I Became a Porter for a Women-Only Party. 17

Chapter 17 – 17 – A Ball Full of Soul

Which denomination are you from?

Did Florica really ask that out of gratitude?

My colleagues and I exchanged anxious glances. The only person who can answer that question is Sister Monica.

And looking at the sister’s expression, it looked like she was going to collapse at any moment, let alone answer.

I pretended not to hear, helped the sister and left the place. Then a paladin tried to grab my back.

“Isn’t the Battle Priest asking?”

“But what?”

The heavy hand that was approaching me suddenly stopped. Eshen reassuringly caught it in advance.

The embarrassed Paladin of Mithra tried to pull her arm away, but Eshen’s grip made no movement. A crackling sound comes from the plate armor, which is gradually collapsing.

“You are not a king or an emperor, so do you have to answer everything they ask?”

“Stop!”

Florica’s urgent cry.

I didn’t tell Eshen. If Eshen points out that ‘you have no right to give orders’ and you clearly give orders, and if Eshen ignores you again, you will look so stupid that it will be difficult to deal with it again.

So, that command was given to the paladins who were drawing their weapons. These bastards. Look at how his attitude changes as soon as he rescues a party member.

Even though they must have heard the captain’s words to stop, the group of paladins approached with murderous attacks. A vicious attitude, as he takes out a mace, flail, and battle hammer and taps them with his palm.

However, the faithful servants of the Mithraic Church realized a little later that the atmosphere was unusual.

“If you don’t put that in.”

Captain Tomko twisted his face viciously.

“I’ll drill a hole in its head and make it into meat and rice.”

Not only our party, but other party members were also glaring at them with stern eyes.

The sight of the heavy armor soldiers halting their steps looks despicable. When our party suddenly got up, they approached as if they had expected, but when Lily and the pirates put their hands on the hilts of their swords, they suddenly stopped as if they were embarrassed.

If they hadn’t been outnumbered, would they have planned to step on us from the beginning?

The thought must have occurred to Eshen as well, as he grabbed the Paladin’s wrist with an angry expression and began to break it. The Paladin who was caught let out a girlish moan.

The female employees of the city hall who opened the door for the paladins are giggling quietly behind our backs.

…Shouldn’t you be embarrassed and stop me? The people who came to save your city are fighting among themselves.

A sudden sense of discomfort. Head spinning desperately. A guess that skips a few steps.

I grabbed Eshen’s other wrist.

“Hold on. This is not the time to fight among ourselves.”

The paladins’ appearance is haggard. A torn off badge. Claw marks left on the shield.

I think I was caught by surprise and chased away because I couldn’t move, but I haven’t even heard what happened to them yet.

Moreover, behind them is the Church of Mithras. If you push back, things will become a headache.

But Eshen spoke sarcastically.

“I want to let you go, too. But I haven’t heard an apology for being rude yet.”

“You slut…!”

“Watch what you say, Christensen!”

Florica shouted fiercely and walked in front of us.

There was no sign of staggering. Even though the healers patched up all the wounds, it was a considerable amount of willpower considering that it had only been a while since such an attack had occurred.

Florica’s pale face turned to face Eshen, who was smiling with his fangs bared.

“I am Florica, a member of the Knights Templar of Mithra and the leader of the Paladins on this expedition.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, so is the introduction too late? This is Eshen Taiga and his nine subordinates.”

“I’m the leader, you crazy bitch! Who’s your subordinate!”

Elf Nenya shouted loudly. Knight Lenny sighs.

“Don’t get angry all at once, Nenya. Just once or twice.”

“Twins, were you here too? I couldn’t see you because you were small.”

Eshen tilted his head back and looked back at Florica again.

“But why, Paladin? Don’t you think it’s too late to hastily introduce yourself after the situation is like this?”

“I apologize for my rudeness in asking which denomination it was. I only wanted to ask with the intention of donating the compensation to his temple. There are more than one religion that has a grudge against Mithras, so I should have been more careful.”

What. I didn’t expect you to be this polite.

Florica tried to stand gracefully, but it was difficult while still soaked and wrapped in a blanket.

With a haggard face suffering from hypothermia and pain, the carefree attitude from before has long since disappeared.

Our party members surrounding the sister have relaxed their guard a little.

“And I apologize on behalf of the subordinate who tried to catch him for his rudeness. It looks like he has no intention of apologizing.”

A brief exchange of glances between paladins. At least there is no intimacy in it. I didn’t miss it.

The atmosphere calms down after a while. The menacing eyes turn back to the fireplace or to the rye cake that has not yet been eaten.

Our party members took the sister, whose breathing had stabilized, up to the bedroom. Eshen also tried to follow her sister.

But I quietly pulled Eshen’s collar.

“Why?”

