Chapter 155: The Missionary

When Gawain arrived at a construction site near the brick kiln factory, accompanied by Amber and Hetty and guided by the soldiers, the strange priest who had suddenly appeared in the territory had already been busy for quite some time.

He was a rugged, dust-covered, and unusually muscular giant of a man, working alongside the laborers to carry heavy baskets of bricks to the wall under construction. Despite it being late in the cold Frost Moon, sweat poured down his body just like the workers’. His worn priest’s robe had long been discarded and was now tied around his waist like an apron, revealing a broad, bronze-toned chest and arms that looked ready to take on any heretic in a fight to the death.

The workers kept their heads down, working alongside this odd newcomer, but they couldn’t help sneaking glances at him from time to time. It was clear they all knew he was a strange stranger. The site supervisor—who also kept records—stood nearby with a helpless expression. When he spotted the lord’s arrival, he hurried over, breathless: “My lord! You’ve finally come. This is really…”

“What’s his story?” Gawain asked, puzzled, eyeing the burly man hauling bricks. “A priest of the Church of the Holy Light? This doesn’t look like any cleric I’ve ever seen. Why is he suddenly working on my land?”

“We have no idea where he came from!” the supervisor said, exasperated. “He claimed he was sent to the south to preach and asked the workers if anyone was interested in the Holy Light. But no one paid him any mind. I told him that everyone was busy and had no time to listen, but he just said nothing and started carrying bricks. We couldn’t stop him—he’s unbelievably strong!”

Amber gave the giant a surprised look. She had been ready for a fight when she first heard a supposed Holy Light priest had shown up—either to battle him for a few rounds or get beaten up and then demand compensation from Gawain for medical expenses. But she never expected someone like this. “He’s not some paladin who accidentally put on the wrong robe and wandered out, is he?”

The supervisor shrugged. “We asked. He says he’s a missionary traveling from the central region.”

Gawain frowned and waved off the soldiers and the supervisor. “Don’t worry. I’ll go talk to him.”

Leading Amber and Hetty forward, he approached the workers. They quickly noticed him and nervously stopped their work, preparing to salute. Gawain stopped them with a look and a wave. “Don’t mind me. Keep working.”

The burly man finally noticed the change in atmosphere. He set down a basket of bricks, looked around, then turned to Gawain. “The overseer’s here? Are you the overseer?”

His tone was rough and casual—nothing like the usual priests of the Holy Light Church.

Gawain, dressed casually and carrying the Sword of the Pioneer sheathed at his side, was tall enough to stand out, but no one would immediately connect this unarmed giant with Duke Cecil. Realizing the man hadn’t recognized him, Gawain played along. “Yes, I’m in charge here. What about you?”

“Good, finally someone who talks sense!” The giant wiped his sweat casually, then fumbled in the folds of his robe tied at his waist. After a moment, he pulled out a crumpled document and handed it over. “Can you deliver this to your lord? I’ve been looking from a high place for his castle but couldn’t find it.”

Gawain took the document and sat on a nearby pile of bricks, motioning for the man to sit as well. He glanced down and saw the letter was written on fine parchment, but the message was simple: “Hereby appointing the loyal servant of the Lord, Priest Light Aviken of the Holy Light, to travel south to spread the Lord’s teachings and the way of the Holy Light.”

Below was the Church’s emblem and the seal of a certain bishop.

So he really was a missionary.

Gawain was momentarily stunned but tucked the letter away. “Alright, I’ll pass this on. But I have a few questions first.”

“Sure… wait.” The giant stood abruptly and stopped a nearby serf walking past. “Hold on, your arm’s a bit off.”

The serf froze, glancing nervously at Gawain, who just nodded slightly to show it was okay. Gawain was curious what this strange missionary was up to.

The man named Light placed one hand on the serf’s shoulder, then traced the emblem of the Holy Light in the air with the other, reciting a blessing. A faint white glow appeared on his hands, filling the air with a peaceful, serene aura. The bare-chested, rough-looking giant suddenly seemed almost holy in the glow of the Light.

Soon the healing was done. Light withdrew his hands and nodded to the serf. “There, just a minor injury. It won’t bother you on rainy days anymore. May the Lord bless you.”

The serf moved his shoulder in disbelief, clearly feeling relief, and thanked Light repeatedly before returning to work.

Light clapped his hands as if finishing a trivial task and turned back to Gawain. “I’m done. Ask away.”

Gawain had watched the whole process calmly, only slightly surprised that the missionary said just one blessing and didn’t seize the chance to preach for half an hour. He nodded. “You’re here to preach?”

“The letter says it all. I was sent by the central diocese,” the man said, nodding. “Signed by Bishop Megor. I started from the Spirit Plains and traveled here. Most of the time I was preaching, some of it traveling. It’s been over a year.”

He added, “I only recently learned the Cecil family established a new settlement here. My original last stop was Tansan Town, but now this is my final destination. I plan to stay here long-term and, with the permission of the Duke of Resurrection, establish a church.”

Amber poked Gawain’s arm and whispered, “Hey, hey, I’m talking to you~~”

Gawain tensed his arm muscles subtly, making Amber pull her hand back as if she’d hit steel. Then he frowned at Light. “Why did you suddenly start helping with the work?”

“The overseer said no one had time to listen to my preaching,” Light shrugged. “So I figured if I helped finish the work, I’d get a chance to preach.”

“Just because of that?”

“Exactly.”

Hetty finally spoke up. “Pardon me, but I’ve met traveling missionaries of the Holy Light before, and none of them were like you… Were you a paladin before?”

“I’m a priest, always have been,” Light said, glancing down at his muscles with obvious pride. “But traveling is dangerous—wild beasts, bandits, and such. Priests don’t have many combat spells, so I keep my body strong for protection. Sometimes I don’t have enough money, so I have to work for food. You can’t be weak.”

“Missionaries of the Holy Light don’t have a tradition of working for food,” Hetty said, puzzled. “Supernaturals don’t need to sell their labor anywhere, let alone to ordinary people. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Madam, you’re mistaken,” Light said seriously. “The way of the Holy Light teaches us that no one should gain without labor. It also teaches that everyone is a child of the Light. If we’re all children of the Light, why divide people into ordinary and not?”

Amber stared at the giant in surprise. “You actually believe that?”

Light nodded as if it were obvious. “How could the teachings of the Holy Light be false?”

Gawain said nothing for a moment, studying this odd missionary. He quickly considered whether the man was suspicious, whether he had anything to do with Princess Veronica’s recent visit, and how much of what he said was true.

If it was all true, then there was nothing to worry about—the priest had been traveling for over a year, long before Gawain had risen from the grave. His arrival was just a coincidence.

If it wasn’t true, a Holy Light missionary suddenly showing up in this territory was a sensitive matter.

But somehow, looking at this strangely styled missionary, Gawain felt this had nothing to do with any conspiracy.

Regardless, even though he had grown wary and distant toward the gods of this world, as the lord he couldn’t just kick out a missionary, especially one who hadn’t broken any laws and was even helping with work and healing the sick. Doing so would undermine the law and order he was trying to enforce.

Besides, he wanted to observe the man’s background and intentions.

While Gawain pondered, Light looked at the three of them and suddenly asked, “By the way, are any of you interested in the way of the Holy Light?”

The three answered in unison, but not together:

“I’m a follower of the Goddess of Magic. I won’t believe in other gods.”

“You’re blind, I follow the Shadow!”

“No interest, thanks.”

Light nodded. “Alright then, never mind.”

(End of chapter)