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Chapter 977: Altanus (14)

It would be enough if he thought that he had just seen an illusion. I just needed him to doubt what he had seen and question whether what he had seen was real or not. It had to be enough to sway him.

‘Even if he doesn\'t swayed by that…’

He wouldn\'t be suspicious of me, at the very least.

It didn’t matter whether he thought of me as a wandering priest with special holy power, a saint who had received the Goddess\' blessing, an angel from up above, or Lucifer\'s messenger. The important part was making him get rid of any negative thoughts about me.

If he had no choice but to doubt me, then I wanted him to doubt me in a positive way.

“What do I look like, Templar Bahamut?” I asked.

“...”

“No matter what you think of me, I’m just an ordinary wandering priest. I’m a believer who serves Lucifer with all my heart. I spread her word, and I live only for her. I understand if you have questions about my past, but…” I trailed off.

“...”

“But my past doesn\'t matter anymore. I\'m nothing more than a priest serving her wholeheartedly,” I said.

‘He’s still out of it.’

“Just now…” Templar Bahamut mumbled.

“...”

“Just now…” Templar Bahamut repeated.

“Yes?”

“Just now, what…” Templar Bahamut trailed off.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked.

“...”

“...”

He\'d be proving that I was an innocent priest by staying quiet.

‘I don’t know anything, damn it. I don’t know what you’re saying or what happened just now.’

In the end…

“I-It’s nothing, Father. And…” Templar Bahamut trailed off.

“...”

“I’d like to apologize again… for being rude earlier,” Templar Bahamut added.

\'That’s what I want to hear.\'

“I accept your apology,” I said.

However, it was still awkward. He had clearly made a mistake, and he couldn\'t stop thinking about the "illusion" he had seen just now, so he couldn’t think properly at all.

The situation was now in my control.

“We can now enjoy our time together,” I said.

“What?”

“About the Land of Nejesca and other things,” I told him.

“Ah.”

I was suggesting that we go back to what we originally came here to do.

Cornering someone who was still out of it was easy.

There were many things to talk about, such as the Land of Nejesca, Templars, and the topics at the social gathering. I was going to meet a lot more people at the social gathering today, but a huge bait was waiting for me, so I couldn’t let this opportunity pass by.

Even I thought I had the ability to curry favor from other people.

I just needed to play along. It was easy to refrain from talking about things they didn\'t want to hear and gain their favor by saying things that they wanted to hear, but it wasn’t something everyone was capable of doing.

‘A person like him…’

I was sure he had heard a lot of flattery before.

The minor incident earlier could actually help me out. He basically owed me a debt.

‘I\'m also a guest here, after all.’

“I see. Did that really happen?” Templar Bahamut asked.

“Yes. As you already know, the Land of Nejesca…”

“Ah.”

I talked about that place and took a sip of wine in the middle of it.

Of course, we also talked about theology.

He studied theology as a Templar, but he wasn’t on the same level as someone like me who had devoted myself to theology.

I was aware of Lucifer’s teachings and the knowledge that was scribbled down by renowned theologists was also embedded into my head. I added my own interpretation and made sure that it wouldn\'t go against Lucifer\'s teachings. If it wasn’t enough, I would make riddles to confuse him.

“I’m sure everything is according to Lady Lucifer’s will. The land is green, and the river is dark, after all,” I said.

It was so ridiculous that I didn’t even know what I was saying.

Why would the river be dark when the land was green?

It was nonsense, and it wasn\'t even convincing to begin with, but we had an in-depth discussion about the holy scripture, so I couldn’t help but think that he was making his own interpretation of my words.

I probably looked like a knowledgeable person in his eyes.

“For issues like this, I think we should approach it with joy, reason, and sacredness,” I said.

“I’m sorry, Father… but I don’t quite understand… Can you tell me more about how I should approach it?” Templar Bahamut asked.

“The act of explaining with detail isn’t holy, Templar Bahamut. I believe that’s the case for this issue…” I answered.

“...”

I was sure he was getting a headache.

“I’m embarrassed. I also thought I was serving Lady Lucifer sincerely, but…” Templar Bahamut paused.

“We just serve her in different ways. While I couldn\'t do anything other than read and pray, you\'re already serving her as her sword,” I said.

I didn’t want to give him too much credit, so I only gave him compliments when necessary.

As always, people would always realize something at this point of the conversation.

‘He’s easier to talk to than I thought.’

It would be great if he realized that, and it would be enough for me right now. After all, we were just getting started. We entered the social gathering hall and talked about many different topics while walking side by side.

Templar Simon and other insignificant people invited to the social gathering had joined the conversation, but Templar Bahamut and I were the last ones to remain and continue the conversation, like those people who\'d always stay last in a drinking party.

We told everyone that we were going on a stroll and left the hall. We proceeded to have another deep conversation. He seemed to be thinking that I was easier to talk to than he thought because he talked a lot more than earlier.

I could tell that he liked me.

Perhaps it was because of my wings, but it was an undeniable fact that he was influenced by my personality, which was as radiant as the light.

