The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 610: It’s fine to follow strangers if you know the emergency exit

Chapter 610: It’s fine to follow strangers if you know the emergency exit

The priests who walked toward us were rather old, perhaps around fifty or sixty. Perhaps they tasked the younger ones to guard the place and the older ones to greet the guests? Anyway, the oldest among them led the priests and stopped in front of me.

"Welcome, Sir."

He bowed politely, more than the time he greeted Jin--unless he had done so before I could see it. His voice and tone, however, were flat and businesslike; like a customer service staff during midday. It was rather unsettling, but I also preffered this to excessive friendliness from a stranger.

At least this one did not look and act like a street scammer.

"Hello," I nodded back.

One advantage of carrying a child in your arms was that you could get away with not being polite enough--because how could I bow with Jade clinging to me?

The priest behind the oldest one looked more uplifting, however, cracking a sweet smile as he stepped forward. "You finally come, Sir."

The other priests looked like they were about to bow too, so I raised my hand quickly. "I’m no longer a priest, so..."

The friendlier priest blinked, and his smile turned slightly forlorn. "It’s too bad," he said regretfully. "But you’re still their son."

I smiled blankly, because as much as I wanted to pretend they were my parents, I couldn’t really. Even Valmeier didn’t feel anything about his parents, because he never knew them from the start. It was almost like reading about someone else’s story; the part of Valmeier inside me did not give out any particular emotion, so that was what I expressed.

Hmm...maybe Zarfa and the others’ concern was not needed after all.

The oldest priest had been quiet since the first greeting, staring at Jade in interest instead. And he didn’t really hold back his curiosity. "This is...?"

I looked at Jade, who was tilting his head as if anticipating my answer. Of course, I shouldn’t disappoint him, right? I pinched the chubby cheek lightly and smiled. "My son."

Their surprise was visible and...well, understandable. They knew me as Valmeier, so how could a priest who was in the war two years ago have a toddler son?

Jade giggled in response and hugged my neck happily, but he wasn’t the only one who had fun--I could see Zarfa and Aina giggling quietly from my peripheral vision. Even Fatia was smiling subtly, maybe because she was an elemental bird enthusiast.

I took that as a green light. Stroking the green hair, I looked at them with my most innocent, clueless smile. "Is there something wrong?"

"...no," the priest cleared his throat and gestured toward the stairs. "Our leader wishes to see you."

I glanced at Zarfa. We had talked about the possibility of them separating me from the others--for whatever reason. Apparently, they had been asking about me--well, about Valmeier, but same thing--the last time they were here. But then again, they found the place through the map that supposedly belonged to him, so...

"Sure," I shrugged in the end, and followed the oldest priest while the friendly one and the others guided Jin and his party.

As we saw from below, there was a small village at the end of the stairs. Quiet and humble, but of high quality. The buildings were made of stones available in the mountains, so if we were looking at it from above, it would act as another camouflage. Looked chill and cozy, if I had to be honest.

What made it seem like not your average village was the places that seemed more appropriate to be a part of a military base than a civilian settlement. There were several empty spaces fenced with sacks and weapon racks, which I presumed to be training grounds, and the center of the village was a circular yard with a podium at one end--more like an assembly point than a plaza.

And of course, the cautious looks in everyone’s eyes. They were doing their chores as usual when we arrived, preparing for dinner and such; but their short glances were sharp. Even the children’s faces peeping from the windows didn’t have the same cheerful wonders that we usually got.

Jade was rather disappointed because of that. Hmm...I should probably ask the adults first about distributing candies. I did hope they would make friends with Jade though--he never had human children friends before.

But for now, perhaps because the sun was setting and the atmosphere was rather tense, Jade clung to me, sulking. He didn’t want to leave my side, especially since Ignis was still out there exploring. Not even candy and cocoa jelly could lure him away, so I decided to just bring him along while meeting the Templar’s Head--someone they called the Bishop?

"Please, this way."

The oldest priest still retained the role of guiding me. While the others were guided toward one of the buildings that looked like a city hall, the oldest priest brought me deeper. I refrained from asking where, but I had a feeling it was the hidden church in question.

