Susa Susa
and
sat in a circle in one room. Carmen was the first to speak.
“Marnac.”
“yes.”
He looked at me with eyes full of trust.
“So you’re saying this town might have ties to demon worshippers?”
“That’s right.”
The probability of that was very high. It couldn’t be that all the villagers passing by for no reason were people whose mother couldn’t count her fingers.
This was the first time since I started traveling. Starting with the priests of the Sacred Slaughter Corps I met not too long ago, the people whose mother couldn’t measure her fingers continued to appear in rapid succession.
Things have been going very well these days, but I thought that the upcoming main quest would not be as easy as it seems.
After thinking for a moment, Carmen looked over at the group and slowly opened her mouth.
“Then what should we do now? If you didn’t know, it’s a story that you can’t just ignore unless you know that the worshipers of the evil spirits are involved. Marnak wouldn’t want to do that either, and I, as a member of the Northern Kingdom, am afraid that the worshipers of the evil spirits roam the land. I have no intention of leaving it alone.”
After a brief pause, Carmen looked at Dakia and asked.
“I wonder what the princess thinks.”
Dacia’s answer came right out.
“There’s still a little while before the sun goes down, so how about splitting up in twos and threes to learn a little more about this town?”
I also agreed with her opinion. I was curious about the cause of this phenomenon. I didn’t know if I could get a clue to the main quest.
“That’s a good idea.”
When I agreed, Jamel, who had been still, nodded vigorously and shouted.
“I-I agree too!”
Sajita also silently nodded.
– I will follow the words of the successor.
Even Terzio unanimously agreed with Dacia, and she looked at us and said:
“Then will it be torn into three groups of two or two into three groups?”
To Dacia’s question, Carmen looked at her and answered.
“Since the size of the village seems quite large, I think it would be better to divide into three groups of two.”
“Okay. So how do we split it into two?”
Golden eyes quietly turned to me. I saw a clear expectation in my eyes, but unfortunately I had no choice but to betray her expectations.
“I will go around the village with Jamel. Princess Terzio and I will search the village, and Carmen and Sagitta will search the village together.”
Carmen smiled at my suggestion.
“It’s just neat. The power distribution seems to be okay. I think it’s better to follow Marnak’s words.”
Dacia looked at me with a slightly disappointed look and said.
“Me too… I think it’s a good idea…”
“Me too!!!”
Jamel looked up at me, his eyes twinkling uncomfortably. I said to Tergio, avoiding her gaze.
“Then, please ask the princess.”
Terzio nodded and replied vigorously.
– Even if this body becomes a lump of scrap metal, I will definitely fulfill the order given by the successor!
I smiled awkwardly and nodded my head at that hot word.
“I’m looking forward to it. Then, shall we move quickly before the sun goes down?”
Everyone nodded at my words and headed to their rooms to gather their weapons one by one. Dakia, who was about to leave the room for the last time, stopped abruptly and spoke to me.
“Didn’t Priest Marnac still believe in Jamel and said he would go with him? Jamel originally belonged to Liberatorio.”
I smiled whitely.
“The princess is right.”
It was after I had finished preparing my mind to blow Jamel’s neck at any time. I’ve greatly appreciated Jamel’s efforts over the past few weeks of travel, but trusting her is another story.
I’ve basically stopped believing in demon worshipers since Riverkell. Because he, who was saved by me, pretended to be a good person until he got well.
Jamel could have been the same case as Riverkell. Right now, I’m suppressed by my power and I’m hiding my true nature, but if there’s an opportunity to join the Liberationio at any time, I’m sure he could stab us in the back and leave.
Dakia pursed her lips a few times before speaking cautiously.
“It seems to me that Jamel really follows Priest Marnak. Although that may seem a little excessive…” ”
Are you saying that Jamel is trustworthy?”
“At least from my point of view. To be honest, I think she’s rather a good person if you look at her without the prejudice caused by her job.”
“I think so too.”
“yes?”
I smiled.
“And I hope that Jamel will continue to be that kind of person.”
So I don’t have to blow her throat.
I got up from my seat and walked out the door.
“It’s time to move. Princess, we’ll see you again at night. Take care of yourself.”
Dakia nodded slightly and smiled at her.
“Please be careful, too, Priest Marnak! Next time, be sure to come with me!”
She spat out the words as if tossing them away and ran into her room.
‘killing!’
I left the inn, patting my mother, who was sarcastic about Dakia, saying that I was playing well alone.
***
When I left the inn, I saw Jamel waiting for me after finishing the preparations before me. Shorter than average, she looked up at me with twinkling eyes.
“It’s such an honor to search the village with Priest Marnak!”
“We’re just walking around together, so there’s no such thing as an honor? We seem to be the first to come out, so let’s wait for a while. Everyone has to decide which direction to search and leave.”
