Like before, the oasis was completely deserted. Normally, it was one of Ankaji’s most popular destinations, but right now there was no one there. Lanzwi frowned forlornly as he looked at the empty oasis.
Kaori stepped up to the shore and began casting. Though they’d all inherited the ability to use restoration magic, Hajime and Shea had possessed no aptitude for it as usual. In Shea’s case, at least, she could sort of use it. She’d been able to internalize the magic to increase her natural regeneration abilities. On top of that, if she concentrated, she could increase her mana and stamina regeneration for some time. She’d turned into something completely superhuman at this point. Her body strengthening abilities had grown, and she’d become much more skilled at manipulating her gravity. Now, with the addition of automatic high-speed regeneration, she was basically a one bunny army.
Kaori had possessed the highest affinity for restoration magic, followed by Tio, and then Yue. Yue was so used to her own self-regeneration skill that she rarely used healing magic. For that reason, her affinity for it was much lower. She was able to heal herself without thinking, so actually having to actively cast recovery spells was hard for her.
On the other hand, Kaori’s job was Priest. Restoration and recovery magic were strongly linked, so her affinity for it had been the highest. She could use it more efficiently, and at greater range than either Yue or Tio. Though she unfortunately still needed magic circles and an incantation to cast, so Yue’s version was still more useful in combat.
Kaori began her incantation. It was a long one. When she’d first started practicing in Erisen, it had taken her seven minutes to complete one spell. Now, she could finish it in three. The fact that she’d cut the cast time down by more than half in just one week proved she was plenty overpowered herself. Sadly, Yue’s strength was beyond even that. It stung Kaori a little, but she’d already resolved not to wallow in her inferiority any longer.
An air of tranquil majesty descended upon the oasis as Kaori’s magic set in. Lanzwi and his attendants gulped. They felt as if they were witnessing some holy rite that must not be disturbed. They watched with nervous excitement as Kaori finished her chant.
“Tetragrammaton.” Eyes still closed, Kaori thrust her pure white staff over the water.
A second later, the tip began to glow with lavender light. The orb of light traveled down her staff, across the surface of the water, and fell into the center of the oasis. The entire oasis began to glow with a faint purple light. Motes of light floated up from the water and vanished into the air. It looked as if the all the world’s evil had been purified and sent up to heaven.
Everyone watched with rapt attention, so captivated that they even forgot to breathe. Finally, the spell ended, and the light faded away. Silence stretched on for some time after the last motes of light vanished into the air.
Hajime, who was supporting a spent Kaori, eventually nodded to Lanzwi. Lanzwi snapped back to reality and ordered his attendants to test the water. They hurriedly cast their appraisal spells. Once they were done, they turned to Lanzwi with looks of disbelief. After a brief pause, they announced the results.
“The poison’s gone.”
“Are you sure?”
The man spoke again, this time with more certainty.
“The oasis is clean! It’s back to normal! It’s been purified!”
They all cried out in joy. All of his attendants dropped what they were holding and hugged each other. Lanzwi took in a deep breath, looked up at the heavens, and closed his eyes.
“All that’s left is to purify the soil now. Duke, have you already thrown away the poisoned crops?”
“No, we’ve only gathered them all in one place. There wasn’t enough time or people to dispose of them. Don’t tell me... you plan on purifying those too?”
“If Yue and Tio are willing to help, I think we can do it. What do you two think?”
“Hmm, not a problem.”
“Very well. It would indeed be a pity to see the food you worked so hard to grow go to waste. Allow us to help.”
Lanzwi bowed deeply to all of them. Not only had they purified his oasis, but they were going to save his soil and his crops as well. Even if it wasn’t a duke’s place to bow his head to others, this was the only way he could think of to show the depth of his gratitude. That was how much he loved his city and its people.
Hajime and the others graciously accepted his thanks and began to walk toward the agricultural district.
