I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

16 – Underground (3)

Relentlessly, Pobi led us deeper into the sewer.

The fatigue and stench of filth grew stronger.

The air passing through our respiratory system was thick, and a metallic taste lingered in our mouths.

Our bodies were drenched in sweat, making us feel uncomfortable.

Ah, I want to take a shower.

“How much deeper do we have to go? Can’t we turn back? It’s getting tough.”

Feeling the limits of my stamina, I immediately wanted to go back and asked the question.

“Just a little further, young one. If your determination is so weak, you won’t be called a man. Endure a little longer.”

Sigh… that damn man.

Is there some rule in this world that says men have to do crazy things?

Considering the imperial men I’ve encountered so far, it doesn’t seem like it, but because of Pobi, a crazy presence, common sense seems to be rewritten.

“There are dangerous creatures in the sewer, so why isn’t the imperial army intervening?”

The Holy Maiden asked the question I was most curious about.

Why isn’t the imperial army responding when there are amalgamations lurking underground?

“Dangerous, you say, miss? Is the creature easily handled by the old man in the back room?”

The saint and I looked down at him with disdainful gazes.

What’s with the nobleman who was boasting about being a legendary hunter just a moment ago?

“Oh, how stern these expressions are! Can’t a man even make a joke?”

Pippi scratched his messy head as if troubled.

“Well… there are various complex reasons, but in reality, we don’t exterminate them because they’re weak.”

“But they seemed swift and capable of ambush, didn’t they?”

“That’s true. Their durability is nothing to boast about. Attacking someone with melting flesh may even result in damaging their own bodies.”

“Then what about them eating ratmen? Weren’t they hunting ratmen for food?”

“The ratmen weren’t hunted by them. What we’re going to hunt now, the parents of those creatures inside, were the ones who hunted ratmen.”

Pippi suddenly stopped and turned to us.

“The reason the imperial army didn’t intervene is practically because of that creature inside. It’s a formidable being, strong enough to wipe out an entire unit of the imperial army.”

He looked at us with a serious expression, quite different from the optimistic one he had shown before.

“The imperial high command heard about the monster and made this judgment: ‘A dangerous creature has appeared in a low-priority sewer, so let’s just leave it be.’ And shortly after, they sent a request asking me to hunt it.”

“Are you trying to scare us now?”

A nobleman claiming to have hunted dragons – could this be just a boast?

No, please, let it be just a boast.

“No, I’m apologizing to you. I brought you into this dangerous situation while deceiving you.”

“Why did the legendary hunter bring us into this mess?”

“I’ve had a confrontation with the monster inside before, and since that day, it seems to have avoided my vicinity completely.”

“Hold on! You’re not suggesting we lure them in, are you?”

“You’ve got a sharp intuition, my friend. But there’s one thing wrong with the bait operation.”

Pobi raised both hands on my shoulders.

His demeanor resembled a king sending a great warrior to war.

“It’s not us; it’s you going alone.”

What the hell?

I couldn’t break my stern expression, staring at Pobi.

Seriously? Already dragged to a place I don’t want to be, and now I have to go in alone?

“Why do I have to do that? I have no reason to, and I don’t have the ability to handle such a heavy task.”

“If there’s a reason. Didn’t you fight with two thugs a few days ago, claiming to rescue this lady?”

I hesitated.

Indeed, not long ago, I had fought against hooligans named Alec and Rex, who were planning to attack a lady.

“How do you know about that?”

“Alec and Rex are infamous hoodlum brothers known for their skills in the back alleys. The elder, Rex, is said to shatter steel with a powerful fist, while the younger, Alec, possesses swift feet and agile legs.”

Those scumbags?

The duo of thugs seems a bit unexpected, but it has nothing to do with what I asked Pobi.

“So, what does that have to do with anything?”

“I’ve been eyeing Alec as a talent for this bait operation. Despite his weak strength, he seemed more agile than any monster I’ve seen, so he wouldn’t easily fall to a monster.”

“…”

“So, when I went for negotiations, turns out he was fighting with you.”

This inspiration is starting to show why it brought me here.

“You were fast. Even though you might be slower than me, you easily dodged Alex’s attack, which is said to be unbeatable when we’re together.”

“I was caught by Alex in the middle though.”

“Isn’t that because you were doing something weird?”

