Thanks for the Invite, I'm on Terra, and I'm a Parasite

"Teacher, why are these villagers gathering at the church so early in the morning? Is this some trick by those Church people?"

Irene turned and asked the Grand Inquisitor beside her, Dario.

"I told you to use your own eyes to find the answers you seek."

"Irene, look with your own eyes, then tell yourself what they have seen."

"Yes, Teacher." Irene nodded firmly.

Then, she and Dario came to a corner of the church.

They looked up toward where the villagers had gathered.

Dario remained alert to their surroundings, leaving the task of observation to his most prized student.

"Irene, what do you see?"

"A saintess."

He knew his student would give him the most appropriate judgment.

"...?"

"Huh?"

"Teacher, I think... I saw the saintess from the scriptures."

Irene murmured in reply.

"What saintess? Irene, what Originium Arts have clouded your eyes?"

Dario turned his head, but in the next moment—

His gaze landed on the very center of the church.

The very center of the crowd.

The battle earlier had torn a huge hole in the church ceiling. Through that opening, the first rays of morning sunlight streamed down.

The nun wore a snow-white robe. The golden sunlight was like a veil of gold draped over her by God, lending an air of holiness to her already gentle demeanor.

She reached out and handed the sacks beside her, seemingly filled with grain, to the residents one by one.

"Irene... she isn't a saintess. She's more like a god descended from the scriptures into the mortal world..."

"...Huh? Teacher??"

The young Inquisitor stared at her teacher in shock, her small eyes full of disbelief.

(Probably something like this... just imagine black hair as white hair.)

Chapter 4: As expected, Painter is still more impressive!

"Here, hold on to it..."

The nun handed the sack of grain in her hands to Dario, then spoke with a slightly apologetic expression.

"I'm very sorry, Grand Inquisitor, but I may be unable to spare the time at the moment. If possible, could you two wait a little while?"

"No, ma'am, it's fine. The Inquisition will be grateful for everything you've done for these residents... Irene, go help the nun—"

Dario had just been about to send his student forward to help distribute food when he realized that, at some point, all the residents had hidden behind the nun.

Their evasive gazes occasionally revealed wariness and... fear.

His open mouth froze, and the words lodged in his throat.

The residents did not trust them. Or rather, they did not trust Inquisitors.

Ever since the Great Silence first occurred, all these coastal regions had been treated as sacrifices.

Inquisitors were Iberia's swords, and Iberia's lights.

Yet Iberia itself had never chosen to illuminate them.

Naturally, the residents here had no trust or expectations for Inquisitors.

No wonder the Church of the Deep had been able to infiltrate this place so easily.

Yet absurdly, Dario could not change anything.

As he thought of this, he noticed the snow-white nun's robe Zuo Jian was currently wearing.

Though its color was different, its style still resembled that of the Church of the Deep.

It seemed the other party had thought things through much more carefully than he had.

Was she borrowing the image of the Church, rooted in the residents' hearts, to reassure them?

"Teacher?"

Irene turned her head, not knowing why her teacher had stopped abruptly after calling to her.

"It's nothing, Irene. We should leave."

Dario stepped forward and handed the food he had received to a resident in the group, then turned toward Zuo Jian.

With one hand, he removed his hat, placed it against his chest, and bowed slightly toward Zuo Jian.

"In the name of an Inquisitor, I salute you, ma'am."

"I-I salute you too, ma'am!"

Seeing her teacher suddenly salute the other person, Irene hurriedly tried to imitate him by taking off her hat and placing it over her chest. Then, after touching the soft feathers on her head, she suddenly realized she had not brought an Inquisitor's hat at all.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Irene could only raise her lantern and offer the standard Inquisitor's salute.

Uh—she turned to look at her teacher.

Though Dario had removed his mask, there was still no discernible expression on his face.

"You have an excellent student, Inquisitor."

Noticing the little girl's embarrassment, Zuo Jian seemed to recall his own younger days and stepped in to smooth things over.

"You flatter her. Right now, she is merely a novice fresh out of training."

Upon hearing that, Dario patted Irene's little head.

Still, she caught what appeared to be a faint smile on the face of her teacher, who was normally so stern and sparing with words.

"However, I believe that one day, she will become an excellent Inquisitor."

"Teacher..."

Irene looked at Dario with a little shock. In her memory, her teacher seemed rarely to praise anyone.

"Let's go, Irene. Don't remain here and disturb the nun's work."

After saying that, he patted the little bird and left.

"Then, you two Inquisitors, when should we arrange the exchange of information we discussed yesterday?"

"...I will be waiting in the room where you found us last night. As for the time, you may decide it yourself."

After Dario replied politely, he led his student out of the church.

However, as they stepped out of the church, Irene looked back at the nun behind them, then at Dario beside her.

"Teacher?"

"What is it, Irene?"

"Are you familiar with that nun?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Because she seemed to be watching you leave the entire time—"

In an instant, Irene felt her teacher's body go rigid.

"Teacher?"

"Irene, an Inquisitor must maintain their image and dignity while outside. Do not whisper to others like that again."

"Yes!"

After thinking for a moment, the little bird raised her voice and asked loudly.

"Reporting, Teacher, I would like to know whether this lady has any connection with you, and whether our next mission will also involve her—"

Tap.

A large hand landed on Irene's shoulder, stopping her voice, which was nearly as loud as a public announcement.

"...We'll discuss the details after we return."

"But Teacher! You said information has a time limit, so—"

"We'll discuss it after we return, Irene. Do you understand?"

"!!! Y-Yes!"

..

"What energy."

Zuo Jian kept watching until Dario, rubbing his forehead as he pulled Irene away, disappeared from view.

Honestly, whether that adorable little bird spoke loudly or quietly, nothing could escape his ears.

But...

"Heartbeat normal. Left lung functioning normally, with no signs of spread. The sole source of nourishment is the Originium Crystals continuously precipitating from that Inquisitor's body."

He murmured, while marveling that his crude, primitive yet somewhat high-tech "surgery" had successfully dragged the Grand Inquisitor back from the brink of death.

"Now then, everyone—"

Zuo Jian turned around and discovered that the residents had already formed a line on their own, watching him.

"Take it carefully."

The nun put on her gentle smile again and placed sack after sack of grain from beside her feet into those pairs of thin, bony hands.

"Next..."

Yet in the next moment, the nun's figure suddenly swayed slightly, her whole body trembling unsteadily.

Damn it... Was turning my flesh into a huge number of insects to alter the soil structure last night that taxing on my consciousness...?

And the reason the nun's robe he wore was flawlessly white was simply because he had not had enough energy to mimic the colors of Church of the Deep clothing.

To the point that Zuo Jian nearly collapsed straight onto the ground.

Yet unexpectedly, several hands caught his falling body.

"Brother, are you all right? Are you too hungry to stand?"

Several residents who had just received food noticed his swaying as they passed by him to leave.

"Brother, how about you go eat first? We can wait a little longer."

Zuo Jian saw that even the residents who had not yet received food were looking at him with concern.

"No... I'm fine."

After saying that, he steadied himself, bent down, and picked up the sack of grain that had been dropped on the ground.

Just now, that resident had thrown down their sack to catch him.

Zuo Jian reached out and brushed the dust from the sack.

"Oh, and make sure you hold onto your food. If it falls on the ground and gets dirty, remember to wash it clean, or you'll upset your stomach."

The nun spoke softly, then placed the sack back into the other person's hands.

"No way, Brother. The food you give us is all real clean."

Zuo Jian smiled. He watched the resident leave with the small sack hugged to their chest, then adjusted himself and continued distributing food to the remaining people.