The Church of Mother Earth, which worships the earth as its mother, has no real temples. Its followers stand with their feet upon their deity’s body; kneeling and prostrating themselves is communion, and kissing the ground is baptism.

There is, at most, a grand sanctuary halfway up the highest mountain, or a rock claimed to resemble Mother Earth. But those are merely symbols.

Mother Earth has only her believers.

That is why her church flourished—and why it declined.

Because anyone can become a believer, the faith spreads everywhere like weeds. But the unworthy eat away at its reputation like poisonous plants.

And yet.

Despite the follies of the unworthy, the faith endures because those who are truly worthy work several times as hard.

A few followers of Mother Earth, reluctant to be exalted, quietly fulfilled their duties even as the world pointed accusing fingers at them, saving countless people within their reach.

Moved by their deeds, people came to call these esteemed followers sages.

And the most famous sage of this generation was...

“The Earth Sage! It’s the Earth Sage!”

The moment I realized who she was, I rushed out to greet her.

“Is this really happening? Am I really seeing you in person? The Earth Sage! You’re the Earth Sage, aren’t you?”

Apparently accustomed to such acclaim, the Earth Sage answered with a confident smile.

“Some esteemed acquaintances do call me that, unworthy though I am.”

“Wow! I never thought I’d live to see the Earth Sage! Um, it’s such an honor. Could I possibly shake your hand...?”

“Certainly.”

The Earth Sage readily offered her hand, and I took it with reverence.

Every finger was packed with strength. Her hand was like an ancient tree holding its breath. I shook that firm, deeply lined hand up and down, its wrinkles like growth rings recording the history of civil engineering.

Beside me, Azi tilted her head at my warm reception.

“Woof? Someone you know?”

“Of course I know her, you silly thing. Though she doesn’t know me!”

How could I not know the legendary sage of Mother Earth’s church?

Twenty-five years ago, when the Military State overthrew the kingdom and seized power, many had lost their lives—and ten times as many deserved to lose theirs.

The leading figures of the old regime, merchants with long records of wrongdoing, the knights and squires in league with them, and the corrupt officials who protected them in exchange for scraps.

Still reeling from the war, the Military State had to put all of them to efficient use.

It also needed to provide jobs for the lower classes who had suffered under their exploitation.

The Military State succeeded.

An undertaking of civil engineering unparalleled in history. The vast project that built the Military State from the ground up resolved a host of accumulated problems.

The earth mages distinguished themselves in that endeavor.

It succeeded thanks to the tremendous efforts and sacrifices of Mother Earth’s apostles, who were thoroughly versed in handling earth and sand.

Previously dismissed as a folk belief or even a sinister cult, the faith of Mother Earth emerged into the light from that day onward. Citizens revered her apostles.

And the most famous of them was none other than...

“The Goddess of the Engineering Battalion, the Guardian of Shoveling, the Reverse Undertaker, the Rolling Earth Mountain, the Un-topple-able One! The woman who holds all those titles—the Earth Sage!”

‘Wait. The Un-topple-able One? Has even that epithet spread among the public?’

The corner of the Earth Sage’s eye twitched briefly, but I paid it no mind and shouted on.

Azi caught the excitement and began bouncing up and down.

“Woof! Someone we know!”

“Hey. You don’t even know what the Earth Sage is. What are you so excited about? Do you know the history of civil engineering in the Military State?”

“Woof! Happy to see you! Happy to see you!”

Tsk. My mistake for asking a dog.

With firm, assured steps, the Earth Sage walked into the light. As she approached, Tyr, having sensed an extraordinary presence, was waiting atop her coffin.

She made no effort to conceal her wariness.

“... Hugh, do you know her?”

Before I could introduce her, the Earth Sage brought her hands together toward Tyr.

“It is a pleasure, Progenitor. I have heard much of you, who are ever close to the earth. As a follower of Mother Earth, I offer my respects to the one who has lain buried longest.”

“An apostle of Mother Earth?”

That alone eased Tyr’s wariness.

Unlike the Holy See, which greeted vampires with war rather than handshakes whenever they met, the inclusive Church of Mother Earth did not reject them.

That did not make it their ally, but to those surrounded by darkness, even gray looks bright.

“In the past, I was acquainted with several practitioners of your faith. Courteous, upright souls worthy of their calling.”

Lowering her voice, Tyr declared,

“I did fight some of them, but only because they attacked first. So long as you do not make an enemy of me, I shall not attack you either.”

“Then there shall be no quarrel between us.”

The Earth Sage bowed as she spoke, and Tyr smiled in satisfaction.

“You are quite reasonable. It seems this visitor will not cause any particular trouble.”

Haha. Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.

Just as I kept that thought to myself...

“Well! What is this? We have an honored guest!”

The undying one and Callis, who had just come running down, also made a fuss at the sight of the Earth Sage. Callis’s reaction was particularly striking. She had changed into the officer’s uniform she had not once taken out since removing it.

Pulling her cap down firmly, she hastily saluted.

“Loyalty! Lieutenant Colonel Callis Kritz reporting...! What brings you here, Brigadier General?”

