The Priest of Corruption

“He asked about the 'key'.”

Carmen replied, meeting Setian's gaze.

“I've already used it.”

“You've already used it?”

Setian scrutinized Carmen with his pale eyes before speaking.

“Any injuries?”

Carmen glanced at me and quickly responded.

“Fortunately, none.”

“As you know, father detests theft. Not only did you steal, but you can't even return what you've stolen. Because you've already used the ‘'key'.”

Carmen bit his lip slightly, meeting Setian's gaze.

“But, Brother, I desperately needed that 'key'. I tried discussing it with father before I took it, but he simply refused without giving any reason.”

“Carmen.”

Setian rested his hand on his sword hilt, his voice firm.

“No matter the circumstances, theft cannot be justified. Remember father's words. Achievements gained through dishonest means are worse than not achieving anything. Everything falls into place when principles are upheld.”

Carmen clenched his fists tightly.

“Brother, I agree with what our father says. I respect our father, who is always principled. But, you know.”

He lifted his head, glaring fiercely at his half-brother.

“Why did those 'principles' abandon Mother? Isn't it right to take responsibility for a woman who bore your child? Why did Mother have to vanish without a trace as soon as she gave birth to me?”

Carmen's eyes flickered.

“Even the lowliest on the streets take responsibility for their own children. I must ask, Brother, does the honor of 'Ensis Baltas' fall short of such riffraff? So much so that it can't take responsibility for a single woman? Every time I inquired about my mother, father remained silent. To any observer, it's nothing but cowardly evasion. Utterly cowardly! That's why I stole it! I stole it to find my mother on my own!”

“Enough.”

Carmen fell silent at the icy tone. Setian stared at Carmen's face in silence.

“Did you truly steal the 'key' to find your mother?”

“Yes.”

Setian, who had been slowly closing and reopening his eyes, finally spoke.

“I will plead for our father's mercy.”

“Brother...”

Carmen looked at Setian, his eyes trembling on the brink of tears.

Dachia, who had been standing next to me, whispered in a hushed tone.

“Those siblings truly care for each other.”

“I agree. Carmen has a good older brother.”

As Setian's gaze landed on us, Dachia and I hastily separated, feigning indifference. He studied our faces before speaking.

“I apologize for the awkwardness of our initial encounter. My brother has stirred up quite a commotion...”

Setian's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at Dachia's face.

“Are you not Lady Dachia?”

Dachia cleared her throat with a 'hmm-hmm' and responded with a dignified air.

“It's been a while, Lord Setian Baltas.”

“Why are you not in Beatus? What brings you here?”

With supreme confidence, she replied.

“I'm taking a brief respite from my territory to explore the world.”

Setian regarded Dachia with an indifferent gaze before responding tersely.

“Fleeing isn't commendable, my lady. The Duke of Small Smiles will undoubtedly be concerned.”

She shrugged her shoulders and spoke calmly.

“Don't fret. My father won't be worried about me in the slightest. By the way, how long must Carmen remain here?”

Setian glanced at Carmen, who was awkwardly grinning in his cell, and shook his head.

“If we adhere to my father's commands, he'll have to stay here for at least a month. However, I'll attempt to argue for leniency when I meet my father today.”

A month. That seemed excessively long.

Dachia scratched her chin and asked me.

“What are we to do in the capital for a month?”

“Don't you need to return promptly?”

She shook her head emphatically.

“Not particularly... Priest Marnak, consider this. I've never once urged us to hasten.”

Upon reflection, she was correct.

“That's true, but...”

“Marnak?”

Setian, who had been silently observing our conversation, suddenly interjected.

“Are you Marnak, the priest renowned as the Great Enemy of the Evil Gods?”

I nodded in confirmation.

“Yes.”

He surveyed Dachia, Sajita, Carmen, and me before speaking.

“So, one of 'Eradico's Saviors' is Carmen?”

“That's correct.”

“Hmm.”

After a moment of silence, Setian spoke.

