The Paladin in the Abyss
Chapter 824 - 835: Shuni’s Priest

As soon as Bruto finished speaking, a flapping sound came from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw a group of ravens rapidly flying towards them, the lead raven looking particularly familiar. The ravens landed in front of the group and transformed into human figures upon touching the ground. At the forefront was the brown-haired elf, Soveris, the leader of the Raven organization.

"You all are safe! That’s great!" Soveris led the others in bowing deeply to Lancelot, "Thank you, Sir, you have rescued many of our companions. Words cannot express our gratitude..."

"Rescued your companions?" Bruto asked in surprise, "When was that?"

"We saw your battle just now..." a tattered-clothed man behind Soveris spoke, "Right in front of the hag’s hut, in those cages."

"Ah! Those ravens!" Bruto clapped his hands, "I wondered why you did that extra work... You knew from the start, didn’t you?"

"I guessed, but I wasn’t sure." Lancelot shrugged, "I’m glad I guessed right."

"We have a lot to talk about, but this isn’t the place for it." Soveris’s gaze briefly lingered on Fran, then he took out a few black feathers from his breast pocket, "Let’s go, we should head back to Raven Castle."

--------------------

"How is it?"

As soon as Alamir came out of the room, Bruto jumped up from the bench, glaring at the elf priest with his bloodshot eyes. The companions had been at Raven Castle for two hours, but the dwarf still hadn’t removed his bloodstained and dented armor, nor had he tended to his singed beard.

"Shh, keep your voice down, they’re all asleep." Alamir placed a finger to his lips, "The divine arts have healed their bodies, but the mental trauma won’t recover so quickly. But don’t worry, with some rest, they’ll get better."

"Oh... that’s good..." Bruto visibly relaxed, "Can I go see Dad?"

"Can you be quiet?"

"Of course, I swear by my beard!"

"Go ahead." The elf priest nodded, "While I was treating Master Barrend earlier, he kept calling your name."

"I heard him." Tears welled up in the dwarf’s eyes, "Oh, damn elf, go away, let me be alone for a while..."

--------------------

The temporary infirmary was a small house in a corner, relatively quiet and suitable for patients to rest. Emerging from it, the elf found it was already evening, with large flocks of ravens continuously flying across the sky like rolling black clouds, signaling some ominous portent.

Though it was already getting dark, most of the buildings in the fortress had no lights except for a longhouse on the hillside. That was the tavern in the fortress, also the gathering place for Raven Castle residents. As he approached, the elf was surprised to find the tavern’s exterior had changed. The originally wooden roof was lifted like blinds, with every beam covered in a dense array of black birds, like members attending a Raven Council.

There were no guards at the door; the elf pushed it open and went inside, finding each round table crowded with people. Their expressions varied; some were excited, some were tense, some worried, but from their untouched mugs, it was clear most had no mood to enjoy the tavern’s famously smooth ale.

His strong and reliable companion sat at a large table in the center, fervently discussing something with the people around him. Alamir didn’t join immediately; he squeezed to a small table in the corner, where a vampire girl sat with the zombie princess, holding a cup of her favorite dark red drink—freshly squeezed grape juice.

"How are their discussions going?"

The elf sat down beside his companions. Due to the undead aura they emitted, this table had a few vacant seats.

"They were just talking about our experiences in the ancient temple." Little Isha put down her cup, "How are Uncle Kalalin and Grandpa Barrend?"

"I’m afraid they still need some time to recuperate." Alamir gently shook his head, "The divine arts can repair their bodies, but the near-death agony is not so easily healed. Ironically, those who die cleanly and quickly only feel confused after revival, whereas those pulled back from the brink suffer long-term mental trauma... Ah, sorry, it’s probably not appropriate to discuss this with you."

"It’s okay." Little Isha showed a somewhat sorrowful smile, "When I was killed, I hardly felt any pain..."

"And I’ve long been numbed by prolonged torture." Fran nonchalantly swirled her cup, "Ah, I almost forgot how good the ale here tasted until I took the first sip and all the memories came flooding back."

"Have you been here before, Miss?"

"I am the King’s daughter, after all." The zombie princess shrugged, "Soveris used to love bringing me here when we were dating..."

"What?" Alamir’s exclamation drew several curious glances. He quickly lowered his voice, "So you two..."

"Broke up." The zombie princess took another sip from her cup, "About half a year before I was killed."

"Why?"

"Because he’s an elf. I couldn’t bear the thought of him still looking like a young man in his thirties while I became an ugly old hag. We had a huge fight... maybe several. I said he would abandon me and find someone new, and he thought my concern insulted him." The zombie princess smiled wryly, wiping foam from her mouth and rubbing her eyes, "Look at my state now, it’s quite the irony."

"That’s a sad story." Alamir’s voice was sincerely sympathetic, "I’m very sorry."

"I heard you’re a priest of Shuni?" Fran suddenly remembered, "Do you think my concern was valid?"

"Your concern is not unfounded, but usually, what you described doesn’t happen."

"Why?"

"Because there are two forms of love: one based on appearance and one based on the soul. They are not mutually exclusive, but only the latter endures."

"You’re supporting my view."

"No, I’m not done. If it’s merely physical attraction, love will end quickly like a meteor in the sky, morning dew, or spring flowers. Far before the first wrinkle appears on your face, he’ll lose interest in you. You wouldn’t even make it to old age before being abandoned."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.