The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

28 – Return

“Should’ve just rested at home, huh?”

Wolfgang, who had been feeling discomfort since entering Rome, sighed as he swept his hand through his hair.

The slightly changed appearance of the Great Temple in his memories, the dilapidated city that had not improved much since the devil’s attack, easily recruitable guards, and children begging on the streets all revealed how far the church had strayed during the war.

“May the Saint who appeared by the grace of the gods bring salvation to us!”

“Amen!”

Wolfgang followed the voices of people somewhere inside the city.

A man in knight’s armor stood on the rubble of a collapsed building, passionately delivering a sermon.

Quite a few people surrounded him, attentively listening to his words.

“Brothers and sisters, I was someone who served as a knight of the church. For over ten years after the city was attacked by the unholy devils, the priests of the church indulged in their worldly desires. Even knowing this, I tolerated it, fearing that going against them would go against the will of the gods.”

Wolfgang pushed through the crowd to listen closely to what he was saying.

“What conflict is there between the knights and the priests?”

“One day, the Saint appeared. Holding a sword to establish justice, she slew the heads of the priests, no, the wicked serpents.”

“Amen!”

After each statement from the man delivering the sermon, the people shouted ‘Amen,’ a phrase used by the church, meaning ‘So be it.’

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“What did I just hear? Who is this Saint again?”

Wolfgang couldn’t quite understand what the man was saying.

He grasped the fact that the priests of the pulpit were corrupt, unable to fulfill their roles and only filled with greed, but the details about a holy maiden or cutting off snake heads were beyond his current comprehension.

“The holy maiden has come to establish true justice on this land, purifying the dirty blood of the corrupted in her hands, to save us all!”

“Amen!”

“So, everyone, let’s pray together for the holy maiden who has come to save us! Those with Bibles, turn to page 50, and those without, contemplate with a sacred heart.”

“Amen!”

“What’s going on? Seriously.”

The man from the ruins took out a Bible and began reciting prayers. The crowd followed suit, holding up their Bibles and starting to pray.

Quietly, Wolfgang turned around and was slipping away in the midst of the crowd.

“Just a moment, I’ll pass by. Sorry.”

So slipping out of the crowd, Wolfgang collided with a woman who was rushing towards him.

It was a sudden encounter.

“Ouch!”

The woman who bumped into Wolfgang fell to the ground.

“Mister! Open your eyes and walk properly!”

With short blonde hair and brown eyes, she seemed still very young, brushing off the dust from her body and expressing annoyance.

Although a bit disheveled, her face belonged to the category of beauties.

“Ah, sorry.”

Wolfgang apologized in a dry tone and continued past her.

The face of the woman looking at his back in disbelief twisted.

“Haganess is probably still in Terosa…”

“Mister!”

“Who on earth is the holy maiden? I should stop by the Grand Temple at least once.”

“Mister!”

“Will Priest Gennict return…”

“Mister!”

The woman, lost in her thoughts, was calling him, not realizing that he was being addressed from behind. She forcefully grabbed Wolfgang’s arm from behind.

It was only then that Wolfgang stopped and turned around.

“Hmm?”

“No, someone is calling you!”

Wolfgang stared blankly at her angry expression for a moment, then nodded as if he understood something.

“Well… no matter how tough it gets, pulling pranks on people passing by like this… huh?”

Wolfgang, who was about to take out a suitable gold coin to give her and send her away, was taken aback.

The pocket inside his robe wasn’t touched.

“What are you talking about? Here, this!”

She held out Wolfgang’s pocket in her outstretched hand.

Wolfgang received the pocket with a bewildered expression.

“Why?”

“When you bumped into me earlier, you dropped it! You shouldn’t judge people by appearances… tsk! You should have just picked it up instead of staring!”

Under the sharp gaze of the woman, Wolfgang felt a sense of apology.

“Ah… I’m really sorry. As a reward for finding it, is there anything I can do…”

Interrupting Wolfgang, the woman said, preventing him from opening the pocket, “It’s okay! Just walk straight, don’t judge people recklessly. I’m busy, so that’s it.”

“Yeah, sure…”

Bluntly expressing himself, Wolfgang stared blankly as she walked away.

“What…”

-Gurgle

“Well, should I grab something to eat for now?”

Wolfgang, reminiscing about the past, moved towards the largest market in Rome.

It had been 12 years since he left Rome, but as he wandered around, familiar streets began to appear.

The toy store where he used to play with his orphanage friends like a playground,

The stationery store where he bought various study materials when attending the academy,

The art supply store where he sometimes stopped by to look at brushes and watercolors without drawing,

The tea house where vibrant flower pots were always placed in front of the store.

