"I see, you are a cleric who will soon be a priest of the church. Furthermore, you are actually a nobleman! We, your brothers and sisters welcome you, a servant of God. Welcome to this big family." These words were delivered with the utmost elegance. Those who did not understand the situation would have thought that the priest who spoke was the real nobleman.
Paladin was a bit stunned by how politely the rumored cruel and ruthless ecclesiastical murderer of the Holy See treated a lowly cleric. It far exceeded his expectations. He thought the man would also be disdainful, ignoring one of their own. That was undoubtedly the outcome Paladin wanted to see most.
The leading priest was so handsome that the surrounding mercenaries were dumbfounded. Those third-rate girls were also blushing, their hearts were pounding fast as they daydreamed of stepping forward to hug the priest and kiss him. Fortunately, all this was inside their heads. If they really did it, they would only be treated ruthlessly as the priests of the Holy See expressly stipulated that they were not allowed to touch women.
For a brief moment, the handsome priest was stunned. He shook his head helplessly and whispered sincerely, "I forgot to introduce myself. Morris is my name. I’m the chief executive officer of the sixth court of the Holy See’s Inquisition. Brothers and sisters, it's an honor to meet you."
"Uh, oh…."
Paladin couldn't get a grip on himself. In his opinion, this high-ranking priest, Morris, was kind of odd. Paladin wasn’t able to figure out what the other party wanted to do. No one could follow his way of thinking.
At the same time, Paladin secretly clicked his tongue. This Morris claimed to be the chief executive officer of the Sixth Court of the Inquisition. According to the manuscripts he got from the dead priest-to-be, the Inquisition was divided into two departments. One was called the Magistrate Hall while the other was called the Inquisition Hall.
The former was in charge of arresting and killing heretics while the latter was responsible for affirming and recording the heretics. The court was split into thirteen court halls. In other words, there were only twelve others who were at the same level as Morris. One could imagine how great this person's power and position were.
Morris, who was still smiling, stared at the silver cross that was hung on Paladin’s chest. The only thing that was given to him by his parents who hadn’t bothered to hide their faces. Morris’ smile widened.
"Mister Paladin, the cross on your chest is one-of-a-kind. Can you please take it off and show it to me?"
Feeling that something was wrong, Paladin had no choice. He took off the cross with a smile and handed it to Morris.
"Hmm~ very interesting. Where did you get it?"
Although Morris smiled brightly, Paladin only felt a piercing coldness coursing through his body. He subconsciously lowered and crossed his hands. His eyes avoided Morris's eyes. Paladin pretended to be indifferent and said, "It's nothing. I bought it from a wandering ascetic. If Lord Morris likes it, he can take it."
"No, no, thank you, priest, for your kindness." Morris laughed and returned the cross to Paladin. Hearing this, Paladin was secretly relieved.
After that, the ecstatic old man emerged from the back door, with two big bags of bread and six pots of water in his hands. When Morris saw that the dry food had arrived, he folded his hands piously and said, "See you later. May the Supreme God of Light always bless you."
"Bless you too." Paladin hastily returned the salute.
Morris, on the other hand, turned around. Along with the other five executive officers who were carrying the bread and water in one hand each, he opened the door and walked away.
The possibility of being in danger had finally passed. Paladin only wanted to raise his hand to wipe the thin beads of sweat off his forehead. Morris, who was about to step out of the tavern, suddenly stopped. He turned around and suddenly shouted, "Paladin!"
"Ah? Did Lord Morris call me? Is there anything else I need to do?"
The sudden shout made Paladin shake. Fortunately, his real name was also Paladin. That was why he was able to respond and look at Morris without any hesitation. Morris observed Paladin's reaction. Out of nowhere, he laughed innocuously. He reached out, put on the hood that was on his back, and nonchalantly said, "It's nothing, I’m just kidding."
After that, he really left the tavern. He and his five companions rode the tall white horses. The six of them proceeded to gallop away, leaving a cloud of smoke on their trails. When it was confirmed that Morris and the others had left, Paladin's expression darkened in an instant. If one looked closely, they could still see the previous nervousness on his face. The hands that were partially exposed outside the sleeve were trembling violently.
‘Did Morris find out that I was a fake? He should’ve noticed, but there’s no definite evidence or motive. Even he himself doesn't believe in his own guesses, which is why he left so easily. What's more, there are branch matters waiting for them, so why waste time on an unknown priest?’ Thinking so, Paladin noticed the old man approaching him with the intention of gaining his favor. Was it because he saw Paladin had quite a close relationship with Morris, the chief executive officer, so he wanted to win him over?
Suddenly, Paladin felt an indefinable fire blazing within. At this point, the mask he had been wearing for a long time fell off.
"Old thing! Take me to the room!" Paladin flicked his sleeve and went straight to the stairs. Although the old man was upset, he didn't dare to speak out. Paladin smirked as he stomped his feet while following the old man.
At this time, Morris and his party were galloping on horseback. Their destination was a branch of the Freemasons’ Association from which Paladin had succeeded to escape. A tall executive officer, who galloped beside Morris, noticed Morris’ silence as he was thinking of something from under his hood. He couldn't help but lean forward to Morris’ side and softly ask, "Chief, what's bothering you?"
"That priest named Paladin is very suspicious..."
Hearing this, the tall executive lowered his head and waited for an explanation, knowing Morris would explain everything in detail shortly. Morris' deep voice made its way through the howling wind and reached the ears of the executive officer.
"The test just now confirmed that his name is indeed Paladin. He doesn’t seem to be a fake, but it feels strange. Yes. Why does a cleric on his way to becoming a priest in the church have no idea about proper etiquette when meeting another priest?! It's extremely strange."
If Paladin heard what Morris just said, he'd collapse to the ground in terror. However, the tall executive officer responded indifferently.
"It's nothing, my lord. You heard it too, he is a nobleman. Maybe he spent money to buy a position. He didn't go to a monastery for systematic studies at all."
Morris waved his hand and immediately said, "Let's not talk about whether he bought a priesthood status or not. The cross on his chest is the same with the one worn by the executive officers of our Inquisition, which is blessed with holy purification. Can you buy it from anywhere?"
Hearing this, the tall executive officer was a little stunned.
Unexpectedly, Morris continued, "Besides, when I was talking to him, his forehead, palms, and back were sweating. When I asked him about the cross, he avoided my gaze and crossed his hands. A very obvious self-defense maneuver."
"Then, what about it?"
Hearing his subordinate's question, Morris looked up at the white clouds covering the blue sky and murmured, "He's too nervous…."