Chapter 121 – 120 – The Peeping Woman, The Wounded Woman, The Child-Adult Woman (2)

Ugh, my head.

The noise is making my head throb. The men in the tavern were drinking like mad, shouting loud enough to bring the place down.

Their faces were so rough they could give mountain bandits a run for their money, and their hulking bodies were so ripped they could make steroid-pumped gym rats look like amateurs. Dozens of these guys were practically having a shouting match, making so much noise my ears were ringing, almost to the point of tinnitus.

“Hahaha! Our hero is here! Come on over here!”

“Oh! Priest… no, Cardinal! It’s a shame we have to part ways, I’ve grown quite fond of you! Hahaha, Cardinal! Have a drink with me before we go!”

What a bunch of morons. Where did they leave their honorifics? I bet these uneducated mercenaries don’t even know what “Your Eminence” means.

If I hang out with these dumbasses, their stupidity might rub off on me.

‘Oh. Nice rhyme. Dumbasses, stupidity, dumb… Ha, I want to go home.’

Even company dinners with my superiors weren’t this uncomfortable. This is ridiculously awkward. Diana and Irian, waiting for me at the temple, are flashing before my eyes, and here I am, stuck drinking with these hulks. My newlywed bliss is getting completely wrecked.

But I’m a clergyman, which is basically a 3D job. Regardless of how I feel, I have to be kind and gentle to the believers. Damn it, do I have to do this even in a fantasy world?

Well… at the level of a Cardinal, I could probably get away with being rude to mercenaries, but… no, actually, in this fantasy world, it’s weird for high-ranking people to be nice to those below them. I have to be careful.

I’m already an unprecedented 20-something Cardinal in the long history of the Order. I’m an orphan with no background, no powerful allies to protect me, and I haven’t even made any significant friendships with the existing powers.

Excessive success inevitably creates rivals and enemies. I have no background, and few allies, so it’s obvious that people are just waiting for me to slip up. On top of that, I declared a holy war without consulting the Order, so even the people who were somewhat friendly are now giving me the stink eye. Honestly, I did it all on my own because I was trying to save my own skin, so I can’t really complain about those who are hostile towards me.

But at this point, it’s only natural that I’m starting to worry about my future. That’s why I’ve been trying to act more humble, virtuous, and gentle in public lately.

I’m working hard to build a good image so that the enemies swarming around me can’t find a single flaw. I can’t afford to mess up here. Besides, these guys are pretty useful.

“I’m sad too. You and I have gone through so many hardships, finally defeating the demons, saving the city, and starting the holy war together. How can I say goodbye to the heroes who walked that glorious path with me… Surely, today isn’t the end of our bond, is it?”

These guys here are uneducated, but they’re mercenaries who are second to none in terms of skill. Mercenaries with good skills naturally have wide networks. Good skills are essential for survival, and mercenaries who risk their lives for work tend to flock to those who are skilled.

If I build a bond and a friendly relationship with them, these mercenaries, who are already known for their loose lips, will spread stories about me, who is becoming a hot topic across the continent.

So, it’s in my best interest to be nice to them. Create a sense of camaraderie through shared hardships, and then use a bit of flattery to appeal to the macho pride of these rough men who live close to death!

And the effect was amazing.

“Ooh! I knew it! I knew the priest was different! I knew it from the first time I saw him. He’s not like those other nobles~ I just knew it!”

“Hahaha, that’s right! That’s right, comrade! Kkuh, I, Utsgang, the leader of the Utsgang Mercenary Corps! I’m a man who fought demons with the Saintess and the Cardinal! Hahaha, comrade! You’re a comrade indeed!”

“A hero… That’s right! This man from Falz, Preslan, is a man who defeated demons! Kkuh, I can’t wait to see how happy my hometown people will be. Hey, Cardinal! Call me anytime! I, Preslan of Falz, am not a scoundrel who forgets his comrades!”

“Me too! Call me anytime!”

Simple guys. Maybe it’s because they’re so simple, but their alcohol tolerance seems to be increasing. As I was trying to win them over, the alcohol I was sipping had filled my throat.

Ugh, I feel sick. I went outside to get some fresh air, away from these disgusting guys who were still shouting happily.

‘Ugh, damn it. It’s not like they’re beauties. Even if it’s just in case, trying to win over these hulking, ugly-faced guys is killing me.’

I sat down in a corner to calm my churning stomach and looked at the dark city. Then, last night’s events in the dark dungeon came to mind.

Lilith said she acted in a way that benefited me.

“Okay. Now that you seem ready to talk… let’s ask. Why did you do it?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I squatted down in front of Lilith, who was looking confused, and made eye contact. Her violet eyes were emitting a seductive light, but… I’ve been unintentionally celibate for a while now.

Thank you, Diana, Irian. Thanks to you, even the Queen of Succubi can’t make my little guy budge. …I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Damn it.

“What do you mean, ‘What do you mean?’ You still don’t know?”

“…Huh?”

“Is it okay if you don’t know? Does life end if you don’t know?”

“……Huh?”