“I have work to do. Lend me your ear for a moment.”

“What are you going to do? Didn’t you see Monica’s tear stains? I’ll comfort you too.”

As soon as Eshen heard my whisper, her face hardened.

When I took my mouth off Eshen’s ear, he looked like he could chew a whole person.

I flinched a little, recalling a nightmare from when I was in heat.

“Are you sure?”

You can’t say for sure based on your opinion alone.

I have to find out now.

“Remember, Eshen.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But what?”

“First of all, everything I say to Florica from now on is bullshit.”

———–

“Your father is you?”

In the end, several healers from other parties stayed by Florica’s side and took care of her, saying that she was still a member of the same expedition team even if she rotted.

Thanks to this, I was able to avoid the eyes of the paladins and secretly deliver the note through the pirate party’s healers.

Florica, who came up to the bathroom on the second floor, hesitating at the hint I left in the note, opened her eyes round at the sight of my soul.

“Your father sent you here? “Watch me?”

I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed and my legs crossed. My arms and legs were shaking so I was afraid I might get caught.

If you respond to the word that the ‘Vicar’ sent you as her father, then this woman is the person I know.

One of the members of the Mithra Church who possesses ‘warrior aptitude’. Florica Waldenhardt.

I saw it in the newspaper. It is said that while he was on an upward trajectory just before he was promoted to an elite combatant, a monster he missed attacked a private house and caused millions of gold damage.

The daughter of the Bishop of Waldenhardt, a man of considerable power. Plus, she has the Hero trait. Then she is not someone who desperately needs a promotion.

However, if you are featured on the front page of the news as an asshole who caused damage to the public, that is a different story.

The same desperation in his voice whether he was arguing with us or apologizing. You can indirectly find out what kind of evaluation was received internally.

This person wants to somehow make up for the mistakes that destroyed his position.

So, if there is a helping hand to hold on to, you will try to hold on to anything.

When a person is in such a situation, he is most susceptible to fraud.

“Once you become the head of the diocese, there is no place you cannot touch. Even if it is a closed party that only accepts women. They planted me as a spy in advance. To give you advice if things go wrong.”

I clinked the Mithra medallion in my arms.

In fact, it was an item I received in return for rescuing Bishop Mithra on a pilgrimage. Something like a sign that says ‘a person trusted by the bishop’.

“I see. These days, when porters are not often used, it is hard to find a female porter… If the story is complicated, there will be less suspicion.”

But Florica’s face was twisted not with hope but with despair.

“Tell him. If you want to make me fall again, do whatever you want! There’s nowhere for me to fall anyway!”

···Uh? Wasn’t she on the same side as her father?

Eshen, who was watching while our secret conversation took place, kept glancing in this direction as if he was anxious.

Fucked. But it’s not so bad that it can’t be fixed.

If ‘selling out to powerful people you will never meet anyway’ fails, there is still a second best option…

“Was it not enough for Christensen and his subordinates not to cooperate? There is no one here on my side anyway, so you were so anxious that I might be able to do something even a little?”

“···?”

Let’s listen first before we hastily come up with the next best solution. The paladins weren’t all on the same side?

That certainly could be the case. Florica shouted for them to stop, but they kept fighting, right? The reason a fight didn’t break out was because of the difference in numbers, not the order.

“Isn’t Christensen good at following orders? He seemed united when he shouted slogans in the rain.”

“Unity? Me? With your father’s people?”

Florica smiled gloomily.

“Do you remember how I told you to be quiet when your girls’ party was whispering cutely? After that, Christensen started talking louder on board as if she wanted me to hear her. She was shivering from the cold she felt after landing in the port. He taunted me in a low voice, asking me if I was afraid of wind and rain. Is that a cooperative attitude?”

···Standing in front of the building and singing hymns was not about keeping other party members in check, but about maintaining discipline.

What was noisy on the ship was the political fight between the Mithra believers.

After hearing her truth, Eshen laughs at her as if he doesn’t like her. Florica gritted her teeth.

Don’t grit your teeth. Be quiet and don’t shut your mouth. I have to get one more word out before anyone comes.

I quickly came up with the next best solution.

“The vicar is not just the warrior’s father. I haven’t even said a word about being my father’s subordinate.”

Florica gasps.

At the same time, she did the same to Eshen. With a curious expression, I wonder how far this crazy drama will go.

I gestured with my hand to tell Eshen to look out for the net.

“Someone of the bishop-level ranks may have a very high opinion of your potential. They may need to help you in a place where your father’s schemes cannot reach.”

‘Selling out a powerful person you will never meet’ failed. In that case, the next best option I chose was ‘selling out another person in power who I would never encounter.’

Of course, if you sell two people in one day, the chances of getting caught and being beaten like a dog are twice as likely. Did it go up from 0.1% to 0.2%?

