Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Saintess Candidate
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Orphanage.
The general perception of such places wasn't great. And that made sense. They were where people who wanted to live on their own dumped their kids.
But the perception here was a little different.
The place called [Cradle].
The orphanage there had excellent facilities.
Gifts.
It was because of these peculiar powers said to be bestowed by the heavens.
No one knew who got them or how.
The way to check for a Gift was to use something called a Gift Card once you turned twelve, which revealed what you'd been granted.
And if it turned out to be a decent Gift, you'd get snatched up by various places.
Those with knightly talent went to the [Empire].
Those with magical talent to the [Magic Kingdom].
Those with thieving talent to the [Back Alleys].
Those with priestly talent to the [Church Order].
Producers who made weapons and such were mostly taken by the Adventurer's Guild.
It wasn't called [Cradle] for nothing.
If you had a good Gift, you could achieve the glory of becoming an imperial knight or a mage of the Magic Kingdom.
And if you got a Gift related to divine power, you could head to the [Church] to hone it.
'That's why even the orphanage is pretty well-off.'
There were separate sponsors for the orphanage.
And it was said that those who left it supported them in return.
Gifts were like that.
They rarely followed bloodlines and were presents bestowed upon the talented.
'Some noble houses manage to make [Great Families] with inheritable Gifts, though.'
I'd never seen one myself, so I didn't know what it felt like.
Anyway.
Thanks to that support, the orphanage here looked pretty decent compared to my previous life.
'Not that there aren't any corrupt directors.'
But those types ended up getting killed or retaliated against by those who awakened Gifts later on, so they were vanishing.
At any rate, I'd heard the conditions weren't bad thanks to those with Gifts.
"...Come on in."
Ermé and I followed Teresa. And Glasses, who had tagged along for some reason.
"If you guys are moving, it'll practically be a party gathering. Mind if I join?"
That was his excuse.
It wasn't a party event, though.
Or maybe it kind of was.
We were here to recruit a priest, after all.
Getting a bit sidetracked, but some human resources remained at the orphanage.
Though their clans or affiliations varied a bit.
There were people who stayed to help out.
And usually, the [Church] left them behind for "humanitarian efforts" or good deeds.
'Which is why we're here.'
Divine power grew differently from other powers.
Knight and adventurers leveled up by running Labyrinths.
Strengthening their bodies and mana in the process.
That was how knights and adventurers grew.
Thieves picked up stealth and various skills along the way.
Mages rarely showed up in Labyrinths because they were busy studying magic.
For priests, that didn't increase divine power, though.
There was some other grueling process.
'And that's where a lot of priests fall to corruption.'
They were idolized everywhere, but the asceticism was brutally tough.
So normal priests were practically nonexistent.
Ermé had mentioned it when recruiting a priest.
Something about them being alcoholics and gold addicts despite being priests.
Teresa and Glasses said that was actually pretty mild.
With sighs of relief.
'Just how messed up is it?'
That they could call it mild.
Primitive curiosity welled up, but I didn't pry.
I'd see for myself soon enough.
And so I did.
Click.
"......"
A woman passed out drunk on the floor, barely able to greet anyone.
*
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...That's the party member we're recruiting today."
Ermé said in a trembling voice. Teresa stared blankly at the woman sprawled on the ground.
Glasses took off his glasses for a moment, wiped them clean, then put them back on.
"Hm. Looking again, she seems decent enough."
"...?"
What kind of job was priesthood, anyway?
"Don't even ask, Yuseong. Even priests who whine and flee to the Church Order right before entering the Labyrinth because they hate it are considered decent in their ranks."
"......"
"In my old party, there was this priest who got executed for raping a noble while high on drugs, face all twisted."
"Another one fled the Labyrinth and died while I was right there in front."
"......"
I was speechless at Glasses and Marcel's words.
Was priesthood normally like that? Even with all the worship like nobles, they seemed insanely warped.
'But don't they usually have this pious image?'
Was there something about the job?
"Well, yeah, the reputation's bad overall. Divine power varies by god, and you can inherit their tendencies."
