Ddu-dun!
A blue chalice sat atop the table.
It was a relic that the church had all but neglected. Not something of great importance.
The priest of the Holy Flame Church was silent for a long time. Eventually, his lips parted slowly.
"...What happened to the one who stole the relic?"
The apprentice priest, who had retrieved the relic from the rangers, bowed his head.
"According to the rangers, he was beheaded on the spot."
The priest fell silent again, then slowly spoke.
"And... what became of the body?"
"They said they didn't have the resources to recover it, so they retrieved only the relic."
The blue chalice was placed on the apprentice's hands.
"Priest?"
"You go on ahead. I'm going on a pilgrimage now."
"A pilgrimage? Suddenly?"
"Yes."
The priest of the Holy Flame—the Blue Flame, Cheongyeom—opened his mouth slowly.
"By the way... did the rangers happen to tell you exactly where they killed the thief?"
Ten years ago, a divine prophecy descended upon every church:
–The End shall fall upon this land, wearing the shell of life.
There was brief chaos, but strangely, in the ten years that followed, nothing happened.
Some claimed it was a prophecy meant for the distant future. Others believed it was a divine command to focus on the present.
---
It was a dark night. The moon glowed, and the snow welcomed its light.
Along that quiet, beautiful road, I walked.
In one hand, I held a string of eight severed heads. In the other, I supported an unconscious, injured man.
"It's such a peaceful night, isn't it, Mother?"
'Slaughter!'
"What do you mean I should've looted all their gear and gold? If I really took everything, people would say I'm a greedy priest, Mother. I'm perfectly satisfied with the sword you made sure I remembered to pick up."
'Slaughter!'
"Yes, yes, I admit I probably could've taken some money. You're so frugal. But still—"
As I walked, snow crunching beneath my feet, I continued,
"I might be short on coin at the moment... but my heart isn't lacking. Because I have you by my side, Mother."
'Slaaaaughter...!'
While the Mother of Corruption basked in that emotional sentiment, I finally arrived back at Guis. Walking without sleep had paid off.
As I approached the city's western gate, the guards stirred with urgency.
Raising a torch, one of them shouted,
"The gates are closed! It's late—come back tomorrow morning if you wish to enter Guis!"
I stepped forward, letting them see me clearly. The flickering torchlight illuminated my pristine white priest robes, untouched by battle.
"I'm Priest Marnak, one of the mercenaries who left this morning on a mission from the Lord. I could wait until morning, but the man on my shoulder needs immediate medical attention. Could you at least let him in first?"
The two guards exchanged a quick whisper. The senior-looking one spoke.
"Are you referring to the ten mercenaries who left this morning, Priest?"
"Yes."
"And what happened to the others? Only you two returned?"
I held up the string of heads.
"Can you see this?"
The younger guard's voice trembled.
"Th-Those are heads! Human heads!"
The older one remained calm.
"I'll need an explanation, Priest."
I explained that the heads belonged to the bandits, and that out of all the mercenaries who had left, only I and the man on my shoulder—Puer—had survived.
After a moment's thought, the senior guard gave an order to the junior, who ran off.
"Please wait a moment. We've sent word inside. But... is the man on your shoulder in critical condition?"
"He's badly hurt, but the Goddess of Preservation is watching over him. He should be fine to wait a little while."
Of course, it was actually the Mother of Corruption's blessing keeping him alive.
Soon after, two burly men and a red-haired young lady in a thick coat approached, breath steaming in the cold. She was a receptionist from the mercenary guild.
Blinking her bright green eyes, she gave quick orders.
"Take the patient and bring him to the physician immediately."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As I handed Puer over, I gave a warning.
"He might be a bit heavy."
The two strong men chuckled, assuming he wasn't so bad if I'd carried him single-handedly.
Their faces changed the moment they took him. He was heavy—just as big and solid as he looked.
"Please be careful with him."
"Yes, of course."
Now visibly more respectful, the two men hurried into the city carrying Puer.
Left alone with me, the red-haired receptionist said,
"Priest Marnak, you may enter as well. I've already cleared it with the guards."
"Thank you."
As we passed through the west gate into Guis, she began chatting cheerfully.
"You don't look it, but you're crazy strong, aren't you, Priest?"
"I do have a bit of strength."
"I heard those heads in your hand are the culprits from the incident. I think it'd be best if we stored them at the guild. Safer and more appropriate."
"I'll do that."
I had no attachment to the heads anyway. All I needed was the twenty-nine silver coins they were worth.
She glanced at my face and gave a sly smile.
