Chapter 129 : Where Is the Priest?
Where Is the Priest?
"Brother! Sage!"
After dealing with the wolves, kid Boulder and Turtle kid gathered the corpses in one spot. After inspecting them briefly, the two approached us.
Kid Boulder was the first to speak.
"I can't tell you how long I've waited!"
His excitement was so intense that the wagon shook slightly.
"Ever since the coming-of-age ceremony, I've missed you so much...!"
I responded with a beaming smile to the overjoyed Kid Boulder.
"I feel the same, kid Boulder...!"
Suddenly, I clamped my hand over my mouth.
"Kid Boulder? What's that supposed to mean?"
Caught up in the joy of reunion, I'd blurted out 'Kid Boulder' without thinking.
"Uh, it means you're a steadfast, unyielding warrior like a rock."
I quickly brushed it off.
"I see! But then, why 'Kid'? Isn't that more fitting for you than me?"
Indeed.
Kid Boulder's "appearance" might suit the name, but he was over 2 meters tall, with a body packed solid with muscle.
The word 'kid' really didn't fit.
"Look at this rock."
Even so, thanks to long experience, a way out of the situation came to mind.
I picked up a rock the size of a fist and handed it to Kid Boulder.
"Break this."
"Hup!"
Kid Boulder easily crushed the fist-sized rock in his hand.
"That was easy!"
"Try breaking this one, too."
This time, I handed him a tiny pebble.
He'll have trouble breaking that, I thought. If that's the case, I'd just say, "Kid Boulder is stronger than an ordinary rock!" as my excuse.
"Hyaa!"
Crunch.
Kid Boulder shattered the pebble too.
"It was a bit tougher, but I broke it!"
Hmph.
I underestimated you.
No other excuse came to mind.
"I can break it with both hands!!"
At that, Barkal chimed in, grabbed small pebbles with both hands, and began to crush them.
"I can do it too!"
"So can I!!!!"
Perhaps inspired by Barkal's enthusiasm, two other barbarians jumped in, eager to show off.
Seeing the three of them acting foolishly together sparked fresh memories of my time with them during the coming-of-age ceremony.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
After a bit of goofing around, the barbarians burst out in raucous laughter.
"Sage! You must have returned as a legendary adventurer!"
"No doubt! If it's Barkal and the Sage, it's possible!"
Are we finally getting back to business?
Legendary adventurer, huh.
I did manage to achieve 'Silver-ranked party' in record time, but I wasn't sure you could call that legendary.
I shook my head, but the two "Baketmon" didn't pay me any attention.
"Humble, too! That's just like the Sage!"
"Thrag blesses you!"
Damn it.
* 〈Thrag is proud of you.〉
I have no idea why he's proud of this. Sure, you like dumb people, but that means you won't listen to me either.
* 〈Thrag says that's better than you.〉
Fine, live like that your whole life.
* * *
After a quick round of greetings, the wagon—with the two barbarians now aboard—started toward the Red Wolf Tribe.
Even as the desolate scenery continued, the two barbarians boldly led us as if they could easily distinguish the way.
"By the way, brothers."
"What is it, sage?"
"Speak!"
"Why were you here? Were you waiting for us?"
Barbarian cooperation isn't unheard of, but I couldn't think of any reason for them to be at this spot.
Normally, they should have been conquering a dungeon or out hunting.
Isn't this place too far from the 'Red Wolf Tribe' to make sense?
"We were out looking for medicinal herbs."
"That's right!"
Medicinal herbs?
Why are barbarians looking for herbs?
Aren't there plenty of herbs back at the tribe anyway? There would be other barbarians and whatever they'd gathered.
"The mood in the tribe isn't good right now."
This time, turtle kid replied. There was a shadow over his face.
Still, if the mood in the tribe is bad—at that, the first thing I thought of was the 'Seven Abyssal Brands.'
With one hiding in the tribe and plotting evil, of course something was bound to go wrong.
"For what reason?"
"A contagious sickness is spreading in the tribe."
"A plague?"
I frowned in confusion.
"Yes."
"What are the symptoms?"
Thinking of 'tendon,' I questioned Turtle kid.
"I can't give a clear answer. It's complicated."
Complicated? What does that mean?
"It started with a mild fever. Many brothers just felt a bit hot."
"That could just be a cold."
