Chapter 8: The Corrupt Priest - Crawling Anticipation.
Crawling anticipation.
Crawling anticipation.
The priests of the Church of Enlightenment.
Those who served the Scales of Retribution often wore attire reminiscent of holy knights—thick plate armor and massive war hammers. Priests of the Church of Enlightenment were considered one of the easiest classes to play in this game. At first glance, their bulky armor seemed impossibly cumbersome, but it was enchanted to grow lighter with the depth of the wearer’s faith. Likewise, their war hammers gained weight proportional to their faith when swung against enemies. A class wholly specialized in close combat.
The first to speak was a middle-aged priest with scars etched across his face, each mark radiating seasoned experience.
Better avoid direct confrontation if possible.
“Dedication to a righteous life. I never imagined encountering a priest serving the God of Preservation in a place like this. I am Obus, the Hammer upon the Scales of Retribution. Those behind me walk the same path—this large companion is Cornu, and this is Petina.”
At Obus’s introduction, Cornu and Petina—both priests of the Church of Enlightenment—bowed to me.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Petina was an ordinary woman with short, light brown hair that suited her well. But it was Cornu who seized my attention—a towering figure with a thick horn erupting from the center of his forehead. A one-horned tribesman, a rarity in the human-dominated northern kingdoms.
“The pleasure is mine.”
I carefully masked any curiosity about his heritage. These were wielders of divine attacks, my fatal weakness as a corrupt priest. Though I could disguise myself using items blessed by other gods, discovery of my true identity would irreversibly sever any chance of alliance.
Just as awkward silence threatened to settle between us, Erin smoothly interjected.
“The priests will likely stay here a while, assisting with mercenary work—just like you, Priest Marnak!”
Relief washed over me. The relic I sought could still be seized later. Perhaps building rapport was necessary?
Stealing the relic wasn’t strictly essential. Merely touching it to absorb its divine energy before returning it might suffice. The problem? Absorption would inevitably leak traces of my corrupt divinity.
Three steps loomed:
Secure the relic.
Absorb its energy far from these priests.
Return it undetected.
A headache brewed. Asking to “borrow” their relic would brand me a lunatic. Theft? At this rate, I was less a corrupt priest than a common thief.
“Priest Marnak?”
I’d lingered too long in thought. Obus, the scarred priest, studied me before continuing:
“We have matters to attend and must take our leave. Let us speak again another time.”
Good—I need to refine my plans.
I smiled warmly. “I look forward to it.”
The three priests bowed and retreated into the guild’s inner chambers.
Inner chambers?
Erin, as if reading my mind, explained:
“They’ll be lodging here during their stay.”
“Is that acceptable?”
“Our guild often houses visiting priests in exchange for small favors. They are priests, after all.”
A suspicion struck.
“So when you let me stay yesterday…”
Erin beamed.
“Yes! Because you’re a priest too!”
The winter wind outside seemed to mock the fleeting warmth in my chest. Of course.
Her bright jade-green eyes glittered mischievously.
“What? Did you think I let you stay because I’m interested in you?”
“Not at all.”
She’d pierced the truth. I’d assumed this lovely woman harbored some sly ulterior motive, sharp as a pencil’s tip.
“Though… I did help you partly because I’m curious.”
“What?”
After glancing around, she leaned close, her warm breath tickling my ear:
“A large food shipment arrives tomorrow night. Could you bless it to prevent spoilage?”
I stepped back, rubbing my ear.
“Why whisper that directly into my ear?”
She grinned like a imp.
“Who knows?”
Her dizzying voice made the pouch at my chest thrash violently.
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!
Clutching my chest, I forced a serene smile.
“I can certainly bless the food. In return, may I stay here awhile?”
It was nothing for me to subtly cast a simple blessing of corruption without the priests of the Church of Purification noticing.
"If you stay here, Father, I’d be delighted!"
"Delighted? Delighted...?!" I suppressed the squirming pouch in my chest and feigned calmness.
"Then I’ll gratefully stay a few more days."
"Yes. If you get bored while staying in your room, feel free to come out and chat with me. For now, I have some work to attend to, so I’ll excuse myself."
