How a Former Pastor Lives in Another World

21

Saint (聖人)

A week had already passed since returning from the northern border of Albion to the holy nation.

Although Ray, Aaron, and Jenny repeated the usual training and worship times, they were often called to the heresy interrogation office.

“It’s a formal investigation. Don’t be too nervous.”

It seems that a meticulous investigation by the armed agency is necessary, given that the incident involved the archdemon.

“Let me remind you once again, you must keep silent about everything that happened in the North.”

“Is it related to the Violet family?”

“That’s correct.”

Father Moro gave instructions to the three of them.

To remain completely silent about the archdemon Capricorn that had possessed the body of the young lady of the Violet Marquis family.

“However, you don’t need to keep silent about the witch hunt. There will be an official reward for that.”

Father Moro told Jenny and Aaron that the Inquisition would grant them medals and promotions.

Considering the feat of subduing a demon, the reward seemed meager, but a separate reward was promised.

“And above all… make sure to keep silent about Brother Ray’s stigmata.”

“Of, of course.”

Aaron agreed immediately, but Jenny cautiously raised her hand.

“Why…? Isn’t having a stigmata a cause for celebration in the church?”

“Indeed it is. But we are armed clergy with many external activities. If rumors of our stigmata spread, we become targets.”

“Ah…”

Moreover, a stigmata only shows its true power after awakening.

Considering the long history of the church, where many candidates for sainthood died without awakening their stigmata, the upper echelons’ decision was justified.

“So, I hope all three of you will be careful with your words and actions. I do not wish to see you in the dungeons of the Inquisition.”

With a somewhat chilling warning, Father Moro dismissed the three of them.

“Hmm… this turned out to be bigger than I thought.”

“Tell me about it. But it’s not too bad. What will the reward be? Money, as expected? Maybe it’s time for some shopping?”

Jenny was looking forward to the reward money promised by Father Moro.

“Tsk tsk, thinking of money instead of dedicating yourself to the Lord.”

“Our young master grew up so privileged, he wouldn’t understand, but most people live to earn money, you know? It’s not like we’re flaunting gold forks or anything.”

“Gold forks? My family uses ordinary forks too!”

“Ah~ I can’t stand this conversation~”

While the two bickered, Ray gazed at the back of his hand.

Though covered with bandages, sacred blood occasionally seeped out, necessitating frequent changes.

“The stigmata…”

“Indeed, it must be disconcerting. But it’s a glorious mark. Wear it with pride.”

Aaron couldn’t help but envy the stigma etched onto Ray, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

Without Ray in that fight against the archdemon, none of us here would have survived.

“Ray. Ray Anderson.”

“What’s up?”

“From now on, we’ll be carrying out various missions as members of the armed organization. It’s the duty of the armed clergy.”

“What’s with the sudden formality?”

Despite Jenny’s snide remark, Aaron looked at them both seriously, unshaken.

“I’ve realized it with this incident. How much we lack compared to the evil foes of the theocracy.”

The witch, disguised as a civilian, was in fact fortuitously subdued.

And what about the exorcism?

When Father Moro was neutralized, Aaron was powerless.

Of course, he wielded his sword and felled monsters, and he thwarted the border specters, but alone, it would have been impossible.

Above all…

‘If it weren’t for Ray Anderson, nothing would have succeeded.

It was Ray’s ability that was crucial in revealing the witch’s identity and vanquishing the demon.

“I suggest we undertake missions together in the future.”

“A party invitation?”

“Yes. Let’s form a regular party and synchronize our efforts.”

A regular party.

It referred to the standard for mission operatives recommended by the armed organization.

While there are armed clergy who operate covertly alone, forming at least a minimal group is the norm when undertaking dangerous missions.

“Ray, admit it honestly. Your abilities are unparalleled, not just among your peers… but compared to other members as well. I’ve felt it with this incident.”

“Well, I do have abilities.”

He was an experienced newcomer, after all.

Ray wasn’t one to underestimate his own abilities.

“Jenny, the same goes for you.”

“Hmm~ You didn’t dislike me?”

“It’s you who unilaterally dislikes me. I don’t disregard capable commoners.”

Jenny’s role in this mission was far from insignificant.

She managed to buy time and even land a solid hit against Byungchan Baek, the top-tier sword expert.

With that guts and skill, she would shine anywhere.

“Having the power of healing, she’s definitely a talent you’d want to call upon anywhere.”

“Shall we form a fixed party, just the three of us?”

At Ray’s suggestion, Aaron nodded.

“These three are the core. We could flexibly add more members, though.”

