Chapter 560 – 560. Corrupted Priest (1)
“Nice to see you. My name is Venter, who is currently the bishop of the Coloras branch of the Temple of Vesta.”
Coloras is the largest city closest to the village where Marius lives.
As the main figure of the Temple of Vesta, the state religion, is in charge of state politics in the sacred kingdom of Erenia, holding the position of bishop of a temple in this country means having the same authority as a mayor or lord who manages the city where the temple is located. Was also
“It’s such an honor to come to this humble place.”
Even though it was to see Marius, it was a big deal in many ways to have a high-ranking priest visit a lowly orphanage, so Ness, who was the current manager of the orphanage, bowed her head and said hello.
“Tea, tea…”
Bishop Venter, who visited the village with four paladins as an escort, was a middle-aged man in his mid-to-late 40s, and accepted the shabby hospitality with a smile that seemed very benign.
“Thank you.”
“…”
Ness was nervous while serving tea to Venter, who visited the orphanage to check out the divine power Marius was able to use.
It was because Ness and all the villagers were not used to the fact that a high-ranking person, a high-ranking official of the temple, came to such a village on the outskirts.
Although they did not particularly strongly believe in the existence of God, they were naturally nervous as long as they were in front of the high-ranking priest of the Temple of Vesta, their state religion.
“You don’t have to be so nervous.”
However, the reaction of the villagers was familiar to Venter, so he smiled benevolently and reassured them.
And soon, the confirmation of Marius’ divine power, which was the purpose of this visit, continued smoothly.
“Surely… The divine power is correct.”
“Then… !”
“Yes.”
Seeing Marius’ expectant face, Bishop Venter smiled and nodded his head.
“If you complete your training at the central temple, you will be officially commissioned as a priest.”
“…”
“I could write a letter of recommendation, but… What would you like to do?”
He had a bewildered expression on his face, as if he hadn’t realized the reality of a young man who was just beginning his career as a priest, but Venter already knew Marius’ answer.
He had met many new priests so far, but there was not a single one who refused this offer.
“Please!”
Without hesitation, Marius bowed his head and asked Venter for a letter of recommendation.
“Haha. Great.”
Venter readily accepted Marius’ request.
“That… I asked you a favor, but are you really okay? The way to repay the grace given to me…”
“I will decline anything in return. Still… Currently, the temple of our branch is in a state of lack of priests as it is located on the periphery. After completing the training and officially becoming a priest, we would like you to come to our temple and work hard. Then it will be worthwhile for me to write a letter of recommendation.”
“Yes! After completing the training, I will apply for the Coloras branch temple and fulfill my duties as a priest!”
After talking like that, Marius took a carriage prepared by Venter a week later and headed for the central temple in the distance, cherishing the letter of recommendation he had written together.
“It’s gone…”
Ness, who saw off Marius, who headed to the center to receive priestly training, forcibly endured a lonely expression on his face.
Marius is not leaving himself and this town forever.
In order to be of more help to the nursery school and this village, he was only away for a while to grow up, and he would return to this village soon after completing his training.
“We should throw a party to celebrate when we get back.”
Although the family budget and finances of the orphanage were not so generous, he was the first priest born in the village.
Not only himself, but everyone who considered Marius like his family congratulated him on the news of becoming a priest, and would surely agree to hold a small welcome and celebration party.
Waiting for Marius to return like that, the time in the village passed quickly.
The time without his family, who were like his friends, brother, and sister, was quite lonely and lonely for Ness, but fortunately, he could hear news of Marius from time to time.
“It is said that the grades are quite good, and even among the priests currently receiving training, they are competing for the top rank.”
“It’s true that he’s sincere, but he’s really smart.”
It seemed that news of Marius receiving training at the center was regularly reported to Venter, who had written the letter of recommendation.
Ness, who visited the village from time to time and heard the news of Marius, smiled happily.
“But…”
“… Yes?”
Seeing Venter’s reaction, who immediately showed a dark expression, Ness opened his eyes wide and looked at him.
She was very concerned about making that kind of expression at this timing, and in the end, she couldn’t stand it and asked.
“Dear Marius… What’s going on?”
“Because having excellent training grades is not all that good.”
“… ?”
When Ness, not understanding Venter’s words, tilted her head, Venter gave her a more detailed explanation.
All new priests participating in the training receive training for a certain period of time, and the next level of the priests is determined according to the results of the test, in which the performance of the training is evaluated.
The place of appointment, grade, and role to be assigned are determined according to these grades.
The priests who participated in the training were very diverse in age, gender, and status, leading to a fair test at first glance, but the reality was completely different. .
In a way, the new priests were competing based on their grades, so even the training was not so easy.
Among the new priests who can use divine power, there were many foreign nobles and wealthy merchants who donated huge amounts of money to the central temple.
In the midst of their own manipulated flow of various things such as honor, position, and money, Marius, who was born in an insignificant rural village, was like an eye-catching angular stone.
“That…”
Ness hardened his face when he heard the details that Marius would probably be envied and checked by many in the competitive landscape.
I was quite embarrassed by the way of thinking and values that were completely different from the values that existed in the mind of Ness, who had lived so far.
This is because cooperation and harmony were the basics in this village, where everyone worked together to cultivate the land, build houses on it, and cultivate the land, and there was no room for conflict or trouble.
