Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Priest, We've Met Again. (4)
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‘Is there really a kid’s dad over there?’
All of it seemed suspicious. But having come this far, backing out would’ve been weird too, so I swallowed dryly and cautiously positioned myself in front of the warehouse.
‘The kid was bawling their eyes out like that—I couldn’t just ignore it. Surely I won’t die or anything, right?’
With the plan to quickly check if anyone was there and then leave, I slowly stepped toward the interior. The warehouse was still pitch black inside, like it had been painted over with ink, and I couldn’t make out a thing.
“Is anyone there?”
Thwack!
“Gahk!”
The moment I crossed the threshold, a dull impact struck my back. It felt just like someone swinging a wooden plank at me. I let out a scream along with the surging pain and tumbled forward.
Thud—click—
Huh?
The beam of light shining down on me vanished in an instant, replaced by the sound of the door locking. Wondering what the hell was going on, I didn’t even have time to register the pain before scrambling to my feet and rushing to the door. I yanked at it desperately to escape this godforsaken space, but it wouldn’t budge, as if something were blocking it.
Click—click—
“Wait, is this actually happening…?”
My mind went blank. I couldn’t figure out what the situation was at all. Desperate to flee this terrifying place, I threw my whole body into shoving and pulling with all my strength, but unfortunately, the wooden door stood firm like a steadfast gatekeeper, not moving an inch.
“K-Kid? You there? Kid?!”
I kept calling out for the child from inside, but nothing came back. Soon enough, trapped with no way out, the worst-case scenario flashed through my mind.
‘No way… Have I seriously been kidnapped?’
No matter how I sliced it, that’s what it looked like. I couldn’t see much inside, but the stuffy, humid air was palpable. There didn’t seem to be any other doors leading elsewhere, so kidnapping was the only thought that came to mind.
As time dragged on, my fear only grew, my breathing growing ragged. My anxiety spiking harder, I kept yanking at the door to find some way out, but accomplishing anything with this frail body of mine wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
‘Ah… If I’d known, I should’ve just walked away…’
My nosy busybody nature had finally bitten me in the ass. If I’d been more careful from the start, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad… No, if I hadn’t even stepped into that ominous alley to begin with, none of this mess would’ve happened.
I was on the verge of spacing out in a daze. At this point, it wasn’t about making it back to the church on time—I had to seriously worry if I could make it back alive at all.
“Haa…”
I’d been had… That damn little brat… They said they’d lost their dad, so I approached out of goodwill to help, and I never imagined they’d stab me in the back like this.
“But seriously, what do I do now?”
As time passed, my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, pupils dilating. I stepped away from the door and looked around, and things that hadn’t been visible moments ago started coming into view one by one.
A mountain of stacked wooden barrels, and above them, a small vent. Unfortunately, it looked like they’d planned for this too—the vent was barred with iron grating to prevent any escape.
Anywhere I could bust out? I pried open the barrel lids and peered inside. All there was: moldy old cheese and the mice scurrying around in it. The moment I opened one, they shot out like arrows and fled into the vent.
‘Fuck… At least I won’t starve to death…’
There was more than enough food, overflowing even. No idea if it was past expiration, but it felt like a message to stay alive, clinging to life by a thread, no matter what.
“Guess I’ve gotta at least give it a shot.”
Anything was better than being stuck here to be sold off as a slave. No harm in thrashing around a bit since I had nothing to lose. I climbed the precarious stack of barrels and reached the vent, grabbing the blocking iron bars with both hands and pulling with every ounce of strength I had.
“Urghhhh… Come on, give already… Hngh!”
I yanked until my face turned red, but it didn’t budge. My strength gradually ebbed away, and my sweat-slicked hands, tensed to the max, suddenly slipped free. I tumbled straight down to the floor.
Crack—crash!
“Gaaah…”
What a pathetic sight I made. Could bad luck really stack up this high? No need to say it—I was utterly miserable.
