The Priest Wants to Retire

EP.208 Charge (2)

Grrrr…

As the layers of black mist receded from my field of vision, my hazy consciousness began to clear little by little.

Where the heck am I…?

I barely remembered Dawna murmuring a defense spell during the sudden ambush.

But I couldn’t grasp what happened next at all.

Cradling my pounding head in my hands, I surveyed my surroundings.

The ground was cratered as if a meteor had struck.

Traces of magic power still faintly lingered in the air.

With clarity of consciousness came a resurgence of dizziness.

Could it be that I just fell down from that height?

I thought it unlikely, but looking at the surroundings, it seemed my initial thought was spot on.

Hoo…

With a heavy sigh, I started moving my body around busily.

Though a dull ache coursed through my joints, it appeared that nothing was seriously injured.

But the relief that my body was intact was quickly washed away by a powerful sense of unease.

Something felt wrong.

I lost consciousness and fell from that height, yet my body was neither shattered nor broken?

No matter how quickly Dawna cast the defensive magic, that was excessively unnatural.

Clank!

At that moment, a sudden metallic sound snapped my dazed consciousness to attention.

Huh! …Huh? B-Bawngwi?

Jingle! Jingle!

The source of that unfamiliar sound was none other than Bawngwi.

When did it pop up again without me even calling it?

Bawngwi was always free-spirited, so it wasn’t unusual for it to pop up at random times.

But still, it shouldn’t be the type to be fooling around in such a serious situation.

Oh, could it be?

Did you protect me?

Jingle! Jingle!

The vigorous movements moving up and down seemed to be a positive response.

Now that I looked closer, the seven strokes of the Saintess’s stigmata had mysteriously reduced to five.

One was surely used for Bawngwi’s manifestation.

Then the remaining one must be from the automatic healing of the various wounds I got right after landing.

Jingle! Jingle!

It was just a hypothesis I briefly spun in my mind, but seeing Bawngwi’s intense reaction, it seemed like this guess was indeed correct.

Thank you.

Swish…

As I softly expressed my gratitude, the distinct form of Bawngwi vanished into a swirl of light.

I hastily checked my belongings.

Despite the great joy and gratitude for being alive thanks to Bawngwi’s clever intervention, there was no room to feel gratitude right now.

I still have my two longswords for protection, but both the holy water and communication magical tools are all broken. Where did I drop my holy sword?

After logically sorting through the situation for a while, I soon came to painfully realize how desperate my situation was.

Losing all the stored holy water was somewhat disappointing, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

The problem was that now, with all the communication magical tools lost, I had no way to inform my comrades that I was safe.

I didn’t care too much about dropping the holy sword.

Whoever needed it would find it sticking out of the ground anyway.

…

With my arms crossed, I fell into thought for a moment.

Under normal circumstances, it would be strategic to just wait here for rescue.

Even if I had no way to contact my comrades, with the Hero’s keen sense of smell, pinpointing my location should be a piece of cake.

After all, it was my doing that had led to the ambush earlier.

Surely, my comrades would have easily dismantled it without a single casualty.

It would be reckless to hastily try to escape from here.

Yeah, under normal circumstances, that’s what it would be.

I can’t believe this…

Just as that half-hearted remark slipped from my lips, the strength supporting my body faltered for a moment.

All around, there were enormous black walls practically closing in on me.

A sinister air pressed down like grime deep inside my gut.

The sky was a bloody shade of red.

All those circumstances clearly indicated where I was being isolated.

Inside a dungeon. Moreover…

Demon King…

Except for the previously mentioned elements, it was truly an idyllic scene not far from what I remembered.

Once regarded as the holiest land in this system where a Saint was enshrined, now it had become the stronghold of the very embodiment of evil, the Demon King.

What a cruel twist of fate.

Shudder.

Facing an unprecedented crisis, my senses suddenly heightened.

At this moment, I felt like I could count how many strands of hair the swirling wind could lift off my head.

Yet for some reason…

Nothing…

I literally couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything.

