Resurrection of Duke Werstein ~ I Didn’t Hear Anything About Being A Middle-aged Man ~ 45

Before I knew it, I looked up from my prone position and gasped.

“Do you know anything about it?"

As is my habit, I asked quietly and carefully, trying not to sound impatient, but I heard a voice in my ear that sounded like it was laughing at me.

'Who do you think I am, I’m the king of the spirits who control the water.

Water exists everywhere except in deserts.

There's almost nothing I don't know.'

I was a little annoyed by her bold declaration, but I guess it can't be helped.

Because if she knew everything, it meant that she knew what the neighboring country was doing and left it alone.

To put it bluntly, it's disgusting.

I was tempted to give her a big tsukkomi, but if I pointed it out, she might get upset, so I decided to leave it alone.

It probably wouldn't do any good to say anything to such a person.

I did my best to switch gears and let out another voice with magical power to deliver my voice in the too-quiet, frozen air.

“...... What's the price?"

Then I heard from my ear a bewitching voice that was difficult to describe, like that of a girl who likes to play tricks, somewhat hinting but charming.

'Well, if you're going to retaliate against that country, may I have a bite?'

The answer delivered in a happy voice, almost sounding like a chuckle, made me sigh in frustration.

What kind of person is this?

Oh, she's not a person, so I guess it can't be helped.

I'm too lazy to think about it anymore than this, so I'm done.

"...... Aren't you in charge of world order?"

'Yes, I am.

But we can't leave those who desecrate the existence of spirits and pollute the water.'

The irritated, yet somewhat insane voice sounded happy for some reason, no matter how I thought about it.

It was probably because she was looking forward to the retaliation.

It may be tactless to interfere with her feelings, but can I ask you a question?

"Can't leave it, or... After all this time of not doing anything about it?"

'Hmm, you're the one who reminded me of something I'd forgotten, so take responsibility.'

"I see."

I keep a calm face and nod lightly in agreement.

Might not matter to say this but, is this my fault?

Eh? It’s not my fault right?

Why is it my fault? Isn’t that mean?

This kind of thing, as I thought wasn’t it called shifting the blame.

What did I do to deserve this?

I breathed out a breath to hide the whining that was going on in my brain.

I guess I should force myself to accept that this is the way it is.

It seems that even with Augusto-san's knowledge, spirits are whimsical, and even though he knew about all the shady stuff, but forgot about it as a result, here we are.

Is it that, they were trying to do something, but got sidetracked while discussing it with everyone, and forgot about it.

Those spirit kings seem likely to do that.

I can't blame them, they just seem so stupid.

I'm angry, but I'll ignore it.

"So, do you know the aim of the neighboring country?

'...... Hmm, wait a minute, I'm coming to you.'

"...... Why?"

'Would you understand if I told you about not knowing where the leak will come from or who's listening?'

Really said looking from above, but when you put it that way, it was true.

I don't know if it's possible to eavesdrop, but it's not impossible that there are people who can.

If you don't want to be heard, you need to protect yourself.

"All right."

I felt repelled by the idea of letting anyone into this room, but my desire to know was stronger than that, so I had no choice.

I nodded one more time, painfully, but still, forcibly convinced.

The port town of Southgate, located in the southernmost part of the Kingdom of Lunamilia, has a religion that worships spirits as an indigenous belief, in addition to the Lunamilia religion, which is the national religion.

Because it is a port town, this religion was created to praise and appreciate all spirits, especially water spirits, and is different from the absolute and blind faith of Lunamilia.

To put it another way, it is as simple as worshipping a Jizo¹ on the side of the road.

That is why it is deeply rooted in people's roots and recognized as a familiar faith.

If Lunamilism is Buddhism as we know in Japan, then the belief in spirits is the belief in eight million gods.

And as a symbol of this belief in spirits, there are churches and chapels quietly existing here and there in the country.

As one of them, a small church had been built in South Gate.

