Chapter 17: Acting Like a Corrupt Priest.
Acting.
Acting.
Dark God.
The name sounds terrifying, but the reality isn't all that special.
Simply put, once the continent's major religions classify a god as 'evil,' that label sticks. And, of course, persecution comes with the territory.
The Order of Corruption was one such group, classified as worshipers of a Dark God. Of course, unlike the currently active Dark God cults, this one was supposedly wiped out long ago.
The mainstream churches cooperate unconditionally against Dark Gods. Ironically, the Dark God cults themselves rarely work together.
It's unclear whether the order went bad before being labeled a Dark God cult, or if the persecution made them that way. One thing's for sure: few Dark God worshipers are sane.
I put on my most serious face and asked the lord.
"Isn't besieging a city a bit much for just one Dark God worshiper?"
The normally gentle-looking lord looked even more depressed.
"The priests who sensed the Dark God's power say at least four different orders are working together to besiege Kelton."
It's very simple for priests to identify a Dark God's power.
A Dark God's aura is like a divine 'block list.' The instant priests sense it, they're overcome with disgust and have to fight it.
The problem is, this 'block list' never gets updated, even if a Dark God's cult is wiped out. So, modern priests still react violently to the long-gone Corruption's power, instantly recognizing it as evil.
Wait, this is seriously messed up. Dark God cults are cooperating?
"Dark God cults working together to besiege a city? That's definitely not normal. Any idea what they're after?"
The lord shook his head.
"I have absolutely no idea. Kelton's just an ordinary town, nothing special about it. Sigh."
His sigh was heavy with worry.
"And right when I take over as lord... If my father were still alive, he'd know what to do..."
The quiet, middle-aged knight behind him whispered something in his ear – probably advising him not to show weakness in front of guests. The lord immediately plastered on a cheerful expression and continued.
"Luckily, it's winter, so we have plenty of food stored, and the soldiers are in good spirits. The real problem is that, because the siege was so sudden, nobody knows Kelton is cut off."
I could see where this was going.
He began to speak hesitantly, his voice full of apology.
"So, we need a small, suicide squad to break through the monster lines and get word to other cities."
Yeah, I figured that's what he was going to say.
He was only asking me, a complete stranger, to risk my life because I'm a priest. He figured that priests are all gung-ho about fighting Dark Gods, so I'd have to agree.
And since I was pretending to be a priest of the Goddess of Maintenance, I couldn't exactly refuse. Total checkmate.
'Kill!!!'
While my mother screamed at me to punch the smug lord in the face and run, I just smiled and replied.
"I'll do it."
I'll agree for now and figure out the details later.
"Marnak!"
Carmen, sitting next to me, reacted strongly. He said, seriously,
"You can't just agree like that! You need to know the plan and what kind of support we'll get!"
He was genuinely worried about me; it was a good kind of scolding. Is this what having a party member is like?
But the lord was starting to look uncomfortable with Carmen's outburst, so I quickly cut him off.
"It's my duty. As a priest, I have to help fight Dark God worshipers."
As I said that, I sent him a telepathic message, hoping he'd get it.
"Keep going, Carmen! Lay it on thick!"
That way, I can squeeze more out of the lord! I already have my eye on something.
As if on cue, Carmen said firmly,
"I'm going too."
The lord, sweating, said in a small voice,
"While it's certainly honorable for a member of the Baltas family to volunteer for something so dangerous..."
He was hesitant because Carmen, despite being a bastard, was still the son of Ensis Baltas, the Black Wolf. He was probably terrified of the fallout if he got Ensis's son killed.
"I can handle myself, Lord. Don't worry."
"But..."
I listened to them go back and forth. The lord tried to talk Carmen out of it, but he was determined to come with me.
Lord Stren Plkore let out a heavy sigh.
"*Sigh* Alright, alright. If you're that determined, I can't stop you. I'll give you all the support I can."
Carmen bowed deeply. I watched for a moment, then casually spoke up. There was something I wanted.
"Lord. May I ask you a question?"
The lord, looking even more miserable than before, said,
"Go ahead."
"Could I have that item over there?"
I pointed to one of the ornaments – a wide, flat bowl. The lord looked at it, puzzled.
"That bowl?"
"Yes. I can sense my goddess's blessing on it."
