I Became the Priest of Blasphemy of the Outer Gods

Chapter 20: Port City (2)

“There’s been an increase in people asking about that guy.”

“I heard it’s highly likely that he might come to Wave Reach.”

I took a swig of my drink, but the harsh taste took me by surprise, and I nearly spit it out. Enduring it silently, I made sure to empty the glass in one go.

“Yeah, it’s likely. But why him, of all people?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Luminaries have put a bounty on him. That means he’s pretty dangerous.”

“So what?”

“It means it’s better for society if he disappears sooner rather than later.”

I spoke roughly, deliberately scratching my throat.

“Of course, I need the money too.”

“You must be a rookie, huh?”

The bartender immediately picked up on the part I had hinted at.

“If you don’t have the guts to kill someone, give up on bounty hunting.”

“… Lost my family because of the Outer Gods.”

After a deliberate pause, I spoke in a voice laden with bitterness.

“I lost my son and daughter-in-law. Only my granddaughter, who they had, is left.”

“… Hmph.”

The bartender, though appearing indifferent, poured me a drink I hadn’t ordered. It looked much clearer and more expensive.

“Take good care of your granddaughter.”

“She wants to find work here. She also wants to travel.”

“Is she already independent?”

“She’s sharper than two guys put together.”

The bartender stayed by my side, listening to my story. As a man with a daughter and grandkids, he wouldn’t take this lightly.

‘I can’t believe he’s unaware that Luminaries are undercover here…’

This bartender was not to be underestimated. If someone as stern as him accepted Luminaries’s interference, he must have been threatened regarding his children or grandkids.

“I need a lot of money, just once. How much can I earn by going out to catch whales a few more times?”

“Tch, do you even have a way to deal with a priest of the Outer Gods?”

“I heard there’s a black market.”

I whispered deliberately.

“Black market?”

“People collecting items related to the Outer Gods. That means there are people who know how to handle and counter their power. There’s that sort in that place.”

The bartender, after carefully considering my words, nodded his head.

“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t know there was such a black market… crazy bastards.”

When I emptied my glass, the bartender poured another one. This was proving to be a bit intense…

“Even if I go, I should leave my granddaughter with enough.”

“Have you not thought about the fact that you could die a senseless death?”

“If my granddaughter can avoid suffering, it’s worth it.”

The bartender stared at me for a long time. He then poured himself a drink and pushed it toward me. I clinked my glass against his, and we quietly finished our drinks.

“Are there many competitors?”

“Plenty. Kivari, famous for long-distance throwing skills. Delyon and Lady Angsandee, known for their fierce combination of a volatile guy and a top-notch swordswoman.”

… These names were completely unfamiliar.

“And plenty of small fries will try their luck too.”

“Tch… I’ll have a tough time then.”

I clicked my tongue deliberately and stood up.

“Thanks for the drink.”

“Take good care of your granddaughter.”

“She’ll be here soon.”

“… I’ll give you a spacious room for the same price.”

At this point, my conscience stung badly… but I had no choice. I accepted the kindness and secured a spacious room. Later, when Talia arrived, she asked me what kind of trick I pulled to make the bartender treat me so well.

* * *

Late at night.

Jake and Exon, Luminaries’s knights, reached out as they heard a tapping sound by the window. The letter left by the window contained information about Ahab.

“Hmm, that old man Ahab… seems his story is true”, Exon said, stretching lightly.

“No suspicious points?”

“It doesn’t seem like Ahab is his real name. It’s probably a name he uses as a sailor… He’s not a complete rookie as a mercenary either.”

“So he has something to hide, huh?”

Jake nodded.

“It seems he’s an acquaintance of Ender, the leader of the Blood Bear Brotherhood.”

“What? Then that means he’s quite strong.”

When Exon asked in surprise, Jake continued reading the document.

“It says here that they had a big falling out and lost contact. No one knew his whereabouts after that.”

“Was he looking after his granddaughter?”

“That seems likely. There’s a rumor that he lost a child around the same time.”

Exon pondered and recalled Ahab’s story.

“So, did he really come back for his granddaughter, like he said? Trying to make a big amount of money one last time before retiring?”

“Seems so. There’s no separate record of this granddaughter.”

“Well, it’s unlikely we’d find information about a retired mercenary’s granddaughter.”

The two men pulled out a parchment and drew a line through Ahab’s name. There were several names that had lines through them, and many more that hadn’t been crossed out yet.

“What’s that heretical priest up to? If he’s still not here, he might have gone somewhere else altogether.”

“What about the black market items that Ahab mentioned?”

“They are real, but we’ve been ordered not to touch them.”

“So, the task is given to the Stigmata, then.”

Exon sighed.

“Another fruitless day?”

“It’s better this way. A heretical priest coming to the city would be a real problem.”

Ahab’s name gradually faded from their focus.

* * *

“…Do you really think that’s how it’ll go?”

“I’ve set it up to look that way.”

