[A/N: Privileges have been updated. There are now ten chapters for reading in advance.]
'This—Why is he lying about his own name?'
Sylvester came up with two possible reasons: One, the man had changed his name, or two, he was not the man he said he was. But then something happened that left Sylvester in even more confusion.
"And this is the second Archpriest of this town—since our monastery is big." Then, Archpriest Oliver Weston introduced another man. This one seemed young and middle-aged, as he still had black hair. But, the man had some serious dark circles under his eyes.
"Respected envoys, I am Archpriest Aiden Silvereye."
'Strange, this man is not lying, but he reeks of fear and anxiety. What's going on in this town?'
"Thank you for the welcome. I am Priest Sylvester Maximilian, and those are Priest Felix Sandwall, Priest Gabriel Maxwell, and Sir Adrik Dolorem. We are sent here by the Holy Land to cure the place of its menace." He revealed it right away to see their reactions. And as he expected, he smelled panic in Archpriest Oliver's, while hope from Archpriest Aiden.
Archpriest Oliver tried to smile kindly, but it was no different from a smirk. "And how will you do that… Priests?"
Of course, not much confidence is induced by the rank of a mere priest. "You may know me by my other name… Bard of the Lord."
"Ah!" A look of confusion appeared on the Archpriests' faces, but soon, the realization dawned.
"Of course! Golden eyes, golden-blonde hair—Forgive us for not recognizing." Archpriest Oliver tried to butter things up.
But at this point, Sylvester could not take the man seriously. 'Is he an Assassin? Who is he?'
"We shall stay here and investigate the cause first and then try to eradicate it. But first, care to tell me what all that outside the walls was?" Sylvester asked in a stern tone.
Archpriest Oliver blurted in answer. "They are those possessed by the demons, Priest. We can not exorcize them no matter what, so we leave them outside until some cure arrives—or they die. We don't let anybody stay there. However, we burn all the dead with respect."
Felix pointed at the other Archpriest all of a sudden. "Why is he shivering? Are you okay, Archpriest?"
"Ah, his fever must have returned." Archpriest Oliver quickly clapped his palms, and two young Priests came out of nowhere. They caught Archpriest Aiden by his arms and took him away.
Sylvester stopped them, however. "What are your names?"
"Gunther."
"Rodrik."
'Fuckers! They're all lying!' Bells of warnings rang in Sylvester's head like church bells in the Holy Land. 'Are all these imposters? That's the only possible reason… then what happened to the last Archpriest? And are those demon possessions even real?'
So many questions. The whole town was a cesspool of problems in his eyes. But thankfully, none knew that Sylvester had already deduced so much from their way of talking and moving.
"We shall rest for the afternoon and start our investigation in the evening. Is there anyone that has recently been possessed and remains inside the town?" He inquired.
The Archpriest quickly answered. "Yes, it's the son of the Town's Chief. Truly a sad deal with them, as the man was supposed to be the next Chief. Recently he started showing the initial symptoms of this disease as he began to get angry and agitated. So they have locked him in their cellar and tried every known healing method."
'Even the Town's Chief's son is not safe from this.' he thought and wished to meet the man as well.
"If you may, please call the village Chief. I wish to talk to him about the disease and the cure for his son. I shall go and bathe in the meantime." Sylvester receded into the monastery and climbed the stairs to the third floor, where some empty rooms for visitors were.
Shane was happy to be showing him the way as he was excited to get his mother healed as soon as possible. But he knew he should not pester the guests lest they get angry.
Sylvester remembered that there were child assassins too out there, so he was reserved towards the kid and tried to get every information possible from him to get an evaluation. "Since when have you been living here, Shane?"
The boy chirped back. "Always! Father was a trader but left us due to an accident on Desert Road. But my mother and I still lived happily. She knows how to make beautiful tapestries and sells them."
'No lies so far.'
"Shane, tell me, do you know how to wield a weapon? A sword, a dagger or such?" Sylvester asked.
The boy shook his head. "No, mum never let me… even when the Archpriest said I have talent."
'Good, no lies even now.'
Sylvester got curious about the boy's talents, however. So as he entered his room, he also let the boy in. "What's your talent?"
Shane proudly answered and showed his right palm, which suddenly formed a fireball. "Hehe, I can make this… Archpriest said I could one day be an Arch Wizard and Silver Knight. But mum never lets me practice."
'Holy Lord! This kid is talented! But why isn't he already scouted by the Baron, Count, or the King? Or the Church… Ah, the town's been suffering for fifteen years, right?'
"How old are you?" Sylvester asked.
"Ten!"
'Makes sense. Since nobody dares to step foot in this town, he must have been ignored.'
But sadly, he didn't have anything to offer. "Well, let me rest now. I will see you in a few hours.
