[Apostle]
- Jeanne d’Arc (Jeanne d’Arc)
“……Jeanne d’Arc?”
On the notification window in front of me, there was a completely unexpected and out-of-place name written.
The girl’s father had always called his daughter ‘Janet.’
‘So, what is her real name, then?’
Curiosity is best satisfied right away to avoid lingering doubts.
I immediately asked the girl a question.
“Janet and Jeanne d’Arc, which one is your real name?”
She smiled gently and answered.
「As you know, my name is indeed Jeanne d’Arc. But Janet is also my name.」
The girl glanced at her father for a moment, then continued speaking.
「In this country, until the Saint Name ceremony, we must use our childhood name instead of our real name. Janet is the nickname my late mother used to call me when she was alive.」
So, her real name is Jeanne d’Arc.
At that moment, the girl’s father carefully added an explanation.
「Only the children of high-ranking nobles or royalty are allowed to use their real names from childhood. Anyone who breaks this rule faces severe punishment. Also, possessing a family name without being of noble or royal blood is a grave crime….」
The worried look in the father’s eyes as he looked at his daughter was plain to see.
「Janet, as I have told you many times, you must never let anyone else hear the name Dark. You understand what I mean, don’t you?」
「Father, I am not ashamed of the name Dark. In fact, I find it more shameful to be afraid of the name Dark becoming known.」
The father and daughter quietly gazed at each other, then fell silent.
‘There seems to be a story here.’
Now didn’t seem like the right time to ask about it.
And besides, I had plenty of other questions I was eager to ask, so I decided to change the mood.
“Jeanne d’Arc, is it alright if I call you that from now on?”
「Please call me whatever you wish. Even if God were to call me ‘Patterned Dust Moth,’ that would become my name from that day forward.」
She seemed completely sincere.
But I had no intention of calling her by some random bug’s name when she already had one, so I’d decline.
“……What I want to ask about is information regarding this world.”
The Room-bound Creator ability that had suddenly appeared, and this Fortress World.
So far, all I’d learned was that there was a massive Castle and that the Dark Family lived in a cabin in the woods.
For the sake of what lay ahead, I needed to at least know what kind of place this miniature world was.
「If my meager knowledge can be of any help to God, I would be more than happy to share it. But if it’s not too much trouble, may I light up the house before we begin?」
The sun illuminating the Fortress World had already disappeared beyond the horizon.
In the Outskirts Cabin, which had neither electric lights nor even a candle, it was so dark you could barely distinguish the people in front of you.
“Please, go ahead.”
With no unnecessary movements, Jeanne began to bring in firewood.
In the blink of an eye, the dry logs filled the fireplace.
…Fwoosh!
Soon, flames rose in the fireplace.
The soft, warm glow gently pushed back the darkness that shrouded the cabin.
Now, where shall I begin……?
As Jeanne sat near the fireplace, her family also gathered around the light.
The scene was reminiscent of children sitting around a campfire, quietly listening to their grandmother’s old tales—evoking a wistful nostalgia.
「If there’s anything God wishes to know, I will answer as sincerely as I can, to the best of my knowledge.」
“Hmm…….
What I needed was general information about the Fortress World.
But then, Jeanne’s younger sister suddenly raised her hand.
「……I have a question. Doesn’t God know everything?」
Would an all-knowing God not know something?
A perfectly reasonable point.
While I was pondering how to answer, Jeanne d’Arc spoke first.
「God created everything in our world. And besides watching over us, God must handle hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of important matters every single day.」
「Wow……. Is that more than my fingers?」
「Much, much more. That’s why God isn’t free enough to observe every detail of the world. Do you understand now?」
The little sister clung to Jeanne’s knee and answered.
「Yes! And you told me last time, didn’t you? Since God cannot be everywhere, He created a family to fill those empty spaces. Right?」
「You remembered well. Now that God is with us, let’s be quiet while I speak with Him, alright?」
Thanks to this first-class defense, I didn’t need to make any further excuses.
After a moment, with her little sister on her lap, Jeanne slowly began to speak.
「God, thank you for waiting. My knowledge is insignificant, but I will offer it to You.」
With a gentle voice, Jeanne began to share information about the Fortress World.
The medieval era.
The conflict between Kingdom and Papacy.
Demon Beasts and the Adventurer’s Guild, and the Order of Knights.
The stories Jeanne told painted the Fortress World as a classic fantasy setting, one anyone would have heard at least once.
‘……Well, at least there’s no tale of war between angels and demons.’
I’d had enough of those mass-produced mobile game prologues.
By the time Jeanne’s story was drawing to a close, the fire in the fireplace was also beginning to die down.
「Haa, yawn…….」
Jeanne’s little sister, who had been nodding off during the story, eventually rubbed her eyes and yawned.
For a child, hearing the history of her own world again must have been rather dull.
‘……Guess that’s enough for today.’
I’d gotten the information I needed, and a new Quest had appeared during the conversation.
“It’s getting late. I think I’ll be going for today.”
「God, once again, thank you for watching over our family today.」
Jeanne’s family offered a final prayer in front of the nearly extinguished fireplace.
