The Wandering Priest in Dark Fantasy Chapter 12

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 12: An Unexpected Visitor (1)

The signet ring was a treasure and heirloom of the clan.

In other words, it was sothing that shouldn't fall into the hands of anyone other than the head of the clan.

"Could you be...?"

Hal calmly replied to the lord, who seed to have realized sothing,

"My na is Hal Gilmore. I am the second son of the Gilmore clan."

"Ah, you're the one who went to the Order..."

The lord recalled the events of the neighboring territory long ago.

Along with the terrible rumors associated with it.

But the lord didn't show it and nodded, saying,

"I've heard of you. That you were recognized by the Order and beca an exorcist priest. Impressive."

"Not at all."

Hal replied curtly as usual, but with a hint of reservation.

Noticing this, the lord subtly changed the subject.

"But why didn't you show the ring earlier? If you had, Sir Daniel wouldn't have stopped you."

"Ah."

Hal realized then that there had been such a thod.

"I forgot about it."

It had been a long ti since he had abandoned his identity as a nobleman.

He was already a cleric to the core, unable to assert his authority.

The lord sighed at his response, and Daniel, who had been listening, touched his helt.

"If he was a noble, he should have said so..."

Even for a high-ranking knight, one of only a hundred in the Empire, the authority of a noble couldn't be ignored.

Of course, it was a different story if the knight belonged to the Imperial Knights.

A high-ranking knight was certainly qualified.

However, Daniel was a wandering knight who didn't belong anywhere, so he couldn't act carelessly towards Hal, a noble.

A brief, awkward silence fell, but the lord soon broke the tension with a laugh.

"Haha. Well, it's good that it worked out this way. There will be no shortage of things to ask of you."

"...?"

"Doesn't the fact that you have the signet ring an you've beco the successor?"

"What?"

"Hmm?"

Hal and the lord stared at each other in bewildernt.

After a mont, the lord's expression changed drastically, and he spoke,

"You've inherited the clan’s signet ring. Is there any other way to interpret this? Sending it with a person instead of giving it directly... Perhaps it ans you should return to secular life and inherit the clan."

"...I didn't think of that because the situation was so urgent."

It wasn't that he hadn't wondered why Gail had brought him the ring.

But he hadn't imagined it would an this.

He had only assud that the situation must be very urgent.

After all, hadn't his father constantly treated him coldly since he was young?

A successor to a mage family who didn't have mana couldn't exist.

Hal's thoughts were complicated.

What was his father thinking?

And where was his older brother in the first place?

'I don't know.'

Hal lightly shook his head, clearing away his distracting thoughts.

There was nothing he could know even if he worried about it now.

"It seems I have another reason to visit the estate."

Visiting his father and asking him directly about his intentions would be the most reliable way to find out.

The lord, seemingly agreeing, nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, that would be best. It's been years since I've seen him myself. Please give him my regards."

"I will."

"And take this."

"This is...?"

The gold emblem the lord handed him was engraved with an oak shield and an axe.

"This is proof that you are our benefactor. Show this to the people of our territory, and they will grant you almost any request. And if you ever need significant help, return this emblem to . I will help you even if it costs my life."

"This is too much."

Hal tried to politely decline, but the lord was adamant.

He grabbed Hal's hand and placed the emblem in it, saying,

"Take it. What you have done for us deserves this much."

"...Then I will."

Hal reluctantly accepted the emblem and put it away in his pocket.

"I'll be on my way now."

Just as Hal was about to leave,

"Wait."

Daniel called out to him.

"I'm going with you."

"What do you an?"

Hal was taken aback by the knight's unexpected declaration.

Daniel crossed his arms and said,

"Give a chance to rectify my mistake."

"If you're concerned about attacking us, it's alright."

"No. I caused trouble for everyone due to my misunderstanding, and I want to make ands. I also want to repay the favor of saving my life."

Hal felt troubled by Daniel's words.

Even though he was temporarily employed by the Lengbaster family, he was still a knight serving a lord.

It wouldn't be proper to take him away like this.

Just as Hal glanced at the lord,

The lord, eting his eyes, smiled and nodded.

"Let him go with you. He has already asked for my permission."

"...Is that so?"

Hal sighed lightly.

He was concerned about Daniel's past, which seed to involve so history with the Order. He was also not used to this way of repaying favors.

However, having a high-ranking knight accompany him on his journey would be incredibly reassuring.

If he could use aura, he would be more proficient at demon hunting than most paladins.

He didn't hesitate for long.

Hal extended his hand and said,

"I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise."

Daniel clasped his hand.

He could feel the firmness and strength of the knight, like a sturdy oak tree, even through the gauntlet.

A knight who would be a terrifying enemy, but a most reliable ally.

And a high-ranking knight, one of only a hundred in the Empire.

Was this also God's arrangent?

Hal could only tilt his head at the unknowable will of God.

***

Clip-clop!

Three horses appeared, breaking the silence of the village.

Antonio, riding at the back, muttered in a trembling voice,

"This is Heidern..."

"That's right."

"We've finally arrived."

Antonio sniffled at Hal's reply.

For a week, they had rushed, saving ti on eating, sleeping, and even using the bathroom.

They had even gone through a life-or-death battle in the Lengbaster territory, so it was no exaggeration to say they were exhausted.

In fact, he had almost fallen asleep and fallen off his horse.

"We can rest here, right?"

"That's the plan. But first, let's go to the Order."

Daniel, their new companion, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected with a puzzled tone,

"The Order? Not the lord's mansion?"

Hal was the second son of the Gilmore clan.

Even if he was a mber of the Order, it would be natural to visit the current lord of Heidern, his father and the head of the clan, first.

