[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 26: The Granting of a Title (2)
"I kept my promise."
Ono, with even darker circles under his eyes than when he left, spoke.
Hamel looked at him curiously and asked,
"What happened?"
It was a journey of over a week from here to the Letria Diocese.
How could the bishop have arrived here so quickly?
Ono chuckled and replied,
"A lot has happened. The Pope himself opened a gate."
"..."
Hamel was speechless.
A long-distance gate was last opened years ago when a special-grade demon appeared in the Imperial capital.
It was a taxing task even for the Pope and, above all, a matter that would draw scrutiny from the Imperial family.
Ono stared at the bewildered Hamel for a moment, then shrugged.
"Well, it means the Order didn't want to lose you."
It was unlikely that the Order had gone through such political trouble solely for Hamel.
A secular lord with a religious position was a very advantageous position for the Order.
But even setting aside such political dynamics, it was true that the Order had shown him great favor.
"...Thanks to you, Ono-nim."
Hamel bowed his head in gratitude.
Even with the use of a gate, it was only possible because Ono had ridden day and night for three days straight.
Thanks to him, he was able to keep his priesthood.
Ono, receiving his gratitude, clicked his tongue and turned away.
"That's enough. Anyway, make sure you get that title since I went through all this trouble because of you. I'm going to get some sleep now."
Sometime after Ono left,
Step, step!
Daniel approached, leading a horse.
"I'm ready. Hamel, are you all set?"
"What preparations are there to make?"
The salt mine was only half a day away, and they had rested plenty.
It was a particularly clear day.
Hamel took a deep breath of the damp earth and started walking.
With lighter steps than ever.
***
"Hmm, I wonder if they've left by now."
Antonio muttered, lying in bed.
"I wanted to see them off..."
Antonio, muttering regretfully, was confined to his room, forced to undergo treatment under the supervision of the head priest.
Just then,
Creak!
At the faint sound of the door opening, Antonio sat up and asked,
"Bishop-nim?"
"Oh, no, that's not me. My apologies."
Antonio tilted his head.
It was a man's voice he had never heard before.
The calm, low voice seemed to belong to someone quite old.
"Who are you?"
"Well, what does it matter? More importantly, may I ask you something...?"
The man suddenly stopped talking and slowly approached Antonio.
Then, he spoke with a slightly surprised voice,
"You're... Antonio from the Eastern Diocese, aren't you?"
"Yes? Yes, that's right. How did you know...?"
Antonio thought it was strange that the man who was looking for him didn't know him.
Then a possibility occurred to him.
Perhaps he was newly dispatched from the Holy See.
He had heard that someone would come from the Holy See in the south, separate from the bishop's group.
'Indeed,'
The Holy Sepulchre Knights were standing guard outside.
There was no one safer than him in the territory right now.
"You're from the Order, aren't you?"
"..."
"Huh? Are you not?"
"...No, I am."
For some reason, the man's voice was hesitant.
The man was silent for a while.
As if contemplating something.
Then he suddenly asked an unexpected question.
"Are your eyes... completely blind?"
"Yes, well, that's right."
Apparently, he could wear prosthetic eyes later during the treatment.
One day,
A miner disappeared.
He had clearly left the mine with the others the day before, but he didn't show up for work the next day.
Finding this strange, the other miners went to his house, but his family had disappeared as well.
"Their belongings and valuables were all untouched. It was very strange, as if they had just vanished."
'Disappeared with their family.'
Hamel stroked his chin, lost in thought.
If they disappeared with their family, it would normally raise suspicion of them running away.
However, if they ran away, it was strange that their valuables were left behind, even if their belongings were.
If there were no signs of kidnapping or murder, there was a possibility that they were lured away by a demon.
The Mimic, which imitates human voices to lure its prey.
The Fox of Ermeda, which could charm people's minds.
'No, even if there are no traces, we can't rule out the possibility that they were taken by force.'
Hamel considered several possibilities and asked the old man to continue his explanation.
"A few weeks passed. A second miner disappeared. Along with his family."
"And then...?"
"Yes, a few days later, a third miner disappeared."
The atmosphere in the village grew heavy with the repeated disappearances.
However, unlike before, there was finally a witness for the third miner's disappearance.
"It was me."
The old man spoke with a pained expression.
"I went out to relieve myself in the middle of the night... and I saw a group of people entering the mine."
And, as expected, they disappeared from the village that day.
The old man told his son about this.
His son, the village headman, immediately gathered the miners.
And they decided to search the depths of the mine to rescue the missing people.
Hamel, who had been listening silently, frowned and asked,
"By the depths of the mine... do you mean the forbidden area?"
"How did you...?"
"..."
Hamel recalled his childhood memories.
The forbidden area was a kind of legend passed down in this region.
It was said that there was black salt in the depths of the salt mine, and a demon slept near it.
Although it was an old story, people were reluctant to set foot there.
There were plenty of other places to mine rock salt, and black salt had low commercial value.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have said anything... No, I should have stopped them somehow."
The old man sobbed softly again.
Hamel gently placed his hand on the old man's shoulder.
"We'll go check it out. Don't worry. If it's only been two days, they might still be alive."
"...Really?"
"I'll do my best."
Hamel proved it with actions rather than words.
"Get on."
Hamel helped the old man onto the horse.
Then, he pulled the reins with all his might and rode off like the wind.
"He's lost it again."
Daniel muttered, clicking his tongue as he hurriedly chased after Hamel.
Soon, the entrance to the mine came into view.
The families of the miners who had disappeared into the mine were gathered there.
They all looked haggard, as if they hadn't eaten or washed in days, and their empty eyes were filled with despair.
Unable to follow them in, yet unable to give up, they simply waited there endlessly.
Hamel's appearance drew everyone's attention.
"..."
Hamel pondered for a moment about what to say.
How could he reassure and comfort them?
But there was no need for Hamel to say anything.
"A priest from the Order has come."
The old man on the horse announced to the people.
Their eyes lit up with hope.
"Sir, is-is that true?"
"A p-priest!"
"Someone from the Order has come!"
People looked at Hamel with expectation.
They clung to him as their last hope.
In the past, all this would have been a burden, but now it was different.
He was grateful to God for leading him to a destiny where he could help them.
Hamel dismounted and headed straight for the mine.
Then, pausing for a moment, he bowed briefly to the people watching him and said,
"I'll be back soon."
"...!"
Cheers erupted behind Hamel as he entered the cave.
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Max]