The Priest of Corruption

"But you know...”

Dachia began cautiously, her gaze fixed on Mother, who I cradled in my arms.

"Can I hug her just once? She’s really cute!” "Do you mean Mother?”

"Yes!”

That would be difficult.

"You should ask Mother directly, not me.”

Slowly, Dachia approached and extended her hand towards Mother.

"Can I hug you just once...?” Slap!

Mother’s palm whipped out, striking Dachia-’s hand.

'Kill! ! !’

I smiled at Dachia.

"She-’s asking how dare you touch her.”

Dachia rubbed the back of her hand and grinned.

"The palm of her hand is so soft. I wonder how soft she would feel if I held her in my arms!” Dachia-’s golden eyes sparkled with ambition. Mother gave me a weary look and tugged at my collar. 'Kill! !!’

Mother expressed that she had finally lost all patience. She suggested it would be better to kill Dachia now that she had revealed her true nature. Then, she burrowed deeper into my arms. I prevented Dachia from reaching out again. "Priest Marnak...?”

"Enough. Mother says she doesn’t want it now. Perhaps it would be better if you brought some delicious snacks next time and asked again.”

Even though we were travel companions, there was no reason to allow her to touch Mother against her will. As colleagues on the same journey, we needed to respect each other. I knew Dachia to be someone who understood respect, and she didn’t disappoint my expectations.

Dachia licked her lips lightly, her gaze fixed on Mother.

"One day, PH embrace her and stroke her cheeks. Not now, but definitely one day!” 'Kill!"

Mother stuck out her tongue at Dachia, raising the middle fingers of both her hands again. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had taught her something inappropriate. Gently, I folded Mother’s middle fingers away and turned my attention to Dachia.

"First, we need to clarify the situation. It appears Aurelius is still alive.”

The Giant of Corruption had returned from its prayer. The divinity I had absorbed belonged to the three evil god worshippers. The fact that no divinity was extracted from Aurelius’s body was a clear indication that he was still alive.

Dachia nodded, extinguishing the flames of her insidious ambition.

"Alright. Let’s rescue Aurelius quickly and find Carmen and Sajita. But what does Mother like?” 'Kill!!!’

Despite Mother’s vehement declaration of disinterest in Dachia or anything she might offer, I chose not to relay this to Dachia for the sake of maintaining a smooth relationship. Besides, I had a hunch that if Dachia returned later with snacks, Mother would secretly eat them. *

With a resounding slap, Hilden, the head of Ilech’s Eastern Branch, felt his neck crack. He bowed his head, not daring to soothe his stinging cheek. "Hey.”

A man with bright blonde hair grabbed Hilden’s hair, forcing him to meet his gaze.

"Do you find me amusing? I’ve given you everything you asked for. And what do I get in return? An avalanche? You were swept away by an avalanche, and all your prepared men vanished? Are we running a charity for small businesses here? I’m speechless!”

'You seem to be talking just fine! Speechless, my foot!’

Hilden had trained agents ready for the raid, but they were all wiped out by Kima’s companions while she was scouting for a suitable location to trigger an avalanche. Naturally, none survived to report back to Hilden. They could only deduce the reason for their lost contact based on the news of the avalanche.

In truth, Hilden was more infuriated and astounded than the man ranting before him.

Dachia Irmel. Everything spiraled out of control once he got involved in that woman’s affairs. Every time he made a move, all the people he dispatched ended up dead. Rumors even circulated within the organization that Hilden, the head of Ilech’s Eastern Branch, was conspiring with the Dragon Kingdom’s third prince to conduct a purge under the pretense of a quest.

Ultimately, Hilden was pushed to his limits, and a terrible tragedy befell him: stress-induced hair loss.

Upon waking one morning to find his hair scattered across his pillow, Hilden let out a scream akin to a teenage boy’s. His wife, startled by his outcry, slapped his back and asked.

"What’s gotten into you this early in the morning?”

She later apologized for her reaction after hearing what had happened, but Hilden was more wounded by the pity in his wife’s eyes. As she tried to console him, he felt emasculated, his virility wilting under the weight of his stress.

Yes, the stress was killing Hilden, both socially and as a man. But life couldn’t be just misery, could it? "Hey. Isn’t the area where Dachia is located not under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Branch?” Hilden barely suppressed a smile at this lifeline and bowed his head.

"They’ve now entered the jurisdiction of the headquarters.”

I can pass the buck! Finally! Hilden chose his words with more care than ever.

"Headquarters...”

The Dragon Kingdom’s third prince, Batis Draco, rubbed his chin. His vertically split yellow eyes rolled thoughtfully.

