Chereads / Ignarock ~Deus Ex Machina~ / Chapter 3 - Holy Priestess

Chapter 3 - Holy Priestess

The Holy Priestess could only sigh as he walks the paved road along with her bodyguard, she was supposed to be on trip toward Thaslaine, the Capital of Agrest Fiefdoms, by a cart which was already prepared by the Ruler of Agrest.

But in the midst of their trip, one of the carts tire was broken because of the uneven road. They could wait for another cart or hitch a ride, but The Holy Priestess decided that she wanted to walk into the Capital of Agrest.

Her bodyguard, a young man named Allen, of course warns her and trying profusely to stop her, but she just goes on her way without paying too much attention toward the bodyguards.

In the end, Allen must inclined to her selfish wish. As they actually didn't had much of time either, they must arrive to Thaslaine before nighttime, it was currently midday so moving fast was much better.

The Holy Priestess is actually a young girl who just only reached the age of twelve years old recently, she was chosen to be the Holy Priestess of Namura Religion when she was still a seven years old girl.

Just as her ages suggest, she was a pretty much looked like a kid. But she was also well-known for her childish beauty that will put a smiles from anyone who saw her. Everyone who have ever seen the Holy Priestess reached the same conclusions, the conclusions of she was going to be a beauty when she is older.

Her silky white hair combined with the childish feature on her face, and the facts that she already has quite a grown-up body for her ages. Most people would already ask her to be their fiancée in advance so they could marry her when she was older if it's not for her status as the Holy Priestess.

Even though she had great position and responsibility, she still act like a girl on her age. The proof is the fact on how she's so insistence to walk toward Thaslaine. She uses the reason that she also wanted to enjoy the nature and relaxing herself a bit before the meeting with aristocrat of Thaslaine.

Allen, who was still in disagreement, in the end convinced by her when the Holy Priestess said that by walking they could unwind some of their stress which were mixed with the tensions that coiling them.

In the middle of their trips, they found a young man who seems to be few years younger than Allen, the young man was in terrible shape. It was clear that he didn't eat properly for few days as he was so skinny that few of his bones could be seen, the fact that he was dressing in rags and mumbling something while unconsciousness also made both of Allen and the Holy Priestess convinced that the young man must be a runaway slaves of some sorts.

Knowing well the rule that governs slavery, Allen told her Eminence, the Holy Priestess, to leave the young man around. It wasn't like he didn't have any pity toward the young man, the problem lies on one of the rule about slavery; "Slaves should only be touched by someone else other than the Master after receiving permission," if they broke this rule some fine could came to their tab.

The Holy Priestess convinced him once again.

"This young is no slave, there was no Crest of Obedience on any of his body part. Allen, we must help him!"

When he check the body of the young man, she was right. He didn't find anything resembles Crest of Obedience on the young man body.

But bringing him with us is impossible, as we didn't know who he is actually. He might be a bandit or something along those line—using these reasoning, the least Allen could do was giving him some water from his water container.

He smiles and heaves a breath of relief when he saw the young man face tinges with life once more after drinking the water.

"Your Eminence, we help him enough. We should leave now to continue our journey."

"Ehh?! Just by giving him water is enough?"

"At least his complexion became much better after he drink the water, he would be alright. Now let us depart."

"Wait, as the High Priestess, the least I could do is returning his strength."

"Your Eminence, if I may, that wasn't a really wise choice. We didn't know anything about this man."

But the only answer Allen got was a, "No."

She then touches the cheeks of the young man and reciting something, all of the sudden lights engulf the young man body and he seems to become healthier than before. The young man was in malnutrition state no more, muscles could be seen properly on his body and the bones was hidden away beneath them.

It was Magic.

Something common on this world.

The power of miracle which could made the impossible to be possible, it was the belief of the many.

That's why people like the Holy Priestess is treated with respect, in the eyes of many she was the embodiment of miracle itself just by existing.

After returning the strengths of the young man body, both of them decided that it was the time to move along.

