“Lady Kaoru, we have a bit of an issue...”
One day, the current generation of the Eyes of the Goddess, who’d set up a base in the city, came to me, sounding grim.
The leader showed up every time, but the other members changed with each visit. Everyone probably wanted to see the Goddess, so there would probably be riots if only the same few people got the privilege, I guess.
“Huh? What happened?” I asked.
“We’ve been gathering and verifying information on the injured and sick among the righteous individuals worthy of your blessing...” the leader began.
“Uh-huh.”
“And we realized there are a significant number of fakes among them.”
“Right, fakes... Wait, WHAAAT?!”
What the heck does that mean?!
“Details!” I said.
According to what they told me, they’d collected and analyzed rumors in the city, pinpointed those who seemed to deserve blessings, and vetted them...only to find a ton of their info was fake or exaggerated.
“Our sources are rumors, which will naturally include errors or embellishments. We’ve always had such cases, but what we’re dealing with now...”
“It’s clearly deliberate misinformation, huh?” I said.
The members of the Eyes of the Goddess nodded.
“Do you know why?” I asked without expecting much, but...
“Yes.”
“You do?!”
“There was a posting on the Hunter’s Guild’s request board: ‘Seeking Tears of the Goddess. Generous reward offered. Deliverers may be hired by our house if desired.’ It was from an earl’s household.”
“Whaaat?! So you’re telling me people are plotting to scam Tears of the Goddess from the Angel for a big payday?” I asked.
“Regrettably...” the leader answered.
I see. In that case...
“I’ll crush them!” Falsetto was gripping her sword hilt with sparkling eyes for some reason. She was just like Francette in moments like these...though that would be a compliment for an Einherjar.
“Are we crushing them all?” Kyoko asked.
“Pick out a few who tried to scam the Angel for now,” I said to the Eyes of the Goddess members. “The noble who posted the request might have a sick or injured family member, so I’ll decide on whether they deserve divine punishment after further confirmation.” They might’ve put a request out for the Tears of the Goddess because they actually needed it. As for the guild, they just posted the noble’s request, so they probably didn’t mean any harm. The Tears of the Goddess, alongside my degraded potions from Balmore and nearby kingdoms, appeared in every religious book written over the past seventy-odd years; they weren’t just myths, but actually existed.
In the peninsular nations around Balmore, many who’d been saved by the lesser potions or the Tears of the Goddess when they were kids were still alive. Such medicine was lost to history by now, but it was said to be among the three great divine medicines, along with Longevity Medicine (just a tonic, like ginseng) and unicorn horns (pure placebo). Unicorn horns were nearly extinct on this continent, found only in uncharted lands, but Longevity Medicine was purchasable with enough cash. Both were famous but weren’t actually that effective.
Lately, the same rumor from Balmore’s days had been spreading in the city, claiming the righteous and devout would be granted the Goddess’s mercy, in reference to a religious verse. A rumor like that was bound to draw some desperate people.
“All right, investigate the noble who posted the request and pick two or three of the worst offenders spreading fake info about the sick. Go, Eyes of the Goddess!” I ordered.
“Yes, my lady!” they said in unison and sped off, faces glowing with joy.
Emile and the original Eyes of the Goddess crew had loved it when I’d given grand orders like that too...
“We crushing, Kaoru? Are we?” Kyoko asked.
“Why do you sound so giddy...?” I asked.
Seriously, this girl...
“Now...have him drink this medicine,” I said.
“Yes, my lady!”
There was a moment of silence.
“Why aren’t you giving it to him?”
Yup, it was showtime for Angel Theater. In other words, I’d visited someone the Eyes of the Goddess had vetted as a target for salvation and handed them Tears of the Goddess...except this person was one of the fakes.
“Give it to him!” I pressed.
“W-Well, my son’s finally fallen asleep. He’s been feverish and couldn’t rest, so it would be cruel to wake him now... I’ll be sure to give it to him when he wakes up.”
I glanced over at the kid; he was clearly faking sleep.
“Very well...then make sure he drinks it immediately after waking. Understood? Do not break this promise.”
“Y-Yes!”
There, I warned them.
That potion, the Tears of the Goddess: Limited Effect Edition, completely lost its healing powers if it wasn’t used within ten hours. Plus, it’d turn foul, and drinking it would cause diarrhea that lasted for days. They couldn’t barge into a noble’s mansion at midnight, so if they were to sell it, it’d be after the morning bell at nine, well past its expiration.
What would happen if they sold such a thing to an influential person?
RIP. I’m outta here!
“Three people are tailing us...” one of my four dashing, dandy, enormous dogs sidled up to me and reported.
“Figured...”
I’d expected something like this to happen. That was why Falsetto and Reiko were guarding me while concealed. Reiko aside, there was no way Falsetto would sit at home and give up her chance for action. Instead of praying nothing would happen for my safety, she probably wished for trouble so she’d finally have her chance to shine.
A follower hoping their goddess employer got attacked...sounded pretty blasphemous, if you asked me.
Whoever was tailing us lacked the guts to grab a girl favored by Celes, but they wanted to know my identity and address so they could use that information for profit later. I’d changed my hair, eye and skin color, and I was even wearing a mask. There was no way I was gonna head home like this—I had to shake off the stalkers, then revert to my original appearance. I couldn’t let my neighbors see me like this.
I had to deal with the unwelcome guests quickly.
I led them to an obviously secluded spot. If I was being followed by common thugs, they’d attack me here, but they were likely ordered by someone to confirm the Angel’s identity and home, so they weren’t likely to strike first...which meant I’d be the one to attack.
We were far from the core of the royal capital; out here, houses were sparse and moonlight was blocked by trees. The Angel Theater always played late at night when people were asleep, so no one walked the paths in these outskirts, and there weren’t any homes with candles lit nearby. Oil and candles weren’t free, so people conserved them here, unlike the rich folks in the city center.
And so...
“Woof, woof, WOOF!”
“Ahhh!”
Three men ran down the path, chased by two big dogs. They’d kept their distance tailing me, but the dogs had circled behind them, making them dash out in a panic. The other two dogs stayed near me for protection. In their state, there was no way these men would be able to spot the dogs lurking in the grass.
“Oh no! Three shady men were following me as I was walking alone at night! And now they’re attacking me! What do I do?” I said with a deadpan delivery, just as the men approached me in a desperate sprint. Then...