Raising Paladins

Episode 38. I’m getting to know (4)

The air is cold because winter is not over yet.

Cold air fills the backyard of the temple, where countless overgrown weeds have been removed.

Nevertheless, hot heat rose from the bodies of the seeds who came out of the morning training.

“Whoop, whoop.”

“Whoa… … .”

“It strikes accurately… … !”

Booong!

Dozens of wooden swords that seem to have been roughly cut, but the shape is quite plausible.

The wooden swords were swung down in the air all at once.

Every time that happened, hot energy surged from the bodies of the servants like a haze.

You can feel the fighting spirit in the tense muscles from repeated training.

Aileen couldn’t keep her mouth shut at the scene that looked like soldiers about to go to war.

‘Is this a temple or a boot camp?’

It is understandable that the dirty and messy temple has become clean.

Cleaning is something you can do as long as you put your mind to it.

However, the scene unfolding right in front of my eyes is difficult to explain to such an extent.

I was a little fascinated by the sight of dozens of men wriggling their muscles and swinging their swords, but more than that, the atmosphere in the temple was so different.

‘Is there a system?’

The Temple of Dawn when Eileen visited a few months ago.

The temple at that time looked like it was on the verge of being demolished.

The priests run away at night, and the sick hold on to hungry stomachs and painful wounds and swallow tears all night… … .

It was like a place to prepare for the end of life.

A place where people who have given up on everything gather at the end of the day.

But now it is full of order and will.

I also felt a passionate longing for something.

“Hit harder! When the priest returns, we must show our achievements!”

“The priest said that people like us can also become battle priests! You have to overcome the pain for that!”

“I could! Let’s go!”

Daryl, head of the laundry, and Grom, head of the kitchen.

From their powerful shouts to Tira’s voice cheering people around.

All the people gathered in the backyard of the temple are of one mind.

Training is not about wielding a wooden sword recklessly, but Daryl, who is the oldest, demonstrates in front of him, and Grom, a big guy who serves as a temporary assistant, explains the posture.

After that, they all throw their swords together.

It was the ‘training method of 10,000 strikes per day’ that Carl taught.

At first glance, an ignorant training method!

Hana Carl said.

If you master the slap, you can deal with any enemy.

That word was hope for the seeds.

There may be many enemies in the world, but the biggest enemy to the seeds is the gaze of people who do not recognize them as members of society.

If you overcome the arduous training and become a combat priest… … ?

Then, not only in Meirium, but anywhere in the Empire, you can be treated and live.

That was the driving force behind the servants training with all their might every day, even while Carl was away.

Peter, who had been urged by Tira earlier, was also swinging his sword with clear eyes before he knew it.

“It wasn’t like this before… … The atmosphere of the temple has changed a lot.”

“… … It’s not like that.”

“Do you know what happened to the temple?”

“… … well.”

Devaldo replied bluntly.

However, Devaldo clearly knew the answer to the question.

‘This must all be because of that crazy priest!’

A probationary priest who suddenly appeared in Meirium not too long ago.

It was his fault that the temple became as clean as a new building, and that the thugs who should have been under Hanson turned into dozens of obedient servants.

And that happened in just a few days!

He was so skinny and his strength was so strong that Devaldo almost lost his right hand while shaking hands.

Still feeling his right hand throb, DeBaldo spat into the backyard.

‘It’s going to be traumatic, damn it!’

Now, just hearing the name ‘Karl’ makes me automatically hide my right hand behind me.

I try to overcome it, but when I think of his face, I automatically get scared.

Because of that, Devaldo gnashed his teeth even more.

waiting for this very day

‘I heard that there are dozens of scavengers. But escorting the fruit peddler alone and passing through the scavenger to reach Tournoble? Even if he has a knack for slaying dragons, it’s no wonder! cancer!’

Absolutely impossible.

Devaldo thought so.

No matter how strong the sword is and how good it is at fighting, no matter how strong it is, no matter how good it is.

Dealing with a group of scavengers who are not afraid to kill with barely a single wooden sword?

It can never be.

The guy won’t come back.

If I had succeeded in going up in the first place, I should have been contacted by yesterday at the latest.

Given that there is still no news, it is clear that things must have gone terribly wrong.

‘I’m a little anxious that there is no reply… … .’

But somehow, in a corner of my heart, I feel uneasiness.

Rather than worrying about Carl, it was because the letter he had sent to the leader of the scavenger group had not been answered.

The day before the fruit peddler departs.

Devaldo sent a letter to Turner, the scavenger leader.

It doesn’t matter what happens to the other things, so please make sure to take care of only one priest.

I even wrote that I would be rewarded generously if things went well, but so far there has been no reply.

But that, Devaldo thought, was just an element of insecurity.

‘Cause they’re scavengers, they’re the ones who live without the law… … It’s just that no one is polite enough to reply to a letter.’