Ermé glossed over it.
"—...Milord, who is that woman?" Rishiel spoke while looking at Ermé.
"—I've thought it odd for a while... but she knows info no ordinary adventurer should." 'Sword Hero candidate.'
"—Even if she's a Hero candidate, something feels off. Be cautious, milord. She hides too much." 'Yeah, pretty much.'
I nodded along vaguely and looked at the priest.
Black hair, golden eyes. A gaze like she was looking at something beloved while staring at the booze.
'Something...'
The scene felt off to me.
There was an awkwardness somewhere. Less like she truly loved alcohol.
More like she was acting like she did.
'...I'm overthinking it.'
I was definitely tired.
Labyrinth, training the next day, back to the Labyrinth. My body felt drained.
'Not just a feeling.'
Definitely because of those iron balls Volkan attached to my limbs.
While I sized her up, she clung to Teresa.
"What're you, you smell nice. Heh heh."
"Get off me, creep."
Teresa scowled and shoved the priest away. The priest wobbled, then flopped down flat.
"Hmnya...."
"Isn't that a bit risky?"
Glasses voiced his concern at the sight.
"Oom... Wha, it's Glasses."
"I'm not Glasses. I'm Marcel."
"Glasses... Hmnya...."
"Fine, from now on my name is Glasses."
Glasses said in a voice heavy with exhaustion.
"She's better off than most since she doesn't do drugs, but at this level, maybe drugs would be preferable."
"Drugs recover slower with divine power, but alcohol recovers fine. Reliable enough in the Labyrinth."
Glasses grimaced and stepped back at Ermé's words.
Partly because Ermé was party leader, but her insights were sharp.
"Hmmm, what's this. Glasses looks pretty cute up close~."
"Guess it's true what they say about women losing taste in looks when drunk."
Ermé shot back at the priest's words.
Marcel bristled and jumped in.
"I've got decent looks, you know."
"Didn't say you were ugly. But there's that guy over there..."
"Yuseong's the weird one."
"......"
Why was I weird?
Though my looks were stunning even to me sometimes.
Simple reason.
I'd put effort into my makeup.
"Heh heh. Looks like you all came to recruit me."
Whew.
She reeked of booze as she slung an arm over my shoulder.
I grimaced. The alcohol stench.
"What, wrinkling your nose at the booze smell? Kids who hate alcohol aren't popular."
"Not with your type."
Ermé snapped back.
Then she made an "oh crap" face. What was with her?
'Is she getting protective of me?'
She seemed to care more about her inner circle than I'd thought.
"Shall we start with introductions? I'm Ermé. That's Han Yuseong, the one you're arm-in-arm with. And this priest is Rozante."
"Too much hassle, just call me Rozante."
Click.
With that, Rozante leaned into me with a sigh.
"Eh, I get it. A fuzzy kid like you can't appreciate fine booze yet, click."
She said, pouring booze sloppily into a glass.
Then one-shot it.
Click.
She burped once and looked at me with bleary eyes.
"What the, why's there a hottie in front of me? Heh heh, God's reward for my hard work? A bit sharp-featured for my taste, but whatever...."
Rozante approached me with an ominous vibe.
I grabbed her face as she tried to kiss me.
"Mmph, mmphmmph!"
Rozante licking my palm.
I felt despair and wanted to bury my face in my hands.
But my hand was already slobber-covered and gross.
'Give up.'
Recruiting this priest seemed tough.
There might be diligent ones higher up.
Ermé had hinted at that.
The ratio was low, but at our level, we'd snag one eventually.
As I thought to say that.
📜 ENCOUNTER QUEST 📜 You have encountered the Saintess Candidate.
Capture her interest somehow, or eliminate it.
🎁 Reward: ???
❌ On Failure: No Penalty
'...Don't do this.'
A window like a quest alert appeared before my eyes.
I suppressed the urge to glare at the blue screen.
But the system window was announcing that this Rozante was important.
"Mmph! Pwah! My hottie, can't get too clingy already."
Who was clinging?
Don't rewrite my memories.
