Chapter 544
Chapter 544
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 544
Chapter Title: What the Hell is This?
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I woke up before dawn ended, left my sleeping wives behind, headed down to the first floor, inhumanely stocked up on my battle priest gear set, and then washed myself clean.
Today, I planned to visit the Brass Celestial Society church for a meeting with Saintess Cardia about the paladin position. Naturally, I needed to go looking sharp. I usually kept myself tidy anyway, but today I put in extra effort.
About as much as when I went on dates with my wives.
Once I finished preparing and donned my gear, I headed outside.
The path to the church was pretty complicated.
With the sun already up, there were crowds everywhere. Adventurer parties with mages in tow, peddlers with their bundles, squads of the lord's soldiers, city guards, and staff from various places all bustling about.
Damn, it's cold—everyone's working their asses off.
Fuck, it feels like the first snow's coming soon.
That shitty, freezing snow...!
Cold, icy snow was always a nightmare. To steel myself against that horror, I reaffirmed the true teachings of Fusion Confucianism. With my mind thus steadied, I pushed through the throng and arrived at the church.
"Good morning!"
The moment I stepped inside and greeted them energetically, the parishioners milling about the church grounds responded warmly.
"Oh! Good morning to you too!"
"Great to see you!"
"What brings you here today?"
At this point, they were practically comrades. Sure, they were a bunch of lunatics and crazies, but the smiles they gave to decent folks like me were pure as could be. I exchanged brief pleasantries with the familiar faces, stated my business, and waited in the reception room.
Soon enough, a nun came in—just like last time—and relayed Saintess Cardia's order for me to come up to her room. Well, of course I'd go straight to her.
I headed right up to Saintess Cardia's room.
"If you need to see me in the future, just come straight to my room."
Today's Saintess Cardia was dressed in her saintess robes—pure white with brass accents.
The outfit hugged her curves. Sitting there properly dressed, handling what looked like official business, she exuded a genuine saintess aura that matched her beauty.
But come straight here from now on?
"Is that really okay?"
"It's faster that way."
"Understood. Then from next time, I'll come right to your room."
"Heh, but if you show up at night, that could be quite troublesome."
"Saintess?"
She dropped the casual innuendo without missing a beat, set down her pen, crossed her legs, and folded her arms.
"So, after agonizing over it for days, you've finally made up your mind? Let's hear this positive answer of yours."
She already seemed convinced I'd accept the offer.
And honestly, it was damn tempting.
But hearing the terms came first—nothing was more important.
It was in the past, but I'd once been offered a position as a holy knight in the church's order. Needless to say, I'd turned it down flat.
Holy knights were basically the military.
No matter how glorious the post, two years of service in my old life had been plenty.
If paladin carried the same vibe, it wouldn't even be worth considering. But if it was like my time as a lay priest in Audville—investigating and exterminating demons—it wouldn't feel like the army at all.
So, time to hear the employment terms.
Kim Katt was a cautious man.
"Saintess, honestly, this isn't something to decide lightly."
"Obviously. Still having doubts?"
"Yes. Plenty."
I had every reason to agonize.
She lit a cigarette and spoke as I answered.
"You're doing the right thing. Decisions like this need deep thought and careful deliberation. Take all the time you need. So, you're here today because you want to hear the conditions, right?"
Spot on.
"Heh heh heh, exactly. As expected of the Saintess—your insight matches your beauty. Beauty and talent do go hand in hand, after all."
"Flattery like that is music to my ears. I could keep you around just to hear it."
She smiled at me with those cold eyes. Whoever ended up marrying this woman would have to compliment her looks 24/7.
"If the terms are good, I'd gladly do it. But first, I need to hear about the working conditions and such. Oh, and explain the church's hierarchy while you're at it."
I still didn't fully grasp this church's rank structure.
"Conditions are key. I doubt a paladin gig is something you can just quit on a whim. So before committing, I need to know if it's something I can handle."
That was my stance.
Always get the full picture before diving in.
That's what an employment contract was all about.
"Fair point. Starting something on a whim leads to disaster."
Saintess Cardia nodded at my question.
"Alright then. I'll lay out clear terms a lay priest can accept. Naturally, we won't demand the fanatical faith from you that we do from our holy knights."
"That's a relief."
Fusion Confucianism wasn't about blindly worshiping one god. I was the center; the gods were like supportive big brothers giving me courage.
Nothing like the Brass Celestial Society's holy knights with their extreme devotion to Verde.
"The role of direct paladin under the Saintess operates under a separate command structure from the church's holy knights. It's also distinct from priests and nuns. Command authority rests solely with me."
"So, I just follow your orders?"
