Chapter 58: The Beastkin Priestess
Chapter 58: The Beastkin Priestess
To create the perfect alibi, Diana went down to the dining hall first, and Guwon followed later.
“Oh? Guwon? Where were you? I went to call for you, but you didn't answer.”
“Hm? Oh. Sorry. I must have fallen asleep again in my room.”
“You did? The Healing Sex… No, it's nothing.”
As she said that, Sara looked pleased for some reason.
Thank goodness. It seems I haven't raised any suspicion.
“Hmph. Well, he must have been tired.”
But Diana’s comment seemed to counter Sara’s reaction.
For some reason, Sara and Diana stared at each other again.
…It felt like an atmosphere I shouldn't interrupt.
But I couldn't just stand here.
Feeling like I was charging into a minefield, I spoke to them.
“Alright, alright. We have to stop by the temple today, so let's hurry up and eat.”
And so, we decided to visit the temple first before heading to the dungeon.
The temple was located in a quiet area some distance from the city center, so it was quite a walk.
The location was supposed to be quiet, but the closer we got to the temple, the more crowded the streets became. By the time the temple building came into view, it was already swarming with enough people to remind me of a subway during rush hour.
Among them, I could occasionally spot people dressed as adventurers, likely looking for a healer like we were, but the vast majority seemed to be ordinary citizens.
Just how popular is the god of this world?
Well, considering how this world works, the god is certainly an incredibly appealing one, but this is just too much.
Are all these people really such devout followers that they'd head to the temple first thing in the morning?
I swore to myself that I would never, ever speak ill of the god in this world.
The moment I uttered a single word, I'd probably be stoned to death in the street.
“This way. Follow me.”
After finally pushing through the massive crowd and entering the temple, Diana led Sara and me in the opposite direction of where everyone else was going.
“But everyone else is going that way?”
“You didn't come here to offer prayers to the god, did you? Stop talking and follow me.”
“That's right, Guwon. Let's not worry about other people and just do what we came here for.”
Sara and Diana each grabbed one of my arms tightly, preventing me from straying.
I'm not a child; I'm not going to wander off.
I was just curious, there's no need to go this far.
Just as Diana said, a few people dressed as adventurers were indeed heading in the direction she had pointed.
“There are two types of priests. Temple Priests, who are affiliated with the temple, and Wandering Priests, who travel and spread the teachings. Most priests who join parties are Wandering Priests.”
“Then we can’t recruit a party member here, can we?”
“Not so. This is a dungeon city, is it not? The temple in this city will dispatch a Temple Priest for a certain period of time in exchange for a donation.”
“You mean a temporary party member? I'd rather find someone who'll stick with us permanently, not a temp. Especially since we have that path available to us.”
“Let me finish. In addition to that, Wandering Priests who are hoping to join an adventurer party also reside here temporarily. Either way, this is the best place to find a party member.”
So that's how it works.
After passing through a rather long corridor, we arrived in a room with a counter on the opposite side, where several priests stood in a row.
As expected of a temple that serves that kind of god, they were all quite beautiful.
On one wall, papers were posted, much like at the Adventurer's Guild.
It wasn't as packed as the guild's board, but those were probably party recruitment notices.
“Well then, let’s have a look.”
We split up to look through the notices.
I wonder if the priest I saw yesterday is here.
If possible, I'd like to party with her.
It was rare to find someone with looks that so perfectly matched my ideal type, even among the many beautiful adventurers.
I reached for the paper right in front of me.
Unlike the crude, scribbled notes from adventurers at the guild, these papers contained rather proper profiles.
It listed not only their level and available holy magic, but also their three sizes and party requirements.
There was even a portrait in the corner.
Wait, is this a drawing, not a photo? In any case, it was so detailed it could pass for a photograph, allowing you to see their appearance clearly.
The paper I'd absentmindedly picked up had a drawing of a sexy-looking older woman, and the three sizes listed on her profile were explosive figures that matched her looks.
Furthermore, her requirement was, “Must have at least one man in the party ♡.”
That heart at the end really sparks the imagination.
Alright. I've made up my mind. We are definitely recruiting this woman for our party.
Unfortunately, her level was in the 80s.
Damn it. The pretty ones always come with a high price.
With a heavy heart, I put the paper back and reached for another.
To cut to the chase, we couldn't find a Wandering Priest.
Why is everyone's level so high?
The lowest level I found among the Wandering Priests was 60.
Seriously? How is that possible?
What made it even more frustrating was that, befitting their high levels, every single one of the faces in the drawings was a beauty.
It was the very definition of something you can see but can't have.
With things like this, it goes without saying that the level 18 priest from yesterday wasn't here.
“Did you guys find anyone promising?”
“No.”
“None.”
The replies from Sara and Diana were immediate.
“…Really? Not a single one? Not even someone who just meets the level requirement?”
“No. Not a single one.”
“Hmph. None at all. It seems we’ll have to give up on finding a healer.”
Meanwhile, Sara and Diana didn't seem the least bit disappointed.
In any case, if they couldn't even find someone who met the level requirement, that meant the priest from yesterday wasn't on their side of the board either.
Then is she perhaps a Temple Priest?