The church, once managed by an old woman, is now run by her granddaughters and sisters.

The old woman, who had worked hard to raise the sisters, who were the remnants of her son and daughter-in-law, finally became unable to move about two years ago.

Therefore, the sisters have been running the church while living a self-sufficient life by cultivating a small field.

Even though they were running the church, they were only offering prayers of thanks to the spirits, so their life was not much different from that of an ordinary family.

Rather than a church, it was more like a meeting place with a stone monument, a meeting place for the residents of the neighborhood, and a place for communication.

Although it is far from the center of the city, the church is a place of relaxation and is no different from a real home for the sisters who lost their parents 12 years ago.

The younger sister is 12 years old.

The older sister is 17 years old, they are poor, but with the support of the people around them, they are struggling to run the church.

The warm place where they were born and raised was important and irreplaceable to them.

The younger sister, who had grown up as a baby without knowing the love of her parents, grew up to be very active with the love of her grandmother and older sister.

My sister grew up to be a quiet and gentle girl.

In a country where there are many families without parents, this was a relatively normal family.

The only difference was that they could hear the voices of spirits, which no one else could recognize.

Other than that, it was a very ordinary family, not like a noble family, just sisters who were good looking enough to be called healthy beautiful girls.

The older sister's name is Arietta, and the younger sister's is Velvet.

They have chestnut-colored hair and eyes of the same color.

The older sister wears her hair in braids and the younger one in twin tails.

The strange color of their hair, including their eyes, which can look green in the right light, seemed to complement their well-rounded faces.

The sisters are very similar except for their hairstyle, age, and personality.

They are very close and their lovable nature is well known in the neighborhood.

That's why they are so easy to spot by the bad guys.

"That's why I'm calling on everyone in this town to take refuge in our church."

A priest with a kind and somewhat troubled smile on his face was speaking in a soothing voice that matched his face.

Beside the priest, a boy around the same age as his sister was staring at her somewhat sullenly.

"... I see... I understand what you're saying, but I can't leave this place unattended."

The older sister, who is the patriarch of the family and has a strong sense of responsibility, said crisply.

“Why is that, you are both beautiful.

You never know when the lord will take notice of you."

"You say that, but what have we done to warrant the lord's attention?

I heard that yesterday he passed by without doing anything."

"You are young, and that is why you may not yet understand.

But that lord despises us, his people.

The fact that he is oppressing us is more than obvious, considering the fact that we are not getting richer even though we work hard, and the number of deaths of those who have fallen into poverty."

As the priest spoke earnestly, the sister listened to the voices of the spirits as she watched out of the corner of her eye as the boy raised his eyebrows as if to glare at her.

'No, this man is only interested in using you, don't be fooled.'

'Yeah, he's not thinking straight.'

The voices that echoed directly in her head, without passing through her ears, were the voices of a girl and a boy, familiar to her.

Because the family believed in spirits, the older sister knew that they would never tell any lies.

And because they can hear their voices, the sisters are favored by the spirits.

In other words, their words were the undeniable truth, and they were reliable information for her.

"It is true that life is not getting any better and the number of the dead is increasing every year."

"Yes, of course."

The sister calmly looks at the priest who agrees with her in an exaggerated way, to the point that it sounds like he's purring.

In fact, from the gossip of the spirits she had heard that the death toll in this city was increasing.

In the so-called slums, there are people from all walks of life and children born there.

It is not a good environment for children to grow up healthy, and it would be strange if there were no deaths there.

Now, if you ask why the number of deaths is increasing, the incident 12 years ago is closely related.

Can a family that has lost an adult in the prime of his life to an illness live the same life as before?

The answer is no.

A high number of families were left stranded on the streets and even fell into poverty.

Twelve years have passed since the tragedy, but the young and flexible children have survived and are still able to make a living.

It is not hard to imagine what happened to the old people who were used to a reasonably affluent life.

