Chapter 137: A New Comrade
“So I went to the temple a few times to get rid of the toxins… And then I thought of subordinate religions.”
“Hmm.”
“Haha, it worked out better than I expected. I even managed to drag in a Skia lady and a real high priest from the Grand Temple… Sigh, but to think I would fail before achieving my goal. Should I have just taken a lump sum of money and offered 20 years of my life?”
He was serious. He hated life in the Wastelands so much that he would have been willing to give up 20 years of his life.
“Is life always necessary for a deal?”
Jean asked cautiously. The high priest shrugged.
“I don’t know, I don’t remember. It’s all hazy.”
He didn’t even remember that?
Who was this person who granted wishes in exchange for life? Why were they taking people’s lives? Then was Sue Byron, her life, safe?
Both Jean and Sue fell silent, lost in their thoughts.
“Huh? Wait a minute.”
The high priest, who had been comfortably enjoying the rare moment of peace, suddenly broke the silence, his voice languid.
“But why did you kidnap me and ask me all this?”
Sue was impressed by the high priest’s belated question.
This guy, he seems stupid, how did he manage to swallow the capital?
And then, the high priest realized something and exclaimed,
“I get it, you made a deal too, didn’t you?”
He smirked, his target Jean. The high priest started to tease him,
“No, you idiot.”
“Ouch!”
Jean, who had been listening silently, finally stood up and smacked the back of the high priest’s head.
“I made the deal.”
Sue confessed, sighing. There was no point in hiding it anymore. After all, even in the best-case scenario, the high priest’s future was nothing more than a lab rat for Jean.
“Huh? Marie? You? Ah, come to think of it, who are you anyway?”
The high priest craned his neck to look at “Marie.” It wasn’t the shabby girl he remembered. He stared at Sue for a long time, then narrowed his eyes, as if he had realized something unpleasant.
“Come to think of it, that Louis guy was from a wealthy family too. Judging from your appearance, you’re…”
“Yes, I’m a noble from the capital.”
The high priest scoffed, as if he felt cheated.
“This is why I hate dealing with nobles! I, the great high priest, failed to recognize that and ended up like this? Wait, you weren’t brainwashed? And why wasn’t Louis brainwashed in the first place? How did he notice and block my brainwashing? Even if someone has strong mental strength and anti-magic resistance, they usually fall for it after a few tries!”
“Shut up, you cult leader.”
“Ouch.”
Jean smacked the back of his head again. Sue savored the sound of the high priest’s pained groan, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
But the high priest’s words, “paid for,” kept nagging at her, bringing her back to reality. She exhaled and said heavily,
“I have the same curse on my body. I’m looking for a way to break it. That’s why I brought you here.”
“Curse? Wait, this is a curse?”
“Yes, it might not be a curse to you, but it’s definitely curse magic.”
Jean answered for her.
“What did you wish for?”
“…”
“Huh?”
She didn’t want to talk about what she had wished for to get the curse. She had never wished for it in the first place.
“Hahaha, so you’re trying to break the curse, huh? Must be something shady. But too bad, I don’t know anything.”
Serves her right.
He would have been laughing his ass off if he wasn’t bound. Sue ran her hand over her pale face, feeling a pang of disappointment.
But then, someone’s face flashed through her mind. Sue asked urgently,
“Do you know someone named Damon Keron?”
“Huh? …Damon Keron? Who’s that? One of my followers?”
But the high priest didn’t seem to know him.
Sue’s eyebrows drooped again.
But it did clarify something. Based on his words, Damon Keron must have escaped from the Wastelands by making a deal with someone.
And the price was probably his life. She didn’t know what kind of power he had gained, but she had a strong feeling that the “Leo” mask was also something he had received from that person.
‘Could he have died in the basement… because his lifespan ran out?’
She didn’t sense any “black fog” coming from the high priest.
Sue, her chin resting on her hand, bit her lip hard.
How many years of her life had she given up? Had she even given up her life? Or was it Enzhe? …She didn’t know. She…
“Sue.”
“Yes?”
Jean, his arm draped over the high priest’s head, smiled brightly.
“Don’t think too much about it. You’ll be free once the curse is broken. That’s all that matters.”
“…Yes.”
Sue smiled faintly at his gentle tone. She realized then that her neck was drenched in sweat.
The high priest, not wanting to see their heartwarming scene, shook Jean’s arm off his head.
