HPV 16

The Rohin High Priest was spending a quiet moment in the inner chamber.

His room looked as though trees had grown naturally along the walls, exuding a sacred atmosphere. A beautifully carved display cabinet, crafted without damaging the natural shape of the wood, was filled with symbols of the Rohin spirits.

Hancanera approached the cabinet. Positioned right at eye level, a name-inscribed identification tag gleamed. The tag had once rested on a much lower shelf, but now it sat quite high. Its original place had only reached Hancanera’s chest when he stood in front of it.

The crystal had soaked in the High Priest’s gaze for so long, it now shone with a glassy luster.

Its owner was no longer in the underground.

The chains had broken, and the yellow bird once trapped below had flown free. But he wasn’t impatient. Rather, his body simmered with tension close to euphoria as he savored the growing anticipation.

“Don’t go too far—come back.”

The man brushed the small crystal tag with his fingers. Holding its body with three fingers and stroking the top with his index finger, he made the tag catch the light. The name embedded in the crystal was violated under his touch.

“You’ll have no choice but to return.”

A deep green energy began to rise from his fingers. The ancient force of life, present since the birth of this land, wrapped around the crystal as if swallowing and releasing it in a steady rhythm.

“When you do, the underground will be even cozier.”

—

“Excuse me, are you a priest?”

It was during breakfast at the inn’s dining hall. A middle-aged man came rushing in, panting as he exchanged words with the innkeeper, then scanned the room with desperate eyes. He made a beeline for our table and clutched someone by the arm.

And then he asked this.

…Not Yurichen. Paronai.

“Huh? Are you talking to me?”

Paronai glanced at us, clearly flustered.

He’d gone on a few missions to rural areas while attending the swordsmanship academy, so having villagers come up to him like this wasn’t unusual. People often asked passing swordsmen to deal with beasts ruining their crops, or to investigate suspected monster traces.

But someone mistaking him for a priest? That had never happened before. Not until now.

“Um, why do you think I’m a priest…?”

“Huh? But I’m certain—I sensed divine power…”

The middle-aged man looked bewildered, as if he had spoken with confidence and was now doubting himself.

I watched the scene unfold like a bystander.

He was a devout believer of Gaioh and could sense divine power to some degree. What he felt was the aura coming from the greatsword on Paronai’s back.

More than Yurichen, who had deliberately concealed his divine power, Paronai gave off a stronger impression of being a priest.

“…”

Yurichen quietly sipped his tea. As the liquid moistened his lips and he set the cup down, the unrest in his eyes had vanished.

“Has something happened?”

“We found black blood staining parts of the valley in the mountains! Isn’t that what monster blood looks like? I’m the mountain keeper—was just out collecting herbs and it scared me half to death, so I rushed down!”

The man was breathless and clearly worn out. His knee was dirty with soil, as if he had stumbled on his way.

“They say monster fluids can ruin any herb they touch! Priest, could you purify the area? I already informed the village chief. We don’t have much, but if you could take care of it, our village will repay you however we can.”

Paronai’s eyes immediately turned serious. A righteous warrior couldn’t simply ignore something like this.

“There aren’t usually monsters in that mountain, right?”

“No, no! I’ve lived here fifty years, never seen anything like it!”

Penzey looked around to the other side of the square table. When his gaze briefly passed over my face, his expression softened—only to grow faintly cold again when it landed on his true destination.

“It’s not like you were sneaking around in the mountains or anything…”

Though he didn’t openly insult him, his tone was sharp enough to sting. Banwes said nothing, his face hidden behind his mask.

“I am the priest. I’ll go with my companions to the valley and investigate.”

“Oh, you’re the priest? I’m so sorry—please, I’m begging you!”

The faith of Gaioh emphasized the duty to help the weak. According to its doctrine, Yurichen couldn’t refuse a commoner in distress. Since they had left earlier than scheduled, there was time to spare for this village.

The entire group climbed the mountain together. At the steep incline, I immediately reached out a hand to Banwes.

Despite shivering with fear, the middle-aged man seemed reassured by our numbers and followed us all the way to the valley.

“Hm…”

A foul stench, like dried monster blood, clashed faintly with the fresh scent of water. I covered my nose with my sleeve. It was an especially unbearable smell for me. I had half a mind to summon the power of the trees and sweep the place clean like a tidal wave.

“You need not use the power of the spirits. Not now, nor ever again. At least until your role is completely finished.”

A long figure, head veiled, appeared before me. Telling me not to use my power?

“Did you not understand me? I won’t allow any spirits to run rampant in my presence. I’ll handle everything myself.”

He’d never been known for his pleasant personality, but right now he was even more prickly than usual. And I knew exactly why Yurichen’s nerves were so frayed.

It started when the middle-aged man mistook Paronai for a priest.

Because of the holy sword he had received.

“As you wish.”

Hearing I was to keep my hands off, I was relieved. Though the demon inside me was sealed, the more I used spirit power in combat, the more it drained me. With Yurichen offering to take care of everything, there was no reason to object.

Perfect. Just your average freeloader side character doing nothing at all.

Yurichen cast a blessing on himself to shield his body, then stepped into the contaminated area. He purified the monster fluids from the rocks and dipped his hand into the flowing stream.

Meanwhile, Paronai and Penzey scouted the area for the monster. Banwes and I took on the role of protecting the villager. (Meaning we stood still and did absolutely nothing.)

Kreeegh! A beastly cry rang through the mountain. The middle-aged man jumped and instinctively tried to move closer to us. I paid it no mind, but Banwes stepped away, clearly uncomfortable.

A short while later, Paronai returned alone. He was completely unscathed—but something had changed in his eyes.

“I got the monster. Go purify it.”

The middle-aged man’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe Paronai’s calm demeanor. If he hadn’t seen the drawn sword at his hip and the black blood staining the blade, he might not have believed it at all.

“Penzey’s standing guard.”

“You left the monster corpse with him alone?”

“Huh? I mean… whether it’s me or Penzey guarding it, it doesn’t really make a difference…”

From beneath the veil, Yurichen was surely glaring now. He gave Paronai a tongue-lashing, then abruptly stopped, exhausted by his own irritation.

“Do you remember clearly how the monster looked when it died?”

“Roughly…”

“You’d better remember exactly. We’ll need to check if Penzey tried to sneak off with a claw or a piece of flesh.”

Paronai looked genuinely confused.

It amazed me how smoothly the story was progressing, even with me around. Turns out that when I, the villainous deadweight, don’t interfere, everything goes just fine.

Once we slay the black dragon and bring peace to the continent, my mission will be complete.

Penzey was sitting well away from the monster corpse, perched quietly on a rock. Yurichen placed his hand on his head, inspecting him to make sure he hadn’t taken anything illegal. Penzey looked amused, but protested his innocence.

“See? I found something too. I read this monster’s traces. Believe it or not, it was born on this mountain. That means it didn’t migrate here from somewhere else…”

Penzey glanced unnecessarily at Banwes, who had nothing to do with the situation.

“Someone must’ve released it—or maybe a summoning ritual happened within the village.”

His eyes gleamed with excitement. Yurichen, having examined the corpse, seemed to come to a realization and stood up sharply.

Startled, the middle-aged man let out a squeak and trembled. When Yurichen removed his veil, the piercing chill in his gaze—barely masked by his glasses—was laid bare.

Perfect for an interrogation.

“Tell us everything you know. Have you noticed anything suspicious in the village?”