25
Chapter 25
The priests of the Sereon Church were scattered here and there, throwing questions at the village residents.
If I just pretend not to know and pass by, they'll probably investigate on their own and leave.
With a mix of hope and resignation, I quietly directed my steps toward the inn.
"Hmm?"
But before I could even turn my back, I already felt someone's gaze on me.
When I casually turned my head, a few people wearing white robes were staring in my direction.
Perhaps they had already finished their questions, as their eyes naturally fell on me.
...No way, I got caught immediately.
They definitely seemed to be priests, but the glimpses of gray steel visible through their robes caught my eye.
At a glance, they were clearly not ordinary priests.
It was already too late to run away.
One of the priests strode over and spoke to me.
"Excuse me, by any chance-"
"Yes? Me?"
My body reacted first. As I swallowed dryly and asked back, the priest looked at my face for a moment before quietly nodding.
It was a calm voice, but it carried an unknown weight.
"I have something to confirm regarding the incident that happened in this village a little while ago... Do you have a moment?"
...Confirm, huh.
I hadn't really done anything wrong, but words spoken in that tone were still burdensome.
I swallowed a small sigh and nodded.
"A short moment is fine."
"Thank you. What is your name?"
"I am Riv."
When I said my name, he flinched and glanced at his colleague next to him.
Then, he gave me a shallow smile.
"Riv, I heard that you eliminated the demonic human."
My body froze for a moment.
It wasn't something I needed to hide, but hearing it so bluntly made me feel oddly uncomfortable.
I had no intention of becoming famous.
"Well... it just somehow ended up that way."
"I want to know the exact situation. Could you perhaps tell me about the circumstances in detail?"
He was more polite than I expected. The atmosphere wasn't coercive, either.
Still... the fact that a bothersome ordeal had begun remained unchanged.
I took another deep breath inwardly and spoke with the most expressionless face I could muster.
"Yes. Where should I start?"
"First, please tell me from the moment you encountered the demonic human, in as much detail as possible."
Demonic human.
I guess that's what they call that monster.
The priest pulled out a small notebook and gripped his pen.
The rustling sound of scratching against the paper was especially grating.
Paper is ridiculously expensive, so do priests have a lot of money?
I folded away my useless thoughts and slowly answered.
"The day before, I received a request from the village chief to find the hunter Carl. So the next day, I went to check the cabin in the forest... and the demonic human was there."
"Hmm, I see. Was there anything else unusual?"
"Well... the energy felt particularly chilly that day. Cold, I guess you could say. It felt a bit strange."
"Strange energy... Could it be demonic energy..."
The priest muttered to himself.
"Have you ever received baptism? Priests tend to be quite sensitive to demonic energy."
"No, it's nothing like that. It was just my intuition, I guess. It was luck."
He nodded, but his face remained expressionless.
I couldn't tell if he was convinced or if he was still doubting me.
"Did you face that demonic human alone?"
"Yes. There was no one around, and I didn't have time to run away."
"Hmm... What about the weapon or skills you used during the battle?"
I hesitated slightly, then gave a vague answer.
"What? Do I have to tell you that too?
"No. You don't have to say it. It was just personal curiosity."
"Ah, yes. Well..."
I didn't mind telling the truth, but talking too much would only make things tiring.
The priest asked a few questions about the monster's appearance and fighting style, jotted down a few words in his notebook, and looked up.
"Have you ever encountered a demonic human before?"
"...No. This was my first time."
He gave a brief nod and asked his final question.
"What happened immediately after you defeated the demonic human?"
"People from the village came rushing over. After that, I informed the village chief of the situation. That's all."
"Were there any unusual signs, or did you find any strange objects nearby?"
"Nothing in particular, other than that stone."
The priest wrote down a few last words and closed his notebook.
Then, he spoke with a vague smile.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Riv. The investigation concludes here. If you remember anything else, please let us know later."
I nodded.
"Yes, understood."
The priest turned around and walked over to his colleagues, and I muttered inwardly as I watched his retreating back.
