HPV 5

Ssshh—soft robes rustled at the man’s feet.

Draped head to toe in cloth, the man halted at the edge of the forest. He stared through the veil at the vast woods, which appeared utterly still.

“High Priest, is this the forest?”

One of the priests who had been shadowing him asked in a hushed voice. The man slowly turned his head in response.

“Use the power granted by God to capture him without injury.”

“Yes, sir.”

That half-demon had evaded capture for thirty years. But recently, an oracle had descended from Gaioh, the one true god of this world. And now, a divine artifact capable of binding the half-demon had finally been bestowed upon the kingdom—something they hadn’t managed in all that time.

‘I heard that heretic spirit-worshippers had set the forest on fire to trap the half-demon…’

The silence in the forest felt slightly unnatural. Perhaps the intel had been wrong.

As he looked up at the night sky, news reached him: the priests had successfully captured the half-demon.

Not a single priest had suffered even a scratch. In fact, they hadn’t even encountered the half-demon directly. All they had to do was retrieve the fallen man’s body.

It was as if the god himself had opened his eyes and fixed them on the half-demon.

No one could escape the divine artifact’s restraints—an artifact born for the sole purpose of capturing him.

Next, their objective lay in a nearby village: a young swordsman destined to become a hero. With the half-demon subdued, it was time to meet him.

But then—who is this?

The High Priest came face-to-face with an unfamiliar figure who had followed the priests.

His skin was pale, and his hair shimmered with gold.

“Please, take me with you,”

Riarun said, speaking to the veiled High Priest.

—

When I opened my eyes, the scene before me was like something out of a dream. I sat up, dazed.

Why am I here? I don’t even remember collapsing.

Tiny black pebbles sparkled like stars across the ground, though the sky above was dark and cast in deep shadows, it didn’t feel gloomy at all.

How long has it been since I last saw the night sky…?

A wide river flowed beneath me. Powdered starlight scattered across its surface, gleaming brighter than jewels.

The last memory that came to me: a new faction appearing in the forest.

They had captured Banwes with divine power and taken him away.

Suddenly, as if someone were pulling my gaze, I looked up.

Across the river stood a tall figure.

Their white robe didn’t flutter in the slightest, perfectly still.

Every inch of skin was hidden. Silver gloves covered neatly folded hands. Even the face was veiled.

The same person I’d seen in the forest, just before I lost consciousness. Likely due to this person’s divine power.

Banwes, the third playable character after protagonist Paronai.

The High Priest of the state religion, Gaioh’s temple.

Slowly, I stood.

With the river between us, I bowed politely to the figure across the way.

“It’s an honor to meet one of the continent’s brilliant stars.”

A line from the game. That’s what a background noble would say to one of the continent’s seventeen High Priests—it shouldn’t be considered rude.

Maybe he was surprised I recognized him. But I couldn’t see his expression through the veil. He only stood there in silence, gazing at this place.

Somehow, I could tell—he was analyzing me.

“Do you know where this is?” I asked.

A voice answered—smooth like velvet, but more cold and sardonic than gentle.

“This is your mind. Your body has been rendered unconscious and is now being transported. So no, this is not a strange place. If you had been born a mere commoner, you never would’ve had the chance to see it.”

Ah, I see. This is inside my own head.

“But… it is a strange place, isn’t it? You just said I’ve lost consciousness and am being taken to an unknown location.”

The High Priest gave no answer to that. And that was when I realized—he wasn’t friendly toward me.

I blinked.

And just like that, he was standing right in front of me.

This time, even I flinched.

He was close enough to touch, and yet his face remained obscured by the veil.

The faceless figure spoke.

“Spirit-bound one. State your identity.”

Spirit-bound, specter—these are words Gaioh followers use to belittle spirits.

There are two main sects within the Gaioh religion. One respects spirit faiths; the other rejects them entirely.

Yurichen—the character before me—was unapologetically the latter.

But… that might work in my favor.

I straightened and declared boldly:

“I am Riarun Rohin, First-Class Priest of the Rohin Order.”

