Chapter 286: The Subtle Temple
After finishing breakfast at a stall, we headed to the temple.
“By the way, it seems there was a disturbance in the room where the Spirit’s Branch was kept not too long ago,” Retze said as we climbed the stairs.
“A disturbance, you say?”
“It seems the cloth of the cushion that held the Spirit’s Branch—a replica, mind you—suddenly tore apart,” Retze replied to the butler’s inquiry, glancing at me when he mentioned the replica. Yeah, I’m the only one who doesn’t know which branch is real and which is fake.
“Even though we were together most of the time, you sure know a lot.”
“Well, the coachman picks up more from the customers than you’d think, and while waiting for passengers, we gossip among ourselves.”
Now that I think about it, Retze did go to the driver’s seat on the way back from the Labyrinth.
The temple here isn’t much different from Kanum’s Spirit’s House. Inside, there’s a spacious courtyard with flowing water, trees, and flowers planted all around. It’s grander in scale, and the rooms and corridors are luxurious, though.
While Kanum’s Spirit’s Branch was free, here they definitely asked for a donation. I was thinking of getting away with just a little above the minimum, but Retze ended up contributing a decent amount.
He doesn’t seem like the pious type, though. Paying money at a temple feels a bit off to me. The gods would probably appreciate offerings of luxury items more than gold.
“Huh. It feels a bit strange.”
The pale branches of trees with thin leaves that let light through, herbs that appear silverish, flowers primarily in white and yellow, and a small stream flowing beside white garden stones peeking out here and there. The ground is covered with fine white and transparent sand, forming a path.
“If they added some red or blue as accent colors, it would really pop.”
It feels like a manufactured garden, and somehow, it’s a bit lacking.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the White Forest after getting the Ex-Staff. That place was beautiful.
“This temple mainly calls upon the Light Spirit, and also water. It’s dedicated to the goddess of light and purity, the Virgin Goddess Namina.”
“Alright, let’s crush it.”
“Don’t say such violent things out of nowhere!”
I was immediately admonished after making my decision based on Dinoss’s explanation.
Damn it, Ball of Light!!
“…Schulm is also the Virgin Goddess Namina now, isn’t she?” Retze muttered.
“Yeah… That country builds temples without any principles, changing the god they worship at any given time. —Just don’t curse inside the temple; I’ll ask about it later. Even if she’s far away, there are spirits of her retainers around.”
Dinoss lightly tapped my head, followed by Ash.
Wait, Ash? You can touch me normally, but can you stop that silly head-patting? It’s confusing. Though, I guess it did help ease my unpleasant mood.
So, retainers, huh? I wonder about the cushion. We had just started to get along, but there’s a possibility that the Ball of Light has retainers. With a boss like that, they must be having a tough time.
“This temple itself has nothing to do with Schulm… but the spirit-related stuff doesn’t quite add up,” Retze shrugged.
It’s fine; I’ve severed my ties. My information won’t flow to the Ball through the spirits. After all, the spirits created and granted it, and the abilities of Severance and Liberation work better on spirits than on humans.
“Gene, the branch is over there.”
Led by Ash, we quickly exited the courtyard and entered the room where the replica was housed.
The intricately carved pedestal holding the Spirit’s Branch was bathed in brilliant white light streaming down from the round ceiling above.
The branch was made of gold, with teardrop-shaped yellowish and transparent gemstones hanging from its tips. About 10K, maybe? It had a thin, slightly smooth golden appearance.
“Is this the cushion?”
Between the pedestal and the branch was a thin cushion made of cream-colored thick fabric, embroidered with gold thread.
Yes, this is clearly a new version of the zabuton… I have a feeling Ash and the others are imagining the zabuton I laid out on the dining chairs on the second floor of Kanum’s House, but what I referred to as a zabuton was this squashed cushion-like thing.
I can’t shake the feeling that the old one exploding was somehow my fault. And I have a nagging suspicion that Retze knows about it since he brought it up.
Speaking of which, the Spirit’s zabuton has returned to the temple. If I run into someone who looks like it, the reunion might be a bit dangerous.
“Regarding the former Divine Child, the only important person who can see it has gone to the Adventurer’s Guild early in the morning.”
When did Retze find that out? Was it when he made the donation earlier? Isn’t he a bit too diligent in gathering information?
I just realized the danger of encountering someone!