Chapter 263: Who are you? (3)

Chapter 263: Who are you?
(3)

Diana,
the inn’s owner, had not yet returned since she said she would visit
Idelbert.

So,
in her absence, I greeted those who came to the inn.

“We’re
still preparing to open. I’d like to offer you some food, but we
don’t have a chef, let alone ingredients.”

“Ah,
that’s alright—”

The
priest and paladin’ expressions hardened when they saw me carrying
four large beer mugs.

“It’s
tea. Black tea. I couldn’t find teacups, so I put it in these. Do you
dislike black tea?”

“No!
We thought it was beer…We’ll drink it gratefully.”

They
looked relieved when I said it was tea, not beer.

As
I set the beer mugs down on the table in front of them, Jeremy
scratched his head with a confused expression.

“Brother.
Why do I have beer?”

“Can’t
you drink alcohol?”

“When
I was a man, I couldn’t drink a single drop, but since my body
changed, I can drink a little.”

“Then
just drink it.”

I
said this as I downed my beer mug.

The
cold beer moistened my dry throat, and the bubbling carbonation
awakened my senses.

“Kuheu!!”

There’s
nothing as delicious as beer after returning from dungeon
exploration.

The
best would have been Diana’s freshly made warm soup, but since she
wasn’t here, I had to satisfy my craving with beer.

I
picked up a peanut I’d brought out as a simple snack and asked those
seated at the table.

“So,
what brings you here?”

“Ah,
well—”

“Actually—”

Jeremy
and the priests spoke at the same time.

After
looking around nervously, Jeremy gestured for the priests to speak
first.

It
meant they hadn’t come for the same reason.

Hope
briefly bowed to Jeremy, cleared his throat, and then exclaimed to
me.

“Paladin
Balkan! Our Earth Mother’s Order is always ready to accept you!
Please join our order and prosper!”

Staring
blankly at Hope after such a direct statement, I saw Paladin Beer
touch her forehead.

“…Sigh.
May I speak on his behalf?”

“…That’s
rather surprising. Please explain.”

Beer
carefully explained the situation after moistening her lips with the
black tea in the beer mug.

Beer’s
explanation could be summarized in one phrase: talent recruitment.

Hope
and Beer had clearly seen me cut down the Elder Lich and heal Denshi
with the holy power of the Blessing of Radiance.

“You
may not realize it, but that’s truly no easy feat. It requires
immense talent and skill in handling holy power.”

“That’s
right! Not only us! Among the high priests and paladins, only Lady
Serif can handle holy power like you can!”

Perhaps
because they had received much help from me, Hope praised me
enthusiastically with sparkling eyes.

It
was somewhat unsettling to receive such a look from a man, but it
wasn’t bad to receive emotions close to worship.

‘Even
so, is it really to that extent?’

While
the holy power emitted by the Blessing of Radiance was acknowledged
as excellent even by Serif, I didn’t think it was comparable to
Serif, who was a Saint.

Even
though my skill in handling magical and holy power had improved
through investing chunks of technique, I still needed more training.

Beer
calmed the overly excited Hope and carefully continued.

“When
I mentioned your valor to a mid-level priest I know, they showed
great interest. They would like to arrange a simple meeting with you,
if possible. That’s why we came.”

Mid-level
priest.

Compared
to explorers, it seems similar to a mid-level explorer, but for those
with high value like priests or paladins, it’s rated about half a
rank higher.

In
effect, it’s equivalent to an upper mid-level explorer.

As
a priest, they might not have direct combat ability, but someone of
that stature was requesting a meeting.

‘Should
I meet them?’

Suddenly,
the face of a pure white cat beastkin flashed through my mind.

Priest
Serif had helped me in many ways, thanks to her secret teachings,
Denshi was able to return from the brink of death.

Why
did her face come to mind at the mention of meeting another priest?

‘It
feels somewhat like cheating…’

But
such thoughts quickly ended. Didn’t I realize the importance of
priests during this dungeon expedition?

With
the possibility of danger anywhere, anytime, there was absolutely
nothing wrong with establishing connections with skilled priests.

‘If
it’s just a simple conversation, there shouldn’t be a big problem.’

I
have no intention of joining a temple anyway.

I
realized that the current me cannot belong to that stuffy group
obsessed with purity and chastity.

However,
I was still willing to maintain relationships with capable
individuals who belonged to that organization.

“May
I know the priest’s name?”

“Of
course. It’s Reverend Louis Jellicy. May I take this as acceptance?”

“Yes.
Then when shall we meet…?”

“We’ll
accommodate your schedule, Sir Balkan.”

“Let’s
make it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…That’s
fine with us, but are you sure, Sir Balkan? You might not have fully
recovered from the fatigue of the Elder Lich subjugation.”

“It’s
fine. I’m confident in my stamina.”

I
squeezed my muscles to make a bulge, but since I was still wearing
armor, they couldn’t see it.

Only
Paladin Beer, being a female warrior, sensed the energy and was
slightly surprised.

