I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

Chapter 38

38 – Jesters Were Terrifying

The jesters, who claimed to show a spectacle, disappeared from the palace along with the black smoke.

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There was a great shock immediately after the meeting, but the Emperor hastily concluded the meeting and dispersed the people.

A few days later, Sister Selena summoned the followers of the Earth Deity religion who had been at the palace that day to the meeting room.

“Why have you called us, Mother… I mean, Sister.”

“…I called you regarding the jesters who caused confusion during the recent meeting.”

After giving a cold glance at Briel for a moment, Sister Selena calmly began to explain.

“As you all know, Nia’s jesters betrayed the Empire. In response, the Emperor ordered their punishment.”

“Is that so…?”

As everyone nodded in agreement with Selena’s words, Tina alone seemed perplexed.

Judging by her expression, she seemed unaware of what had happened that day.

Oh dear… She must have been drinking in the lobby; she probably missed the whole thing.

Sister Selena seemed to share a similar thought, as she sighed softly and looked at us.

“Usually, when there is an order for punishment, the Imperial Army would directly intervene. But the situation is different now.”

“Uh… Is there something different about this part? Can’t we just deploy the powerful Imperial Army?”

“The common people are still unaware that one of the 7 major religions has betrayed us. If this fact spreads, the morale of the citizens will likely plummet in the current war situation.”

“Well…”

The saint who was standing nearby murmured softly.

Indeed, the war between the Demon King’s army and the Empire has been hanging by a thread for several years.

If the betrayal is revealed now, and the morale takes a hit, the delicate balance that has been barely maintained so far will tilt towards the Demon King’s side.

“In that case, how are we going to deal with those jesters? Does the Emperor have a solution?”

“Please calm down, Lady Briel. There is a solution.”

Selena took a moment to catch her breath.

“We will handle the traitors ourselves.”

…

In the conference room where five people, humans, and elves, gathered, there was about 10 seconds of silence.

Uh… Um… I didn’t hear it wrong, did I?

Handle the jesters who betrayed Niya ourselves?

I suddenly felt frightened.

The jesters are a group of about 9 elite members who operate as a minority force. Each of them possesses strength comparable to the saints of their respective organizations.

Perhaps the five of us wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

“Is that even possible…? I heard that Niya’s jesters are exceptionally strong in terms of military power among the 7 major religions.”

My question was asked by the saint instead.

“Yes, His Majesty mentioned that the individuals who witnessed Pierre’s betrayal will be the ones targeted for punishment.”

“Well… Is that really going to happen? Even if we have the reliable Brielle and me, the jesters are tough to deal with~”

“Oh, it’s not just us going. Besides the elves, dwarves, and mermaids who shouldn’t vacate their positions, we will be accompanied by the believers and wise ones.”

“Phew~ Is that so? I got scared for nothing~”

Fortunately, this mission seems to involve cooperation with other religions.

After all, His Majesty must be aware of the significant military gap between us and the jesters. Unless he’s out of his mind, he wouldn’t make such demands.

“We’ve confirmed through our intelligence network that they are hidden in two ‘Circus Tents,’ originally used by them.”

“Where exactly are they?”

“In two of the ‘Circus Tents’ they used to frequent, Your Grace.”

“Ah…”

An involuntary sigh escaped.

Jesters are formidable, but they are like cornered foxes that only become strong within the safety of their own homes.

A jester outside the circus tent couldn’t even contend with a mid-ranking knight, but a jester inside the circus tent would challenge even a crown prince.

Jesters within the circus tents are formidable opponents.

“As the jesters operate in two separate locations, it seems appropriate for us to split into two teams as well.”

“Do we really need to do that? Clearing one place and then the other…”

“Lord Brielle, they may hide behind makeup, but jesters still have eyes and ears. If we deal with one place first, they’ll abandon the circus tent and escape, even if it means fleeing.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Yes, so we’ll swiftly eliminate both circus tents simultaneously.”

Selena’s words were undeniably reasonable.

No matter how skilled they are as jesters, if three religions unite, they might penetrate even the formidable defense of Cheolwoong Castle.

But will the jesters just stay idle in the circus tent?

