Cardboard Houses Do Not Tear

57 – Preparing for Exploration

“Mr. Ghouse?”

As soon as I heard the sound of her Priyanian squad leader approaching me, Priest Rien stopped her.

“Don’t come close. It might get entangled.”

“What do you mean by that?”

She heard her squad leader arguing with her.

But I couldn’t lift my head.

I couldn’t straighten my back as if I had stomach cramps, but the more I bent, the less pain I felt, so I kept lowering my head.

Now, as I was almost bowing down, I heard a sound from the side.

What the hell did you do to my squadmates-

Keep calm and watch-

The arguing disappeared, and only Lee Myung filled his head.

How long has it been since you fell down with your mouth open like that?

Something black came out of my mouth and spilled onto the tent floor.

It was a very ominous, yet cold-looking slime.

After drinking, my body trembled as if I had opened my esophagus and poured it out, to the point where I couldn’t control myself.

After pouring out everything, I was able to fall to the side.

After holding my breath for such a long time, the pain and tinnitus started to subside.

It was only then that I heard the prianian squad leader commenting on what I had vomited.

“…What is that?”

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“There you go.”

When I looked up, Priest Rien, whose clothes were disheveled, was extending her hand toward me.

“He sees everything from the firmament, and the darkness does not escape from his sight and fades away.”

The sunlight began to rise from her fingertips as she muttered something.

And soon, it flew to me and permeated me.

There was no sense of resistance or reluctance.

The light that entered my body warmly melted even the remnants of pain.

“After.”

Afterwards, after the mucus on her floor also disappeared, Priest Rien wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

“Fortunately, the G-House mercenary followed me.”

“Priest Rien, what is that?”

The leader of the prianian squad asked.

“It’s the dark magic that was in that person’s body until just now.”

She answered briefly.

The moment the Priianian squad leader was about to startle at that answer, Priest Rien continued her words.

“It doesn’t mean that the G-House mercenary is a black magician. Because it has already been verified.”

When the hell did you do the verification?

“Verification?”

Priest Rien said with a smile.

“One of the limitations that those who possess dark magic have is that they cannot refuse more than four times to the same question presented by a priest with greater divine power than themselves.”

Is there such a thing?

I didn’t have the knowledge to refute the priest’s words, so I kept my mouth shut, and at the same time I was relieved.

In other words, I survived because the power she possessed was stronger than the dark magic I had unknowingly possessed.

“Come on. I will ask again.”

Priest Rien asked with her golden eyes shining.

“Are you really not going to ask?”

I answered as usual.

“Let me ask you. What is it?”

It’s rude to not accept something like that.

“I’m glad. If the dark magic hadn’t been lost, the eyes would have turned red and various other symptoms would have appeared!”

A look of delight reminded me of something.

“Isn’t that the question you just asked at the church?”

Pair.

When she heard my question, she clapped her hands.

“That’s the correct answer, G-house mercenary!”

-It’s a trade secret, can I tell you?

-Are you really not going to ask?

-G-house mercenary, for real-

Then the reason for what she asked me was revealed.

‘Did I really prepare to bite, not play tug?’

I started wondering if she might not be a real dog. That’s a real hound.

And suddenly a question arose.

“By the way, didn’t you ask me again after asking me four times?”

“Aha. The last one was just a question!”

The strength of that natural virtuous face was relaxed.

That priest, isn’t it a hunting dog, just a dog?

***

Medicine goes to the pharmacist, treatment goes to the doctor, and dark magic goes to the priest.

“It didn’t take a day for it to permeate into the mercenary’s body, and it came out quickly because it was discovered so quickly.”

Priest Rien was an expert when it came to most of us, so I listened to her opinions.

“Do you know what would have happened if it had been late?”

“I assure you, if G-House mercenary stayed like that for one more month…”

Saying that, Priest Rien’s golden eyes twinkled.

“If there was?”

“I could have continued to use black magic to destroy myself!”

A black magician. I’m well aware of the ruthless Earth Mage who makes money from necromancy.

-It’s a weekday, it’s a f*cking business trip again. Even if I had only dispatched a remains excavation team from Gunmer, I would not fall for archeology.

-Yes. If so, you were in graduate school.

-You bastard, you have to get a master’s degree here someday.

-Hey, dig the ground and become a slave. Is that the highly educated serf?

– Evil!!!!!

After erasing the memories of her friend who couldn’t even remember her face anymore, she recited the expected ending to Priest Rien.

“And you must have become a cold corpse soon?”

She nodded her head without denying it.

“Even if I wasn’t there, you would have used black magic unconsciously, so the side effects would have happened somehow!”

She didn’t mention the side effects.

I just nodded my head because there was something I could understand without saying anything.

After completing the answer, Priest Rien asked in surprise.

“By the way, Mercenary G-House, aren’t you surprised?”

“Why?”

I already have a mountain of things to worry about, but I can’t afford to worry about what’s over.

“Isn’t that the case now?”

“Yes!”

“Well then, why do I need to worry about it?”

“That sounds like it too!”

The prianian squad leader, who was listening to our conversation, asked dumbfoundedly.

“Then what is an apple?”

“This is a real trade secret-“

“Tell me.”

The eyes of the prianian squad leader became sharp.

“- You blessed the apple!”

Priest Lien obediently confided her trade secrets.

“It seems like it hasn’t been long since the G-House mercenary possessed dark magic, and if he ate poison, making him vomit again is the basic first aid treatment!”

“If Mr. Ghouse isn’t a warlock, why didn’t he tell the truth before feeding him the apple?”

The prianian squad leader asked in a puzzled way.

“Then I wouldn’t have been caught by the collar.”

“Mr. Priyanian doesn’t even apologize. I have been to the battlefield countless times.”

