A Priest's Life as a Villain

Chapter 29

Zima stood blankly, watching Ran's figure recede into the distance.

'Did I maybe go too far with my words?'

He shook his head in self-mockery. Lately, unnecessary thoughts had begun to trouble him more and more. He was starting to feel the effects of aging.

A single drop of water falling on a rock, if given enough time, would eventually carve a mark into its surface. You pass by without noticing, but when you suddenly look back, the traces of time remain vivid.

As Zima reflected on his past self, he couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

"Oh dear, you weren't asleep yet, were you?"

Inside the tent, warmth lingered. Emma hugged the doll in her arms tightly, giving no answer. It was a teddy bear she had chosen at a general store in the city before the expedition.

"Sorry for making you wait. Shall I continue the story?"

Once again, there was no reply, but he didn't mind. He pulled a few more layers of fur around him and let his eyelids settle peacefully. He didn't rush, simply watched the girl.

After a moment, Zima clicked his tongue.

"That troublemaker of a kid spoiled the whole mood."

The mouth he had barely gotten to open had closed again. The girl, silent as someone struck mute, would not speak at all. Honestly, that was not a bad thing. In fact, it was for the better.

But there was an unexpected problem.

"How far did we get? Oh, right. That strange man in black clothes and a new mask left you with some woman, and not long after you stayed there, you met me. Isn't that right?"

Emma nodded.

Zima stroked his chin, letting out a hearty laugh.

"That masked fellow, what a ridiculous character. Why on earth did he do something so random?"

This time, she shook her head back and forth.

Zima put aside his laughter.

"Don't worry. This time, nothing will happen. As long as you keep your mouth closed and behave quietly like now, I'll take you anywhere you want when it's all over. Whether it's your hometown, or a completely new place."

Emma was a stand-in for the 'Vessel'.

Zima had entrusted the real "Vessel" to Viola of Rel, and found a girl in a nearby village to pretend to be the 'Vessel'.

All that was required was that she fit the outward appearance needed for the 'Vessel'.

A girl, not yet old enough for her first period, half human, half demon.

"......"

As always, there was no answer.

He'd once played the role of guardian for children in the mercenary corps, but he'd never actually cared for a girl before.

Even if a child was quiet, you could usually tell what they were thinking by looking into their eyes. Emma was different. Maybe it was because she wasn't a boy—he just couldn't read her at all.

Like a real father frustrated with his sulking daughter, Zima just moved his lips, consoling himself for his exasperation.

Chirrrrr.

As the night deepened, the choir of insects outside grew louder.

'Is that why you're so attached, Ran?'

Zima shifted in his bedding. He could hear Emma's light, steady breathing.

'Maybe I've done something truly terrible to that small child.'

She recounted her past without a trace of emotion. Her flat tone contained not even the slightest exaggeration.

There was a reason why the childish liveliness and cheerfulness of her age seemed so dry. Emma understood all the circumstances surrounding her and their reasons. She was a smart child. She knew that pretending to know nothing and keeping silent was the only way to get any pity.

'Fate really is a cruel thing.'

He thought of the links between Emma, himself, and Ran. If there were a god of mischief, surely this would be that one's work.

Whoooooosh—

Suddenly, the sound of the wind grew louder.

The suppression force had not yet completely left the Haskinderun region. The northern wind was cold. Zima wrapped his blanket tighter as he turned over. He mentally organized the things he had to do next. A shallow sigh escaped him.

'Still, I'd prefer not to be treated like some old relic.'

He opened his eyes. His hand slipped quietly under his pillow. His fingers found the grip and separated it cleanly from the sheath.

Step.

Zima's breathing remained calm. His sharpened senses tracked the footsteps.

'Ran, could it really be—?'

It was a tent for ten, so the interior was spacious.

There was more disturbance at the entrance. It wasn't just one person. Zima quickly calculated how to respond.

The odds were, it wasn't Ran.

'Never was one for group action, that one.'

Hoping his memory served him right, Zima whirled around in bed. His arm, holding the dagger, drew a swift arc with centrifugal force.

Crunch!

"Argh!!"

The dagger struck true, aiming for the vital point at the neck. The body that screamed in its death throes collapsed helplessly towards Zima.

"Damn it! Get her out of here, fast!"

A cold glint entered Zima's eyes. His vision, adjusted to the darkness, tracked the moving shadows.

'Four of them?'

Including the one grasping at his own neck, five in total.

The intruders moved with practiced coordination, as if they'd rehearsed. Two rushed Zima. The problem was the two approaching Emma off to the side.

"The dog seller dies tonight!"

Zima threw aside the body he'd been holding, blocking one of the enemies' path. At the same time, he lunged toward Emma's side.

Clang!

Another attacker intercepted Zima. If circumstances were different, he would have genuinely praised his opponent—he was no mere amateur.

Yet another man joined in. In a tight space, being outnumbered was deadly unless there was a clear difference in skill—a slim margin separated life and death.

Silver blades flashed through the dark tent, terrifying and swift.

"Mister!"

His heart dropped. For a moment, his focus wavered. The enemy seized an opening. A silver streak flashed right before Zima's eyes.

'Now!'