The trees around me showed no signs of movement, not even a single leaf.

No chirping of birds, no rustling of small critters.

Not even the faintest noise of insects crawling about could be heard.

The only things I could see and hear at this moment were the terrified expression of a man and his ragged breathing.

That fragile breath was, at any moment, bound to turn into a piercing scream, and that feeling tightened around my throat with every passing second.

Click!

Calm down… Calm down…

Gripping the sword at my waist, I took a moment to steady my mind.

Now, any danger could come crashing down upon me at any time, so I had to stay vigilant, but I shouldn’t let fear consume me.

I needed to maintain my composure.

I was also a proud member of the Hero Party.

My position had merely changed from rear to front; what I had to do hadn’t shifted at all.

The role assigned to me now was to protect the hero’s power that dwelled within me from all the dangers lurking in here, even if it meant my limbs were torn apart.

Hoo…

Perhaps it was because I had steeled my resolve.

The trembling of my hand clutching the hilt gradually subsided.

But…

AAAHHH!!!

—!?

That makeshift calm shattered in an instant by the scream of someone from the other side.

Is anyone there! Uhm!

I reflexively stifled my mouth that tried to yell.

The chance that there were still survivors left in the Demon King’s lair was incredibly slim.

Originally, dungeons were hells overflowing with strong monsters and supernatural phenomena, the more dangerous they became.

In fact, the vast majority of my comrades had long concluded that about half of the civilians inside perished right after the Demon King’s appearance.

Click!

Ugh!

Should I go save them? Or stay right here?

Whichever option I chose, I was certain I’d regret it later, and that harsh dilemma left my already parched lips feeling even drier.

The possibility of it being a trap was overflowing.

Moreover, this generation’s Demon King had a significant probability of being related to the previous Saint candidates.

Perhaps the enormous black chains that dragged me here, along with the incidents of the villagers around the Demon King’s vicinity gradually disappearing, held their sinister motives.

I must not move from this spot.

I knew that it was the best judgment.

I certainly knew it.

Tat-tat!

My foolish legs propelled forward toward the direction of the scream before reason could even intervene.

◈◈◈

Calm down! Hero!

Whoosh! Boom!

Amidst the menacing voice of heavy metal slicing through the air, Apis’s urgent voice rang clear.

The black chains spewing forth from the black pillar had dragged Regis into the depths of the dungeon for several minutes now.

At that moment, the onslaught of chains pouring down from the sky didn’t permit even Evan, who was trying to reach the place, to approach.

It’s wrong! I can barely get closer to the entrance!

With a single flap of her wings, Evan regained her balance and vocally resounded majestically, casting a deep shadow over the faces of all present.

The reason was simple.

Everyone, let go! The Priest is inside!

Ever since Regis was sucked into the dungeon, the vibrant spark in the Hero’s eyes had extinguished, clearly signaling that something crucial had been severed within her.

Bigtim, hold on tight there! Hey! Hero! Calm down! What are you planning to do by rushing in like that? And Dawna said it too! That she cast the shield before he fell! He’s safe! He’ll be safe! So please, for now, lower that sword!

Apis, while carrying her fierce anxiety, uttered those words.

It was inevitable for her to worry about Regis, as she had a strong bond of camaraderie with her fellow party members.

Yet, in Apis’s eyes, the Hero’s actions seemed like nothing short of suicide.

Let go! Apis. Please. Quickly. Otherwise, I don’t know what I might do.

Ugh—!

A mechanical voice seeped with deadly calm.

If she hadn’t been the trusted comrade she believed him to be.

If Bigtim, her brother, hadn’t been restraining him.

Apis was secretly sure that the sword in the Hero’s hand would have already been aimed at their own throats.

And then it happened.

In that instant of tension, the Saint spoke in an icy, cold tone.

Quiet down. Everyone, be silent.

Creak.

In the next moment, the Hero’s gaze, twisted unnaturally towards the Saint, was undeniably filled with raw malice.

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