Just then, Hajime suddenly stopped and turned around. He cast about with Farsight, and spotted a group of people swaggering toward them. It looked like they wanted a fight. They were dressed in different uniforms than that of Ankaji’s soldiers. From what Hajime could tell, they were the templar knights who protected this city’s church.
They surrounded Hajime and his companions, forming a half-circle around them. A middle-aged man dressed in ostentatious white robes stepped out from between their ranks.
Sensing the hostility in the knights’ gaze, Lanzwi quickly interposed himself between Hajime and the knights.
“Lord Zengen... please step aside. Those people are dangerous.”
“What is the meaning of this, Bishop Forbin? And what do you mean, they’re dangerous? These good people have saved my dukedom twice over now. They’re heroes. I will not allow anyone to speak ill of them.”
Bishop Forbin scoffed at Lanzwi’s words.
“Hmph, heroes? Watch your tongue, Duke. The Holy Church has declared them heretics. Defend them at your own peril.”
“Heretics... you say? Preposterous, I’ve heard no such thing!” Lanzwi sucked in a sharp breath. Like most other people, he was a devout follower of Ehit. He knew what it meant to be branded a heretic, which was precisely why he couldn’t believe that the saviors of his city were among their ranks.
“Of course you haven’t. The decision was made just this morning. To think the heretics would choose to return now... Hehehe, such perfect timing, wouldn’t you say? It’s as if Ehit himself delivered them into my arms. Clearly this is a sign. He wants me to be the one to purge these nonbelievers. If I bring the pope their heads, I’m sure to be promoted...” His last words were spoken so softly that Lanzwi didn’t catch them. Still, it seemed that Hajime being a heretic was a fact. Lanzwi turned to his saviors. However, Hajime didn’t seem the least bit surprised. He shrugged his shoulders, as if he’d expected this all along. He met Lanzwi’s gaze and silently asked with his eyes, “What will you do?”
Lanzwi furrowed his brow, but before he could say anything, Forbin continued with a sneer.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some heretics to purge. I’ve heard you’re quite powerful, but I wonder how you’ll fare against one hundred templar knights? Now then, Duke Zengen, kindly get out of my way. Surely you won’t do anything as foolish as stand against the Holy Church, will you?”
Lanzwi closed his eyes. Based on Hajime’s personality, and his strange powers, Lanzwi could easily guess why the Holy Church had branded him a heretic. They couldn’t afford to let someone as strong as him live, unless he was under their control.
However, when he thought of how powerful Hajime and his comrades were, Lanzwi thought it suicide to stand against them. The humans would be wiped out fighting Hajime long before the demons could even get to them. Had the pope grown mad? This whole declaration reeked of political maneuvering of some sort.
Regardless of the reason though, Hajime was Ankaji’s savior. He and his comrades had healed his people, given them water, destroyed the monster lurking in the oasis, and now had come back to purify their land.
Only a few seconds ago, he’d been racking his brains trying to think of how he’d thank them. Lanzwi opened his eyes and smiled at Forbin. This was a good opportunity to make his allegiances clear. He looked sharply into the eyes of the bishop, who’d begun to get annoyed that Lanzwi was ignoring him, and solemnly shook his head.
“I refuse.”
“What did you just say
?” Forbin was so surprised his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
It amused Lanzwi how certain the bishop had been that no one would dare refuse the authority of the Holy Church. He repeated himself, his words backed by an unshakable will.
“I said, I refuse. These adventurers saved my people. I won’t let anyone raise a hand against them, not even the Holy Church.”
“Y-Y-Y-Y-You godless bastard! Have you lost your mind!? Do you understand what it means to oppose the Holy Church!? You’ll be branded a heretic too, you know!?” Forbin’s surprise had transformed into rage. The templar knights all looked at each other in confusion.
“Bishop Forbin. Do the archbishops and the pope really not know what these adventurers have done for us? Without them, the oasis’ poison would have destroyed this city. And from what I’ve heard, they saved the town of Ur and even rescued the hero’s party. How could such great people be branded heretics? I cannot imagine the Holy Church’s decision is a sane one. I, Lanzwi Feuward Zengen, implore the Holy Church to reconsider their decision. Perhaps the news that they have saved this city will convince the clergy.”