“Hmm… getting a temporary dispatch is a little…”
“We can’t help it if there’s no one, right? How about we just stick to the regular route only when we’re fighting a Layer Boss?”
“Mm. That seems to be the most reasonable course of action.”
Ugh. Is that really our only option?
Alright. I might find the priest from yesterday, so let's give it a shot.
I approached the counter.
“Excuse me. Are there any blonde, beastkin Temple Priests around level 20?”
I had found out her level by using Analyze on her without permission, so I deliberately gave a vague number, but that seemed to only make the priest at the counter more suspicious.
“I’m sorry. I cannot disclose a priest’s personal information.”
She was clearly looking at me like I was a stalker.
“Haha. No, I think you're misunderstanding. It's not like that. I just met her yesterday and didn't get her name.”
“I’m sorry.”
Of course, my pathetic excuse didn't work.
When you get down to it, I was trying to dig up information on her after falling for her looks, so I couldn't really complain about her attitude.
“…What’s this? A beastkin priestess?”
“So that’s your type?”
On top of that, Sara and Diana started staring at me with cold eyes.
“No! I really did meet her at the guild yesterday. She asked to join our party, but when I asked if she could stay with us permanently, she suddenly ran away.”
“So you fell for her at first sight?”
Yes. That's exactly it.
For some reason, my instincts were screaming at me not to answer that way.
“N-No. I was just curious why she suddenly ran away…”
Even with my excuse, the cold stares from Sara and Diana didn't soften.
“If that's the case…”
But surprisingly, the priest who had been listening from the side seemed to have an idea of what I was talking about.
Her suspicion that I was a stalker seemed to have faded, and she was no longer looking at me with distrust.
“If it's her you're talking about, she's not here right now. She went out early this morning.”
“Ah, I see. Thank you.”
After hearing her answer, I stepped away from the counter.
So that priest really is a Temple Priest.
Is that why she said it would be difficult to stay with a party permanently?
But if she's a Temple Priest, she wouldn't need to look for a party at the guild, would she?
I got an answer, but now I have even more questions.
“Let’s just come back later.”
“Until you can meet that beastkin priestess, you mean.”
Why does she keep hitting the nail on the head?
Did my thoughts somehow start leaking out for others to hear without me realizing it?
“No, it's not like we're fighting the boss today, so what's the rush? Let's just try to find a Wandering Priest with the right level.”
I mumbled an excuse and we left the area.
“By the way, since we came all the way to the temple, should we maybe offer a prayer before we go?”
Seeing so many people flocking here in the morning, I had to assume the people of this world were fundamentally devout.
If so, Sara and Diana would be no exception.
And I, too, was incredibly grateful to the god who sent me to this wonderful world.
Grateful enough to at least invest some time in a prayer.
“N-No. We don’t have time, let’s hurry.”
“Sara is right. We must make haste if we are to reach a place to camp before nightfall.”
But it seemed Sara and Diana were prioritizing the dungeon exploration.
Sara, of course, but even Diana, who wasn't particularly interested in the dungeon, reacted that way.
Are they worried about me as a party member?
“Is that so? Then let’s hurry.”
We had no choice but to leave the temple behind.
Sorry, God. I'll be sure to pray next time I get the chance.
As Diana said, we had lost a lot of time.
From the temple to the guild. From the guild to the secret passage in the wolfdog habitat. And then through that secret passage to the secret base.
Seriously, even if we rush without a break, it'll be the middle of the night by the time we arrive.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Just as we were nearing the secret passage, we heard a faint scream from a distance.
At the same time, the loud barking of wolfdogs echoed through the air.
This happened last time, too.
I looked at Sara and Diana and said, “I guess we should go check it out, right?”
“It's on our way anyway.”
It seemed Sara had already pinpointed the location from the scream.
When we rushed to the scene, a massive pack of wolfdogs had already gathered.
They must have used that howl that calls all the others nearby.
And the person fighting them seemed to be struggling all alone, without a party.
Though I couldn't see them, as they were completely surrounded by countless wolfdogs.
To think there was someone else besides me who'd do something so reckless.
“Let’s help them.”
Last time with Kanna, she seemed to have things under control, so we handled it by the book. But this time, if we did that, this person was definitely going to die.
I quickly ran toward the swarm of wolfdogs and started beating them down.
I didn't even need to use Saint's Touch against these guys anymore.
Taking them down one by one, I got a look at the adventurer.
What kind of clueless idiot got themselves into this mess?
The adventurer revealed after I cleared away the pack of wolfdogs was, surprisingly, someone I knew.
“You're…!”
“Sob… Th-thank you for saving me.”
It was the beautiful beastkin priestess from yesterday, her eyes welling with huge tears as she desperately swung her hands at the wolfdogs.
When I used Analyze on her yesterday, I was sure her only job was Priestess. What on earth was she doing out here alone?
Thanks to her beastkin traits, it seemed she had managed to put up a fight using her claws.
But her brilliant golden hair was a tangled mess, her clothes were torn in several places, and blood was seeping through. It was hard to say she was unharmed.
“You can thank me later. First, let's take care of all these things.”
If they used that howl again, it would just waste more time.
With the overwhelming firepower our party had gained over the past week, the massive pack of wolfdogs was wiped out in an instant.