Corrupted Priest-Chapter 25

Hilden slowly stood and bowed deeply again. It wasn't like he wanted to come begging. But the damage had already grown too large. He had lost fifteen elite members, carefully trained over a long time. Even if he had to suffer more humiliation and land on his ass a few more times, he had to get extra funding from this client.

"Well... to continue the mission, I believe additional funds are required..."

A deep wrinkle formed on the man's forehead.

"What?! Additional funds? Did you just say additional funds?! Do you know how much money I've already given you? Huh? Hey. Come here. Face."

Following the twitch of the man's finger, Hilden quickly stepped forward and presented his face.

Smack!

A crisp slap twisted Hilden's head to the side. That wasn't enough to satisfy the man, who slapped him several more times before finally, panting, speaking again.

"Now explain exactly why you need more money. And if you dare say it's just to cover your losses, you're dead. I'll kill you right here with my own hands."

Of course it was to cover their losses—but Hilden had already prepared a more plausible excuse. One that would convince this bastard.

"The variable who got involved this time... wasn't an ordinary person."

"You dragging this out? Huh? Why's your tongue so damn long? Want another slap?"

'You foul-tempered piece of shit! May lightning strike you dead!'

The head of a household, Hilden bit down his anger as he thought of his dear, rabbit-like children.

"There were two men who took Lady Dacia Irmel..."

"What? Men? So she's traveling with just two guys now?"

The man reacted sensitively to the word men.

'Damn it. Can't he stop cutting me off for once?'

Grinding his teeth inwardly, Hilden continued.

"Yes, that's correct. And one of the men is Carmen Baltas, illegitimate son of Enthis Baltas..."

"So what? He's just a regular noble."

"Carmen Baltas has been training diligently since childhood—he's well-known even in the capital..."

"Yeah, whatever. What about the other one? If it's another regular guy, I swear, I'm going to be very disappointed. So you're telling me Illeh got tripped up by two ordinary people and now you're broadcasting it around town?"

Knowing full well the bastard was the type to do exactly that, Hilden quickly revealed the identity of the other man.

"The other is a priest who serves the Goddess of Preservation—his name is Marnak..."

"A priest? So you're saying this is all because of one priest and a regular guy?"

"You have to hear me out. Marnak is no ordinary priest."

The man showed a flicker of interest.

"What makes him so special?"

"Marnak first gained fame in Guise. A demon appeared and transformed into a massive beast. Marnak killed it with a single sword, earning the nickname 'Demon Slayer'."

"He killed a demon-turned-beast with a single sword? Alone?"

"...Not alone. There were three Reform Church priests there. They were all killed in the fight, though."

"So maybe those priests did all the work and Marnak just finished it off? He could've taken credit and fled before the truth got out."

The man's interest faded again. Hilden brought out his second card.

"That's not all. Just recently, cultists of an evil god sacrificed all living things in Kelton to create a monster. Marnak killed it alone. He earned the title 'Adversary of the Evil God.' After revealing the truth of the incident, he quietly left the city, avoiding fame."

The demon lord who witnessed it had glamorized Marnak's departure, spreading a rumor that Marnak left because he was burdened by worship.

The man thought silently for a while before speaking.

"But all of that's not from his own mouth, right? Are we sure he actually did it? Maybe someone else did, and he just lied and ran away before the truth caught up."

Hilden shut his eyes tightly.

'What a petty bastard. Won't acknowledge anyone no matter what.'

The man leaned back in his chair.

"Well, if even half the rumors are true, those two probably won't mess with Dacia. Fine. I'll give you extra funding."

'We did it!'

In Hilden's mind, his rabbit-like children and bear-like wife smiled brightly.

"But not right now. I've stretched my finances too thin—no money I can move at the moment."

"But... weren't you planning to host another banquet tonight?"

The man tapped Hilden's head lightly, laughing.

"You think I should cancel my party just to give you money? Come on, even you know that's ridiculous, right?"

'Cancel it! Cancel it right now!'

Hilden's silent screams never reached the man. Stretching lazily, the man spoke again.

"Still... I wonder what Enthis Baltas will do if Carmen dies. That guy's never really treated him like a real son."

When the man casually said the name Enthis, whom all men of the north respected, Hilden's face turned stiff. He too admired Enthis Baltas. Seeing Hilden's face, the man smirked.

"Anyway. If you've said your piece, get lost. The girls will be here soon."

"Yes."

Just as he had arrived, Hilden withdrew quietly.

"Hasn't everyone had moments like that?"

Moments when you acted boldly, but as time passed, regret slowly crept in.

"Maybe I should've spoken more gently to Lady Dakia? She seemed like someone quite reasonable to talk to."

"Murder!"

My mother tugged at my arm, insisting there was no need to worry about that woman. I cut a sausage into small pieces and placed one into my mother's mouth as she sat on my lap.

"Murder!!!"

