Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 153 Gathering

"Waaaaah!"

As soon as they got back to the inn, Aqua hugged Charlotte and burst into tears, and in the end, she couldn't hold back either. It felt like this guy had been crying nonstop ever since he arrived in this town.

Although Charlotte found it annoying, she didn't push him away, because if she didn't comfort Aqua, Wiz would be the one to suffer.

"This is outrageous! I've done so much for everyone, why am I being stoned by my own followers?! Waaaaaah!"

Aqua cried her heart out.

Cecily kept comforting her, but she didn't have any good solutions right now. After all, calling those people ignorant believers was insulting Aqua, and saying that Aqua wasn't a true goddess was also insulting her. She was caught in a dilemma.

Wiz stood frozen in place, holding the freshly warmed milk. She was hesitant to approach Aqua, who was currently experiencing a severe flood, especially since Cecily was also there, and Mu was still a high priest dressed in the robes of an Axis priestess.

If he were discovered to be a lich, he might be purified on the spot.

Fortunately, Charlotte saw it.

He took it and handed it to Aqua.

"I'd prefer to drink bubble wine."

"I don't think you really care that much."

At this moment, Kazuma Sato also arrived, along with Megumin and Darkness. It seemed that they had gone to unleash an explosion spell, as Megumin was lying on Darkness's back.

Kazuma Sato looked somewhat embarrassed. He had probably seen Aqua's speech and the scene of being pelted with stones, and seemed unsure how to explain it.

Charlotte shook her head, indicating that he didn't need to worry about it.

Cecily, on the other hand, had her eyes light up and rushed over excitedly when she saw Megumin clinging to Darkness's back. She hugged Megumin tightly and looked at her with great affection.

"Miss Huihui, it's great to see you again! I've missed you so much!"

"Wait, wait—big sister, please don't do this!"

Huihui wanted to push him away, but she was powerless to do so. Having lost both her magic and physical strength, she could only let him toy with her.

Everyone stared in surprise at the two people interacting intimately.

"What, Huihui, you know her?"

"Hmm... how should I put it? I guess you could call it a karmic entanglement." Huihui sighed helplessly. After telling everyone about how she had taken care of them when she first came to Alcanredia and how she had taught them the methods of recruiting members for the Axis cult, everyone gasped in shock.

Even Kazuma Sato's expression became quite interesting. He clenched his fists, wanting to do something, but in the end, he held back.

Huihui was a little curious.

"By the way, big sister, why are you here?"

"Hmm, the same question—Miss Megumin, I am, after all, a beautiful priestess of the Axis Cult. It's only natural that I return to headquarters, isn't it?"

"So that means—"

"Yes! I've been transferred to Axel! That's great, we can see each other more often now!"

"How could this be—!?"

Unlike the ecstatic Cecily, Megumin looked utterly dejected, as if the sky had fallen. No wonder she's a follower of the Axis Cult; even the Crimson Demons can't handle her?

"Wait a minute, can't you guys at least check on me?!"

Aqua complained.

Kazuma Sato rolled his eyes, somewhat annoyed, and said, "You idiot, look what you've done! How dare you call yourself a goddess in the street? Isn't it only natural that you get scolded!?"

"What did you say?!" Aqua jumped up and started arguing with him.

Darkness, looking regretful, muttered with a flushed face, "If only I had gone with Aqua, at least I could have experienced what it feels like to be pelted with stones—ah, that would be awesome!!"

At that moment, Aqua exclaimed, "In any case, someone is definitely causing destruction in this town. Several of the hot springs I've visited have been severely contaminated. Anyone who soaks in those hot springs will definitely get sick."

"Aqua's only reliable ability is as a priestess. Since she said it like that, it must be true, right? However, we can't even identify the criminal yet. As things stand, we are helpless."

"That's true. We should report this to the Adventurers' Guild and the association that manages the hot springs; after that, it'll probably be up to them to handle it."

That's what Darkness and Megumin said.

Aqua gritted her teeth in resentment. The matter concerned the Axis cult, and she naturally wanted to resolve it personally. However, no matter how much she valued those believers, they had treated her like that; there was really no need to insist on saving them.

But when she saw Aqua's tearful, pleading eyes...

Charlotte————

"Alright, alright, I'll help out tomorrow too."

There's just no way to deal with her.

Aqua stopped crying and smiled. Cecily also said she would return to the church for help, but since the highest leader of the Axis Church was not present, it was uncertain whether he could command the earthquake believers. However, she said that if they could find any clues and confirm that it was the Demon King's army's doing, then everything could be handed over to the Axis Church to solve.

Cecily spoke frankly and resolutely, but Charlotte always felt that she was up to something big. Could it be that she was planning to find some excuse to slander the Demon King's army and then command the followers of the Axis Cult? — Although the mastermind behind this was indeed the Demon King's army.

The next morning.

Having just finished breakfast, Aqua eagerly grabbed Charlotte's arm and headed out the door. Their primary goal was to reach the town's Adventurers' Guild and ask for their help in finding the culprit.

Although Aqua suggested conducting a survey at every hotel in town, Charlotte felt it was a waste of time and therefore decided to approach Kazuma Sato instead.

"I'm telling you, Kazuma, you should know who the culprit is, right?"

"—What?"

"Kazuma actually knew? Why?"

"How did Kazuma know?"

They were somewhat surprised.

Seeing Kazuma's somewhat distressed expression, Charlotte said, "Do you guys remember the first day we arrived at the inn? Kazuma went to the mixed bath by himself, and he said he saw something good. If that's really the case, then his expression wouldn't have been so strange when he came out, so something must have happened."

"Yes, if it's Kazuma—"

"He must have come back looking sleazy, but at that time he looked miserable, as if he had been forced to accept something he didn't want to do."

"That's true, if it's a good thing, Kazuma won't be unhappy."

'

What do you all take me for?!

"You scumbag, what's wrong?" X4

The four people spoke in unison.

Kazuma Sato was so aggrieved that he almost cried.