“Young Master Watson, please continue with what you’re doing,” Leon said to Watson as he went on his way back to the church; he was embarrassed.
“Leon, I’ve explained it to you many times. Nightingale and I do not have the kind of relationship you imagined. I drank some wine last night, and then—” Watson rubbed his head and stopped talking, feeling a little guilty.
Leon had seen them when he and Nightingale looked at each other on the bed. He had chased after the man so that he could explain it to him. However, it looked like Leon did not believe him.
He had no idea how he had ended up in that setting with Nightingale. Perhaps it was because of Nightingale’s unguarded look that touched his heartstrings, or because he was hitting puberty—he even had the notion of pushing Nightingale down onto the bed. After all, he has a 30-something-year-old soul from another world. He had not experienced any worldly desires due to his young body, but it seemed like things had changed.
That made Watson feel dangerous.
He would have hurt Nightingale if he had taken action. He did not think of her as his lover, only a favored friend. He would not get a lover until he could solve the problem with the king of the Holy Dragon Kingdom, and all his family and friends could live a happy and stable life.
‘It seems like I have to keep a certain distance from the opposite sex in the future. Even the maids in my house should not be allowed to rub my back anymore.’
Watson was in deep thoughts when Leon said, “We’re here.” That made him raise his head to look upward.
At the end of the street stood a huge church. A high tower with a circular spire stood in the center of the church, and a bronze bell stood atop the tower. A man dressed in church clothing stood beside the bronze bell and struck it with a massive mallet; it caused the bronze bell to emit a clear and bright sound.
The church had vibrantly stained glass, and there were flowerbeds and ancient-looking fountains outside—the atmosphere was excellent. Church members in the same attire as Leon went in and out of the church. Watson also saw ordinary citizens who were dressed differently, and they also entered and exited the church in groups of two or three. It looked like they were there to worship the gods.
“This is the St. Antilles Cathedral? This is the first time I’ve come to a church! Why does the Bishop want me here, Leon?” Watson asked Leon. He put the matter with Nightingale to the back of his mind for the time being.
He had just arrived in the city; the people from the St. Antilles Cathedral would not have known about him. He did not know why the Bishop would want to see him.
“This is all my fault. Does Young Master Watson know what day it is today?”
“What day is it?”
“It’s Monday.”
Leon was wearing a black prayer outfit that was different from the one Watson had seen him wore. He had a white square scarf on his head, and he held the Book of Devout Saints in his hand. He said reverently, “The Holy See has declared Mondays as the god of Light, Baldur’s day of birth. Therefore, we come to the church for prayers every Monday morning at six in the morning. I brought my new prayer book with me this morning, and the Bishop noticed that it was different. He also recognized the runes, and he wanted to study the book for a while. I told him that you were the one who gave it to me, and it was not up to me to lend him the book.”
“So you brought me here to ask for my permission?” Watson already understood what he meant even without waiting for him to continue his sentences.
Leon nodded apologetically. “That’s right, Young Master Watson. That’s what I had thought! I know that it’s not good to hand over the book you gave me, especially when you want me to use it to help you clear the dungeon. But this is the Bishop, and he had lent me quite a few things yesterday. I don’t know what to do.”
“I understand. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of this.” Watson smiled and patted Leon’s shoulder.
He was there for Leon and the church. A priest was one of the four major roles in the kingdom, and when Watson had seen Leon’s amazing performance in the labyrinth, he had decided to learn more about the role.
Furthermore, Leon told him that it was a simple situation. He had only obtained a peak gold-tier item, and he had brought it to church during prayer time to show it off. The Bishop must have taken a fancy to the item and wanted to borrow it to have a closer look. There was an easy solution to that. In addition, the Bishop had lent something to Leon, so he must be a good person.
….
“Leon, you took 5,000 gold coins worth of items and money from me yesterday. A day has passed, and since the interest is 1,000 gold coins per day, shouldn’t you return 6,000 gold coins to me? If you can’t come up with the gold coins, then give me the prayer book with the Loen words. I advise you to consider it carefully and not to drag it out. Otherwise, it would become a problem that can’t be solved with a Loen book.”
Watson looked at the man in front of him. He was the bishop, and he was wearing a red robe. He held a scepter in one hand, and dug his ears with the other. There was also a long scar on his face. No matter his face or words, Watson knew that he was not a good person at all.
“I’m sorry, Bishop Waldo. Please give me a few more days. I’m going to the underground city with Young Master Watson soon. I should be able to get some precious materials for the gold coins to repay you,” Leon said to the bishop with a pleading look. He almost knelt on the spot.
“Do you think I’ll believe your nonsense, Leon? I know nothing about your strength. Even if you had obtained a gold-tier prayer book, it would allow you to go to the 20th floor in the maze, and you’ll get some materials from the silver-tier magical beasts there. I might need to wait a long time before you can repay your debt. The great God of Light taught us not to lie, but this is clearly a deception. And you’re even trying to con me, the Bishop. Either pay the gold coins today or leave the book here with me. You can only choose one.”
The bishop named Waldo poked the fat on his cheeks as he spoke and spat on Leon’s face.
“Why does it have to be like that?” Leon’s face was ashen.
He had borrowed money from that bishop the previous day. One might say that he had borrowed money from loan sharks.
Initially, he had planned to wait for Watson to raise him to gold-tier. Then, he would enter the depths of the dungeon to get some materials from gold-tier magical beasts—he should be able to pay off the debt easily. However, he did not expect Waldo would take a fancy to his prayer book and was prepared to take it by force.
If he had known that earlier, he would not have shown off the peak gold-tier item that Watson had given him at the church for the sake of ego. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to regret that then.
“Also, Leon, did you forget something? When you borrowed money from me yesterday, didn’t you say that you had taken a fancy to a beautiful girl and wanted to marry her? Look at what you’ve brought me. I told you to bring that girl here when you have the payment. You think I’m blind and can’t tell whether this person is a man or a woman? So rude! Do you know why I lent you the money?”
Waldo continued to chatter non-stop, and the blame gradually shifted to Watson. ‘So the Bishop only lent money because he coveted Leon’s beautiful girl. This feels even worse,’ Watson thought.
Speechless, he walked forward. “Bishop, please stop for a moment. Let me explain it to you. I created the gold-tier prayer book in Leon’s hand. He can’t give it to anyone without my permission.”
Watson thought Leon’s friend would be easy to talk to, but it was the complete opposite. There was no need for him to be so polite to bad people.
