154 – Lost Lamb (02)

My legs were heavy. It made me wonder if there was lead in my shoes.

I wonder if the weather is sunny again.

Due to the successive bad weather, there were still remnants of dark clouds in the sky, and the ground, which had become muddy with water, was already soiling my shoes even though I hadn’t walked a few steps.

It was a filthy morning in the world, but even on such a gloomy street, people were sparsely present.

A meat vendor carrying large and small pieces of meat, unknown to what animal they were made of, strung on a long stick.

Even while yawning, the coachman grooms the horses with meticulous hand movements.

A housewife realizes that the rain has stopped and starts hanging out the laundry.

It was a scenery that might be dismissed as sloppy, far from the orderliness of the capital city.

Personally, I was the kind of person who felt much more comfortable in this free-spirited landscape.

capital of the island. A small town located nearby. Isik.

This is a noble family, but this place was somewhat similar to my hometown where I was born and raised.

”Poetry, excuse me…”

Took.

A light shock that knocked me on the back out of nowhere.

Immediately after that, I felt the weight in my back pocket lighten.

I slowly moved my head and looked ahead for a moment, and I saw a small child whose small body was clearly visible even through his tattered old clothes, hurriedly running away from me, holding a familiar wallet firmly in both hands.

Is it pickpocketing again?

This is already the 5th time since I stayed in this city to gather information.

Yesterday, a skinny woman holding a newborn baby. The day before yesterday, a one-armed man who seemed to be a former knight.

And this time a scruffy child who is not even half my size.

A town with such a diverse repertoire of pickpockets is probably rare.

It wasn’t uncommon for beggars who ended up on the streets because they couldn’t find mediocre jobs to target ignorant strangers.

The fact that I was the only one who was pickpocketed so frequently that my co-workers had never encountered was because I looked so easygoing.

I was very slightly discouraged.

Of course, I could do that if I was determined and didn’t want to get caught, and I could always get the stolen money back at any time if I made up my mind.

Their humble backs, where you can clearly see how hungry they had come with just a quick glance, took away all the hostility inside of me, and I didn’t feel like it at all.

”The outside of the capital is still the same…”

Indeed, the unpleasant feeling of déjà vu, which I hadn’t tasted in a long time, rose from the corner of my thoughts.

Unlike the situation in the capital city, where it is easy to enjoy an affluent life thanks to the geographical conditions where the audience room is located, other small cities where only a shabby church is placed as a proof of being under the influence of the Holy See, the farther away from the capital, the lower class people. Their proportion tended to increase exponentially.

It was such a pity, but at the same time, it was also a special thing.

Due to the double burden of taxes collected by the state and donations collected by the Holy See, the common people, who make up the majority of the islanders, were unable to collect enough money to put their mouths together.

Even if the royal family, concerned about the famine of the people, made a big decision and lowered taxes, the Vatican’s tyranny of doubling donations under the pretext of having to hold a splendid ceremony for conferring blessings made the situation virtually silent.

Baptism and bestowal of blessings.

Now that I have come to know all the ugly faces hidden behind that holy statement, I sometimes get confused about which one the demon threatening the lives of mankind is talking about.

I agreed with the Vatican’s assertion that the demon lord must be subdued for the continuation of mankind.

But maybe we now have a separate root of evil that we need to be one step ahead of the demon king.

rather.

Yes, rather…

It was around the time that something gloomy bloomed in my thoughts that had suddenly become calm.

”Whoa…”

Calm breathing calmed the turbulent thoughts for a while.

Could it be that the saintess’ condition has improved markedly these days, that her mental and physical tension has been relieved?

In recent years, the number of such dangerous accidents suddenly flashing through the mind has increased dramatically.

After closing and opening my eyes once so that I would never have such nonsensical thoughts again, I decided to fix my vision firmly on my original purpose.

What I had to do now was to join the hero who was looking for clues about the holy sword, discuss the future schedule, and if she was in a prickly mood, as I heard, let go of it.

It was a little while until the point where we decided to meet the hero.

I brushed off the remaining thoughts and hurriedly walked.

