A beam of light

The next day, Fengsha rose early and opened her window. Looking at the clear sky, free of sand and dust, she felt that today would be especially wonderful. She called her maid to help her wash and groom herself carefully, then happily set off for the church the Daimyo had built.

The capital of the Land of Wind stood on a thriving oasis. A great river divided the city and served as its lifeline, yet its two banks fostered utterly different ways of life. On the side near the Daimyo's residence lived the rich and powerful; across the river were skeletal commoners and filthy, chaotic slums.

Will and his companions had not stayed in the luxurious new church the Daimyo had built the day before. Instead, they had headed straight to the slums, where the commoners looked much like those in most cities in this world.

"Hah! They're all tarred with the same brush! These nobles are no different from one another. If we hadn't come back to see things for ourselves yesterday, I really would have believed the Daimyo of the Land of Wind cared about his people!" one of the Holy Light Clerics scoffed.

Will nodded in agreement. "How many people genuinely care about others, anyway? Much less a Daimyo sitting high above everyone else. When he calls himself poor, he's probably comparing himself to his relatives!"

As they walked, they observed the lives of the commoners around them: people relieving themselves wherever they pleased, fights breaking out here and there, and children searching through rubbish heaps for food.

"Ah! We're still so far from uniting the world and building heaven on earth! Sometimes I think that without holy light, we might not even know which way to go! Praise the holy light!"

"All right, Gouzi. Let's find a house and establish a branch of the Holy Church first! As for that luxurious church, I'd be too ashamed to live in it!" Will said in exasperation.

Whenever the Holy Church arrived somewhere new, it generally used the same sort of buildings the commoners lived in, so as not to seem lofty and unapproachable. Apart from the main cathedral, its churches were built rather casually, with the greatest emphasis placed on practicality and having all the necessary facilities.

As for why the main cathedral was so magnificent-come on, the True God who held the truth lived there! Besides, in most regions that had long been under the Holy Church's control, the commoners frequently questioned whether the Holy Light Clerics were truly devoted to their True God. Why were the churches where the people prayed built so casually? This had led to quite a few amusing incidents.

Thus, the Holy Church had been forced to keep up with the times and renovate churches in generally prosperous regions. It also decreed that every church offering prayer services had to undergo appropriate improvements and renovations based on the living standards of the local people!

So when Will and the others were taken to the church the Daimyo had built, the solid-gold statue of holy light and the glazed roof made them deeply uncomfortable. To the pragmatic Holy Light Clerics, a statue without holy power was worth less than the gold they could chip off and sell to fund aid for those in need.

They wasted no time putting that idea into action. With a few brisk blows, they knocked off the gold, hurried to their own organization's pawnshop in the city, and exchanged it for a large sum of money. Then they happily headed across the river, where the commoners gathered, leaving the samurai from the Daimyo's residence staring in disbelief. None of them could understand it. Did holy light despise gold? Was that why its followers had smashed the golden statue?

When Fengsha arrived in high spirits, she found the once-luxurious church in utter disarray. Instinctive panic gripped her. "Have the Sand shinobi attacked?"

She immediately tried to leave, but as soon as she turned, she spotted a fully armed samurai. "Quick, protect me!" Fengsha shouted.

The samurai promptly drew his Samurai Sword. "Your Highness, where is the enemy?"

"You idiot! Can't you see that the church has been destroyed?" Fengsha snapped.

"Your Highness, this... this may be a misunderstanding!" the samurai said, suddenly realizing what she meant.

"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?" Fengsha asked in confusion.

"The Holy Light Clerics dismantled this church themselves!"

"What? Why?"

"The last cleric to leave said they were going to use the gold to spread their faith!" the samurai hastily explained.

Fengsha steadied herself. "Where did they go?"

"Across the river!"

At the mention of the other bank, Fengsha frowned. Ever since she was little, her father had told her never to go across the river. That was where the swine lived, a filthy, stinking place riddled with disease.

But for the sake of power-the power to protect this nation-she said, "It seems I have no choice but to disobey Father this time. I think he'll understand!"

"Come, follow me across the river!" Fengsha said, mustering her courage.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The samurai gave it little thought. After all, unlike the princess, they had not been deceived by the Daimyo. They all knew the other bank held nothing but destitute lowborn people.

The moment she reached the other bank, a strange stench of rotting food hit her. Fengsha had never smelled anything like it. Her stomach churned, and she quickly covered her nose and mouth, forcing herself onward despite her discomfort.

She had wanted to see what the swine looked like, but all along the way she saw only strange people who looked much like her, with ragged clothes, scrawny bodies, numb eyes, and a sour stench. The lowborn were forbidden from contaminating the river, so aside from a handful of wells, the slums were desperately short of water!

Looking at the worlds-apart conditions separated by a single river, Fengsha could not bear it. "Wasn't this side of the river supposed to be full of swine?"

The samurai paused slightly. "Yes, they're all swine!" He pointed at the commoners ahead.

Fengsha's eyes flew wide. "Nonsense! Aren't they people?"

"Your Highness, how could such lowly creatures be called people? Do they deserve that?"

Hearing those unbelievable words from the samurai, Fengsha felt the perfect image of her people in her mind shatter completely. Before, she had thought hardship meant being unable to afford snowy-white bread, chilled drinks, or wine. Only today did she learn that beneath that lay another level-a hell on earth.

Now she only wanted to find the Holy Light Clerics who had dismantled the statue as quickly as possible and ask them what on earth was going on.

After the samurai led her through turn after turn, she finally spotted white-robed figures ahead.

"Who are you? How dare you stop us from dealing with a thief who stole water from the river!" A priest was gripping the Samurai Sword that a samurai had swung at a child. Blood ran down the blade, dripping onto the child's terrified face.

Will flung the samurai's sword aside and spoke even more harshly. "Who the hell do you think you are, you mere samurai? Do you know who we are? We're priests of the Holy Church whom your Daimyo paid a fortune to invite here! In a moment, I'll go report you to him for offending us!" It wasn't that the Holy Light Clerics couldn't throw their weight around. They were kind, not stupid!

"Are you that group of evil... evil..." The samurai was so nervous that he forgot what to call them.

The sight only made Will angrier. He swung his bloodied hand and slapped the samurai who had attacked the child.

"Ah!" The blow sent the samurai reeling.

"My lord, my lord, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the samurai stammered in terror. He had heard the general say that they must never offend these followers of the Evil God. If they did, no one would be able to save them.

Will healed his palm with the Healing Technique and picked up the child from the ground. Damn it, it's always these children who get hurt in this chaotic world. When we gather later, I have to put building a school on the agenda. Otherwise, I'll never have any peace of mind.

"You bastard! Was I the one you were trying to kill? What good does apologizing to me do?" Will could not resist giving the samurai a few more kicks, playing the part of a power-abusing bastard to perfection.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The samurai hurriedly got up and bowed to the still-terrified child.

Seeing that the child had been frightened again, Will said impatiently, "Get lost. If I ever catch you trying to kill an innocent child again, you'll regret it!"

"Yes! Yes, my lord!"

Watching the samurai flee into the distance, Will hurriedly comforted the child, who was still trembling in his arms.

Not far away, Fengsha watched Priest Will, who was nothing like the elegant man she had seen at the Daimyo's residence. By her previous standards, he could even be called downright crude. Yet at this moment, she could not bring herself to dislike him at all.

He showed no disgust at the child's filthy body, instead holding the child affectionately and soothing the continued sobs. Fengsha suddenly felt as though she had seen a beam of light. Beside that light, she seemed so small and ridiculous.