Proposal.
Carmen stared at the arrowhead with trembling eyes, his face rigid with tension.
It was understandable—if the orb showed no reaction after absorbing his blood, it would mean that the relative he sought was already dead. Carmen was worried that his mother might already be gone.
After several attempts to prick his finger but stopping short, Carmen finally looked up at me and spoke.
"Priest Marnak. Could you... perhaps pray for me?"
I smiled softly and nodded.
"Of course. I'd be happy to."
I gently tapped my chest pocket, calling out to the Mother of Decay, and whispered:
"Mother. Did you hear that?"
'Kill!'
A scolding tone, as if saying I knew full well she didn't have such a power. I only responded with a quiet smile.
At last, Carmen shut his eyes tightly and pricked his fingertip with the arrowhead. As the droplet of blood touched the orb, it hungrily devoured it.
As Carmen watched with trembling eyes, the blood-soaked orb emitted a swallowing sound, and then a tiny needle surfaced inside it, pointing in a specific direction—west.
"Oh... Mother... So you're still alive after all."
Tears fell freely from Carmen's eyes. He had always been a deeply emotional man. Wiping his tears, he bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you. Truly. I owe it all to you, Priest Marnak. I don't know how I can ever repay this grace..."
"Whenever that time comes, just repay it with all your sincerity. I'm a very patient man."
I fed more firewood into the campfire. As the orange flames flickered, Carmen spoke carefully.
"Would it be alright if I made you a proposal?"
"By all means. Don't hold back. The night is long and my ears are quite bored."
Wearing the necklace with the orb, Carmen slowly began to speak.
"I would like to extend your employment, Priest Marnak. Until I find my mother. We're heading west anyway, and we can stop by the capital on the way so I can properly reward you for your help."
That proposal meant one thing—he was asking me to leave Guise and travel with him.
I poked at the firewood, lost in thought.
I had to weigh the benefits of staying in Guise against those of leaving with Carmen.
In Guise, I had the favor of a demon lord. Thanks to the recent demon incident, I had a solid foundation now. If I returned, I'd probably even receive a silver mercenary badge from the guild.
But there was a problem—I had become far too well-known in Guise. Wherever I went, I attracted attention. Those gazes were suffocating for someone like me who preferred a quiet, low-profile life.
On the other hand, traveling with Carmen came with its own benefits. He may have been a bastard child, but he was still a noble. And not just any noble—he was the son of Enthis Valtas, the infamous Black Wolf of the North. Just being associated with him would open doors that were otherwise firmly shut to someone like me.
That meant I could search for relics in far more places.
I made up my mind.
"Of course, I'll cover all travel expenses along the way. I have more than enough to spare."
He paused briefly—perhaps wary of sounding too eager and money-minded.
I calmly fed a few more logs into the fire, then smiled gently.
"I'll lend a hand in finding your mother."
And while we're at it, I'll keep an eye out for more relics of the Mother of Decay.
Carmen beamed with joy.
"Thank you!"
---
Erin glared at me with a pout.
"So you're leaving? Just like that? After all the kindness I've shown you?"
I gave her an awkward smile.
"Not immediately. I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Today or tomorrow, it's still sudden! Ugh, whatever. So, where are you going?"
"West, for now. We'll stop by the capital on the way."
Erin tapped the reception desk with her finger, muttering "...the capital," and then gave me another pointed look. Her actions could've come off as childish, but with her, they felt charming and natural.
"You're so mean."
'Kill!'
Mother, already drunk with victory, let out a triumphant yell in my mind.
"Give me your hand."
"Uh? Okay."
When I held out my hand, Erin placed a silver mercenary badge in my palm.
"These don't normally come out this fast, you know. I pulled a lot of strings to get this done. So, what should you say to me?"
"Thank you?"
Her slender index finger wagged in front of my eyes as she pouted again.
"Nope. That's not it. You're supposed to say something like, 'Let's meet again. I'll be sure to come back here.' That kind of thing."
I didn't respond. I just smiled silently.
For someone like me, drifting like duckweed on the water, "Let's meet again" was a promise I couldn't keep.
So I chose silence over a lie.
Erin stared at me for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
"Seriously, Priest Marnak. If you keep living like this, you're going to die old and alone."
'Kill!'
Mother's shout, uncaring as ever, didn't reach Erin.
With her usual playful smile, Erin offered a parting farewell as she passed by.
"See you again."
...See you again?
"Huh?"
Mother's shout of "Kill!"—as if it was none of her business—naturally didn't reach Erin. With her usual playful smile, she casually threw out a farewell.
"See you again."
See you again?
"Sorry?"
"If the opportunity arises, let's meet again. Although, I have a feeling that opportunity might come looking for you sooner than expected, Priest Marnak."
"Kill?!"
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Erin smiled enigmatically and gave me a push on the back.
