What Finn Had to Say

"By the way."

"What?"

The meal was over, and cleanup was mostly done.

The borrowed equipment would be returned first thing tomorrow morning, before they left.

Just as the mood was shifting toward heading back to the inn, Yohane spoke to Finn.

"What business did you come for? I doubt you chased us down just to have fun."

"It was a better break than I expected, honestly… Oh right, I hadn't mentioned it yet."

Finn pulled a notebook from inside her coat. The sun had set completely, so Alexia was illuminating the area with magic.

She flipped through several pages until she found the one she wanted. Then she looked around and rang a small bell.

Apparently it was a magic tool that kept your voice from carrying. Perfect for private conversations.

I kind of wanted one.

"First thing. The construction of new Church of the Sun God buildings has been banned within the kingdom. Seems like one of the cardinals and the kingdom's Minister of Internal Affairs have been negotiating ever since that incident in your city. It's all but confirmed."

I was surprised.

The Church of the Sun God had been treated almost like a state religion within the kingdom, and the crown had taken a remarkably aggressive step.

I'd heard that even minister-level officials counted believers among their ranks.

They must have gotten their hands on some pretty damning evidence.

If we hadn't stopped that statue, the Church's machinations would likely have buried the truth. They could have claimed monsters appeared after the statue went on a rampage, and given the Church's influence at the time, it might have worked.

The tax collector Jacob had arrived at dawn. In the dead of night before that, an entire city might have ceased to exist.

"They couldn't go so far as to ban the faith itself, apparently. The impact would be too great, and you can't exactly drive priests and clergy out of town. Besides, gaining followers is easy for them, so cracking down wouldn't accomplish much."

"I see. Jacob reporting up the chain probably made a big difference."

The deputy governor's son had been in bed with the Church of the Sun God, conspiring in corruption.

It had to be a headache for the kingdom.

The farther from the capital, the stronger the Church's hold. Finding a replacement was difficult when the Church of the Sun God's dominance had already driven most other faiths into decline.

The Church of the Creator King was a prime example.

"Second. There's infighting within the Church of the Sun God. Shadow operatives have been hired right under their noses, and factions are going at each other's throats. The Pope's faction versus the Archbishop's faction."

"… I thought they were a monolith."

"Impossible. An organization that massive is practically a country in its own right."

The Church of the Sun God's doctrine held that the Sun God would one day descend upon this land and deliver salvation to all who offered prayers.

To that end, many prayers were needed—hence their relentless drive to expand their flock.

As religions went, it was straightforward. The clergy's ability to perform miracles through faith gave them broad appeal, and their influence had only grown.

And that was how they'd eventually collided with the Church of the Creator King.

The result: an entire nation fell and was transformed into the continent's most fearsome labyrinth.

Ruined Heim. The Ashen Kingdom. The Ash King's Castle.

The Catacombs had been destroyed, but the castle still stood.

It had endured as an unconquerable labyrinth for ages.

Historical records contained no mention of the Church of the Sun God directly waging war against anyone. But the testimony of the Ash King and Elza left no doubt.

Most likely, the Church had declined after the war with the Ashen Kingdom, then changed its methods and expanded again.

"Third. Well, this one's more of a bonus—you'll probably hear about it soon enough anyway."

Finn turned to another page.

"The Triwright Auction, the continent's biggest, is going to be held again."

"Oh, that. It got tangled up in some mess a few years ago and hasn't been held since, right?"

I remembered the star lot—a Water Dragon's fang—had been swapped with a fake, causing a massive uproar.

The auctioneer had reportedly been furious and tried to resolve the situation, but since he'd only just inherited the business at the time, I didn't know the details. It had been the talk of the town for a while.

"They finally caught the culprit. Recovered the goods, too, so I suppose honor's been restored."

"A Water Dragon's fang… What was it, three thousand gold coins?"

"Thirty thousand. It wasn't just any Water Dragon. It was a massive one, old and powerful. Remember that dragonslayer?"

"From the tournament… Alhechhi, was it?"

"That's him. Materials from the Dragon he killed. An aged Dragon is practically a spirit in its own right. Encountering one is hard enough—hunting one is out of the question."

Even thinking back, he didn't seem human.

Azu and Elza sometimes showed superhuman movement and strength in battle, but that man was on an entirely different level.

"That's certainly big news, but I don't have anything I need to buy at the moment."

"There's a rumor that an Earth Elemental Stone will be up for auction."

"What?"

An Elemental Stone.

I'd been running into them with uncanny frequency lately.

We'd stopped a Water Elemental from being forcibly crystallized into one. I'd seen the Fire Elemental Stone revert back into a Fire Elemental.

"Is that… going to be okay?"

Angering a spirit could wipe a city off the map. They wielded that kind of power.

Putting one up for auction—wouldn't that invite their wrath?

"Here's the thing… apparently it's through a contract with the Earth Elemental."

"A contract? The spirit agreed to be auctioned off?"

"Don't press me for details. It's just a rumor."

When Yohane tried to ask more, Finn cut him off.

"Well, I wasn't planning to share this much, but you treated me to a nice meal, so consider it a bonus."

With that, Finn moved off into the darkness. It seemed she was leaving.

"See you around."

And just like that, Finn vanished into the night.

Spirits.

Right now, through fortunate circumstances, both a Water Elemental and a Fire Elemental were lending their power.

From what I'd heard, the power Azu had received from the Creator King's Apostle required the earth and Wind Elementals as well…

If it was an Elemental Stone, it would undoubtedly be the auction's star lot.

There was no way we could afford it.

Still, it might be worth going just to see it, I thought.

We took Azu and the others back to the inn.

The vacation was over.

Tomorrow, it was back to the usual routine. Back to everyday life.