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“Woof! (Lord Forneus!)”
The first person (or rather, spirit) I visited was in the basement of the town chapel. This was where Forneus, a being worshipped in this town since long ago, resided.
“Hm? Who is it? ...Ah, Miss Liber.”
The artificial spirit who resembled a sheep-horned beastman glanced over at me.
They had a meager presence and apparently could only be seen by Master Noah and us, his followers. We hadn’t been able to see them at all initially, but that had suddenly changed once Lord Forneus became another follower of Master Noah. It had been quite the shock. According to Master Noah, they had a foul personality, but possessed special powers that even Master Noah and Lady Aht couldn’t use. I’d had the opportunity to witness this once, and they were indeed just as astonishing as Master Noah had claimed.
“Woof! Woof! (Yes, it’s Liber! I was wondering if there’s anything I can help you with!)”
“Oh, so you’re here to help out. You kobolds sure are affable...unlike Noah. Okay then. I’m about to go out of town, so you should come along with me.”
“Woof (All right!)”
Just as they had suggested, I accompanied them to a spot in front of the forest.
“I’m going to create a spring for drinking water here. I want you to test the water’s flavor.”
“Woof?! (You’re doing what?!)”
“Why are you surprised? You’ve seen me do this before. Like this,” Lord Forneus said, raising their hand. Some of the forest’s trees, as if they had suddenly gained sentience, pulled up their own roots and walked away, heading off to who-knows-where.
Actually, they seemed to be headed to the town’s sawmill, where their kindred were being processed into lumber. The trees were walking themselves all the way over there. It was stunning.
The ground where the trees had formerly been rooted slowly caved in until there was a depression about as deep as I was tall. The hole was quite large, about ten meters long on each side. Then, with a brisk wave of Lord Forneus’s hand, water began to bubble up from the middle of the hole.
This was a miracle that no mere magic could have created. Magic could generate water, but it couldn’t produce a permanent water source. Lord Forneus had done the impossible.
“Okay, seems fine. There’s a plentiful supply of water around here, so it was simple enough to draw it out. You’ve all been sending me prayers lately, so at this rate I should be able to open up more land. The town’s population will increase, and my faith will flourish. Heh heh heh, it won’t be long before I’m more powerful than ever before...” Forneus smiled ominously. But when they saw me staring at them, they said, “Ah, hold on. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have the slightest intention of betraying Noah, all right? Because of the contract, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. So I’d appreciate it if you don’t tell him about this.”
“Woof woof woof (Master Noah trusts you, so rest assured!)” I said.
For some reason, this made them look disquieted.
“I hate how much nicer that makes him sound in comparison...though that’s an overdue observation. Even I have to concede that Noah is very generous.” They sighed. “Well, enough about that. Miss Liber, it looks like there’s enough water pooled up now. I’ve made it so that when enough is pooled, the nonpotable elements will be purged, so it should be safe. Give it a taste and tell me what you think.”
“Woof! (All right!)”
I crouched down, scooped up some water, and brought it to my mouth. The cool, clear spring water tasted pure and delicious. I told them my honest opinion. “Woof! (It’s good!)”
Forneus smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. This should be fine, then. I’ll probably have to get Noah to do one last check, but if this gets me more believers, it’s plenty of cause for celebration. I’ll negotiate with him about naming it ‘The Spring of Forneus.’ Well then, Miss Liber, that’s all I need from you. You’re free to go.”
“W-Woof? (Huh? Already?)” I asked, surprised.
Lord Forneus tilted their head. “Hm? Well, yeah. This alone consumes quite a bit of power. I won’t be able to perform any more miracles for the rest of the day. Or would you care to laze about the chapel with me?”
“Woof... (I’ll have to decline...)”
“Thought so. Okay, I’m going to go sleep in the chapel basement. If Noah wants to talk, tell him to save it for tomorrow. Phew, I’m so drained.”
With that, Lord Forneus returned to their quarters.
“W-Woof... (Oh no, now I’m jobless again...)”
Realizing this, I went out to find another task that would hopefully suit me.