Now, those places had become ruins.

“Damn devils.”

While reminiscing, the enticing smell passed by Wolfgang’s nose.

Following that fragrant and appetizing smell, he stopped in front of a random restaurant.

[Cheap Fist Rice]

“Was there such a place?”

Wolfgang opened the door and entered the restaurant.

“Welcome.”

Nodding in response to the middle-aged owner’s greeting, he took a seat.

A paper with various types of food written on it was placed on the table.

“I had a feeling they wouldn’t have the perennial dumplings.”

Wolfgang quickly glanced through the paper and ordered the most expensive dish.

After a while, a spread of thinly sliced fried meat, spicy stir-fried noodles, and shrimp seasoned with pepper arrived together.

“Wow, this is insane.”

Wolfgang eagerly started to devour the sumptuous feast in front of him.

He cleansed the greasy taste of the crispy fried meat with the stir-fried noodles, and just as the spicy seasoning tingled his taste buds, he wiped his palate with the succulent shrimp, creating an unbeatable combination.

It was undoubtedly the best taste he had experienced in recent times.

He felt an urge to kidnap the owner and take him to his residence.

Having finished the ecstatic meal, Wolfgang, satisfied with his fullness, took out his wallet to pay.

As he opened his pocket and reached in to take out a few gold coins, something felt off.

“Hmm?”

Strangely, the bottom of the pocket, which shouldn’t have felt empty, met his touch.

“Huh?”

Perplexed, Wolfgang turned the empty pocket inside out.

“Oh! No way!”

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t his magic wallet that he had been carrying, but a regular one that looked similar.

“Ah… it’s her from earlier.”

The blonde woman he collided with at the square.

She had switched his wallet.

“Sir, did you enjoy your meal?”

The owner, who had come to collect the payment, asked with a friendly smile.

“Yes. However…”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“I seem to have forgotten to bring money. Can I come back later and pay double?”

In response to the customer’s unconventional proposal, the owner continued to smile.

“Of course.”

“Ah! Thank you…”

“Let’s call the guards right away.”

‘As expected. Would revealing my identity help avoid this situation?’

With such thoughts briefly crossing his mind, he decided against getting involved in unnecessary trouble.

“Hahaha. It does seem quite difficult, doesn’t it? Even I think so. Hahaha.”

“Hahaha. Yes, indeed.”

“Hahahaha…”

‘Damn.’

Wolfgang retrieved a lavishly decorated gun from his belt and placed it on the table.

A gun he used to fire signal shots after winning battles.

It was Wolfgang’s most cherished possession.

“What if I use this as collateral? I’ll be back soon.”

The innkeeper looked at the elegant gun placed on the table with apparent interest.

Seeing this reaction, Wolfgang added more words to make his decision easier.

“Give it a try. It’s a luxury item touched by a craftsman’s hand. When you hold it, you’ll feel how well the overall weight balance is perfected.”

Without hesitation due to his persuasion, the innkeeper took hold of the gun.

“Oh… This is incredible.”

‘Of course. What else could it be?’

“Of course! So, will you hold this as collateral?”

“Well, perhaps I could offer this in exchange…”

As greed crept in, the innkeeper tentatively suggested a new proposal, but seeing Wolfgang’s suddenly grim expression, he swiftly changed his words.

“Yes. I’ll keep it safe. Please go ahead.”

“Thank you!”

Wolfgang quickly dashed out of the restaurant towards the open square once again.

“If caught, kill him!”

***

Wolfgang occupied Haganess’s thoughts entirely.

The perfect partner to lead a new sect.

It was certain that even an arrogant queen wouldn’t dare meddle with the sect once she had Wolfgang’s strength in her hands.

There were pragmatic reasons, but above all, she just wanted to see him.

She had made an inevitable choice because of the church, but now that all the problems were solved, she could live happily in the new world, just like before.

“How do I find him…”

The problem was that she didn’t know Wolfgang’s location.

She had considered mobilizing the knights of the church to search, but many members had defected on the day the priests were purged, and the sudden change had created a chaotic atmosphere, so she needed time to prepare.

“Come to think of it, there was that.”

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Haganess stood up from her seat and descended to the underground of the grand temple.

She passed through deep and dark corridors and reached a sealed iron gate.

She unlocked the lock on the iron gate and entered inside.

It was a storage room where the church’s important books, artworks, and treasures were kept.

“It’s here.”

An item that only two exist in the world.

One is held by the Queen of Terossa, and the other is currently in Haganess’s hand.

It was a relic detector that could help find Wolfgang’s location.

“We’ll meet soon, Wolfgang.”