Kays Translations

Chapter 9: Appraisal of Orihime

After finishing the conversation with Selfers yesterday, Isamu was invited to a family-only dinner. However, when we say "family," it only included Nicolette, Annamarie, and Annamarie's younger brother, Julius, as Selfers couldn't move from his bed.

Thinking that Isamu and Annamarie might be tired from their long journey, the dinner was brief. But Julius, who is quite curious about Isamu as a Wanderer, promised to talk again with him.

In the impressive bedroom where Isamu was shown to rest, he easily drifted off to sleep, enjoying the comfort of the bed.

The next morning, after having breakfast with the family members other than Selfers, they headed towards one of the pressing matters: the appraisal of Orihime.

Their destination was the church.

In the carriage heading to the church were Isamu, Orihime, Annamarie, Rudolf, and unexpectedly, Nicolette.

Well, perhaps not unexpectedly. Nicolette, who had completely fallen for Orihime, had persuaded the reluctant Selfers to let her accompany them.

With the lady of the domain and her eldest daughter suddenly going out together, the mansion was in an uproar.

Because Isamu’s situation was still concealed, it wasn't possible to fortify the situation with only the knights. So, they assigned a minimal number of knights and some knights in civilian clothing to provide protection.

The carriage bearing the crest of the domain's noble family made its way along the main street on the top tier of the outer perimeter.

Unlike the direction they took when coming from the gate to the mansion, this time they went in the opposite direction. Unlike when they returned, Annamarie didn't make an appearance. The residents halted, making way for the carriage to pass, waiting silently.

After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped in front of a large building. It was a striking blue structure with tall towers on both sides and pointed roofs.

The group descended from the carriage and made their way to the large entrance in front.

"Is this the church? It's a beautiful shade of blue."

Isamu was surprised by the vivid blue color as he had a strong image of churches being white buildings.

"Yes, it's the Church of the Creator. It's said to represent the colors of the sea and the sky, which symbolize birth and end."

"I see. In the place I come from, there were many white church buildings, so this is quite refreshing."

"White is used extensively for the interior, creating a beautiful contrast with the blue exterior."

When they entered the church, Isamu found that the walls and floors were as white as Annamarie had described.

But what captured his attention was the large stained glass at the top of what seemed to be the altar in the front.

He couldn't say for sure if it was actually glass, so it might not be stained glass. It was a combination of translucent panels with subtle variations in shades, ranging from deep blue to light blue, creating a truly mesmerizing and magnificent display.

"Amazing...! It's beautiful."

He couldn't help but mutter in awe as he stopped to gaze up at it. Footsteps came hurrying toward them.

"Annamarie-sama! And Nicolette-sama too!! Welcome!"

The man who had run over, seemingly the head of this church, was dressed in a loose blue robe and appeared to be middle-aged.

"I apologize for not coming to see you. S-So, what brings you here today?"

The lord’s wife and daughter had arrived without any prior notice, which understandably caused quite a commotion.

"I'm sorry for coming without prior notice so early in the morning, Priest Benedict. Today, I have an urgent and confidential request."

"Urgent and confidential, you say? Is that so?"

"Yes, exactly."

Nicolette nodded in response to Benedict's inquiry.

"First, let me introduce this person here. We are currently overseeing him as a new member of the Klaufeldt Viscount household. This is Isamu Matsumoto. He’s a wanderer."

"I’m Isamu Matsumoto."

"Oh my... This is quite courteous. I serve as the High Priest at the Klauffedamm Church. My name is Benedict."

Benedict was taken aback by the sudden introduction of a wanderer, but he responded with a proper greeting.

As expected of a priest, the situation is different.

"However, there's no official announcement yet, and we haven't informed our subjects. So, this information is to be kept confidential."

Nicolette added a wink while driving the point home.

"Annamarie, who had gone to the royal capital, just guided him here yesterday. Moreover, on the way, he already saved a life."

"Is that so! Truly commendable! Well done, Wanderer-sama..."

Benedict praised Isamu with admiration in his eyes.

"And Isamu-sama brought with him this lovely Orihime-sama from his original world."

"Nyaa."

Orihime let out a meow from Isamu’s embrace.

"Wow, indeed, she's incredibly adorable! Is she a familiar of Matsumoto-sama?"

"More like a family member than a familiar."

In Ethersia, it seemed that having an affectionate animal meant it was almost like having a familiar.

"So, our request today is to appraise Orihime-sama."

"Eh? You want to appraise Orihime and not Matsumoto-sama?"

"Yes, exactly. As I mentioned earlier, when Matsumoto-sama helped me yesterday, Orihime-sama also assisted us. It wasn't something that happened in his original world, so I thought maybe Orihime-sama received a revelation when she came here, just like Matsumoto-sama."

"I see... However, there is no precedent for appraising something other than a person, so it's beyond my decision alone..."

That was understandable. After all, they had used the process for hundreds of years to appraise humans, so it would be confusing to suddenly ask him to appraise a cat.

"I see... That's unfortunate. Alright, I understand. I'll go to the church in the neighboring town to have Orihime appraised."

"Eh!?"

To the startled Nicolette who gave up so easily, Benedict let out a bewildered voice.

"Well, if you can't appraise her, then there's no point in continuing. It's the most urgent matter right now. Until we find a church that can examine her, we'll leave. Ah, if Orihime receives some kind of divine blessing or power skill through the appraisal, and it's known that you were the first one to do it, your name will surely be remembered for generations to come. Now I’m in a hurry, so please excuse me."

"Wait a moment, please!"

Priests, even though they aren't usually very interested in material or physical desires, are often quite susceptible to authority.

Nobles, too, are similar in that they seek to have their names remembered even after they die.

"I will immediately make preparations for the appraisal. Please wait a moment!"

"Oh, is that so? That would be really helpful."

She said it so nonchalantly.

"Oh, sorry. I was in a hurry and didn't prepare an offering..."

"We always receive offerings, so there's no need for an offering this time!"

"It's too bad, but thank you!"

Nicolette glanced over at them, sticking her tongue out at Benedict without him noticing.

"Mother..."

Annamarie had vowed to use her authority as the lady of the domain to make the appraisal happen, but now she could only smile wryly.

She didn't need to resort to such tactics, and they didn't even have to pay a fee. They were dealing with a completely different kind of act.

Nobles are terrifying... As Isamu engraved that thought in his mind, the preparations for the appraisal were complete.

What came out was a magic tool similar to the one used at the wanderer’s Gate.

Other than the fact that the crystal it had was smaller, the structure looked almost the same.

"It's similar to the magic gem of the Divine Eye. Do we place our hands on this one, too?"

"Yes. This is called a 'magic crystal for appraisal,' and it's used in the same way. The difference is that with this magic tool, you can examine only power skills and blessings."

It was as Rudolf had said. Although, as for the ability values, either tool would have worked fine.

"All right, then, Orihime, please place your hand on this crystal ball."

"Nyaa."

In response to Isamu’s request, Orihime placed her right hand on the crystal ball as if to say, "Got it."

"All right, good girl. Now, just stay like that for a moment."

"Nyaa."

A brief silence.

Isamu was trying to remember when he had his own appraisal. It should have happened after a while, and the crystal ball lit up... But then, the crystal ball beneath Orihime's right hand also began to emit light.

"Ohhh??"

"Wh-what's this!?"

Isamu’s and Benedict's voices overlapped.

The light gradually dimmed, and letters appeared in the air.

=====

Orihime Matsumoto

Beast God Transformation: Bastet

=====

"What the heck is this??"

Isamu couldn't help but shout in surprise.

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