"Over here, please!" an elderly lady waved at me.

"Yes, ma'am," I said while pulling a rope. Attached to that rope was a pallet filled with neatly cut stone pieces.

Each step was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to drag it all the way from the quarry outside of the village. I kept going until it was set right where the lady wanted it.

"Phew..." I let out a sigh as I tugged on the collar of my shirt.

It's warm out today. Good thing I decided to leave my coat back at the tavern. Otherwise, I would've drowned in my own sweat.

"Oh, thank you so much, young man," the lady grinned. "Having you was much more efficient compared to those oxen. They move like snails, I tell ya."

"I don't doubt you, ma'am," I said. "Thank you for the compliment."

"Of course! Here's your payment."

She handed me fifteen pieces of silver, which was three more than what the original amount was supposed to be.

"Excuse me," I said. "I think you overpaid me."

"Ah, keep it," she scoffed. "Think of it as a bonus for working so hard. If you ever find yourself in need of more work, don't hesitate to come back here."

"I see... Thank you."

"Think nothing of it, dear. Now, why don't you run along and find yourself some food? You've been working hard for the past hour. I'm sure your stomach is growling."

I nodded my head, and we said our farewell. From my pocket, I took out one of the small gold coins and assessed it. So this is what the universal currency of this world looks like, and I just made my own for the first time.

Heh. It feels kind of nice.

For a while, I walked around a neat little section of the vendor's street where a bunch of stalls were set up, selling a variety of delicacies. The amalgamation of smells wafting through the air made it hard to pass by any of them without thinking about spending.

My eyes then caught onto a familiar sight. That little girl, Blanc, was standing in front of a stall selling skewers. She stood on her toes to place one silver coin in front of the vendor. He took it and graciously handed her a full skewer despite the price being three silver coins each.

"Oho! Hey there, Blanc!" someone shouted with enthusiasm.

However, he was not the ideal candidate to engage in an exchange of pleasantries. The crowd may way for a man, an apparent priest, but his uniform was much more decorated than the rest. His blonde hair was perfectly split down the center, forming curves around his head. Those emerald eyes may seem cheerful, but something was hiding beneath... Malice.

"What do you have there?" he asked. "A skewer? Looks delicious."

His tone indicated that he was being kind, but that was just a façade. Blanc refused to turn around to meet their eye contact, for she knew what they were really thinking.

"Hey, come on," he spoke again. "I'm trying to be friendly here. Why don't we sit down and have a sit chat? It'll be a great bonding experience for us."

The moment he put his hand on Blanc's shoulder, she immediately flinched, stumbling to the ground along with her skewer. Their eyes met, but it was not 'friendly,' to say the least.

"Oh... So that's how it's going to be," the man sighed.

With every step he took, Blanc crawled away. Fear overtook her eyes, and her little body was trembling immensely.

"Why are you so scared, Blanc?" he smirked. "Trust me, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want an opportunity to get to know you. That's all."

"Leave her alone!" someone shouted.

The priest immediately stopped, and so did the entire crowd, as the demanding voice echoed and faded all at once.

"Who... said that...?" he growled dangerously.

No one answered, so his impatience grew.

"Oh? Hiding now, are we?" he smirked. "Shall I start burning you all one by one until you come out?"

A wave of gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd, each person taking a step back. There they go again, causing a ruckus amongst innocent people. Followers of the Path of Ignis... No matter how much I think about it, I can't understand.

Why they're terrorizing these people when they've done nothing to them? Why are they talking to Blanc like that? For what does the Path of Ignis stand for that they are allowed to commit such blatant transgressions?

"It was me."

At the exact same time, everyone turned their heads to look at the person: me. Of course, I was not the person who yelled out in protest, but I can't just sit by and watch this happen.

"You, huh?" the man chuckled. "You don't seem like a local. Are you perhaps a traveler snooping around in places you don't belong?"

"I wonder, but could the same not be said about you?" I asked. "No matter how I look at it, you priests are quite... intrusive, wouldn't you agree?"

"How so? We are the ones who guard this village."

"By terrorizing and scorning them?"

"A price to pay for protection, if you will. Now, I suggest you turn your head away, traveler. Our Logos of Ignis may be merciful, but should you interfere in our crusade, he will smite you beneath his authority."

"Hah."

It seems that followers of the Paths of the Logos are quite pious, but I can assume the truth. In reality, they're hiding their foul acts behind the guise of faith. How deplorable.

Silverain was different. She told me to never put my faith in the Logos, for we may be followers of their paths, but we are not their slaves.

Ideologies and beliefs can be dangerous when the person who adopts them is capable of wrongdoing. The person who stands before me is one such person.

"Tell me, Wayfarer of Ignis..." I rested my hand on the butt end of my sheathed sword. "If I were to draw my sword right now, would your 'god' even bother to save you?"

The smile was wiped clean from his face, replaced by a visible look of irritation.

"You would dare...?" he growled.

"Shall we test it...?" I replied in the same manner.

This is bad. Silverain told me to stay out of trouble, but I couldn't help it. Something about them... these priests and their malpractice... I don't like it.

I don't like that the villagers have to feel on edge simply because of their presence. I don't like that they can get away with such misdemeanors. I don't like that Blanc has to suffer because of their greediness. If I can help it... then I will interfere.

Suddenly, the man chuckled, and that chuckle soon became a harrowing laugh. He reached a finger to his eyes to wipe off a strand of tear, before his expression turned sour.

"You seem confident in your own abilities," he muttered. "Fine. Maybe one day, I'll settle this with you, but not today. I have more pressing matters to attend to. Hopefully, you'll realize the mistake you made today and reflect. This is my last warning to you, traveler. Do not get in our us."

Just like that, he disappeared beyond the crowd, joining the traffic of the busy village. I finally had the chance to relax a little, and I let go of my sword.

Surprisingly, Blanc was still sitting on the ground, staring at me. With a gentle smile, I knelt down in front of her.

"Are you okay, Blanc?" I asked.

After a moment of silence, she nodded her head, but her attention swiftly shifted to the skewer on the ground, dirtied and no longer edible. She probably used up the last of her gold to buy that. Thanks to that arrogant priest, it has now gone to waste.

I stood up and faced the vendor next to us.

"Can I have three skewers, please?" I asked.

The man nodded his head and took out three from the batch. I readied myself to place nine pieces of silver coins on the table, but he held up his hand to stop me.

"It's on the house, kid," he smiled.

"Huh? N-no, that won't be necessary," I mumbled. "I'll pay."

"Haha! Then I'll give them to you for the price of one."

He put his fingers on three of the coins and slid them across the table, allowing me to keep the rest.

"But..." I mumbled.

"Think of it as a thank you, kid," the man said. "Not many strangers are willing to speak up on our behalf, especially for little Blanc. Those guys would kill us if we did what you just did."

I took the skewers with a frown. I don't know how they can live with this. It's such an unfortunate circumstance.

Silverain isn't here to guide me anymore. I have to handle this on my own. If she were here, she would tell me to trust my gut, and I plan on doing just that.

I looked down at the little girl next to me, who was eyeballing the skewers. As much as I tried to hold it in, I let out a faint chuckle.

"Come on, Blanc. Let's go somewhere a little quieter."