The Wandering Priest in Dark Fantasy Chapter 22

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Max]

Chapter 22: The Three n of the Gilmore Clan (3)

[TL/N: This is a Peak Chap- Part 2]

Hal was dying.

If a little more ti had passed, his heart would have stopped, and death would have embraced him.

But at the last mont, a warm light enveloped his body.

At the sa ti that Antonio activated Grand Exorcism, Hal realized that the energy raging within him had disappeared.

Azure flas ignited from his body.

His heart started to beat quietly, but steadily.

The thick demonic energy had washed away, and what remained was an unfamiliar energy.

It was so cold and violent that it felt like it would freeze all the blood in his body.

Even when he exhaled softly, white mist puffed out, and frost ford on the floor.

What was happening to his body?

Just as Hal was wondering,

"It seems that's all you can do."

David was standing next to Antonio.

'No.'

He had a bad premonition.

No, if he didn't stop it, that premonition would beco reality.

Antonio, the boy he had saved, who admired him and joined the Order.

Antonio was already a special existence to Hal.

'Run...'

Contrary to his intentions, not even a groan escaped his frozen throat.

He couldn't even move a finger, let alone stop David.

Just as he was helplessly watching them,

"How unpleasant."

David muttered in a low voice and swung his staff.

The next mont, with a grueso sound, Antonio's eyeballs were gouged out.

His golden pupils, which had been shining brightly, were now stained red with blood.

'...Ah.'

And the mont he saw that,

Snap!

Sothing seed to snap in his mind.

He felt sothing.

He hadn't been aware of it until now, but it had been within him for a long ti.

The violence that existed deep inside him, the anger he had harbored towards the unfair world, and the blasphemous doubts about the gods who governed this world.

What broke free from all the chains that had bound him was...

...unexpected.

Hal unconsciously frowned.

'This is... a sense of liberation?'

It was a distinct euphoria, a clear freedom.

A thrill swept over him, so intense that he couldn't understand how he had endured the discomfort until now.

"..."

He could hear Antonio's screams in the distance.

But why?

He didn't feel the sa agitation as before.

"Haa."

He slowly exhaled the air that filled his lungs.

Hal looked up at a man.

He didn't like the way the man looked, arrogant and haughty with his chin held high.

What was his na again? Did it even matter? What mattered was that look in his eyes.

A confident gaze, as if everything was beneath him. No one was allowed to make that expression in front of him.

Step!

Hal got up lightly and took a step forward.

He took a few more steps for the man who was slow to notice him.

He was getting bored, and the urge to tear the man's throat out was rising.

The man finally noticed him and sputtered in surprise.

"You... are truly tenacious, my brother."

The piece of tal in his hand was bothering him.

He casually threw it, and the man flinched and dodged. The sight amused him.

He watched, curious to see what the man would do, and the man suddenly started pulling corpses out of his pocket.

The corpses that fell to the floor rushed towards Hal.

'Slow.'

Even playing with a child would feel more thrilling than this.

Hal approached the man, crushing the corpses as if twisting off the limbs of toy dolls.

And when he destroyed the last doll, Hal finally got what he wanted.

"Oh, damn it."

The man's eyes were filled with fear as he muttered under his breath. The scent of frustration, despair, and fear.

Hal smiled faintly as he watched the man finally realize the reality of the situation.

"..."

What kind of ugly expression would he show next?

He was looking forward to it.

And after that... well.

Should he peel off his skin, or tear off his limbs?

No, gouging out those arrogant eyes first wouldn't be bad either.

'And then...'

Suddenly, Hal saw Antonio, lying on the floor and groping the ground.

Flinch!

His shoulders twitched.

'And then what...?'

His head throbbed painfully.

It felt like he had a terrible hangover.

Stumble!

Hal's legs wobbled, and his body swayed.

And David didn't miss that opportunity.

Shatter!

He imdiately smashed the window behind him and jumped out.

Even though David had escaped, Hal didn't care.

More precisely, he didn't even register that David had escaped.

'...What?'

He was just horrified, replaying his own actions in his mind.

He hadn't lost his mory.

He couldn't feel any demonic energy in his body.

It was his own body, so he knew.

'This is... .'

Hal even felt that this version of himself was closer to his true nature.

That fact terrified him beyond asure.

Moreover, this self was trying to consu his body.

No, until just now, Hal's consciousness was almost swallowed whole.

If he hadn't felt the dissonance from Antonio's grueso state, he wouldn't have even given himself a chance.

'This, this... No.'

The common sense and morality he had built up were crumbling in an instant.

His reverence for God and his compassionate voice seed to be withering away.

This other self possessed an irresistible power.

He couldn't let such a being loose in the world.

Hal staggered towards his talisman, which was embedded in the floor.

He felt like he was about to lose his grip on his consciousness.

Even now, this other being was trying to take over his body.

There was only one way.

'End it.'

Hal calmly drew his sword.

He gripped the hilt tightly.

He wasn't fearless, but he didn't have much ti.

His hesitation was brief.

Thud!

Hal plunged the sword into his own stomach.

The intense pain, like a burning iron piercing his flesh, made his vision blur.

But the pain helped him regain his focus.

If he relaxed even a little, his other self would take over.

Blood started flowing from his body.

The Azure Fla, which healed his wounds, didn't ignite.

It was only natural, since he hadn't prayed.

How much ti had passed?

'...Not yet?'

