I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 19: Port City (1)

Port City “Wave Reach”.

In a place known as the inn street, with inns ranging from cheap to luxurious gathered together.

“Just get out of the store before this ends with harsh words. Unless you want to see something worse.”

The owner of a rather famous tavern called “Whalebone” snapped at the two men who came in early in the morning.

“I don’t want to get tangled up with you Stigmata folks, so get out.”

Their unique armor and emblem.

Gloves concealing their pierced hands.

As the owner pointed out, the two men were indeed members of Stigmata.

“Ah, come on… we’re asking for a bit of cooperation here.”

The man with a scarred face and a cocky demeanor said.

“This is all an order from above, we can’t do anything about it.”

“Can’t do anything? That’s a load of crap.”

The owner folded his arms, muscles bulging.

He had once been the captain of a whaling ship.

Even though it had been over a decade since he retired and his beard had turned white, he still maintained his formidable muscles.

“Mr. Belmot. Can’t you make an exception? Think about it, we’re both from Wave Reach.”

This time, the younger man, who seemed like a rookie but had shadows under his eyes from fatigue, spoke.

“What kind of nonsense is this? What? You think being from the same city will make me offer you a drink?”

The tavern owner Belmot slammed the table in anger.

“All you do is spread bad rumors to the customers, so get lost! You filthy ex-cons!”

The scarred Stigmata member twisted his lips.

“I tried being polite out of respect, but it seems you prefer things rougher?”

“What did you say? At best, you guys are just—”

“Alright, enough.”

The cocky man flinched at Belmot’s words and raised his hand.

“Let’s not talk about that. How about your daughter’s condition?”

“What did you say, you bastard?”

“I heard her health has improved?”

Belmot, who was about to erupt in a fiery rage, suddenly froze.

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“It’s something worth celebrating. After suffering for over five years from a sickness caught from a sailor, she miraculously recovered.”

The cocky Stigmata member smiled as he stared at Belmot.

“It would have been nice if she didn’t recover through heretical methods.”

“… What kind of garbage are you talking about now?”

Though Belmot tried to feign ignorance, it was already too late.

The ominous feeling he had sensed had become reality.

“You hid it so thoroughly, didn’t you? Even if you burned it and buried it in the ground, there are ways to track it.”

The man took out a charred and barely recognizable lump and threw it on the table.

“Is there any enchantment on this? Huh? Answer me, sir.”

Belmot snorted.

“I don’t know. You bring strange garbage into my place.”

“You’re pretty strict. I see something found near your house isn’t enough evidence for you?”

The man then took out an intact item and placed it on the table.

Blood vessels bulged in Belmot’s eyes.

“It’s the necklace you gave your daughter when she got married. We found it neatly tucked in her drawer.”

“You… bastards.”

Belmot broke into a cold sweat.

After using a relic of the Ancients, he had sent his daughter far away just in case, but it seemed to have been futile.

“I knew you guys were filthy, but this…!”

“For us, we hear curses more often than greetings in a day, so spout whatever you want.”

Belmot shook his head.

“You want to claim heretical practices by using some Outer God? All you brought is an incomprehensible item and a criminal act of sneaking into my daughter’s house.”

Belmot calmly organized his thoughts, refusing to back down.

“Ancient relics? I’ve never seen such a thing! I’ll report this to Luminarius—”

“We.”

Belmot’s words were interrupted by the man.

“I didn’t want to bring this up, but you should get some sleep at night. But now, it seems you’re going to lose a lot of sleep.”

When Belmot saw the item the man finally took out, his face turned pale. No matter how strong-willed Belmot was, his demeanor crumbled at the sight of a single parchment. That paper was an investigation request from the ‘Inquisitors’, the most insidious and feared group among the three knight orders of the Church of Hayat.

“Do you want to see the Inquisitors come to your shop and your daughter’s house?”

“Damn it… What do you want?”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.”

The man smirked as he spoke.

“All this trouble because of that heretical priest. Isn’t that right, old man?”

* * *

“Did you hear? Mercenaries are flocking to the port city because of matters related to the heretical priest.”

“What? They’re not going to intensify inspections, are they?”

Inside the carriage, there were those who worried about getting caught in the inspection. Overhearing their conversation, I thought to myself that there was no need to worry.

‘I once had a similar concern.’

While playing ≪Orders≫, I had asked Dowol about the seemingly lax inspections. In a world with magic and miracles, weren’t the inspections too lenient?

‘They said intensifying inspections would cause chaos.’

The port city had an enormous floating population. There were many peddlers and laborers who needed to board ships quickly, as well as those arriving for important transactions. With so many people coming and going, inspections required a lot of personnel and resources. Despite that, there was a time when they enforced strict inspections.

‘As a result, there was a massive uproar, leading to simplified inspections. Instead, the Luminaries were stationed in place of the guards.’

Therefore, there was no need to worry about the inspections. Generally, they just let people through.

“We have arrived. There will be an inspection, so please disembark from the carriage.”

