Chapter 83

"Ah! W-Where am I!? What am I...?"

The priest got up and looked around.

"Oof!"

"Whoa! ...Are you the dog from back then? Easy there, easy. Calm down, don't lick me so much. Haha."

Shiro jumped onto the priest's lap and started licking his face. It seems he had returned to normal.

"Are you alright? The priest was possessed by a monster just now."

"Mm... Did Lloyd help me? ...I'm sorry, it seems I caused you trouble."

"No, it was convenient for me too."

In the end, Ries was captured, and I got to conduct various experiments. It's a win-win for me.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"No, nothing. Rather, do you remember anything from when you were possessed? I'd be grateful if you could tell me as much as possible!"

"W-Why are you suddenly so excited!? ...I'm sorry, but I don't remember. It felt like I was sleeping."

"Ah... I see."

He doesn't remember anything from when he was possessed. How disappointing. I slumped my shoulders and sighed.

"Anyway, thank you, Lloyd. I want to express my gratitude."

"I want to thank you too! Thank you so much. Lloyd, you're a lifesaver."

The priest and Iesha bowed their heads in gratitude.

"Don't worry about it. Rather, what should we do with this guy..."

I waved my hands and looked at Ries, who was trapped in the barrier.

"Well, let's make him spill the beans."

"Ugh... You want to know why I possessed the priest...?"

"That, and... I want to know what it felt like to receive that attack."

The Yin and Yang 'Qi' and holy magic, the sensation of receiving it through a human body. It's human nature to be curious about such things.

"No, I think only you, Lord Lloyd, want to know that..."

"Ah, that's not true."

"No... Yeah, never mind..."

For some reason, Grimo was unimpressed. How unreasonable.

"...Talking nonsense... But it's futile. I won't say anything. I can't betray my master!"

"Master... The ghoul mentioned something before dying. Is there a mastermind behind this?"

"Hehe... Use your imagination... Gufu!"

With that, Ries dissolved like sand.

"Ah, he's gone."

"Spiritual bodies weaken significantly when they acknowledge defeat. He must have taken a lot of damage and vanished."

"I see. We missed out on a lot of information. What a shame."

It was a rare opportunity to hear valuable firsthand accounts.

"It seems he committed suicide. We lost the chance to find out about the mastermind..."

"Yeah, who sent the monsters to the church?"

"Hmm, do you remember anything, Father?"

In response to Tao's question, the priest put his hand to his chin and thought.

"...No, I don't remember anything from the past few days. I think it would be better to ask Iesha. Did you notice anything?"

"Yeah, that's true... Now that you mention it, the priest seemed a bit off after the communion service."

"Hmm... Now that you say it, my memory is indeed hazy from around that time."

"That means the person who possessed the priest with an evil spirit was among the participants of the communion service!"

Everyone gasped at the priest's words.

"Is it possible for anyone to attend the communion service?"

"Yes, as long as they are a believer... However, there is a list of participants. There were also a few church officials."

"That means the mastermind could be among them. Many of them are wealthy. It wouldn't be surprising if they were conducting suspicious experiments."

"I'll investigate! I'm good at stealth. We can't let someone who releases monsters in the city go unpunished!"

"I'll gather information at the Adventurers' Guild. I'll report back if I find anything."

The conversation was progressing without me fully understanding, but I wasn't particularly interested in finding the culprit. Just let me know when you have all the information. I have a lot of questions for the boss too.

The next day, Iesha called us to the church. It seems she wanted to thank us for our help the other day.

"Thank you for coming, Lloyd. And Tao, Ren, and Silfa, thank you so much for saving us."

"You didn't have to go to so much trouble."

"That won't do! You saved our lives. I must express my gratitude properly!"

Iesha was breathing heavily. It's not necessary to get so worked up.

"Well, well, I'm happy. I take what I can get, except for illness. So, what are you going to do? Can I look forward to it?"

"Of course! There's a great pancake place nearby. I want to treat you all."

"Pancakes!"

I couldn't help but exclaim. Pancakes are one of my favorite foods. Silfa sometimes makes them for me, but she limits my intake of sweets, saying they're not good for me. Sugar is good for the brain, though.

"Oh, you like pancakes, Lloyd? That's great."

"Yeah, I love sweet things. It's great, Silfa."

"Of course, I have no objections. It will be beneficial for me to try what a professional makes. I appreciate it."

Silfa was also enthusiastic. The thought of those pancakes getting even better was exciting.

"Pancakes... what are they?"

In the middle of this, Ren looked at us with wide, puzzled eyes. It seems she had never had pancakes before.

"Ren, you don't know pancakes? They're sweet, fluffy, and delicious pastries."

"Wow, I can't wait!"

Ren was eager to try them. Listening to Tao, I could feel my mouth watering. Iesha chuckled at our reactions.

"Hehe, let's go then. Oh, the priest gave me a lot of money, so please don't hold back. Let's go!"

With Iesha leading the way, we headed to the pancake shop.