After seeing Soul Howl off, Mira began walking through the city. She passed along the temple again, and by chance the main gate opened letting Priest Kingsblade out.
He was more than two meters tall, and stood out like a sore thumb compared to anyone else. His actual power was also nothing to scoff at.
Him being there was so sudden that Mira’s shoulder twitched slightly as her feet stopped and she just stared at him.
「Wait, I saw you in the chapel earlier…」
He also seemed to recognize Mira, having seen her in the chapel some minutes prior. Mira and Soul Howl had remained in a corner of the chapel, whispering for a long time. The priest had noticed them, and still recalled what they looked like.
「Nevermind that, I just got word that a suspicious necromancer was sighted around here, did you happen to see anyone like that?」
He gently squatted down to meet Mira’s eye-level, talking to her with a soft voice as if dealing with a child. But his eyes went from looking like a kind priest to being sharp like back in his glory days.
「Sorry, I wouldn’t know who that was.」
This still counted as the temple’s grounds, and necromancy was closely tied to death. Mira did not know many details about religion in this world, so she began suspecting that maybe necromancy was not allowed to be used in religious areas. Dealing with that could get annoying, so she decided to plead ignorance.
That only made the glint in the priest’s eyes become harsher though.
「But they also reported that a cute young girl like yourself was seen next to that suspicious man. Are you sure you don’t know him?」
He looked Mira straight in the eyes as he continued questioning her. It seemed like he had been told many details about the sighting, and he had a rather clear idea of who Mira was, and who the suspicious necromancer had been. Mira could not play dumb for much longer.
「…Umm…did that person commit some sort of mistake then?」
Mira decided to ask more questions to properly assess how to reply, depending on the severity of the crime. But things were not quite what she expected.
Priest Kingsblade had been informed that a suspicious-looking necromancer was trying to kidnap a young girl. Once he heard their description he felt like he had seen them before, so he went out to check if his hunch was correct.
「So, you really haven’t seen him?」
「Ahhh, right, right, it completely slipped my mind. Yes, yes, I know him, he’s my friend. I’ve known him for a long time so I didn’t even think of him when you mentioned someone suspicious, but I presume he does look that way if it’s your first time seeing him.」
Mira realized she did not have to worry about getting into needless trouble, so she decided to respond truthfully.
「I see, so he’s just a friend. That’s alright then, sorry for taking your time.」
The priest made sure to emphasize the fact that Mira and the necromancer were friends. Then he looked over to the temple’s entrance, where a woman stood, and told her, 「It seems it was nothing to worry about.」
The priest had seen Mira and Soul Howl come out of the Ancient Underground City together. That gave him a good idea of the relationship between the two, but he went to verify it just in case, and to appease the worries of that woman.
「I see, that’s a relief then.」
The woman sighed in relief, thanked the priest, and vanished back inside the temple.
Seeing that, Mira felt a little conflicted. She was displeased to be associated with such suspicions, but at the same time appreciated that the woman was looking out for her.
Then again, now Mira knew that Soul Howl could be mistaken for someone trying to kidnap young girls, and she knew she had to poke fun at him over it eventually. Just thinking about that made her grin.
「One more thing, using magic in front of the temple can be forbidden under certain conditions, so make sure to tell your friend that.」
The priest looked at Mira again, telling her that with a cheerful smile. The way he worded that made it seem that the rules were not only about necromancy.
Mira knew the true power the priest concealed, so she just replied with a submissive 「Alright, I’ll tell him.」
「I’ll be going back then. Thank you for your cooperation.」
Priest Kingsblade thanked Mira, then turned around to return into the temple. He had said everything he needed to say, and the intimidating air surrounding him was gone.
「By the way, could I ask you one question?」
But Mira called out to him before he could leave.
「Yes, what is it?」
He turned around again, looking at Mira with an unreserved smile.
「I heard something earlier, apparently there was a young girl traveler that changed your life from one fighting in underground arenas? Would you happen to know what her name was? And maybe where she is right now?」
Mira and Soul Howl had agreed that the girl was likely the fellow Wiseman Meilin. They had also agreed that seven years had passed since then, so the priest would likely not have much usable information. But since the priest was already there, she figured there was no harm in asking that.
「I see…so that’s what you were chattering about in the chapel’s corner. But I have to ask, why the interest in her?」
The menacing aura of the priest that had vanished came back in full swing. He had not fully gotten over his violent tendencies.
「Oh, it’s just that her description sounds a lot like one of my friends.」
Mira averted her gaze from that intense stare as she replied, which made the priest’s attitude switch entirely.
「What?! You know who she was?!」
He aggressively closed in on Mira, who took a few steps back from the sudden intensity. She also clarified that she just knew a girl who would often travel like that, so she simply believed it could be the same person.
「I see… Sadly I didn’t ask what her name was. She introduced herself as Taiyaki Kuri Yokan in our match, and later I found out that’s just the name of some dessert.」
The priest lamented that, saying he had no other clues than that name. But hearing that gave Mira the conviction she needed to be sure it was Meilin.
「Ah…I’m sure it was my friend then. That’s her favorite dessert as well.」
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