Chapter – 07
Sir Arden immediately went on high alert, ushering me behind his back while placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
As the old man spotted the weapon at Sir Arden’s waist, the wariness and despair in his eyes deepened even further. Yet, he was still a resident of this village—and one who had actually approached us first to speak. I couldn’t afford to let this golden opportunity slip away. Fearing the old man might bolt, I pulled Sir Arden’s hand away from his sword and stepped forward.
Placing a warm, genial smile on my face—the kind that always worked wonders with the elderly—I spoke to him amiably. To draw the desired information from folks like him, a friendly demeanor was far more effective than an aloof, noble one.
“I happen to know a thing or two since I’m a Saintess—ah, well, not quite yet. As a Saintess Candidate, I can assure you that Caritas has not abandoned you yet, Elder.”
If Caritas had truly abandoned this village, there’s no way I would’ve been sent here through a ridiculous Saintess selection trial in the first place. Honestly, this isn’t just not abandoning them; it’s practically watching over them with undivided attention.
Intending to start building trust by curing their disease first, I reached my hand out, only for the old man to recoil in sheer horror.
“Sending a Saintess Candidate! They mean to slaughter every last one of us!”
The old man shrieked at the top of his lungs in a raspy, phlegm-choked voice, swinging his walking stick menacingly. Clicking his tongue, Sir Arden caught the swinging stick firmly with one hand.
Right then, an old woman hurriedly approached from the corner of the alley.
Breathing heavily, she rushed over and tried to calm down the old man, who was trembling as he struggled to wrest his stick back from Sir Arden’s grip.
“That’s enough, Ben. What have these people even done for you to go this far?”
“Didn’t you hear her say she’s a Saintess Candidate?! The Holy See is finally using them as a pretext to kill us—”
The old man’s words cut off sharply as the old woman struck him hard on the back.
Hunching her bent shoulders even lower, she slowly bowed her head toward us. Her movements creaked as if her knees were in pain, but the sincerity of her apology was fully conveyed.
“I am sorry. The villagers… their hearts have become very frail and anxious…”
Her face was not much different from the glimpses I had caught of the other villagers so far. Sunken cheeks, a complexion that looked almost scorched black, and a rosary gripped desperately in her hand.
However, her eyes remained sharp and clear.
“It would be best for you to leave this village immediately. Please, heed this old woman’s advice.”
Though her tone was gentler, the core of her message was identical to the old man’s: they wanted us out of this village.
“We came here to offer help. Why are you trying so urgently to drive us away?”
“This village is no longer a place for the living.”
Sir Arden remained silent, keeping a wary eye on her, but I could feel it. This old woman was giving us a genuinely heartfelt warning.
“It seems you have no intention of telling us about the village’s situation either, ma’am. Thank you for the advice. However, there are suffering children of Caritas in this village, and as a Saintess Candidate, how could I possibly turn a blind eye to them?”
I spoke with deep, moving sorrow in a voice that could tug at anyone’s heartstrings, but the old woman didn’t fall for my benevolent Saintess act. Wow, she really didn’t budge.
“If your mind is truly made up, Candidate… the inn is over that way.”
Realizing from our stubborn attitude that we wouldn’t leave easily, the old woman pointed toward the edge of the village.
“Once night falls, you must lock the doors and windows tight. No matter what sound you hear, absolutely do not step outside. If you plan to leave the village, please do so after dawn, in the morning.”
Her voice trembled with an earnest blend of desperation and dread as she implored us.
“May God’s grace reach you, at the very least.”
With those words, she drew the sign of the cross, pulled the old man along, and quietly turned around, disappearing into the far side of the alley.
A chilling sensation washed down my spine, as if countless eyes were watching me. Sir Arden must have felt the gaze too, as he sharply scanned our surroundings.
“Let’s head to the inn first.”
Tugging at Sir Arden, who was still busy staying on guard, I walked toward the inn the old woman had directed us to.
And in that exact moment—
It felt as though the entire village was very slowly holding its breath.
“Is anyone here?”
I pushed open the door and called out for the innkeeper, but no answer returned.
Swish. I ran a finger across a table. No dust came off.
“It looks like this inn hasn’t been completely abandoned after all.”
The place lacked the distinct, hollow atmosphere of a house left vacant for ages. Instead, traces and warmth of human habitation lingered everywhere.