“S-Silence! Our decision is final! This is the will of Ehit! Disobey him at your own peril! Duke, if you insist on protecting these heretics, then I will brand you, no all of Ankaji, heretics as well! Are you sure you want to do this!?” There was a glint of madness in Forbin’s eyes. It was hard to imagine he was really a man of god. Lanzwi watched him coldly. Hajime walked up to him and asked a question with a worried expression on his face,
“Hey, are you sure about this? You’ll make an enemy out of Heiligh and the Holy Church if you do this. Shouldn’t you do what’s best for your people?”
Instead of answering, Lanzwi looked down at his attendants. Hajime followed his gaze. They looked up at the two of them, closed their eyes, and, after a brief moment of consideration, made their decision. Their eyes glimmered with resolve.
“We won’t go down that easy!”
Seeing their reaction, Forbin reddened with anger and screeched a final warning.
“Are you sure about this!? You’ll die here, you stubborn fools! And not just you, but your people, too! I’ll turn this city into a sea of blood. I shall rain Ehit’s divine wrath down on you wretched heretics!”
“None of my subjects are so craven that they’d turn their back on the heroes who saved them. You claim you’ll bring down divine wrath? The god I believe in would reward such loyalty. Perhaps it is your faith that is heretical, sir bishop.”
Forbin was so furious that he stopped yelling and a cold finality settled over his face. He raised a hand, ordering his knights to attack.
Before they could charge though, something whistled through the air and clanged against one of the templar knights’ helmets. The knight looked down and saw a pebble. It hadn’t so much as dented his armor, so he tilted his head on confusion. Before he could ponder on what it meant, more stones rained down upon the knights. They clanged loudly against the men’s gleaming breastplates.
They looked up and saw the people of Ankaji had surrounded them. It seemed they hurried over when the light flowed from the oasis. They’d arrived in time to see the entire exchange between Forbin and Lanzwi. Not only had Kaori healed their sick and tended to them, but Hajime and the others had braved the volcano’s depths to bring back enough stillstone. Moreover, their beloved lord had sided with Hajime and the others. Plus, the bishop looked clearly deranged, so they made their allegiances clear, and began hurling stones at the knights.
“Desist, citizens of Ankaji! These people have been branded heretics and enemies of god! Ehit himself wishes for their deaths!” Forbin desperately tried to convince the people. He thought they hadn’t heard the declaration claiming Hajime was a heretic, and hoped that informing them would be enough to calm their wrath.
The people did indeed stop and exchange confused glances with one another.
Lanzwi turned and addressed his people.
“My beloved citizens of Ankaji. Listen to me! These adventurers just now purified our oasis! It is thanks to them that the symbol of our great city is clean once more! They even promised to purify our soil and our crops! It is because of them that Ankaji is here today, and it is because of them that our great city will be restored to its former splendor! However, it is not for me to tell you what to do. Let your hearts decide whether our city’s saviors deserve our scorn, or our protection. I, at least, choose to stand with them!” Forbin sneered. He was certain the people wouldn’t trust Lanzwi’s word over the Holy Church’s. However, his expression froze a second later.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! For the citizens had resumed throwing stones.
“Wh-What...” Forbin was at a loss for words. The citizens pressed forward, hurling insults along with stones.
“Fuck you! They saved our lives, we won’t let you kill them!”
“The Holy Church didn’t do a damn thing to save us, but now you want to kill the people who did!? You’re no holy man!”
“They’re no heretics! You’re the real heretic!”
“This has to be some kind of mistake!”
“Protect Kaori-sama!”
“Defend our lord!”
“Kaori-sama, I give my life for you!”
“Dear adventurers, run now, while you still have the chance!”
“Hey, someone get Bize. Tell him to bring Kaori-sama’s honor guard!”
