A Priest's Life as a Villain

Chapter 006

Ran had fallen into a shallow sleep. His insomnia was severe, but the fatigue accumulated over the past few days had become unbearable. He dreamed.

He saw High Priest Iscarang. It was the day before departing for the mainland.

'What should I do once I enter the Grand Cathedral?'

'The final goal is to wipe out the mainland branch of the Church.'

'Is that something I can do alone?'

'Collapse always starts from a small crack. That's your role, Cyrano.'

'If the mainland Church broke the taboos and colluded with the Emperor, wouldn't it suffice just to publicly warn them from Quersa?'

'Quersa's protest is exactly what they want. It would simply give them the perfect excuse.'

Ran watched Cyrano and Iscarang from behind a transparent wall. He tried to shout something, but no voice came out. His body felt heavy, like waterlogged cotton.

'It will be a lonely journey, Cyrano.'

That was the last thing he heard. Ran's eyes snapped open. He gasped as if surfacing from underwater. Cold sweat streamed down his face. Through the blend of Dante's snoring and the sounds of insects outside, he caught his breath. Ran removed his mask and wiped his face with his hand.

* * *

Before noon, the two men came down from the mountain. Soon, a village appearing similar in size to Lucerne came into sight. They were now outside the territory of Gerinhild.

"The domain militia of Count Setis, part of the rebel forces."

"Hey, could you leave out the 'rebel' part? I don't care for the sound of it."

"Then what should I call them?"

"The Astana Liberation Army."

Ran ignored him without a reply. It made no difference to him whether they were rebels or liberators.

Here, like in Lucerne, after the emperor's troops had retaken control, a high priest dispatched by the Church was provisionally overseeing the village.

"Bold of them, hiding practically at the gates of Gerinhild."

"It's just the place agreed for meeting after the Lucerne affair. The comrades don't know each other's places of residence."

The villagers shrank back in fear at the sight of Ran.

The arrival of an inquisitor always foreboded misfortune. They sometimes accused the innocent of heresy. All manner of oppression committed in the name of God would go unchecked. Among the people, inquisitors were objects of terror.

The two stopped in front of a tavern.

"There's a go-between inside. Wait here."

"So I just stand here?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Hey, inquisitor."

Dante spun around to face Ran, blurting out something that had been rolling in his mouth for a while, trying to act nonchalant.

"If I go in there and bring out all my comrades, what then?"

"You shouldn't be worrying about me right now."

"No, man. The more I think about it, I can't help but wonder just how much of a pushover you take me for. I feel like shit, frankly."

"If that happens, I'll just change my plans. I'll catch them all."

Dante was unable to retort. He'd seen what kind of man Ran was. With a single thrown spear, he'd taken out a demonic beast.

'Ordinary holy power wouldn't be enough for that.'

Even among high-ranking holy knights, those who possessed such holy power were rare. Besides, in his eyes, Ran was not even clergy. Holy power only manifested in those born to be clergy.

Dante sniffed once, then went into the tavern.

While waiting, Ran adjusted his mask.

Children passing by pointed at Ran, marveling at the 'new person' and giggling among themselves.

Ran also smiled behind his mask. Just as he raised his hand in reply, some adults appeared and hurriedly led the children away. His hand, left awkwardly in the air, slowly dropped.

"It's done, inquisitor."

He'd been looking after the backs of the kids, but now his gaze snapped forward. To Dante, Ran's behavior seemed odd, but he didn't care much.

"That was faster than I expected."

"That's because I talk a good game. Oh, and I left out the part about you being the mad dog. Had they known, they'd have refused for sure."

The rendezvous was in the woods outside the village. A place only hunters would sometimes visit. It had been deserted for some time and had a secluded air.

They waited longer than scheduled. Dante, glancing around nervously, chewed on his nails.

"Hey, come to think of it, wouldn't it make perfect sense for the general branch manager to have a sudden change of heart? With an inquisitor walking right in?"