When we were far enough from the social gathering hall, we continued our conversation. We saw what looked like a training hall in the distance, and it was perfect timing, as it was about time I showed him the human side of the Priest of Divine Message.

“I had the opportunity to learn the sword before,” I said.

“...”

“You don’t seem to believe me.” I pointed out.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine it…” Templar Bahamut said.

“That opportunity was back when I was still young… Everyone dreams of being a knight or mercenary when they’re young. During that time, I wasn’t aware of Lady Lucifer’s will, and I had yet to realize my destiny back then.

"I imagined taking down monsters just like the children dreaming of becoming warriors,” I explained.

It wasn’t something I told everyone. I only drank one cup of wine due to the mood, but I had to act like I was getting drunk. That was why I was talking a lot more and was even talking about the past.

I could also be talking more because I felt more comfortable around him than I thought I would.

“I learned it from a swordsman in a small city… It\'s not impressive, but I was pretty proud of it at the time,” I said.

‘He’s looking at me as if he wants to see my swordsmanship.’

He didn’t say it because he was afraid that it would be rude, but I could see it from his expression. He had his own reasons for seeing it, after all.

“Right now, I\'m practicing it to defend myself. As a wandering priest, I do end up in dangerous situations, after all,” I told him.

“I see. If you don’t mind, can you show me your swordsmanship? I want to make up for my rudeness earlier as well…” Templar Bahamut asked.

“I had already accepted your apology earlier, Templar Bahamut,” I reminded him.

“...”

“Still, it’s a good opportunity… so I’ll show you a little bit,” I said.

I held up my sword awkwardly.

‘I wanted to show him the killer techniques I learned from Hyun-Sung, but…’

I couldn’t leak any information. I learned swordsmanship from Rafael, so I decided to show him what I had learned from Rafael.

This was an event that would show him my human side, and Templar Bahamut needed to see it to obtain decent information about me. I had been dragging him around during our conversation, so it was about time for him to earn something.

This was also a necessary step toward friendship on equal grounds.

“Whoo…”

I showed him the basics, and he was watching me with a serious gaze.

My arms were shaking because the sword was heavier than I thought, but it stayed up. I showed him my technique for about thirty minutes.

When I placed my sword down, he nodded quietly and remarked, “You learned a great technique."

‘Really?’

“You lack the stamina, but…” Templar Bahamut trailed off, looking like he didn’t know what to say. It was like he had a hard time making a comment, and the sight made me feel miserable.

“It\'s obvious, but when you swing your sword…” Templar Bahamut showed an example.

He looked like he swung his sword lightly, but I actually heard a whoosh.

“This technique requires a good balance. It\'s a sword technique that relies on exaggerated skill and the use of mana. It looks like a simple sword technique, but…”

‘He just won’t stop talking. He’s having fun.’

Templar Bahamut was talking a lot to make up for the time when he was quiet while we were talking about theology.

“I’ll help you with your stance,” Templar Bahamut offered.

“...”

“Yes, like that…” Templar Bahamut said.

“...”

“You have to put a little more strength into your lower body. Move your arm here… Great, you’re doing great,” Templar Bahamut said.

‘Geez, this is really hard.’

“...”

I felt like a doll because his large hand was moving me around.

Of course, we couldn’t spend a lot of time on it because it was already getting late.

Templar Bahamut was satisfied, and I was somewhat satisfied as well. I think he had gotten a little more comfortable after we left the social gathering. Now, it was time to part ways, so I needed to say something before we meet next time.

“I can’t see the sky from here,” I said.

“That’s true,” Templar Bahamut said.

“When I was at the Land of Nejesca, I\'d always look up at the sky after finishing my work. The stars in the pitch-black sky seemed to take away the exhaustion I had accumulated during the day. Doing that became a habit for me, so I\'ll unknowingly look up at the sky every day,” I told him.

“Since you arrived here…” Templar Bahamut trailed off.

“Yes, I haven’t seen the sky since then, but that pitch-black ceiling looks similar to the sky I had seen a long time ago,” I said.

I was sure he knew what I was talking about.

“...”

“It’s been a really long time since I talked to someone this long… so thank you for spending time with me today, Templar Bahamut,” I said.

“I should be the one thanking you, Father,” he said.

I rejected Templar Bahamut\'s offer to take me to my room and started walking away.

Soon, Templar Genny appeared before me and greeted me, but I didn’t see his energetic face, and perhaps it was because of my pale face.

“Father?” Templar Genny muttered and checked up on me.

Draktaris, who was standing nearby, did the same. He breathed out in relief upon seeing that I was fine. However, there were tears in his eyes, and he looked like he was out of breath. He was trying to hold back his tears, but he was failing at it.

“What happened? Father Lee Ki-Young… what on earth…”

\'You’re watching, right? Templar Genny, was he watching? I believe he\'s going to cut off the arm of one of his seniors.\'

“He’s… Haa… haa… He’s…” I panted.

It was time to cause a commotion.