The Legend of Black Eyes 147 Nari Joins the Chase

The Priest arrived a little while later. Upon recognizing the woman's attire, he dropped to one knee, and bowed his head low.

"Your Eminence," the Priest said. "It is an honor to have someone of your stature visit us today."

"No need for the useless exchange of formalities," Nari said. "I heard you were connected to a warlock by the name of Raiya O'Cheran." She had no time for empty pleasantries. She had a critical mission to accomplish.

The Priest's heart jumped out to his throat. He kept his head low. He didn't want the Pontiff to see his wide eyes and the look of shock in his face. He thought long and hard about what to say next. There was no way he could lie to a Pontiff. She didn't tell him that name just to scare him. She knew something was happening.

"You seem to have lost your words," Nari spoke for the Priest. "Am I to assume that you have indeed been involved with her?"

"She used to provide me with healing herbs, your Eminence," the Priest said. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling the entire truth either.

"Is that so?" Nari forced a smile. "Has your faith in our Lord wavered that much?"

"T-the Lord hasn't been answering my prayers," the Priest said. He still had his head bowed down, unable to meet the Pontiff's gaze.

"You haven't been praying diligently," Nari said. "Look at this place. It's empty. I even heard that the people think of this temple as a place of healing, not worship."

"The people of Aslanor are difficult, your Eminence," the Priest said. "The concept of our Lord is foreign to them. I needed to get closer to them, convince them that our way is the right one. That salvation lies in the path of redemption."

"How has that worked out for you I wonder," Nari said. "I also hear that you've gotten closer to the ladies around here. Most of them are married, their husbands aren't too pleased with the time they spend consulting the foreign Priest. Is this why we sent you here?"

"N-no, your Eminence," the Priest said.

"Why are you here, Priest?" Nari asked.

"To spread the word about our Lord, our savior. To heal the people, cleanse their spirits of the mundane tasks that cloud their judgment, that made them forget about the real creator," the Priest recited.

"Have you spread our Lord's teachings?" Nari asked.

"Y-your Eminence…" the Priest said. He knew she had all the answers. She just asked the questions to make him feel uncomfortable, and she succeeded in doing so.

"Have you absolved people of their sins?"

"Your Eminence…" the Priest said in a hushed tone. "The people here don't believe in Gods without faces."

"All I hear are excuses," Nari said. "And to make matters worse, you've been dealing with a warlock. Did you know that she stole from the Church you swore an oath to protect? I also hear that you were preparing to take a short trip to Sayang not too long ago, right before our attack on the warlock's magic vessel."

"T-t-they're lies, your Eminence," the Priest was now sweating. "I only meant to go to the forest, to look for healing herbs."

"You have the word of God," Nari said. "His words heal the most devastating illnesses. Why go look for some herbs? Steal from the earth He granted us? You only need to pray for these people's well-being?"

"Your Eminence…" the Priest was at a loss for words.

"Here's what I think," Nari said. "And correct me if I'm wrong."

The Priest gulped loudly.

"That warlock bewitched your mind, made you believe our God didn't exist. She made the lost sheep stray from the right path, by playing with the shepherd's mind. You started believing in things like science, medicine, while all you needed is your faith."

"I never rejected our lord and savior," the Priest protested.

"Are you saying I'm wrong then?" the Pontiff asked.

"Your Eminence knows better than this lowly servant," the Priest said. "I only wanted what's best for our people, our creator's people. I only wanted to complete my mission, heal them, show them the right path. God loves all his creations, does He not? I only meant to reach their hearts through a different path. Surely, Lord Dhobor wouldn't mind. As long as his people come back to Him, believe in his teachings."

"That's one way of avoiding my question," Nari snapped. "Let's say you merely had people's interest in mind. Let's say you wanted to save them in the name of Dhobor. Let's also say that despite using other means, you reached that impossible goal. That doesn't absolve you from partnering with a heretic."

"I never met anyone with the name Raiya O'Cheran," the Priest protested.

"Then what's this?"

Nari produced a letter from her pocket and handed it to the Priest. Upon receiving it, the Priest wet the paper with his sweaty hands. The paper shook as well, as the latter read its content.

