Chapter 241: The Beginning of the Trial
“The participants of the pilgrimage have arrived~!”
When the report arrived that the pilgrimage participants had arrived, the holy land became hectic.
The priests ran all over the place to welcome the participants and prepare for the trial.
“Let’s go see too!”
“Right.”
We followed the priests and headed toward the participants.
“This is…!?”
What we saw there were the battered figures of the participants.
Every single one of them was panting heavily, and the damage to their equipment was severe.
It was obvious they had just survived a fierce battle with some powerful enemy.
“So that’s how it was after all.”
As expected, it seems they were challenging a considerable ordeal in a place unknown to us.
More than anything, the number of participants had clearly decreased since the start.
This was evident from the fact that the dark-skinned foreign adventurers, who stood out at the opening ceremony venue, were nowhere to be seen.
They must have suffered severe injuries and dropped out.
“If they’re that battered, it’ll be an easy win for us,” Jairo-kun, who was next to me, blurted out something terrifying.
“What are you saying! Does that really look like such a scene to you!?”
“Eh? No, but it was an easy win for us until we got here, right?”
This is bad. Jairo-kun seems to have a major misunderstanding.
“That’s only talking about the highway. Those are definitely wounds received in a place other than the highway.”
“A place other than the highway?”
“Yeah. They should have been ahead of us, but for some reason, they arrived a night later than us. That means nothing other than the fact that they were fighting somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else? Well, I don’t remember overtaking them on the way, so that might be true, but if the opponents are battered, doesn’t that increase our chances of winning?”
“No, wounds and magic power consumption can be healed by drinking potions.”
“Po!? Y-Yeah… That’s true.”
“Rather, I’m more concerned by the fact that they faced an enemy that left them this battered even with all the pilgrimage participants mobilized. That means even when they banded together, there was a danger of total annihilation. To have won against such an opponent means their true strength is quite something.”
“I-Is that so!?”
“Moreover, that opponent was a powerful enemy that caused churches that usually have bad relations to join hands and fight. It also means they fight frequently enough to immediately suppress their daily feuds and fight together. I can’t possibly think we can easily defeat them when they have such intense experiences.”
“I-I see. As expected of Bro… Big Sis… It seems I let my guard down too.”
Thank goodness, he understood.
I was relieved that Jairo-kun once again understood the threat they posed.
In the upcoming battles, letting our guard down could instantly lead to death!
“Everyone, preparations for the trial will be finished shortly. Until then, please focus on your recovery here.”
Receiving the priest’s instructions, the participants hurriedly took out potions and began treating themselves.
“Let’s get ready while we can too!”
“Yeah!”
“I’ll go get our luggage.”
We returned to the room the priests had prepared for us and got ready to participate in the trial.
And when we returned to the place where the participants were gathered, they too looked fully prepared.
“Rakushi-chan!”
A voice calling us could be heard from among the participants.
“Foka-san!”
“Thank goodness, you girls arrived safely too.”
Seeing our safe figures, Foka-san let out a sigh of relief.
“Yes, we arrived yesterday.”
” ” “Yesterday!?” ” ” “
Then, Foka-san’s fellow participants raised voices of surprise.
“Unbelievable. We knew we were beaten to the punch, but to think there was that much of a gap…”
“No, we were only able to stand at the top because everyone took on the difficult trials. We were just lucky.”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
However, Foka-san’s comrades tilted their heads as if to say, What are you talking about?
Strange. Everyone should have been facing dangerous problems… Ah, I see!
As those who serve the gods, these people have no intention of boasting about their achievements.
Rather, they must think it’s only natural to save people in trouble.
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
Even if the higher-up priests clash intensely between the temples, the people participating in the pilgrimage stand at the same eye level as the common folk and face their daily troubles.
“As expected of active priests of the holy land, is it…”
“Eh? Umm… Y-Yes, that’s right! Ohohohohoho.”
Perhaps thinking it was impossible to keep hiding it any longer, Foka-san admitted it was exactly as I said.
Priests who are not only strong but also humble. As expected, I can’t let my guard down.
It was then. The priests of the holy land appeared once again.
And upon seeing their figures, the participants stopped talking, and the area naturally grew quiet.
“Everyone, preparations for the trial are complete. Right this way, please.”
…It’s finally here.
” ” ” ” ” ” ” This is the trial venue!? ” ” ” ” ” ” “
Entering the trial grounds deep inside the holy land, we raised voices of surprise at the sight.
It was a scene completely unimaginable from the terrifying word “trial.”
“Eh? What’s that? A wide pond with a bunch of small footholds?”
“There are holes so deep you can’t see the bottom. And that is… it looks like something is floating in the air…”
“There’s an insane slope over there!”
“I wonder what that floor is; it has a weird shape.”
Yes, what lay there was a field divided into several stages.
But that wasn’t what surprised me.
What surprised me was that I knew this sight very well.
The shape of the holy land, the numerous familiar facilities inside it—seeing this course tied them all together.
“This is… this facility is…”
Recalling forgotten memories, I was astonished by this fact.
This trial… isn’t this the educational athletic obstacle course I built in my life before last!
