Time of Unity – Part 07
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Translator: Kell
Good luck, they said. After leaving those nonsensical words of support, Zero and Mercenary walked away. She did not expect much, but still she felt incredibly sad.
If they told her to come with them, what would she have done? She would have been very happy, but she probably wouldn’t have gone with them anyway.
Lily’s parents were irreplaceable to her.
I’ll be fine alone.
She crouched down, hanging her head low, and dirty brown rats scuttled toward her, surrounding her as though concerned.
It cheered her up a little.
I’m not alone, so I’ll be fine. Lily clutched the necklace given to her by her parents.
There was no need to see the priest. She could just go after Zero and Mercenary right now and tell them she would go to Lutra with the knights.
But she could not stand up. Instead she stayed there, sitting. Until she heard the priest’s footsteps.
He was walking towards Lily, his staff tapping on the marble floor.
Lily had no intention of calling out to him. There was no need to settle his debt. Half-convinced that he would simply walk right past her, she stayed close to the wall and waited, holding her breath.
Sure enough, the priest walked right past her. But a few steps later, he stopped in his tracks.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?” he said.
Lily jumped and shook her head. There was no way he could see her gesture, but she could not get her voice out either.
She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, her wish, precious and sincere, would only get rejected. She knew that all too well, which is why she could not possibly utter a word.
“You were talking about favors,” he said.
“You heard that?”
“I have good ears. So, did you make up your mind?”
Lily shook her head.
The priest turned around, walked towards Lily, and stopped right in front of her. “I will only ask you once. What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing.”
The priest struck the floor hard with his staff. “I despise obvious lies. You want me to do something for you, don’t you? You wouldn’t be waiting here for me otherwise. Whatever it is, it is my decision whether to accept or refuse. It’s against my principles for others to make my own decisions for me.”
“I don’t want to be turned down.”
“So you’re throwing away the chance that I’d agree to whatever it is you want?”
“B-But… You hate me!”
“Are you stupid?” The priest let out a deep, exasperated sigh.
Lily was used to being ridiculed, scorned, and people getting appalled at her. At least, she should be, but she was terrified of the priest despising her.
“I-I’m sorry,” she muttered.
“I’ve said it before, but you’re so obsequious, it’s sickening.”
Lily clenched her teeth.
“When did I ever say that I hated you?” the priest said.
“Huh? Uh, a-always?” It seemed too late to ask that question at this point.
The priest hit her head with his staff.
“S-See?! Y-You always hit me! You’re so mean to me!”
“I’m like this to everyone.”
“No, you’re not! You’re much nicer to other people!”
“Huh? You want me to pretend to be a nice guy to a rat?”
Lily’s eyes grew wide. “You’ve been pretending?”
“Before I became a priest, I was a thief and a scam artist. You think a scum like me can be a kind-hearted saint?”
Really? Lily thought. The priest who was screaming curses at Mercenary and Zero seemed much more natural than the priest who was friendly and kind.
“Besides, it’s not you that I hate, but Beastfallen in general. Female Beastfallen, in particular, make me sick. Normally, I wouldn’t even be talking to you like this.”
I knew it. He hates me. He did not need to tell her that to know.
Holding back the urge to cry, Lily frantically searched for an escape route, but before she could take that first step, the priest’s staff blocked her path.
He let out another sigh. “Yet here I am, talking to you,” he said. “Are you really that stupid to not know what this means?”
Lily blinked repeatedly and looked up at the priest. Even when he was wearing an eyepatch, she could tell that he had a frown on his face.
Lily suddenly remembered why she liked him.
It was because he talked to her. He treated her as an equal. He threw curses at her, just like he did at Mercenary and Zero. He hit her and defended her.
Most people would not even want to get close to Lily. None of them wanted to touch her because rats carried diseases.
The priest, however, ran from the enemy while carrying her. A man who served the Church, an institution that labeled Beastfallen as symbols of depravity and persecuting them. He was an adjudicator from Dea Ignis, a group infamous for their brutality.
Lily knew exactly what deep-seated hatred looked like.
“Well, if there’s nothing you really want, then fine. I don’t really care.” Letting out a snort, the priest turned his back to Lily.
If Lily let him walk away now, she might not ever see him again. Since this might be the last time, she decided to muster up some courage.
“W-Wait!” Lily started running.
The priest was already quite some distance away. She leapt onto his leg and embraced it tight. She thought he would dodge like always or shake her off, but the priest silently came to a halt. It was enough to give Lily the boost she needed.
“C-Come… w-with…”
Her body and voice trembled, and her nose began dripping even when she wasn’t crying. Sniffling, Lily looked at the priest’s face.
The priest looked at her as well. “Come, what?”
Lily burst into tears. “B-Blease come w-with me to L-Lutra! I-I want to help mom and dad, b-but I’m too scared to go alone! B-Big bro and big sis said th-they can’t go. Th-They said I could go with p-people from the Church, b-but I’m scared of strangers! Please! Please! Please!” Despite being seventeen years old, she was acting like a child, wailing while clinging to the priest’s leg.
She actually wanted to beg Mercenary like this. But she did not want to trouble the man. Lily knew what kind of a personality he had. He would not accept her request, but he would not abandon her completely either. He was the type to cruelly push someone away, but fret over it afterwards.
The priest, on the other hand, could reject anything Lily asked him to do without a shred of remorse. She found his coldheartedness comforting.
Even her desperate plea was probably pointless. Nevertheless, telling the priest about her request was enough for Lily. The priest showed concern for her, and that alone made her happy. She had already accepted his inevitable decision.
“I told you to tell me quick,” the priest said with a sigh.
Lily did not understand what he meant.
The priest grabbed the gaping Lily by the scruff of the neck and lifted her up like a cat, then turned back to the meeting room.
“Huh?” Lily was confused.
The priest opened the door leading to the conference room. “Your Eminence,” he said. “Regarding the expedition to the Seven Cathedrals, I understand that I am free to decide which group to accompany.”
As soon as the priest entered the room, a woman with pale scarlet hair rose to her feet. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed in delight. “So you accept, yes? That’s very kind of you, Father.” She turned to the hawk Beastfallen. “See, Cal? I told you Father would definitely do it.”
“Yeah, you were right,” the Beastfallen replied. “Now please sit down before you fall over.”
The priest watched as Lia sat back down before speaking. “Then I request to accompany the group headed for Lutra Cathedral. A rat will be joining as well.” He picked up Lily like a cat and thrust her in front of them. “Please be cautious in forming the squad, in case there are rat haters among them. I will explain her usefulness later, but I strongly recommend that you inform the knights this: If you anger her, even a company of thousands of troops might be destroyed, so if they value their lives, they better not try anything funny. That’s all from me. Say hi, Lily.”
“Huh? Uh, what?” The sudden attention made Lily panic. She floundered in the air, but the priest was not going to put her down. Unable to bear the silence and attention, she finally spoke. “N-Nice to meet you.”
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