Chapter 19 – Paladin Reinhardt

Ｒｅ​ａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣ​ａ​ｆｅ

Thud thud thud—!

The eerie sound of footsteps echoed through the cave, shaking the entire space. With each heavy step that grew closer, cold sweat poured down my back.

If I stopped, I would die. Knowing that, I focused all my energy on running. I avoided the uneven terrain of the cave as much as possible, leaping over large pits when they appeared.

The speed of the giant king lizard was terrifying. It slid through the cave, half-ignoring the terrain, and its sheer size was enough to make me lose my courage.

Occasionally, it would flick its long tongue like a whip, trying to catch Isolin and me. Even though our levels were higher than the king lizard’s, I didn’t dare think of fighting back.

We ran and ran and ran. If this were real life, my lungs would have been burning, and my heart would have burst by now.

“Eeeek!”

Isolin’s signature pointed hat had long since disappeared. The little girl ran, her pink twin tails flailing wildly. Tears and snot streamed down her face.

“The entrance! Faster, faster!”

How long had we been running? The end of the seemingly endless cave was finally in sight. The sunlight streaming in from outside felt so welcoming that I grabbed Isolin’s hand and threw myself out of the cave.

“Hyah!”

Thud—!

The moment I leaped out, a massive roar echoed behind me. I didn’t even have the energy to check the cave entrance. Isolin and I tumbled down a slightly sloped hill.

Roll roll roll.

“Eeeek!”

As we rolled, sharp pains shot through my shoulders and legs, likely from hitting a hard rock. My mouth filled with grass and dirt, but that was the least of my worries. I quickly got up and looked back.

Squawk—!

The king lizard had only managed to stick its head out of the cave entrance, roaring furiously. Its wide-open mouth and flicking tongue made it clear that its body was stuck, preventing it from coming out.

I had been worried it might breathe fire like the fire lizards, but it seemed this king lizard didn’t have that ability.

“Ha…”

Realizing the king lizard couldn’t leave the cave, I let out a sigh of relief. Isolin, her legs giving out, collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

“Huff… huff…”

Thud thud—! The king lizard thrashed around, trying to escape the cave entrance, but eventually let out a rough snort and retreated back inside. It seemed to have given up on chasing us.

“Phew…”

With a long sigh, the tension drained from my body. That sigh seemed to have taken the last of my energy. I sat down next to Isolin.

“Are you hurt…?”

“Yeah…”

Isolin nodded, her voice subdued. Her face was a mess of tears and snot—or maybe it was the lizard’s saliva.

Either way, something sticky covered her entire face.

Who would have thought that avoiding life-threatening situations and seeking safety could be so exhausting? This fantasy world was full of unexpected dangers.

“Did we get enough flame sacs…?”

I asked cautiously. If we hadn’t collected enough, we’d have to go back into that cave. Which meant we might have to face that king lizard again.

“Yeah, we got enough.”

Thank goodness. I nodded at Isolin’s answer and let out a sigh of relief.

Isolin and I got up about five minutes later. Isolin went to the nearby river to wash off the sticky lizard saliva.

“Sniff…”

After cleaning herself, Isolin and I trudged back to Foxtail.

Once back at the mage tower, Isolin immediately went to learn her new skill. The skill she acquired was called “Lizard Flame“ , a terrifying ability that allowed her to breathe fire.

Excited, Isolin started breathing fire into the air, putting on a fiery show, only to be arrested by the Foxtail guards and detained for a day.

After the lizard incident, no one was in a hurry to go hunting again. Isolin and I took about three days off.

I spent those four days living at the temple. After all, I was a trainee priest, and I realized I hadn’t even offered a single prayer, let alone attended a service.

Many people visited the temple—ordinary NPCs and players alike. Most came seeking psychological comfort rather than to use the temple’s systems.

If a player with a clergy class, like a trainee priest, participated in temple events, their contribution points would increase. These points could be used to purchase items sold at the temple.

Of course, the contribution points earned from prayers or services were only enough to buy things like fluffy bread or low-grade potions.

Living at the temple as a trainee priest meant encountering many people. The most troublesome were the young boys.

Boys who visited the temple holding their mothers’ hands would bring me gifts the next day.

Flowers picked from the fields, delicious apples—things young boys could easily obtain.

Today, another boy arrived with a gift. He puffed out hot air and held out his hands. The gift was a cookie with raisins.

“P-please accept this!”

“Ah. Thank you.”

The 12-year-old trainee priest Supreme had to be kind to everyone. I played the role of the sweet, gentle Supreme and smiled softly at the boy.

[Level 1]

[Ben]

The boy’s name was Ben. His flushed cheeks and unsteady breathing hinted at the emotions he was feeling.

“This is the third time, Ben.”

“Y-you remembered my name…!”

“Of course. I really enjoyed the bread you gave me yesterday. I think you’ll become a great baker someday.”

“Wow… how did you know I made it?”

“There are ways to know everything.”

I chuckled at Ben’s reaction. The buttery scent on his body and the faint traces of white flour on his clothes made it obvious that Ben, the boy with that name, had baked the bread and cookies himself.

Just by remembering his name and mentioning how many times he had visited; the boy was moved. Ben would probably prepare another gift to get my attention.

This way, by being kind to the boys who visited me, I could enjoy delicious treats. At first, I felt guilty about taking advantage of their innocent crushes, but I got used to it.

I licked my lips, anticipating the tasty treats the boys would bring.

“N-next time, I’ll make something even tastier!”

Clatter—

Ben, his face bright red, turned and ran off.

I watched him go, waving just in case he looked back.

“Sister Supreme, your smile is truly benevolent.”

I turned at the voice behind me. A male priest wearing glasses stood there. It was [Alfred] the NPC who taught skills to clergy players.

[Level 60]

[Clergy Skill Instructor]

[Alfred]

“Hello, Alfred.”

I greeted him with a soft smile, and Alfred smiled back.

“Thanks to you, the number of young believers has increased. Mostly boys…”

“Hehe…”

“Anyway, seeing Sister Supreme’s benevolent smile reminded me of a prayer. Would you like to learn it?”

My gamer instincts told me this was a quest triggered by meeting certain conditions.

I nodded eagerly.

“Unfortunately, I don’t remember that prayer, ‘The Goddess’s Blessing.’ I’ve been a bit busy with other things. But don’t worry, I have the book with the prayer written in it.”

“Will you give me the book?”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

I followed Alfred as he walked away.

Clatter—

Alfred led me to the temple’s library. He rummaged through the neatly organized shelves, then frowned.

“Hmm…”

“Is there a problem?”

“It seems a brother borrowed the book and hasn’t returned it. He must have taken it with him when he went on a mission yesterday.”

“Should I wait?”

“It might take a long time. Since I also have something to deliver to him, why don’t you go and get it yourself?”

[Alfred’s Proposal]

Deliver the ‘Sacred Medium’ to ‘Reinhardt,’ who is on a long-term mission. 0/1

Reward: The Goddess’s Blessing

A simple delivery quest. No hunting monsters like with Isolin, just delivering an item. It didn’t seem dangerous.

I nodded.

“Where is he?”

“A small mountain village beyond the grape farm. I’ll draw you a map, so finding the way shouldn’t be a problem.”

“It’s not a dangerous place, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Alright. I’ll go.”

Alfred strapped the bag containing the medium to my back. It was a small bag, fitting my petite frame.

I swung the bag lightly and went to find Isolin.

“Isolin!”

“Yeah?”

“Come with me on a quest.”

“Okay!”

Once again, a two-person party was formed. Isolin and I left Foxtail, following the map.

Clatter—

Vrslop_translator