01x20 - Church Girl and Miller Boy

[bunniefuu]

What? What happened?

ORIGINAL STORY BY ISUNA HASEKURA

I said, I'm sorry.

Of course,

I'm willing to do whatever I can
to help you stay warm.

That's why I'm being quite generous
and not even charging you a fee.

However,
I have to draw the line somewhere, right?

This tail of mine is my pride and joy.

The only thing that proves
that I am myself.

But look...

I've lost some fur, and it's
completely flattened because of you!

First of all...

How dare you fall asleep
while I'm talking.

We're approaching the next town.

That's where we can find
information on my homeland, right?

According to Ms. Diana,

there's a monk who collects
stories specifically about pagan gods.

I see. So that monk is in that town, huh?

No, the abbey
is in a very remote location,

so only the priest at the church in Tereo
knows where it is.

So the town we're approaching
is Tereo, huh?

No, it's not. I don't know
the directions to get to Tereo,

so we're going to stop by Enberch first.

What a roundabout way.

Blessed are those who live in Enberch.

That is because God always stands by
those who have true faith.

I want to eat sweet bread.

Wait until I sell my cargo.

-What was your cargo again?
-You don't remember?

It's the wheat I bought from Mark
back in Kumersun.

Oh, that's right. It was wheat, wasn't it?

It's my first time here,

so I didn't know
what products were in demand.

But I thought that a town of this size
would have wealthy nobles

and a large church that would buy wheat.

So I planned accordingly.

I don't care about
your simple little plan.

I'm asking, why did I have to eat
that dark and bitter rye bread

day after day,
when there was wheat in the wagon?

For someone who made a huge profit
in Kumersun, you sure are stingy!

Excuse me...

We're not traveling
just to find your homeland.

-This is how I make a living.
-You fool!

My cute little tail
was squashed under your leg!

It's only fair that you let me

squash you under my thumb!

I'm sick and tired of rye bread!

What I want is white

and fluffy bread made from wheat!

This year, we had a huge rye harvest.

So, we just can't get around to
dealing with wheat.

Wheat does bring in a profit,

so I wish I could buy from you, but...

It would've been easier
if I had just baked bread

out of this flour and sold that instead.

That's how merchants think.

Although, you'd be starting
a w*r with the bakers.

So the bakers are tough here as well?

Yes, they are!

If you're not a baker and you bake bread,
they come at you with a stone rolling pin.

By the way,
are you here to open up a new trade route?

No, I'm just traveling and trying to
make a living while I'm at it.

Oh, where are you headed?

-I'm planning on going to Lenos.
-Lenos?

That's quite far.

I'm going to head toward
Tereo before that, though.

I want to stop by the church.

In Tereo?

If you need to go to a church,
wouldn't Enberch be better?

Now that you mention it,
I did see a large church.

Yes, our church manages this whole region.

We have an amazing bishop
named Bishop Mendes.

Actually, there is someone
I want to meet at the Tereo church.

Oh, I might as well ask, while I'm here.

Do you know how to get to Tereo from here?

A single road leads
straight there, so you won't get lost.

It takes about one day by wagon.

Thank you very much.

If it's God's will, we'll meet again.

Yes, I'll look forward to that. Bye now.

Hey, he said it takes
a day to get to Tereo, right?

Huh? Oh, yeah.

If we get back on the road now,
we can get there by tomorrow.

Shouldn't we get some rest?
You must be tired too.

We can rest tomorrow, when we're in Tereo.

I want to get there as soon as possible.

All right. But let's eat
a warm meal before leaving.

You're okay with that, right?

Well, of course we're going to.

-What's that sound?
-It's that.

If there's a waterwheel here,
we must be close.

Whoa!

Sorry about that!
Hey, you're traveling, right?

That's right. And you are?

As you can see, I'm a miller.

So where did you come from?
You're not from Enberch, are you?

How perceptive of you.
Now let me ask you something.

How long will it take to
get to the town of Tereo?

The "town" of Tereo?

If Tereo is a town,
then Enberch is a city-state!

I don't know why you want to go
to that boring village.

I see. So...

-How far is it?
-It's just over there.

You're practically in Tereo already.

All right, I see. Thank you.

Now, now! There is no need to rush!
Isn't that right, my travelers?

What do you want?

I don't really... Oh, that's right!

I see you're traveling
with quite the beauty.

She's a nun on a pilgrimage.

-A nun?
-Is there a problem?

I wouldn't recommend
taking a nun to Tereo.

We came here because we need to
visit the church in Tereo.

There shouldn't be a problem
with a nun visiting a church, right?

Yeah, but, how do I put this...
They're fighting right now.

With those irritating people
from the Enberch church.

If a nun shows up amidst all that,

it'll complicate things.

I see. Well, we'll be careful then.

It'll be fine as long as she doesn't
look like a nun, right?

That would be helpful.

But what business do you have
with the church?

-I came to ask for directions.
-Directions?

So you didn't come here for business, huh?

Darn, I thought I could be of use to you.

Maybe next time. Can I go now?

My name is Kraft Lawrence.

-What's your name?
-Evan!

-Gyoam, Evan!
-All right, Evan!

I'll remember your name.

Okay! Don't forget it!

Make sure to stop by on your way back too!

He was staring at you the whole time.

He's a miller, after all.
Things must be tough for him.

Oh yeah?

It's the same situation as shepherds.

They're necessary jobs, but they're
treated as outcasts in towns and villages.

I see.

There's wheat inside your pouch, right?

How much will you be left with once
you thresh and grind it with a millstone?

I was a god of harvest,

but I don't know anything about that.

If you had this much wheat grain,
for example,

and you thresh it and make it into flour,

you'd only get about this much.

It goes down that much?