“Hey! You’re heavy! Get your arm off me!”
He had a surprisingly hard head. Jean, rubbing his sore wrist, glared at him.
“How dare you, my experimental subject, talk back to me? Call me Archmage from now on.”
The high priest, his eyes wide with bewilderment and a hint of anxiety, asked,
“Huh? Experimental subject? What are you talking about?”
Jean, sensing his thoughts, stared at his messy hair. He smiled, a beautiful, sinister smile.
“Congratulations, High Priest, you’re going to be my experimental subject. Anyway, the outside world is probably plastered with wanted posters of you. This is the best place for you.”
“W-what are you talking about?! What are you going to do to me?! Marie, help me! Untie me, you pale-faced bastard!”
The high priest struggled, his face pale, but Jean just saw it as the futile struggle of a fly trapped in a jar.
“What am I going to do? I’m going to dissect your curse mark, you psycho. And when the research is over, I’ll feed you to Rem. Khehehe!”
Jean Emilia’s sinister laughter echoed through the workshop.
Who was the real psycho here?
Sue, witnessing another side of Jean, tried to ignore the goosebumps on her arms.
***
Sue was finally able to enjoy her summer break after the Holy Demon Religion incident was settled. She had to attend a dreadful family dinner party as soon as the break started, but…
And then, she was summoned by Enzhe and had to endure looking at her Imperial Ball dresses. It was exhausting to pretend to be impressed and compliment the dresses.
She spent a week resting at her townhouse after the tedious flattery session. It was a true break, a break she hadn’t had in a long time.
And now, a week later, Sue stepped out of a high-speed carriage.
“The weather is nice in Emnon.”
Noel, who had gotten out of the carriage first, looked up at the clear sky and mumbled. When they had left the capital at dawn, the sky had been gloomy, the air thick with humidity, and she had thought it was going to rain, but luckily, the weather was fine in Emnon.
Sue and Noel. They were in Emnon. To fulfill the promise, or rather, the vague agreement they had made in the infirmary.
“I’m glad Marquis Yuna allowed you to leave the capital.”
Sue smiled brightly.
Noel, because of his status, needed permission from Yuna, the First Knights Captain, to leave the capital for personal reasons.
Yuna, who trusted Noel unconditionally, had readily granted him permission. Of course, she didn’t have the time to care about anything else because of Melaine.
“Miss, I’ll be waiting at the same place as last year.”
Nine, who had accompanied her, said, her expression more relaxed than usual. Unlike last year, when she had been alone, she had Raines Noel, a semi-knight, with them this year, so her worries were halved.
“Okay, let’s go, Noel.”
Sue, taking a deep breath, pulled her hood over her head and started walking. The sound of his footsteps, light and cheerful, soon caught up with hers.
It was her first time back in Emnon in a year.
***
Emnon was the first place outside the capital that Sue had ever visited. It was also where she had run into Noel, who had been on Barrier Defense Inspection duty. And it was where she had bought the music box she had given him, although it was now in her possession.
Sue was dressed in commoner clothes and a robe, but Noel was wearing a local knight’s uniform. It was Nine’s suggestion, in case they needed to reveal their identities. To others, they would look like a commoner woman on a date with a lazy knight, but there was no other choice.
“Where should we go?”
Noel asked, his hands in his pockets, his eyes meeting hers. Sue looked around the village and replied casually,
“The sea… No, let’s go to the shopping district.”
She had spoken without thinking, her gaze fixed on the outskirts of the village. But when they entered the narrow alleyway leading to the shopping district, it was much more crowded than last year.
“There’s a summer festival. It seems like a large merchant guild is sponsoring it.”
Noel said, his eyes scanning the large wagons lined up throughout the shopping district. As he had said, the shopping district was bustling with the summer festival.
“They even have festivals in a small village like this.”
Sue looked around the marketplace with curiosity. In addition to the existing shops, there were stalls set up everywhere. There was even a singer, dressed in an expensive dress, singing on a stage. The merchant guild must have brought her.
It wasn’t as grand as the Founding Festival, but it was a festival the villagers could enjoy.
“There will be even more amazing singers at the Imperial Ball, right?”
Noel mumbled as they watched the singer perform, surrounded by the villagers.
“I’m sure there will be.”
The novel had a scene where Halo had to sing in place of the Imperial singer, who had a problem. But Sue wasn’t worried. Many things had already changed.