“This might facilitate my plea for leniency from my father. I'm delighted to meet you.”

He shook hands with each of us in turn before bidding us goodbye.

“During your stay in the capital, please visit the Baltas family mansion with Carmen if you have the opportunity. I came here briefly upon hearing of Carmen's arrest, so I must depart now.”

With the clinking sound of his armor, Setian left without a hint of remorse. I watched his retreating figure and remarked.

“He's quite a candid person.”

“My brother is an exceptional man, unlike me. On his wedding day, even the stray dogs knew that the ladies of the capital were weeping. He's always been my idol.”

Carmen's face was filled with evident pride as he lauded Setian. Dachia teased him.

“Despite that, you seemed quite irate with your esteemed brother earlier.”

Scratching the back of his head, Carmen laughed.

“I have to voice my thoughts to feel comfortable. By the way, did you bring that for me?”

“This?”

Dachia looked down at the food and glanced at Arras Grata, who had packed a lot of food.

“We procured food thinking Carmen would be famished, but it seems our worries were unfounded. We'll leave it here for you. Enjoy your reunion with your lover. Of course, it's a bit peculiar to do so in a prison. Priest Marnak, I just thought of an excellent restaurant. Let's go there.”

I grinned broadly at Carmen's squirrel-like lover, who was blushing slightly.

“It would be best for both parties if we leave these lovebirds alone. Sajita, let's give them some space.”

As Arras Grata bowed her head shyly, Carmen winked at me from behind her.

The prison bars seemed too flimsy to separate these ardent lovers.

***

The staff at the Ilech headquarters in the capital asked with a serious expression.

“Did he truly resemble this?”

The priest of the Blue Flame nodded slightly. Her nod was filled with firm conviction.

“He looked exactly like this.”

The drawing was so crude it bordered on chaotic. Even a three-year-old child could draw a better picture of their parents.

The staff member swallowed hard. He wanted to protest that no human could possibly look like this, but he had to choose his words carefully since the person before him was a priest of the Flame Church. Moreover, she wasn't just any priest, but one of the rare priests of the Blue Flame.

A real big shot. Although not many people were aware of the priests of the Blue Flame since they seldom appeared in the Flame Church, as members of Ilech, they couldn't feign ignorance.

The staff member wetted his lips a few times before managing to speak again.

“Forgive me if I'm being impertinent, but are you certain the person you're seeking is a human?”

“He appears human, at least. I'm not sure if he truly is one. But you can tell just by looking, can't you? He looks exactly like this.”

'I have no idea!!! Absolutely no idea!!!'

Suppressing the urge to scream, he cautiously handed a pen and paper to the priest of the Blue Flame. He couldn't refuse the request of such a high-ranking individual, so he had to gather as much information as possible.

“Please provide as much detail as possible about the person you're looking for.”

“Understood.”

“But, what would the fee be for this...?”

Typically, such vague requests started at a minimum of a hundred gold coins. This was, after all, the headquarters of Ilech.

“Oh, as for the money, I've managed to gather enough by capturing some wanted criminals on my way here.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Fortunately, even such vague requests could be handled as long as the fee was sufficient. The blue-haired woman took out a pouch from her waist and placed it on the desk.

“In total, it's twelve gold coins and thirty-three silver coins. Is that enough?”

A small crack appeared on the employee's face. The Priest of Blue Flame tilted her head and asked.

“Did I take out too much? Should I take some back?”

***

'Killlll!'

Mother, who had taken the form of a young girl, was still struggling with the bead filled with divinity. According to Mother, she had been able to loosen the entangled divinity a bit thanks to her growth, but it would still take some time to completely unravel it.

'Kill!!!'

Mother, in her anger, was about to throw the bead onto the floor. However, seeing my reaction, she reconsidered and gently placed it back down. Her small shoulders sagged in response.

“You've worked hard today. It will unravel eventually.”

Mother crawled onto the bed and into my arms.

'Kill, kill...'