”·····!”

It was then.

The melancholy melody that I could never overlook resonated in my ears.

◈◈◈

The level of security in this system cannot be said to be good even with empty words.

Unlike the situation in a warm country where a bag left in a cafe you casually dropped by remains there until the next morning.

Because this is a dangerous demonic realm where you can’t be sure of the safety of the bag you’re carrying.

Even in the capital of the system, which has guards stationed at every corner of the street, it is said that life and death cannot be guaranteed if you inadvertently set foot in a dark back alley.

There is no need to explain the level of security in the world outside the capital.

”This is fearless, dare to go after the priest’s money!? Let go! Don’t let go!?”

”Kheuk! Big!”

Dark and crowded back alley.

From beyond the gloomy darkness, nervous highs and painful moans were heard simultaneously.

I was able to infer the approximate location thanks to the faint echoes, but due to the complex geography entangled with forks and obstacles, it took a considerable amount of time to reach my destination.

I was able to reach it only after kicking off the ground until the mud that clung to the soles of my shoes dried up.

”yes? you are·····?”

”Ugh…”

Right after I confirmed with my own two eyes that the scene I had hoped was an ominous premonition was unmistakably reality, a rage as if the blood in my body was boiling hotly enveloped my whole body in an instant.

The child who had just stolen money from me was trembling under the feet of a stout man of about the same height as me.

That alone was enough to make me proud, but what shocked me the most at this moment was the outfit of the man who was committing such an outrageous act.

A pure white suit that differs only in color from my black suit.

It meant that the man was a priest just like me.

”Oh, I asked who he was, and he was a noble priest who served the same god as me. Nice to meet you. May God smile upon you.”

Upon seeing my outfit, the man whose demeanor changed in an instant, put his hands together and greeted me politely.

From the monk’s gloves worn on both hands, it was insinuated that he was an adventurer-turned-priest with some degree of proficiency in combat.

His physique looked similar to mine, but it was clear that he had superior abilities than me, just by looking at the well-balanced posture on the ground and the sharp energy that wrapped around his body.

”What are you doing now?”

Squeezing out what was left of his reason, he threw a difficult question.

Then the man calmly asked me back, as if he was puzzled by my question.

”hahahaha, this foolish man was committing a crime and was being punished accordingly.

”It’s a punishment…?”

”Yeah. I’ve heard that recently there have been frequent outrageous acts targeting priests for money, so I’ve been keeping an eye on this area all the time. Is it different! This lowly being was roaming the back alleys with money in hand. Unfortunately, the stolen money was never found. Apparently, while running away from me, it must have been hidden around here…”

The man who had been giving a raucous speech put his left hand in his pocket.

If you’re going to show off clearly like that, you shouldn’t be flirting.

Now that I look at it, polite words and actions are only the appearance, and the intention that can be seen beyond the annoyed crumpled eyebrows is as musty as the garbage on the street.

He was talking to me now.

because i ate this go away.

”Okay then, I’m ikmeung!”

puck! Kwajik!

I reflexively plunged my fist into the face of the man who was smirking past me.

Right after that, the man who was slammed against the wall in an instant like wet tissue paper let out a vicious cry.

”What on earth is this bastard now—!?”

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Judging from the fact that he kept his eyes wide open while blood was flowing from his nose, it seemed that he was drunk even while flying.

Hitting a person is rat poison, but raising a hand on a child is not a person. There was no problem this time.

Tadadak.

Without even paying attention to the strong hostility that pierced his back, he rushed towards the child.

”Uh…”

”it’s okay. I’ll make you better soon.”

His jawbone was all broken, so he couldn’t say anything properly, but fortunately his consciousness seemed clear.

”Hee, hee… Hee ha…”

”it’s okay. It’s okay if you don’t speak hard.”

After carefully restraining the child who was eagerly trying to convey something to me with a broken chin while pulling my collar.

“You punk!”

Towards the green voice that hit my back, I just quietly rang my neck without looking back.

”Bullet. tie it up.”

Immediately after that, the chain of a clever shrew shot out of my arm and stretched out behind me like a living creature.