204 – The Two Worst in the Garden
The garden had its reputation for a reason.
It was a place of exile. Where they sent people who had failed in other departments.
All of the tools and equipment were ancient, without any care being put into maintaining them.
The workers all had lifeless eyes. Some of them just slept on the ground without working at all.
When I asked them what I should do, the man who was the leader there just told me I did not have to do anything.
“Nothing?”
“That’s what I meant. You’ll just make more work for the rest of us. Just stay there and do nothing.”
The others had probably heard the same thing.
That is why there was no enthusiasm at all.
And so Nina and I split up and tried to gather information from the people.
Most were women. This was because they also sent problematic Saintess candidates here.
After speaking to all of them, there were two that we considered to be trust-worthy.
“I can’t be bothered to be a Saintess. They don’t even let you drink! That is no way for humans to live.”
Said Ellie, as she rolled on the ground and sniffed an empty bottle.
“Do you believe in god? I do. God has given us such wonderful gifts in life. Including gambling.”
Said Liza, a former candidate who had the face of a devout nun.
“The-they sure are unique…”
Nina whispered.
“But…there is no one else who we can trust.”
“I don’t know how these two are an exception. In fact, they might be the most dangerous here.”
Nina had a point.
Ellie had stolen over a hundred bottles of wine. While Liza had stolen money from the cardinals and used it for gambling.
Even now, I could see Ellie shaking as she searched for a drink. And Liza was going on about the joys of betting money.
“I like how there is no limit. That feeling of losing a lot of money at once. Your blood goes cold and there is a tightness in your chest. Ah, that is the joy of life. Something god bestowed on us.”
Nina looked at Liza as if she was a bug.
She had been raised by proper parents, and so she was practically the opposite of Liza when it came to values.
“I don’t trust either of them.”
“No, they are safe. They care more about their own desires than society’s rules. I understand how that feels. And they will never betray their nature.”
“I don’t think you are that similar to them…”
“It will be fine. They may break their promises, but not their interests.”
Obviously, more honest people would have been preferable. But we could not be picky right now.
We had to do the best with what we had.
And so I decided to bribe them.
Their eyes lit up like children during Christmas. But Nina looked at them cold.
“Drink this transformation potion every thirty minutes. Be sure that no one sees you. If you forget to drink it, then there will be no reward.”
“But…”
Ellie looked stunned.
“Have mercy…! Just a little… I want to gamble…!”
Liza pleaded, but I shook my head.
“No. No. You have to complete the mission first. Got it?”
I said sternly.
We switched places in the bathroom.
They would use the potions to turn into us. And once the guards were not looked, Nina and I would use concealment magic to slip out of the garden.
As Ellie and Liza were known for being strange, no one would think much of them disappearing for a short while.
And like that, Nina and I searched the inside of the cathedral.
It was midday, and it felt quite empty, with few people around.
This was because the Saintess candidates and priests were out visiting the hospitals.
And the cardinals were meeting guests in their offices.
I wondered who was visiting, and so I searched the area.
There was the palace-like building where the Saintess candidates lived, and the three chapels.
Seven halls and a storage house for art.
Beautiful paintings, ceiling art and statues of saints.
It was all so awe-inspiring.
“What are you doing?”
I was hiding in the shadows of the stairs, and could not react to the voice at first.
It had none of the warmth of a human voice. As if something non-human was speaking.
And yet, the person standing there was definitely human.
Or perhaps they just had a human form.
But she looked like a human child. About ten. With fine features and silver hair.
“What are you doing?”
She asked with a tilt of her head. After thinking for a moment, I answered.
“I’m searching for the bad people.”
“Bad people?”
“They have hidden inside of this place. I was asked to search for them in secret.”
I said while raising a finger to my mouth.
“So please don’t tell anyone.”
“Does it have to be a secret?”
“I would be very happy if it was.”
“Okay. I won’t tell.”
She nodded and I sighed with relief.
The girl spoke slowly and with a unique voice.
There was no emotion in the black eyes and there was a mysterious air about her.
“What’s your name?”
“Mel.”
“What are you doing here, Mel?”
“Hide and seek.”
“I see. With friends?”
“No. I don’t have friends.”
“Really?”
“The others don’t like me.”
She said calmly. But I thought I sensed a little sadness in her voice.
She must be one of the Saintess candidates then.
“In that case, do you want to play with me? We can be in the Secret Knights Order.”
“Secret knights order?”
“We secretly catch bad people. I will be the captain. You can be the vice-captain.”
“Vice-captain Mel…!”
She smiled then. This was interesting to her.
(I will have to be careful to not put her in any danger. Also, I don’t want to betray and hurt her feelings either…)
“Mel. Do you have any clues about the bad people hiding here?”
After thinking about it for a moment, she shook her head.
“But…I know this place well.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Who is here and what they do.”
“Will you tell me?”
She nodded.
“Here, there are liars and fools.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The adults are the liars. But they tell me that lies are valuable.”
“I see…”
It was hard to understand what she meant with these vague words.
But I felt that there was something very important there that I shouldn’t ignore.
“Is the Saintess being fooled as well?”
Mel shook her head.
“The Saintess is the biggest liar.”
I gulped. That was not what I expected to hear.
Suddenly, there were footsteps, and I moved away.
After watching from the shadows, I sighed with relief and raised my hand.
“Nina, over here.”
I whispered.
“Did you find any clues?”
“No. Nothing.”
Nina shook her head.
“I couldn’t find anything either. But a reliable ally has joined me.”
“An ally?”
“Yes. Over here.”
I pointed and Nina looked suspicious.
“But there is no one there.”
“Huh?”
I turned my head. She was gone.
As if she was never there.
“Noelle. Are you alright?”
Nina looked worried. I nodded.
And tried to think of the meaning of that encounter.
Thanks for the chapter