"You said you're off to meet the Lord before you leave, right? Hurry along, then. You can't be wasting time chatting with a mercenary guild receptionist while the Lord is waiting for you. No way, absolutely not."
As I was being pushed along, I called back.
"What do you really mean by that!"
"You don't need to know. Just stay curious about it for a while—that's my little punishment for you, Priest."
---
"This goes very well with the tea. Please, help yourself."
A finely crafted prosthetic hand moved like it was alive, pushing a plate of cookies toward me. I picked up a cookie and put it in my mouth. As expected, I couldn't taste anything.
The demon, seeing my expression, smiled warmly.
"You look full of curiosity."
"Someone threw a mischievous riddle at me on the way here. It keeps nagging at my mind."
"Well, life is full of those kinds of thoughts that grip you like that. So, you're really leaving?"
"Yes."
I looked up and faced the demon. His once-lustrous hair had lost its strength and hung limply. Between the thinning strands, his scalp was starting to peek through shyly.
I spoke with a touch of sympathy.
"The side effects came on rather quickly."
"Ha ha ha! Don't look so pitiful! Aren't we all born bald? I'm just getting closer to my natural human state. So, you're heading to the capital, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I've prepared something for you."
The demon handed me a pristine white envelope. I took it and asked,
"What is this…?"
"I would've liked to give you some money, but as you know, with all the resources going into rebuilding Guise, even my secret funds are dried up. I'm literally broke."
He pulled out his empty coin pouch and shook it with a grin.
"So instead, I've written you a letter of introduction. If you run into trouble, open the envelope and find the friend mentioned inside—they'll be able to help. Though, honestly, that friend is so troublesome that it's probably better not to rely on them unless absolutely necessary! Ha ha ha!"
A friend of a demon… Whether this friend was an acquaintance of the human "Tredon Filian" or of the demon "Crawling Patience," he didn't say.
Still, it's always good to have more tools in the kit. Anything kept might come in handy later.
"I'll accept it with gratitude."
At my thanks, the demon bowed deeply in return.
"I hope your journey is filled with joy."
"Is that a blessing from you as a demon, or as a human?"
The demon chuckled and replied,
"As a friend. Priest Marnak, live happily. Life's always too short."
---
"Shall we go, Priest?"
"Yes."
At the break of dawn, Carmen and I walked through the snowfield, leaving Guise behind.
Thus, I left Guise.
---
A few days later.
As usual, we were walking westward, following the orb's guidance, when a faint scent of blood tingled at my sensitive nose.
"Blood."
"What?"
"It's very close. And… it's heading toward us."
Carmen stiffened and drew his bow, nocking an arrow.
The scent of blood grew stronger. Something was rushing in fast.
Thud!
Screeeeeeeeeeeech!
A spider, as big as a carriage, covered in white fur with eight legs, leapt out at us. Carmen shouted urgently.
"Snow Spider!!! It shouldn't be near the road—what the hell?!"
I was just as confused. With me here, how could a monster dare attack? This wasn't natural at all.
"Carmen! I'll take the lead! Watch for my signal before you fire!"
"Yes!"
Instead of the frost-steel sword, I pulled out the artifact blade we'd found in the ruins.
Honestly, the real reason I told Carmen to wait for a signal was because I wanted to try out this artifact sword. Things had been too peaceful the past few days, and I hadn't had a single chance to use it.
As I activated the sword, it let out a wild wail.
WEEEEEEEEEEEENG!!!
That's right. The artifact blade I obtained wasn't a traditional sword—it had a chainsaw blade in place of a normal edge.
"Kill!"
Mother named it "The Butcher."
With the roaring weapon in hand, I charged at the Snow Spider.
Screeeeeeeeeeeech!
A giant front leg, soaked in blood, lunged to skewer me. Without hesitation, I swung The Butcher.
WEEEEEEEEEEEENG!
The high-speed spinning blade shredded the spider's leg. I didn't stop there—I kept slashing, and The Butcher ripped right through the creature's body.
Screee!
The Snow Spider let out a dying screech before being reduced to finely diced meat. The spinning blade slowly ground to a halt.
I wiped the thick bodily fluids from my face. Snow Spider fluids were disgustingly sticky.
"Next time I use this sword, I'll need to make sure I have a place to wash up. There's just too much splatter."
Carmen stared at me, stunned.
"An artifact is truly an artifact. The power is incredible."
"Kill!"
Mother's warning. I gripped The Butcher again and shouted,
"More incoming! Two—no, three!"
Screeeeeeeeech!
Screeeeeeeeech!
Screeeeeeeeech!
With blood-curdling cries, three more Snow Spiders burst forth. But they weren't supposed to hunt in groups…
"Carmen! This time, shoot at will!"
"Yes!"
As Carmen's arrows cut through the air, I revved The Butcher and launched myself forward.
WEEEEEEEEEEEENG!
The vicious roar of the blade echoed across the snowy battlefield.