"Exactly."
One direct superior.
Command solely from that one person. Clean hierarchy meant high efficiency.
Even as a lay priest, I was still an outsider.
Melding into the church flock blindly would cause issues. In that sense, being under the Saintess directly was ideal.
No clashes with other parishioners.
The folks from the Isbrandt branch who'd fought demons alongside me might be fine, but in the capital, there could be grumbling. This setup nipped that in the bud.
"Got it. No need to deal with other parishioners—just listen to you. That should keep the rumors down."
"Ho, you catch on quick. I like that. That's why it's direct paladin."
"What about working conditions? I'm human too—I need rest and personal time."
As awful as it sounded, if there was a fixed "duty schedule" like the military, I'd puke right here. No way. I couldn't live ascetically in a church.
"Simple explanation."
She flicked away her cigarette, kept her legs crossed, propped her elbow on the chair arm, and rested her chin on her hand.
"Remember when you took my orders as a lay priest, went to the city and Audville, and resolved the issues?"
"Heh heh heh, of course. That was just a few days ago."
Forgetting that would make me a goldfish.
"It's exactly like that. I issue orders, you go to the site, solve the problem, file a report, and return. If you're on standby in the capital, you'll need to check in at set times for briefings—but that's just business. Otherwise, no fixed duties."
Just like handling the Audville incident—exactly the same.
Pretty sweet terms.
My personal time, freedom, and privacy all guaranteed.
"Even without rules, I trust a lay priest like you won't do anything sleazy to tarnish the church's reputation. Right?"
"Heh heh heh, naturally. Why ruin a good gig with that crap?"
This was basically a cushy adventurer job.
"Most important question, Saintess: How much work is there?"
"Complete one mission and return, and unless it's an emergency, you get days off before the next order."
"Ooh!"
Personal maintenance time guaranteed!
Overall, the conditions looked fantastic.
Just like being an adventurer now. Only difference: Cardia Saintess as my guild, my status fixed as paladin with perks.
"...These are incredible terms?"
I could only marvel.
"Of course. But fail missions repeatedly, and the position can be revoked. You're entering under my authority as an outsider—if there's no results, dismissal is simple."
"Makes sense."
Hard to quit voluntarily, but fall short of her standards, and you're out anytime. Means always give your best—and I always did when I chose the work.
"So, just keep doing great, and I'm golden?"
"You think that's easy?"
Probably not.
In summary, paladin had zero military vibes—just a troubleshooter under the Saintess.
If it'd been like holy knight life, I'd have passed.
Conditions were solid.
But good terms usually meant crap pay.
"Heh heh heh, not easy, but doable. So, salary and benefits?"
This was the real crux.
"Join as paladin, and by my authority, you'll get private quarters on church grounds. If you don't like them, I'll cover separate lodging costs."
Freedom of residence guaranteed.
"Pay's performance-based. On assignment, you get an advance retainer. Upon completion and return, the rest based on my assessment of success rate. Do well, and money's no worry."
No fixed salary, but fair pay per job.
Full-scale adventurer upgrade.
Not bad.
Standby time would be minimal anyway. She'd said problems cropped up worldwide constantly. Work wouldn't dry up. Field missions meant handling things my way—take days off on-site if I wanted.
"Handle demons like in Audville, and it's perfect. I'd rate that 200%."
"Hmm..."
"The Brass Celestial Society is one of the biggest churches, so finances are ample. Same for me. Unlike parishioners, outsiders bolt if pay sucks. You'd do the same, I figure."
"Right?"
I heard more about paladin privileges. If there's a Brass Celestial Society church at the mission site, I could requisition manpower and supplies in her name.
Immediate church aid in crises. Though she probably wouldn't send me where churches were anyway.
Key perks: Request audiences with lords, identity guaranteed anywhere in the kingdom. Multiple kingdoms and empires here, and the society's reach spanned borders vast.
Overseas work would be easy too.
As a paladin.
"What do you think, lay priest? Great conditions, no? Limited to when you perform as flawlessly as now, of course."
"One slip-up, and I'm cut loose?"
"If you disappoint me."
Saintess Cardia said it haughtily.
"But everyone slips. I get that. More importantly, I doubt you'd disappoint me as paladin."
She lit another cigarette and tousled her hair.
Appreciated the vote of confidence.
And with those perks, I'd pour max effort into missions.
"You won't work me to death after this, right?"
"I'm superhuman—no burnout for me—but I know others aren't. No worries there. Can't have good talent fleeing."
My mind was already leaning yes.
But this wasn't a snap-decision thing. Even with wives' approval, I'd consult them again.
I mentally summarized the direct paladin terms in my head.