In his locked small room with one window, Sylvester quickly cleaned himself with some water elemental magic since nobody was watching him. Then he put on some new robes and started taking out the items usually needed for exorcism. The wooden plaque made in the shape of church insignia, the water from the holy land, one leaf of the Soul Tree, and many light crystals, although the last part was not needed as he was alone enough for light.
As for all the chants, rituals, and runes, they were fed into his mind. So he was always ready to work. But, it was also a fact that his main job was not to exorcize and save people but rather to find out what was going on in the monastery and what was behind so many demon possessions.
But before that, he took a small nap of three hours to freshen his mind up from the long journey.
…
"Why are they here now?"
"Chief, you need to be careful with them. One of them is a famous God's favored, the bard. If you earn their ire, then he can call for the total destruction of this town." Archpriest Oliver tried to explain things to the town's Chief.
They were in a mansion in the middle of the town. It was the tallest building in the area beside the monastery, so the view from the top gave them a view of the entire town's walls.
Kennard Ferguson was the name of the Town's Chief. "Fine—if they wish to pull me away from my sick son, then so be it. But they better have something important to talk about."
"They wish to check your son." Archpriest Oliver added.
"What is there to check? He's gone! He's been possessed! They tried for years, and now they send some upstart priests?" Chief Kennard boomed in rage, frustration, and annoyance apparent.
Archpriest Oliver started sweating. "Chief—they are not ordinary. The Bard is famous across the kingdoms. Let them try. Perhaps they can see something that others did not. This is for the survival of this town."
"We're already dying, but I understand you. Invite them here directly. I have no time to entertain some useless travelers—and don't expect any feasts."
The Archpriest nodded and quietly left the mansion.
…
"Maxy, I'm hungry. Give me the dried meat that mum gave."
Sylvester opened his eyes and saw Miraj standing on his chest, looking down at his face as if he was some god. "Hah, Chonky, since when did you start calling her mum? Aren't I your son?"
Miraj proudly raised his chin. "Umm… she's big mum!"
That's it. After saying that, Miraj denied elaborating on why he said that and happily got to eat the dried meat Sylvester gave. 'Well, if Xavia could see you, I'm sure she would have spoiled you to fatness.'
He washed his face and decided to head out and get back to work. But, before making sure that living here was safe, he would not eat anything given to him either.
"Chonky, let's go."
Taking the cat on his shoulder, he packed his toolbag and left the room. But, as soon as he looked outside, surprisingly, he found Shane sitting on the floor beside his door, back resting on the wall as he slept.
'This kid, did he not go to his room?'
"Shane, get up."
"Mum?" The boy jumped to his feet only to be disappointed as he soon realized what he saw was just a dream.
"You good?" Sylvester patted the boy's shoulder and felt the increased heart rate.
Shane nodded frantically. "Yes… thank you… what may you need, si… Priest? I can get it to you quickly."
'Hope… sunflowers in a gentle breeze.' Sylvester sensed something from the boy.
"I am going to the Chief's mansion to see how to cure his son. Do you wish to come and watch?" He asked.
"Can I? Chief hates me," Shane replied with fear in their eyes.
Sylvester shrugged and started walking. "There is nothing to fear as long as I'm near."
They soon came downstairs and met with Sir Dolorem, Felix, and Gabriel. The three were talking with the priests working as staff. There were some Faith Learners and Deacons as well, training to become priests.
The monastery in the town was functioning well from what he could see, and despite being locked away for so long, the town seemed to be prospering as there was no poverty like in Fallshoot village.
"Priests and Sir, shall we move out?" Archpriest Oliver came rubbing his hands like some shady businessman.
"Lead the way," Sylvester replied. The sun had set, and just a few shades of light remained. But the entire town looked well lit with lanterns and candles, understandable as the people worked at night.
'Okay, the houses appear to be in good condition. This means the order in the village has not yet been destroyed.' He noticed things as he walked.
"Max, look there." Felix suddenly pointed him towards the second floor of a building on their side.
Sylvester felt somewhat unsettled by the view as a middle-aged woman stood at the window, watching them go. She was stark naked, and had no bruises, yet her pupils were red, with big dark circles underneath. Besides that, she was constantly grinding her teeth loud enough that he could hear a faint sound akin to falling raindrops.
'What a freak show this place is.'
"Aaaaaa… Hehehe…"
"Catch him! Quick!" All of a sudden, multiple sounds of people shouting echoed from the front.
"Priests! Move aside!" Archpriest Oliver warned them in manic. "One of the possessed has escaped, it seems. Let the Demon Watch catch him."
Sylvester didn't move, however, as he looked in front, at the crowd coming towards him. At the was a man, running naked while laughing madly—his little trunk waddling from one thigh to another amidst the dark forest.
"Maxy! Snake!" Miraj chirped.
But Sylvester was irked. 'I wish I could gouge my eyes out.'
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800 Stones = Bonus Chapter.
APE TOGETHER STRONG!
