"Actually, what business brings you to this city?" asked Mon.
"We came here just to meet one of our friends..." answered Hime.
"That person has been separated from us for a very long time, so we really want to meet her again," I added.
"I hope you're lucky!" said Min enthusiastically.
—
The horse-drawn carriage finally stopped in front of a small church, with architecture that looked very intricate and magnificent.
But, why did they drop us off in front of a church? What does this have to do with finding Charlotte's residence?
"If you want to look for someone, come to this church. Someone inside will surely be able to help you," said Min.
"Ah, thank you very much for bringing us here," I said while bowing slightly, followed by Yuu-chan and Hime.
From afar, one of them waved at us, but I didn't know who it was.
Hah, I'm really lucky in this world; even now, I keep meeting kind people.
"Hime, don't you know where Charlotte's house is?" I asked.
"I-I only know that she's in this city... but more specifically..." Hime replied while slightly turning her face away.
I sighed lightly and looked toward the church. Truly, the atmosphere here felt filled with holiness.
"Huh... let's go in," I said while walking toward the church entrance.
Without the need for discussion or chatter, the two of them immediately followed me so that none of us would get separated.
The entrance door of the church was huge—perhaps three times taller than my current height.
I couldn't imagine how they managed to open this door every day.
We were immediately greeted by long rows of benches aligned toward a podium.
The podium looked like a place where the priest or someone of similar rank would lead a ceremony.
There were still many other places visible from here, but I didn't want to go too far inside.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Our three gazes immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
—
A pastor in his characteristic black robe approached us, walking out from one of the rooms.
His white hair and beard indicated that he was already old.
"The three of us are looking for someone, and an acquaintance told us that this church could help with our search," I said.
The pastor stroked his beard, as if deep in thought.
"A-ah, you're looking for someone... please wait here for a moment..." he said while walking away from us.
Honestly, I'd wanted to sit down for a while now, but where could I sit?!
The pastor also didn't tell us where we were allowed to sit—if I sat just anywhere, we might end up being scolded and thrown out of the church.
—
Not long after, the pastor returned, carrying an old-looking book in his hands.
Wait a second, what does that book have to do with us looking for Charlotte?
Could it be that the book would immediately show Charlotte's location, like how an online map works?
"So... who is the person you're looking for?" the pastor asked.
Yuu-chan and I looked at each other, and in the end, we agreed to let Hime do the talking.
Since Charlotte was Hime's bodyguard, it was best to let Hime handle this.
"Oi, I've been curious for a while now—how could that book possibly help us find Charlotte?" I whispered to Yuu-chan.
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before... so I can't answer that question," replied Yuu-chan.
Even Yuu-chan, who was a status screen and had plenty of knowledge about this world, didn't know.
So how could I?
"We're looking for Charlotte. She's one of my friends who left the kingdom and returned to her home in this city," said Hime.
"And?" the pastor asked again.
"Her hair is tied in a ponytail, and she usually doesn't show much expression when meeting people," Hime continued.
"Wait a moment... let me check... ah, here she is. Is your friend's birthday on July 15th?" the pastor asked again.
Of course, I was immediately shocked to hear what the pastor had just said.
He was looking for someone, yet he suddenly mentioned a birthday—how could he know that it might be Charlotte?
What exactly could this pastor do to help us?
"That's right... but how do you know that?" said Hime.
Huh?! Wait, wait—why did Hime say that's correct?
Don't tell me... the pastor really said the truth? B-but, how?!
—
"Here, read it yourself," said the pastor while handing the old book to Hime.
Feeling curious, Yuu-chan and I immediately stood beside Hime and looked at what was written inside the book.
Ughh...
"Charlotte Luxia, July 15th... black hair, ponytail,..." Hime read out loud as she continued down the line.
"Um... what kind of book is that, actually?" I asked the old pastor.
"That? That's the population record book. It's the latest data the church received this month," he said.
"Eh?" I was immediately confused and couldn't believe what I had just heard.
——
After our wish was fulfilled, the three of us thanked the pastor and immediately walked out of the church.
I still couldn't believe that the church kept records of everyone in this city.
I didn't know that the pastor could really help us.
And what surprised me the most was that the book he brought turned out to be a population record book.
I didn't understand Charlotte's home address since the street names and places sounded completely unfamiliar to me.
But it seemed that Hime didn't have any problem with it—after all, she said she would lead the way for us.
——
The streets in this city looked as if they were being visited by nobles or important people.
The reason was clear—there were so many guards stationed at every corner of the city. I was sure the crime rate here was very low.
"Hime, are you sure you remember Charlotte's address?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I still remember it, especially after seeing the data in that book earlier," Hime replied.
Hmm, well then, I'll trust her.
——
Along the way, Yuu-chan repeatedly asked Hime about the various buildings in this city.
She looked very excited, and it seemed to make Hime tired since she had to keep answering her questions.
—
We passed through large roads, and even through rice fields.
Could it be that Charlotte's house was in a village?
"Charlotte's house is in a village not far from this road... that village has been very lively for a long time."
"That's why there are always many people passing along this road, going to and from the village," Hime continued.
No wonder I had been seeing people carrying sacks of rice and fruits heading toward the city.
——
Finally, we arrived in front of a wooden village gate.
The gate looked very simple from the outside, yet it was wide and thick from within.
"Charlotte's house is inside this village," said Hime.
—
Many children were playing here and there along the village roads.
This village truly looked like a small town located on the outskirts of a big city.
"Hime, where exactly is Charlotte's house?" asked Yuu-chan.
Hime pointed toward the end of the road, where a rather large house could be seen.
"Over there," said Hime.
——
The house was just an ordinary wooden house, but its size was relatively large.
Next to Charlotte's house stood a large tree that even grew taller than the house itself.
Hime knocked on the door, and I could see the mixed emotions on her face.
Knock, knock.
"Excuse me..." said Hime.
Yuu-chan and I just watched Hime from behind while also observing the surroundings.
"Maybe she's out..." said Yuu-chan.
"Who knows, maybe she went somewhere..." I added.
Suddenly, like being struck by a thunderbolt, someone behind us spoke.
The voice sounded very soft, like that of a girl about the same age as Hime.
"I'm the owner of this house... who are you looking for?" the person asked.
All of our gazes immediately turned toward the direction the voice came from.
It was indeed a girl, her hair tied in a ponytail... wait a minute—
"Charlotte..." said Hime.
The ponytailed girl's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"T-that voice... Hime-sama?" she said.
Their eyes instantly grew teary, and their tears began to fall.
—
Without any command or hesitation, like a family long separated,
Hime ran toward Charlotte and hugged her tightly while crying.
Of course, Charlotte felt the same and embraced Hime just as tightly.
The sound of their sobs made me feel moved as well... as for Yuu-chan... ah, her eyes were watery.
Hah... finally, it took quite a long time for me to make these two girls meet again and let go of the emotions they had been holding back.