Eventually,
Beer, with a subtle smile, bowed her head.

“Understood.
Then we’ll come to escort you at noon tomorrow.”

“The
temple is just a few steps away, there’s no need to trouble
yourselves—”

“You’ve
granted our request, so we should at least show this much courtesy.
We’ll see you tomorrow.”

With
those words, Hope and Beer rose from the table.

“You’re
leaving already?”

“It’s
getting late, and it wouldn’t be proper for us to converse longer
with a gentleman at this hour.”

The
clock was already pointing to late night.

Perhaps
due to her superior mental discipline as a mid-level paladin, Beer,
who had responded gently despite her gruff first impression, bowed
her head to me.

“Thank
you for the tea.”

“We’ll
see you tomorrow, Sir Balkan!!!”

After
seeing off Beer, who bowed her head, and Hope, who enthusiastically
called my name, I looked at the figure still remaining at the table.

“You
really are different, brother. To think that the priests and paladins
of that order would court you so fervently…”

Jeremy.
He… no, she was nodding her head with an expression that said “as
expected of brother.”

“Enough
with the flattery… Is that what you came to see?”

“…Yes.”

Right
before the battle with the Elder Lich, I had encouraged Jeremy with
these words:

—Anya.
She has been resurrected as a Dullahan.

Jeremy
must have been anxious about whether those words were true or not.

After
seeing Jeremy’s face full of tension, I called for Denshi, who was in
the inn.

Denshi
came down the stairs with a clatter, and Ellie was with her.

“Master!
You’ve returned!”

“You
didn’t know? I knew.”

“Tsk.
We were in the middle of a serious conversation, so I couldn’t find a
chance to come out, Ellie. My hearing is as good as Ellie’s, you
know?”

“Hmph.
No matter what, humans have their limits in hearing ability, how
could it match an elf’s?”

“Do
you know how many traps I avoided and enemies I detected first with
these ears during this dungeon expedition? My ears are better than
Ellie’s. And what you just said is human discrimination, you ear
freak.”

“…What?!
Are you done talking?”

“Yes,
I am.”

My
eyes widened as I watched Ellie and Denshi bickering with each other.

After
their previous confrontation, Ellie and Denshi had not spoken to each
other.

Even
when they did converse, it was only for necessary information sharing
during dungeon exploration.

They
hadn’t conversed at all, so it was quite surprising to see them
attempting to talk to each other like this, even if they were a bit
irritable.

What
kind of development had occurred in their relationship during the
short time I was away at the Explorers’ Union?

“Were
you two talking?”

“…Mmm.
A little? But more importantly, Jeremy?”

Denshi’s
eyes, who had been hesitating to answer while clutching the collar
around her neck, turned to her former party member.

“Ah!
Miss Denshi! It’s been a while! I couldn’t greet you properly in the
dungeon because there wasn’t enough time!”

“Better
late than never. It really has been a long time! But what brings you
here?”

“Well,
that…”

I
spoke to Denshi, who was expressing doubt.

“Bring
my spatial backpack.”

“Ah!
Got it!”

Denshi,
who had roughly guessed what I wanted her to bring, quickly went up
to my room.

“…Oppa.
What’s this? Wasn’t she just one of the necromancers we saved this
time?”

Ellie,
who had naturally sat down next to me, asked while glancing at
Jeremy.

“Yes.
My former party member.”

“Eh…?
Ah, ahem! I’m Ellie Ordia. A royal magician and a genius who
graduated from the academy at the top of her class. Nice to meet
you.”

Ellie,
who had been instinctively spreading an aura of wariness while
fluttering her elf ears as she looked at the large breasts of the
trans woman Jeremy, quickly changed her expression and greeted her
with a gentle smile.

“Oh.
Ah, yes… Royal magician… Heek…”

“Master!
I brought it!”

As
Jeremy was flustered by that reaction that was close to a complete
change, Denshi approached with a tightly wrapped bundle.

-Clack
clack clack!

The
object, which was making clacking sounds even while wrapped in the
bundle, began to emit a frenzied aura when it sensed Jeremy’s
presence.

Eventually,
it broke free from Ellie’s hands and charged towards Jeremy’s
embrace, striking the floor with its jaw.

-Swish.

As
Jeremy received it, the wrapping naturally unfolded.

-Clack!
Clack clack clack!

“Ah,
aah… Aaaah!!!”

Jeremy’s
eyes immediately reddened as she faced the head, Dullahan Anya, that
was welcoming her by clacking its jaw.

Who
wouldn’t be happy to know that the woman who had lovingly accepted
her even with a 2cm clitoral penis had resurrected, albeit unstably?

Even
in a world where the concept of chastity has been shattered, the
emotions felt would not be much different.

Jeremy,
who had now begun to cry to the point of wailing, kept bowing her
head to me, saying thank you so much for taking care of Anya until
now, as expected of brother.

I,
Denshi, and Ellie left the inn, leaving Jeremy behind so that she,
who had only looked forward to today’s reunion, could express her joy
more honestly.