The festival commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Demon Lord's defeat was just a few days away.
The task that High Priest Cieltia needed to accomplish before the festival was to cast a massive barrier that would cover the entire village. For this purpose, she had traveled all the way from the capital to this village.
By erecting the barrier, she would ensure safety from the threat of demons and allow the royal family to visit.
"We are conducting the ritual to cast the barrier here."
Guided by High Priest Cieltia, I arrived at a small church in the village.
Despite its small size, the church was currently crowded with many priests and villagers, making the interior quite cramped.
"At the moment, the priests are offering prayers by reciting the scriptures. This ritual must continue without interruption for five days, with shifts changing."
"Doing it for that long?"
I was astonished by the duration of five days.
"To cast a barrier that covers the entire village requires that much effort. However, even after putting in such effort, the barrier will only last for about three days. That's why we can only cast such barriers on special occasions like this."
"I see."
If only the barrier could be deployed permanently, it would be convenient all the time, but it seems such a thing is not so straightforward.
"I should join the ritual soon. Would you mind waiting inside?"
"Of course, that's my intention. I'm here to guard you, Cieltia-sama."
"Thank you. Also, if you don't mind, could you keep an eye on that?"
She pointed her finger to a large golden cup.
"That's the Holy Grail. It's the most crucial item for this ritual. If it were to be stolen, the ritual would immediately be disrupted. So, I want you to carefully monitor that Holy Grail."
"Understood."
With that agreement, she headed toward the central altar to participate in the ritual. During that time, I followed the prearranged plan, mingling with other spectators, and took a seat to observe.
Then, High Priest Cieltia conducted the ritual. It began with the recitation of scriptures, occasionally interspersed with explanations to make it more understandable. Honestly, many parts of the scriptures were abstract and hard to comprehend, so the explanations were appreciated.
The contents of the scriptures started with the creation of this world, the relationship between the Supreme God and the Demon God, details about stats and skills, and the legend of the first hero.
At first, it was interesting to listen, but over such a long period, it became a bit dull. Looking around, some people were even dozing off while sitting.
Despite that, the priests were earnestly conducting the ritual, which was admirable. Especially, High Priest Cieltia continued speaking clearly without showing any signs of fatigue, even after several hours.
To fulfill my role as a guard, I had to maintain a sense of alertness and constantly observe for any suspicious individuals.
Later on, the priests sang hymns and recited prayer spells, and the ritual continued.
"Today's proceedings will conclude here."
"Thank you for your hard work."
As the evening approached, the ritual that had lasted for several hours finally came to an end. However, the ritual itself was not finished yet, as it needed to continue without interruption. Another priest would take over, but for Cieltia, it seemed like she had no more scheduled activities for the day.
Dinner was provided by the inn where we were staying, and they had even prepared for my sudden inclusion as a guard.
"For now, it seems like everything ended without any issues."
"Yes, I'm glad it concluded smoothly."
"You don't know anything other than the prophecy that I'll be attacked by enemies, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"It's going to be a tense period. I might be attacked during the ritual, while sleeping, or maybe even when having a meal. Also, the prophecy day could be tomorrow, the day after, or perhaps a year or ten years later."
"Could it be that even after the festival, you plan to hire him as a guard in preparation for the prophecy?"
The priest Elise, who was sharing the meal, interjected. I had thought that the events predicted by the prophecy would happen immediately, but it seems that it could be referring to events several years in the future.
"I don't know. However, during the festival, I do intend to employ Kiska as a guard. Let's think about what happens after the festival when the time comes. Is that acceptable to you?"
"Yes, I don't mind."
The meal concluded smoothly with such an understanding.
Later that night, it was decided that I would need to be on guard even while sleeping. However, since it was not practical for us to sleep in the same room, I ended up spending the night near the room where High Priest Cieltia was staying.
"I apologize!"
Suddenly, I heard a voice apologizing. When I looked, one of the inn's staff was bowing to High Priest Cieltia.
"Is something the matter?"
Approaching, High Priest Cieltia explained.
"It seems that your room couldn't be prepared. However, there's no helping it. We were the ones who made an unreasonable request."
Apparently, with the festival bringing a surge of people, all the inns were full. They had requested a room for me, but it seemed difficult to arrange.
"In this situation, sharing a room with someone is inevitable."
"Understood…"
Honestly, sharing a room with a stranger was uncomfortable, but I had no choice but to accept it. This was also to protect her.
"In that case, Kiska will be staying in my room from today."
"…Huh?"
"High Priest Cieltia! That's a bit…I find it hard to believe!"
In a daze, Priest Elise, with a bright red face, raised her voice in protest.
"If that's the case, would you like Kiska to stay in your room?"
"W-Well, that's… Besides, my room already has other priests staying in it…"
"That's why I think it's reasonable for him to stay in my room. Only you and I are aware of Kiska's situation."
"Well, having a man and a woman share the same room raises various issues…"
Priest Elise's complaints were valid. Even I thought it was questionable to stay in the same room.
"But staying in the same room is the most secure for guarding, I believe. If something happens, we can address it immediately."
"No, it's not about that issue…"
Priest Elise was perplexed. Well, explaining this kind of thing to someone who doesn't understand the nuances of gender relations is difficult. However, I couldn't explain these sensitive issues as a man, so she would have to do her best to understand.
"Listen. High Priest Cieltia is objectively very cute!"
Elise began saying strange things with a desperate expression.
"If you spend the night in the same room with such a cute Cieltia, any man won't be able to resist. Even I, if I were a man, wouldn't be able to resist! I would undoubtedly attack!"
Though what she said was outrageous, her desperate persuasion seemed to have gotten through, as High Priest Cieltia nodded in understanding.
"I see, I certainly didn't consider it enough. But rest assured. I lack feminine charm, so Kiska won't show any interest in me."
"High Priest, pleaseee! Please look at yourself more objectively! That's not true!"
"But I have a small chest, I'm short, and despite my age, I'm often told I look childish. So, I don't think I have such charm."
"On the contrary, isn't that a good thing?"
Priest Elise screamed.
For a moment, Elise seemed like nothing more than a pervert.
"I'll say it again, High Priestess, you're very cute! Kiska-san, you think so too, right!?"
"Uh, well, yes, I think she's cute."
"See, even he says so! High Priestess is cute!"
"…Setting jokes aside."
"It's not a joke to go to such lengths! Kiska is a reliable person, so there's no need to worry."
"Why does the High Priestess trust this man so much!?"
"I can tell whether a person is trustworthy just by looking at them."
"I never knew the High Priestess had such a power!"
"I just mentioned it now."
In reality, why does High Priestess Cieltia trust me so much? I don't recall doing anything particular, but knowing that I'm trusted to this extent feels a bit uncomfortable. Despite continued efforts by Priestess Elise to persuade her, High Priestess Cieltia didn't yield. In the end, Cieltia, being the one with the highest position, had the final say. As she gestured, "Kiska, please come in," I entered her room, wondering how things had come to this.