As I scanned the signs of recent maintenance, I turned to Sir Arden to ask whether we should look for anyone inside first or check the rooms. I found him staring fixedly in one direction, his face remarkably grim.
“What’s wrong? Did you find something suspicious?”
“I might be mistaken, but… for some reason, I think I just saw a familiar face.”
Striding forward, Sir Arden reached deep behind the reception desk, grabbed someone by the scruff of their collar, and hoisted them up. The figure flailed wildly, but it only caused the grip on their collar to tighten, doing little to aid their resistance.
As the middle-aged man trembled like an aspen leaf in Sir Arden’s grasp, Sir Arden offered a calm greeting.
“It has been a while, Priest Rufus.”
“A priest? From the Grand Holy See?”
“Yes. He is one of the priests who was dispatched to this village and subsequently went missing. If I recall correctly, he was among the first or second group sent here.”
The ten priests dispatched to this village. This middle-aged man was one of them—and from quite an early batch at that.
“Well, whether you were in the first or second group isn’t particularly important… To think someone whose contact was completely severed for months would be alive and well like this. Why didn’t you return to the Holy See? Do you know the whereabouts of the other missing priests?”
Priest Rufus kept his mouth firmly shut, exercising his right to silence, but Sir Arden paid it no mind and pressed on with his questions.
“Where is the holy relic you brought to this village?”
“Were you boys sent here to retrieve the relic as well? Or has Priest Marcello finally uncovered the cause?” Priest Rufus countered, fear and a glimmer of hope dancing in equal measure within his eyes.
“No. We came to conduct the Saintess Selection Trial. Furthermore, Priest Marcello unfortunately contracted the disease from this village and passed away as a martyr at the Grand Holy See.”
The moment Sir Arden delivered the stark denial, the shred of hope in the priest’s eyes shattered into pieces, and his fear morphed into deep, crushing despair.
Tearing at what little hair he had left, Priest Rufus let out a wailing cry.
“A Saintess Candidate…! The Holy See has finally drawn its blade to forge a pretext to annihilate us all! Oh, Caritas! Are you ultimately abandoning us, who suffer endlessly in this hell?!”
Listening to Priest Rufus spout the exact same words as the old man we had met earlier, I narrowed my eyes. Just what on earth had transpired in this village to make them believe so firmly that they had been abandoned by God?
“Leave this village at once. Please, do not add any more sins or infamy to these suffering villagers, I beg of you… Just let us meet a death that preserves at least a shred of human dignity…”
No, seriously—we came here to fix the problem, but how am I supposed to do anything if they just speak in riddles, refuse to tell us what happened, and try to kick us out? Besides, my own life is on the line here too.
The tortures of the Inquisitors, who could extract confessions for non-existent crimes, were notorious. Furthermore, the likelihood of Caritas—who rarely interfered in the mortal realm—granting a miracle to save me from being burned at the stake after a religious trial was highly uncertain.
“That is precisely why I, a Saintess Candidate, have stepped forward to resolve the village’s troubles. You must cooperate and tell me what happened so that I can actively assist this village.”
“Candidate, I have dedicated my entire life to the Church of Caritas, so I know better than anyone what a Saintess truly is. What could someone who isn’t even recognized as a Saintess, bearing only the title of a mere candidate, possibly do to—”
The sarcastic remarks of Priest Rufus cut off abruptly.
Following his stunned gaze, I saw the thick twilight dyeing the sky in blood-red hues.
“Quickly! Get to the room, quickly!”
Priest Rufus urgently shoved us toward the stairs.
Sneaking a glance away from Priest Rufus, I smoothly swiped a hatchet hanging on the stairwell wall. While it was a pity it wasn’t my familiar mace, a hatchet was more than enough as a self-defense weapon unless I was facing monsters.
Guiding us to the topmost guest room, Priest Rufus gave us a final, solemn warning.
“Do not leave this room under any circumstances, and make sure to hide yourselves beneath the bed. Do you understand?”
Slam! The door shut closed.
As I stared at the windows, which were heavily boarded up with wooden planks, I heard the continuous sound of something heavy being dragged from the other side of the door to block it completely.
To ensure we couldn’t get out.
Or perhaps, to ensure something couldn’t get in.
