GILF Hunter

Arriving at his destination, Ian looked up at the massive building before him.

A colossal structure situated not far from the residential district of the citizens. It was the temple.

While not quite as expensive as the southern district or the plaza area, it still occupied an incredibly vast space in this highly valuable region.

—Clank...

The sound of armor from knights standing guard echoed from various spots.

Usually, this was a place where many citizens came and went, but now, knights were patrolling in their stead.

Of course, knights always stayed here to some extent, but now, so many knights and their support staff were passing by that it looked almost like a military barracks.

It seemed a significant number of knights had been dispatched from the main temple.

Ian observed the knights for a moment before walking toward the entrance of the temple.

As he reached the entrance, a knight guarding the way blocked his path, just as Ian had expected.

’Please stop. We are not accepting general visitors for the time being. For prayers, please go to the plaza area starting tomorrow...’

’Ah, I have an appointment. My name is Ian.’

Ian showed his mercenary badge to the knight.

To be precise, it wasn’t so much an appointment as it was responding to an urgent summons.

He didn’t know the reason, but he had just received a message from a temple official saying Rin was currently at the temple and that it would be best if he came over.

Whether the word had been passed along, the knight opened the way after confirming his name.

’This way, please.’

The interior of the temple was also slightly chaotic, much like the outside.

Many knights were visible, and people were moving busily to organize the luggage of the personnel who had arrived with the knights and guide them to their quarters.

Passing through that area, Ian walked much deeper into the temple than where he usually visited.

The place he arrived at was the area containing the Goddess statue.

A place he usually had no reason to enter. General visitors were not allowed, and Ian hadn’t had any business that required him to go there before.

Ian stopped for a moment and looked up at the massive Goddess statue.

It was on a scale so grand it couldn’t even be compared to the small statues at the base.

As Ian stopped, the temple official guiding him also stopped beside him for a moment.

They seemed to be waiting to allow him to view the statue as much as he liked. They didn’t rush him or give him looks from the side.

Ian thought about offering a prayer since he was here anyway to get some effects, but before that, something else caught his attention.

──.

He felt a wave of unknown energy spreading from a nearby room.

...Is this holy magic?

He had never seen holy magic before, but feeling the energy directly, he thought it looked like holy magic even at a glance.

Ian turned his head in that direction with that assumption. It seemed the place where the power flowed from was his destination.

Rin was likely in there too. Ian resumed his steps toward that direction.

’Hmm... this isn’t having any effect either...’

Entering the room, Ian found Rin sitting in a chair with an awkward expression.

Several people from the temple, including priests, were gathered around Rin, encircling her.

Rin’s awkward appearance while surrounded by strangers reminded him of a puppy brought to a veterinary clinic.

Looking up, Rin’s face brightened instantly when she spotted Ian.

’Ah, Leader!’

’Leader?’

Rin reflexively waved her hand but then quietly lowered it while minding the people around her.

Then, the woman who appeared to be a high-ranking priest sitting in front of Rin also turned her head to look at Ian.

She was a high priest with long, wavy pink hair flowing down.

Seeing as she looked quite young for a high priest, she was likely a recently appointed one.

It seemed she had tried her best to tidy her hair neatly, but her hair appeared to be the type that didn’t listen well.

Just as Ian inspected her, the priest also took a look at Ian.

After staring at Ian for a moment, the priest stood up and approached him.

’Are you the Leader of the group Miss Rin belongs to?’

’Yes. I am Ian.’

’I’m Frenda.’

The priest, identifying herself as Frenda, glanced back at Rin, who was still sitting with a face that said she didn’t know what was going on, and spoke to Ian.

’I apologize for contacting you so urgently without an appointment.’

’...Did Rin cause some kind of trouble?’

’No, no. It’s nothing like that. I happened to run into her while passing by, and I simply couldn’t just walk past her. I brought her to the temple in a hurry.’

Then, Frenda’s expression turned serious.

Actually, the current situation had nothing to do with the business that brought her here. It wasn’t something she needed to get personally involved in to the point of summoning the leader of an unknown mercenary group to the temple.

But... how could she just walk past after seeing such a sight?