Poppy brushed my shoulder with a hand hardened by calluses.

“Ivan, you’re the talent of this mission. I’ve never seen a friend as agile as you in all my years.”

I brushed her hand off my shoulder.

“As I said before, I have no reason to get involved in such a dangerous mission.”

“Is that so? When you take on my request, I’ll let you know the reward you’ll receive.”

Poppy’s hand ignored my brush-off and raised a single index finger.

“First, I’ll forgive you for calling me Ploppy Diama Lazorgo Gora instead of Ploppy, and from now on, I’ll allow you to call me Ploppy.”

“…Are you some kind of royalty?”

“Ahem, anyway! Second! I’ll give you all 100 gold coins, which is the reward the Empire gave me!”

What.

Did I hear that wrong?

“That’s absurd… right…?”

Among the currency of the Empire, gold coins hold the highest value. With 100 of them, one can build any desired building in the capital city with high inflation.

To give me such a fortune…?

“I literally said I’ll give you the full reward.”

“No, but why? Are you just telling an exceptionally good lie?”

“hehehe… No, that’s not it. It’s just that I earned a lot when I was young, so I don’t have greed for money.”

“Then why did you take the request?”

“I have a friend in the headquarters, you see. He asked me to deal with a monster, explained the situation, and since the monster was in the back alley where I happened to be, I just agreed.”

The old man, leaning on a staff, saying so doesn’t add much credibility.

Normally, it would be right to refuse immediately and leave…

[Sub Quest: Eliminate the monster living in the sewer]

Remaining time: 2 hours

Reward: 100 gold, Papi…(omitted) affection +30, PP 20,000.

The system gave credibility to his words.

“Ugh… 100 gold… 20,000 PP…”

The rewards for the quests are all extraordinary.

Even 100 gold alone is several times the current annual salary, and 20,000 PP allows for stat upgrades and passive enhancements.

Papi’s affection is useless.

I wonder if there will be such honey-like rewards in the future.

“So, are you going to do it or not? I respect your opinion. If you refuse, I’ll guide you back to the surface right away.”

Thinking rationally, such a dangerous request should be rejected outright, but the rewards for a successful mission are too tempting to refuse.

But as always, reason cannot overcome instinct.

Even though I say a hundred times in my mind that I shouldn’t, my hand is already shaking hands with Papi, firmly attached.

“All right! You do have a strong resolve! Well then, I’ll leave it to you!”

Papi grabbed my shoulder and pushed me deep into the sewer.

Unpleasant emotions did not arise.

“hehehe… 100 gold… 20,000 PP…”

My mind was filled with gold, and a building named after me was flying because of it.

***

Entering the sewer alone brought about a fear beyond imagination.

The thickening smell of negativity and the tension of not knowing when an attack might come made my steps heavy.

“Phew… Let’s relax… If I succeed in this, 100 gold coins will be mine, hehehe…”

But the power of wealth lightened my steps and boosted my courage.

As a struggling priest, I always lived in poverty, but by completing this mission, I could turn the tables and abandon the priesthood.

Would I let such an opportunity slip by?

As I ventured further into the sewer, I caught sight of a man in a robe on the other side.

“Someone here?”

Feeling skeptical of a man living deep in the sewer, I lowered myself and observed him from behind a corner.

The man in the robe was surrounded by cluttered desks with vials and messy shelves.

At the desk, the man was busily concocting some kind of potion.

“What’s that…”

As I was about to observe the man more closely, sensing something suspicious about him…

“Ah, dang it!!!”

Contaminated water condensed on the sewer ceiling and splashed into my left eye.

“…”

The man who heard the scream turned around to confirm my identity, hastily grabbed a few crumpled papers, pulled out a lighter, set the scene on fire, and fled around the corner.

“Hey, stop right there!”

Convinced that there was something about the fleeing man, I chased after him.

But when I reached the corner where the man had fled, his figure had already disappeared.

There, I saw a hatch with a ladder leading underground, seemingly an exit. Perhaps the man escaped through here.

In my pursuit, I happened to discover an object emitting a red light on the ground.

It was a red hair.

With its deep color and slightly curly texture, it seemed to be the hair of the man in the robe, a man I assumed.

Certainly, it was a familiar hair.

But I had no time to think about the hair.

The monster that Pobi had ordered me to lure was right in front of me.