Chapter 155: Missionary

When Gawain led Amber and Heidi to arrive at a building site near the brick-kiln yard under the soldier’s guide, the odd priest who had suddenly appeared in the territory had been occupied for some time already.

This was a slovenly, travel-stained, and exceptionally stout chap. He was currently carrying baskets of heavy bricks with the workers to where they were building walls. Despite it already being late in the cold Frost Month, he and the other workers had worked out a body of sweat, such that the worn-our priest robes had been removed by him and tied around his waist as a waist-cloth, revealing robust upper-body muscles and bronze skin.

The muscles in his arm literally looked like he was ready to perish together with heretics anytime.

The workers were occupied and working with this man who had suddenly appeared but occasionally looked up secretly to survey him. Clearly, they had long discovered that this was an odd stranger. Meanwhile, the supervisor (and recorder) of this building site was watching helplessly from the side. Upon realizing that the feudal lord had arrived, this supervisor immediately ran to him. “Lord! You’re finally here, this is really…”

“What’s with this person?” Gawain watched the strong chap who was immersed in carrying bricks confusedly. “Priest from the Church of Holy Light? This style? Why has he come to my territory and decided to work all of a sudden?”

“We don’t know where he came from either!” The supervisor looked like he was going berserk. “He simply said that he came to the south to do missionary work on orders, then asked the workers if any of them were interested in the Holy Light. —— Who knew where he came from? Of course, everyone ignored him. I even told him that everyone had yet to finish their work. No one had the time to listen to him. In the end, this person went to lift bricks without a word. He couldn’t even be stopped —— he’s scarily strong!”

“…You’d know he can’t be weak just by looking at his physique.” Amber glanced dumbfoundedly at the burly chap. She’d even been inspired for a moment earlier when she heard that a suspected priest from the Church of Holy Light was here and planned to battle for 300 rounds against the other party (or get beaten up) and then extort Gawain for a sum of medical expenses. However, even with her brain circuits as they were, she never expected it to be such a character that came here. She was instantly a little stunned. “This really isn’t a paladin who wore the wrong clothes when he was leaving the house and walked out in robes?”

The supervisor shrugged. “I’ve asked. He claimed to be a missionary who traveled from the central region.”

Gawain frowned and waved a hand to the soldier who followed her as well as the supervisor before him. “Don’t be nervous. I’ll go interact with him.”

With that, he walked forward with Amber and Heidi.

The workers working saw Gawain approach very quickly. Each of them stopped the work they had on hand in nervousness and reverence, preparing to bow, but Gawain stopped them with his gaze and waved his hand. “No need to care about me. Just do your work.”

The strong chap who was working finally also noticed the change in the atmosphere. He unloaded a basket of bricks from his shoulder and lifted his head to look around; he then turned towards Gawain. “The person-in-charge is here? Are you the person-in-charge?”

Such a manner of speaking… really unlike the kind of priest one would often see in the Church of Holy Light.

This was one rare time that Gawain was dressed in casual clothes. Although he carried the Sword of Pioneers with him, there was the scabbard covering it. Other than his height making him look like a crane standing among chickens, it was probably very difficult for an outsider, at the first moment, to associate this tall fellow — who didn’t even have a presentable guard around him when he was out — to the Cecil Duke, Gawain (Amber was an unpresentable guard). Noticing that the burly guy before him had not figured out his identity, Gawain went along and said, “Yes, I am the person-in-charge of this area. What do you do?”

“Great, I’m finally meeting someone with whom speaking works!” The big fellow looked especially delighted. He casually wiped his perspiration. He then felt around in the long robes tied around his waist for a long while before he finally pulled out a creased document and handed it over. “Could you help me hand this to your feudal lord? Previously, I stood on an elevated spot and looked for a long time, but I couldn’t find where his castle was.”

Gawain took the document and casually found a pile of bricks to sit on at the side. He also indicated for the other party to sit down. Then, he lowered his head for a look yet saw that there was only a simple sentence on this document written on superior quality parchment:

The committee sends The Lord’s loyal servant, Cleric Wright Awiken, to leave for the southern borders, propagate the teachings of The Lord, and spread the way of the Holy Light.

There was also the emblem of the Church of Holy Light and the seal of a certain bishop below.

He really was a missionary.

Gawain faltered and then put the document away. “Alright, I will do so, but I have to first ask you a few questions.”

“Sure… Ah, hold on.” The chap had just nodded halfway when he suddenly stood up and stopped a serf who happened to be walking past him. “Wait a moment, there’s something wrong with your arm.”

The serf stopped blankly and even revealed a hint of nervousness when he saw Gawain seated right beside him. However, the latter only nodded lightly, indicating that there was no need to be bothered. —— Gawain was also curious what this puzzling missionary wanted to do.

Then he saw the missionary called ‘Wright’ rest a hand on the serf’s shoulder, while the other drew the emblem of the Holy Light in the air. He chanted words of blessings, and as the blessing progressed, faint white light appeared in both his hands; a peaceful and harmonious aura filled the surrounding air. The unkempt burly chap with a naked top-half actually appeared to be slightly holy and pure in this holy light.