"Indeed, the guys over there did a good job. It was also the capital’s people who first apprehended Dachia. Alright, I’ve made up my mind.” Hilden swallowed and asked, very, very cautiously.

"Are you going to the capital?” "Yeah.”

'Hurray! Hurray! HURRAY!!!’

Hilden cheered inwardly. His lost hair seemed to regrow, and his manhood felt as if it was about to rise just by looking at his wife’s face. Tonight, he would be a more dignified man than anyone else in front of his wife. He was certain of it.

Today, the face of that unsightly reptilian prince somehow looked appealing. Well, he was already handsome, though.

With a sense of relief, Hilden bid him farewell.

"I’m sorry I’ve only shown you my mistakes and...” "What are you doing? Aren’t you getting ready?” "Yes?”

Batis poked Hilden.

"You have to show me the way. Connect me with the guys from the capital.” "I-I can send a subordinate who knows the road to the capital very well...” "Forget it. Of all the people here, I like you the most. Prepare quickly. I’m going to fly, so wear thick clothes. I’ll carry you on my back.” "I-I’m the head of the Eastern Branch, so I’m in a position where I can’t leave my seat at will, even though I would really like to go with you...” The third prince of the Dragon Kingdom smiled mischievously.

"Somehow, it seems like you’re hiding it well from your superiors, but what will happen to you if I go to the capital alone and tell them of all your failures, huh?” 'H-How did he...!’

He thought he was just playing around, but this snake-like prince wasn’t an idiot. In the end, Hilden answered with his shoulders drooping. "I’ll pack up...” "Very well! Think of it as going on a vacation, and get ready! Okay?”

He wanted to spit out a curse saying that he was the cause of his grief, but Hilden remembered the faces of his children and his wife.

"Yes. I’ll be right back...” He was a father before he was a man. *

[So! You may not have seen it! A mighty warrior of the gods in splendid armor saved my life! Ha, what a majestic and wonderful sight!]

Aurelius was chattering away. With scarce metal remaining, he had managed to cobble together a small, doll-sized body and perched on my shoulder.

"Is that so? That’s quite a rare experience.” [Hahahaha! Yes! The heavens did not abandon me! Absolutely! Also, didn’t you guys find the item I was searching for? Once we reach the capital, I will surely visit the bank and pay my respects!]

It would have been foolish to decline.

"I’m looking forward to it. By the way, are we heading in the right direction?” [Yes! We’ll be there soon!]

Aurelius explained that since he had left parts of his body with the guards, he could locate them as long as they weren’t too far away. After a long walk in the direction he indicated, we found his group gathered together.

"Carmen and Sajita are there too!”

As Dachia pointed out, Carmen and Sajita were busily setting up camp and managing the remaining personnel. Upon noticing Dachia and me, Carmen broke into a wide smile.

"Marnak! As expected, you’re safe! I knew it, of course! Sajita kept insisting that you two might be dead and that we needed to search for you, but I persuaded him to wait here in case we missed each other.”

Carmen’s faith in me had long since surpassed all limits. I responded with a smile. "You did well. Thanks to you staying put, it was easy to find you.” "Right?”

Sajita quietly glanced at Dachia and me, speaking briefly.

"I’m glad you’re safe.”

Before we could respond, Aurelius’s guards rushed out.

"Lord Aurelius!!!”

Aurelius, no bigger than their forearms, leaped onto the shoulders of the guards.

[Do you guys know what? I had an amazing experience today! At the moment when my life was hanging by a thread after a fierce battle with the evil god worshippers, a high angel from heaven descended to save me...!]

Dachia, standing next to me, whispered.

"I remember that giant being a bit too monstrous to be a heavenly warrior.” The corroded armor and massive cleavers were far from heavenly.

"He was on the brink of death, so those minor details won’t matter to him.” Dachia grinned as she watched Aurelius animatedly recount his tale. "Certainly.” *

After several weeks of travel, we finally reached Pruina, the capital of the northern kingdom.

We were undergoing inspection to enter the capital with Aurelius’ group. "Um...” Carmen swallowed hard and turned to me.

"There’s going to be a bit of a commotion. It’s nothing major, so don’t be too alarmed. I’ll handle it myself. Marnak, please soothe Lady Dachia and Sajita. Will you?” "What? Why so sudden...?” "It’s Carmen Baltas!!! Carmen Baltas is over there!!! Seize him immediately!” At that shout, guards swarmed out, surrounding and apprehending Carmen.

As the guards hauled him away, Carmen yelled out.

"I’ll return as soon as I can!!! Don’t worry excessively!!!”

We watched Carmen, led away by the guards, with stunned expressions.