personally guide him to the orphanage. Although he wears restraints, this child is also a pitiful lamb born under the light of the goddess Serre."

Amelia brought her hands together in prayer and continued speaking. At Amelia's words, Shub, who was watching, snorted at her words and puffed out her cheeks.

[Under Serre's light? A pitiful lamb? She doesn't know anything.]

Fortunately, Shub's words and appearance seemed to be audible and visible only to Haru, as Amelia continued speaking.

"Why he was sentenced to atonement at such a young age, humble me cannot know. But I will do my best to care for this child."

"... Ah. Come to think of it. Lady Amelia. According to rumors, the 'Child of the Devil' who serves the wicked Evil God was captured in Lisboa. Those restraints, perhaps he might be the rumored Child of the Devil.

If he is the Child of the Devil, he should rightly be sent to the prisoner camp, not the orphanage. He might even curse the innocent children."

[Hah? Wicked? Evil God? Ooh...]

Leaving the pouting Shub behind, Haru quickly racked his brain. Haru understood well how to escape the worst-case scenario here.

"Mommy...? Daddy... where did everyone go? I'm lonely... Am I... going to die now? Hey, Noona? What... happens to me now?"

The appearance of a young boy can sometimes be a weapon.

Especially for Amelia, whose calling is to care for lost lambs as a nun, there probably isn't a weapon more effective than this. It was fortunate he had kept quiet until now.

As he pretended to sob, burying his face in the sleeve of Amelia's habit, the slightly softened nun carefully stroked Haru's head and said.

"If that's the case, I will take responsibility. I. I must do my job."

"Ah. Understood. Hey! Iron Mask! Come this way. You're heading to the camp!"

"I know even if you don't tell me."

Sending an apologetic look towards Iron Mask, Haru took Amelia's hand.

'Up to here, is it according to plan?'

Smiling slightly, so that Amelia wouldn't notice, Haru followed behind Amelia.