Glancing at Rin once more, Frenda delivered the news to Ian in a solemn atmosphere.

’Leader. Please retire Miss Rin. She must not go out to battle anymore.’

’...That’s not possible.’

’And why is that?’

’Because she is an important member who cannot be spared.’

So, this is how mercenaries are.

An expression like that seemed to flash across Frenda’s face.

There was no detailed explanation, but hearing those words, Ian could guess the reason why Frenda had brought Rin all the way to the temple.

How would Rin’s current state look to a priest who could feel erosion and curses more sensitively than anyone else?

Saying she couldn’t just walk past Rin wasn’t an exaggeration or a metaphor; it was meant literally.

The holy magic used just a moment ago must have been a spell to purify erosion.

Of course, it would have had no effect at all.

Because of the penalty option on the demonic sword that made erosion treatment impossible, Rin was currently not in a state where her erosion could be cured.

Before Ian arrived, Frenda, who had failed in all attempts to treat Rin even a little, spoke to Ian with a grave expression.

’Miss Rin’s current condition is extremely serious. Her erosion cannot be treated... I assume you already know this?’

Explaining thus, Frenda turned her gaze to look at the sword hanging at Rin’s waist.

’It must be because of that demonic sword. Miss Rin must not fight any more than this.’

That small sword felt like nothing at first glance, but if one observed it closely, one could tell that a chilling energy was flowing out from beyond the scabbard.

A demonic sword so powerful it was hideous.

Seeing as it wasn’t even recorded in the temple’s investigation logs, it appeared to be an item that had just recently been excavated.

’Did you perhaps not know about this demonic sword?’

’No. I knew.’

’Then why did you give such an item to a mercenary? Even if you didn’t know at the time of discovery, shouldn’t you stop her from fighting once you found out!’

Frenda’s reaction became quite fierce.

Presumably... she thought Ian might have intentionally deceived Rin into wielding the demonic sword or was taking advantage of her.

’I’ve already explained everything and finished the discussion. Rin is the one who wanted it first.’

’...Really?’

Rin nodded with a slightly troubled expression.

’I already told her that, but she didn’t believe me...’

Using a demonic sword was not a sin, but deceiving someone into wielding one or forcing them was a crime.

Since a priest would have no choice but to investigate upon discovering a demonic sword of unknown origin, Ian understood this exchange to some extent.

Well, from an outsider’s perspective... it could certainly look a bit like that.

Ian had also anticipated that once she started using the demonic sword, there might be some talk from the outside for a while.

Rin’s corruption level is different from erosion, but fundamentally, it’s not much different from erosion.

This effect implemented through the mod didn’t create new stats but rather overwrote the name of the erosion value to make it look plausible.

Corruption was actually just erosion with a different name.

So in the eyes of others, Rin was a mass of immense erosion and curses. From a priest’s perspective, she probably looked like a walking corpse.

It was no wonder Frenda was making such an expression.

Even so... he couldn’t reveal everything up to that point.

Meeting Ian’s gaze, Rin flinched and shook her head as if noticing what Ian was thinking.

She seemed to be asking him not to tell how she was safely enduring the erosion.

...Of course, Ian also absolutely refused to speak about that with his own mouth in front of a priest.

’Even so... this cannot go on! You must not let Miss Rin fight anymore!’

’U-um, Lady Frenda? I’m fine, though...’

’There’s no way you’re fine!’

Frenda pulled Rin into a sudden hug.

Rin’s face was buried deep into the large breasts that couldn’t hide their presence even through the priest’s robes.

Rin’s voice, as she tried to say something, was buried within and became completely inaudible.

’Just... what could have happened for you to lay hands on such a thing... Surely, something painful must have occurred...’

’Mmph, mmmph...’

To wield a demonic sword by one’s own choice, there must have been a level of resolve and anger that ordinary people couldn’t understand.

While holding Rin in her arms, Frenda spoke as she stroked her hair.

’I will definitely find a way to treat you...!’

It would actually be troublesome if she treated it...

Whether she read Ian’s inner thoughts, Frenda held Rin close and stared intently at Ian with eyes that seemed to view him as a wicked mercenary leader.