“Something… Is there any way?”
“It’s not that there isn’t one, but…”
“Really!?”
Hearing Venter’s words, which left room for him to blur his words, Ness spoke hastily, as if snapping.
“First of all, I would like to go to Coloras and discuss this method… Are you okay?”
“That…”
Ness did not readily accept Venter’s words and hesitated.
If he could help Marius with his situation, he would have liked to, but he was reluctant to leave this important orphanage.
“If you are reluctant to leave your seat, no worries. We will support the manpower from our side.”
The paladins and lower priests who came to the village with Venter were probably for that purpose.
“Thank you. Bishop.”
From the first meeting with her, starting with various favors, there was not a single person, including Ness, who doubted Venter, who had made a good impression as Marius’ supporter.
Rather, it was very strange that high-ranking priests, each of whom was a bishop of a temple, often visited a village on the outskirts like this, but it was impossible for Ness and the villagers to realize the strangeness, who only knew the ecology of this small village. .
Ness, who followed the bishop to Coloras, admired the first sight of the city.
“Wow…”
Compared to the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Erenia or other large cities, Coloras was just a village with a population and land size of only about half, but compared to his own village with a population of just over 300 people, Ness saw admiration. To the extent that the light leaks out.
Ness followed Venter, taking in the scenery of the new city.
“Here is…”
Of course, since Venter is the bishop of the Coloras branch temple, he thought he would head straight to the temple, but Ness, who had followed Venter, arrived at an inn that looked quite old-fashioned.
“Are you here?”
“Okay. Are you all here?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
The owner, who was guarding the counter, recognized Venter’s face as he entered the inn, and immediately came over to greet him.
After a brief conversation, Venter immediately took Ness up the stairs.
Venter’s steps were unstoppable, as if he knew where he was going.
Eventually, the two arrived at the door at the far end of the corridor on the top floor of the inn.
When he opened the door without knocking, Ness saw a huge area that occupied the entire floor.
And there are three men in the room.
“Here you are.”
“Hmm?”
The middle-aged men who found Venter and Ness standing in front of the door looked at the two of them in unison.
“It’s okay.”
“…”
Ness, who was very reluctant at the grinning middle-aged man’s gaze, trembled her body and the instincts in her head warned her, but Venter grabbed her hesitant Ness by the wrist and forced her into the room. Dragged her
“Lord, Bishop… !?”
“Let me give you a brief introduction. These are the people who will support Marius.”
Although all the men in the room were strangers to Ness, he could immediately tell from their clothes, accessories, and demeanor that they were not all of his ordinary class.
Venter did not reveal their identities, but as Venter said, they would exert considerable influence on the central temple, from wealthy merchants with enormous wealth, high-ranking priests from training institutes that produced a number of outstanding priests, and high-status nobles from other countries. They were high-ranking officials.
“But… I’m really sorry, but these people all have their own circumstances… He said he couldn’t grant my request without any conditions.”
I released Ness’s wrists that were tightly gripped, and Venter’s hands slowly came up and wrapped themselves around Ness’ shoulders.
Then he whispered in her ear.
“So I wanted Miss Ness to convince them, so I prepared this place.”
“… Persuade?”
The movement of both Venter’s hands touching her own shoulder took a sudden turn.
The figure of the faithful priest repaying her kindness and faith disappeared, and the movement of her caressing her own body gave her goosebumps as if a bug was crawling on it.
“Yes. If Miss Ness showed even a little sincerity and effort, they would spare no support for Marius.”
“…”
Even though she lived only in her small, outskirts village, the adult Ness was not so stupid as to not understand what Venter meant.
Turning her head, she whispered in her own ear her Ness glaring at Venter’s face, a look of contempt on her face, she said in a quivering voice.
“This… Is this the job of a priest who serves God?”
Feelings of disgust and contempt rose as he realized that the priest who had to serve God and take care of and save many people with the warm grace he received from God was a very ugly and dirty beast.
“I am very sad that I can only help Marius in this way.”
“It’s okay to say that… ! I will immediately go to the central temple to protest!”
The reason why he held back the desire to punch Venter in the face with a clenched fist was that he was also the administrator of the city as the bishop of the Coloras temple branch.
No matter how angry and heated he was, considering the aftermath of direct harm to him, all Ness could do was to endure and let go of the contempt that was building up in his heart.
“Can you really?”
“… I beg your pardon?”
“Do you know the way to the central temple from here? How long will it take? What are the expenses?”
“…”
There’s no way you know that
Ness clenched his teeth and glared at Venter without reply, but Venter smiled and continued.
“If you leave like this, have you thought about what the consequences might be for Marius, who is undergoing training as a priest in the central temple?”
Ness realized it belatedly.
That he was deceived.
Writing letters of recommendation that did not benefit anything, and having to lead a busy body to visit a small village on the outskirts and deliver the news on a regular basis were all just to build trust in order to bring oneself here with a false mask.
What came to Ness’ mind now was the face of his family, Marius, a friend he had grown up with in the orphanage.
The face of an innocent young man who said that even if he was in the lower class, if he became a full-time priest and had a fixed income, he could feed even a few more pieces of bread to the children at the orphanage.
‘Marius… Sorry.’
Ness, who had carried it in his heart since he was a girl and had not been able to convey it until now as a virgin, closed his eyes tightly, lamenting his foolishness.