'I hope nothing bad happens...'
Contrary to my wishes, it felt like these events were not over yet.
***
That evening.
I was sitting in the dining room, eating soup as usual.
For some reason, Barret, who was sitting across from me, was staring intently at my face.
...What's with him. I'm going to get indigestion.
"Riv, I can clearly see that your body is getting better."
"Pardon? Really? It's only been five days."
Even as I answered that way, there was a sensation I felt anew without realizing it.
Was it because of the training? Rather than slowly building muscle, it felt like I had skipped a stage at some point.
It was almost like the feeling I had when my stamina stat went up last time.
...Could this be the influence of the system too?
"Your expression is subtle. Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
"No, it's just... the soup is a bit spicy."
Barret chuckled softly and nodded.
"Anyway, you should get ready to go out for a while tomorrow."
"Go out?"
"Yes. There is one more person who came directly from the Sereon Church priests. They said they wanted to speak with the person who defeated the demonic human themselves."
Again?
I set down my spoon and let out a small sigh.
"Who is it this time? I already met the person asking questions with a notebook."
"This time... they say a 'Watcher' from the Order is coming."
"A Watcher?"
"Yes. It's someone dispatched by each branch of the Sereon Church when tracking strange phenomena."
At Barret's words, I slowly blinked my eyes.
'Watcher...'
It was an unpleasant name.
Somehow, it sounded like someone who would try to see right through me.
It seemed like things were gradually getting bigger.
...Should I leave the village?
"Sigh, things are getting bothersome."
"Haha, a capable person is bound to be given a matching amount of work. Doesn't that just mean you are capable, Riv?"
I tilted my head and asked.
"...But do you also believe in the Sereon Church, Barret?"
He seemed to know more about the Sereon Church than I thought. It didn't seem like just secondhand knowledge.
"Most mercenaries tend to believe in a god. Among them, the percentage of those who believe in the Sereon Church is quite high."
"Aha, that's fascinating."
"Perhaps it's because we do work where life and death are on the line every time."
Hmm, true.
They say the closer you get to death, the higher the rate of believing in a religion goes up.
The fact that there are many elderly people in the church is ultimately the same logic.
"Still, I just lean toward believing, I don't follow blindly. Just because you believe doesn't mean everything gets solved, right?"
At those words, I nodded my head.
Just because you believe doesn't mean everything gets solved.
But come to think of it, in a world where magic exists, wouldn't a god exist too?
Maybe, everything really will be solved...
"When is the Watcher arriving tomorrow?"
"I didn't hear the exact time from the village chief, but they should arrive around noon. And... they'll probably want a private interview."
A private interview.
My annoyance must have shown clearly on my face, as Barret chuckled and spoke.
"There's no need to be scared. It's just a simple matter of answering some questions."
...Would it really be as easy as it sounds?
I thought of the cold soup again.
Come to think of it, does this mean I can skip the afternoon training?
This might actually be a better thing than I thought.
***
When the sun was high in the sky.
I was collapsed face-down in Mr. Brigan's yard.
'This crazy old geezer...'
I don't know where he heard the news that I had to go in the afternoon, but the old man ramped up the intensity of the morning training to make up for it.
And this is the result.
My arms were shaking uncontrollably, my legs didn't feel like my own... and even though I was just breathing, it felt like my lungs were screaming in resentment.
"Pant... Seriously... this is going to kill me..."
While I was rolling on the ground, lying flat like dead grass, I suddenly lifted my head at the sound of someone approaching.
It was Barret. With his usual neat face, he was looking down at me.
"Riv. Are you alright?"
"...Well. If I said I was fine in this state, it would be a lie."
At those words, Barret gave a small smile and held out his hand.
"You need to get up. The Watcher has arrived."
"...Really?"
"Yes. They should be at the village chief's house by now. The interview will start soon, so you should get ready."
I grabbed Barret's hand and barely managed to pull myself up.
My muscles cramped and strange sounds came from my joints, but I barely endured it.
'Phew, physical exhaustion is much scarier than magic...'
