Once I’d returned to my territory of Kadann Hill, I immediately headed for the Hill Temple. I left Veralgon far enough away that he wouldn’t be intimidating and soothed him as I directed him to wait. The dragon keeper was reluctant to be left alone with the vicious dragon, but I just couldn’t allow Veralgon to frighten the pitiful head priest this time. Fortunately, since the bonfire festival the day before yesterday, Veralgon had regained a more even temperament. The dragon keeper would probably have no difficulties.
Even before I’d learned he was sheltering an outlaw, the head priest of the Hill Temple had given me the same vibes as some petty villain. However, while my first impression of him hadn’t been the greatest, I could understand his actions given the circumstances. The man must have been desperate to help his nephew, whose faction had been in the worst situation among the three warring forces. So this was why he had approached me in the past with such biased information, in an attempt to get me to join the civil war.
In fact, the man would have handled the subterfuge better if he really was the schemer type. Deep down, he was probably an honest man, as one would expect of the head priest of a sacred land. I recalled how he’d lamented the losses of the farmers when he’d ranted to me about the war. No doubt, these had been his sincere emotions.
Undoubtedly, Thret was merciless in war. I was sure he wouldn’t have hesitated to set fires and plunder to achieve victory. Merciless or not, his tactics were incredibly effective. On the way to Kerulgarz and back, I’d spotted a number of settlements that had been burnt to the ground.
After having reconsidered my view of the head priest, it felt less burdensome meeting with him. Of course, I didn’t expect him to readily admit to sheltering Gils. I was certain he would use every means at his disposal to keep his precious nephew hidden away. Still, no matter how he might deny or protest, I would still pass along the message to him. Given that Ricard didn’t intend to have Gils brought back for punishment, the contents of the message should actually come as good news.
Of course, I didn’t know how the message might really be received. Perhaps Gils would feel compelled to return to Kerulgarz even if it meant his death. I wouldn’t interfere whichever way it went. If Gils preferred to cast away his past and live in my territory, I would gladly play the fool. Even if Thret were to come around with questions, I would feign ignorance, just as I had promised Ricard.
The head priest of the Hill Temple had likely spotted the flying dragon in the distance. No sooner had I appeared at the temple than the head priest came out to meet me. In his hand, he held the end of a chain that was tightly wound around a battered and bruised young man—a young man who bore a strong resemblance to Thret, minus the warrior’s glint in the older brother’s eyes.
Having reached me, the head priest fell prostrate, his words coming at machine-gun speed.
“Oh! If it isn’t our merciful Hero, handpicked by God Himself! First, I must inform you that I have absolutely no intention of rebellion. You need to be aware of that! I never planned on sheltering a rebel! I simply never noticed that this filthy rat had snuck his way onto our sacred grounds! Here! You see? As evidence, I have captured the rebel myself!”
What was going on here?
Gils cried, “Uncle, what is the meaning of this? Didn’t you say you’d ensure my—”
“Silence, rebel! How brazen could you be, fleeing into a holy temple after rejecting God’s will? A shameful little rat like you would be better suited to trembling in a rotted tree hollow!”
This was not at all what I’d expected. I’d intended to impart Ricard’s words to the priest, then make my exit while he gushed his thanks behind me.
As I stood there confused, the head priest kicked Gils in the back. The young man toppled at my feet. Still bound with chain, he struggled upright to rest on his knees, looking up at me. His expression already looked resolved.
“I’ll deal with him myself, Hero!” the priest said, already raising a hatchet above his head. Gils glared at him but didn’t resist.
“Wait, wait, wait!” I stepped in to hold the priest back. “I didn’t come here to capture him.”
“Huh?”
“Sir Ricard gave me a secret message to pass on to you. He said that so long as Gils agrees to never return to Kerulgarz, and so long as he discards his past and repents, he will turn a blind eye.”
Uncle and nephew shared a perplexed look.
“Who is this fellow, anyway?” I asked. “I didn’t hear anything about there being a fugitive here.”
Finally coming to his senses, dripping with cold sweat, the head priest lowered his hatchet.
“Th-that’s right, that’s right! This boy’s an assistant we keep around the temple! He has a habit of taking things that aren’t his, and he frequently sticks his hands into our food storage, so I was disciplining him! You couldn’t have come at a worse time, Hero! You’ve witnessed something truly unsightly. Oh, how embarrassing! Come now, boy! Repent, you gluttonous rat!”
The head priest began kicking Gils, who had been demoted from a refugee vying for a throne to a sticky-fingered hungry brat.
The young man glared back scornfully. “Uncle! After you included me in your plot to overthrow the government, this is how you treat me?”
“Wh-wh…what are you saying? Enough of this nonsense! Hero, listen to me! I don’t know what he’s talking about! This child tends to conflate delusions with reality…”
Gils thrust out his neck and cried, “Hero, I’ve already resolved myself to my punishment! Cut me down now, and present my head to my brother! He will face many troubles if my fate is left uncertain!”
Give me a break. Why do I have to do the dirty work?
“Calm down, both of you. I’ll take him with me; how does that sound?”
Gils obviously couldn’t remain here anymore, after his craven uncle’s betrayal. There wasn’t much else I could do, so I decided I’d leave him with Torson and put him to work in my territory. No doubt, Torson would appreciate having another helper.
Yet the rat-priest expressed disapproval at this proposal. “O-oh… What compassion. But Hero, he is a terrible kleptomaniac. He cannot help it! He is not worthy of working under you.”
“I trust Torson to train him well.”
“A-and also… That’s right! Did I tell you he is a habitual liar? Yes, he lies just as easily as he breathes! Can’t trust a word he says! A real snake in the grass!”
The priest was sweating profusely. He must’ve feared what might happen if I took the young man with me. After all, from what Gils had told me, the head priest was one of the ringleaders who’d sparked civil war in Kerulgarz. He’d obviously intended to increase his own influence by having a relative in a high position. If Gils’s testimony managed to incriminate him, at minimum, he would be in quite a precarious situation. As long as I had Gils, I’d have the priest gripped by the scruff of his neck.
“I actually think he looks to be a clever sort. I’ll take him; don’t you worry about it.”
“He is a heinous criminal who has stolen the property of a sacred temple! His deeds warrant death!”
“Even more reason not to leave him here. Rather than have him die in a ditch, I’d prefer to put his intellect to good use.”
I manifested a spear of light and stroked it against the prisoner’s chains. Upon seeing the metal links part and fall away so easily, the priest turned pale, yet he still ran his mouth.
“Hero, I heard rumor of a peculiar ceremony carried out at your residence the other day. Now you come to my temple to steal a sinner. Why, this is blasphemy, pagan worship, and disrespect of sacred ground! These are grounds for excommunication.”