My mother, exclaiming how delicious it was, chewed the sausage happily and swung her legs in delight. When she said she wanted to try eating food herself, I had gone downstairs, paid some money, and brought up a dish that had been specially prepared. It felt worth the effort.

As I cut the bread into bite-sized pieces and fed them to her, I thought of Lady Dakia.

A mage.

I disliked mages. Beyond being self-centered, they were selfish to a fault, and I loathed them.

It was a mage, after all, who shattered the ordinary life I had once tried to settle into in this world. Ever since that incident, I instinctively hated mages.

Even knowing that the mage who destroyed my life and the ones I encountered afterward were different people, I couldn't shake off that vague aversion. I always viewed them through a biased lens and deliberately kept my distance.

Besides, I'd already been burned once by treating a mage kindly. I figured repeating the same mistake would be foolish.

Yet, because of how Lady Dakia had behaved over the past few days, a quiet question kept rising in me:

"Could she be an exception?"

"Murder!"

As my mother said her hands were idle, I quickly picked up a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth.

"M...u...r...d..."

Knock, knock.

Before my mother could finish saying the word, someone knocked at the door. I gripped the hilt of my froststeel sword and asked,

"Who is it?"

The reply came only after a long pause.

"It's me. Dakia."

I didn't release my grip on the sword. Instead, I wrapped my arms around my mother's head and, with a swift hand, transformed her back into her miniature form and tucked her into my chest pocket.

"You may come in."

"Yes."

Surely she wouldn't cast a spell while opening the door, right? Fortunately, Dakia entered the room unarmed and without reciting any incantations.

She looked at the plate of food sitting on my lap and asked,

"Were you having a late-night snack?"

"Yes. I got a bit hungry."

I stayed alert and moved the plate to the table. Dakia, dressed in light white sleepwear, stepped closer to me.

"Is it alright if I sit next to you? There's something I want to say."

"Yes."

With my permission, she perched lightly on the bed. It hadn't even been an hour since I'd threatened her. What could she possibly want to say?

But Dakia didn't speak easily. A heavy silence fell. Just as I was getting used to its weight, her lips parted softly.

"Was your warning earlier because I'm a mage?"

I couldn't answer immediately. Her words had struck a nerve. I forced myself to admit my flaw.

"Yes."

Still looking out the window at the falling snow, Dakia said,

"I figured. The way Priest Marnak looked at me—it was a look I've become quite familiar with. People who've been hurt by mages tend to look at me like that."

Her words made me uncomfortable. She had precisely pointed out a part of myself I didn't want to face.

I stayed silent, knowing full well she'd take it as confirmation. Dakia looked at me with those golden eyes of hers and said,

"But it was the first time for me."

Even without my response, she continued speaking.

"Even though you looked at me with such hatred, the things you said were just... 'do better from now on.' Most people who look at me like that try to hurt me."

The more cheerfully she spoke, the more I wished I could crawl into a hole.

"To be honest, I don't think I'll ever be able to ignore injustice. But—"

She paused, then smiled.

"Like you said earlier, I'll make sure to consult with you first. I came at this late hour just to tell you that."

She rose slowly from the bed.

"Well then, I'll be going. Good night, Priest Marnak."

"Wait..."

"Yes?"

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Admitting one's wrongs is never easy. I barely managed to force the words out.

"I was too hasty earlier. I was rude to you, Lady Dakia."

Dakia looked at me with eyes like melted gold and beamed.

"You're finally seeing me properly. That makes me really happy."

I smiled back.

"Is that so?"

Dakia nodded and said brightly,

"Then we're fully reconciled now, right? No lingering resentment between us?"

"Yes. At least, I hold none."

"Me neither, so now there's nothing between us! Let's greet each other with smiles tomorrow morning."

She left with a cheerful "Good night!" and vanished down the hallway. I gently tapped my mother's hand and said,

"Mages are still individuals, after all. This foolish son finally faces the truth he's long avoided."

"Murder!"

Ignoring that woman and just feeding her instead—that's what my mother demanded. I smiled quietly.

"The food's gone cold, so I'll go warm it up and feed you properly. I can't let you eat cold food, after all."

I went and reheated the meal, fed my mother, and took a brief nap.

Thud, thud.

I awoke to someone pounding on the door. When I opened it, the gruff-faced innkeeper greeted me, his expression thick with concern.

"Priest!"

"Yes. What is it?"

The innkeeper hesitated, then spoke in a deeply apologetic voice.

"There's a group at the village entrance claiming to be the comrades of the mercenary taken by the vigilantes yesterday. They're demanding we hand over the ones who beat their friend to a pulp."

"So, you gave them the ones we captured yesterday?"

"Yes..."

It was obvious. A fully armed group must've shown up en masse—they had little choice. Frankly, the fact that this innkeeper didn't just hand us over in our sleep and instead came to warn us was the greatest kindness he could offer.

I picked up my froststeel sword and the Butcher and smiled.

"Tell them I'll be out shortly."