One intruder slung Emma over his shoulder and dashed out of the tent. Outside, everything was still. The infiltration was a success.

'No way they'll take down the dog seller like that. He'll catch up soon!'

The intruder hurried along the pre-determined escape route. The child did not struggle much. For that, at least, he was grateful.

"Hurry! I'll hold off the seller as long as I can!"

A companion shouted. He turned back and ran into the tent again. It wasn't out of any camaraderie. Their employer had promised triple the reward for Zima's head. The intruders had agreed that whoever killed Zima would get the extra reward.

'Fools, do they really think they'll take him down?'

If he escaped like this, he'd take the full reward for himself. The intruder ran without looking back.

Zima's tent was isolated at the edge of the extermination force's encampment. There wasn't much distance left to the tethered horses.

'My god, am I really going to make it, really—'

Crash!

"Uwah!"

His sweet delusion came to a wretched end. Whether it was a rock or a tree root, his foot caught on something hard and he tumbled to the ground. He felt his body sink down suddenly. He'd been too excited to watch his footing.

The intruder scrambled up to check on the girl first. She ought to have been screaming by now, yet she remained eerily silent. Strangely, he felt grateful for that, even in this moment.

'—Huh?'

The intruder instinctively rolled backward.

Whoosh!

Something heavy sliced through the air above him.

The intruder leapt up into a fighting stance. His pupils dilated.

A tall man, as straight as a lance, was gripping the child's wrist, pulling her behind his back.

'He was hiding his presence?'

There was no time to ask questions.

The intruder gripped his daggers in both hands and charged straight in.

He came low from below, lowering himself even further as he approached—a smart move, considering the size difference.

His opponent merely stepped back to dodge. Maybe because he was watching over the child, he was a bit sluggish, but his balance was unshaken.

Next, the intruder targeted the midsection, twisting his blades for an opening. He wanted to end it in a single breath. Every time his daggers slashed the air, there was a sharp whoosh like an arrow. The opponent dodged by the narrowest of margins each time.

Thud!

"Urk?!"

The intruder, who had been moving without rest, suddenly stopped as though seized by paralysis and staggered.

He had no idea when or how it happened. A deep pain started from his gut and spread through his body. He couldn't breathe. Though he hadn't been hit in the head, his vision spun violently.

It wasn't a hammer, it was a fist. He only saw the opponent, crouched even lower than himself, after being hit—and then his vision whirled.

Wham!

It felt as if his entire back had just been ripped apart. The intruder let out a short groan.

"Kh, khek?!"

His hands were empty. At some point, he'd dropped both his blades. Impossible. The man loomed over his body, blocking out the moon above.

"Who are you?"

Ran asked curtly. The intruder only spat up bloody saliva, giving no reply.

'Not a demon.'

So Ran judged as he glanced at Emma. The girl was silently crying. She'd be in shock, no doubt.

Bang!

He balled his fist and slammed it into the man's face as if tenderizing meat. The intruder's eyes rolled back in his head. Ran lowered his voice.

"I'll ask you again. If you want to die easy, just give me answers."

"D-don't...don't mess with me?!"

Ran took off his glove and shoved it into the intruder's mouth. Then, without a word, he turned and broke both of the man's legs. The intruder writhed in pain, unable even to scream.

"It's all right now."

Ran stepped a few paces back to comfort Emma. She bit her lip hard. Everything felt like it was her fault. She rose, knees unsteady.

From afar, Zima strode over, soaked head to toe in blood. Like a beast whose excitement hadn't cooled even after a hunt, he gave a sharp exhale.

"Ran, were you on night watch?"

"No."

She didn't even look at him. Eyes blazing, she focused on the fallen intruder. Zima just nodded vaguely, patted Ran's shoulder, and walked past.

"U-ugh..."

The intruder's face was smeared with blood and tears. Zima checked his broken legs, then pulled the glove from his mouth. A string of thick saliva stretched out.

"You guys aren't amateurs, are you? Got me pretty riled up."

"K-kill me...just do it?!"

"No need to beg that desperately."

Zima held a hand axe right in front of the attacker's nose.

"Who was it? Bern? Gordon? The emperor? Or what?"

Those were about the only names that came to mind right now. Zima licked his lips. The wind was dry, and blood quickly dried to sting his face.

The intruder chose to keep faith. He squeezed his eyes shut, like prey before a predator.

Crunch!

Ran quickly pulled Emma into his arms, covering her ears. Even he grimaced.

"Whew, damn. God, those idiot Special Unit bastards. Can't even set up a perimeter right."

No one had come yet to clean up.

Ran considered that a blessing. He soothed Emma and approached Zima.

"What? Got something to say?"

"Yes."

"You already said it all before."

They were about the same height. Zima's frame was just a bit rougher, more heavily built.

Ran stepped even closer. Rough breaths fanned Ran's face, then scattered.

"No matter what, you have to answer today."

What is the 'Vessel', why did you bring Emma, was asking Peco to search for a hybrid girl related to all this—

"And...the real reason you came back."

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Oh, so that's why Zima went to Viola.
It means they both know what's happening behind the scenes.
But it's still unclear if he's an enemy or friend.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】