“Brigadier general?”

The Military State’s rank structure was intuitive. With major general, lieutenant general, and general ascending in that order, a brigadier general ranked below all the other generals.

Recalling that fact, the undying one asked in honest curiosity,

“A brigadier general? Does that mean the Earth Sage ranks below a lieutenant general?”

“Quiet, Rash! Brigadier general is an honorary rank. It’s a gray star awarded only to those whose strength and achievements deserve recognition despite their not belonging to the regular command structure!”

Forgetting she was pretending to be injured, Callis hurriedly scolded him. Chastened, the undying one scratched his head sheepishly.

“You needn’t tell me how remarkable she is. I was merely curious! I wondered whether the Military State was such an extraordinary nation that it had won over even the Earth Sage!”

The Earth Sage answered that herself.

“How could those who serve Mother Earth’s will go out of their way to create corpses? I accepted that office solely to carry out my work more efficiently.”

“Haha! So you’re a general who doesn’t fight! That is far more impressive! Well met, honored guest!”

Laughing heartily, the undying one made a fist instead of offering his hand. His eyes brimming with anticipation, he proposed,

“Earth Sage! Fate has brought us together. Might we meet fists?”

Meeting fists did not mean lightly touching knuckles.

It was a barbaric greeting in which both parties swung their fists into one another’s, testing each other’s faith and strength. The antiquated ritual put such strain on the body that even Mother Earth’s followers were reluctant when actually asked to perform it.

The Earth Sage seemed similarly disinclined.

“One of the earthfolk, who strive to resemble Mother Earth. Mother Earth has ordained this meeting, but this ground is cut off from the earth’s veins. I would not wish to drain your vitality in such a manner.”

Her reason for declining, however, was different.

Even if he was undying, she did not want to injure him.

She said it with overwhelming confidence in her own strength and an arrogance ingrained in her very being.

“Haha! A pity! It would have been a chance to witness your strength!”

Despite being treated as the weaker party, the undying one showed no offense whatsoever. The Earth Sage smiled at his ready acceptance, then turned to Callis.

“And you said you were a lieutenant colonel?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Callis Kritz. Yes.”

“Though I have received an office from the Military State, I have not come today as a brigadier general. I am here solely as an apostle following Mother Earth’s will. There is no need for military formalities.”

“Yes, understood...!”

Military habits evidently still clung to Callis, for she gave another crisp salute. With a small smile, the Earth Sage turned to find whoever she had yet to greet.

And then...

“...”

Her gentle expression hardened as her eyes met the Regressor’s. The Regressor, too, faced her with a complicated hostility.

The two stood apart, like people who could never mix.

Oil and water was too mild a comparison. Those two merely refused to mix; they floated together more peacefully than anything.

This was more like two predators meeting in their territory.

Neither dared approach, knowing that a single clash would have to end in a fight to the death.

The Earth Sage, the older of the two, spoke first. She was courteous, but never took her eyes off the Regressor.

“... I have heard reports. That there is a very accomplished swordsman in the bottomless pit.”

“I’ve heard, too. That there’s an agent of Mother Earth stronger than anyone.”

As they exchanged formalities, the atmosphere grew heavier.

Just as one can sense an approaching storm beneath a clear sky, everyone present sensed something amiss and was about to go on alert.

“We’ve kept our guest standing far too long! Earth Sage! Let’s head inside! You must be tired from your journey. We can talk over a meal!”

Tearing through the curtain of silence, I stepped into the Earth Sage’s field of vision. Beaming and looking at her with admiration, I angled my shoulders to show her the way.

At last she looked away and nodded.

“I would appreciate that. The bottomless pit is no welcoming ground even for me. I feel twice as tired.”

“What? Oh, dear. I had so many questions about your great achievements, but if you’re tired, what should I do...? Perhaps I ought to let you rest.”

The Earth Sage chuckled at my banter.

“You gild me with your praise. Talking will be no trouble. Does boasting of one’s own deeds count as work these days?”

“Wonderful! In that case, let’s get you to work! Fair warning: it’ll take you quite a while to finish!”

“Woof? Going to eat? Fooood!”

“You little rascal. Learn when to butt in and when to stay out! You slip in like the point of an awl!”

The Earth Sage followed my lead toward the building. Azi promptly overtook me, while Tyr rode her coffin up beside me. The undying one and Callis followed as well, gazing up at the Earth Sage in admiration.

“Oh? Callis, have you recovered? You look perfectly well!”

She flinched.

“... I pushed myself a little. Since the brigadier general was coming.”

“Haha! Such an honored guest is worth a little strain!”

The bottomless pit was so bustling that one might have wondered whether this was a prison or an inn. As I led the way into the prison building, I happened to glance back.

The Regressor showed no intention of following. She simply stood watching the Earth Sage’s back.

“Meooow.”

Nabi crept toward the Regressor, who stood alone. Stopping nearby to lick her forepaw, Nabi glared toward where everyone had disappeared, her tail puffed up.

They remained that way for a moment. Then both slipped out of my sight.