Chapter 2: The Unlucky Priest (2)
People brought buckets of water and put out the fire.
As the smell of burning filled the air, the wicked Nicola shouted at the people.
"Citizens of Sodomi! Listen! This man touched my breasts without permission and even set a fire! This trash should be hanged!"
Nicola, unaware of her own fate, pointed her finger at me. Her face was covered in soot, and she even had tears in her eyes – her acting was quite good.
But no matter how well Nicola acted, there was one fact that wouldn't change.
That Nicola was a villain like no other, and I was a fellow citizen who was more kind and virtuous than anyone else.
I shouted confidently at the people.
"I am innocent! But this wicked woman and her husband, Bluebeard, are heinous criminals who sold people to the cult!"
My voice echoed through the dark city alleyways.
Since I was someone who dreamed of becoming a pastor standing at the pulpit, I could confidently say that my voice was more trained than others.
Nicola was greatly flustered by my words.
"Sl-Slander! Everyone! This is slander! You wouldn't believe the words of this foreigner, would you? My teacher and I are good people! Why would you make such accusations without any evidence─"
"I have evidence! Right here on this chest!"
Thump-.
I ran towards Nicola.
And I grabbed the blackened fabric of her chest with my hand and pulled it hard.
"Kyaaa! This man is sexually harassing me in the street!"
"Look, everyone, look at this!"
Riiiip-.
The torn fabric.
Soon, a strange-looking pattern was revealed near her left shoulder.
It was a pitch-black crescent moon tattoo the size of a thumb.
"H-hands off!"
Nicola hurriedly covered her chest with her palm, but people's eyes had already witnessed the white skin of her chest.
"I-it's the mark of the Crescent Moon Sisterhood!"
"A witch!"
"Burn the witch!"
People started shouting angrily at the sky.
If I remember correctly, the Crescent Moon Sisterhood was a cult group based near this city of Sodomi and in the Durgien region.
They committed all sorts of evil deeds, from human trafficking to human sacrifice, until they were integrated into the Blood Crusade, right?
Five years ago, Nicola and Bluebeard sold me to the Crescent Moon Sisterhood, and at that time, they showed them the sisterhood mark on her shoulder.
I was so upset about being deceived back then that I couldn't forget that day even after five years.
"Citizens! Capture the wicked Nicola and Bluebeard Paltman and bring them to justice! We must show these pagans that justice still lives in this city of Sodomi!"
"Aaaagh! Aaaagh! You savage barbarian son of a bitch! Uwaaagh! Aaagh! I'm innocent! I'm innocent! I'm innocent, aaaagh!!!"
Nicola was grabbed by strong men and dragged away somewhere. She claimed innocence, but the crescent moon tattoo was undeniable proof of her sin.
Now Nicola would be handed over to the Inquisition.
The probability of someone caught by them for heresy returning alive was zero.
That's why my heart pounded every time I encountered the Inquisitors on the street.
Is this how criminals feel when a police car passes by?
"But it's none of my business now!"
Now I was not a cultist, but a very devout believer named Haido.
Originally, I was deceived by Nicola and Bluebeard, sold to a heretical group, and became a member of a cult, but now that I had burned down Nicola's base and handed her over to the Inquisitors, the future had changed!
It's so refreshing!
From now on, I would never be involved with those cult heretics!
I wouldn't have to be called "Lust of the Deadly Sins" and fear fire and the wheel!
"I will become a clergyman in this world!"
I reaffirmed my goal in my mind and strengthened my resolve.
My clenched fists felt particularly strong.
"So, what should I do now?"
Simply making a resolution wasn't enough.
The human heart gains a deeper meaning only when it acts.
I quickly thought about what I had to do to become a pastor in this world.
And it didn't take even 10 seconds to come up with the answer.
Because there was a path I had always dreamed of in my heart.
To be recognized as a 'clergyman' in this world, two conditions were required.
It took painstaking effort and passion to meet these two conditions, and for the past five years, I hadn't even had the opportunity to exert that effort and passion.
But now it was different.
Now that I had been given a new chance, I was someone who was more than ready to pour my blood, sweat, and tears into effort and passion!
"We have successfully captured the wicked Nicola and Bluebeard Paltman! It's all thanks to you. We'll have to interrogate them further, but based on what we've found so far, they won't escape capital punishment!"
The day after I set Bluebeard's house ablaze with the holy flame.
People from the church came to me while I was sleeping on the street.
They thanked me and gave me a "bounty".
"These damned bastards were actually wanted criminals in the western Durgien region? This is a reward sent on behalf of the Bishop of Durgien. 5 silvers."
Most criminals in this world had a bounty on their heads. In other words, they were recognized as true criminals and villains only after a bounty was placed on them.
This was also when they started being chased by bounty hunters, and the higher the bounty, the more terrifying Inquisitors and hunters would come after them.
But there were some villains who were proud of their high bounty. Wrath of the Deadly Sins was one such person, a completely crazy bitch.
"…Oh, shit…"
Goosebumps ran down my spine as I recalled Wrath's crazy antics. I was so glad that I wouldn't have to encounter her in this life.
Clink-.
I received the bounty for Nicola and Bluebeard.
5 silvers was enough to cover food and lodging at a cheap inn for about 7 days if I was frugal.