"There's a reason."

Hal was tight-lipped.

A clan with many suspicious circumstances.

The two other exorcist priests that the bishop had dispatched.

Visiting the Order first instead of the lord's mansion was not a choice, but a necessity.

"Is that so? Then let's go to the Order."

Although he didn't know the details, Daniel didn't ask any further questions.

Hal was the leader of the group, and Daniel simply had reservations about the Order.

"I understand why you're wary of the Order."

"No, it's alright. I now know that not everyone in the Order is my enemy."

On their way to Heidern,

Hal had many conversations with Daniel.

He mostly listened to Daniel's stories, which were filled with puzzling aspects.

'An exorcist priest with brown hair who uses daggers... It was sothing from over twenty years ago. It wasn't soone the young Hal would know.'

Perhaps the bishop would know.

He wanted to help Daniel with his matter after this was all over.

Whether or not Daniel sensed Hal's intentions, he seed to have let go of the idea that everyone in the Order was his enemy.

"Thank you. Then we'll head straight to the Order."

"Alright!"

Antonio replied energetically, seemingly indifferent as long as they arrived in

Heidern.

However,

His energy didn't last long.

"The village... is a bit deserted."

"..."

Instead of answering, Hal slowly looked around.

Arriving at the center of the village, Hal rode his horse, reminiscing about old mories.

The village well, which used to gush with clear water, was empty and dry.

The village center, where the market used to stretch out, was eerily deserted, as if ghosts might appear.

It wasn't that there were no people.

He could feel the gazes of people from inside their houses.

He occasionally heard the rattling sounds of doors being locked.

They were being openly wary of the newcors.

Because they were outsiders?

No, that wasn't it.

The village had been silent as a graveyard even before they arrived.

"Maybe it's because the sun is setting."

"Maybe so."

Hal slowly nodded at Daniel's comforting words.

It wasn't quite nightti yet, with the sun still setting,

But no one bothered to argue.

The village, bathed in a red, almost crimson light, was sohow eerie.

Even though there was no demonic energy, it felt unpleasant and unsettling.

"We're here."

In the distance, on a hill, a mansion ca into view.

The three of them stood before the gate of the temple, the largest building in the village besides the mansion.

Hal slowly approached the door and knocked.

Knock knock!

A voice from inside asked them to wait a mont, and then the door opened with a rattle.

A disheveled deacon with glasses, holding a club in his hand, cautiously peeked out.

"Wh-who is it...? Gasp!"

"...?"

Seeing the priestly garnts Hal wore beneath his robe, the deacon's eyes widened, and he exclaid,

"Priest-nim of the Azure Fla?"

"You know ?"

"Oh, no, I an, I've heard stories from others."

It seed that the other exorcist priests had already arrived.

"Anyway, welco. The head priest is waiting for you."

"Thank you."

Hal and his companions slowly followed the deacon into the temple.

Unlike the outside, a sacred silence filled the temple.

While the silence outside was filled with a suffocating tension, the silence here brought a sense of peace and comfort.

The temple wasn't very large, so they soon arrived at the main hall.

The deacon knocked on the old wooden door.

"Priest-nim, Priest Hal Gilmore has arrived."

"Co in."

At the voice from inside, the deacon carefully opened the door and bowed his head.

Hal nodded his thanks and stepped inside.

The scent of incense filled the air.

A familiar atmosphere.

It was a prayer room.

As with any temple, the layout of the prayer room was similar.

Starting from the entrance, statues of the four benevolent gods stood on either side, and at the very front was a figure with the sun and moon combined.

Yan, the supre god and the Lord.

The priest who had been kneeling in prayer before it slowly opened his eyes. Then, he rose and turned towards Hal and his companions.

"Welco to the Heidern territory."

***

"Hmm...?"

Irene Lengbaster opened her eyes with difficulty and looked around.

The room was dark.

It seed she had fallen asleep again after Hal, her savior, had left.

Thanks to that, her body felt as light as a feather.

Just as she was about to stretch comfortably and sit up,

She noticed soone beside her.

There was only one person who could be this close to her in the mansion.

"Dad...?"

However, there was a tremor in Irene's voice.

Sothing felt strange.

She couldn't hear any breathing.

She doubted it was her father, or even a human.

"Who... are you?"

As Irene asked, swallowing her fear, the figure chuckled softly.

"You're calm. Good. Keep answering like that."

The faint moonlight filtering through the window illuminated his form.

A black robe covering him from head to toe, with brown hair peeking through.

Irene was sure she had never seen this person before.

"There should be soone nad Daniel here. What's his last na?"

"...Tyrian."

Irene didn't hesitate.

She was the one who had been closest to death in the past few months.

That's why she was certain.

She was closer to death than ever before, at this very mont.

"Ah, as expected."

The man nodded and muttered with amusent,

"I was completely fooled back then."

Chuckling softly, the man got up and walked towards the door, pulling the handle.

A gust of wind rushed in from outside, carrying a faint scent of blood.

As Irene trembled, the man turned around and said,

"Oh, and one more question."

"..."

"Who was it that caught Riteil?"

The person who saved her, her family, and her territory. However,

"...Hal. They called him Hal. I don't know his last na."

Irene couldn't help but answer.

The mont their eyes t, her mind went blank.

The man repeated the na as if engraving it in his mind, then nodded.

"Well done, Irene. You're a good girl."

That was it.

The man left.

But even after he disappeared, Irene remained frozen, staring at the door.

After a long ti, Irene got up from the bed and headed outside.

"Dad...?"

The hallway was empty and cold, with an eerie silence.

Irene stumbled around for a long ti, but she couldn't find a single living soul anywhere in the mansion.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Max]