It wasn’t a lie. If not for my imprisonment, I really would’ve held that rank.

The atmosphere around the veiled figure shifted. Sharper, more ominous.

Had I claimed to serve some lesser road-side dew spirit, he might’ve just sneered.

But the spirit of the forest—powerful enough to command respect from the kingdom’s fringes—that was bound to enrage him.

Yurichen believed that everyone in this world should worship Gaioh.

“Is that so. No wonder this place feels so green and radiant—you worship weeds.”

At those words, I burst into a wide grin. I even grabbed Yurichen’s hands with both of mine.

“I’m truly delighted. I’ve never received such a sublime insult before. Please, do go on.”

He seemed flustered—his fingers definitely twitched. He didn’t yank his hands away, likely for the sake of decorum, but still.

And honestly, it was sublime. I could to people insult the Rohin spirits and their followers like that for the rest of my life. Yurichen had just scratched an itch I didn’t even know I had.

“And if possible, please take me with you. I wish to serve the god Gaioh as well.”

Now even through the veil, I was pretty sure I could see his confusion.

If I managed to escape, I had always planned to seek out Yurichen—or, failing that, any Gaioh priest.

A sealed, self-sufficient place that offered both settlement and seclusion from the cult’s pursuit.

The Gaioh temple fulfilled every requirement.

Starting today, I’ve converted.

Of course, life in the temple meant a lifetime of strict discipline. But compared to what I’d endured in the cult? It would be paradise.

Which meant I had every reason to stay in this character’s good graces.

There’s a saying that no one spits on a smiling face—so I kept smiling sweetly, then shifted to a more serious expression.

“If you don’t trust me… then allow me to offer the half-demon I had detained. In exchange, please accept me.”

Without even blinking, I sold out Banwes. But of course, there was a reason.

First, by now Banwes would already have been captured by the temple priests. This was my way of acting like I’d played a part.

Second, Yurichen wouldn’t kill Banwes.

Even if he despised nothing more than the unnatural union of human and beast, he wouldn’t harm him.

The protagonist Paronai had rescued Banwes from the flames purely out of compassion.

But Yuricheon had a different reason—he had to take Banwes alive.

Banwes is one of the five heroes foretold in Gaioh’s prophecy. High Priest Yurichen Viezlin escorts those chosen by the prophecy personally.

The story was proceeding exactly as it should.

“…If that is your wish, then I shall escort you to the temple.”

I got what I wanted. It was perfect.

Blink.

My eyes opened naturally. I fluttered my eyelids once or twice.

I was lying in an unremarkable, plain carriage. The kind used for transporting patients.

Across from me sat Yurichen, veiled and still as a doll, watching me.

So this is how I actually got here.

Soon, the carriage came to a halt. I wobbled upright, bracing against the wall.

“We’ve arrived. Please step out.”

There was no need for explanations—we’d already spoken. I followed Yurichen’s instruction and stepped down from the carriage.

The first thing I saw was a massive stone wall. I was already inside it. Judging by the scale, this wasn’t the inner sanctum—probably one of the outer sections.

This place was so bustling and grand… what even—

“Is this not the royal palace? Weren’t you taking me to the temple?”

“You’ll understand once we go.”

Why bring me to the palace? Isn’t this where the hero’s party is supposed to go?

Ah. Maybe he still sees me as Banwes’s guarantor. That would make sense.

I should at least act like I care, take responsibility. I brought it up first.

“Where is the half-demon?”

“He arrived before us. He’s currently in the outer fortress’s underground levels.”

The word underground made me flinch.

After a moment’s hesitation, I recalled how Banwes had stayed quietly in his cell in the game, completely resigned. So I said,

“He won’t cause any trouble. If you’ve detained him underground, perhaps… allow him to move freely within that area—”

I didn’t get to finish.

A guard came running up to Yuricheon, clearly in a panic.

“Priest! Something’s wrong. The monster is rampaging, tearing up the underground as if he means to break through!”

As I stood there, mouth agape, the guard hastily continued,

“He’s shouting for someone named Riarun. Do you know who that is, sir?”