Devaldo, who has worked hard to think in his favor.

He looked around the backyard of the temple to shake off his anxiety.

‘As expected, the vacant lot in the backyard is quite large, perhaps because the site is large. There is also a well. I’m going to pluck out the saplings in the courtyard I saw earlier and build a statue that imitates me.’

You might as well leave the new collection box in front of the seedlings.

It would be okay to collect admission fees from other aristocratic friends who came to appreciate the ancient temple.

In Devaldo’s eyes, this Temple of Dawn was well worth it.

‘It was a great boom until a few hundred years ago, maybe?’

The only temple in Meirium, the Temple of Dawn.

Meirium is famous as the hometown of ‘Thunder Sword Angel’, one of the 4 knights who followed the legendary Paladin ‘Carlos’.

In addition, it is said that there was a golden apple tree blessed by the gods.

Thanks to that, the Temple of Dawn in Meirium is said to have gained great prestige due to the incessant flow of believers.

Of course, it’s just glories from the past.

Still, when he thought that a temple with such a long history would soon become his mansion, he felt something thrilling and a little scary.

Because Deval also put an end to that long history with his own hands.

What if the Temple of Dawn falls into Devaldo’s hands and becomes a mansion?

Then, the name ‘Meirium Temple of Dawn’ will forever disappear into the dark side of history.

Just as Devaldo was thinking about that, two people approached him from inside the temple.

It was Clemens and Eric.

“oh! Two priests!”

Two people who look like saviors to Devaldo!

Clemens, a high-ranking priest who was foolishly indebted to himself and ended up leaving the temple behind, and Eric, a naive middle-class priest who knew nothing but theological research.

To put it simply, the two are ‘Hogu’.

Thanks to you, I can occupy this good place.

However, the attitude of the two priests was a little different today.

His expression also looked refreshed, and Clemens in particular straightened his shrugged shoulders.

Devaldo tilted his head at their unusual appearance.

‘what? Could it be that he prepared the money?’

Suddenly, such a thought crossed Devaldo’s head.

One easy thing.

The original debt and credit debt were all purchased.

Where in this small city could anyone lend such a large amount of money?

Just as Carl can’t get back from the convoy, that’s also impossible.

Devaldo said without hiding the pervasive smile on his lips.

“You know what day it is today, right? I sent the necessary documents ahead of time.”

“of course.”

Clemens held up the debt reminder and notarized document in his hand.

Then Devaldo’s smile grew wider.

“Then, shall we close the contract soon?”

Clemens does not respond to Devaldo’s words to drive a wedge.

Yes.

Clemens also gave up.

It must have been because he gave up everything and threw off his burdens that he had such a confident attitude.

Devaldo received the contract he had from the attendant.

And I read it carefully from above.

“As you may know, this contract is for apprentice priest Karl’s fruit convoy. If he does not succeed in convoying alone and causes enormous damage to the fruit market and merchants, the temple will compensate the merchants as well as the debts owed, and the temple site and surrounding farmland will all be given to Devaldo, the head of the merchant’s guild. may be handed over Is this all right?”

“It is.”

Clemens answered with a calm face.

Devaldo continued reading the contract.

“This contract is signed by two notaries, and the notaries are High Priest Clemens of the Temple of Dawning in Meririum, and Baron Astell, Mayor of Meririum, respectively. Both of them are trustworthy people, so there’s no doubt about the fulfillment of the contract… … .”

“Wait a minute, guild leader.”

Clemens cut off Devaldo by raising his hand.

Devaldo, slightly displeased, asked again.

“what? You’re not going to come and cry and borrow it now, are you?”

“Could that be? Just give me a moment.”

“Time… … ?”

Well, it’s not something I can’t understand.

Clemens has spent his whole life here, and he must be sad and regretful to leave.

At that thought, Devaldo’s face became comfortable again.

However, a completely different story came out of Clemens’ mouth.

“Our temple family has decided to arrive soon. I want to fulfill the contract where he is with me.”

arrival?

Who will come?

All the parties necessary for the contract are gathered here?

When Devaldo tilted his head at Clemens’ vague words, Eric whispered into Clemens’ ear.

“The guild said earlier that they had entered the village entrance, so they should be arriving soon.”

“I guess.”

Kiki-kung!

It was then that the old main gate of the temple opened.

Since it was a temple structure that stretched from the backyard to the courtyard and the front gate in a straight line, all the people in the backyard focused on the main gate.

and.

Jerk, Jerk!

A man who approaches with a confident and bold step!

When he appeared, the people in the backyard showed completely opposite expressions.

Among them, Devaldo’s face was the highlight.

“Everything, how do you… … ?”

“Have you come to a place where I can’t come?”

A profound voice, like a roaring lion!

It has golden hair and eyes.

It was the knife.

Then Carl looked straight at Devaldo and said.

“Looks like we have some more to talk about.”