"So?"

"So, what do you mean so, man? If something goes wrong with you, I'll be the one they suspect for bringing you!"

Ran didn't answer. He just stood there, arms crossed. His face behind the mask was unreadable. Dante's anxiety grew.

"Shit! I knew it, they agreed too quickly! I should've explained things more carefully—"

"Shh."

Ran raised a finger.

'Demonic Energy is vibrating.'

A sensation only Ran could feel.

A force that appeared whenever a demon revealed intent to kill.

Since there was never anyone to explain this to, he simply called it demonic energy and left it at that.

Ran's eyes swept the area. Numerous demons had surrounded the woods. They stayed hidden from sight.

At some point, a woman was approaching them head-on.

"Branch manager, comrade!"

Dante shouted with relief. Ran, on the other hand, felt a bit flustered. He was still somewhat awkward around women.

When she drew close enough that her features could be clearly seen, the woman halted her steps.

A strange silence filled the air.

In the wordless psychological standoff, Ran looked into the woman's eyes. A faint red glow tinged her irises.

'Almost a pureblood, by the look of it.'

One classic way to tell between a human with demon blood and an ordinary human: the color of the iris. The stronger the demon blood, the more the redness stood out.

"Special Unit 3rd Division, inquisitor Ran."

"Zilla."

"Zilla. Pleased to meet you."

"I didn't expect the infamous mad dog to be the inquisitor who wanted a private meeting. A bit of a surprise."

Zilla raised her chin.

Her voice held a faint edge, her facial muscles just a bit stiff.

His inquisitor's instincts were on high alert. Ran saw through her: she was only faking confidence.

The many demons she'd brought along still hid, brimming with killing intent like wolves ready to pounce.

Ran shrugged.

"That's what people call me. Not sure why, honestly."

"All right, mad dog. Why did you want to see me?"

No room for small talk. The tension was palpable. Dante swallowed hard, watching Ran.

"One question, Zilla. What is your goal?"

Zilla scoffed. Concealing her anger, she replied inwardly.

"Isn't it obvious? To burn every church in the Empire, to topple the Holy Church."

"And the reason?"

"Did you call me here to provoke me in person?"

"No, this matters. Why do you hate the Holy Church? The Lord never distinguished between humans and demons and told us to love one another. Before He who bore all our sins alone, aren't we all—?"

"Enough!"

Zilla reached for the hilt at her back. At the same time, the demonic energy boiled up. Ran fought a wave of nausea.

"Are you playing with me, inquisitor? Try spewing that in your own church. Wasn't it your people who committed massacres for the sole reason someone was a demon?"

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not clergy. I'm just a mercenary who happens to enjoy reading the scriptures of late. Anyway, I understand."

Ran calmed Zilla. He continued in a steady tone.

"Your goals are almost the same as mine."

Zilla's eyes widened. Dante was equally shocked.

"How about joining hands with me? Not with your Revolutionaries, but just you and me forming an alliance."

Whatever composure Zilla had was gone. She could barely hide her confusion.

'What is he plotting?'

When she'd heard that the inquisitor who'd killed a high priest wanted a meeting, she thought it was a crude trap. They would do anything to wipe out heretics. Even inhuman cruelty didn't faze them. Zilla knew them well.

'A filthy scheme.'

Her mind cleared a little. She was less shocked by his brazen demeanor than she was dumbfounded.

She reminded herself of her position.

The Second Branch manager.

A heavy responsibility. She couldn't let emotion rule her.

'If there's even a one-in-a-thousand chance it's genuine...?'

It was a chance that would never come again. The main enemy was the Church. She also knew most inquisitors weren't even part of the clergy. She saw no reason to cut things off yet.

"Do you think I'd just agree to that?"

"Of course not."

"And if I refuse?"

"Well, I couldn't just let everyone here leave alive. I'd rather not, of course."

Ran spoke as if he knew everything. He feigned glancing around intentionally.

