Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: 7. Priest, We've Met Again. (7)
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Hero Isabel?
It didn't matter whether she was actually here right now.
Even though we'd only glimpsed each other once before and parted ways, I was desperate enough to clutch at any straw, so I pressed myself tightly against her body, trembling uncontrollably.
'I have to survive.'
If they caught me again here, I'd be dragged off and forced to sell my body in some filthy back alley. With that thought, I pleaded even more desperately.
"P-Please... save me. Please, just save me..."
"Huh? Priest? What's going..."
She furrowed her brow, clearly flustered by the sudden situation.
A naked man clinging to her in the middle of the night, begging for his life—reacting normally to that would be the weird part around here.
For now, she hurriedly draped her robe over my exposed nakedness and quickly scanned the surroundings to check if anyone had seen.
It was late, so no one was out and about, and the predawn village was utterly silent.
'Good... good... I'm saved now...'
One way or another, she was a hero. Sure, not yet, but she was the one who'd soon rewrite history. There was no doubt in my mind that she could protect someone like me.
In the story's lore, Isabel's martial prowess was overwhelming, so a couple of street thugs like those wouldn't pose any problem to her.
"Priest? What happened? Why are you in such a state...?"
"Hngh... sob... those crazy bitches... they..."
Isabel patted my back to calm me down as my mind teetered on the edge. In that moment, a surge of pent-up emotion exploded, and the tears I'd been holding back burst forth uncontrollably.
"Crazy bitches? Wait, and why is your body like that? Did someone beat you?"
"Haa... hnggh..."
Tears choked my words. I could only nod vigorously in response, leaving her wide-eyed and sighing deeply.
"What kind of bitch would..."
Even to her eyes, the wounds weren't just a couple. My arms and legs were covered in deep bruises—impossible without getting beaten.
And my whole body was smeared with sticky, whitish fluids. She knew exactly what they were at a glance.
Men's semen and women's fluids... Traces of debauchery lingered all over my body.
Instinctively sensing this was no ordinary matter, she scooped me up in her arms, eager to get away from this place as quickly as possible.
"Damn... Thought we'd been spotted for a second there."
Their voices rang out again, as if they had no intention of letting me go. The terror etched into my body made me flinch and burrow deeper into her embrace.
'Please, just stop already...'
Their hideout must have had a narrow entrance they couldn't fit through, so they'd circled around running. They glared at me ferociously, their breathing ragged.
The green-haired one at the front planted her hands on her hips, face twisted in fury, and let out a bellowing roar as she exhaled the breath she'd been holding. A menacing aura already swept through the air.
'So please, just kill those dog bitches or whatever—quickly...'
"Senior?"
'Huh, yeah... Wait, s-senior? What did she just say?'
I doubted my ears. For a moment, it felt like the world was crumbling at Isabel's words. No, thinking about it, they were from the same guild. Reina had called Isabel a newbie who'd just joined not long ago, so it wasn't strange for them to be seniors and juniors.
Except...
My last remaining hope had just shattered into pieces.
"Hey... I'll pretend I didn't see this, so just scram quietly."
"Huh?"
"What 'huh'? Didn't you hear? Hand over that bastard and get lost."
I'm really screwed now.
No matter how much of a hero she was, that was the future. Right now, she was just another unremarkable adventurer. Strong or not, when it came to rank, even she had to bow down.
"Senior? Still, don't you think we should at least know what's going on...?"
"Why? Gonna report to the higher-ups? Hey... I'm warning you—if word of this gets out, we're all dead. Got it?"
The green-haired woman's murderous glare turned straight to Isabel. Facing the intimidating pressure alone, Isabel tensed up, her eyes widening, and I felt the strength draining from the arms holding me.
"Hand him over quick. Unless you wanna die..."
"Ah... okay..."
I messed up. If I'd known, I should've just run away on my own.
I resented her for letting go so easily, but I couldn't exactly blame her actions. Isabel wasn't dumb enough to burn down a house to kill a single flea, so I just stared up at her in a daze.
"Hah... Thought I was gonna die because of one damn priest."
The green-haired woman grimaced, stomped right up to me, and yanked my arm. With no strength left to flee, I let myself be dragged along.
What now? Gonna get fucked like a dog again? Who knows. They wouldn't let it slide after I ran, that much was sure. They wouldn't chop off my limbs just for escaping... right? I could endure anything else, but not that—I'd rather die.
At least I wanted my body intact, since it was mine from the gods.
Was it time to accept my fate...? That's when it happened.
Grab—
As I was being dragged, a heavy weight suddenly settled in my free hand. Glancing over, I saw Isabel gripping my other hand tightly, refusing to let me go anywhere.
"Huh?"
I wasn't the only one shocked. The green-haired woman dragging me was equally stunned, clicking her tongue and glaring sharply at Isabel.
One side kept pulling to drag me away, the other held firm to keep me in place—an absurd tug-of-war.
Having her authority challenged like this wounded the green-haired woman's pride, and her face flushed beet red, on the verge of exploding.
"Hey... what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"No matter how I think about it, this just doesn't feel right."
"What?"
"The priest says no—maybe you should stop here?"
Her eyes burned with newfound resolve, a stark contrast to moments ago. Despite the disadvantage of facing multiple opponents, she stared straight at the green-haired woman without flinching.
"Hah... How do they even train you juniors these days...? You must wanna die bad."
She clearly hadn't expected a fresh newbie to trip her up like this—her face darkened instantly.
She ground her teeth and cracked her neck with audible pops, her trembling hands betraying her rage, poised to lunge at any second.
"I tried to settle this nicely... but you keep pushing it?"
"Senior, let's stop here. I'll escort the priest home myself."
"Hey? You joking?"
"Huh?"
Swoosh—
It happened in an instant. Unable to hold back her anger, the green-haired woman drew a small blade from her thigh and aimed straight for Isabel's eyes. It was so sudden, I thought she couldn't possibly block it—but with freakish reflexes, Isabel caught her wrist just short of contact.
A little closer, and she might've lived the rest of her life as a one-eyed woman.
"Fucking hell..."
"Senior... I'll pretend I didn't see this. Just go quietly?"
"You bitch!"
The green-haired woman roared and poured all her strength into her arm. But whatever monstrous grip strength Isabel had, it didn't budge an inch. Finally, Isabel shoved the arm away, completely removing the blade from sight.
"What?"
"No way that bastard's crazy?"
Finally grasping the situation, the green-haired woman's cronies who'd been watching from behind started closing in one by one. Clearly, they'd overwhelm her if they all attacked at once, so Isabel's eyes darted around, calculating.
"Sorry, Senior. Looks like you won't be using that arm anymore."
"W-What?"
Crack—
"Gaaahhh!"
With those ominous words, Isabel snapped the arm clean.
A grotesque sound echoed from the limb as the green-haired woman let out a piercing scream. Her arm twisted into an unnatural shape, just as Isabel had said—permanently ruined.
'Crazy... what the hell am I watching right now?'
She's a hero through and through? The unreal scenes unfolding before me were hard to believe.
A barrage of impossible moments left me gaping like a goldfish, staring up at her blankly for who knows how long. Before I knew it, she'd hoisted me up onto one shoulder and let out a deep sigh.
"Might be rough. Hang in there."
"Uh, y-yeah?"
With that, Isabel turned and bolted. I'd nearly been recaptured, but thanks to her, I had another shot at escape.