I got dressed and barely managed to hide. As I was about to watch from behind a pillar, a quest appeared before my eyes.
ăEmergency Quest - Salvationă
âProtect Dinora!
-Objective: Protect Dinora, who is burdened by unjust debt.
-Reward: 10000CP
-Failure:
Loss of both testicles
It was an emergency quest, no less. Failing it would turn me into a eunuch, but still.
âNah, no way!â
Dinora, who had been looking at me, seemed to make up her mind and opened the door after wearing a robe.
As the door opened, an old man dressed neatly like a pastor entered. He wore a benevolent smile and adjusted his glasses, a sight that was truly fucking disgusting.
"H-huh, Pastor? How did you...?"
"Sister Dinora. You borrowed money from our cult and still havenât repaid it. The Lord is displeased?"
"But I paid back the principal, didnât I? You said at first that I only needed to repay the principal."
The pastor smacked his lips, holding a Bible. Then he looked at Dinoraâs chest and chuckled.
It was a truly repulsive smile.
"As you know, Sister, borrowing the Lordâs money is a strict matter. And yet you try to end it by saying you only repaid the principal. The Lordâs love is not so meager, hohoho."
"Isnât Those Who Recite Sins Cult not a loan shark company?"
"What does that have to do with anything? The Lord still bestows love upon us. But it becomes difficult if you keep resisting, doesnât it?"
"...I repaid the principal. Please keep your promise."
Dinora pleaded. A cult, of all things, lending money?
What the hell is going on?
The pastor continued to smack his lips. Like an idiot. Then he glared at Dinora.
"Youâre impossible to talk to, you fucking bitch. You goddamn whore, who do you think youâre yelling at? Do you know how much more experience I have than you?!"
"P-please leave...!"
"Iâll have to get a taste of you today. Your chest seems full of evil spirits. You fucking bitch, take it off. Arenât you going to take it off?!"
The pastor lunged at Dinora threateningly, revealing his true nature.
Why are all these pastor bastards like that? Is it a job-specific trait that transcends worlds?
I moved behind the pastor as he tried to grab Dinoraâs hair.
"Fuck you bitch!"
I followed up a calf kick with a high kick, knocking him down. The fallen pastor glared at me.
"Ugh, you, who are you? You goddamn bastard!"
"Are you a member of Those Who Recite Sins Cult?"
At my question, the pastor trembled.
"You fucking bastard, arenât you going to answer when an elder asks? You filthy heretic scum!"
I didnât answer. The answer was always with my fist.
Swooosh
"Keok...!"
I smashed his nose until blood spurted out. But then a title appeared.
[Catâs Walk (Ancient)]
Type: Title
Effect: Dexterity +10. You can approach undetected enemies without making any sound.
Oh, this is good, isnât it? It must have appeared because I kept getting behind opponents.
Meanwhile, the pastor was in agony, overacting. Itâs typical for these bastards. They raise their voices but act like victims.
"Oh dear, Iâm sorry. Sir, I didnât recognize you...."
I chuckled. Me, sir?
These people who prey on the weak and grovel to the strong are truly disgusting. I want to kill them.
"Answer to my question?"
I asked, ready to punch him at any moment. The pastor smiled slyly and knelt.
"Huh? Oh, yes! I am a member of Those Who Recite Sins Cult. Haha, Iâm just a low-ranking member."
"Well, it wouldnât be funny if a pastor bastard who only cares about collecting tithes and screwing female congregants wasnât low-ranking."
I openly scoffed. The pastorâs face turned red, and he trembled.
I provoked him, asking,
"What? Are you angry? Is your pride hurt in front of a woman? But you have pride to be hurt? You impotent bastard?"
"Ah, no, not at all. Hohoho."
"Spill everything you know about Those Who Recite Sins Cult."
"Huh? But who are you...?"
"Do you want to die by my blade after hearing my identity, or do you want to answer my questions and be freed?"
My words werenât gentle. Of all things, he touched a woman who belongs to me. He deserves to die five thousand times over.
"I-Iâm sorry, but I donât know much!"
"This bastard is lying."
I grabbed the Bible. And slammed it down on the pastorâs head.
"Blasphemer...!"
"Keok, i-itâs true!"
"Blasphemerrrrrrrrr!"
Thak! Thak! Thak!
This Bible was quite heavy. Enough to be used as a weapon in an emergency.
Suddenly, I wanted to become a mage. A physical mage.
As I kept hitting him, the pastor cried.
"Please! I used to handle money, but one of the congregants there asked if I wanted to start a business, and they gave me a church under the cultâs name and even the title of pastor! Please...!"
The pastor bowed his head, begging for his life. The impact felt good, and I wanted to hit him more, but I stopped.
His scalp was already split open and bleeding.
"What about the money you lent?"
"Since I handled money, I did it as an additional service. Iâm sorry, please just spare my life!"
"Hey, if youâre going to apologize, you should apologize to this lady, not me."
I pointed to Dinora, who was watching nervously. The pastor looked at me, then at Dinora, and began banging his forehead on the ground.
"Iâm sorry, Iâm sorry!"
This is the problem with guys like him. If you do something wrong, you should know how to apologize. Why are you apologizing to the wrong person?
I grabbed the back of his head and pressed down so he couldnât lift it.
"This woman already repaid the principal. Isnât it too much to add interest? Or should I add interest when I hit you too?"
"Thatâs... Oh dear, repaying the principal is enough, isnât it? Of course!"
"Then thereâs no need to repay, is there?"
"Yes, yes, of course. Hahaha!"
You fucking idiot. A bastard like Alpa.