"A lovely lady by name of Ann handed this to me earlier today," Nari said. "She says she's been your correspondent with the warlock. She also says that you've been to visit her on countless occasions whenever she was in the country."

"These are lies, your Eminence," the Priest said, not believing his eyes. That letter should've been delivered to him, or burned at least. "They just want to get rid of me. Don't you see it? They don't like our lord here. They just want to see the Church collapse from within."

"The woman you've been treating," Nari said. "She's Ann's mother, is that right?"

"Y-yes, your Eminence," the Priest said.

"You've been trying to appease her pain for what? Two years now?"

"Two years and a half, your Eminence," the Priest said, suddenly regaining his composure. He was proud of his ability to ease other people's suffering. He could have made a great doctor, had it not been for the Church's Inquisition.

"It took me one basic miracle to heal her completely," Nari said. "There's a reason you've been sent to pagan territory. And that reason is because you're a coward. You're good for nothing. You can't even work hard on your faith, how do you expect people to follow you?"

The Priest remained silent. The paper in his hand shook even more violently. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Why did the warlock contact you?" Nari asked. "What did she want from you? Tell me this, and I'll be willing to overlook your past crimes against our organization."

"Crimes?" the Priest whispered.

"You rejected our Lord's ways," Nari said. "You stopped preaching. You no longer resort to healing miracles. What do you call that? You should've been a doctor instead." Nari revealed a malevolent smirk. "You would have burned at the stake anyway after the paladins caught you, but you wouldn't have wasted the Church's resources."

If there was one thing the Church didn't accept, it was wasting their money. The Priest knew he was in trouble now. Raiya was good to him. She even promised to teach him about medicine when things calmed down. His life was on the line though, he could no longer protect her.

"She…" the Priest said. "She promised to teach me healing spells if I delivered a boy to the border with Kozag."

"What's the boy's name?" Nari asked.

"She never said," he answered, shaking heavily now. "She only called him Z. I usually burn her letters after Ann delivers them to me…"

"A good thing she kept one with her," Nari said.

"I only wanted to heal her ailing mother…" the Priest whispered.

"You only wanted to get inside her," Nari said. "You disgust me. You're everything that's wrong with our Church."

The Priest dropped to his knees. "Oh please forgive me, your Eminence. I only wanted what's best for these people."

"You're lucky I don't decide on Priests' promotions or demotions." Nari was now looking down at the man, a look of utter disgust and contempt on her face.

"I'll work harder on my prayers…" the Priest said.

"Oh wait," Nari said, smirking from ear to ear. "I do decide on Priests' demotions. I can even decide your fate, here and now. I'm a Pontiff after all."

"Please…" the Priest was begging now. "I don't know anything else about that witch."

"How do you know she's but a witch now?" Nari picked up on the Priest's last word. "As far as I know, nobody knows she's lost her demon yet, except for high ranking officials in Aslanor."

"Y-y-y-you said it, your Eminence," the Priest said.

"No. I made sure to address her as a warlock since I brought her up. You know something, don't you? You spineless worm! You'll wish I had just killed you now."

That day, the people of Samhae witnessed the full power of a Pontiff. Rumor has it that the Church's expansion in the west started in Aslanor, more specifically in Samhae. This was all because of the punishment bestowed upon a certain crooked Priest. The Church didn't like corrupted hearts, and punished severely for it.

Upon witnessing the Pontiff's might, both in the way she punished the Priest, and how she healed the sick through prayer, the people of Samhae converted to the Church of Dhobor. Pontiff Nari came out of that village with three hundred followers, and crucial details to report to her superior.

Raiya had fled to Biarkh, and the boy who escaped from the Crucible was the thief responsible for all this calamity. She didn't know that the boy was a Stalwart, but the Bishop did, thanks to the information relayed by Sam.

Three forces were after Myles then, be it directly or indirectly. Theolonius Stalwart was after Raiya, who'd stolen the bones he worked so hard to acquire. Sam received his orders from the Bishop: hunt and kill Stalwart's youngest grandson.

Raiya, the angry warlock-turned-witch, was after Myles for her own reasons.

Will they find and hunt him down? Or will he get lucky and escape the deadly clutches that threaten to crush him?

Chapter end