This is the reason why the number of deaths has increased over the past 12 years, and in fact the deaths have been caused by poverty, but if you ask if the lord is solely responsible, one would have to tilt their head a little.

That's the background, but for those of us who currently live and work in this land, it's not so easy.

It was inevitable that their resentment would be directed at those who stood above them.

She can understand how they feel, and she can understand that they maintain their peace of mind by doing so.

But that didn't mean that she thought that the lord was oppressive, or that he was a good person for doing nothing, but it didn't matter to the older sister.

"But I can't leave my grandmother."

What would happen if we followed this priest?

She could understand what would happen if they followed this priest when she saw the uncomfortable look in the eyes of the priest in front of her staring at the older sister's body even if she didn’t want to.

That's why it was unthinkable for her to take my grandmother and go to this priest with her younger sister.

"Why don't you come with us, the whole neighborhood will be there, what are you worried about?"

"Even so, we will stay here."

The older sister was still very firm in her assertion.

Who would want to go to a place where adults called extremists gather?

"You! How dare you, when the priest is being so kind!"

Suddenly, the boy beside the priest shouted at the older sister.

The boy, his face and ears red with anger, shakes his clenched fists and glares at his sister as if he is about to shoot her.

'This guy, he's only being kept around because they like the color of his eyes, what's he acting big for?'

"Richard-kun, stop it."

"Father! But these guys!"

At the words of the giggling spirit, I look into the eyes of the boy who is being rebuked by the priest.

They are pure and innocent, with blue eyes that are rare around here.

I see, the older sister agreed coldly, reaffirming that the priest's nature was rotten.

"…… Please take your leave.

We are bound by the spirits to protect this place."

"I understand.

But if you change your mind, you can always come to our church.

Because God is watching over all of us equally."

"......... Thank you for your concern."

That's all she said, and then she went inside the church and locked the door.

She could hear the boy still screaming about something, but she ignored him.

The hard sound of metal scraping against metal echoed in the area.

Then the younger sister, who had been watching the situation, called out to the older sister.

"Are you okay, sister?"

“Ah, Vel, I'm fine, I managed to turn him away."

The older sister looks a little tired, and the younger sister approaches her with a worried expression on her face.

"What are they doing here?"

"I seems he came to tell us to take refuge in the church before the lord does anything bad."

At her sister's words, the younger sister wrinkled her beautiful brows.

"...... I'm not going to go to a church with those people, no matter how bad the lord is."

"Shh, no, Vel, what if they hear us?"

"Because, sister, they're the kind of people the spirits don't like. They're bound to be bad people."

"Even if they are, don't say anything bad about them, the spirits are watching."

The older sister laughs in annoyance at the indignant younger sister and pats her head gently with her hand.

She narrowed her eyes at the sound of the rustling of clothes and the soft, flowery scent of her sister.

'Arie is earnest, Vel is just straightforward.'

'But, Spirit-sama, it's a matter of life and death in this city.'

'Well, Arie, Vel, it's okay since they're not here right now, but you can't say that in public.'

"Yes, I'll be careful."

'Yes, Vel is a good girl.'

“Ehe"

With the younger sister and the unseen spirit giggling at each other, the older sister is finally relieved, and with a somewhat relieved expression on her face, she squinted her eyes as if she had seen something dazzling.

‘Right, Arie-'

"Yes, what is it, Spirit-sama?"

The older sister's back straightened as she suddenly heard the voice of the spirit, and she wondered what was going on.

'A wise man has come to this city.'

"What, a wise man?"

'Yes, he'll help you.'

“Is that so, that goodness…, with this the city will also…"

'That's right.'

When she heard the happy voice of the spirit, the older sister's expression finally broke down.

The older sister's name is Arietta and the younger sister's name is Velvet.

The sisters had been designated by God as characters that could be made as companions in a certain game that was the origin of this world.

Because they can hear the voices of spirits, they appear as characters who can use strong magic.