"We thought so too. But as time went on, some started having hallucinations and hearing things."
Hallucinations and auditory illusions.
The ominous combination from Turtle kid's mouth carried a heavy weight that couldn't be ignored.
"So we came out here to collect herbs. According to the healer, these herbs are specialized for reducing mild fever."
Turtle kid tightened the wolf he'd brought as an offering for Thrag to his back and roughly dug through his pouch.
Soon, he produced a bundle of herbs with a faint smell of earth and grass.
"The healer is doing a good job."
"Indeed. Melissa is competent. And..."
Ahem.
Unable to continue, turtle kid let out a dry, throaty cough.
"Ha ha ha! Sage, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"Gor! That guy, he's in love with Melissa!"
Kid Boulder pointed at Turtle kid and laughed heartily.
Gor, so Turtle kid's name was Gor. Thanks for letting me know.
"Healer Melissa—she's beautiful, I'll grant that. But she's not my type!"
No one asked, but Kid Boulder suddenly got excited and loudly declared his very personal preference.
"Strength is the appeal! Even a barbarian's partner, if she's a woman, should be strong! That's why Melissa's not my type!"
And just as he finished, kid Boulder snapped his neck around and looked at Serena.
"But this one's more my style!"
Serena, really?
At Kid Boulder's shameless declaration, Gor looked stunned, not knowing how to react.
"Brother, that woman is even more delicate than Melissa."
"Gor, my brother who doesn't even have fur. Can't you tell at a glance?"
Kid Boulder grinned and looked at Serena.
"That woman is akin to a monster... No, she is like a monster! No! She *is* a monster herself!"
"What?"
Whatever it was he saw, kid Boulder's assessment of Serena was becoming downright vicious.
But it was accurate. Even Barkal acknowledged that Serena was a total maniac.
So it was no wonder Serena looked flustered.
"How about it! With strength like yours, you'd make a fine mate! Will you be mine?"
"H-ha ha..."
Serena glanced at me. Her eyes said she'd snap him in half if I allowed it.
Weren't you just saying you liked getting involved with barbarians?
As I shook my head to signal "no,"
Serena replied to Kid Boulder.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm a woman of faith..."
"There's a saying in the Red Wolf Tribe."
Kid Boulder, unfazed by rejection, continued.
"No tree withstands being chipped away at a hundred times!"
With that, he started to pull out his spear—only for Serena's joint technique to hit him.
"Kyaaaah! M-monster!"
"Who are you calling a monster?!"
Crack, snap.
The gruesome sound of joints being twisted filled the air, but ignoring it, I turned to Gor.
"Gor."
Now that I knew his name, I called to Turtle kid more comfortably, and he looked at me.
"The priest, rugar—what's he doing with a plague running through the tribe?"
That was my biggest question. What was the priest doing?
Surely a priest should have responsibilities when disease strikes the tribe.
"At present, priest Rugar is conducting the Thrag-Tan."
Thrag-Tan?
What's that?
Judging by the name, it's clearly got something to do with Thrag.
"It's a ritual to our god, Thrag."
Just as I thought.
"They're asking him if this plague might be Thrag's anger."
Thrag's anger.
No matter how evil, despicable, petty, and trashy Thrag is—
* 〈Thrag is angry.〉
I get it.
Still, as nasty as he is, I didn't think he'd spread a plague among the followers of his own tribe.
Unless, of course, they'd defiled his name. But the barbarians weren't the type to do that.
"Hm."
If that's the case, there's only one possibility.
The Seven Abyssal Brands.
Without a doubt, they're the ones who spread the sickness through the Red Wolf Tribe.
Though it may not be a simple sickness. It could be something like a 'curse'.
Which made the absence of "Priest Rugar" all the more suspicious.
Curses can be scattered through "rituals."
Especially if one is a "sorcerer."
One way or another.
I'd have to settle things with him.
"As expected, the priest is amazing. Asking Thrag himself about the origin of the disease—that's something I never even thought to do."
The problem is, other barbarians respect the "priest" and his position.
If I just outright opposed the priest, something bad would surely happen.
So I'd need to set it up so the other barbarians could suspect "Priest Rugar" themselves.
* 〈Thrag shudders at your sinister thoughts.〉
The one saving grace.
Is that I can communicate with Thrag, the god of the tribe.