“……”

The two pondered Aaron’s proposal deeply.

But soon, they reached the same conclusion as Aaron and extended their hands.

“Alright, let’s team up with capable people.”

“Not bad at all, young master.”

And thus, the trio’s party was formed.

***

After completing the mission, Ray returned to Solarion and decided to finish the tasks he had been putting off.

The first place Ray headed straight to was the forge under the Papacy.

It was here that he melted down the relic storage box he received as the top reward for joining, creating various weapons.

In this forge, Ray crafted hand axes, daggers, portable folding spears, and whips, but his work was not yet done.

“Is anyone there?”

It was quiet, but no one seemed to be inside.

‘If it’s closed, why leave the door open? Well, no one would be crazy enough to rob the Papal forge in the Holy Nation.’

“Excuse me~”

Just in case, Ray entered further inside.

As expected of a forge, the residual heat from the bellows and heated iron lingered.

“Come in!”

A cheerful voice called out from deeper within.

Ray walked cautiously and met a blacksmith.

He was an unusual man.

His long hair, which was surely meant to be long, was braided into several strands and hung down.

The man, whose lean muscles were well-developed, seemed to be the blacksmith, judging by his hammering.

But his demeanor was too bright to be just any blacksmith.

Not the concept of a first impression, but purely physical.

“He looks like a noble young master, why is he in a place like this…”

Aron may be the stereotypical glittering Westerner, but the man before him is somehow… sparkling.

His flamboyant honey blonde hair, and the gold necklace and earrings he’s draped in, are reminiscent of a rapper from the Americas.

“If it were modern times, he’d have a hip-hop vibe.”

I don’t recall seeing such a person the last time I was here.

It was the moment Ray went deeper inside and faced the man.

“Insane…”

Ray sees the color of souls.

It’s usually used to distinguish between demons and evildoers, but the opposite is also possible.

Generally, the good-hearted show colors close to sky blue, and most of those Ray has encountered here in the Solareon Church Nation have been such virtuous souls. But…

“Sky blue mixed with white?”

The color of the soul like clouds in the blue sky.

The clear and pure soul, where the sky blue is not a stain but speckles of humanity.

Just as there is pure evil in the form of demons, there is also pure good in this world.

If it had been purely white, Ray would have felt terror towards the young man.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you here to pick up the goods?”

“Ah, yes…”

Ray became cautious around the man.

“You’re that Ray Anderson, right? The guy who asked to melt down the holy relic container to make a weapon.”

“Yes… Well, thank you for your efforts.”

The man grinned and opened a box. Inside was a crossbow, its form quite different from the usual kind.

Ray took it out and checked if it worked well.

“Perfect. No, it seems even better made than something from modern techniques?”

Of course, he’d have to use it to know for sure, but the ‘Helsing Vampire Hunting Crossbow’ Ray had sketched and handed over was well replicated.

“Wow~ This is quite the item, huh? This crossbow you made from the blueprint you gave. It’s capable of rapid-fire and loading bolts in bulk. Where did you learn about such a thing?”

“Uh… It’s a creation. A creation.”

“You thought of it all by yourself?”

The golden-eyed man’s pupils widened.

Of course, Ray wasn’t the one who designed it.

He had taken up the traditional crossbow of the Helsing family, a prominent vampire hunter lineage from the Netherlands.

“When the Count resurrected, it proved to be very handy.”

Perhaps due to their shared experience in resolving that incident, the current head of the Helsing family willingly gave Pastor Kim the blueprints for the crossbow, which were practically antiques.

At that time, Pastor Kim had accepted them, thinking of it as merely adding to his antique collection.

“After all, shotguns are the best for hunting vampires.”

But since firearms were not obtainable in this era, it was time to borrow the power of tradition.

“May I take a shot with it?”

“Of course, of course. I’ve tried it myself, and it’s a fantastic piece. A master craftsman made it exceptionally well.”

Wasn’t it made by him?

Ray became even more puzzled about the man’s identity.

“The target is over there, so feel free to shoot at it.”

As the man said, Ray loaded the crossbow in front of the prepared target.

The Helsing family’s vampire-hunting crossbow, passed down through generations, was a repeater that loaded a magazine full of silver bolts.

It even had a mechanical sight attached, and the bow could be folded for portability, a thoughtful feature.

It was a masterpiece of the era, said to be designed by Abraham Van Helsing, the first vampire hunter of the Helsing family.

“Sigh…”

Ray brought his eye to the mechanical sight and aimed at the target before pulling the trigger.

Whoosh!

The bolt shot out swiftly, slicing through the air and striking the target.