The older sister is good at healing magic and the younger sister is good at attacking magic, and since they have a grandmother who is crippled, only one of them can be their companion in the game.

The sisters are distressed by the current state of the city, which has fallen into excessive poverty due to the tyranny of the lord, and when they hear from a spirit that a saint or hero has set foot in the area, they seek help.

At this time, whether the older sister or the younger sister joins the party depends on whether or not they have the lord's son, the Knight Commander, as a companion.

If they had, they can make the older sister their companion as a healer, and if not, they could make his sister his companion to adjust their firepower.

But that was the case when five years had passed while the lord was still a dark fool.

The lord has now became a wise man and closer to God than anyone else in this world.

Apparently, this changed his fate, and the event that was supposed to happen five years later was brought forward.

Amazed at how much fun it had become by changing just one piece of the puzzle, as he looked down at the world below, God chuckled happily again.

It took me about thirty seconds to feel her.

In such a short time, she appeared.

Her hairstyle and costume were different from the last time I saw her, but she seemed to be wearing the same style of Chinese clothes.

As soon as she arrived, she saw what was going on in the room and quickly fanned her fan, covering her mouth with it and raising her eyebrows.

'Mm, ....... I see, this is the cause of your anger.'

"...... Originally, I didn't want anyone to see this, but..."

'Uhm, no matter how much you hide, the spirits will know.'

I've been assured in no uncertain terms that there's no such thing as privacy.

But I couldn't say anything because that was the reality.

'But I'm amazed at how you've managed to preserve it so beautifully, it doesn't look like it's any different...'

Suddenly, I heard a voice that sounded somewhat impressed, and I pulled my consciousness back to reality.

If I look, there was the Water Spirit King in sight staring at Julia-san's corpse.

The distance between us was getting closer and closer, as if she had no reservation at all, as it was natural for her to be invisible to everyone.

...... I think you've seen too much.

“This is one of the victims of a neighboring country's curse, and ... My wife."

I decided to explain the situation again to turn her attention to me, but I wondered if it was the right thing to do.

As I thought about this in a corner of my mind, I looked at the Spirit King, and after glancing at me, she returned his gaze to Julia-san's body and then opened her mouth.

'...... Hhm. I see. ...... must have been very attached to it to leave it so beautifully.

By the way, I heard that the Duke of this country lost his wife and broke his heart. ……'

"You mean the man I was before I became a wise man."

'I see.

What a foolish thing.'

I'm pissed, but I can't complain.

"...... I have no excuse."

'Hmm, are you not angry?'

"You are the wrong person to direct my anger at."

'Well done, child. You must be a favorite of my mistress's family.

She giggled, and the word bewitching was the perfect word to describe her.

By the way, I wonder if Augusto-san's house has the attributes of water or ice.

I don't really care, I thought as I waited for her to say something.

Then she looked at me and smiled, as if she had finally remembered the main point.

'Oh well, and was it, the neighboring country's aim'

"Ah, yes."

I'm baffled when a beautiful woman smiles at me.

I answered the questions, escaping with unimportant thoughts.

'...... You know that there are not many spirits in that land, right?'

No, I don't know.

I don't know, but well, it seems to be in Augusto-san's knowledge, so I'm going to nod.

As I nodded in silence, she nodded back with a somewhat proud look on her face, and then she just plopped down.

'The spirits are a guide to the abundance of the land, can you not easily imagine how little it is?'

"It is well known to the rest of the world that the land in that country is poor.

Is it true that our neighbors are after our land?"

'It is not this country that they are really after, but the one just across the sea.'

These words shocked me and then convinced me.

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[1] : From じぞ ぼさつ(jizo bosatsu) aka, Bodhisattva, a person who has attained prajna, or enlightenment, but postpones Buddhahood (Nirvana). Here it refers to Jizo statues, which represent, and are in many original Japanese folklore, in japan you can find them a lot in the roads as mentioned: