IBWMD 53

~Chapter 53~

Zeon’s eyes had become hazy and wistful.

“She always told me… I was someone who served God righteously…”

I never said anything that dramatic.

‘I’m going to Saint Portou, Elaine.’

‘Yeah? If you want to go, then go.’

‘Everyone’s strongly against it though…’

‘You’re the type who’d burn brighter if stopped, strap a cross to your back, and jump into the flames anyway, so I won’t bother.’

That’s the only type of thing I ever said.

But he had apparently polished his memory until our conversation became something beautiful.

“But now… what am I even doing…”

His words were thick with disillusionment.

Yes. That’s the Zeon I knew.

‘He was stubborn about weird things, even arguing theology with full knights as a trainee…’

Memories of him turning into a glasses-wearing gorilla when discussing temple duties flashed through my mind. Nostalgic, really.

“Hey, anyway… don’t do this here. Just go back to your duties…”

But that was that.

‘If he recognises me, it’ll be troublesome.’

I still couldn’t reveal myself yet.

I considered knocking him out ‘by accident’, readying to swing, when a priest approached us.

“Ahem, ahem!”

He had greasy rat-like whiskers.

He glared at us and shouted,

“What is the meaning of this disturbance at the temple’s relief event?!”

“We’re from the Duke’s estate! Doing relief without consulting us first—”

Clark snapped sharply, but the priest retorted smoothly.

“Why should we seek the Duke’s permission to help others? Especially his own people?”

“This… you call this relief?”

“Ha! Would you rather we give them nothing to eat?”

Clark’s forehead veins popped. I rolled my eyes at the priest.

‘He’s good with words.’

Well, priests survive off glib sermons after all. He declared pompously,

“What is the Duke’s estate doing anyway, to interfere in the temple’s work?!”

“Don’t think we’re doing nothing! We distribute at the square and the slum borders too…”

“Ah, yes, that pitiful relief that runs out instantly because supplies are so low.”

Clark’s face turned red with rage.

‘No wonder he’s angry.’

Why were Duke’s relief supplies so low in the first place?

“We won’t be able to provide snacks for a while.”

“It’s fine. You’ve already given us so much.”

“Preparations for New Year’s relief are straining our supplies.”

“Even after uncovering embezzled goods, it’s still tight?”

“Most of it was spoiled or rotten… and monster attacks blocked the main road. Even slaying them has limits.”

Karl’s weary yet apologetic eyes came to mind.

‘If only the holy knights helped clear monsters, this wouldn’t happen.’

Instead, the temple was doing this nonsense.

Clark burst out, voicing my thoughts:

“But giving them food that might kill them…!”

“And you’re handing out cursed monster meat instead!”

“It’s not cursed! It’s edible!”

“Ha! Edible? Lies! That meat is poisonous too!”

“What?!“

“We’ve never purified that cursed meat!”

Clark flinched. Of course—he didn’t know I purified the meat.

“If only you people purified it in the first place…!”

“Why should we purify cursed meat?!”

Wow. Endless excuses.

‘So that’s how it is.’

But the situation wasn’t in our favour.

I glanced at the slum dwellers.

“If we don’t have even this rotten food, we’ll die…”

“Why are you stopping them…?”

“Better this than cursed meat…”

Their eyes were cold.

‘Not good.’

At this rate, we’d just look like villains.

‘No choice.’

I pushed Jeremy and Clark back as they stepped forward to argue.

“The priest is right.”

Both men’s faces crumpled instantly at my words, while the priest smirked triumphantly.

“See? This young lady understands.”

“Right. The scriptures say we shall share our daily bread.”

“Come, eat your fill. Divine Scriptures, Chapter 25, Verse 48. Very good, young lady.”

Ignoring Jeremy and Clark’s horrified stares, I smiled sweetly.

“You really know your scripture. Such devotion.”

“Ahem! Naturally. Priests must embody the scriptures…”

“But why don’t you quote the next part?”

“Pardon?”

“‘What you eat and drink shall not bring harm, for it is given in My name.’”

“…”

It meant food given in God’s name should be safe to eat.

“Confident, are you?”

That your food wouldn’t harm anyone?

The priest’s brow twitched.

I continued, still smiling.

“Did you forget that part?”

“Ahem! Of course not. This food… will not bring… harm…”

“So you’ll stake your hands on it?”

“What nonsense is this?!”

“Divine Scriptures, Chapter 56, Verse 1. ‘Those who act in My name and spread lies shall lose their hands, one by one.’”

Oh.

Zeon reflexively finished my verse, then clamped his mouth shut.

The priest glared at him in rage while I tilted my head innocently.

“Surely you’ll obey that too, right?”

“That’s…!”

“What if someone gets sick after eating this? You’d be betraying God twice over.”

The priest’s face twisted grotesquely.

“Even so, no one actually cuts off hands these days…!”

“Exactly! People today are so lax.”

“…”

“You seemed so devout I thought you’d uphold the old laws.”

“Wha…?”

“Ancient scripture banned chicken too, but temples now eat it freely. Isn’t that punishable?”

I glanced at the mouldy chicken meat nearby, making his face turn deathly pale.

‘Too late now.’

I smiled sweetly, like the fanatic theology gorillas from my knight days.

“Did you know? The scripture never banned monster meat.”

“Impossible…!”

“Check yourself. Actually, chicken is worse sin-wise. Giving that out… it’s a crime before anyone gets sick, don’t you think?”

I pulled Jeremy and Clark forward with a grin.

“Step back.”

“…”

“It’s been so long since I met someone so devout. This is thrilling.”

“Will you stake your hands or not? I’m so excited.”

“…”

“It’s been ages since I saw punishment by scripture.”

The priest’s mind raced desperately before he blurted out,

“Ahem! That… that barbaric era is over…!”

“My, calling the era of scripture barbaric? Even heretics wouldn’t say that.”

“He… heretic?!”

I grinned wickedly.

“Speaking of, I hear heretics have been popping up in the capital lately.”

That wasn’t a lie. Heretic purges happened occasionally.

Mixing truths with insinuation made everything sound convincing.

“I’d heard this temple never does relief work… unless… you’re heretics posing as priests?”

The priest’s face flushed bright red.