‘In good condition, isn’t it?’

What about rapid-fire? Ray moved his finger on the trigger repeatedly.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Bolts cut through the air one after another, each embedding in the target.

“Wow~ That’s amazing. How is it? Satisfied?”

“Yes, the rate of fire is less than I thought, but it’s still quite good.”

“……You mean it can be faster than this?”

“Well… if it’s according to the design concept?”

The man’s expression hardened.

Just now, Ray’s crossbow could shoot dozens of bolts per minute.

Even if the long-range power of the repeater crossbow was reduced, such a rate of fire was almost revolutionary.

But could it be even faster than this?

“Wait, give it here. Let me take a shot.”

The man took Rei’s crossbow and fired repeatedly at the target.

And soon, he was able to identify the problem with the crossbow.

“The more it’s shot, the looser the bowstring gets. The timing of the mechanical device seems a bit delayed, it might be a material issue…”

In addition to that, the man pointed out issues with durability and the bolts catching as they were loaded, to which Rei was impressed.

‘What, he knows all this just by looking at it for the first time?’

Is he a genius?

The man handed the crossbow back to Rei and said,

“Let’s gradually improve it. But don’t you have more of these? I could make them for you.”

“Oh… Perhaps something like a dual-separation greatsword, or a holy hand grenade, would that be possible?”

After a rough explanation, the bright-eyed young man was ecstatic.

“Wow~ Such an unimaginable concept, huh? Can you create blueprints for it?”

“It’s possible.”

“Wow~”

The man shook hands with Rei and then finally introduced himself.

“I’m called Erdio.”

“Ah, I’m Rei Anderson.”

Erdio grinned and brought out a necklace from somewhere.

It was a brass star necklace worn by priests, but what was different was the energy felt from within.

‘Insane, what is that.’

Rei had seen the brass star necklace before.

He had buried it along with Father Johan’s necklace, and he had also used the one Father Moro had.

The brass star necklace that drove away evil was a relic in itself.

But the brass star necklace Erdio handed over was of a different caliber.

Even with Rei’s spiritual vision, he couldn’t fathom the power of that necklace.

“Take it. It’s a gift.”

“Uh… Are you sure you can give this to me?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay~ I’m someone quite high up.”

As expected, Erdio was of no ordinary status.

Indeed, a soul that has accumulated such good deeds could not be an ordinary person.

“Come often. I’ll show you some interesting things.”

Ray became curious about the identity of the man named Erdio, who smiled slyly as he saw him off.

***

After leaving the forge, Ray’s next destination was the Eclipse Organization’s Heresy Inquisition Office.

He had obtained permission in advance and even reserved a ‘practice’ session.

Ray headed into the particularly gloomy and dark interior of the Heresy Inquisition Office, one of the more ornate buildings of the Solaryon Papacy.

“Please go down to the basement.”

Guided by the priest, Ray’s reason for heading to the basement of the Heresy Inquisition Office was clear.

‘There’s quite a bit to experiment with.’

Since the Capricorn subjugation incident, a ‘stigma’ had been etched onto Ray.

Like absorbing the sins of the soul to awaken powers, he had achieved the feat of demon subjugation as a reward.

However, the stigma had not yet awakened. Father Moro had told him that until it awakens, the stigma would be a wound that bleeds intermittently.

One might think of it as a troublesome wound that requires frequent bandage changes, but Ray approached it from a different perspective.

Holy blood?

It means sacred blood, doesn’t it?

Then, couldn’t this be used like holy water?

Ray fiddled with the sloshing beaker in his pocket.

He had been collecting the flowing holy blood and diluting it with brine and vinegar.

After all, if left alone, blood would spoil as microbes grew.

And Ray intended to test this diluted holy blood on the ‘heretics’ of the Heresy Inquisition Office.

aaah!

Please, please kill me! Stop it! Stop it!

As if to prove it wasn’t the Heresy Inquisition Office, a brutal scream echoed through the underground space.

As one could tell from the entrance exam, the armed organization was not a place for reformation of heretics and sinners.

Ray opened the door to the cell where his experimental subjects, the prisoners, were held and unexpectedly came face-to-face with a person he hadn’t anticipated.

“Ah…”

“…?”

The woman in the dark monastic robe torturing the prisoner.

The strong smell of blood and burning flesh hinted at the horrors that had taken place here.

The problem is.

The color of the soul possessed by a lady who doesn’t fit in this brutal space at all.

A sky blue close to white.

Like Erdio, a soul that has accumulated so much good karma that it’s hard to believe such a human could exist.