But it is better than everyone being killed in droves due to lack of information.

Even if you come back from a fight with something, you don’t say what hit you.

The paladins must have a hidden agenda.

The darkness cleared slightly from Florica’s expression. I took advantage of this moment and spoke subtly.

“Were you attacked by something outside? By what?”

“···Are you really saying this because you don’t know? If I knew, your parish priest would know too.”

The guess was correct. You Mithra guys, you knew the identity of the devil in advance, right?

But you weren’t sharing any information with us?

Florica flinched, as if a little suspicious.

“Are you sure it was really sent by someone like the head of the diocese?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know if it was the devil or Christensen. If it’s the latter, Christensen and the rest of the paladins won’t be safe when they return.”

“···I am not the only daughter of the vicar. Do you think the bitches down there will be so easily punished? You sound like a dream.”

‘Bitches’?

The nuance is strange. Does this mean that the paladins were sent only with women?

The reason the Paladin whose wrist was broken by Eshen earlier made such a feminine sound was because she was really a woman?

“You wouldn’t know it by looking at the scars that were left on my back in the first place. They were inflicted by a demon that attacked me from the fog. It hurts terribly.”

Florica’s face turned bitter.

“She should have been born a man. Just like your father said.”

“Why is that so?”

“Why? If I were a man, would I have been attacked so harshly? They probably saved it so that they could suck me out.”

Holy shit…

———–

I thought I was screwed when I chopped up the hydra bones.

And when I found out that the newly contracted party was for women only, I thought I was screwed.

Now, I don’t think those things can even be included in the introductory axis. I plan to become a Mithra hater from now on.

While there was tension in the lodging building, the mayor and his entourage arrived.

“The storm is getting worse, guests! We may be a little late. We took a look around the warehouse. Did anything happen?”

We greeted them as calmly as possible, but the female mayor and female employees narrowed their eyes. Did he sense that the atmosphere was unusual?

“I’m hungry!”

When Eshen improvises and shouts, everyone begins to shout along.

A look of happiness flashes across the female mayor’s face. I guess they thought our vigilance was due to hunger.

“···Look at my mind. I’m sure you’re all hungry. I’ve brought you a dinner, so everyone, please let off steam.”

A huge cart pulled into the door by female employees. When we open the tent, what we see is ‘not wet’ whole chicken and turkey.

The smell is so good that it can’t be compared to things like salted meat or rye cake.

But 8 hours after I came in shivering in the cold, they brought me food.

Aside from being rude, isn’t it strange? There are hundreds of people with weapons, so isn’t it scary that they might harbor a grudge?

It’s as if they mixed something we shouldn’t eat into the food and waited until we couldn’t overcome our hunger and ate it without hesitation.

If it weren’t for the emergency formula I came up with, everyone might have been exhausted and accepted it without question.

The people, who were already full, cheered without even realizing it. It would be more natural that way.

People who couldn’t hide their emotions in front of that shameless ‘mayor’ were forced to sit in the back and hide them.

I am worried about Sister Monica who is among them. Being tied up with Mithras is not enough…

I can’t believe you have to suffer because you got caught up in something like this.

I sent a hand signal to Eshen. Now.

Eshen happily jumped and rushed towards the cart loaded with meat. Like a rude barbarian with hungry eyes.

He then tripped and collided with a female employee at City Hall who was serving food at a table in the hall.

“Ouch!”

“Ouch! Sorry! By the way.”

The female employee, whose shoes had come off and was worn out, tried to vent her frustration by rubbing her sore bone.

And she immediately screamed again. Hanging upside down, her Eshen’s hands grabbed her ankles.

“What is this, you bitches?”

Her Eshen’s foot, held tightly in her grasp, was not that of a man but that of a goat.

As Eshen lifts her exposed hoof, the mayor’s face hardens. Other female employees too.

Eshen laughed murderously.

“I was suspicious from the beginning. For some reason, the sound of footsteps was too clear.”

Aside from that, looking back, it was strange from the beginning.

Have you ever seen a village man since you came here? Does not exist. Only the female mayor and female employees.

Even though everyone is at home today because of the storm, it is strange for a port city where people make a living by catching fish and riding boats.

Why did Mithra’s paladins send a party comprised entirely of women?

Of course. Those fucking bastards… Have already figured out that the other person is a demon targeting men.

Even though you knew about it, you hid it? Do you know that ‘Lily of Vanir’ and ‘Countess’ Handgun’ are all ‘male’?

So, they sent a paladin unit made up entirely of women, right?

The mayor clapped his hands while everyone except the paladins was consumed with anger. Then, all the neatly dressed employees spread their black wings and tore off their clothes, revealing their identities.

The succubi licked their lips and glared at us.

“Are these prey a little smarter?”