Yune shuddered like she’d just remembered something unpleasant. I knew about sanctuaries. The village priest used to live in one, and he’d said it was a very strict place. I didn’t realize it was strict enough to make someone tremble like that, though.
“Oh, but the gods don’t forbid women from eating or drinking in public,” said Liluetta. “That’s just outdated, rigid thinking from rusty old minds. I can’t stand that kind of thing.”
“Well, I suppose I’ve never seen any mention of it in the scriptures, but...” Yune trailed off.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’ve never read about anything like that either.”
Having to worry about where they could eat or drink seemed really rough for the women in town. It felt unfair. Why couldn’t they just get rid of such a strange custom? As I pondered that, I took a sip from my cup.
Wow, this juice is amazing! What is it? I’ve never had anything like this before. It’s sweet and tart at the same time, and the aftertaste is really refreshing.
I passed by this stall all the time, but I always walked past it without ever buying anything. Drinks just didn’t fill you up, and boiled water was cheaper anyway.
But I had no idea something this delicious could even exist. This town is incredible.
“Oh my, Kiri-o, have you read the Scriptures of Amana before?” For some reason, Yune sounded like she was teasing me.
“Huh? Yeah, I’ve read all of it,” I told her.
“Excuse me?” Now she looked genuinely shocked.
“It’s the goddess’s scriptures, right? The village priest let me borrow it. I even copied a simplified version of the text to practice reading and writing.”
Yune took a deep breath. “‘Mohatezze-Aus, son of the Earth Mother Amana, fell in love with an Innocent. His dearest wish was to always watch over her from where he dwelled in the skies above. Thus, by his command, the skies over his beloved remained clear for all time.’” She paused for a moment, then continued reciting the scriptures from memory.
“‘The land withered without rain, and the Innocents suffered from heat and drought. They pleaded with the Earth Mother for help, and stones rose to form a roof over the beloved Innocent and cast her into shadow. Losing sight of his love, Mohatezze-Aus was overcome with sorrow. His great tears fell from the heavens and watered the land once more.’”
That was from the volume of the scriptures that told of the Innocents, beings created by the Earth Mother, and the guidance they had received. I was pretty sure the story about the god Mohatezze-Aus came from the middle of the book.
As I listened to Yune, I remembered a different story from much later in the scriptures. I couldn’t recite it word for word, but I knew the general flow.
“Yalfzag, daughter of the Earth Mother Amana,” I began, “bestowed iron and fire, along with the sacred art of smithing, upon an Innocent. But the chosen Innocent disobeyed Yalfzag’s wishes and spread the technique throughout the land. The Innocents forged tools in abundance and polluted the water and the earth. With great sadness, the goddess Amana withdrew her blessings and left the world barren.”
The Innocents were given knowledge and skills. Sometimes, they imitated or stole them. So they learned to survive without the goddess’s protection, but that led to the loss of their innocence.
Eventually, the goddess’s creations branched off into separate races—humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and beastfolk—each gaining the resilience to survive on their own. As they grew stronger, the gods gradually withdrew from the world.
“Wh-What?” Yune spluttered. “He really read them. My lady, he actually read them!”
“Calm down, Yune,” said Liluetta in a soothing tone. “Kiri lived in a rural village. There’s no way a place like that would have a complete set of the scriptures.”
“Oh! I see...” Yune seemed to settle down.
Though Yune was taller and older, Liluetta somehow seemed like the more mature one right now.
“Uh, what’s going on?” I asked, confused by their conversation.
Yune, no longer flustered, grinned and raised a finger to explain. “The Scriptures of Amana are incredibly vast, spanning multiple thick books. The collection includes basic volumes that are widely distributed, more specialized ones only read by clergy, and highly advanced theological works that only bishops and other high-ranking figures are permitted to possess. You probably only read the basic volumes.”
“Ohhh, that makes sense.”
“Yes, yes! That’s exactly it! Let’s just go with that, shall we?” Yune seemed oddly desperate about this.
I wasn’t really sure why, though. Would it really be a problem if I had read all of the scriptures? Maybe there were some secret texts that weren’t meant for ordinary people. Well, I didn’t have to worry about that, because I’d gotten permission from the village priest to borrow the ones I’d read.
“By the way, what kind of stories are in those other volumes?” I asked out of curiosity.
Yune averted her gaze. “That would be a very specialized discussion, so how about we save it for another time?”
Wait a minute. Didn’t Liluetta say something like that before?