People like to say that the millers

at water mills have a hidden finger that
they steal flour with.

Plus, waterwheels are typically
owned by the lord.

So you have to pay a tax to get
your grains milled.

But who has to collect those taxes?

Naturally, it'd be the miller.

Exactly.
And nobody is happy about paying taxes.

So who do you think they villainize?

I see.

So that boy was trying to
get your attention because...

Yeah, he's probably dying to
get out of this village.

Milling is an important job
that somebody has to do.

But they're usually the target
of suspicion and hatred,

and not appreciated.

Sounds familiar.

But it's a necessary job.

There are people who appreciate it too.

That's a huge rock!

They probably use it for festival rituals,

dancing, meetings, and things like that.

Hello! Good afternoon.

Who is it?

Excuse me for visiting so suddenly.

I am Lawrence, a traveling merchant.

A merchant?

-Yes, I came here from Kumersun.
-And her?

We're traveling together
due to circumstances.

What do you want?

Well, actually,
I'd like to meet the priest here.

Technically, I'm not a priest, but...

I am in charge of this church.

My name is Elsa Schtingheim.

-Huh?
-So, what do you want?

-Well, I wanted to ask for directions.
-Directions?

Yes, I want to go to Diendran Abbey.

It's run by someone by the name of
Abbot Louis Lana Schtinghilt.

I don't know!

I had heard that there was a priest
named Father Franz here.

-Father Franz passed away in the summer.
-What?

Are you satisfied now?
I don't know where that abbey is,

and I have things to do!

O... Okay.

You really got on her bad side, huh?

Maybe because I didn't donate.

Is it true that Father Franz died?

It didn't sound like a lie. However...

Yeah, she's lying about not knowing
where the abbey is.

It's been too long...

It's a tiny village,
so don't cause any problems.

That'll depend on how you treat me.

I'm a little sleepy. Can I take a nap?

What if I say no?

I'll doze off right next to you.

Well, I'm sure
you're not lying about being tired.

As your traveling companion, I'd prefer
that you get rest before you collapse.

Yeah, I will do just that.

Before that, take off your robe,

fold up my coat that you just
tossed over there,

and grab a blanket. Then you can sleep.

If the clothes aren't folded
by the time I get back,

I'll downgrade our dinner.

You are kind,
so you won't do such a thing.

Jeez... One day, you're going to pay for it.

I dare you to try.

Are you going somewhere?

We might have to stay here for a while,

so I'll go pay the village elder a visit.

I might be able to ask
where the abbey is as well.

So stay here and get some rest.

Okay.

-I'm not bringing back any gifts, though.
-That's fine.

As long as you come back,
that's all I need.

That silly face you just made
is a good enough gift.

I'll accept that. Good night.

Sleep tight.

Excuse me.

Coming!

And who might you be?

Excuse me for coming unannounced.

-I am a traveling merchant...
-Oh my! Elder!

The man everyone's been
talking about is here! Elder!

Look, isn't he the one?

Mrs. Kemp, don't be so rude to our guest.

-All right, all right.
-Please excuse her rudeness.

I am the one in charge of
the village of Tereo.

My name is Sem.

-Did I come at a bad time?
-No, no.

We're just in the middle of making
bread out of the wheat we harvested.

Don't worry, it's not alive.

Taxidermy, is it?

Well then, what brings you
all the way here?

First of all, I came to introduce myself.

Here is some of the wheat I'm selling.

Well, well...

What a difference from
the merchants nowadays who

only want to talk about business
from the get-go.

So, what is
your second reason for visiting?

Well, I'm looking for a certain abbey.

I thought you may know the location.

Earlier, I asked at the church too,

but didn't get an answer.

Is that so...?

I haven't heard of
any abbeys in this area.

I was told that Father Franz
would know about the abbey.

This summer, Father Franz...

-I heard about that.
-We suffered a big loss.

For many years,

he worked so hard for our village.

And now, Ms. Elsa has taken over?

Yes. You must have been surprised
at how young she was.

Yes. And so...

-Elder Sem!
-There seems to have been something.

Things must be busy
right after the harvest.

I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you.

Elder Sem!

I've brought this for you.

I'm sorry it took so long.
The roads were so...

I should get some sleep too.

Not folding clothes
and not using a blanket

lead to a downgraded meal, right?

You are kind,
so you wouldn't do such a thing.

I was asleep for a while, huh?

Do you realize how nice I was

to not wake you up
even though I was starving?

I'll bet you took the chance to steal
money from my wallet.

Seems this village goes to sleep early.

The village square is empty already.

There aren't any stalls either.
We can still get dinner, right?

I'm sure we can go to a bar.

Then let's hurry up.

But I just woke up.

All right, fine!

Hey, that's...

Don't just pop up out of nowhere.
You scared me.

-What's up with that boy?
-He's heading for the church.

How suspicious...

We're more suspicious.

Interesting...

Only gods are allowed
to peek into people's private lives.

Aren't you curious?

Who knew you were so interested
in such crass things.

What's wrong with being interested?

It's not something to be proud of.

I'm not saying that just out of curiosity.

If anything, it's for learning.

-Learning?
-Yes, learning.

Learning about

how you and I must look
from an outsider's perspective.

You never know the full picture unless
you get an outsider's perspective.

So that's what it looked like
when you did such things to me, huh?

Although,
I do think we're better than them.

Don't you think?

Don't you think?

Are you listening?

I'm hungry.

All right, let's go get food.

-And some information too.
-Okay.

We also have to ask about the abbey.

No, I'll try changing my approach.

-Yeah?
-I have a guess.

Both Elsa and Elder Sem
know about the abbey.

It's as if they're playing dumb.

First, I'll look into why.

Next time, "The Village of Heretics
and Priest's Contract."