Complete lie. Well, half-lie. There was a blessing on the bowl, but it wasn't from the Goddess of Maintenance.
"Really? It's just a decoration, so sure. You there, take that bowl to the priest's room."
The servants bowed and carefully carried the bowl away.
I gave the lord a pious smile and asked,
"So, when do we start?"
"The monsters are gathering quickly, so the sooner the better. We'll go as soon as it gets dark. You still have some time, so why don't you get some rest?"
"Sounds good."
Carmen and I left the gloomy lord and went to our separate rooms. I found the bowl waiting for me on the table.
'Kill!'
My mother pointed out that I'd snagged something hard to find in the north. I nodded.
"Exactly. I never thought I'd find something from the Seekers of the Flow, all the way out here. They're usually only found in the western deserts."
The Seekers worship a water god, so the blessing on this bowl is water-related.
The lord clearly hadn't noticed the blessing. Even if he had, he couldn't have used it.
Normally, only priests of that specific god can use blessed items. I'm an exception, of course.
'Holy relics,' on the other hand, can be used by anyone. But they're much harder to make than simple blessed items. That's why the churches are so keen on getting them back.
"Let's give this a try."
I touched the bowl, activated the blessing, and water – blessed water – filled it. I was pretty happy with my new, endless washbasin.
"Now I don't have to worry about washing my face after using 'Butcher'."
'Kill!'
I dipped my Froststeel Sword in the water. My mother explained that it had a little side effect: soaking a weapon in it would temporarily imbue the blade with a bit of the blessing, making it sharper.
I set Butcher down next to the table, planning to soak it after the Froststeel Sword. I lay down on the bed and asked,
"Mother, any idea what's going on here?"
'Kill?'
I chuckled. Of course, she wouldn't know.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll have to investigate when I get a chance."
There was only one thing I was worried about.
If this world really is the game I used to play, then there's one thing I should be worried about.
Main quest.
I was worried this whole mess might be the start of the main quest. And I had no idea what the main quest even was.
I gently patted my mother's hand, which had popped out of my pocket and was playfully rolling around on my chest.
"Well, whatever happens, we just have to do our best, right?"
'Kill...?'
My mother asked what I was going on about. I just smiled.
"I was just saying."
***
"Giddy up!"
Kelton's gates opened, and five horses shot out, galloping across the snow.
The wind whipped my face. The horses weren't thrilled with me, but they followed my lead… grudgingly.
We hadn't been riding long when a chorus of howls and roars erupted behind us.
- Keeeeeek!
- Kaaaargh!
- Grrrr!
"Keep running!"
Carmen shouted, and we nodded.
Besides Carmen and me, there were three other priests. Two huge guys from the Restoration Church, followers of the Goddess of Healing and Health. The last was a quiet priest of the Enlightenment Church, in gleaming white armor.
As the monsters closed in, the Enlightenment priest pulled a warhammer from his back, swung it with all his might, and roared,
"Scales of Retribution!!!"
A giant, glowing hammer of pure white light slammed down. We heard the screams of beasts behind us, but we couldn't look back.
The two Restoration priests, still holding the reins, chanted quick prayers. White light flowed into the horses.
Renewed, the horses surged forward, back to their original speed.
But as if mocking our efforts, the monsters started gaining on us even faster.
Time for the next step. I shouted to Carmen,
"I'll draw their attention!"
Carmen yelled back,
"What the hell are you talking about?! Even you can't take on that many monsters alone!"
"But if we keep going like this, we'll be caught up!"
"We can outrun them!"
He shot an arrow, taking down a beast that was about to leap onto the road.
"You know we can't outrun them like this! I'll stay behind!"
"We can do this if we stick together! Don't do it, Marnak!"
I gave Carmen a small smile.
"Get reinforcements. And hurry."
Without another thought, I let go of the reins and jumped.
"Marnak!!!"
The Enlightenment and Restoration priests rode past, bowing their heads in respect. I nodded back, pulled 'Butcher' off my back, and chuckled.
"That was a pretty cool line, right?"
'Kill!'
My mother agreed that my acting was on point. I started up Butcher.
Wheeeeeeeeeeng!
The chainsaw roared to life, a defiant scream in the dark. In response, a cacophony of monstrous roars erupted from the shadows.
I raised Butcher and walked forward, ready to greet the monsters.
Time to find out what those Dark God freaks were planning.
