The Successor of the Saint Does Not Fight - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Curse of the Rain-Summoning Serpent Part 8

“It was a strange story from the start. Despite the longstanding belief in the existence of the ‘Rain-Summoning Serpent’ in this village, it’s famous for its granary fields—yet it has never been struck by heavy rain.”

I began to explain to the villagers with a smirk.

Today, on this day, it served as the perfect excuse for me to not have to fight the Rain Serpent.

“In other words, this village, knowing about the existence of the ‘Rain-Summoning Serpent’ should have continuously taken some form of measures to mitigate the damage—perhaps even to reap benefits in some cases.”

“Eh?! Miss Meril Klein. Could it be that this involves the act of sacrificing to the waterfall basin…?!”

Yuno interjected, turning sharply towards me.

He seemed startled, his eyes burning with fierce anger, perhaps due to the disgust and aversion towards the abominable and demonic.

However, I gently extended my hand to restrain him.

Don’t go off the rails, you foolish brat, I thought to myself, feeling a bit anxious.

“No, that’s not it. If it were such wicked compensation-seeking demons, everyone would have abandoned the village and fled when the village was on the verge of destruction. Yet, the elderly remained in the village with a resolve. Probably, in hopes of a better relationship…” I explained.

“My father said, ‘It wouldn’t be right to abandon the village as it is and leave the Great Serpent feeling unappreciated,'” a woman in the square, on the verge of tears, spoke up.

She was a well-built middle-aged woman, likely the daughter of one of the elderly victims judging from her words. Trembling, she clasped her hands together as if confessing her sins.

“As Miss Meril says. For over a hundred years, we, the Peg Village, have lived alongside the Great Serpent. We pray for rain when needed and for clear skies when not. During harvest, we offer prayers of gratitude to the Great Serpent and have lived this way until today.”

“So, the means to appease the ‘Rain-Summoning Serpent’ is through prayers of gratitude, is that correct?”

“Yes. We gather live mice that have congregated in the granaries, and during the harvest festival, we drop them into the waterfall basin…”

Ah, detailed procedures aren’t necessary. I don’t particularly want to hear about such vivid rural customs, so I hurriedly interrupted.

Clearing my throat to steer the conversation back on track, I continued,

“The catalyst was Sirat inheriting the lordship, correct?”

“…Indeed,” came the response.

From what I’ve seen today, Sirat is by no means a villain. He’s just a bit too devout, straying from the norm.

Upon becoming lord, he rigorously enforced the teachings of the church within his domain.

Even in such a remote village, there were an abundance of holy statues erected.

“Shortly after the installation of the statues of the holy maiden, a long period of rain began. We all sensed what that meant… it was the wrath of the Great Serpent. While we revered the Great Serpent, it’s considered a demonic entity by the church. It’s only natural for the Great Serpent to be angered when we revere the symbol of the church, the holy maiden…”

The woman confessed, bowing her head to the ground, and many of the villagers adopted the same posture.

“That’s not true,” I declared boldly before such a crowd.

Because that interpretation is flawed.

The village’s past, the thoughts of the elderly when they took their own lives, the treatment of the mother’s statue…

Those things couldn’t matter less.

What’s important is ‘the fact that I don’t have to fight’, and for that, what’s necessary is…

“The ‘Rain Serpent’ isn’t angry. It has no intention of harming you.”

Just one thing.

To concoct a reason why the demon, the ‘Rain Serpent’, doesn’t need to be executed.

“Wolf, you mentioned it earlier, didn’t you? That such a powerful demon possesses intelligence akin to humans.”

“I see.”

“In that case, it wouldn’t be strange for the ‘Rain Serpent’ to think like this.”

I said confidently, raising a finger.

“The church doesn’t forgive demons. If it were revealed that I and the villagers have been coexisting until now, the villagers might be punished as well…”

A palpable tension filled the air as the villagers collectively held their breath.

Indeed, it’s true. The church wouldn’t let those who have been coexisting with demons off the hook. It’s a sin that could warrant the death penalty at worst.

“So, the ‘Rain Serpent’ caused the rain. To say, ‘I and the villagers have no relation.’ By inflicting significant damage on the village, it attempted to deny the coexistence.”

“Wait a moment, Miss Meril Klein.”

Yuno interjected.

“If it was a staged performance to deny the coexistence with the villagers, then faking my death and being killed by me would have sufficed. Why then, was it necessary to make it rain afterward?”

“It’s simple.”

All the elderly who committed suicide were those who had decided to stay in the village, opting for a shared fate with the ‘Rain Serpent’ rather than returning to their homeland.

They witnessed Yuno, covered in blood, descending from the mountain. They saw the clear sky announcing the death of the ‘Rain Serpent’.

Just before they threw themselves off, they surely said something like this at the basin of the waterfall:

“I’m sorry.”

“We’re the ones left alive…”

“I’m going there now.”

“After the suicides, the ‘Rain Serpent’ made it rain again to convey this message to everyone in the village.”

Raising my voice to ensure it reached every villager, I said firmly.

“I am alive. Please, don’t mourn.”