Very soon, the treatment ended. Missionary Wright retracted his hand and nodded to the serf. “Done! A little internal injury, it won’t act up during cloudy days or when it rains. May The Lord bless you.”

The serf moved his shoulder in disbelief, probably feeling obvious comfort. He could not help but nod at and thank Wright repeatedly with an agitated expression and then walked back to his work post while stretching his shoulder.

Missionary Wright clapped his palms like he’d just done something trivial and insignificant. He turned towards Gawain. “I’m done. Ask away.”

Gawain sat through this entire process indifferently; he was merely a little surprised at the end that this ‘missionary’ actually only said ‘May The Lord bless you’ instead of seizing the chance to hang onto the man and talk about the way of the Holy Light for half an hour. Following that, he came back to his senses and nodded to Wright. “You came here to do missionary work?”

“As it has been written in the document the central parish sent me.” The man nodded. “The one who signed it is Bishop Megal. I set off from the Plains of the Holy Spirits and walked all the way here. A small part of my time was spent traveling. Most of it was used to preach. Stopping and moving throughout the whole journey, it’s been more than a year already.”

Then he added, “I only found out recently that the Cecil Clan was constructing a new pioneering camp here. Originally, my last stop was going to be Tanzan Town, but now, my last stop is here. I intend to settle down in this place. If I can get the permission of the resurrected Duke, I will build a church here.”

Amber poked Gawain’s arm, muttering, “Hey, hey, referring to you, referring to you~~”

Gawain stolidly tensed the muscles in his arm for a moment, making Amber’s fingers retract in pain as if she had poked a steel plate. He then looked towards Wright with a frown. “Then why did you suddenly come and help with the work?”

“The supervisor said earlier, everyone was working so they had no time to listen to me preach.” Wright shrugged. “Then if I quickly help them finish up their work, I’d be able to preach.”

“Simply because of this?”

Wright wore a look that said it was a matter of fact. “Yeah, simply because of that.”

At this point, Heidi finally could no longer hold back and spoke, “Excuse me, but I’ve also seen missionaries from the Church of Holy Light who were traveling outside, but none of them were like you… Were you a paladin in the past?”

“I am a Cleric, always have been.” Wright looked down at the muscles on his body and said justifiably again, “But it’s more dangerous preaching outside. I often encounter wild animals, bandits, and whatnot. Clerics’ combat theurgies are too few, so training my body is good for self-protection. Besides, sometimes the money I have on me isn’t enough, so I’m bound to have to help the locals with work in exchange for food. That wouldn’t work if my body isn’t strong.”

“Missionaries from the Church of Holy Light do not have the convention of working in exchange for food.” Heidi wore an odd look. “Beyonders do not need to sell their physical strength regardless of where they go, much less selling it to laymen. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Madam, that’s not right of you.” Wright’s expression immediately turned solemn. “The way of the Holy Light tells us that humans cannot reap without sowing. The way of the Holy Light also tells us that all are people of the Holy Light. Since we’re all people of the Holy Light, why the need to differentiate between laymen and not?”

Amber looked this brawny man up and down in surprise. “You really took those words seriously?”

Wright revealed a natural and right expression once more. “The teachings of the way of the Holy Light, how could they be taken to be false?”

Watching this peculiar missionary, Gawain did not say anything for a while.

He swiftly pondered whether there was anything suspicious about this person before him, guessing whether he was related to Princess Veronica’s visit earlier on and surmising how much of what he said was credible.

If all that he said was real, then it seemed like there was nothing to worry about —— this Holy Light cleric had begun his travels a year ago, and at that time, Gawain had yet to rise from his coffin. The arrival of this missionary was a coincidence.

But if it all wasn’t real, this Holy Light missionary’s sudden arrival on this territory would be a matter that would be more troublesome in Gawain’s eyes.

But for some reason, looking at this Holy Light missionary with an intriguing style, Gawain had a nagging feeling that this matter… really had nothing to do with a conspiracy.

Regardless, even if he had developed a trace of vigilance and estrangement toward the current gods and the beliefs of this world, as a feudal lord, he could not carelessly chase a missionary away; especially in the situation when the other party had not violated any laws on this land and even actively helped with working and treating the sick, he really, really could not do so. —— Otherwise, the law and order that he himself pursued would be diminished.

Besides, he also wanted to observe and find out this person’s background and what objectives he had.

As Gawain was pondering at heart, missionary Wright was also surveying the three people before him, and he abruptly asked, “By the way, are the three of you interested in the way of the Holy Light?”

Gawain and company weren’t unanimous at all.

“I am a believer of the Goddess of Magic. I do not want to believe in other gods.”

“Are you blind? I believe in the shadows!”

“Not interested, thank you.”

Missionary Wright nodded. “Oh, never mind then.”

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