If nothing else, I wanted to at least see the face of the bitch who did this. At this level, it was straight-up premeditated crime. And not just anyone—they targeted me, a parish priest. I couldn’t help but wonder if the Holy Faith Church didn’t scare them one bit.
“We got the right one this time, yeah?”
“Yeah, definitely. He was wearing priest robes.”
“You fuck this up again, and I’ll rip you to shreds for dog food.”
“…”
Huh?
Footsteps and voices from beyond the door. Goosebumps erupted all over me in an instant, and I shot to my feet. Stumbling to the door to see who it was, I peered out through a tiny gap in the doorframe.
And right as I was about to scream for help, I overheard what they were saying and clamped my mouth shut.
“That’s the fucking hot piece of ass, right?”
“Told you. Don’t believe me? Check for yourself.”
“Haa… Fuck, I’ve wanted to bang him so bad. Finally gonna get a taste.”
“But is this really okay? What if we get caught…”
“What’s the problem? Gotta enjoy this one life while it lasts…”
This is insane…
I was speechless. The hole was so small I couldn’t make out faces. As the footsteps grew closer, I ducked behind a stack of barrels like I was fleeing.
‘This is seriously bad…’
I clenched my teeth hard and gripped the rosary around my neck so tight it felt like it’d burst.
‘Please, God… Look upon this poor lamb in mercy… Help me escape this hellish trial…’
Today of all days, I craved the divine more than ever. If it was all superstition and there was no God, that’d be one thing—but Saintess Amaness was real. I firmly believed that if my plea reached her, she’d surely help me.
Bang—
“Eek!”
The door flew open like it was about to shatter, and shadowy figures filed in one by one. At least five of them blocked the entrance.
“Aha… Where’d our priest go? Don’t hide—show us your face.”
A woman’s snide, cackling voice searching for me. It made every hair on my body stand on end.
‘Crazy…’
It was such a shocking scene that it was all I could think. Trembling uncontrollably, I peeked out just enough to look at them without getting spotted.
With the light coming from behind them, shadows obscured their faces, making it hard to see. But judging by the greatsword strapped to one’s back, they were definitely adventurers from some guild.
‘Fuck, isn’t five people overkill just to grab one guy?’
Any one of them could’ve overpowered me alone… No, the fact they’d used a kid to lure me here said it all.
Human trash that barely qualified as human. If I escaped, I’d report them to the Church and make sure they vanished like morning dew at the gallows.
“Come on out already. Don’t make us exert ourselves.”
“…”
The woman in the lead drew a double-headed axe from her back. A blatant threat. Clutching my hands tight, I slowly stepped forward.
“Kyaa… It’s been a while, Priest.”
A while? What did she mean? I hunched my shoulders and lifted my head. The moment I saw her face straight on, my eyes widened like saucers.
‘G-Green hair?’
The green-haired girl who’d sexually harassed me at the Adventurer’s Guild before. I thought I’d never see her again… Never imagined we’d cross paths like this.
“What the hell is this…!”
Was I that tense? My words came out all wrong. With not just one but a group, my heart pounded like it’d burst.
“A-Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment? How could you do something like this…! If you let me go now, I won’t tell the Church about any of this.”
“Haha… What? Priest, what’d you just say? Did you hear that? He says he’ll let us off…”
What was so funny? I was dead serious, but they cackled like every reaction was hilarious.
Then the green-haired one bent her knees slightly to meet my eyes, smirking wickedly as she spat out words like a death sentence.
“Haa… Priest, do you have any idea how much I held back? It was torture resisting the urge to fuck you raw.”
“…”
“Honestly, walking around with that slutty body is a crime in itself. And a little advice: don’t even think about going back to the Church. You won’t have any business there for the rest of your life.”
“…”
“You get that, right? Priest?”
“Hic…!”
Too scared to meet her gaze, she grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her. Seeing the madness in her eyes, my grip tightened even harder on the rosary.
At this point, even Bishop Lisa would do. Anyone coming to save me would be a dream come true.