Wrath (Part 2)

Romon watched the furious Druid turn and leave without sparing him another glance, and gave a bitter smile.

What was this supposed to be? He was being driven out just because of that?

As he watched Jefa reach the corner and rub the hair of the girl waiting there, the sense of loss in Romon's heart deepened.

Though he was someone who had crossed over and possessed this boy's body, bearing an entirely new soul, the memories he had received showed that the former Romon had treated Jefa, his teacher, with the utmost respect. Not only had he often helped with chores while studying, but his respect for this teacher had come straight from the heart.

Yet in those memories, this teacher had always treated Romon with neither warmth nor coldness. No matter how hard Romon worked, Jefa had only offered a little guidance and never taught him with any real seriousness. The one Jefa had truly devoted himself to teaching was that little girl instead.

He had to admit, this really was a world with strict ranks. Before one possessed sufficient status and strength, even gaining the bond between teacher and student was this difficult.

Then Romon let out another cold breath. It seemed there was no way to undo this now. He was no longer allowed to set foot within Jefa's sphere of authority? How broad was that supposed to be? Did it mean Jefa's cabin, or did it include the forest outside as well?

If it only meant Jefa's cabin, then he could still accept it. At worst, he could consult materials himself and study on his own. It would be troublesome and take many twists and turns, but it was not impossible.

But if he could not even enter the forest, then all his previous plans would be thrown into disarray.

At that thought, a trace of gloom surfaced in Romon's eyes. After standing still for a moment, he shook away some thoughts in his head and prepared to continue into the library to look through some books.

But just as he stepped onto the library stairs and was about to push open the door, a figure suddenly blocked his way.

"Romon, so you violated Jefa's teachings and the laws of the Druids?" A cool voice rang out. It was Priest Tennis, who had followed behind him all along and witnessed the entire incident. In what seemed to be a regretful tone, he said, "Since that is the case, I think you should go back and reflect on yourself properly. There is no need for you to come here anymore. It will not be too late to return once you have earned Mr. Jefa's forgiveness."

When Romon looked up at him, the young priest was also watching Romon's reaction.

To his disappointment, he saw not the slightest trace of despair, confusion, or panic on the boy's face.

Either the other party had hidden those emotions very deeply, or this boy had not been brought down by everything that had just happened. Either possibility left Priest Tennis's hopes of enjoying a good laugh in vain.

That realization made Priest Tennis's expression grow even gloomier.

Romon studied him as well. He more or less knew why this priest was so hostile toward him. This priest had been sent to the temple here at the age of nineteen. Over ten years, he had reached Level 4 priest, a pace that was neither fast nor slow, and that had extinguished Priest Tennis's hopes of gaining greater wealth and status through his own abilities. Now, at twenty-nine and still unmarried, his sights were naturally set on Baron Rokas's second daughter—the temple's Level 1 priest, Eileen.

Almost everyone in the temple knew of this matter, yet no one found it particularly surprising. After all, priests were not hereditary in this world. Though they enjoyed the respect and wealth bestowed by others, they could not guarantee prosperity for their descendants. Only nobles could truly pass their glory down through the ages. What gave Priest Tennis hope and made him persist without giving up was Baron Rokas's attitude. Baron Rokas should have noticed Priest Tennis pursuing his daughter, yet he had never explicitly opposed it. This allowed Priest Tennis, who longed to attach himself to the nobility, to nurse his fantasies.

Unfortunately, Eileen herself was not interested in Priest Tennis. Apart from matters of work, she normally had nothing at all to say to him.

Even though Priest Tennis had arranged countless coincidences and chance encounters to capture her heart, Miss Eileen had remained neither warm nor cold toward him. Yet this girl, who showed no closeness to Priest Tennis, could laugh and chat with Romon—a boy who had once worked as a shop clerk and whom Priest Tennis considered lowly.

How could that not make Priest Tennis jealous? Though his face still barely maintained a calm expression at this moment, his eyes could no longer conceal their chill and delight.

Although Romon did not wish to offend Priest Tennis, under the current circumstances, he could only do his best to defend his own rights. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Does Miss Eileen know about this?"

