Youkar, Walite - Chapter 8. Windrise church

Youkar’s eyes shifted to the voice, unable to resist berating in her mind the adventurer as a complete fool. Subsequently, she turned her gaze towards Neir: anticipating the knight’s furious response on stage, and his condemnation of the offender as a heretic, leading to the poor sod’s dragging out, bounding to the stake and being burned alive.

However, there was no anger on Neir’s face; instead, he seemed a bit dazed.

“Um… it’s indeed a bit lengthy. Here’s the deal: since you’re all adventurers, I’ll keep it brief. The rewards are clear, so does anyone have experience with gargoyles?” Neir rolled up the scroll, looking somewhat at a loss.

The adventurers looked at each other, a bit bewildered. They faced dangerous creatures before, but nothing more than skeletons in graveyards or wandering slimes on the roadside, perhaps a few goblins or cave beasts at most.

On the platform, Neir felt a bit embarrassed, so he coughed a few times, said “dismissed”, and hurried to leave.

Finally free, the adventurers dispersed from the scene, leaving Youkar and the hall deserted.

“Heh… without the long speeches and extravagant theatrics, the Church’s mobilization seems even more meaningless,” murmured Youkar to herself. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was still early, so she decided to grab breakfast and go back to catch up on sleep.

……

Trunk city’s head and heart: wind rising church

The newly built church stands at the center of the city. Unlike the old church, the new one is grander in construction. Its height alone reaches an astounding 113 meters, with the towering statue of the Goddess present for all to admire.

However, this colossal statue, shunning the light passing through the stained glass, shrouded the pulpit in complete darkness, devoid of any light. Helpless, the clergy had to illuminate the area with candlesticks.

Neir gazed at the enormous and intricately crafted statue of the Goddess as he entered the church. Just this alone surpassed the grandeur of the cathedral in Sunflower town by countless times. Not to mention the golden candlesticks, the ceiling painted in landscapes and the marble-polished floor.

Neir was a bit blown away. However, he was quickly brough back to his senses by the statue.

Inside the church, as the outside sun was blocked, the statue seemed out of place, glaring almost.

Cleon stood praying in front of the statue. Neir stood beside the stand, waiting quietly.

Before long, the priest finished his prayer and turned around to see Neir, his face showing a hint of surprise. “Oh, dear knight, you’re here? Why didn’t you inform me beforehand?”

“The mobilization assembly ended early. As planned, we’ll be dealing with those gargoyles tonight, Your Excellency,” Neir replied.

“Ended early?” The priest squinted, the wrinkles on his forehead creasing like old bark, yet his gaze betrayed no surprise.

“Yes, as you suspected, those adventurers wouldn’t heed your words,” Neir replied, unphased.

The priest sighed, extending his withered hand to stroke his white, bushy beard. “Ah… adventurers are adventurers after all. Compared to those barbaric mercenaries, they merely have an added layer of legitimacy. Their hearts are set on money. Only money can move them. As for sacred words, they are too crude to listen to a single one.”

“Your Excellency, forgive my bluntness, but in truth, they are just ordinary people. They are far from the grace and boundless majesty of the Goddess. As for ordinary folk, being drawn to money is natural because they only see the need to provide for their families. Moreover, most of them are illiterate; how could they understand the doctrines?”

Father Cleon’s brows easened listening to his words, and he smiled with satisfaction, patting Neir’s shoulder. “Such compassion and attempt to understand others’ plights—I haven’t heard that in a long time. You’re right… Oh, Neir, you’re from Sunflower town in the southern kingdom of Forster, correct?”

“Yes, Reverend Father,” Neir replied sincerely.

“I’ve heard of the high priestess there. She’s always been compassionate and kind. If you go back, remember to give my regards,” Father Cleon smiled and instructed.

“I won’t forget,” Neir solemnly promised as well.

The priest looked towards the bothersome statue of the Goddess and asked, “Since you’ve returned from the adventurer’s guild, have you seen the person people call Ghost?”

“Ghost? I’ve heard of this person, her name is Youkar Walite, right?” Neir’s expression darkened a bit. “She’s a complete heretic, her mind is filled with nothing but money, and she holds disdain, if not even contempt towards the Goddess!”

“So, did you see her?” Seeing Neir evade the question, the priest repeated himself.

“No… or perhaps she simply never showed herself.”

“If you were to encounter her, what would you do?” the priest asked, somewhat meaningfully.

“I would try to change her perspective,” Neir replied without hesitation.

The priest suddenly became interested in the young man before him: “Why? She’s just a mercenary disguised as an adventurer.”

Neir responded, “The high priest believes that everyone’s heart is inherently good but due to the corruption of the world, their hearts become darkened, making them villains. Therefore, everyone has a chance to walk the right path, and the church exists for this very reason, which is also what the Goddess wishes to see.”

The priest slightly coughed, his face showing a hint of guilt. “Ah, indeed, look at you, so young, yet so faithful.”

He smiled and kindly said to Neir, “Well then, I wish you success, paladin, and I also wish you a glorious crusade.”

……

On the eve of dusk, Youkar yawned and walked out of her room, descending the stairs to the first floor.

Scanning around, apart from adventurers eagerly waiting for the start of the expedition, there was no one else. Doctor Faust still hadn’t returned; it was unclear whether he had become the wild beasts’ dinner or had taken the money and ran.

However, it didn’t really matter. It was just twenty-five copper coins. If it’s lost, so be it. She wasn’t exactly a miser. With these thoughts in mind, Youkar, drowsy as ever, walked up to the counter and ordered a snack along with a glass of iced milk, considering it her dinner.

……

Meanwhile, at the old windrise^[1] church.

The green brick walls, covered in climbing vines and lingering sunlight, casted a desolate air upon the half-buried church.

Only the delicate ornaments and engravings lining the bricks hinted the travelers of what it once was. Inside, there also stands a statue of the Goddess, but this statue is sideways. The Goddess has a gentle smile, gazes ahead, and extends a hand as if to shake hands with someone.

It is true that, upon closer inspection, the Goddess only occupies half of the pedestal, while the other half has disappeared without a trace. Only two partially destroyed hooves were left behind.

It seems to be some kind of animal, but the inscription on the statue’s pedestal has faded, just as damaged.

Dr. Faust walked past the gates and saw an immense hole, about three meters in lenght, on the floor. Hidden within was a darkness from which came an unpleasant musty smell.

“Sure enough…”

[1] ‘Wind rising church’ and ‘windrise church’ are synonyms, the later gets used when the first is too long-winded.

“ Ohhh, mystery! ‘Show not tell’ at its finest. “ I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’ve increasingly spent a lot of time just perfecting the chapters already translated, editing, moving stuff around so it reads better, trying to stay faithful to the original text and all that.

However, I would be able to output much more chapters if I focused a bit less on chapter quality.

Yet, I have to make it clear that I’m an MTL translator. As shameful and garbage-filled as my line of work is, I’m commited to doing the best I can with the tools available to me. Digital tools have become much more evolved with time. Nevertheless, they are far from perfect: a good portion of my time is spent on making it not horrible, and the rest is spent making it good. I can skim off the later and have it be decent, maintaining a good influx of chapters. However, is this what you want? Please, let me know what you think.