It’s clear that the imperial forces will mobilize to eliminate them; will they nonchalantly engage in a circus?

Although there’s unease about the plan, it’s evident that the plan will proceed regardless of what I say.

From the beginning, having representatives from the seven religions step forward seems like excessive suppression, so there won’t be additional manpower added here.

“For now, Reverend Chugyegyeong and I won’t participate in the purge to conceal your mobilization.”

If two top officials from each faction vanish without a word, it might cause anxiety among the imperial citizens.

From that perspective, it makes sense for Chugyegyeong and the nun not to participate in the purge.

“Therefore, let me introduce the team that will participate in the purge.”

The nun pointed to Saint, Tina, and Briel.

“You will join forces with High Priestess Dorothy of the Celestial Faith and ten chief magicians from the Devil’s Tower to purge the seven jesters of the rumored circus.”

Well, it’s a decent lineup.

I don’t know why Dorothy is involved, but trusting Briel and the magicians should suffice to capture them without casualties.

And judging by not being summoned, I’m probably not participating in this operation.

After all, who would send a mediocre priest on a perilous mission? It’s just reducing manpower, hahahaha.

However, contrary to expectations, the nun pointed directly at me.

“Reverend, you will be going with the Celestial Faith’s Saint Lesia, Grandmaster Schreer, and Headmaster Temiel. A total of four will be heading to the rumored circus.”

What’s this?

It’s understandable for the Grandmaster and Lesia to go, but why me?

This is like putting dust on a perfectly cooked meal.

I was horrified by the absurd lineup.

“Sister, even if I go, I think I can only slow them down…”

“…I’m sorry. I don’t want to send the priest, but there’s someone who wants to be with the priest no matter what.”

Sigh… Seriously, who?

Who thought of sending me out like this?

Lecia?

Would Lecia, who promised to repay the favor, deliberately make things difficult for me?

Or maybe the great sage or Temiel?

Those people have no connection with me, so why pull me in with some grudge?

“Um, can’t I go with the priest even if it’s me?”

“…I don’t think so, Saint. Even though Brielle and the wizards are reliable in battles, we need a saint to heal the wounded during the fight.”

“Then what about me? I’ll go with Ivan!”

“Sorry, Priestess Tina, you can’t.”

“Why?”

“Brielle broke his sword in the last operation against the Demon Army.”

“Then what about the sword behind him?”

Tina pointed to Brielle’s longsword.

Sister Selena sighed deeply.

Upon that, Brielle glanced back, avoiding Sister Selena’s gaze.

“It’s a makeshift sword. Probably… it might break if Briel swings it a few times.”

“The power I received from the goddess is peculiar… this crude sword couldn’t withstand my magic.”

“Oh, right. That’s how it was…”

Tina seemed to understand after listening to the nun’s explanation.

There seemed to be no one suitable to go shopping with this.

I sighed and looked at the ceiling, somewhat detached.

“Um… Priest. Please take this.”

The holy woman handed me something, perhaps because she felt sorry for my condition.

I cautiously opened my hand to confirm what it was.

“This is…”

It was a small bundle, seemingly made by weaving platinum-blonde hair and plant stems together.

“It’s like an amulet… combining the ways of Celestialism and Earth Worship. Made from my hair and the sprouts of the plants I was growing…”

In Earth Worship, a sprout growing from the ground is considered a symbol of luck emerging from the soil. And Celestialism attaches sacred symbols to hair, believed to absorb the light of the sun, synonymous with their deity.

I didn’t know this originally, but I learned about these things while watching the fallen merchant Grid pull out hair, wondering what significance it held.

“Pull yourself together. Lecia will take care of you, Priest.”

Saint Amelia smiled brightly and held my hand.

“Oh… yes, thank you.”

I managed to smile back.

I guess I’ll keep acting scared for a while.

I am not a newborn baby who has just weaned, and I am not weak.

And if I whine in front of others, I might end up receiving the same disapproving looks as Tina.

So as an adult, let’s try to do our best to handle the task I’ve been given.

With determination, I carefully put the talisman given by the saint into my pocket.

“Have you made up your mind?”

“Yes.”

The nun nodded as she looked into my eyes.