Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Chapter 24: Achievements (6)
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In fact, until just a few days ago, Belrego had been badmouthing K with that very resolve.
He had made his own efforts to let others know K's true nature.
One could tell from his current solitary trembling that those efforts hadn't lasted long.
The high priest of the Agnotia Order, who had heard of his actions, had warned him.
-There are already plenty of eyes watching you. Don't act rashly.
What the hell was that guy that a high-ranking church official was personally protecting him!
Heh, hiss-!
Even after sweeping the desk clean, he couldn't contain his rage, heaving rough breaths for a good while.
Suddenly, Belrego looked toward the window and drew in a deep breath.
Against the particularly overcast sky thick with clouds, his reflection showed in the glass.
White priestly robes wrapped around his waist with a sash embroidered in gold thread.
It was attire that proved Belrego's status as an ordinary priest.
"Huhuhu."
Belrego had finally become a priest.
Only after shelling out a hundred thousand Her, ten times the ten thousand Her he'd lost trying to kidnap K.
'I've used up a lot of my remaining savings.'
But now that he was a priest, it wasn't a big problem.
'The vault can be refilled.'
These priestly robes would make that possible.
As he gazed at his reflection, the feeling of being knocked down by K began to lift.
Just as Belrego started stroking his plump belly with a satisfied smile.
The door to his office burst open without warning.
Startled by the sudden intrusion, Belrego turned toward the doorway.
The moment he saw who was standing there, his face twisted in fury.
"Why so surprised?"
Unlike Belrego, who was plump and ruddy-faced overall, this was a gaunt man with a sallow complexion.
"Leitan Protoram!"
The second son of the late Count Protoram, now the head of the Protoram family.
The younger brother who had essentially driven Belrego out of the family.
At Leitan's appearance, the attendant who had been relaying news about K quickly slipped out of the office.
He'd fled before the sparks could fly. It was best not to get involved when Belrego met Leitan.
"What business do you have here, you bastard!"
Belrego glared at Leitan with savage eyes and snarled through gritted teeth.
The fortress of Chedaltman, where Belrego had been assigned after his ordination as an ordinary priest, was a full month away from Kimol, where Leitan resided.
It meant he had no reason to come here without urgent business.
"You didn't come here just to see me, did you?"
Unlike Belrego's sharp reaction, Leitan brushed back his hollow face and replied in a thoroughly listless voice.
"I'm just stopping by on my way back from seeing Priest Jerunima."
Belrego's brow furrowed deeper.
'He met Priest Jerunima?'
The senior priest in charge of the overall management of the Chedaltman Temple.
'Why would Leitan meet him?'
No sooner had the question arisen than Leitan clicked his tongue and spoke.
"I heard you'd poured money into becoming a priest."
His expression screamed utter patheticness, his tone dripping with contempt.
"Hoo, I really can never get used to how stupid you are, brother."
Things he'd grown up enduring to the point of boredom still made his blood boil with humiliation every time.
"Why throw money into a dying place."
Knowing one's own shortcomings was one thing, but having them thrown back in your face by others made it all the worse.
"Why not send food to the vermin in the slums instead? At least you could've filled the bellies of those worse than dogs or pigs."
Such condescending words only soured the mood further.
Over thirty years of this, and he still couldn't brush it off.
What made it worse was the ingrained sense of powerlessness.
Having subconsciously accepted his own stupidity, Belrego could only tremble before the onslaught of insults.
"Anyway, don't even think about dipping into the family's wealth for temple business. That's what I came to say."
Leitan crossed his arms and shot him a pitying look.
"Don't contact the family for no reason. Got it?"
Even after hundreds or thousands of times, the humiliation never grew familiar. Belrego's face flushed red as he shook with rage.
And then, a knock came from the door.
"Tch."
Leitan clicked his tongue at the interruption, turned without waiting for Belrego's reply.
He strode out of the office as abruptly as he'd entered.
The apprentice priest waiting at the door jumped in surprise, eyes widening.
But upon seeing Belrego's expression inside, the apprentice quickly averted his gaze.
He pretended not to see. Best to ignore it.
Everyone knew the Protoram brothers hated each other more than enemies.
He had no desire to get caught in noble infighting.
"Pr-Priest, the sinner for judgment has arrived..."
He mentioned his business as if oblivious to the scene before him.
"Uwaaaah!"
But Belrego ignored the apprentice priest and started hurling objects around the office in a frenzy.
He felt too pathetic for not uttering a single word against Leitan's scorn.
Unwilling to admit it, he rampaged like a madman.
It was a scene that explained why the attendant had fled without looking back.
But even such outbursts never lasted long, as usual.
"Huff, huff."
A moment later, Belrego panted heavily and turned toward the door.
His eyes met those of the apprentice priest trembling outside.
