Life as an Adventurer with the Banished Marquis' Daughter - Chapter 34: The Exiled Marquis' Daughter is Faithful, Part 1

Chapter 34: The Exiled Marquis’ Daughter is Faithful, Part 1

The church is a group that calls themselves the servants of God. 

Their doctrine is simple:

Save the weak.

That’s really all there is to it. 

And they are faithful to this doctrine. 

Almost every one of them, from top to bottom, is dedicated to this principle.

Of course, when you have a group, factions will form. But their factions are based on how best to help the weak, so they are dedicated through and through. 

They take “saving the weak” seriously and put all their effort into it. Their churches are found everywhere in various countries, and they have strong connections and immense support from the people.

They are a group of magic experts who seek to master the divine art of magic, from lowly priests and nuns to the upper ranks. 

From the perspective of royalty and nobility, they aren’t particularly favorable, but their existence brings certain benefits.

The church actively helps the weak according to their doctrine, which the royals and nobles appreciate as long as it’s done independently. 

The fact that the church isn’t interested in secular power was also convenient for them.

Thus, the church and the authorities have maintained a respectful but essentially non-interfering relationship for many years. 

Well, that changed when someone planned to assassinate the Maiden of Light.

＊

I held back from clicking my tongue in annoyance.

Hecatai is a big city.

I had foolishly thought I wouldn’t run into anyone from the church if I avoided going near it. I cursed myself for that naive belief. 

A nun, carrying a large, bulging paper bag, hurriedly approached me. 

I wanted to ignore her and leave the store, but that seemed impossible.

“Aren’t you Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger?”

The nun spoke, peeking her face out from behind the paper bag. 

I wanted to say she had the wrong person, but Erika, for some reason, smiled and said yes. 

The nun placed the paper bag on the counter and bowed her head.

“Thank you for that time. Thanks to you, both I and the village are safe.”

“No, we just completed a request.”

The nun smiled at my response.

I tried to answer as curtly as possible, but was there something in my reply that made her smile?

“Yes, a request from just a girl.”

I inwardly clicked my tongue at her response. 

If she knew the circumstances and was with the church, she’d think that way.

An adventurer who helped a girl for free. 

There’s no benefit for me in being remembered favorably by church members.

In fact, I wish they would just forget about it. 

I desperately wanted to end the conversation and leave, but then a voice interrupted from the side.

“Shara, I hate to interrupt your lively chat, but how about introducing yourself?”

It’s not really lively, though. 

Tepe said this while checking the contents of the paper bag on the counter. 

Given her casual attitude, she must be an acquaintance, maybe even a friend.

“Oh, sorry about that. I’m Shara Lansra. As you can see, I’m a nun. Thank you very much for saving me and my village the other day.”

After combining her introduction and thanks, Shara looked at us with sparkling eyes.

I wondered what she wanted when Erika, standing next to me, nudged me with her elbow. 

That’s when I realized.

“I’m Shin Longdagger, and this is my ‘wife,’ Erika Longdagger. We’re adventurers, so it was just a job for us. Don’t worry about it.”

Honestly, I wished I could leave without even introducing myself. 

To be truthful, I didn’t want to reveal our names even now.

Maybe I should have given a fake name, but that could cause problems later.

Anyway, now that the introductions and the sword replenishment were done, it was time to leave quickly.

“Are your injuries all healed?”

Just as I thought that, Erika continued the conversation.

“Yes, thanks to you, I had plenty of time to heal.”

“What, Shara, you were injured?”

Tepe’s surprised voice made Shara nod.

“Yes, I was attacked by three Golden Ogres on my way to treat an injured villager.”

“It’s amazing you survived!”

“Yes, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Longdagger.”

Tepe looked thoughtful for a moment.

“You two defeated three Golden Ogres by yourselves?”

She asked hesitantly, so I nodded. Tepe then held her head and looked up at the sky.

“Damn! I should have charged more!”

She’s an honest person. Maybe she’s not cut out for business. 

No, she probably knows that, which is why she uses such a unique selling approach.

Anyway, now I understood why Shara knew about the request from the girl. 

She must have been called to the village to treat her father.

The church and the Adventurers’ Guild have a good relationship because they both aim to protect the weak. 

But if we get too well-known, we might start getting designated requests from the church, which I’d rather avoid.

“By the way, are you done with your business here?”

Erika glanced at the paper bag on the counter as she spoke. 

Perfect, this could be our chance to leave. 

We could excuse ourselves by not wanting to interrupt their business.

“Oh, right, Tepe.”

Shara turned towards Tepe. 

Great, now we can quietly slip out of the store.

“I’ve brought the repair supplies for the orphanage.”

The moment I heard the word “orphanage,” I knew my plan had fallen apart.

“Orphanage…?” 

Erika asked softly.

Yeah, I figured that would happen. 

I made sure to keep a neutral expression, trying not to let my eyes glaze over.