It seemed even the citizens were taking Hajime and the others’ side. They too hadn’t forgotten who’d saved their lives. Their gratitude toward their saviors outweighed even their piety. No, that wasn’t quite true. Rather, the nature of their faith had changed. They simply couldn’t believe their god, the ultimate object of their worship, would want to harm his own warrior, or the people that traveled with her.
In other words, their faith in god remained unshaken, but their faith in Forbin had all but dissolved. Though I wonder if anyone really trusted a bishop like that to begin with... The crowd of citizens continued to grow as word spread. Their individual strength was weak, but they already far outnumbered the knights. Forbin and his templars winced at the people’s ferocity and took a step back.
“Bishop, this is the will of Ankaji. Will you please ask the Holy Church to reconsider their decision?”
“Tch... Don’t think you can get away with this!” Forbin ground his teeth in frustration. He shot one last hateful look at Hajime before turning on his heel and stalking away. The templar knights hurriedly followed after him. Forbin disappeared inside the church, looking for something to vent his frustrations on.
“Are you sure? I know it’s a bit late to be asking this now, but you could have just not taken sides.” Hajime looked at Lanzwi, a troubled expression on his face. Kaori and the others were worried as well. None of them wanted Ankaji to be destroyed because of them.
Contrary to Hajime’s expectations though, Lanzwi’s reply was unconcerned.
“I said it before, didn’t I? This is Ankaji’s will. Every man, woman, and child living within these walls owes you their life. That’s a debt they won’t soon forget. If I’d let the bishop kill you... I guarantee the people would have killed me next. The last thing I want happening here is a coup d’etat.
“We could have taken guys like those easily...” Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly and Lanzwi smiled knowingly.
“I suppose so, which means you five are even scarier than the Holy Church. It’s true that you’re our heroes, but I also really didn’t want to make you guys my enemy. You guys use magic I’ve never even heard of, can slaughter monsters that would trample over my entire army, and you even conquered a labyrinth in the span of a few days. I can tell you care nothing for the authority of the Holy Church, and I’m sure a hundred knights would be nothing to you. I’ve already heard how you demolished a monster army tens of thousands strong, and saved the hero party from enemies who’d nearly killed them. You truly are a frightening bunch. I imagine this is t
he most important decision I have made in the many years since I inherited the position of duke from my father.”
Hajime wouldn’t have blamed Lanzwi even if he had given them up to the bishop. Still, after weighing the two options, Lanzwi had chosen to side with him instead. Even if it had been for the sake of his country, he’d chosen to rebel against the Holy Church. That certainly was an important decision.
Hajime smiled awkwardly. He’d been expecting this confrontation for ages, but he hadn’t expected that other people would resolve it pretty much without him.
I guess this is a result of not choosing a lonely path, too. Aiko-sensei really did have a point, Hajime thought to himself as he watched Kaori and the others converse happily with the citizens.
Three days after the showdown with the bishop.
Kaori, Yue, and Tio had finished purifying the soil and crops. The whole party was gathered atop a small hill overlooking the now-sparkling oasis.
Now that it had returned to its original grandeur, the oasis was filled with smiling people. People lay sprawled along the water’s edge, and children played in the water. Men fished along the pier, and lovers sailed across the water in tiny rowboats. There were all sorts of people visiting the oasis, but they all had one thing in common. Smiles.
Hajime and the others were leaving Ankaji today. Originally, the plan had been to purify the city, try some of their specialty food and buy the fruits they were known for, and leave. In the end though, at the insistence the Lanzwi and the people of Ankaji, they’d ended up staying two extra days in the city.
The people were so grateful that if Hajime had not told Lanzwi to keep his departure a secret, they would have actually come out to hold a farewell parade for him. He told only the duke and his family of his departure, and the party had stopped for one last look at the famed oasis.
“Hey, you guys are gonna stand out if you stay dressed like that, so hurry up and put something on.” Hajime turned to face the gate as he said that.
“Oh? Already tired of seeing so much skin?”
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 5 Page 24