At the mention of Miss Eileen, Priest Tennis's expression immediately darkened several shades. "Miss Eileen is currently concentrating on her training, and I believe she will agree with my decision."

As he spoke, he made a gesture inviting Romon to leave.

Knowing that arguing further under these circumstances would be useless, how could a Level 1 Druid like him contend against an official member of the temple staff? He simply stopped wasting words, turned around, and left.

Watching him depart, Priest Tennis stood where he was and revealed a cold smile.

As the saying went, good news never left the house, but bad news traveled a thousand miles.

By the time Romon returned to town, nearly everyone knew that the boy had angered Druid Jefa and been driven out.

The people pointing and whispering along the way gave Romon his first true taste of what it meant to feel ill at ease.

The moment he stepped through the doors of Motte Inn, every guest in the room turned to look at him.

Unlike the last time, when he had earned his Level 1 Druid status, there was no respect in the gazes fixed on him now. There was only curiosity and gloating.

"Romon, is that true? Did you really have a conflict with Druid Jefa?"

The first to ask was Haiwavi, the mercenary captain who often appeared around town. He looked Romon up and down with curiosity, clearly unable to understand how this boy had dared provoke Druid Jefa.

Romon gave a bitter smile. "Yes. Teacher got angry because I hunted a wild bull." Rather than let people speculate about other reasons, he might as well tell them the real one directly.

"The wild bull you sold to me?" Motte walked out from the inner room and asked curiously as well.

Romon nodded.

At once, everyone began discussing it in a flurry.

But Romon had no mood to keep listening to their sympathetic or gloating remarks. He only wanted to find somewhere quiet and sort out his thoughts.

Just then, Fafier appeared at the entrance of Motte Inn.

"Romon, come out for a moment." Fafier waved him over.

Romon took the opportunity to leave the inn. The instant he stepped outside, he let out a long breath. Then he saw Fafier looking at him with a worried expression.

"Why are you making that face? I was just driven out, wasn't I?" He patted his companion on the shoulder. "Even if we only rely on the game we earn from hunting, it will be enough to support us for a while."

"Romon, that's what I wanted to talk about." Fafier's expression was complicated. "When I led the bull back just now, I happened to run into Tax Officer Bakasi. He said... he said that private trading of wild bulls is not allowed in town. This time, he'll let it pass, but we must not do it again in the future."

"What did you say?" Romon was truly startled this time. If he had not panicked when he was driven out of the temple, then at this very moment, hearing Fafier's words, he was genuinely surprised. "Did he really say that?"

Romon's impression of Tax Officer Bakasi still remained from the celebration when he became a Druid. That middle-aged man, who always wore a smiling face, had left Romon with a fairly decent first impression. Though he had heard Motte and his wife discuss the man's harshness and snobbery, Romon had thought that they rarely crossed paths in daily life, so whatever kind of person Bakasi was would not affect him much.

But things were different now. This tax officer was plainly making trouble for them. But why? Don't tell him the slogan about banning the free trade of wild game. People in town often traded game, yet he had never seen this tax officer stop anyone before.

Thinking this over, Romon said to Fafier, "How about this? Doesn't he forbid the trading of wild bulls? Then keep those two calves at your house for now. We'll wait until this period has passed and see how things go. At worst, we'll just give them to your family. He can't control that, can he? What we need to do now is deal with the hide first."

Fafier thought it over. For now, that seemed to be their only option. Leading the calves out to sell would make too big a target, unlike a hide, which was easy to carry.

After discussing it, the two decided to sell the hide at the fur shop in town. Romon persuaded Fafier to go back first, then went alone to the fur shop. At a corner outside the shop, after making sure no one was around, he took the hide out from his space. He wrapped it in burlap and entered the store.

Romon was quite satisfied when the owner offered a very fair price. Just as the two sides were preparing to make the deal, someone suddenly entered from outside.

"Romon, did no one tell you just now that privately selling wild bull hide like this is wrong?" Tax Officer Bakasi walked in from outside with a cold smile.