The Half-Puny Priest Hopes To Retire

189 – Unfulfilled Promise

Many things were still shrouded in mystery regarding the origin and identity of the dungeon.

Some say it is a gap in the gates of hell that spits out all kinds of unclean things.

There are some who say that it is a trial by the Lord to put humanity to the test.

There are some that say it may be a dimensional door leading to another world, but it is not a very supported theory.

Of course, the only ones who can talk about these hypotheses carelessly are renowned scholars who are overflowing with money and time.

For ordinary citizens, who made up the majority of the island’s population, the dungeon was nothing more than a terrifying natural disaster that could not be known when, where, and in what manner it would reveal its fangs to their families.

And the one at the peak of such fear is the devil.

A dungeon of the highest risk that appears once every few hundred years and threatens the foundation of this world.

The natural enemy of mankind and the mortal enemy of warriors.

It could be said that it is the mission of our Hero Party to drive out this evil crystal from this system.

But even we rarely mentioned that name carelessly.

This was completely natural.

The adage that the mouth is the root of all evil was valid even in this system.

The devil appears in the place where his name is called the most.

It was easy to hear it as a mere rumor to scare a child, but under this system, lightly mentioning the name of the devil was considered a serious crime that even famous nobles could face imprison.

So, in a way, it was inevitable that we would react in such a dumb way.

”So, what you’re saying is that you are the Ultima of the myth, and since you were deeply offended by the highest status god whose body you were the only one to incarnate, you attempted to take over the hero’s body based on the dungeon created with the power of the Demon King. Like this? Now?”

”I can’t believe I had a heartache! Stop using such vulgar expressions right away! I just pity Ha-gye for not being able to embrace the beautiful flower named me. I just wanted to dedicate myself to this world for a while! There is no self-interest whatsoever! So, release this cruel restraint right now! Please be polite to me! Underworld people!”

”Phew…”

It took me some time to realize that the gloomy breath leaking out of my teeth was mine.

Everyone in this room, including me, had facial expressions that wouldn’t be strange if they sighed at any time due to a series of ridiculous statements.

At least the hero was smiling brightly, but seeing as he kept blinking his eyes with a question mark floating over his head, it seemed like he wasn’t following this story either.

I should have recognized this suspicious author when he called himself Archangel Ultima.

It is said that the archangel, who was originally in a position to protect humanity, intentionally made the devil at the Great Red Spot appear and took on a human body.

If there was even one place where the front and back matched, I would have at least pretended to listen.

I was so discouraged that I couldn’t even speak properly.

Wouldn’t a three-year-old child speak more eloquently than that?

”Apis. I’m a little tired, so can I ask you to do some work afterwards?”

”Yes, because it seems like it will be long. Leave this to me and everyone take care of their work.”

”Now, wait!? Wait for a second! Didn’t you hear me!? Oh, if you would just bow your head to me and quietly hand over the dishes! They say they will mercifully forgive your sins! Why are you trying to leave!? Hey, over there! Excuse me! There─”

Thud. Ururu.

We all left the room together after being seen off by Apis, who was shaking his neck fiercely with no life in his eyes.

After all, interrogating someone didn’t seem right to me.

What we got out of dozens of minutes of interrogation was a bunch of nonsense that wasn’t even worth listening to.

Although I was disappointed for a moment, I did not despair.

Basically, each person has their own appropriate role.

Unlike me, who has no aptitude for difficult tasks, Apis is good at threats and blackmail, and he will quickly reveal the true intentions of that suspicious man.

The most effective way would have been to leave it to Apis from the beginning. I bought it in vain.

”Phew…”

I brushed my hair and took a moment to calm down.

Is it because I experienced too much in a short period of time?

My visibly exhausted mind was desperately pleading with me for rest, but I decided to ignore it.

The dungeon disaster that engulfed the warrior in the past and the large-scale dungeon disaster that has currently engulfed the Holy See.

The reality is that it is part of the devil.

It was a ridiculous rumor that made me laugh out loud, but there was no harm in being careful.

No matter how absurd the rumor, if the target was the devil, as a member of the hero party, I could never pretend not to see it.

”Hero. Could you please work with Big Team to find a mobile gryphon around here? I will make preparations to leave here in advance. Downa. Return of equipment left for maintenance and daily necessities. And may I ask you to procure some food?”

”Yes! Okay!”

”·····”

”Just leave it to me!”

Just by sharing a glance and muttering a single word, everyone in the room, including me, began to move in unison.

As we spent so many years together, the process of confirming and agreeing on each other’s intentions was extremely simple.

”Nun, please wake up the napping saint.”

