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On the way to the church, Tafel and the woman, who Tafel found out was named Helena, didn’t encounter anyone. It was almost as if the whole town had been abandoned. The fields were empty, and the buildings were silent. Occasionally, there’d be sounds of scratching as mice scampered about, and every time they did, Helena would flinch and get closer to Tafel. Then she’d flinch again and keep her distance.
Helena sighed. “It’s so … different,” she said and looked around. Was her town always this bleak? The sun was overhead, but everything seemed so dark. “I’ve lived here for over fifteen years, but it feels like this is my first time really seeing the place.”
“Well,” Tafel said, drawing out the word. “Your whole community did try to burn you to death yesterday. It’s not really surprising that you’re a little shocked.” Her brow furrowed. “Now that I think about it, do you even want to live here anymore?”
“I don’t think I do,” Helena said and sighed again. “How about we go to my house, take my money, and go somewhere else?”
Tafel stroked her chin while taking deliberate steps towards the church in the distance. “We could do that, I suppose….”
Helena’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes.” Tafel nodded. “But only after I clear up this misunderstanding with the church.”
“Are you sure that’s absolutely necessary?” Helena asked and gulped. “The church is scary. Their influence can be found almost everywhere. If you offend the church, bad things will happen to your family, and you’ll be shunned by your community if not killed after being accused of witchcraft.”
Tafel raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you so scared of the church?” she asked. “You don’t have a family. You don’t want to live in a community that almost burned you to death. And you’re not going to die to them as long as I’m here.”
Helena shook her head. “It’s not only that,” she said and looked up at the sky. She quickly averted her gaze. “The Lord is watching us.”
Tafel raised her head. She frowned and stopped her footsteps as she recalled what that priest had shouted at her while sprinkling her with water when she had first arrived in this world. “Is the Lord some type of deity?”
Helena’s head bobbed up and down. “You’ve never heard of him?”
“Nope. I’m not from around here,” Tafel said and shrugged. “So, about this deity of yours, how powerful is he?”
“All-powerful.”
Tafel furrowed her brow. “How powerful is that in terms of lions he can kill with his bare hands?”
“All the lions that have ever existed and all the lions that will exist in the future.” Helena glanced up at the sky before meeting Tafel’s gaze. “If he wills it, he can destroy the world. He’s already done it once before: he flooded the earth for forty days and forty nights.”
“Oh.” Tafel’s face paled. “That’s … pretty strong.” She wet her lips with her tongue. “He’s the one behind the churches? Do you know where he lives?”
“In the kingdom of heaven,” Helena said and pointed up at the sky. “However, he’s always watching over us at all times.”
“Even now?” Tafel asked.
“That’s right,” Helena said and nodded with a serious expression. “That’s why, no matter what, you can’t offend the church.”
“Wait a second,” Tafel said and took in a deep breath. “So, the church wanted to burn you to death, right? That means your deity wanted to burn you to death, yeah? And since I saved you, I already offended him, and he hasn’t done anything to me. Why is that?”
“Didn’t you hear me when I said the Lord is always watching? He knows I’m not a witch, so he didn’t object to you saving me.” Helena nodded.
“But he didn’t object to those people falsely accusing you of being a witch?”
“That’s….” Helena bit her lower lip. “He was testing my faith. As long as I believe in him, he’ll save me. He sent you, didn’t he?”
“That’s an awfully roundabout way to save someone,” Tafel said and frowned. “Why didn’t he just smite those people to save you?”
“That’s because he loves all of his creations,” Helena said. “He believes in second chances. As long as they reflect on their wrongs, they can be forgiven. The Lord can’t bear to see us die.”
Tafel tilted her head. “Wait. He destroyed the world, right? How many people died then?”
Helena fell silent.
“Well?” Tafel asked.
“E-everyone except for eight people died,” Helena mumbled.
Tafel scratched her head, but before she could say anything, Helena said, “But at the time, the world had fallen into sin, and everyone deserved to die!”
“Um, second chances, hello?” Tafel asked. “Your deity sounds very contradictory. Are you sure there’s only one? There was a deity back in my world that was made up of a lot of souls of the dead. I imagine it got into a lot of fights with itself.”
Helena pursed her lips. “Perhaps … the bishop can answer your questions,” she said. “What I know about the Lord comes from the church.”
Tafel nodded. “So, in the end, it looks like we’re going to the church, right?” This deity was a little intimidating. She wasn’t sure if Vur could flood the world for forty days and forty nights, so if this deity could actually do it, then even Vur wouldn’t be able to save her from him. However, if this deity did exist, then all she’d have to do is get along with him, and he’d be able to help her track down her companions in no time at all. It wasn’t like it was impossible to convince him to help her. It seemed like the churches were a little corrupt and not following his will. After all, people were using his name to take money from widows, and it was common sense that deities didn’t need money. If she cleaned up his churches for him, he’d probably consider that as a favor, right?