“Let me just say that there is not a single person in this room who has not been through a battlefield. It’s just Priest Rien who didn’t even talk to me beforehand.”

“Anyway, one of the lessons I learned is that people first draw their swords when they hear negative things from others!”

“Oh, there are people like that.”

Hearing that, the prianian squad leader nodded.

And soon he opened his mouth again.

“But you didn’t know that Mr. G-House wasn’t that kind of person. What a pity.”

“I can’t do that anymore! It’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

In order to protect the honor of her boss, I tried to intercede with her, forgetting about her grabbing me by the throat.

“Come on. So, is there anything else you want to say?”

“No! There are still plenty of business.”

Priest Rien pointed at me and said.

“The fact that the G-House mercenary found those corpses, and the fact that he has dark magic inside his body… It smells like it!”

The priest in front of me seems to have a good sense of smell.

“I’ll take Prianian’s advice and get right to the point! Do you have anything suspicious for me?”

“There’s no way Mr. G-House could have such a thing-“

I took out the box and held it out.

“Here you are.”

Prianian Squad Leader stopped my defense and asked.

“…Don’t you usually start by running away?”

“I didn’t expect the squad leader to care for me so much, but I didn’t want to cause any more misunderstandings.”

“It is wrong for the squad leader to be suspicious of his squadmates. Isn’t it?”

Her slightly curved blue eyes glanced to her side.

“Unlike others who are skeptical even though it is a job to help people.”

The golden eyes smiled and shouted.

“Nowhere in the words of the sun god is there a priest not to be suspicious of a person possessing dark magic! I am the priest of the sun god!”

Priest Rien, who cast a religious Tallulah to block the squad leader’s mouth, took the box from my hand.

Then, after looking around, I came to a conclusion.

“It’s a beacon.”

“Yes?”

“It is a tool used to enter the wizard’s dungeon. It is also called a key item because it allows people without magical powers to find and head to dungeons.”

The prianian squad leader explained instead.

“I heard that it is divided into items that need to be recharged and items that are disposable, but I don’t know about that. Because I am not a wizard.”

“Mr. Priyanian explained it well!”

Priest Rien gave a little more explanation.

For example, this beacon was made for people who can’t use mana to communicate with magicians.

“Why do you think so?”

“It’s a rechargeable method!”

After saying that, Priest Rien kept the box, saying that it might serve as evidence.

“By the way, the beacon with dark magic next to the place where the Battle of the Territory takes place, and the pile of corpses in the cave. Do you feel something strange?”

Priest Rien lowered his voice.

The figure was cute, so I lowered my voice accordingly.

“Definitely.”

“Then there is only one answer!”

She raised her voice again.

“What is it?”

“I want to visit the cave where the bodies were found. G-house mercenary!”

“I see.”

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I said casually.

“Please visit carefully.”

“Why is your reaction like that? There must be something!”

“Let’s find out how far you have come and talk about how far you have come before we go.”

“Can’t you just help me? I haven’t brought any money yet.”

I shook my head.

Priest Rien’s eyes were pitiful, but that was another matter.

Because what she was trying to do was a request.

“Did you take away the dark magic too?”

“The sun god desires nothing even though he warms those shivering in the cold with light.”

I recited the aphorism I saw in the parish priest’s room.

Sadly, I didn’t know what happened after that, but Priest Rien recited it instead.

“This is the attitude that a priest who illuminates along his path should have.”

Seeing her reverently reciting her afterwords reflexively, I nodded her head.

“The priest did the priest’s work, and I am a mercenary, so shouldn’t I do the mercenary’s work?”

“That’s right, right?”

“So, let’s start with our contract and talk about it in detail, shall we?”

Hearing that, Priest Rien’s face darkened.

“Then, I understand.”

She was scrambling to get out of her tent.

Where are you going? I didn’t ask the same question.

Seeing that he was going to go alone, he decided to stop joking around.

“Or…”

With a click, the sound of the chains of the incense burner stopped.

“Or not?”

Priest Rien turned her head to look at me.

“Shall we just set off to the cave?”

“Yes?”

“Since we have signed a contract with the Territory, we cannot make duplicate contracts, Priest Rien.”

The words of the prianian squad leader continued.

“Mr. G-House was playing a joke.”

To be honest, I was joking around because her reaction was too strong.

She even got back for feeding me an apple without saying anything.

Of course, she didn’t expect to head to the cave alone.

Priest Rien asked without getting angry.

“Didn’t you say that G-house mercenary was a mercenary?”

“With a favor for a favor.”

I replied.

“I think the sun is a god because it can do favors and not ask for anything. However, I am human because I cannot shut my mouth even if I receive favors.”

After she finished speaking, I looked at her.

“So, before doing mercenary work, do human work first.”

Because I have to be human.

I told her my requirements.

“So please prepare. I have to tell the Count, and there are a few things I need to take care of before I go.”

“Then.”

“Go and tell the count, since there are signs of disquiet on the corpse, we are going to investigate, so we will only hire two mercenaries.”

If you mix it roughly with black magic or something, it will be ok in no time.

It’s not someone else, it’s the priest who held the memorial service.

After hearing that, Priest Rien’s expression slowly softened.

“Otherwise, my head will be blown off for desertion.”

After she cracked a joke, she said with a hearty laugh.

“I don’t have time. Let’s go quickly.”

The air inside the camp was literally sharp.

Even if we go out under the pretext of escorting the priest, it would be to the benefit of all of us to return before it is too late.

“That, G-house mercenary.”

She hesitated, as if to say something.

I decided to give her a push on her back.

“If you want to write a real contract, even as a provisional contract-“

“I’ll be right there!”

Priest Rien went out of the tent and came back to pick up the temple he had left on the floor.

A person who is fun to tease is that what he wants to say is what comes to his face.