But when I opened my pouch, there were only 2 silvers.
"Why are there only 2 silvers?"
"We deducted the tithe, a donation of gratitude, and the kingdom's tax. 1 silver each."
"...."
Damn it.
I received a bounty of 5 silvers, but they took 1 silver as a donation and 1 silver as tax. Also, the church in this uncivilized world took a tithe, not a tenth, but a fifth – 1/5.
They were total robbers.
"2 silvers. Excellent."
But it was okay.
The more donations you make, the better.
And 2 silvers would be enough for what I was going to do.
But let's ask to be sure.
"Did you say you were from the church? Do you happen to know where the monastery near Sodomi is?"
"Monastery?"
The handyman from the church looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
Then he stroked his beard and coughed, ahem-.
Is he asking for money?
I was racking my brain because I couldn't give him the 2 silvers I had when the man said,
"I'm very busy, but I'll tell you this as a special favor. If you ride a carriage 40 miles from Sodomi, you'll find the Emrys Monastery built on a rocky mountain."
Emrys Monastery.
It was a name I had never heard before.
It doesn't seem to be a very famous monastery, does it?
And 40 miles, that's roughly 60km, right?
What a crappy unit.
"If you go to the monastery and mention my name, Hans, they will treat you well. And please tell the abbot that I took the time to guide a traveler's way despite my busy schedule."
So he wants me to do him a favor instead of giving him money.
I nodded and said, "Alright," and headed straight for the monastery.
Perhaps luck was on my side, as I was able to get a free ride on the back of a cargo wagon leaving from the city gates.
The smell of fodder was terrible, but I was in a good mood.
Because I was able to go to the monastery and train.
That's right.
Training.
To be recognized as a clergyman in this world, one had to cultivate deep discipline and imbue their body with something called "holy power".
Clergymen used holy power to heal the injured, give blessings, and even block flying arrows.
The Paladin Order that often stood in my way was like that, they were totally awesome.
But I was a human from the 21st century, and during the five years I was lost in this world, I had no choice but to be part of a cult, so I didn't have time to cultivate this "holy power".
"But it's different now."
I was going to the monastery to acquire holy power.
I didn't know how long it would take, but since I had received the miracle of a second life, I was sure I was favored by the Lord.
Perhaps I might even surpass the week it took for a saint to realize holy power.
No, I was sure I would surpass it.
Because I was going to be a more devout and faithful clergyman than anyone else!
With that feeling, after riding the carriage for about a day, a rocky mountain really appeared.
"Who's there?"
At the gloomy entrance of the monastery.
A middle-aged man with a receding hairline looked at me while digging a hole with a shovel.
I told him.
"I want to cultivate myself at the monastery. I came here on the recommendation of a man named Hans."
"…Hans's recommendation? Hmm…"
The shoveler looked me up and down.
"This monastery has a very long history, but it's the first time a barbarian has come here to train. Wait a moment. I'll go and tell the abbot."
After waiting for about 30 minutes, the man who had disappeared somewhere reappeared.
"You may stay. However, since black-haired wilderness people often do not follow God's word and are lawless, we need a security deposit. Pay 1 silver."
Should I pay 1 silver out of the 2 silvers I have?
I received an extremely old robe and became an official guest of this monastery.
I also received an ID.
"Monk Hyde".
This was my name, crudely written on this small wooden plaque.
Although it was only an ID made of wood, not bronze or iron, I felt like I could fly with joy.
"Monk Hyde."
What a wonderful sound!
It was a thousand, ten thousand times better than Lust, the Beast.
And with an ID, I would be able to do many things legally.
I suffered a lot five years ago because I didn't know that.
"Cough, Monk Hyde. Come this way."
A sneaky-looking monk in a gray robe led me to a room.
But why is this bald bastard speaking informally to me when he's just met me─.
"!"
Flinch.
I was startled.
Because my way of thinking was too cult-like. Five years of life as a cult executive had made my mind so narrow!
According to the First Epistle of John, it says that 'even hating someone in your heart is a sin of murder'.
I was resolving to think piously from now on when the monk handed me a small scroll.
"I am Puccino, the overseer of the monks. You'd better listen to what I say. Then memorize this passage by heart and recite it every day. Cough, no… can you even read?"
Reading.
In this world, they used letters that looked similar to the alphabet.
The illiteracy rate was close to 70%, wasn't it?
I used to struggle because I didn't know these letters, but not anymore.
"Elohim is my Lord, and I am his servant."
Monk Puccino seemed slightly surprised when I read the letters.
He soon coughed, ahem-, and said, "Here's the daily schedule, so you must live regularly every day," and then quickly left the room.
I didn't care whether he left or not and looked at the scroll.
"Elohim is my Lord, and I am his servant. He leads me to green pastures and beside still waters, and he watches over me with his fiery eyes, so I shall have no fear in my life."
This special passage was a special prayer that clergymen had to recite to become believers. It is said that if you continue to recite this, holy power will dwell in your body!
Whether it was really true or not, my body felt strangely warm.
Has holy power already started to dwell in my body?
Even I thought the progress was quite fast.
What if I end up being called a saint?
"Hehehe. I'm going to acquire holy power within a week."
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