As I patted her back, Mother grumbled about how stubborn that damned bead was.

While comforting Mother, I thought about the upcoming schedule.

According to the information from the Trumpeter of Rest, if my guess was correct, there was a holy relic in this capital that had Mother's divinity sealed within it.

The problem was that there was no place to get reliable information.

In the end, I had no choice but to use that.

Knock, knock.

After the rhythmic knocking, Dachia's voice could be heard.

“May I come in?”

'Kill! ! !'

As I calmed down Mother, who was shouting for her to just go away, I opened the door. Dachia came in with a wet head and a smile.

“Mother is here too!”

“Come in first.”

With a creaking sound, Dachia, who had something hidden behind her, entered the room. She laughed with a mischievous voice.

“Hehehe. Today, you won't be able to easily refuse my touch.”

'Kill!'

Mother quickly showed Dachia the middle finger of both hands. Dachia, unfazed, took out the item she had been hiding. It was bread and candy. A bag full of bread and candy.

“This is a snack from a bakery famous for its deliciousness even in the capital! This bread is called cream bread, and the filling is incredibly sweet and delicious! Mother will love it too! Please try some, Priest Marnak!”

So that's where she went after saying she would go somewhere after dinner.

I smiled broadly and put Mother down on the floor.

“Mother, it's sure to be very delicious. Why don't you try one?”

Mother opened her eyes thinly and looked at me, then slowly moved towards Dachia. As Mother approached, Dachia's expression brightened. She took out a piece of bread from the bag and offered it to Mother.

“Please try it! I'll take a hug as a thank you!”

Mother's eyes, flickering between black and green, turned to Dachia. Mother slowly reached out her hand.

Slap.

The bread in Dachia's hand rolled on the floor. Mother, who had slapped her hand away, spoke coldly.

'I am!!!'

A declaration that she was not a being fascinated by material things. Of course, her voice did not reach Dachia. But even without the voice, the meaning was conveyed clearly enough.

Dachia looked at Mother with a gloomy look and put the bag on the floor.

“Please have this, Priest Marnak.”

Before I could say anything, Dachia opened the door and left the room.

This is a bit regrettable.

I picked up the bread that had rolled on the floor and chewed it. It was too good to waste. I picked up the bag Dachia had left and spoke to Mother.

“Mother, you were a bit harsh this time. There are various ways to refuse, aren't there? Dachia bought this bread out of pure goodwill for you.”

When I gestured for her to sit on the bed, Mother walked over and sat next to me.

“Mother. I know better than anyone that the Mother I admire is a very elegant and dignified person. And also a person who can admit her mistakes.”

Mother glanced at my face and spoke in a small voice.

'Kill...'

She would apologize next time. At her words, I smiled broadly and took out a cream bread from the bag and offered it to Mother.

“You've made a promise, right? Now, try this. It's sure to be very delicious.”

Mother took a bite of the bread I offered. The change was dramatic.

Dilated pupils. Trembling hands. Feet tapping involuntarily.

'Kill! ! !'

Mother, who claimed it was ridiculous, quickly ate the cream bread and reached out to me. I laughed and handed her the whole bag. There was no risk of Mother getting cavities from eating too much.

Mother placed the bag on her lap and held a cream bread in each hand, stuffing them into her mouth alternately. Her cheeks swelled up beyond their capacity.

And then.

With a creaking sound, the door opened.

“I just realized I didn't eat anything after buying these. Can I have just one...?”

Thud.

The cream bread in Mother's mouth fell to the floor. Mother, with her cheeks puffed up, looked at Dachia with a lost expression. It was a disaster caused by Dachia's unexpected return.

After rejecting her so coldly, to be caught stuffing her face as soon as she left.

I was so embarrassed watching this that I wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

Dachia, who had finished assessing the situation, smiled victoriously.

“It's really delicious, isn't it?”

Mother's head drooped weakly.

'Kill...'

She replied with a single word that it was indeed delicious.