The Kingmaker System-Chapter 74 - 73. A Fiery Priest (3)

"Go from the back and see if everyone’s safe." I instructed the priest, "And I’ll go check who’s here."

"Wait, how-"

I leaned ahead and leapt down hearing his gasp before I landed softly on the ground without at sound. I gestured that I was fine at the priest who stared down at with eyes that seemed as if they were ready to fall off their sockets right into my hands.

I walked towards the back door and saw the dim light spilling from the ajar wooden door. The smell of blood was thick in the air which made me a little worried.

I quietly walked inside and saw the reason of the sudden disturbance. I relaxed a little and walked towards Father Marlowe who was instructing the other priests.

"Mr Ace?" He gasped as he saw me, "Did you go out at this time?"

"Yes, I was out for a stroll but then heard the strange sounds so I came this way. Were those bandits?" I asked gesturing at the four men who were taken by the priests.

Those men were quite different from the frail and pale skinned priests, those men were over six feet tall with bodies that seemed to be built by the hammering of the harsh natural environment.

"Yes, their condition was quite severe so they were brought here for treatment." Father Marlowe explained.

"More will come eventually," he added with a smile and I could understand why that redheaded priest seemed annoyed.

The people like Father Marlowe were so self-sacrificing that it might annoy the practical people who wouldn’t want others to use them.

"Father!"

Father Marlowe and I turned to see the redhead priest run towards us. He stopped in front of the old priest and then looked at him and then at me.

"Everything is fine here, those were the injured bandits who were admitted just now, Father." I spoke up and the redhead frowned.

Father Marlowe eyed between us before smiling, "I see you’ve gotten acquainted with each other."

"Yes, Father... Well, he is an amusing person." I said and the redhead glared at me.

"You should go and rest now, Father. I’ll look after those brutes."

"Roan, how many times have I told you to not say that!"

"Only a few thousand times," he answered defiantly.

So, this fiery guy’s name was Roan.

"Anyways, Mr Ace you should go and sleep now as well, it’s late." Father Marlowe said.

"I’m fine, Father. I’ll keep Father Roan company."

"I don’t need it!"

Regardless of him denying my company, I tagged along. I could get some information from him, the kind of information that only a person who had sharp sense of observation could tell me.

"So, how long have you been here for Father Roan?" I asked.

"... Five years."

"That’s quite a long time. Ever thought of looking for some other opportunity of working?" I asked.

"I’m fine here."

"Have you ever been to Mordino?"

"Yes, a couple of times."

"Is it a good place for traveling?" I asked.

"If you have money then, yes. But if you’re poor they’ll squeeze you dry."

"How come?"

Roan gave me a look before adjusting the oil lamp and then sat down beside me.

"That place had become a hell after the new king ascended the throne. He’s been bathing in gold everyday and sucking the blood of the people. If anyone dares to defy him, he feeds them off to his pets."

None other might dare to say that even if they were sitting miles away from that said King. This guy was starting to impress me even more.

"Pets?"

"Yes, he had three cheetahs as his pets."

"Cool."

Having exotic pets, being cruel, this King was starting to seem more and more like a tyrant who needed a good beating.

"Are you really going to travel to Mordino?"

"Why? Are you worried?"

Roan gave me a deadpan look which made me chuckle.

"Can you fight?" I asked looking at his arms which were streaked with scars.

"Yes, sometimes those bandits get out of hands while treatment or just generally get violent so, I deal with them."

The sudden sound of commotion made me and Roan rise at once.

"More patients." I mumbled.

The night was filled with the patients who streamed in with different kinds of injuries and just as Roan had said the bandits did have a tendency to get out of hands of they couldn’t endure the pain of treatment.

"Why would you morons fight if you can’t even deal with the treatment?!" Roan was also losing it.

"It’s all right, calm down, Father." I patted Roan’s shoulder before knocking the frantic patient in his hands unconscious.

"Damn brutes!"

I chuckled slightly, before frowning as I observed the wounds on the man’s body.

"These wounds look quite fresh, almost as if..."

"They don’t fight at night, that’s one of the rule." Roan mused and then we looked at the other patients noticing the same thing.

"Those damn snake crest! They attacked our tents when we were resting, bloody cowards!"

"I will burn their whole clan!"

"Those son of a-"

The bandits started cursing and I looked at Roan.

"Are your brutes actually breaking rules now?" I asked and he frowned.

This might also endanger the temple then, if those bandits ignored the rules then this place would be the first to take over for free food and treatment. These priests were as good as sitting ducks for them.

"Take care of things here." Roan told the other priests before he stepped out hurriedly.

I followed him without a word and saw as he walked towards the small barn that was behind the temple and got on a horse.

"Whoa, there, where are you heading so late?" I asked.

"I need to check, if those bastards are breaking rules then, it’s only a matter of time before they raid here."

I sighed, "I’ll go too."

Roan didn’t say anything as I got on another horse and followed his.

It wasn’t even a few minutes before we saw the carts and horses being sent to the temple with injured people. There was a huge commotion going on in the distance with the orange flames lighting the golden sand.

"It’s a brawl." I commented.

Roan hurried over to the commotion and I frowned following.

"Are you planning on beating some sense into them?" I asked.

"Yes!"

"Alone?"

"Didn’t you say you’ll come along and watch my back? Then be my guest!"

I smirked as I picked pace and the commotion was suddenly quite loud around us, I got down from my horse with my dagger ready in my hand.

"You’re unarmed, Father." I spoke but then sealed my mouth as I saw him hooking his arm around the arm of a huge, well-built bandit and slamming him down on the ground without any effort.

"You said something?" He asked.

"After you, Father." I said gesturing him to go ahead.

He stomped ahead beating the crazed bandits with bare hands. I walked behind him watching as the bandits were practically at each other’s throats with their huge swords clashing against the steel of their opponent.

Roan seemed like an angry bull taking down the bandits in his path while I kicked and punched away whoever tried to get anywhere near him.

The bandits were shouting all kinds of profanities as they fought and I couldn’t help but notice the blood that was now being swallowed by the grains of sand.

After a while of the fight going on, Roan and I managed to get the bandits down till the sun came up and he stood on a stone looking down at the bandits who sat cross-legged and head down.

"Why were you fighting?" Roan asked while I stood sat down beside the rock he was on.

"I asked something!" He thundered.

"Snake crest clan started it first!" A man who had the tattoo of an eagle shouted.

"Lies! The eagle clan started it!"

"We did not! It was your clan that set fire on the tent where our men were sleeping!"

"How dare you lie! It was our tents that were burned when we were sleeping!"

The two clans of men started fighting and I could see the veins in Roan’s neck and jaw popping up.

"Shut up!"

The men flinched and went silent.

"You do know that you broke your own damn rules, don’t you?"

"We did not, it was them!"

"You’re saying these guys started it," Roan said pointing at snake crest clan, "and you guys are saying that these people started it."

His finger went to the eagle clan making them nod.

"Nobody tried to figure out what exactly happened and started fighting right away?" He asked and I sighed.

"Pardon me for speaking in between but during the night when everyone is disoriented from the whole day’s fight it’s only natural that they will suspect their enemy, Father."

The bandits nodded agreeing, "Yes, it’s just as this boy says!" freeweɓnøvel.com

"Yes, yes, it’s natural."

Roan looked once at me before facing the bandits again. There was something about him that met the eye and made me curious.

For some reason, I wanted to recruit him if possible, he didn’t seem like an ordinary priest of this chapel situated in the middle of nowhere.

I wondered if this guy would fit to be the knight that I was looking for.