“Huh? Huh? Is this the time to be spacing out? Get a grip! You don’t want to get out of here? You want to live here, is that it?”

“……??”

Hmm. Her trembling eyes show that it’s working.

Asking pointed questions is for amateurs. You have to ask vague questions to make them spill everything, and then you can go in for the precise strike.

“This won’t do. Do you want to rot here for about 10 years? Huh? Want to taste the dungeon?”

“No! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! Uh, um, what should I say?”

“Sigh. Just say everything. If you say everything you can think of, I’ll filter it out.”

“Yes! Okay!”

Listening to Lilith’s rambling, it was beyond my expectations. The level of backstabbing was unbelievable.

She met with Karsilla behind my back and gave her the seal stone? Wow, I… had no idea. And Karsilla, that cute little thing, was keeping it a secret from her daddy?

She’s getting a spanking tomorrow for sure.

It was also Lilith’s fault that Karsilla was obsessed with power. The anxiety that this girl instilled in her, combined with Karsilla’s instinctive fear, seems to have created an obsession with gaining power so that she wouldn’t be separated from us.

“Wow. What did you do to that tiny kid? You’re really evil, aren’t you?”

“Huh? She’s not just a simple kid.”

“Karsilla is a baby. Can’t you tell?”

“She doesn’t look like one to me. Are you blind?”

“Tsk!”

“……”

Listening to her ramble again, her original plan was to take only Karsilla. It was a bit suspicious that she said she changed her plan because of me, but…

“It’s true! It’s true! Ugh, frustrating! It’s true!!”

“Am I going?”

“It’s true!!”

“Sigh. Should I believe this?”

“If it wasn’t true, why would I give up the chance to make you my slave and just let you go! You frustrating idiot! Ugh, I’m so mad!”

“I’m going to bed.”

“Don’t go! I’m sorry!”

After talking to her, I realized that Lilith was more interesting than I thought.

She’s called the Queen of Succubi and is an old hag who has been subtly operating in the shadows of history, but her actions are so clumsy that it made me even more suspicious… but thinking about it, it could be possible.

First of all, Lilith’s characteristic is that she never comes to the forefront. Her history is that she has always acted through her ‘avatars’ and then ran away when things got bad.

Lilith, who has spent less time acting in her true form, was extremely anxious when her true form was captured and she couldn’t run away.

She lost the magic-filled seal stone, and she, who had never experienced a crisis through her unique escape using avatars, was trapped in the dungeon in her true form… No matter how long she had lived, her ability to cope with a crisis was terrible.

“So. What were you trying to do with the Archmage’s seal stone?”

“I was going to awaken that child! And then use the charged seal stone to become a new Archmage myself! That’s right, my seal stone! Where’s the seal stone!”

Hmm. So, the ‘Witch of Disaster’ in the game was in a fully awakened state because of Lilith?

To summarize… If I hadn’t been there, Karsilla, who followed Lilith, would have awakened as the ‘Witch of Disaster’ and become a boss monster. Lilith would have used the seal stone to gain new powers equivalent to an Archmage. But she didn’t do much in the game… Ah! Is that it?

“Did you do something in the Nahara Kingdom?”

“How did you…!”

If you play the game, you get involved with the Nahara Kingdom. Well, you can skip the Nahara Kingdom depending on your choices.

Anyway, the Nahara Kingdom is a regional power, and as I found out this time, it was actually being infiltrated by the followers of the Blood-Mad Archmage.

The Nahara Kingdom quest is about revealing Lilith’s identity, who used an avatar to make the king a puppet. If you play the quest, you’ll hear about a civil war.

Recently, a large-scale civil war purged all the opposition. That was probably… the followers of the Blood-Mad Archmage. Lilith, who had gained power, confidently wiped out the opposing forces.

“You don’t get along with the Blood-Mad Archmage’s goons, do you?”

“Of course not! It’s not like all the demon archmages are all buddy-buddy. It depends on the archmage’s personality, and now that it’s been so long since they were sealed, each of their followers is different! Especially that Blood-Mad Archmage, he’s practically a public enemy. Who would like those disgusting… things that he carries around?”

I knew it.

Looking at the information window, her favorability towards me is still quite high. …Is she in love with me?

“Then let’s do this. You want to get out of here, right? You want to be released.”

“Yes! Yes! I want to get out!”

“I’m the only one who can get you out of here, right?”

“Yes! Yes! You’re the only one!”

“Then you have to listen to me, right?”

“……That’s a bit…”

“Should I go?”

“I’ll listen to you!”

“Okay. Then, first order. Instead of letting you out… can you take good care of Karsilla?”

“……Huh?”

I smiled brightly at Lilith, who was looking dumbfounded.

“I want you to be Karsilla’s maid. Is that okay?”

“…Why, why?”

“Why? Is this the time to be asking why? You have to do as you’re told, where do you think you are?”

“…But, why a maid?”

Well, it’s more efficient to explain why you want something done rather than just telling them to do it. Above all, relationships are counterproductive if they are forced. This is something that has to come from the heart, so I should explain it.