"The village is busy building houses for them right now," the man called Jose replied loudly.
"Remember to give them extra supplies. Don’t let anyone starve to death," Father John added.
By this point, the supplies were nearly all distributed.
After saying goodbye to the villagers, the group headed toward the other villages.
The process was much the same from there on out.
They distributed supplies, asked about the refugees and the state of the village, and repeated the cycle.
The group hadn’t actually visited that many villages along the way.
’It was probably because the area was too far from the Holy City. That’s why there weren’t many villagers living in the parish. After all, the White Tower didn’t pay much attention to this place. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be just a single Priest handing out supplies from a horse-drawn cart.’
By the time they finished their work, it was already evening.
The setting sun bathed the dirt road in orange light as the shadows between the trees began to slowly creep outward, creating a somewhat surreal atmosphere.
Colin and the others trudged along behind the cart, heading toward the Church.
"You’ve all done a fine job. It’s rare to see Adventurers with this much patience. At least, the ones I’ve met tend to love Gold Coins more than good deeds," the old Priest remarked.
"Hey, I’m definitely in the ’love Gold Coins more’ category myself."
"I see them as equals. Or maybe Gold Coins weigh a little more."
Kase and Colin said in turn.
"Speaking of which, could you help note today’s work on my report, Father?" Orelia suddenly remembered, pulling a piece of paper from her bag and looking at the old Priest expectantly.
"Of course. You all did a fine job today; it was a good deed," the old Priest smiled. "I’ll write it for you when we get back to the Church."
Before long, a small stone Church came into view.
This Church was completely different from the stereotype. It had no towering spires, just a sturdy, small stone building. The gaps between the stones of its walls were filled with mud and dry grass.
The Church was encircled by a waist-high stone wall, its top embedded with a few rusty iron spikes, likely to ward off wild dogs.
The group arrived at the main gate of the Church.
"Those damn beasts have been here again. A bunch of stupid dogs," Father John grumbled as he searched for his keys.
Colin stepped forward to take a look. There were noticeable scratch marks at the bottom of the Church’s wooden door, looking like the work of wild dogs, but...
These dogs were clearly too frenzied. There was even blood on the splintered wood fibers. Normally, a regular animal wouldn’t do something like this.
He immediately grew wary.
’One of the telltale signs of a Demon’s presence is its effect on the natural environment.’
’Wild animals might die off in large numbers or become more rabid. In the worst-case scenario, they can even be transformed into creatures of Purgatory.’
"Colin, I smell sulfur."
Orelia’s voice came from behind. Colin raised a hand to reassure her.
He said to the Priest, "Have you noticed any strange phenomena recently? We have a feeling there might be Demons in the area."
"How could that be? We’re so close to the White Tower. No Evil Demon would be suicidal enough to come here... would they?" Father John looked at the others, taken aback.
’The Priest’s vigilance against Evil Demons had clearly been dulled by a long period of peace.’
’Edwin recently went to the area around the Holy City to deal with Demons. It wouldn’t be strange if something slipped over to this side.’
As Colin thought this, he gave the others a meaningful look.
They quickly fell into a battle-ready stance, carefully opening the main gate and entering the Church’s courtyard.
Seeing the Adventurers act as if they were facing a great enemy, Father John also grew alert and cautiously entered the small courtyard he knew so well.
The courtyard itself held nothing out of the ordinary. The weather had been good lately, so the dirt ground showed no footprints.
Colin and the others crept up to the front of the Church.
He glanced back at Orelia, who gave him a serious nod.
Kase, gripping his Battle Axe, tiptoed to the Church door and then violently shoved it open.
The instant the door was pushed open, a shadow lunged out from within.
Before his mind could even register it, Colin’s body had already moved.
His legs bent slightly, and his hands, gripping the Giant Sword, crossed and twisted. The sharp blade flicked with surprising dexterity toward the lunging shadow.
Empowered by his Sword Dance state and Swordsmanship Skill Level, the strike’s power and precision were nearly flawless, a fact that even a battle-hardened Mercenary would have to admit.
Kase’s Speed was not slow either. He instantly brought his Battle Axe up in front of him, preparing to block an attack.
In an instant, blood sprayed through the air.
Colin’s Giant Sword cleanly bisected the black shadow, which immediately tumbled to the ground in a heap.
Taking a closer look, the group saw that the thing that had lunged out was a strange, hairless dog.
The Giant Sword had struck the dog’s neck, cleanly beheading it.
The dog had lunged right onto Kase’s Battle Axe. Its head was still clamped onto the axe blade, though the force of the block had caused the blade to slice more than halfway through its mouth.
Whether because it was hairless or for some other reason, the dog’s musculature was clearly defined and abnormally powerful. It was practically the Orc of the canine world.
Colin quickly stepped into the Church.
The Church hall was furnished with a few long wooden benches, the space almost entirely visible at a single glance.
"What was that thing? I could’ve sworn I saw sparks in its eyes!" Kase, who was behind them, yanked the dog’s head off his axe in disgust.
Orelia, meanwhile, was squatting beside the dog’s corpse, examining it carefully.
The timidity in her voice vanished instantly, replaced by a firm, professional tone. "I suspect it’s a wild dog influenced by Hell. Are you familiar with Hellhounds?"
"Aren’t Hellhounds supposed to be as strong as Winter Wolves? This thing was too weak," Colin said, pushing open the interior doors one by one to confirm the Church was empty of any other enemies.
"While many Hellhounds are summoned directly to the Mortal World, if a Demon is willing to spend time influencing wildlife with negative energy, you get these Purgatory-touched dogs. They’re stronger than Ordinary wild dogs, but not by much."
Orelia continued, "It’s obvious a Demon has its sights set on this Church. But it can’t be a strong one, otherwise it wouldn’t have resorted to sending a creature like this to ambush the Priest here."
Colin took a deep breath.
’Edwin had been away on assignment near the Holy City for a while now, which meant this region wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed. And the secret Demon missive they’d found in Three Bays City indicated that Demons were planning to expand their influence.’
’Under these circumstances, it was perfectly normal for some Imps to take risks and cause trouble out here.’