Yet, unexpected to both Allen and the High Priestess, a bunch of bandits suddenly appear in front of them. They said that the cart drivers who was with them earlier sells the info of the fact that the High Priestess going to Thaslaine on foot, which means they were sold out for golds.

Allen, as the bodyguard, of course do what he must. He step forward and told the bandits to go away.

"If you knew who the High Priestess is then you should also know that it was a foolish move to stop us."

He draws his sword from the sheath then prepared for a fight.

But the fights never happen, much to his surprises a man suddenly emerges from his shadow then stabbed him using a knife. Even though Allen was supposed to be an Elite Guard, he was still too inexperienced for this kind of surprise attack.

Allen didn't even have the time to be wallowing in pain as he dies quickly, the knife stabbed his throat and was pushed beyond then, effectively killed him on the spot.

The Holy Priestess screams in terror.

She had seen so many things in her life, but a man dying was not one of them. Especially in front of her eyes.

"Well, he must never see that one coming."

All the bandits then laugh after hearing the mockery that came out from the words of their apparent leader, the man who just killed Allen.

"Allen!"

She dashed toward the corpses of her bodyguards, eyes wide and couldn't believe that the young bodyguards who has accompanied her for half a year to be died just like that.

Tears rolling from her blue eyes, something that was to be expected from a twelve years old girl.

She was scared, no, she is scared.

She wasn't scared because of the bandit, the fear came to her because of she just witness someone dying in front of her. That someone had bonds with her, she was scared because there was no one who could shielded her from terror anymore.

A desperate move, she trying to use her Magic to heal Allen wounds, which of course fail. There's a Magic to revived people who have died, but it was just on the level of Necromancy, which only turned them into Undead.

The Holy Priestess should be able to understand that much.

But logic means nothing to her right now, she was so scared that she couldn't able to maintain her composure.

The bandit leader words made it worse.

"We actually just wanted to use you to get ransom money from Thaslaine. But after seeing you up-close, I guess the rumor of your beauty hold true, Your Eminence. Would you please entertain us with your body?"

All of the bandit let out heartless laughs.

Dread crawls upon all parts of her body, fear control her mind, she could only let out one final screams before losing her balance. Terror completely filled her emotions, she saw no hope.

Despair—there's only despair to be felt.

The laughing bandit then laugh, started to undress.

Her fear grew stronger.

She will lost her honor to these scums.

That's why, she pray.

She clasped her hands then started to pray.

She trying to chase away the fear by praying, but she also hopes for some sorts of miracle to be happen and save here.

One of the bandits scoffs.

"No God could help you, little girl."

"Noooooooooooooo!"

And then, the sounds of body part being slashed and bursts of blood that rained down the paved road could be heard.

What she then saw was something horrifying, yet relieves her.

She saw the young man who she just helped before, drenched in blood, and with his hands holding a swords.

But she could only be petrified when she saw the eyes of that young man.

The eyes that only conveyed one desire.

"Kill!"

He said it out loud then continues, "Kill you all!"

The Holy Priestess didn't knew anything about the young man in rags, but what does she understand is that the young man only wanted one thing; to kill.

"Give me all of your heads!"

Those words alone enough to move the bandits, they flinched and even breaking into a cold sweats.

"Stay calm, he just a crazed boy who doesn't even knew how to uses a swords. Looks at the body, it wasn't even a clean cut so the blood splattered everywhere."

The bandit leader trying to calms his subordinate, and they started to regain their confidence.

Still, they only could feel chill on their spine when the young man in rags smiling wickedly before said, "I am going to smite you all evil-doers! Taste this swords of Justice that shall cleanse your sins with your blood and souls!"

He spouting gibberish about justice and stuff, normally that kind of threat won't worked to them. They never will be moved by that kind of threat, they just see it as a childish words, but when they saw the crazed boy eyes, they knew.

That eyes, is the eyes of a killer that will do anything to kill.