I let go of the back of his head. He got up, glancing at me nervously. I called out to him.
"Wait."
"Hiiik?"
The pastor trembled like an aspen leaf.
"Why donât you write a document stating that all interest has been repaid before you go?"
"Was there such a thing? Haha."
"Playing dumb, huh? Looks like you havenât been hit enough?"
Whether in stories or plays, loan sharks always carry collection documents.
No matter how unscrupulous they were, if money was repaid, it was a document created to prove it and exempt the debtor from future violence.
But this guy, who deals in money, doesnât know this?
I drew my sword and pointed it at him. The pastor turned pale.
"Try playing dumb one more time? Iâll cut off your third leg. Oh, wait, is it a leg or a ladies finger?"
"Hi, hiiik...!"
He knelt again. He was truly a servile and incompetent man.
"I-Iâm sorry! Yes, Iâll do that!"
He immediately took out a document and wrote a debt settlement document stating that all interest had been repaid.
I checked it carefully. Finding no issues, I handed it to Dinora.
"You did well. Go on, youâre a free man now."
The pastor rushed towards the exit. I spoke softly to Dinora.
"Close your eyes."
"Uh-huh...."
The moment the pastor was about to open the door and leave, I instantly closed the distance and pierced his head with my sword.
Puchi!
"Ugh,...!"
"Just a moment."
First, I checked if there was anything worth taking from him. I found a pastor ID card belonging to the Cult and a strange small iron case.
[You have defeated an enemy!]
[You have gained 3000 Collector Points (CP)!]
He turned into light and disappeared.
"You can open your eyes now."
"Th-that person...?"
"I freed him. From this world."
I answered lightly and examined the iron case. Was it a throat lozenge or something?
When I opened it, I found small marshmallow-like pieces inside. But the color and smell were strange.
âIt smells like someone had been holding dried smoked fish in their mouth all day and then exhaled it.â
I tilted my head. The more I smelled it, the stranger it felt.
I picked one up and examined it closely.
âWhat is this? The smell is even more repulsive than tobacco. Do people eat this?â
Then, in an instant, a terrible stench stung my nose. I cursed without realizing it and threw it outside.
"Huh?"
The marshmallow exploded the moment it hit the ground. And an ominously dark black smoke rose.
What... is this?
But Dinora was my priority right now.
"No one will bother you anymore. That document will be more effective than you think."
"Thank you, thank you...
sniff
."
Dinora teared up. Why is she crying over something like this?
But she must have been through a lot. She borrowed money thinking she only had to repay the principal.
But once she repaid the principal, they demanded high interest that wasnât there before. Fucking infuriating.
The pastor probably visited more than once or twice. Given how comfortably he entered, like it was his own home.
"Why did you help a woman like me?"
"A woman like you? Youâre so capable and beautiful. Live even harder from now on!"
I patted her shoulder and even smiled. She was fully deserving of protection.
Dinora finally wiped her tears and nodded.
"Thank you,
sniff
, thank you so much...!"
Dinora hugged me. The moment I was about to close my eyes at her fragrant scent.
[Affection for âDinoraâ has increased!]
[Current Affection with âDinoraâ: Favorableâ„â„â„âFavorableâ„â„â„â„]
Sheâs a veteran masseuse, but unexpectedly soft-hearted. My affection increases even from something like this.
Thatâs good for me, even better.
It must mean sheâs truly a womanly woman.
[Emergency Quest âSalvationâ cleared!]
[Reward: 10000CP acquired!]
Itâs been a while since I accumulated some points. I immediately upgraded two titles.
30,000 points were spent, but it wasnât a waste.
[Rider Incarnate (Ancient)]
Effect: Proficiently handles everything that can be ridden, and shares stats.
[Presence Concealment (Epic)]
Effect: Dexterity +15. Undetectable by enemies below your level.
Wow, so Lyn gets stronger as I get stronger?
And Presence Concealment, thatâs amazing.
Aside from the stat increase, I could fight like in Assassinâs Creed if I played it right.
âCouldnât resist!â
I comforted Dinora by touching her chest, then said,
"Iâll be going now. All my fatigue is gone, I feel refreshed!"
"Okay. Oh, Lucian!"
"Yes?"
"...If you ever go to the capital next time, come with me. I know the area well there. Hehe."
Dinora said shyly with her hands behind her back. It was almost like a timid date invitation.
Sheâs cute, this woman too.
âWell, they say you can see a lot of non-human heroines in the capital, right? So it turned out like this.â
I smiled broadly and replied,
"Yes, Dinora!"
"Fufu, call me Mama."
"Maama?!"
"Mama! Pronounce it properly!"
Dinora stretched my cheek. She gave me a light kiss, then I left her house.
âThis much I learned for sure: Those Who Recite Sins Cult is larger than I thought, and they have an image that doesnât repel ordinary people. Theyâre recruiting anyone to expand their cultâs influence and even profiting from it. The scum!â
It pissed me off, feeling like I was seeing a real-life cult.
âItâs problematic to leave these bastards alone for long. I have to eliminate them!â
I resolved to wipe them all out. I should put them on the same priority level as the Lord of the neighboring territory.
As I sighed and walked down the street, I saw Zara rushing somewhere. Sheâs still pretty.
"Oh, Zara?"
"Lucian? Are you just coming now? Iâm in a hurry...!"
"Why, whatâs wrong?"
Did Alpa cause trouble again? Zara replied with a dark expression.
"My brother suddenly collapsed!"
"The Young Lord?!"
This isnât a normal situation. Wasnât his condition supposed to be improving?
I rushed to the Ravenscoft Manor with her, carrying an unspoken sense of foreboding.