”Yes? Yes, ah! Okay! Do you understand…?”

The nun, who was unable to follow the conclusion that had already been concluded, suddenly let out a questioning voice.

”Oh, I’m sorry. The explanation wasn’t enough, right?”

At that moment, we realized too late that our actions may seem somewhat reckless when seen through the eyes of others.

Unlike us, who knew each other well enough to be able to clearly see each other’s inner thoughts just by looking at each other’s expressions, I had to explain the situation in more detail to the nun, who was an outsider.

”Sister. We are going to the Holy See from now on.”

”Yes?”

◈◈◈

Even as I was frantically moving my hands to organize my luggage, the feeling of discomfort in my thoughts did not go away, but only gradually increased in size.

An uneasy feeling, like you’re missing something.

An unpleasant foreign body sensation, as if there was a large fish bone stuck in my throat, occasionally distorted my eyebrows.

”An angel who follows God’s call enters the dungeon… Worse yet, they intentionally created a demon king-level dungeon. You have to say some crazy things to a certain degree…”

Every time his hand tried to stop, he shook his head vigorously to shake off the distracting thoughts.

It was nonsense.

It was nothing more than an empty flame that was absurd, pretentious, and downright grotesque.

Basically, a dungeon is a so-called natural disaster that occurs suddenly for unknown reasons.

There is no room for someone’s will to intervene, and it should not have existed.

That was an act that completely insulted the achievements of the warriors of the previous generation who desperately protected the existence of this world from the monsters of the dungeon, the holy sacrifice that protected them, and the aspirations of the people of the entire system who envied them.

The footsteps of humanity’s struggle to survive are actually nothing more than insignificant taps on a small chessboard prepared by someone.

Isn’t that too much?

‘This place resembles a throne room…’

Stop.

In the midst of my disturbing thoughts, a memory of a time I had forgotten for a while suddenly appeared in my mind.

Yes, when I thought about it, it was like that.

That was when I threw myself into that black pillar to rescue the hero caught up in an unexpected dungeon disaster.

I briefly saw the throne room from beyond the endless darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead.

At the time, I thought it was obviously just my mood, so I brushed it off without much thought, but now that I think about it, I found it strange in many ways.

Why?

Why didn’t I think that was strange?

That mysterious space that was pure white, ridiculously vast, and it was unclear when it existed and who created it.

Why am I…

”Ugh!”

I held my head against the headache that came without warning.

Could it be that this is some kind of revelation telling us to stop thinking about useless things and keep our hands moving?

My stomach and head were still bloated, but I decided to think that way for now and focused on what I was doing.

”Father! Are you okay?”

”Yes I’m okay. Hero. I feel a little dizzy for a moment… Why are you here…?”

Suddenly, my consciousness was disturbed by the warrior’s voice that flew in like an arrow from outside my consciousness.

This was because the hero, who should have been looking for a means of transportation with the Big Team, was talking brightly right next to me.

”Leave all the work of finding a vehicle to Big Team! Come on! I’m here to help the priest!”

”Ah…”

To send such a harsh errand to Big Tim, who is uniquely quiet in the party and is so shy that he opens his eyes and faints when a woman even holds his hand.

Wouldn’t that be a bit too much?

It may be a bit obnoxious to meddle in someone else’s home education, but these siblings were children I looked after like nephews and nieces, so I couldn’t help but feel like a mother-in-law sometimes.

”Ah! For your information, Big Team said they would do it for charity!”

”Uh, really?”

”Yes! You will be responsible for finding a vehicle! In the meantime, feel free to stick by the bride! At this point! I’ve also attached advice to keep your progress in check!”

”····························································· Really. You have an amazing younger brother.”

”Yes! He is a true little brother that I would not be ashamed to show off anywhere!”

Despite my resentment, the warrior’s reply was very bright.

Big Tim’s noble heart for his sister may be worthy of praise, but why is there no consideration at all for my treatment, which requires purity due to my position

I also helped Big Team become pen pals for the lizard beast woman he is currently in love with.

My favorability towards Big Team decreased by about 5. No, about 3.

Crash.

”Hey, warrior? Why are you suddenly locking the door over there…”

It was right then.

Suddenly, the warrior who had firmly locked the door came towards me, like a graceful doe.

Kkogit.

In those small hands, there was a small piece of candy.

Oh no. I forgot about it for a moment.

The fact that there was a strict promise between me and the warrior to share those cute sugar cookies in a way that I couldn’t tell others.

”No way, now…?”

Nod.

It wasn’t long before my miserable sighs and the warrior’s sticky breath came together.