“yes!”
After a while, after discussing with the party who came out after finishing preparations, Jamel and I decided to search the direction of the mill in the distance.
Thanks to taking off my robe in the room beforehand, I was in a state where I was exposed to the pure white priest’s uniform. Apparently, this outfit was perfectly appropriate to seek cooperation from villagers passing by.
First of all, on the way to meet the mill keeper, the residents approached and asked questions as soon as they could see. When I asked if anything strange or suspicious had happened in the village I passed over recently, the residents answered me with serious faces.
“Are you talking about strange things? There have been. Strange things! I’m sure the priest has heard of it, but in our village, like other villages, a lot of people have gone missing one after another. So I’m very worried that it’s not my turn this time. Every night I sleep Even lifting this is not easy! If we continue like this, everyone will really go crazy!”
All of the residents here gave similar answers to the man who just answered in front of me.
There was a large-scale disappearance, and he was very afraid that he would disappear somewhere, and thanks to that, he did not have the motivation to work properly.
I poked around about the worshiper of the evil god, but the villagers didn’t seem to know anything about him. They didn’t seem to know what had happened to them.
After sending another villager away, Jamel, who had been listening silently next to me, spoke cautiously.
“I-it doesn’t look like acting to me, but aren’t they all people who really don’t know anything…?”
In fact, that’s how I saw it too. Even if all the people I ran into concocted and tricked me, the acting award of the year that I select should have been won by the villagers as a group.
“I think so too.”
“By the way…”
“Please feel free to tell me.”
Bright green eyes looked up at me.
“What on earth did Priest Marnak see and think that worshipers of evil spirits are involved here?”
“The god I serve has noticed something suspicious in this village.”
‘killing!’
As expected, the powerful answer that I had found did not reach Jamel. Jamel asked me with twinkling eyes.
“Sir, is it possible that Priest Marnak communicates directly with the god he worships?!”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, sure!!! It’s amazing!!! Me and the other priests are all at best feeling vague intentions that are hard to interpret, but you’re communicating directly!!! You’re so amazing!!! Eup?!”
I quickly covered her mouth.
“I want you to watch your mouth, because you never know who will hear it.”
“Eup Eup Eup!!!”
She nodded vigorously, as if acknowledging. I looked at Jamel and asked.
“I’ll let go of your hand, so please be quiet now. Do you understand?”
“Eup!”
When I removed my hand, she quickly lowered her waist and looked around.
“What are you doing?”
“Ho, if anyone heard what I said, I’m going to remove it with tears to keep it a secret!!!”
“It’s not possible.”
“yes?!”
I looked at her and said clearly.
“If you want to kill someone, be sure to get my permission beforehand, okay?”
“all right!”
Seeing her uselessly replying vigorously, I let out a small sigh.
“Haa, since it’s about to get dark, let’s go after meeting the miller.”
“yes!”
The millkeeper, usually responsible for collecting the lord’s taxes, must have known more than ordinary villagers.
I moved quickly and arrived at the only mill in the village.
He knocked on the door of the mill and called someone.
“Are you there!”
After shouting a couple more times, the door of the mill opened with a small sound. The man with his neatly trimmed beard said nervously as he opened the door.
“What are you looking for at dinner time… Oh, you’re the priest.”
The man who changed his attitude at once bowed his head and said hello.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Gens, who is in charge of the mill keeper of this village. It seems that you are a priest on pilgrimage.”
I bowed my head.
“Yes. My name is Marnak, who serves the goddess of maintenance. Would it be okay if I ask you a question for a moment?”
“I will answer as much as I want. Since the priest is curious, how could I not answer?”
I asked with a smile at that benevolent attitude.
“Have you noticed something strange or suspicious recently…”
Hey hey hey hey hey hey!!!!!!!!!!
A low, but bizarre scream that stimulated the inner world came from the other side of the village. Gens looked in the direction of the screams with bewildered eyes and said.
“The chief is over there…”
As if responding to a scream at the moment, the mill keeper’s head split in half. A wriggling monster tentacle emerged from the gap and shot at me.
‘killing!!!’
warning of danger. I reflexively waved my fist. The bracelet wrapped around my fist and turned into a black gauntlet.
Kwajik!
The gauntlet crushed the parasitic tentacles of humans. The monster’s bodily fluids dripped from the gauntlet.
Could it be that the reason my fingers didn’t count was because I was being parasitized by this monster?
Jamel poked at the fallen miller with the tip of his toe and said.
“What is this?!”
“Rather than find out what this is, I’ll go to the others right now. Follow me!”
As we left the mill and headed towards the village, a number of villagers greeted us,
all revealing wriggling tentacle monsters with heads split in half.
