“You! Yes, you, stop looking around, I’m talking to you!”
The girl at the front lifted her chin, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Lintis, her tone brimming with obvious arrogance.
“You, which priestess are you? Don’t you know this mission was assigned to me by the High Priest? Do you understand the rules or not?”
Hearing this, Lintis blinked and looked around. She noticed the adventurers were looking at them with the same gaze she had received when she first arrived at the guild.
Oh… wait, not the same.
This time, it was pure disgust.
As for… this domineering little priestess?
She couldn’t shake the feeling of a stereotypical villainess from some trashy story she’d read in her past life.
She couldn’t help but clap her hands, pulled over a small stool, and sat down to the side, watching with keen interest for the other party’s next reaction.
Who would have thought I’d get to experience this kind of plot myself~
Her inexplicable actions completely deflated the momentum of the girl who had stormed in so aggressively. A greater fury, born of being looked down upon, surged in the girl’s heart.
“You! Are you deaf? I’m asking you a question, why aren’t you answering?”
Lintis tilted her head. “I don’t understand what you’re saying, little girl.”
“Ah—!!!” The girl completely lost it. “You jerk! I’m already an adult!”
As she spoke, she tugged hard on the sleeve of the knight beside her. When he looked at her, her previous angry expression vanished, replaced by a pitiful look with glistening tears in her eyes.
“Leon, teach her a lesson for me…”
The knight named “Leon” sighed and placed his large hand on the girl’s head, giving it a pat. “Stop crying, Natalie. I’ll handle it.”
His nearly two-meter-tall frame moved toward Lintis, standing before her like a city wall. Lintis looked up without a trace of fear, instead letting out an exclamation of surprise.
“Wow, you’re really tall, big guy!”
Leon, who had just walked over, paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting that reaction.
At the same time, as he approached, the hostility from the surrounding adventurers became palpable, but he paid it no mind. He placed a hand on Lintis’s shoulder and spoke in a low voice.
“Miss Priestess, please stop this nonsense. Does the High Priest know you’re acting on your own like this?”
“Priestess Natalie is the one assigned to handle this crisis. Don’t you know that? If you’re having any difficulties lately, you should speak with the High Priest, not privately break the rules here. Understand?”
“Or is it that at such a young age, you already hold no regard for the Church’s rules?”
As he spoke, Leon’s grip on her shoulder tightened slightly. But the next moment, he suddenly froze.
The girl beneath his hand slowly stood up, her expression as calm as still water. It was only then he realized a layer of white-gold light had been blocking his hand from touching her shoulder the entire time.
“Mister… Leon, was it? Or whatever your name is, I don’t believe I gave you permission to touch me,” Lintis frowned, taking a few steps back before speaking slowly.
After saying that, right in front of him, she patted her shoulder somewhat disdainfully, as if brushing off something dirty.
Faced with this attitude, Leon was taken aback at first, seemingly not expecting such disrespect. His face turned cold as he looked down at her threateningly.
“You are far too arrogant, miss.”
“You are offending a knight. Do you understand?”
“Huh?”
Lintis put on a surprised expression, then looked Leon up and down, her face openly showing doubt.
“Are you? Mister, impersonating a knight is against Church doctrine, you know~”
Provoked by such sarcasm, Leon’s gaze grew colder. His right fist clenched unconsciously, and his entire body began to radiate a dangerous aura.
Lintis appeared pitiful, weak, and helpless before him.
An adventurer who couldn’t stand it any longer roared and charged out. This surprised Lintis; she recognized the familiar faces as the injured she had just healed.
“Wait, your injuries…”
Before she could finish her sentence, several adventurers lunged at Leon.
Facing their assault, Leon, who had been ready for action, snorted coldly. With a punch and a kick, his movements were so fast they left afterimages in the air.
The attacking adventurers were sent flying back with cries of pain. Leon thought displaying his strength would establish his authority.
However, it only angered the remaining adventurers who had held back out of fear initially. They all charged at Leon together, and a few mages even began chanting spells.
Leon showed no fear, drawing his sword. He realized these foolish adventers wouldn’t behave unless they saw blood.
Sure enough, seeing him draw his sword, the adventurers all showed fear, their movements becoming hesitant.
Seizing the opportunity, Leon dashed forward and knocked down an adventurer who looked like a warrior, then stomped hard on his chest. The sound of cracking ribs clearly reached everyone’s ears.
Immediately after, he pointed his sword at the adventurers who still wanted to charge at him and warned:
“Anyone else who dares to come closer, I guarantee their fate will be worse than his! Don’t believe me? Come and try!”
The adventurers stopped in their tracks. The entire guild fell silent, save for the screams of the warrior-like adventurer.
Seeing this, Natalie moved triumphantly to Leon’s side. The surrounding adventurers didn’t dare to stop her.
She glanced at the warrior pinned under Leon’s foot and smiled. “Stupid adventurers, do you understand the consequences of offending a knight and a priestess now?”
“Alright, I’ll give you a chance~”
“For just two gold coins, I’ll heal you. But you have to go slap that arrogant priestess. How about it?” Natalie finished speaking smugly.
“Pah!” A few drops of bloody spittle flew onto her face, staining her pristine priestess robes.
Natalie stared at the warrior in disbelief. Her originally pretty face twisted with anger. She raised her foot ostentatiously, preparing to kick him again.
“Stop.”
A cold, clear voice interrupted her action. Natalie looked over in confusion and saw it was that arrogant priestess from before.
However, her face no longer held the relaxed, natural, fearless expression from earlier. Her brows were tightly knit, her expression dark and terrifying.
Seeing the person in question finally react, Natalie immediately laughed, her mockery evident.
“You tell me to stop, so I have to stop? What are you?” As she spoke, she raised her foot to stomp down again.
But it was blocked by a white-gold light barrier that appeared out of thin air. The barrier erupted with an extremely strong repulsive force, sending both her and Leon flying back to crash against the wall.
Watching the two scramble up from the floor, Lintis walked over with steady steps. As she walked, she spoke:
“Holy Church Doctrine, Article Sixteen: Clergy shall not point their blades at the people.”
“Holy Church Doctrine, Article Twenty-Three: Priestesses are beings who protect the smiles and hopes of the people. They shall not, in any way, insult or tarnish the image of the Church.”
“Holy Church Doctrine, Article Forty-Six…”
Her tone carried a divine quality, like a judgment, reciting each article one by one.
With each one spoken, Natalie’s and Leon’s faces grew darker.
Lintis stopped before them, raised her eyes. Her gaze was as cold as the wind from the polar regions, making people shiver involuntarily.
“I thought my expectations for the knights and priestesses here were already low enough. I didn’t expect your appearance to still refresh my understanding, letting me know this world still has scum like you.”
“In return, are you prepared to bear my retribution?”
“I am rather angry now.”