Talia still expressed doubt despite my explanation that we wouldn’t be suspected.

“They won’t find much even if they dig further.”

“But there actually exists a person who claims to be Ender’s acquaintance. Won’t we get caught?”

“That person is already dead. Ender himself killed him. And no one else knows that fact except Ender.”

Jackson, a man who lost his child and grandchild to an Outer God, ended up clashing with his friend Ender over it. Jackson had planned to persuade Ender to spend a large sum to find a miracle that could revive the dead.

“Won’t there be people who doubt I’m his granddaughter? Like people who know the family…”

“When you work as a mercenary, a rough job with many enemies, you don’t tend to let people know about your family.”

Besides, I purposely transformed into Ahab and took Talia to visit Ender.

“Ever since you started acting like his granddaughter, there’s no reason for suspicion.”

“But what if someone recognizes my true appearance?”

“No, that’d be difficult.”

I was confident in my statement. Cleaned up and well-dressed, Talia looked completely different from her days at the orphanage. She even cut her hair into a neat bob.

“I used to cherish my hair…”

“…Ahem.”

“Just kidding. So, what’s the plan now?”

I took a moment to refine the plan at Talia’s question.

“You find a job, and I continue gathering information about ‘Ethnos’ as Ahab.”

“Are you pretending to chase yourself?”

“Exactly. While checking the movements of the Church of Hayat and gathering information on mercenaries.”

“And what about the black market?”

Talia pinpointed my other concern.

“I’ve left a clue for the Luminaries, so we’ll wait. Maybe Lyla’s master knows something.”

I checked the dosage of the potion, making sure I knew exactly how much I could use. Then I prepared to change into someone other than Ahab.

“…Does it not upset your stomach? It bothers mine every time I drink it.”

“I can bear it.”

I drank the potion and transformed into a plain and sturdy young man.

“You rest for now.”

“Okay, what about you?”

I took out the letter that Lyla had given me from my cloak.

“I’m going to meet Lyla’s master.”

* * *

Lyla’s master was a great mage.

‘I was shocked when I heard the name…’

Cernun Amberlight. I had encountered this name before in ≪Orders≫. Even as an enemy.

‘What a strange feeling.’

I had to build a good relationship with someone whom I once defeated in ≪Orders≫.

‘It’s still a relief that it’s Cernun.’

Among eccentric mages, he was considered odd because he was actually quite ordinary and unpretentious.

‘Although, it’s quite something that he chose to meet in such a place.’

The shop Cernun chose was close to being a street stall. Among the rowdy, drunken men, I saw a man covered in a robe.

Probably few would associate that shabby appearance with a great mage.

“May I buy you a drink?”

I approached politely and asked. The man in the robe turned to look at me and made a space for me to sit next to him.

“Seems like you’re using the potion well.”

Cernun said as he removed his robe. Short white hair and a heavily wrinkled face due to age. But with a robust build, he exuded an atmosphere like an old leader.

“Yes, thanks to your recommendation.”

Cernun scrutinized me. The most striking feature about his face was undoubtedly the eyes that seemed to blaze brightly, holding a flicker like flames.

“It’s a bit noisy for a conversation.”

With a light gesture, the surrounding sounds almost disappeared.

‘A spell that wipes out sound with the wind, perhaps…’

Just with a simple gesture, he cast it; he truly was no ordinary great mage.

“To get to the point, you won’t be doing the task we assigned to Lyla.”

“Then, what task is it?”

“It is related to the black market.”

As expected… Cernun’s reason for coming here was the black market.

“A freely usable Scripture of O’tak…”

“Did Lyla tell you?”

“From the recovery, the transformed arm, and a lot of money, one can infer.”

Cernun laughed lightly as he emptied his glass.

‘He sure has a significant interest in the Outer God Artifact.’

Cernun seemed to know the miracles written in the O’tak’s scripture to some extent.

‘But as far as I knew, Cernun wasn’t someone involved with the Outer God Artifact…’

It seemed there were many factors I was unaware of.

“Did you need someone who could handle the miracles of the Outer God Artifact?”

“Yes, it was astonishingly fortunate to find the right talent. No, it’s more surprising that such a talent actually exists.”

Cernun pulled a large bag from his side and showed it to me.

“…What is that?”

“An advance payment.”

“I came to pay the price myself…”

When I expressed my confusion, Cernun laughed.

“What I’m requesting from you can’t be covered by that cloak alone. What I want is to somehow enter the black market and…”

Cernun narrowed his eyes and murmured.

“…make contact with the enigmatic figure who seems to be the owner of that black market.”

Cernun began to retrieve items from the bag.

“The reward is a scroll with the miracle of a certain Outer God inscribed on it. And…”

Cernun showed me a rolled piece of parchment and then reached back into the bag. The final item he pulled out was a rectangular, pure white book. It resembled a bundle of white threads, making it unrecognizable as a book at first glance.

“…It is the scripture of the Outer God, 【Weaver of Destruction’s Threads】.”