✦ ✦ ✦
His face was porcelain white and seemed to radiate benevolence. His age was hard to read; he looked simultaneously young and old. His eyes were firmly closed—was he blind?
The most interesting thing about him, though, was his outfit. He was definitely wearing a priest’s robes, but every thread of them was red. Typically, priests wore white. Some might wear lavender or jade depending on where they hailed from and what god they worshiped, but either way, they still tended to prefer muted colors.
Meanwhile, this man’s robes were such a deep red that it looked as though they’d been woven out of blood itself. Perhaps they just seemed especially striking in the dim lamplight of the hall...
“Thank you. You really saved us,” I said. “May I ask who you are?”
“Ah... a mere lodger at this inn, no different than yourselves. I heard the footsteps of intruders approaching, so I thought I’d poke my nose where it didn’t belong...”
“You’ve found a kindred spirit,” Gourry muttered sarcastically.
I glared daggers back at him. This was supposed to be a serious scene!
“Are you also the one who cast the Sleeping spell on the other lodgers here?”
“You could tell?” he asked in turn, sounding impressed.
Ha! Don’t underestimate me!
“Call it an educated guess. I mean, all this noise and nobody came looking?”
“Innocents flooding the halls only would have made things worse. There was no reason for them to get involved.”
“What about you?”
At that, the priest snapped his fingers. The trolls and the old man immediately filed out the exit, zombie-like.
“Judging from their makeup,” he said, “I would assume Zelgadis sent them.”
“You know that guy?”
“But of course,” the priest answered with a nod. “He seeks to use something in your possession to revive Dark Lord Shabranigdu. He is my enemy.”
Now that was a bombshell!
“Huh? Who’s Sha... Shara... whatever he just said?” Gourry asked.
“I’ll explain later,” I hissed before turning back to the priest. “Are you certain?”
“There can be no mistaking it. Zelgadis transformed himself into a mixture of human, golem, and brow daemon. He seeks to revive the Dark Lord in order to acquire even greater power and cast the world into chaos.”
“Why on earth would he do something like that?”
“I fear I know not,” the priest answered with a shake of his head. “But what I do know for certain is that he’s our common enemy.”
Hmm...
“Our common enemy, huh? What is it that makes him your enemy, exactly?”
“Unworthy though I may be, I am still a priest. I cannot simply sit back and allow the Dark Lord to be revived.”
“Hmm...”
I pensively folded my arms. Gourry just stood there, blankly staring into space.
“Are you proposing a team-up, then?” I asked.
“Certainly not,” the priest denied quickly. “Can I assume that his minions are pursuing you because you unknowingly came into possession of the key to reviving the Dark Lord?”
“Seems that way.”
“Would you give the key to me, then? That would free you of all this trouble.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster just to smash the thing?”
“Please, no!” the priest suddenly shouted. “That is precisely the action that would revive the Dark Lord!”
“But if I give the key to you, you’ll have to fight off these guys all by yourself.”
“Fear not. Impressive though their forces may be, I, Rezo, shall prove them more than a match.”
Rezo...?
“Hang on a minute! Are you Rezo the Red Priest?!” I shouted, suddenly realizing who this guy really was.
“That is one name I am known by, yes,” he admitted with a troubled smile.
Rezo the Red Priest... He was always clad in red robes and had spiritual power on par with the High Priest of Saillune. Yet rather than throwing his lot in with any particular kingdom, he simply traveled the world performing miracles. Or so the rumors said.
In addition to clerical white magic, he’d mastered both shamanistic and black magic too. He was hailed as one of the Five Great Sages of our day. There were just two things holding him back. One: He’d been born blind. Two: He seriously had the name of a villain. Even five-year-old children had heard of him.
I felt a tug on my cape. It was Gourry.
“Is this guy famous or something?” he whispered.
Seriously, dude?!
“I’ll explain later!” I snapped before recovering my calm and resuming my conversation with the priest. “We would be absolutely honored to fight them with you, sir.”
“Er... Pardon?”
“After what you’ve told me, I couldn’t possibly lay the burden of such a dangerous item entirely on your shoulders.”
“Your consideration is appreciated, but—”
“Please, sir. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that if there’s a chance the Dark Lord might be revived, then this is my problem too. I realize my powers are trifling compared to yours, but if there’s any way I can help, I want to do so.”
“But—” the priest stammered, looking rather troubled.
“There’s absolutely no need to worry. I’m a fairly capable sorcerer, and my companion here possesses incredible skill with a sword. I promise that we won’t disappoint you.”
“Very well,” he said with a heavy sigh. “If you insist, then I accept.”
“You mean...!”
“Indeed. Let us join forces.”
“Yes, sir!”
Gourry tugged on my cape again, but I just ignored him.
“In that case, allow me to take the key into my custody,” the priest offered.
I silently shook my head. The red priest looked wary.
“They aren’t yet aware that we’re working together. I’d like to ask that you let us act as bait while you support us from the shadows, sir.”
“But... that would expose you to great danger. If someone is to draw their fire, then surely—”
“Please, sir. If you take the key, they’ll realize we’ve been in contact. They’ll assume we must have worked out a strategy, and that would defeat the point of having a decoy.”
“That much is true, but—”
“Please. Have faith in me, sir.”
It would take a real bozo to keep insisting after all that... So I guess Gourry might do it. Fortunately, however, this guy was smarter.