I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

18 – More Horrifying Than That

“-That’s how we ended up hunting monsters.”

“Wow…”

A few days after hunting the sewer monster, I revisited the alley to share the tale of our monster hunt with the kids.

Of course, to spare the children’s sensibilities, I left out gruesome details and the man in the robe as much as possible.

“You came back just to tell us such fake stories?”

While skillfully narrating the story, earning admiration from the other kids, Miguel alone wore a skeptical expression.

“Just fake stories? Would you like to correct that to an incredible tale we risked our lives to obtain?”

“The introduction already sounds fishy. Meeting some crazy old man named Poppy by chance?”

“Well, from the beginning, Poppi set a trap to lure us. Really, isn’t he a cunning gentleman?”

“That may be true. But is the monster just a figment of your imagination after hearing my story?”

“Well… you did warn us last time, but you didn’t exactly describe what the monster looks like. How am I supposed to imagine something without knowing how it looks?”

“…Did I?”

“Why? Is the one who warned us last time identical to the appearance of the monster?”

“Yeah, it’s just like the tentacles or the big beak behind me…”

“So, you believe my story now?”

Miguel, who had been suspicious all along, sighed deeply.

“Well then, what about the gold? Pobby promised to give gold.”

“Ah… about that… unfortunately, I didn’t receive it…”

After capturing the monster and treating Pobby, I confidently demanded compensation.

In response, Pobby said, “Of course, young one! I heard that you donate all your earnings to the church, so I will donate 100 gold in your name!” And true to their word, they donated 100 gold to the Church of the Earth God.

The nobleman who boasted about his good hearing, I wonder what kind of false rumors he heard… Just thinking about it still makes my teeth grind.

“I still can’t trust your words. Where is this so-called saint? I should ask that person.”

“Ah… well, it seems that the saint won’t be able to leave the monastery for a few more weeks.”

Saint Amellia was caught leaving the monastery without permission during her penance period and was taken away by the high-ranking members of the church.

After that, an emergency meeting was held in front of the statue of the goddess, and the saint’s punishment was intensified. For about three weeks, she was forbidden to leave under the watch of the holy knights.

As for me, I was originally given permission by Sister Selena to move freely, so I didn’t receive any punishment.

“…Can’t you bring Pobby back?”

“Well, that noble… well, they cheated me with gold… and then said, ‘Once I catch the monster, which is my goal, I’ll come back!’ and went back underground…”

“Well, then there’s no evidence that you caught the monster. Did you really catch it? Show me some proof.”

“Proof… ah! I have a necklace that I obtained by capturing a demon in the sewer.”

I took out the rusty necklace from my pocket.

“I tried to sell it to a junk shop, but the employee there saw it and refused to buy it, looking disgusted. So I thought it was just loot… Why are you acting like this, Miguel?”

Miguel’s face turned pale when he saw the necklace.

He snatched the necklace from my hand.

“Where did you get this…?”

“I found it in the sewer.”

“So, where and how did you find it?”

A scream-like voice echoed from the child’s throat.

The voice carried a complex mix of emotions – fear, apprehension, anger – capturing the attention of all the kids in an instant.

“Why is Miguel acting like this?”

“Sis, it’s noisy…”

The kids looked at the screaming Miguel with worried eyes.

“Oh… sorry… hey, come with me for a moment.”

Miguel, looking flustered, urgently called me, leading me away from the hideout to a secluded corner of the alley.

“Why are you like this…? Is there something wrong with the necklace?”

Concerned about Miguel’s hysterical reaction to the necklace, I asked.

Holding the necklace in his hand, Miguel’s eyes shook unstably, and a faint tremor ran through his entire body, making him appear uneasy.

“Fiel… where’s Fiel?”

“If you mean the owner of this necklace?”

The two letters engraved on the necklace clearly spelled ‘Fiel.’

“Yeah… so where’s Fiel?”

“I don’t know well because I found it too…”

“Do not lie…! What have you done to Piel…!!!”

Miguel gripped my collar.

In his eyes, filled with disdain close to hatred and rage that seemed devouring, a fearsome momentum rose mercilessly.

I stared into Miguel’s eyes, unyielding against that momentum.

