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To Priest Marid, Iris was a presence so precious that it wouldn't hurt even if he put her in his eye.
It was no wonder, as Priest Marid had practically raised Iris, carrying her on his back since she was abandoned at Wind Rock Monastery as an infant.
‘Priest Marid! Hehehe. Look at this!’
Why was it? Before the now-informed Priest Marid’s eyes, an image of five-year-old Iris appeared, giggling with her front teeth missing.
Ah, Iris. She was such a small and cute child.
“Priest Marid? Are you… alright?”
Why to a hooligan like this!
Priest Marid wanted to grab Rahan Norwich by the head as he peered at him with concern.
Do you think I attached you to Iris for this very reason!
“No, how did you two….”
“Well.”
Rahan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“…Somehow, our hearts connected.”
Blood pressure! Priest Marid clutched the back of his neck. The subtle nuance of the phrase “our hearts connected” pushed Priest Marid’s blood pressure even higher.
Judging by the nuance Rahan used, it wasn't just their hearts that had connected.
Seeing this, Riet, who was standing beside them, added a comment as if she found it amusing.
“It’s a common occurrence when you put a handsome man and a beautiful woman together. But I really didn't expect the Captain to be like that. I should have known from the moment he started getting annoyed, calling her his wife and all.”
“….”
“And you, Priest Marid, don't be too heartbroken. Wasn't this entirely predictable?”
No! It was not!
“It would be different if he’d attached some ugly guy. What did you expect, attaching a human who looks like our Captain?”
Of course, Priest Marid knew that Rahan Norwich was a considerably handsome man by anyone's standards.
However, right now, he felt like a father whose precious daughter had been robbed, so Rahan’s face looked like nothing more than the visage of a demon who had seduced the cute and lovely Iris.
The visage of a demon….
“Priest? Are you alright?”
Only then did Priest Marid snap back to his senses. Rahan Norwich’s red eyes were looking at him with concern.
“Ah, yes.”
“Did you perhaps not hear it from Iris?”
Who gave you permission to call her Iris so casually!!
…He couldn't say that. There were other things Priest Marid had to say. Wiping cold sweat with his sleeve, Priest Marid smiled awkwardly.
“Well, I heard the very general gist of it, but….”
“Ah….”
Rahan’s face turned red. Priest Marid avoided his gaze in embarrassment and continued.
“It is a natural providence arranged by Eridrahan for a man and woman to fall in love….”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Unable to watch the two of them ramble, Riet clicked her tongue and cut them off.
“You both seem uncomfortable with this topic, so let’s move on to something else.”
“S-shall we?”
Rahan looked relieved. Riet shrugged.
“Priest?”
“Ah, yes.”
Priest Marid, finally regaining his composure, stepped forward.
“Besides having Iris stay at the monastery, there is one more thing I must ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, for the time being, we wish to keep it a secret that the Potato Blight can be cured with divine power.”
It was only natural. Being cured by divine power meant it was a demonic work.
Abbot Wilbert predicted that if this were revealed following the incident with the magical beasts, more than a few people would realize that mages had reappeared.
If that happened, it was obvious that chaos would return to the world.
“Someone will depart from our monastery tomorrow. We intend to inform Archbishop Victor of this matter and put all our efforts into curing the plague across the Empire, but….”
“So you want to keep it quiet for now.”
Of course, someone might accidentally discover this fact.
Even if they knew it was useless against the Potato Blight, some people might still seek a priest's prayer for peace of mind. Thus, the secret would not last long.
However, Abbot Wilbert’s thought was to keep it as long as possible if it could be maintained.
“Therefore, for now, we intend to make it seem as though Iris discovered a special cure. We plan to eradicate the Potato Blight in the Arnsberg region by sprinkling Holy Water.”
“I see. That is a good idea.”
Rahan smiled thinly. No matter if a hundred years had passed since the demons disappeared, mages were like nightmares to the citizens of the Foldenbach Empire. Thus, it wasn't strange for the Church of Eridrahan to want to handle this quietly.
