A Priest's Life as a Villain

Chapter 016

Ran had returned from Rel. Not far from their agreed meeting place, Dante was waiting for him.

"What? You summoned all the branch managers?"

"That's right. Heh, you should've seen their faces. Honestly, those old geezers..."

Dante boasted about what had happened yesterday. He could hardly contain his sly laughter.

In contrast, Ran was left speechless. He thought it was a clear mistake on Zilla's part. With this, one of the Revolutionaries' advantages would be lost.

"Unlike the military, your Revolutionaries' only unique weapon was the covert and flexible organizational structure. I don't see why you had to do this."

"The general branch manager plans to devote everything to this operation. We need to steel our resolutions together."

"Are the other branch managers trustworthy?"

"They might be incompetent, but without trust, the Revolutionaries are dead."

"They already are."

"? That's just biting your own tongue. I won't say any more."

Ran also refrained from retorting. Operationally, there was no risk of his identity being exposed. It was solely the Revolutionaries' problem.

"Regal is one of the highest priority targets among the Revolutionaries marked by the Special Unit. He's not someone to be underestimated."

"This time you're wrong. That man has just survived long. I could tell at a glance—he doesn't have the courage to step forward anymore, just postures and observes from the back. Even the general branch manager looked immensely disappointed."

As they got close to their destination, the two men slowed their horses.

"Did you finish your business in Rel well?"

"Well, yes."

Dante had, at some point, started asking private questions more often. Ran was unfamiliar with the feeling called camaraderie.

Trying to mingle with others is a fundamental human trait.

'If I'd stayed in Quersa, I would've never known this.'

Ran realized he was immature. Like ripples on a still lake, even minor events left a significant impact on him. He'd had many such experiences lately.

The process of opening up to the Revolutionaries, who were once enemies; the twisted affections of one-armed Jack and the executioner, Walter; the desires that moved them.

He recalled what Iscarang had said—that the outside world was a whole different place. He hadn't been wrong.

"This way."

Ran, leading the way, pointed to a barren field. Dante looked around, bewildered.

"Here? What? There's nothing here?"

It was a desolate open land. Only a few withered old trees stood sparsely on the cracked, dried ground. A cold wind from the north swept between the bare branches.

Fwing—

An arrow flew by and stuck in a nearby tree. Dante was startled out of his wits, unable to tell where it had come from.

Ran casually pulled out the arrow. A strip of red cloth was tied to the end of the shaft.

"Hey, explain what's going on. What is this situation?"

Ran untied the knot, checked the message, then burned it.

"Looks like the Revolutionaries have never dealt with black marketeers?"

"Black marketeers? Why would we need them?"

Ran shook his head.

They moved again and arrived at a ruined village.

"Th-this place...?"

"There was some heavy urban fighting here. It's all wreckage."

The place swept by war was devastating. The palisade encircling the village was reduced to a skeleton, and the ground and the walls of the buildings were deeply scarred or damaged from whatever fighting had happened. Broken weapons and armor littered the area, making Dante's legs tremble just looking at it.

"Ugh, dreadful. Are those what they call traces of elemental magic?"

"Who knows. Could've been a high-level monster."

Dante couldn't close his gaping mouth. During the civil war, he had holed up in a solitary cell, pouring himself into dark magic research. When he finally came out, this was the state of the world.

"Urgh. I can almost still smell blood."

"Dante. Why are you even doing this Revolutionaries thing?"

"We're not close enough yet for that kind of talk."

Ran ignored him and continued walking.

They stopped at an abandoned tavern. The door, crudely hung at the center with square planks, creaked as it swung in the wind.

Creak—

The wooden floorboards groaned loudly under their boots. The air felt chilly.

"Marmel!"

Ran's voice echoed throughout the room.

Soon, there was movement from behind the bar.

"The Marmel you're looking for, right here!"

A man waved his hand and approached with a comical gait. He was as tall as Ran.

Dante gave Marmel a once-over, from top to bottom. The man wore formal attire, obviously stylish even at a glance. The rings on his fingers and the brooch on his chest sparkled brightly.

"The merchandise?"

"I brought it, of course. Hoo-hoo, surely you know who I am."

"Let's check first."

"Ah, ah, one moment."

Marmel stopped Ran as he tried to pass. He parted his lips hesitantly.

"Customer, I did my very best. You have to know that."

"What's this? That's not like you."

"Ah, don't even start. You heard the rumors, right? The eastern front is chaos these days, chaos. The imperial army is launching a full offensive, you know?"

"The point, please."

"?? I only managed to procure about half the amount you ordered."

Marmel flinched as Ran raised his hand to scratch his head. Having forced out the difficult news, Marmel now began talking faster.

"Now, listen well! You can't get oil in bulk anywhere these days! Not just oil—if you try to move even a bundle of scrap metal, everyone is so wary they can't think straight. You're in the Special Unit, you must know."

As the tide clearly shifted, even the weapon dealers who had quietly supported the rebels flipped fully to the imperial army's side. In regions close to the front, trading was out of the question; even transporting supplies was tricky. One could not afford to get on the bad side of the imperial army.

Inside the tavern's old storeroom, oak barrels were stacked neatly. As the cloth covering was pulled away, the pungent smell of oil filled their noses.

Dante muttered.

"Oil? Is this why you told me to bring gold coins?"

"Well, yes, but we can't pay full price for all of it."

Marmel clutched his head.

"Aww, customer, don't do this! I know you're a top-tier client, but even for you, honestly, you know how things are!"

