***

It was truly a stroke of luck to discover the lights of a village not far away when we escaped from the dungeon ‘Slime Paradise’.

It was also incredibly fortunate that the knife-like wind had calmed down by the time we reached the village, and that despite looking like an unremarkable village, it was full of lodging places.

Until I heard the innkeeper mention the ‘White Salt Saint’.

To confirm the situation with my own eyes, I headed towards the holy site early the next day.

Just as the innkeeper had said, there really was that holy site I had seen in <Hirome>, halfway up the low mountain behind the village.

Standing midway up where I could overlook the entire village, I let out a sigh I had been holding back.

“In <Hirome>, this was supposed to be a village that disappeared in a landslide.”

Unlike the game where a snow-covered horizon stretched out, I put my hand to my forehead as I looked at dozens of houses with smoke rising from their chimneys.

***

<Hirome> Ending Number 28. High Priest of the White Palace.

As you might guess from the name, it was an ending where you become the High Priest, but it was extremely difficult to collect.

This was because to reach this ending, you had to make pilgrimages to all the holy sites scattered throughout the kingdom.

While making these pilgrimages, you could receive various sub-quests, and if you completed them, you would gain divine power as a reward.

The quest <Holy Relic of the White Salt Saint> was one of those sub-quests.

[Quest] Holy Relic of the White Salt Saint.

There was a saint who made it her life’s mission to burn away evil.

At the moment the saint’s heart was pierced by a monster’s claw, her divine power was imbued into the brooch she held in her hand.

Find the rightful heir to the brooch and continue the saint’s will.

[Accept/Decline]

I remember the story behind this quest was quite moving, but that’s not what’s important right now.

I clearly remembered that the young priest who gave this quest had said something like this:

“I heard there used to be quite a prosperous village around this shrine… Unfortunately, it was said to have disappeared in a landslide. That’s why I’m guarding the shrine so lonely like this.”

A village that disappeared due to a landslide.

Since there was no other village around the holy site except for Forbes village where I spent the night, it was clearly referring to that place.

Realizing this, I felt a chill run down my spine, overwhelmed by anxiety as if a landslide could occur at any moment.

‘Let’s leave right away.’

First, I should get to a safe place, then warn about the landslide to the lord, making up some excuse like the soil quality behind Forbes village is concerning or that I had an ominous dream.

I was about to hire a carriage to return to the villa in Chavert Forest, having made up my mind.

The entrance of the village, surrounded by low walls, was so crowded that the carriages weren’t moving at all.

As I poked my head out the window to see what was happening, shocking news reached my ears.

“From this moment on, no one is allowed to leave Forbes Village! This is by order of the lord! We’re prepared to use force if necessary, so please return to your homes!”

What…? What kind of bolt from the blue is this?

Fortunately, there were people who were throwing fits on my behalf.

“Sir, who will take responsibility for my family’s livelihood if I can’t transport goods?”

“Do you dare block my way? Do you know who I am?!”

“I’m just a pilgrim who came to visit the holy site!”

Chaos erupted at the entrance which had turned into a battlefield.

I cheered them on.

Yes, that’s it! Throw more fits!

At that moment, someone nimbly climbed onto the carriage at the very front.

It was a middle-aged woman wearing priest’s robes. She wobbled precariously, then quickly made the sign of the cross before raising her voice.

“Everyone, please calm down!”

With those words, all eyes turned to her.

“It’s Priestess Melio.”

“Priestess Melio! Please explain what’s going on!”

It seemed she was quite respected by the villagers, as everyone called her name and appeared to be relieved.

A priestess in such a small village.

She must be the guardian of the nearby holy site where the ‘White Salt Saint’s’ remains were buried and her holy relic.

She spoke candidly to the people who were staring at her blankly.

“The village lockdown was the will of the shrine. Despite knowing that this would cause great inconvenience to all of you, we had no choice but to do this because…”

She paused to take a breath, then concluded with a sigh.

“Last night, the holy relic was stolen from the sacred site.”

Her words plunged the entire small village into shock.

“We’ve determined that the thief who stole the relic hasn’t left the village yet, so with the lord’s permission and cooperation, we’ve sealed off entry and exit to the village. However, everyone, I promise that as soon as the culprit is caught, we will lift the lockdown and the shrine will compensate for today’s rudeness and inconvenience!”

Inwardly thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal, and even considering using my meager power to escape this village, I could only blink blankly.

How could things get so tangled up like this?

It wasn’t just a matter within the domain, but an incident involving the shrine.

This meant that unless Belinda’s power reached the heavens, no matter how much of a fuss she made, we could never leave the village.

***

“Sir, is there any chance you could secretly carry me and Ratchet out of this village?”

As I sat in the village’s only tea house trying to calm my nerves, Sir Penadel answered my question seriously.

“If it’s at night, it might be possible. However, I think we’d be tracked down quickly. It’s not easy to hide traces in the snow.”

Sir Penadel’s answer made my sigh even heavier.

Since being stuck in this village, I was unwillingly realizing the good points of being possessed by Belinda.

In this unexpected exile, my condition had become a mess in just one day.

First, I urgently needed clothes, so I found the most famous dress shop in the village and bought a few outfits.

But aside from the design, the fabric was so rough that it made my skin itch.

Secondly, the food.

I never thought I was picky about food, but after getting used to the cuisine of the capital and Chef Blanche’s skills, the food in this village’s restaurants was too bland to be palatable.

‘And the inn’s bed…’

Yes, I had to admit it. At least by possessing Belinda’s body, I had enjoyed exceptional comfort in terms of food, clothing, and shelter.

As I was looking out at the village square while swallowing a sigh, it happened.

Led by Priestess Melio, a group of priests wearing plain robes appeared in the square.

“These are priests who have come on a pilgrimage from the Holy Empire. If anyone is sick or in need of a priest’s blessing, please come forward.”

At those words, people began to gather in small groups.

More curious about the progress in tracking down the culprit who stole the holy relic than getting a blessing, we also went out to the square.

When I came to think of it, the innkeeper mentioned something about a high-ranking priest coming for a pilgrimage to the holy site.

“Ratchet, do you want to receive a blessing from the priest?”

After pondering for a moment, Leo nodded and carefully approached the group of priests.

One of the priests noticed Leo and knelt down to meet the child’s eye level.

Soon, while reciting a prayer, he placed three fingers on Leo’s forehead.

I was watching this scene with a warm feeling when suddenly, a system window popped up, leaving me frozen.

[‘Star of Heroes’ has received a high-level blessing for the first time and acquired the skill ‘Prayer Recitation (lv1)’.]

[‘Star of Heroes’ holy power has increased by +10.]

“……?”

Didn’t a 0 just get added there?