Afterward, as everyone went off to their rooms, I spoke to Jeanne.
“Could we talk alone for a moment?”
Jeanne nodded and quietly stepped outside the cabin.
Brilliant clusters of stars were scattered across the night sky.
In the moonlit courtyard, Jeanne d’Arc stood, gazing up at the heavens.
Despite her unadorned face and threadbare clothes, she exuded a calm dignity.
“There is something I need you to do.”
This Quest required Jeanne d’Arc’s help, without question.
「Please, tell me anything. If it is within my power, I will do my utmost.」
There was not a hint of hesitation in Jeanne’s voice.
[Quest]
Apostle, Messenger of God’s Word
- Have the Apostle convert 20 Believers……. (0/20)
Experience +20, Divine Power +2P
In other words, Jeanne d’Arc, as an Apostle, would have to go out and recruit Believers herself.
“Jeanne d’Arc, could you help me gather more Believers?”
「Yes, God. I will devote myself entirely to the task.」
She answered without a moment’s pause.
Then, Jeanne d’Arc knelt on one knee and paid her respects in solemn fashion.
She looked just like a knight pledging loyalty to her king.
“For now, it’s too late tonight, so let’s think about how to proceed together once morning comes.”
「Understood. Then, may God also have a peaceful night.」
Jeanne d’Arc finished her short prayer and returned to the cabin.
‘……Guess I should return to my own room-bound corner, too.’
But then, I suddenly wondered what the Castle looked like at this hour.
When I zoomed out, the Fortress World shrouded in darkness unfolded before my eyes.
Then, I noticed an icon shaped like a map floating above the Castle.
“Was this here before……?”
It must have been there earlier, but I hadn’t noticed it.
When I brought my hand to the magnifying glass, a new window and a System notification appeared.
[Creator’s GPS]
- Please enter a keyword.
[System]
- With Creator’s GPS, you can search for any building or location you desire.
- If you enter a specific keyword, the location can be pinpointed even more accurately.
- Creator, is there a place you’re looking for? Just hit Ctrl+F and find it!
“…Being a Creator sure is convenient.”
So many surprising things had happened all day that nothing could really shock me anymore.
I decided to just enter any random keyword.
[Creator’s GPS]
- Keyword: Place where the Lord is
A red marker appeared over the Overlord’s Mansion, rising tall in the center of the Castle.
“Hmm, so the Lord is there. Next up…….”
[Creator’s GPS]
- Keyword: House of the wealthiest person
This time, a marker appeared over a grand Lord’s House located in the north of the Castle.
“……This one looks even more like a castle than where the Lord is.”
The enormous mansion had so many windows it was impossible to count the rooms.
There was also a vast, well-tended garden surrounding it, taking up most of the northern district of the Castle city.
It was the kind of mansion where only someone overflowing with wealth could possibly live.
“On the other hand, that side is a mess.”
Outside the Castle was a run-down Slums.
There were so many tiny shacks, barely big enough for an adult man to lie down in, all crammed together that the place looked more like a junkyard.
Compared to those, the Humble Cabin where the Dark Family lived felt almost like a villa.
Then.
—Ding!
[System]
- It is now midnight. Divine Power is restored in proportion to the number of Believers.
- Divine Power recovery: 3P
Come to think of it, the System did say that Divine Power is restored at midnight, depending on the number of Believers.
Currently, my Believers were Jeanne d’Arc and her family—a total of three.
If I wanted to freely use Divine Power, increasing the number of Believers was urgent.
“Hmm, what’s an efficient way to increase Believers…….”
The first night as a Room-bound Creator.
Maybe it was because of all the strange, exciting things that had happened, but I found myself drifting off to sleep as I gazed at the Fortress World’s night view.
For the first time in ages, I slept deeply and dreamlessly.
The next day.
—Ding!
—Ding!
“……Huh?!”
A sharp notification sound pierced my eardrums, jolting me awake.
Ding!
The sun illuminating the Fortress World was already high in the sky—so it was definitely past morning.
“Come to think of it, I was supposed to discuss ways to convert more Believers…….”
I rubbed my eyes and looked at the forest on the outskirts of the Castle.
But something felt off.
“What is this? No, seriously, what is this…….”
Just last night, the Outskirts Cabin in the quiet forest was peaceful, with only the occasional sound of birds.
But now, it was as noisy as a bustling marketplace.
At that moment, I spotted Jeanne d’Arc weaving her way breathlessly through the countless crowd.
“……What on earth is going on here?”
As soon as she heard my voice, Jeanne d’Arc beamed and called out.
「Everyone! Please pay attention! God has arrived!」
At her cry, the crowd gathered around the Outskirts Cabin all looked up to the sky at once.
” !”
Only then did I notice the stack of notification windows in the corner.
-Ding!
[System]
-A new Believer has joined!
[System]
-A new Believer has joined!
[System]
- A new Believer has joined!
[System]
- A new Believer has joined!
[System]
-A new Believer has joined!
[Believers: 3 → 100]
In front of the Humble Cabin, bathed in warm sunlight, one hundred Believers were all praying to me in unison.
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Wow… that girl is fast