"Would you walk me to the mercenary guild? The night's a bit dark, and I'm kind of scared to go alone."
There wasn't even a speck of fear on that lovely, beaming face.
"Of course."
'Slaughter!'
I gently patted Mother's restless hand and started walking.
The receptionist, who introduced herself as Erin, talked non-stop the whole way.
She asked if I was skilled with a sword, what exactly happened today, and whether we might earn additional bounty money if the heads matched wanted posters, and so on.
Her cheeks, flushed from the cold, bounced softly as she spoke. Meanwhile, the Mother of Corruption squirmed endlessly in my chest pocket.
'Slaughter! Slaughter!'
"Thanks for walking me here, Priest Marnak!"
With a bright smile, Erin took the string of heads from me. A graceful lady carrying a bundle of severed heads—grotesque, yes, but not so strange in this world.
Anyway, where should I sleep tonight? I hope there's a vacancy where I stayed yesterday.
"Priest?"
"Yes?"
"Do you have a place to stay?"
"I was just about to find one. Surely a city this big has at least one room available for me."
A room that fits within my budget of ninety copper coins.
"It's going to be pretty tough looking for a place in this freezing dawn."
Erin gave me a playful smile and said,
"If you don't mind, would you like to stay the night?"
Thump.
My heart skipped a beat.
'SLAUGHTER!!!'
Even Mother's hand thrashed wildly.
'Slaughter!'
"I knew exactly what she meant, Mother. That's why I accepted right away. I swear, I have no impure intentions toward the lovely red-haired receptionist. None at all."
Sadly, Erin's offer had been purely innocent. The mercenary guild had a few guest rooms for visitors, and Erin had kindly offered one of them to me.
To soothe Mother's now thoroughly sulky mood, I brought out my secret weapon.
Press. Press.
I pulled out Mother's withered hand and began to gently massage it. Her voice melted drowsily.
'...slaaaugh...ter...'
Knock knock.
Sudden knocking. I quickly tucked Mother's hand away and opened the door.
Standing there was Erin.
"What brings you here...?"
Erin blinked slowly, then held out a basket she'd been carrying.
"I figured sleeping in your priest robes wouldn't be comfortable, so I brought you some spare clothes. Did I wake you?"
Taking the basket, I smiled.
"Not at all. Thanks to you, I'll sleep much more comfortably."
"That's a relief. Then please rest well, and when you wake up, help me fill out some paperwork about the mission, okay? Since you're the only one in good condition, there's a lot only you can explain."
"Of course."
She bowed slightly and left after closing the door. I took off my priest robes and changed into the oversized men's clothes she'd brought. They were loose and comfortable.
I folded the robes neatly and set them beside the bed. There was a simple reason why not a single trace of battle remained on them:
They were blessed by the Goddess of Preservation. In other words, they repaired themselves automatically.
Ordinarily, this blessing wouldn't activate if someone who didn't follow the Goddess wore them. But I was an exception.
As a priest of Corruption, I could use items blessed by other gods to disguise myself as any kind of priest. All thanks to the Mother of Corruption's consideration.
'Slaughter!'
"Don't worry, Mother. I didn't forget I was in the middle of massaging your hand."
I resumed pressing down gently. Her voice melted again, full of satisfaction.
'...saa...lter...'
Knock knock.
The sound of knocking woke me. When I opened the door, a cascade of thick red hair greeted me. Erin stood there with a slightly apologetic expression.
"I wanted to let you sleep in, but something's come up, and you need to wake now."
It was about time to wake up anyway. My current body didn't require much sleep.
"I'm fine. What's going on?"
"The lord wishes to see you."
The lord? All of a sudden? I didn't have any ties to this place.
"The lord himself?"
"Yes."
"Do you happen to know what it's about?"
"Well..."
Erin's explanation was brief. One of the people who died recently—Gallard—was the illegitimate son of the previous lord. In other words, he was the half-brother of the current ruler of this region, Lord Tredon Filian.
"I don't know the details, but that's the only reason I can think of. Still, it's strange. I've always heard that the lord acted as if Gallard never existed."
"I'll change and come out shortly."
"Okay."
I donned my priest robes and headed toward the lord's estate with the guards who had been waiting for me.
A slender build. An expressionless face.
The man seated before me now, with a cold air about him, was none other than Lord Tredon Filian, ruler of this territory.
And I forgot every one of the pre-planned responses I'd prepared.
Because the moment Mother—resting in the inner pocket of my robe—saw him, she drew a huge X in the air with her index finger.
A being that isn't judged by the finger.
Among such beings, there was only one that could take human form.