Following the coachman’s instructions, everyone in the carriage grabbed their belongings and got off. This time, I had transformed myself into a burly middle-aged man with brown hair, and I had stored my cloak separately in my luggage, just in case.

‘Well, I should be fine…’

Once again, Talia had drawn the short straw.

“Sigh…”

Talia, who had transformed into a woman appearing to be in her seventies, let out a deep sigh as she disembarked. Seeing her gloomy expression made me feel a bit guilty.

“Welcome to Wave Reach. Do you have any items to prove your identity?”

As Talia mimicked the behavior of an old woman and looked dejected, a customs officer approached me.

‘They don’t seem to have any magic detection items or tools to see through transformations.’

After briefly scanning the officer, I replied that I didn’t have anything. Most people didn’t have such items, so it wasn’t a big issue.

“Your purpose for visiting?”

“I’m here to work as a whaler.”

I gave the backstory I had prepared in advance. I even had to pay Ender extra to come up with a solid new identity.

‘After moving from village to village, Talia has complained more than a few times. We’ve also wasted an extra two weeks.’

Under the original plan of just evading the Church of Hayat’s pursuit by using the port, such thorough measures wouldn’t have been necessary. However, since we also needed to investigate the black market, we had to prepare meticulously.

“So, have you visited before?”

“Yes. Last time, they asked for an additional inspection fee because I brought a harpoon.”

The customs officer looked flustered and scratched his head at my response.

“Oh… is that so?”

“They later told me there was no such regulation.”

I replied while glaring at the customs officer. It wasn’t entirely a lie. In ≪Orders≫, I had paid an extra inspection fee when I brought a weapon through customs.

‘Though there’s an option to just pay a bribe… Given that I’m posing as a rough whaler, it’s better to apply pressure like this than offer a bribe.’

“You’re not going to ask for another extra inspection fee, are you?”

“Please proceed. You’re clear.”

The customs officer, wanting to avoid unnecessary emotional labor, simply let them through.

‘Talia too… Hm, she passed through easily.’

Talia was assigned the role of an old woman who had trouble understanding speech. She also carried a letter supposedly from her grandson, who had recently returned from a sea voyage. Naturally, the letter was written by me.

“This is the port city…”

Entering the city, I was honestly impressed. The city was bustling with energy and people, reminiscent of the lively scenes of Baghdad as depicted in movies.

“The buildings and overall development feel more advanced. Even within the same ‘Demiurge’ Empire, there’s such a noticeable difference.”

The Demiurge Empire was the largest power on the Everlor continent, comparable to the Roman Empire. Given that this was the empire’s largest port city, Wave Reach was significantly different from other towns.

“Both the architectural styles and the attire of the people are diverse.”

Despite feeling like a tourist, I quickly regained my focus and headed towards the meeting place. Talia was directed to secure an inn room and revert her transformation, then join the meeting spot later. I was to go ahead first.

“There’s no better place than here—the Whalebone Tavern.”

It was the best place for gathering information. Moreover, the stern innkeeper never cooperated with the Luminaries of the Church of Hayat or the investigators of the Stigmata.

“Seeing it in person, it looks sturdy. They said it was an old building, but it just feels aged, that’s all.”

I opened the door and entered the establishment. The scene revealed a typical mercenary guild atmosphere, with colorful mercenaries drinking and enjoying meals.

“A room for one night. Two people. My companion will arrive separately.”

I called the innkeeper, who was cleaning a glass, and handed over some money.

“I only have a single-bed room left.”

“Then give me that… And get me a pint of Captain Jack Dunkel.”

Wasn’t it named after the famous pirate, Captain Jack, who was fond of it? I ordered this beer to gauge the innkeeper’s reaction.

“First time seeing your face here, but you know a thing or two.”

The innkeeper poured a dark beer resembling stout into a wooden cup and asked, “Who referred you?”

“I can’t disclose that.”

This beer wasn’t listed on the menu. Only guests referred by someone could order it. And those who could get such a referral usually had substantial financial backing.

“Of course. What’s your name?”

“Ahab.”

A rather unfortunate name for a sailor but, after seeing my changed appearance, I decided to stick with it.

“Alright, what do you want?”

In this tavern, purchasing information from the innkeeper was a secret transaction. It was quite fascinating that the conversation proceeded exactly as it did in ≪Orders≫.

“I want…”

I was about to say I wanted information on foreign items when something caught my eye.

‘… No way.’

He appeared to be a typical healthy man. Though his head was shaven, his features were quite decent. That man was scratching his head, twisting his fingers. Another man, at the right moment, cracked his neck twice in one direction.

‘Both seem to be employees, but that signal…’

Having played ≪Orders≫, I could recognize it. Specifically, I recognized it from having used a spy-like thief character.

‘… Luminaries!’

I grimaced. I had nearly walked into a trap. As I gathered my thoughts and rephrased my question, the innkeeper impatiently signaled me to speak.

“Recently, there’s a large bounty on a guy with red hair. I want information on this heretical priest.”

After saying this, I discreetly observed the reactions of the two men. As expected, they were watching me.