"Marmel, you're the one who couldn't fill the order first."

"Oh, come on, like I told you, customer. These days, if you want to move goods past the front, you better supply hefty compensation. Seriously, what's with you? It's not like we're new to this."

Ran thumbed back at Dante.

"It's not me. It's this guy's deal. First transaction, half price. Right?"

Marmel, dumbfounded, looked Dante up and down, then snorted. He sighed, licked his lips, put his hands on his hips, put them down, over and again. His oversized earrings swayed wildly.

"Honestly, you're too much. And I bet I'll never see this Revolutionary again after today."

Dante suddenly felt a chill. Marmel already knew Ran was with the Special Unit. Even without introductions, he immediately realized Dante was a Revolutionary.

Dante shot an uneasy glance at Ran, just as Marmel muttered irritably.

"Ah, don't fret now. You see all sorts in this business. Playing both sides with the imperial army and the Liberation Army is standard here."

Dante put down the crate he carried. Marmel glanced inside, then snapped the lid shut.

And that was the end of the oil deal.

"Marmel, isn't there one more left?"

"Ha, haha... Oh, yes. Of course."

Marmel absentmindedly fiddled with his rings and forced a laugh. He brought out a large leather-wrapped chest from the corner. While not massive, when upright it reached up to the chins of Ran and Marmel.

Marmel opened the chest. Dante was shocked again.

"A crossbow? That's enormous for a crossbow."

The crossbow was the main weapon of the 2nd general branch. Dante didn't even know how to fire one, but he was well aware of its uses and power.

Marmel waggled his finger; his ring and white teeth flashed.

"Customer, this is no ordinary crossbow. It's a special, improved model once called the Liberation Army's ultimate weapon—'the imperial army's nightmare'."

Marmel tried to hold up the crossbow, but nearly dropped it, coughing awkwardly. As might be expected from its size, it was incredibly heavy—a weapon not just anyone could handle.

Without hesitation, Ran lifted it one-handed and fiddled with the bowstring. Just with a gentle pull, it stretched taut with a whir.

"That's not normal draw strength."

"You can't find something like this easily. They say if you shoot from the easternmost tip of the continent, it'll reach Gerinhild Castle on the western end."

Marmel glanced sideways at Ran, muttering.

"But what's the occasion? You don't usually carry weapons around."

Ran silently put the crossbow back.

Marmel acted unconcerned, turning his head aside. His eyes met Dante's and he grinned widely.

"Customer, I'm just a broker now, but someday I'll be a tycoon—Marmel, at your service."

Marmel extended his hand to Dante. As if nothing had happened, he was a completely different person from the one brazenly ignoring him moments before.

Dante, caught off guard, shook Marmel's hand. Even Dante, who usually never shrank back, found himself overwhelmed by Marmel's shamelessness.

"I can sell you everything—except what doesn't exist, of course."

Then he quickly explained how to find him again.

Ran, preparing to leave, said quietly,

"Marmel. Don't sell this guy anything. That's a warning."

Marmel ignored him with one ear, glancing slyly at Dante and smiling faintly.

"Us demons have to look out for each other, don't we?"

It was the merchant's smile.

* * *

The Special Unit was already in an uproar over the Brinhill Church incident. Emergency meetings, led personally by the Special Unit Commander, had been going on for days.

The meetings led nowhere except for the Special Unit Commander's constant raging. None of the Class 1 clergy who'd returned to headquarters could testify to what had actually happened. To make matters worse, before even arriving at Brinhill, they had been ambushed by rebel stragglers and suffered huge losses, making the Special Unit Commander clutch at his neck in frustration.

'Damn it, Martin, you idiot!'

1st Division leader Johan's position as the next Special Unit Commander, not to mention his current one, was now in dire peril. Not only had the operation failed, but his clandestine connections with a merchant guild had come to light. Martin, whom he could have pinned the blame on, had been killed by the Revolutionaries. There was no escape.

"Commander! We've found the body of chief priest Martin Sergio from 1st Division!"

A Special Unit member burst into the conference room and hurriedly handed a piece of parchment to the Special Unit Commander.

The Special Unit Commander's face twisted.

"? Dante, 13th branch manager of Astana Revolutionaries."

He remembered that name well. The one who had assassinated High Priest Boras.

As the Special Unit Commander angrily crumpled the parchment, 3rd division leader Bern suppressed a secret smile.

'We won.'

Even if the Special Unit as a whole had failed, 3rd division had accomplished its mission perfectly. In this situation, 3rd division's achievements stood out all the more.

Inquisitor Ran had fulfilled his assignments within the scope of his responsibility, and even at Lucerne, where there had been no specific instructions, he'd kept his head and minimized damages.

'He even handled Executioner Walter's unpredictable behavior.'

It was common for inquisitors to use their privileges to cause trouble, but if they got into an accident with a noble during times like this, cleanup would be nearly impossible.

Bern heaved a sigh of relief. Ran had performed beyond expectations.

"Bern! Summon the inquisitor!"

"Yes, commander."

Bern went to Ran, who was waiting outside the entrance. He patted Ran on the shoulder and whispered,

"Ran. I always knew you'd show your mettle someday."

"That's too kind."

"Let's go higher together. What do you say?"

The two exchanged low chuckles.

As Ran entered the meeting room and gave the Special Unit salute, he glanced at the person seated at the head of the table.

'Special Unit Commander.'

He was the next target for elimination.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】