"Heh heh, you like me too, huh? Heh heh, then with big sis... Bleeech!!"
She was hitting on me like some uncle chasing skirts.
Then vomited her guts out.
Good thing I'd stepped back sensing something off.
'She really is something.'
Our first meeting was worse than imagined.
*
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The first sight of Rozante near the orphanage was the worst impression possible.
Yet Teresa and Glasses nodded like she was okay.
"Good thing Yuseong can handle her."
"If so, I'm all for it. Having a priest feels like gaining at least two extra lives."
But didn't we hardly have dangerous foes?
I recalled our risky encounters.
First, Rishiel.
And.
'Hop Goblin Champion.'
That was about it.
But to aim higher as adventurers, recruiting Rozante was essential.
"So, what now?"
"I'll stay at our orphanage."
"Feel free, Teresa."
"Hmmm...."
Glasses gave me and Ermé a weird look.
Then smirked, flashed Ermé a thumbs-up, and said,
"I'll bow out. I'm a perceptive Support Enchanter."
What was perceptive about that?
Ermé beamed at Glasses' words.
He'd wisely ducked out of the priest recruitment hassle.
"Any places to stay nearby?"
"People come to the orphanage under 'sponsorship' pretexts, so there are rooms for them."
"Oh?"
"Kinda pricey and far from reasonable, but whatever."
I scanned the area.
Looked like I'd have to carry Rozante.
'Not over the shoulder.'
The filth around her mouth grossed me out.
Glasses cast a cleaning spell on the way, but it still felt iffy.
Luckily, the general store bag had a cloth. I used it to cover the back of her head.
And lifted one of her legs.
"Yuseong?"
"Let's go."
I dragged Rozante toward the orphanage.
But there was an unexpected interloper.
"Hello."
The moment we arrived at the orphanage, there she was.
A woman smiling with a "fu fu."
Red.
Or closer to blood-like, an ominous vibe.
'Villainess, Lucia.'
The system-defined Villainess.
Standing right in front of us.
*
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Why are you here?"
"My hobby's occasionally watching the kids at orphanages."
Her gaze turned to me as she said it.
What to call it.
An intensely sticky look. Like obsession.
When did it start?
I'd felt it since smashing the scarecrow with Dark Moon.
'And now.'
I looked at her.
Lucia.
Strongest person I knew, barring Volkan.
'Still...'
No blue line visible.
The vision that showed up when I could or couldn't beat foes in combat.
The Sword Master's sight showed nothing.
'Dangerous woman, as expected.'
Alias: Execution Princess.
Felt again it wasn't unwarranted.
Her sticky gaze probably meant.
'She wants to raise me in her faction.'
Her obsession played a part too.
Since I had Lucia's Obsession.
"Why's Execution Princess Lucia here?"
“Various connections, starting from the nearby Legrak City.”
Lucia smiled brightly.
"I was the one who connected first from Legrak."
"Ah, you met on the way here? Then I met her first."
"You met, yet it feels awkward between you two. Like one's intimidating the other."
"No way."
Lucia eyed Ermé with a seductive hum.
Like they were sizing each other up.
"Recruiting a priest today, I see."
Lucia pointed slenderly at one side.
Rozante, whom I'd dragged.
Cloth protected her face, so no damage.
'...Impressive how soundly she sleeps.'
As I stared, her body twitched slightly.
Not sleeping. Faking it.
"Your priest over there seems awake."
"Heh, heh heh. Lo-long time no see, Lucia."
Rozante shot up, gave an awkward laugh, and shook hands.
What? She had that side?
While I was stunned, Lucia smiled brightly.
"Long time no see, Ms. Rozante."
Lucia returned the handshake.
I stared at Rozante sullenly.
Using Lucia might make recruiting Rozante easier?
Shook my head at the thought.
'No, she'd demand a huge price later.'
Using her obsession was fine.
But she'd read my intent and bind me. In the most annoying way possible.
'Too bad, might have to give up on Rozante.'
Dragging her should've left a strong impression for some reward.
That'd soothe the regret.
That's what I thought.