Chapter 321: A Valuable Experience

Right around the time our casual conversation was getting so lively that I was starting to forget about the shoe repair, Veles-san spoke up for the first time in a while.

“It’s finally finished. It took a bit longer than expected.”

“Really? Thank you very much.”

I checked the shoes he had repaired. The dirt remained, but surprisingly, the worn-out parts had been completely restored.

“Ooh! They’re really fixed. That’s amazing.”

“Something like this is easy to repair. However, these are quite unusual materials.”

“Yes, they’re from another world. Have you never met someone from another world before, Veles-san?”

“So you were humans from another world. That explains the sense of incongruity I felt. I’ve lived a long time, but this is my first time meeting otherworlders.”

Even Veles-san, who has lived so long, has never met otherworlders besides us. I had heard from Velvet-san that they appear in old books and chronicles, and I thought there might have been quite a few if you went far enough back in the past.

“Wow! So people from other worlds really are rare!”

“I’ve heard rumors, but you are indeed a rare species. I’d like to get along well with you, so please call on me anytime if you need anything.”

“Yes. If there’s something I need, I’ll summon you again. Is it correct to assume I can summon you anytime by coming here?”

“Yes. When I’m not being summoned here, I’m being summoned elsewhere. If you can wait a bit, I should be able to appear. Also, one caution… please refrain from summoning me at night except in emergencies.”

“You can’t be summoned at night despite being a fallen angel?”

“I don’t know what image of fallen angels you have, but I am active during the day and sleep at night.”

I was surprised by how close his lifestyle was to humans, but his being active during the day was convenient for us as well. Well, it’s quite a distance from here, so I doubt we’ll come unless we really need something.

“I’m curious about fallen angel life! Also, how do you get back? Do we need to channel magical power again?”

“No. I’ll return on my own. Well then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

“Thank you so much, Veles-san. Please take care of us again if anything comes up.”

In response to my thanks, he lightly raised his hand, then walked toward the magic circle with the snacks I had given him. And the moment his figure disappeared, the light of the magic circle faded as well.

What can I say—it was an incredible experience. I was surprised when he appeared from the magic circle, terrified when I heard he was a fallen angel who had killed people, and grateful when he repaired my shoes. It was an experience I never would have had if I hadn’t come to the Sarevo Ruined Cathedral.

“I thought he was an incredibly bad guy, but he turned out to be a surprisingly nice fallen angel!”

“When I heard he had killed people, I was prepared for a fight.”

“Sato-san, you were amazing. You spoke to Veles-san so normally.”

“Yes, he didn’t seem like a bad person to me. I’m glad we were able to build a good relationship in the end.”

While the fact that he’s a fallen angel who will do anything depending on the request is still frightening, I think it’s a plus that we were able to build a good relationship.

“We got to have a great experience at the end! They said dangerous monsters had taken up residence in the ruined cathedral—maybe they meant Veles?”

“Wasn’t it? I thought he was a monster when he was summoned!”

“Anyway, we’ve now seen all the rooms in the ruined cathedral, so let’s head back to Gillet.”

We returned from the basement to the upper rooms and carefully restored everything to its original state. There’s no doubt it’s better to keep this hidden so that no one can exploit Veles-san.

“It was short, but we made good memories. Still, I’m curious about what kind of organization built this temple.”

“They drew a magic circle to summon Veles in the basement, after all! There’s no point wondering about it since it’s already fallen into ruin, but I am curious about what kind of group they were!”

On the ride back, discussions about the people who built the Sarevo Temple were in full swing. It was kind of like sharing impressions after watching a good movie.

Everyone was getting excited about the idea that the group who built the Sarevo Temple also drew Veles-san’s magic circle and had him eliminate troublesome people. However, my thinking was slightly different.

The hidden underground altar was probably built when the Sarevo Temple was constructed, but I think the magic circle was drawn after it became a ruined temple.

There is a connection between Veles-san, who grants requests in exchange for food, and the rotted food-like offerings left at the altar. But if that food was meant for Veles-san, it was strange that it was left there. That rotted food was more likely offerings made to the gods.

From these observations, I think it’s more natural to assume that someone discovered that underground altar after the temple fell into ruin and turned it into a room for summoning Veles-san by drawing the magic circle.

I was forming my own theories while listening to everyone’s conversation, but in the end, we could just ask Veles-san and clear everything up.

He had said the last time he was summoned was long ago, and it’s certain that the place is no longer in use now, so there’s not much to worry about.

While we were discussing the altar, we arrived in Gillet before we knew it. We spent one night in Gillet and returned to the royal capital the next morning.