Well, I was half-right.

It was like...the gate to the church path. You know that sometimes there would be a shed or a box attached to the gate for the guards? It felt like that kind of place.

It wasn’t a shed or a box, however. It was bigger than that; like a regular house, really. The oldest priest brought me through a maze of paths, a garden, a well, down the hill and up again, crossing a river and a small forest, before reaching this...cabin? Let’s call it cabin.

It was made of stones, like the rest of the buildings in the village. The way the priest led the way, the place felt like it was a couple of miles away. But Jade told me through telepathy we were just going in a circle, and that if we crossed the cliff behind us, we would end up in the settlement in five minutes.

Oh, my smart Jadector!

Well, let’s not see it negatively. Zarfa did say they were led through a long-winded path before, so I guessed they did it to everyone; perhaps to anyone who wasn’t a member. If anything, it was a reasonable precaution. Especially since they knew I lived in the Demon World now.

But back to the cabin. It wasn’t the kind of cabin people stayed in. It looked too neat and too sparse for that. It was giving...hmm...you know that realtor TV show where they showed holiday villas or hunting cabins to potential buyers?

Anyway, it was some kind of reception room. Zarfa said they had to wait there while Jin was led to the hidden church.

Hmm...was they trying to see if they could let me inside? Well, let’s see.

As the oldest priest led me to a tea table in front of the window overlooking a small garden, someone came down from the stairs. It was a man around my guiding priest’s age--slightly younger than the priest adopting Valmeier--but looking visibly different. I could tell that this one was a combat priest, like Valmeier.

"Lord Valmeier," he smiled calmly--not too much, just enough for courtesy. Eruha’s kind of smile when he was in front of diplomatic guests.

"I’m going by Valen now," I told him while putting Jade on the chair beside me.

"...I see," he paused for a bit before finally taking a seat in front of me. His smile did not falter, however. "Then, Lord Valen; we don’t have much, so excuse our humble reception."

Two younger priests came out just in time to bring a tea set and a plate of seasonal dried fruits. The tea let out a sweet, delicate flower scent that went well with the refreshment and the autumn foliage outside. Compared to what we usually had in the Lord Castle, of course, it was very humble. But who would have thought they’d have a feast in a village in which residents had been more or less living in hiding?

"I’m here to visit their grave, so I don’t think a merry reception will be adequate," I replied appropriately.

The Bishop nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

His small smile and my curt response made the vibe rather awkward, but that was where bringing a child played a nice part.

"Papa, is that candy?" Jade looked at the plate of dried fruits with sparkling eyes. "Can Jade try that?"

"Of course, baby."

I scooped some and placed them on a saucer, letting Jade admire them after I placed a cushion on the chair so Jade could reach the top of the table. The Bishop’s gaze shifted to Jade and as usual, they would start to ask questions.

"Is this...your son?"

"Yes, my older one."

He didn’t look as shocked as the other priests, but he was visibly pausing in confusion.

"Jade have a younger brother! The name’s Shwa! But Shwa is still very small so Shea can’t go with us!" the little boy proudly bragged about the younger one before picking a dried apricot and biting into it. "Papa! This is almost like jelly! It is jelly and candy become one!"

"Is it good?"

"Yes!"

"Ah, that’s wonderful," the Bishop finally got a hold of himself and responded with a smile. "Is your younger one a newborn?"

"He is," I glanced outside the window and threw a bait. "I meant to bring him here too someday--you know, to pay some respect. If you let us, of course."

The Bishop blinked in surprise. "Why wouldn’t I? I’m just a grave keeper; I don’t have the right to keep the grandchildren away from their grandparents."

Oh? If that was sincere, then my trust meter went about ten percent.

"I’m glad," I smiled with no pretense this time. But since we were being sincere, I didn’t want to keep shooting out empty words. "So, why do you want to see me?"

"Can’t the host see his guest?"

"I guess," I shrugged. Well, if he didn’t want to, I’d just do it. "Then, let me get to the point."

His eyes flinched just slightly, perhaps didn’t think that I would cut to the chase. I looked forward and made sure to keep staring at his eyes.

"I’m going to look for the Goddess."

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