Zilla wrapped her hand around the hilt, drawing it half an inch.

"W-wait a minute!"

Dante hurriedly squeezed between the two, his face wet with sweat.

"Branch manager, comrade! I spent a whole day with this mad dog—uh, I mean, inquisitor. That night, I saw the stars of Dantalion shining! That's a lucky omen for us Revolutionaries!"

"Branch manager, comrade. Are you covering for that inquisitor?"

Upon hearing this, suspicion and anger flashed in Zilla's eyes.

"Of course not! I'm just saying what I saw!"

Only a tiny fraction of dark mages even knew astrology. Dante was one of them. The rarer the lore, the greater its value.

Zilla sheathed her sword.

It was not only because of Dante's astrological advice.

'The Revolutionaries are cornered.'

They couldn't keep demanding unconditional sacrifice for an abstract cause. Too many had died for nothing. Under the emperor's protection, the Church was an impregnable fortress.

Without change, destruction was a matter of time.

To open the gates, they needed a battering ram—or an insider.

Her gaze steadied.

"Fine. But how can I trust you? The infamous mad dog, worst of the inquisitors?"

"An enemy's enemy is my friend."

"Ha, vague words. Not like you'd make that offer for nothing."

"Naturally. How about we both prove our trust?"

Zilla tilted her head.

Ran pointed back and forth between them with his index finger.

"Let's each give the other a task."

"Are you kidding?"

"Joking? You've got that wrong, Zilla. I'm the one putting everything on the line here. Sure, people know my name, but you're not even on the Special Unit's radar. I'm not saying your rank is meaningless, but I didn't come all this way to join up with someone incompetent."

"You want to test my skills?"

"Killing two birds with one stone, really."

There was no real room for objection. Aside from prejudice, they weren't truly equal. Both needed to check the other's abilities.

"Inquisitor. Then let me ask: what do I gain by allying with you?"

"Hmm, well, surely better prospects than throwing away lives like moths to flame as you are now."

"?? Specifically?"

"I'll plant your banner in the heart of the Gerinhild Grand Cathedral."

Zilla's heart pounded. It was her long-held dream. The Gerinhild Grand Cathedral—heart of the Church. Dante was also visibly thrilled.

"And you? Is there any reason for you, as you said, to go through all this trouble with me? What do you get out of it?"

"Zilla. You said I could ask just one thing earlier."

"Th-that's true..."

"There's no hurry. You can ask when we're in the same boat. Anyway, since I made the offer, I'll take your task first."

Ran spread his arms magnanimously.

As he said, no use weighing everything now. Deal with the future as it came.

Having made up her mind, Zilla spoke.

"Do you know Jack Russell?"

"Jack Russell? The one-armed Jack?"

Zilla nodded. Ran knew him. A noble-turned-revolutionary, marked by the Special Unit too.

"We've heard he's about to betray us and surrender to the emperor's forces. Capture Jack alive."

It wasn't a bad deal. He was long overdue for a report to the headquarters anyway and needed a pretext.

Still, one thing bothered him.

"Fine, but I'd rather make it an assassination. I will bring his head as proof, so nothing is left unresolved."

She'd wanted to make an example by judging the traitor herself, but there was logic in Ran's words as well.

Zilla agreed, gave Ran Jack's location, and left first. Dante, as intermediary, would accompany Ran.

Seated weakly, Dante gave a long sigh. Ran waited until the demonic energy completely cleared.

"Dante."

Dante only lifted his head to look at Ran, too exhausted for words.

"That stuff earlier, about the star or whatever—was that true?"

Only demons believed in astrology. To most people in the Empire, astrology was mere superstition. Ran was among them.

Dante recalled what he'd said—just a quick lie to get out of a tight spot. Though he did have the habit of stargazing. The star shining that night was Dante's own.

"As if? I just made it up."

His astrology was wrong more often than not.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
I like this Dante guy, he's quick on his feet and seems capable of getting out of dangerous situations.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】