It reminded him of the warning from the supreme high priest who had overseen his ordination as an ordinary priest.
The supreme high priest of the Agnotia Order had eyes the same green as the apprentice's.
- You must faithfully perform the duties assigned to you.
It was a jab at buying his priesthood with money.
The church politics had forced them to ordain him anyway.
But they had no intention of overlooking anything that tarnished the church's honor.
Having received the sharp warning, failing in his duties meant he could be ousted anytime.
What choice did he have?
"Prepare and I'll be there soon! Tell them to wait!"
Even in his anger, he had to grudgingly do the work.
"Y-Yes!"
The apprentice priest bolted away the moment Belrego shouted.
'I shelled out a fortune to get in; I can't get kicked out before even trying properly.'
Stomping his feet, Belrego headed to the side door connecting the office to the chapel.
'The chapel.'
Where priests offered sacrifices to the god.
The purpose, naturally, was to use the god's power.
'Tch, this is more complicated than I thought.'
Unlike apostles, called agents of the god and inherently divine, able to wield power at will, priests needed a more cumbersome process.
They had to offer sacrifices according to strict rules and forms.
It was like temporarily borrowing the god's power through that ritual.
Possible thanks to the fragment of divinity received at ordination.
In common parlance, using the god's borrowed power that way was called "receiving a blessing."
After receiving blessings once, twice, for decades, traces of divinity remained.
That was why senior priests' and high priests' eyes faintly glowed gold.
Of course, irrelevant to Belrego, freshly ordained.
'To the east... should I place the wool?'
He was a complete novice, not even fully grasping the ritual procedures.
He fumbled through the manual he'd received before ordination to prepare the sacrifice.
Normally, he'd have done the ritual before the sinner arrived, securing the blessing in advance.
But Leitan's untimely visit had delayed him, so he hurried.
Soon after, Belrego lit the holy fire on his carefully prepared offerings and recited the Agnotia Order's prayer.
Then, a change came over the fire burning the offerings.
The ordinary red flames began to take on a subtle golden hue.
The flames shrank gradually, seeping into Belrego, who had led the ritual.
"Hoo."
Belrego rose, having successfully received Agnotia's blessing.
"Ungh."
Now it was time to attend to his assigned duty.
He left the chapel and walked the corridor briefly.
Upon reaching the waiting room, he came face-to-face with the guards who had brought the sinner.
"Pleased to meet you, Priest."
The guards saluted crisply the moment he arrived.
Belrego's mood, dashed by the unwelcome visitor, improved just a bit.
"Who are the ones for judgment?"
At Belrego's chin-lifted question, the guards promptly dragged two men forward.
As the guards forced them to their knees, Belrego subtly swallowed dryly.
"Hoo."
Steadying his breath, Belrego approached the kneeling men.
He invoked the blessing held in his heart, and his eyes turned gold.
He already knew their charges from the documents; the questions were obvious.
"Was it you two who murdered the innkeeper at the Jagomita Inn two days ago, stole the goods, and fled?"
"N-No!"
"We're innocent!"
The two, suppressed by the guards, replied in whimpering voices.
An outsider might have thought they were wrongly accused.
They looked that pitiful and desperate.
But while human eyes and ears could be deceived, a god's power could not.
Agnotia's power to discern lies, deception, betrayal, and hypocrisy was, as always, flawless.
"Ugh!"
No sooner had the men claimed innocence than a horrific stench emanated from them.
"Y-You bastards! Urk! They're the culprits!"
Belrego pinched his nose shut and yelled urgently.
It was essentially a guilty verdict.
"No!"
"You fraud!"
They reacted violently, but the guards knocked them out with kicks, ending it.
"You've worked hard, Priest."
"Mmph, mmph..."
Afterward, the guards beamed with flattery.
But Belrego could barely think straight from the lingering stench.
This was only his second time receiving a blessing.
The first, during ordination, had been for show.
This was his first real use of the power for judgment.
Encountering the stench of lies and deception firsthand was agonizing beyond endurance.
The pure Agnotia.
Her power distinguished lies, deception, betrayal, and hypocrisy in any situation.
Thus, Agnotia priests worked closely with Pinelpenia priests and the security forces.
Agnotia could identify culprits via power; Pinelpenia could aid investigations by reading traces left at scenes.
Collaboration with security and guards was their primary duty.
'It was also their main source of income.'
They donated to the church as payment for services.
Meaning, as an Agnotia priest, he'd have to endure this stench ongoing.
Remembering that made the future seem bleak.
In the end, Belrego irritably dumped the aftermath on the apprentice priest and guards, storming out of the waiting room.
The unimaginable stench still seemed to cling to his nostrils.
"Damn, damn..."
Rubbing his nose raw as he crossed the corridor, Belrego suddenly stopped and looked out the window.