“Calm down, Mr. Miguel. Could I ask for an explanation since I don’t know the circumstances of someone named Piel?”

Judging by Miguel’s reaction, it seemed like there was an intimate connection with Piel. However, not knowing exactly what the issue was, I attempted to engage in conversation while he held onto my collar.

Being manhandled by a child and dangling in mid-air was somewhat damaging to my pride, but I couldn’t afford to ruin the hard-earned goodwill. Besides, due to the difference in strength, struggling would be futile.

“Is that so…? You really don’t know?”

“No, I truly don’t. I don’t even know who this person Piel is… *cough*.”

Miguel released my collar.

Unexpectedly released, unprepared, I landed on the ground.

“If you’re going to let go, at least give a heads up and release me gently…”

“Shut it. I’m going to tell you a bit of a longer story now.”

With pitiful steps, he moved to a corner and sat down huddled.

“Do you know the identity of the kids I’m holding?”

“No. Aren’t they just kids from the back alleys?”

“These kids were slaves traded in the black market. Brought through secretive paths to the slave market with some circumstances.”

“…Then why is Mr. Miguel holding onto these kids?”

“Hmm… don’t interrupt. And, my name is not Miguel.”

“……?”

“Mabel Akid. The eldest daughter of the declining Akid family, holding the top position in the succession. That’s who I am.”

Miguel, or rather Mabel, began the story with a disappointed smile.

***

The evening, when the moon in the sky shines brightly, was always a special time for Mabel.

The whole family gathers at the table for a meal.

The kind mother prepares the meal, the father indulges the children, and the younger brother, Piel, listens to her words attentively.

For Mabel, it was a time to feel the warmth of the family, both eternal and fleeting.

And that day should have been the same.

“Mother…”

On a stormy evening, the mother fell seriously ill and lay in bed.

The father shed tears of sorrow.

Mabel couldn’t understand his reaction and asked him.

“Shouldn’t we call a priest? Why are we helplessly doing nothing?”

He looked at the mother with moist eyes.

“Even with a priest, there’s nothing that can be done about this…”

“What can’t a priest do?”

“Mystique, she’s been infected with a power close to the nature’s essence, something that a priest won’t be able to change for the rest of her life…”

“What are you talking about…?”

“In that case, I will defy the nature’s essence… I will do whatever it takes to bring her back to life.”

From the beginning, Bennett had not been listening to anything Mabel had to say.

He had only resolved to commit a vile act; there was no chance he would heed his child’s words.

And Mabel would forever regret not stopping her father at that moment.

“Damn it…! What’s wrong?”

Ever since her mother collapsed, Father had confined himself almost obsessively to his study or roamed the mansion like a dead person.

His fixation on something, neglecting the family and household matters, left everything on Mabel’s shoulders.

She was clever enough to handle the Earl’s affairs somehow, but the crucial issues resolved by a young girl led the Akid family on a path to ruin.

“Come along, Mabel.”

One day, Father attempted to lead Mabel to his room, looking as tidy as before.

Thinking he had finally regained his sanity, Mabel followed eagerly into Bennett’s room.

But what she found there was shocking.

Human bodies dissected and stitched together, creating grotesque entities.

Father called them ‘Fusions.’

“Well, Mabel? With this, we can finally return to a peaceful life.”

Father gestured toward four children laid out on our table.

“What… in the world is this?”

“They are hybrids, offspring of humans and other species found in the market. I’ll fuse these children and transfer their minds here. Then, the illness and such will vanish against nature’s order.”

Mabel could barely grasp the explanation from the being before her.

She was just frozen in terror at what this entity was about to unleash.

“How could you do such horrific…”

“I, too, find it horrifying to tamper with the lives of children, but it’s the only way to save your mother.”

It is an extremely narrow-minded way of thinking.

Attempting to save a mother by trying to kill someone is undoubtedly wrong.

“This is not right.”

Mabel abruptly opened us up and tried to pull out the children.

“What are you doing! Do you know how hard I worked to gather these materials!”

Bennett tried to block Mabel’s long hair with his hands.

Mabel swiftly cut through the hair with a knife that was lying on the table and escaped with the children.

And they fled from the mansion with the trapped children, hiding in the alleyways as there was a concern about encountering Father in the capital city, which lay ahead.