Chapter 15: The Priest of Decay's Proposal.
Proposal.
Proposal.
Carmen stared at the arrowhead with trembling eyes, his face stiff and tense. And for good reason—if the bead absorbed blood but showed no reaction, it would mean the kin he sought was already dead. Carmen feared his mother might be among the departed. After several aborted attempts to prick his finger, Carmen finally looked up and spoke to me.
"Priest Marnak. Could you pray for me?"
I smiled warmly and nodded. "I'd be glad to."
I tapped my chest pocket and whispered softly to summon the Mother of Decay. "Mother. Are you listening?"
'Kill!'
I smiled quietly at the familiar rebuke, knowing full well I lacked such power. Carmen finally squeezed his eyes shut and pierced his fingertip with the arrowhead. When his blood dripped onto the bead, it devoured the crimson droplets with vulgar eagerness.
The bead gurgled like a swallowing throat. As Carmen watched with anxious eyes, a tiny needle surfaced within the bloodstained orb, quivering westward.
"Oh... Mother... You're still alive."
Carmen wept openly, tears splashing to the ground. He'd always been an emotional man. After wiping his face, he bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you. This is all your doing. How can I ever repay—"
"Repay me with sincerity when you're able. I'm nothing if not patient."
I fed another log to the campfire. Carmen stared into the orange flames before speaking cautiously.
"Might I make a proposal?"
"By all means. The night is long, and my ears grow bored."
Fastening the beaded necklace around his neck, Carmen began slowly. "I wish to extend your employment until I find my mother. Since we're heading west regardless, we could stop at the capital for proper compensation."
The proposal was clear: leave Guis together.
I prodded the fire with a poker, weighing options. Staying in Guis meant enjoying favor with a demon lord and claiming a silver mercenary badge. Yet fame there had become burdensome—every gaze felt like shackles to a man seeking anonymity.
Leaving with Carmen offered different advantages. Though a bastard, he remained Ensis Baltas' son—the Black Wolf of the North. His name would open doors to restricted places, expanding my search for holy relics.
My decision crystallized.
"Of course. I'll cover all travel expenses. I've ample means."
I paused deliberately—accepting too eagerly might seem mercenary. After feeding three more logs to the fire, I smiled.
"I'll help find your mother."
And the Mother of Decay's relics while we're at it.
Carmen's smile outshone the flames. "Thank you!"
Erin glared at me with puffed cheeks. "You're leaving? Just like that? After everything I've done?"
I offered an awkward smile. "Not immediately. We depart tomorrow."
"Today or tomorrow—it's equally sudden! Fine. Where to?"
"Westward first, stopping at the capital."
Erin drummed slender fingers on the reception desk, muttering "Capital..." She pursed her lips in a gesture that should have seemed childish, yet she made it charming. "How cruel."
'Kill!'
The Mother's voice dripped with smug triumph.
"Your hand."
"Pardon? Oh."
She placed a silver mercenary badge in my palm. "These aren't issued quickly. I pulled strings. Don't you have something to say?"
"Thank you?"
Her ivory finger jabbed the air between us. "Wrong! Say 'Let's meet again. I'll return without fail.'"
I answered with silent smiles. Promises of reunion meant nothing for a drifter like me.
Erin studied my face before sighing heavily. "Keep living like this, Priest Marnak, and you'll die old and loveless."
'Kill!'
The Mother's retort went unheard. Erin flashed her usual mischievous grin and tossed over her shoulder:
"See you around."
"See you around?"
"Pardon?"
"Let's meet again if we get the chance. I think that chance might come a bit sooner than expected, Father Marnak."
'Murder?!'
"What on earth do you mean by that?"
Erin smiled ambiguously and pushed my back.
"You said you were going to meet the lord before leaving. Hurry up. The lord is waiting, so you shouldn't be chatting with a mercenary guild receptionist. No, absolutely not."
I was pushed away and asked again.
"What does that really mean? That!"
"You don't need to know. Just stay curious. That's exactly the punishment I'm giving you, Father Marnak."