Though, it was questionable whether the greedy Archbishop Victor would actually carry this out discreetly….
“Then, as I depart for Arnsberg tomorrow, I shall escort the priest departing from the monastery as well.”
“Ah, that… let’s discuss that once you go up. It is not a matter I can decide on my own.”
“Shall we?”
Priest Marid forced a smile.
Well, he was a man who cherished Iris that much. Knowing that Rahan had practically devoured her, he couldn't possibly feel good.
Thinking this, Rahan tried his best to act as modestly as possible in front of Priest Marid.
Of course, that was Rahan's miscalculation.
“I’ll be heading out first!”
Waving her hand, Riet passed by, lightly gripping Priest Marid’s shoulder. The strength in her fingertips carried a clear intention.
‘Keep your mouth shut.’
Indeed. In truth, Priest Marid and Riet had heard everything Rahan had been rambling about.
It was true that Riet had come down to the hut to find Rahan to report her departure, and Priest Marid had come to deliver Abbot Wilbert’s words.
But what they had overheard was….
‘Do you think I’d contract with a mere demon?’
‘…You seduced my immature self, and I fell for it. Even knowing you were a demon. I won't deny it.’
‘But I believe I told you I would never make such a choice again.’
‘…I just want to kill the version of me that fed Iris things coming out of your guts.’
Leviathan was a demon, and it was constantly eyeing Rahan.
A demon makes its contractor isolated from society in one way or another. Only then will they be loyal to the demon.
Thus, Leviathan clouded Rahan’s perception. The fear that Robbie had scattered upon Leviathan a while ago had bolstered its energy.
No matter how powerless it was due to loss of strength and lack of contractors, Leviathan had once been the greatest demon.
Therefore, for a sated Leviathan, such a feat was not difficult.
And as expected, Priest Marid and Riet were horrified to hear Rahan talking to himself.
At first, they thought he was reciting an epic poem alone, but Rahan was clearly venting his anger toward that pink axolotl.
‘Now, those words….’
Priest Marid’s hands trembled.
He had just learned through Iris that the Potato Blight was the work of a demon and that mages had reappeared in the world.
That such a terrifying thing was happening. Yet, Abbot Wilbert had spoken solemnly to the priests.
That evil always lurks everywhere to tempt humans, so they must unite their wills and deal with it resolutely.
And yet, a demon was lurking right in the courtyard?
Moreover, Rahan Norwich, Iris’s husband….
‘…You seduced my immature self, and I fell for it. Even knowing you were a demon. I won't deny it.’
Those words sounded as if Rahan Norwich had conspired something by contracting with a demon.
Of course, Rahan immediately said he would not contract, but Priest Marid could not stop his hands from shaking.
‘Could it be that all of this….’
But then, Riet held onto Priest Marid.
‘Priest. You heard what the Captain said. That he wouldn't contract with a mere demon.’
‘But….’
A cheerful female knight from the Grand Duchy. That was all he had thought of her. But Riet told Priest Marid with a rarely serious face.
‘Do not speak any nonsense. The Captain is a man who has lived his entire life, from the moment he was born, constantly proving that he has no connection to demons.’
‘However, if that is the case, then all the more reason to listen to Brother Rahan’s words….’
Riet sighed.
‘I know that lizard. It’s a lizard the Captain has carried around since he was a mere sixteen-year-old child. If the Captain hasn't spoken properly about it, it's because there is a reason for not doing so.’
‘….’
‘If you must hear it, then do so. But….’
In that moment, Riet’s gaze was enough to intimidate Marid.
‘Do not forget that the Captain has already saved Iris Achen once.’
Then, shouting “Captain!”, she approached Rahan loudly.
A belatedly flustered Rahan tried to smile as he looked back, and the sequence of events unfolded.
It was distressing.
What should he do….
Filled with fear, Priest Marid made the holy sign of Eridrahan several times. But his heart would not easily settle.
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