Leaving the Old Church

"What a weird smell. It's making me nauseous."

Kazusa-chan, who'd been sniffing beside me, pressed her hand over her nose.

I felt the same way. On top of that, it made me a little dizzy.

I put the granules back in the bag.

"Why would something like this be hidden here?"

"Well, obviously someone put it there."

"Then who?"

The first people who came to mind were whoever had been in this church before, but it didn't make sense to hide something worthless under the floorboards. And wouldn't they have retrieved it when they left?

The fact that Kazusa-chan hadn't noticed it despite living here all this time suggested whoever hid it hadn't wanted it found.

In other words, this was something meant to stay secret.

I thought back to the people Kazusa-chan had been dealing with.

The aggressive eviction attempts on a seemingly worthless old church. The assassin's visit, employer unknown.

Could it all be connected to this?

If so, the question was what to do about it.

I shared my thoughts with Kazusa-chan. She listened with some bewilderment at first, but by the end, she was nodding.

"I'd been thinking something was off. They were persistent, almost zealous. If they're trying to recover this stuff, it all makes sense."

"They'd probably leave us alone if we put everything back and just left. But I can't imagine whatever these people want so badly is anything good."

"Right. I mean, if we left not knowing any better, that'd be one thing. But walking away from the very thing that nearly got us killed and pretending it's not there? That doesn't sit right."

Kazusa-chan picked up the bag with the contents inside.

Under the light, it was clearly a hemp sack, heavily worn.

There were several more bags like it under the floor, all with contents inside.

"Take them or leave them. It's your call, Kazusa-chan."

If we took them, there was a chance we'd be bringing the source of this trouble straight into Kassad.

Would Master forgive me if I apologized?

Was I being rash?

Doubts swirled through my mind, but the fact that my friend had nearly been killed pushed them aside.

And I trusted that Master would at least hear us out.

"We're taking this. I want to at least find out what it is."

"All right. As soon as we get to Kassad, we'll go straight to the person I've been working with."

Once we'd decided, we packed only the bare essentials.

It was a relief that everything fit within what the three of us could carry.

"I'm leaving anything we can buy anywhere. Too bulky."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I wasn't planning to live here forever, so I tried not to accumulate too much stuff."

"I see."

Even so, she looked a little wistful. Or maybe that was just my imagination.

Meanwhile, the sun came up and it grew lighter outside.

We boiled some water and drank it to rest a moment. I finally felt a little calmer.

The two of us sat on the floor with our backs against the wall.

I was a bit drowsy from having woken up in the middle of the night. I took another sip of hot water to shake it off.

"I can't tell if I'm lucky or unlucky."

"What do you mean?"

"Just thinking out loud. It feels like bad things always follow the good."

Indeed, Kazusa-chan's life did seem full of ups and downs.

"Well, at least we're alive. That counts for something. In that sense, you've saved me more times than I can count, Azu. I don't know how much help I can be, but if you're ever in trouble, say the word. I'll do whatever I can."

"No, really, you don't have to."

"It's for my own peace of mind."

After that, we sat quietly for a while.

As the slow minutes passed, I felt my heightened emotions gradually settle.

I finished my water and set the cup on the table.

This table would be left behind too.

"I'll start getting breakfast ready. Will you help?"

"Sure."

We finished our break and got up.

Kazusa-chan said she wanted to use up all the food she'd bought, so breakfast turned out to be a feast.

We woke Rei-kun, ate together, and explained we'd be leaving.

He nodded obediently and shouldered his small backpack.

The portal should already be open at this hour.

Staying here any longer risked inviting fresh trouble.

It was still early morning, but we gathered our things and headed outside.

I went out the door first, just in case, and scanned the area.

No one in sight.

We left the old church behind.

"I never thought I'd be leaving like this. I'd always figured I'd move out once I'd saved up enough."

"Did you not like it here?"

"It wasn't that I didn't like it, but nothing ever changed. Boring, really. Stable, sure, but not exactly a life of plenty. Setting me aside, there's no future here for my brother."

"I see."

We arrived at the portal.

After completing the formalities, we transferred through.

Since it was Rei-kun's first time using one, the three of us held hands.

Once we'd portaled into Kassad, we headed straight for Master's shop.

I had to explain everything properly. It was a little daunting, but it had to be done.

"I'll explain my side too."

Kazusa-chan said that and met my eyes.

Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I'd done something on my own like this.

But her words eased the worry just a little.

We reached the shop and went around to the back yard.

Compared to before I'd left, the yard had been properly tended.

"Wow, that's amazing. Is this a vegetable garden?"

"Yeah. A hobby, apparently."

It wasn't, really, but that was hard to explain, so I went with it.

In the corner sat a small altar enshrining a fragment of the Earth Elemental Stone.

I unlocked the door and led them inside.

Elza-san and Alexia-san were nowhere to be seen. At this hour, Finn-san and Master should be up.

Right, I needed to ask Finn-san about that man, too.

I knocked on Master's door, and a voice from inside told me to come in.

I was as nervous as the first time I'd opened this door. My throat suddenly went dry.

I turned the knob, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Master was seated in his chair, and Finn-san was perched on the edge of the table.

They must have been in the middle of a conversation.

"Took you a while. And what's the story with those two?"

"Well, actually—"

I told him everything that had happened.