Having gained the rank of priest, I became the group’s No. 2 in command, despite being a newcomer.

That decision must have been made while I was still unconscious. Even the older members, like Cat-girl and Oni-girl, raised no objections.

Later, we followed Abby down a stone-paved road toward the outskirts of the city.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

It was Cat-girl who answered.

“To the dungeon entrance. Full of adventurers. Full of injuries. Which means full of customers for us.”

“Dungeon… adventurers?”

The words felt surreal. A dungeon and adventurers—straight out of a game. Too neat to be funny, yet not amusing in the least.

If only there were status screens to match…

I tried staring hard, willing something to appear. Nothing.

More importantly…

“It’s hot…”

The nights here were bone-deep cold, but under the sun, it felt like I was melting.

After a while, a towering wall came into view.

This massive barrier surrounded the desert nation of Zaarland. Beyond it stretched endless sand. Somewhere across that desert lay another kingdom, though the details belonged to Dietrich Becker’s memories, not mine.

“Incredible…”

The wall must have been at least twenty meters tall. I’d never seen anything like it in Japan.

While I stared, Oni-girl shot me a sideways look.

“First time seeing a wall?”

“Yeah.”

“…Where’s your homeland? Pure-blooded humans are rare these days. Where did you come from?”

Without thinking, I answered, “Niedersachsen.”

“What?”

If Zaarland was on the western edge of the continent, Niedersachsen lay on the far eastern edge.

Oni-girl tilted her head.

“Never heard of it.”

Not surprising for a kid with little schooling.

Of course, it wasn’t me who came from Niedersachsen—it was Dietrich. Why a boy of ten had crossed the entire continent was beyond me, but the reason couldn’t have been good.

As we neared the colossal wall, a cave-like opening carved from square stone blocks came into view.

The entrance to the dungeon: The Trembling Dead.

There were no guards, but adventurer-looking types loitered about. All lightly armed, carrying themselves with a certain dangerous ease.

Abby turned to us.

“I’m going to pull in some customers. Ashita, Eva, you stay with Di. Protect him, got it?”

“Y-yeah, I know,” Oni-girl replied.

The cat-girl, Eva, only pouted. It was clear that both older girls were the ones Abby relied on.

While Abby disappeared into the crowd, they led me down a narrow side alley lined with stone buildings.

The younger kids brought over a few wooden crates and gestured for me to sit. I did as told.

All the while, Cat-girl watched me with open suspicion.

“…You can summon the snake, right?”

There was uncertainty in her voice, maybe unease.

“Snake? Ah, the snake of Asclepia.”

I searched Dietrich’s memories.

The Snake of Asclepia, the goddess of healing and vengeance. In scripture, she was the woman with pale lips, her true form a serpent.

Priests who channeled her powers always bore a serpent within. When they used their arts, a serpent’s mark would appear on their bodies. That was the “snake” Cat-girl meant.

“Hm…”

I rolled up my sleeves and focused.

—O’ serpent, reveal yourself.

A black, snake-like pattern spread across my arms, coiling.

“This is it? No proble—”

The words barely left my mouth before a wave of dizziness struck, and I nearly collapsed.

“Di!”

The one who caught me was Dwarf-girl. She held me steady, shouting.

“Eva! Why’d you make him summon it for no reason!?”

“I-I didn’t! I never told him to! He did it himself!”

When a priest uses Asclepia’s power, the serpent feeds on the caster’s mind. That’s the price.

“Cat-girl’s right. It was my carelessness.”

I cut off their squabble, still leaning against Dwarf-girl, who only tightened her hold and ground her teeth.

“Eva, I’m telling Abby about this…”

“I said I didn’t!”

“…”

Dwarf-girl fell silent, but the glare she threw at Eva and Ashita spoke volumes. For someone so small and childlike, she radiated a steel-like stubbornness. With one hand, she rubbed my back while daring anyone to interfere.

Resting against her, I let my body recover. She continued to soothe me the whole time.

I didn’t know her motives, but this girl was… kind.

“I still don’t know your name,” I said at last.

“Zoë. You can call me Zoë if you like…”

Zoë.

From the beginning, she’d been good to me. And if I were to survive here, I needed allies.

So I decided then: I’d make Zoë my ally.

When you’re cornered, you choose whom to trust, who to keep at arm’s length, and who to oppose. Those decisions keep the mind steady.

For now, I’d decided who I’d trust. The rest I’d push onto Oni-girl and Cat-girl.

Trash belongs in the trash bin.

Mother Asclepia loves such ironies. Surely, she’d approve.

◇◆

I vow to be just. But I do not vow to be impartial.

—Words of Asclepia

◇◆

Justice.

The word surfaced in my mind.

It was one of the priest’s commandments.

Those who wield divine power are bound by commandments—not fatal if broken once, but defy them long enough, stray far enough, and you lose everything.

What were the others again? Service, mercy, compassion, selflessness…

Justice. Service. Mercy. Compassion. Selflessness. Five virtues, the pillars of a priest. The reason people trusted them.

That was it. Abby wasn’t deferring to me because I was “me” or even “Dietrich.” It was because I was a priest.

Mother Asclepia… have mercy.

Have mercy on this wretched soul, stranded in an ill-starred place.

Leaning back against the wall, I closed my eyes and prayed. Praying daily was the root of healing, the tether to her power.

But the Mother was a jealous goddess. Without prayer, her gifts turn to dust.

I could hear Zoë and the other two arguing, but their voices faded into the background.

Prayer was also a way to heighten focus.

A gentle shake brought me back. Zoë’s face was close, her eyes soft with apology.

“She’s back?”

Zoë nodded and stepped aside, revealing Abby striding toward us with two adventurers in tow.