"This will taste much better if eaten together. Go ahead and try it."
The intricate prosthetic hand moved as if alive, pushing a bowl of cookies toward me. I picked up a cookie and put it in my mouth. As expected, I couldn't taste anything.
The demon looked at my face and smiled warmly.
"You look deeply curious about something."
"I was burdened with a vexing question on my way here. It keeps nagging at me."
"Problems that cling to your heart—that's what life is all about, I suppose. By the way, are you leaving?"
"Yes."
I raised my head to face the demon. His hair, once full and lush before his departure, now hung limp and lifeless. His scalp peeked shyly through the thinning strands.
I spoke with pity.
"The side effects have come on remarkably fast for you."
"Hahaha! Don't look at me so pitifully! Aren't humans born hairless? I've merely taken a step closer to humanity's natural state. You're heading to the capital, yes?"
"Yes."
"I prepared something after hearing your plans."
The demon handed me a pristine white envelope. I accepted it and asked:
"What is this...?"
"I'd prefer to give you money, but as you know, restoring Guis has drained even our emergency funds. My pockets are utterly empty—not a single penny remains. Truly."
The demon turned out his pockets and grinned slyly.
"Instead, I wrote you a letter of introduction for your journey. If trouble arises, open it and seek my friend. Though fair warning—he's quite bothersome. Best avoid him unless desperate! Hahaha!"
A demon's friend... Whether this was Trevon Philian's human companion or the Crawling Wait's demonic ally, he never clarified.
Well, multiple options never hurt. Having contingencies always paid off.
"I'll accept it gratefully."
The demon bowed deeply in response.
"May your travels always bring joy."
"Is that a demon's blessing? Or a human's?"
The demon chuckled.
"A friend's blessing. Father Marnak. Live joyfully! Life is always too short!"
"Let's go, Father."
"Yes."
At dawn, Carmen and I trudged through snowfields that had fallen overnight, leaving Guis behind.
And so I departed from Guis.
Several days later
While walking westward as guided by the bead, a faint blood scent pricked my heightened senses.
"Blood."
"Huh?"
"Very close. And approaching us."
Carmen's face hardened as she nocked an arrow.
The metallic smell intensified. Something charged toward us at terrifying speed.
Thud!
Eeeeeeeeeek!
A carriage-sized spider with white fur and eight legs lunged from the shadows. Carmen shouted urgently:
"Snow spider!!! Why here?!"
I shared her panic. Why would monsters attack while I'm present? This defied nature.
"Carmen! I'll engage first! Shoot when I signal!"
"Yes!"
I drew the relic sword from the ruins instead of my froststeel blade.
Truthfully, I'd insisted on signaling so I could finally test this weapon—days of peace had denied me the chance.
When I activated the sword, it screamed like a mad beast.
WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
The artifact wasn't a conventional blade. Where steel should gleam, a chainsaw's teeth whirred—a sword named "Butcher" by my mother.
Murder!
I raised the roaring weapon and charged.
Eeeeeeeeeek!
A blood-soaked foreleg stabbed toward me. Without hesitation, I swung.
WAAAAAAAAH!
The spinning teeth ground through chitin and flesh. I didn't stop—Butcher ripped upward, shredding the spider's body.
Eeeeeek!
The creature collapsed into minced meat. The blade's roar faded as I wiped viscous fluid from my face.
"I'll need washing stations when using this. The splatter's unbearable."
Carmen stared, bewildered.
"Artifacts truly live up to their name. Incredible power."
Murder!
Mother's warning echoed. I gripped Butcher and shouted:
"More coming! Two—no, three!"
Eeeeeek!
Eeeeeek!
Eeeeeek!
Three spiders emerged, shrieking. Snow spiders never traveled in packs—this reeked of manipulation.
"Carmen! Fire at will!"
"Yes!"
Her arrow sliced the air as I revved Butcher and lunged.
WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
The chainsaw's roar echoed across the snowfield.