Erin hurried back to her seat with quick steps, and I returned to my room with two gold coins.
'Kill!!!'
"Mother. Your words are too harsh. How about using brighter and gentler words?"
'Kill! Kill! Kill!'
"What are you talking about? I’m only here purely to retrieve the sacred relic. There’s not even a speck of ill intent toward that red-haired lady who suits her hair so well. Really."
'Kill...?'
"Really, really. You’ve watched me for the past five years, so you know, don’t you? I truly have no one but you, Mother. Ha, this really won’t do! Let me make you feel my pure heart directly!"
I massaged Mother’s palm in my hand with care and sincerity.
'Ki...ll...'
Mother Corruption, who had been trying to say something, became so relaxed from the massage that she couldn’t finish her words.
After fully soothing Mother’s mood and returning to the first floor of the mercenary guild, only one horned man was sitting in a chair. The horned Cornu met my gaze and smiled warmly.
"Oh, isn’t this Father Marnak?"
Feeling the need to gather information about the sacred relic, I naturally walked over and sat down in front of Cornu.
"I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. It’s truly a pleasure. But where have the other priests gone?"
"Father Obs and Petina went to pay their respects to Lord Guis."
"Why didn’t you go with them?"
Cornu scratched his cheek awkwardly and smiled.
"Well, given my race, some lords in the Northern Kingdom tend to be uncomfortable around non-humans..."
Among the nobles of the Northern Kingdom, where most of the population was human, there were quite a few who found it uncomfortable to face non-human races directly.
"Lord Tredon wouldn’t mind such things, right?"
Erin, who had approached unnoticed, pulled up a chair and joined the conversation. Cornu smiled amiably and replied to Erin.
"Is that so? Maybe I should have gone with the other priests after all."
"Our Lord Tredon is very strict in personality and cold in his dealings with people, but he is incredibly capable at his work. He strictly separates public and private matters. There are quite a few people in Guis who fervently support Lord Tredon, so if you ever plan to speak ill of him outside, it would be wise to be careful."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
I casually brought up my question.
"But why did the other priests go to see the lord?"
There was no rule that priests had to greet the lord upon entering a city. Their visit clearly had another purpose.
Cornu glanced at Erin briefly before slowly opening his mouth.
"Actually, we are on a pilgrimage tracing an old prophecy from ten years ago. Father Obs believes that 'the end cloaked in life’s shell' refers directly to 'the demon.'"
A demon? Damn it! The situation was taking a very bad turn. I feigned calmness as much as possible and asked,
"Surely you don’t think Lord Tredon is a demon and went to confront him?"
Cornu let out a hearty laugh and waved his large hand dismissively.
"Oh no, not at all! If we truly thought Lord Tredon was a demon, would I still be here? Father Obs simply went to perform the routine check he does every time we enter a city. He possesses a sacred relic that can determine whether someone is a demon or not."
Worst. The worst possible scenario. It couldn’t get worse than this. If things continued like this, many would undoubtedly die.
If Tredon had only recently been possessed by a demon, two priests of the Church of Purification could have easily handled him. But he was a demon who had endured forty winters in that body.
By using the power of that body—now deeply attached to it—he could pull a fragment of his true self from beyond the world into this land.
Kwaaaaang!
The ground shook violently. Explosions rang out. Screams echoed through the city.
Cornu and I urgently rushed out of the mercenary guild.
And there we saw it.
A portion of the demon, having destroyed the lord’s mansion and descended into the mortal realm.
—Gaaaaaaah!
The jet-black hide covering its entire body was thick enough to repel any blade. Behind its gaping maw, each razor-sharp tooth was the size of a human skull.
Boom!
A massive hammer of pure white light crashed down onto the demon’s head.
It was the "Hammer of Punishment," one of the Church of Purification’s signature divine powers.
Cornu turned to me and urged,
"We have to help!"
With a hardened expression, I stared at the distant rampaging demon—a colossal black creature resembling a crocodile—and replied,
"Go ahead first. I’ll follow shortly."
While the three priests of the Church of Purification stalled the demon, I had separate business to attend to.