Patting off the dust on my body, I quietly steadied my nerves.
Now, it wasn't training, but a different kind of test waiting for me.
Barret walked ahead, and I limped along behind him.
Even while groaning from muscle aches, the path to the village chief's house was very quiet.
Perhaps it was too quiet.
Strangely enough, the gazes of the village residents were calm, and a slight tension seeped into the atmosphere.
No one stared at me openly, but it felt as if their gazes were brushing past me on the breeze.
'It seems they really have arrived.'
The village chief's house was usually neat and organized, but it looked even tidier today.
Furthermore, two massive men wearing silver armor were heavily guarding the perimeter with spears raised.
Just seeing that scene made me realize they were definitely not ordinary visitors.
"Let's go inside."
Barret said as he pushed the door open.
I nodded and followed him inside.
The interior of the village chief's house wasn't very spacious, but it was quiet and neat.
In the center, a strange woman was sitting in a small reception area.
A long white robe, dark navy hair, half-open sharp eyes, and a calm expression.
...She was a quite beautiful woman with a cynical vibe.
She slightly raised her head and looked at me.
A strange light lingered in her blue eyes.
"This is Riv."
The village chief said cautiously. Barret bowed his head slightly.
I looked straight at the woman in front of me.
She was the Watcher.
"Welcome, Riv. I am the Watcher of the Sereon Church, 'Luna'."
It was a soft voice, but it had a strange resonance.
The Watcher Luna gestured for me to take a seat.
'Hmm, the feeling is strange... She's not as coercive as I thought.'
Swallowing a sigh inwardly, I quietly sat down on the chair.
It felt like I was at a job interview. My back straightened on its own.
"Then, I will ask you a few simple questions."
The Watcher's gaze fell on my face as if piercing through me.
It was starting.
"Are you, by any chance, a Magician?"
...!!
She struck a vital point right from the first question.
I tried to control my expression, but even I could feel my eyes widen slightly.
How did she know...?
Is there some kind of certification mark that only Magicians can see?
It was like this with Brigan too, so there must be a way to recognize it.
"...Yes. That's correct. I know how to use magic."
I was surprised by the unexpected question, but I admitted it immediately.
I didn't really have a reason to hide it. It's not like being a Magician is a weird thing.
As I said that, the Watcher's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Rather than surprise, her eyes held an understanding that said I see.
Wait, did she already know?
"Thank you. Thank you for not hiding it."
She jotted something down on her notepad.
I waited obediently for the next question.
Contrary to my expectation that a question about magic would follow, this one was entirely different.
"Did you handle that demonic human by yourself?"
I kept my mouth shut for a moment before letting out a small breath and nodding.
"Yes. Given the situation, I had no other choice."
The Watcher nodded again at my words.
I didn't know what criteria she was using to judge, but I wanted to think my sincerity had gotten through.
"Were you not injured?"
"I got a little hurt, but... well, I survived."
She smiled very faintly.
She didn't speak, but her eyes seemed to say what a relief.
The Watcher's fingertips moved slightly. She was taking notes.
And after her hand stopped, she looked at me again.
"Thank you. For speaking honestly."
Honestly?
"Then, I will ask you just one more thing."
She leaned forward slightly and asked quietly.
"Did it seem like that demonic human... was targeting you from the beginning, Riv?"
A chill ran down my spine.
This time, my breath caught in my throat without me realizing it.
How should I answer?
Honestly... that gaze back then, it was definitely looking at me.
In a way, only at me.
But, should I say that here?
A brief silence.
I eventually shook my head very slightly.
"...I am not sure."
Hearing that, the Watcher stared at me with her blue eyes, devoid of any expression.
And without a word, she quietly jotted something down.
The air in the room became endlessly quiet.
Then she looked at me one last time and spoke.
"Thank you, Riv. This is sufficient."
At those words, I let out a breath.
It felt like the interview was over.
Is it okay for it to end this early?
Well, it's good for me, but....
With this... did I pass? Or is it on hold?
I had absolutely no idea.