Hal felt his body growing cold and struggled to maintain his fading consciousness.

It was more painful and took longer than he expected.

It might have been easier to just stab his neck, even if it wouldn't have been easy.

Just as he was regretting it,

Crack!

A strange sound ca from the wound where the sword was embedded in his stomach.

Hal looked down at his abdon in disbelief.

Swoosh!

The patterns engraved on the sword,

The marks he had accumulated from defeating demons were being sucked into his body.

What was happening?

Just as Hal was wondering,

"...Ah."

The self that had been rampaging, trying to take over his body, was becoming quiet.

He wasn't sure, but it was probably due to the influence of the marks.

Perhaps the demonic energy accumulated in his sword, his talisman, was being absorbed into his body and acting as a lock?

It was just a guess, but for now, he had no choice but to rely on this phenonon.

'Just a little longer...'

Hal's body, insatiable even after devouring the demonic energy of a mid-rank demon, greedily craved the energy of a high-ranking one.

He felt his mind clearing and his control over his body returning as he absorbed more demonic energy.

When he finally consud the mark of the special-grade demon,

Click!

Hal realized that the being within him had fallen completely silent.

***

'Am I... alive?'

Hal pulled the sword from his stomach, threw it aside, and activated the Azure Fla.

Azure flas ignited from the wounds and holes in his body.

He looked around, and the grueso scene of the room ca into view.

The head priest's body had already grown cold. He couldn't save him in the end.

Ono, pierced by shadows, was also dead.

"Ah..."

Only Antonio was alive, groaning in pain.

Hal staggered to his feet and headed towards Antonio. Perhaps due to blood loss, he couldn't keep his balance. After bumping into several things, he finally managed to place his hand on Antonio's shoulder.

Flinch!

Antonio's body flinched as if startled by the touch.

Hal reached out with his blood-soaked hand, fumbling for words.

"Is, is soone there?"

Hal remained silent.

He should comfort and reassure him, but he couldn't bring himself to speak, seeing his grueso state.

But perhaps it was the warmth he felt from Antonio's body.

Or maybe it was the tremor in his voice, laced with guilt.

"...Hal-nim? Is that you?"

Antonio recognized him.

"...Yes."

Hal finally nodded, then paused. Antonio couldn't see him.

"You're, you're alive. Of course. Hal-nim wouldn't die."

Antonio smiled brightly.

Then, he asked urgently,

"Right, is the priest-nim safe? Is Sir Daniel back? What happened to the other exorcist priest?"

There were no questions about his own condition.

Only concerned for others, but Hal couldn't answer any of them.

"...I'll heal you first."

Changing the subject, Hal clasped his hands together and prayed fervently.

'May the power bestowed upon work on Antonio.'

The power of the Azure Fla, which could even regenerate severed limbs. It was a power limited to Hal himself.

For others, it only aided in the body's recovery; it had never reconstructed lost body parts.

But just because it had never happened before didn't an it couldn't happen now.

'Just this once, please. Ehurshica.'

He wouldn't use this power again.

So please.

Whoosh!

At the end of Hal's prayer, Azure flas ignited in Antonio's empty eye sockets.

A warm energy spreads out. The flesh that had been eaten and torn was stitched together.

"Ah, Hal-nim. Thank you."

"..."

But that was all.

Antonio thanked him, but his lost eyeballs didn't return.

Hal remained silent, and Antonio, sensing sothing amiss, tilted his head.

"...Hal-nim?"

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? What do you..."

Antonio was bewildered by Hal's apology, as if he hadn't expected it at all. Hal felt even more guilty and spoke,

"I failed to fulfill my duty as your exam supervisor, who should have protected you. Instead, I received help from you."

If it weren't for the Grand Exorcism he had perford, Hal's heart would have stopped due to the demonic energy raging within him.

This wasn't the first ti either.

He had been saved by Antonio several tis during this exorcism mission.

This mission was originally a trap to use and lure him in.

Everyone who lost their lives here was a victim caught up in his personal affairs.

He couldn't bear to face them.

Hal gritted his teeth in self-loathing.

"I feel the sa, Hal-nim."

Antonio replied with a smile.

Hal stared blankly at his bright smile.

"You saved many tis. I learned a lot and got closer to the person I want to be."

"But without your eyes, you can no longer be an exorcist priest..."

"It will be difficult. But thanks to you, I can be proud of myself. I can continue to follow God's word and walk the path He has laid out for ."

There was no regret on Antonio's face as he spoke.

It was as clear as a cloudless sky.

"So please don't apologize or pity , Hal-nim. I haven't given up on anything yet."

Hal realized.

Despite his young age, Antonio was already a great person.

Perhaps even more so than himself, who had been consud by revenge since they first t.

"...Yes, I understand."

Just as Hal slowly nodded,

Crash!

The half-broken study door fell to the floor with a loud bang, kicking up dust.

And there,

"I rushed over here, but... it seems I'm too late."

A knight wearing a helt with a red ornant was standing there.

"Sir Daniel!"

Antonio was overjoyed at the sound of his voice. Hal also jumped to his feet, but he managed to suppress his joy and said calmly,

"You're alive."

"So are you."

Hal and the knight exchanged greetings and chuckled softly.

Just then, a faint groan could be heard from sowhere.

"You... bastards. I'm alive too..."

"...?"

The exorcist priest they thought was dead.

Ono was struggling to move, his face pale as he looked at them.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Max]