The Priest's Plea

The dust from the battle settled around the old church as Systie darted over to Ervin's limp body. He was out cold, and though she hated to admit it, that worried her a lot. After reaching him, Systie nudged him with her nose, bit his ear, and even scratched his face to wake him up with tears in her tiny blue eyes, but there was no response.

"Damn human! Wake up!" Systie screamed near his ears and then nuzzled closer, her fur brushing against his neck, but again nothing happened. He remained still, unconscious.

Seeing him like that made her feel a genuine pang in her chest. Ever since her descent into the world, the human had always been around her. Acting aloof and irritating most of the time but caring and protective when it mattered most.

As she was recalling all that, her sharp ears picked up a rustling sound from behind her. She spun around, claws out, and saw the priest—his robes now dirtied and his face pale—struggling to his feet while holding his sore neck where Ervin had struck him.

Systie immediately stepped in front of Ervin's body in a protective manner. Her heart raced as fear crept into her chest. What if the priest attacked them again? Ervin was defenceless, and she was not strong enough to fight.

She glanced back at the unconscious human and made up her mind to protect him in whatever way she could but to her relief, the priest showed no signs of aggression.

Instead, he knelt before her and bowed his head.

"Systie-sama, please allow me to join you on your divine mission," he said but then glanced at Ervin for a brief moment. "I admit, that boy is special, but even so, I still believe you should leave him and join me. I will do everything in my power to fulfil the goddess's mission without getting distracted along the way... There is no need for you to rely on a child"

Systie blinked, not sure what to make of his plea. She didn't like the idea of working with a fanatic, but If she refused him outright, would he harm Ervin? He didn't seem like he wanted a fight anymore, but she couldn't be sure.

After a pause, she made up her mind and said. "No, I won't join you, Mr. Creepy Priest."

The priest's shoulders visibly deflated. "Why? Why won't you allow me to serve you?"

"Because I don't trust humans" Systie answered "300 years ago your mistake forced the Plague Lord, one of the sacred beasts to revolt against the world. I…I had to sacrifice all of my strength to defeat him. Nothing you do can make me trust humans after that. So, give up."

The priest smiled at her words "I understand, please wait a second" he said and walked out of the church. He came back a few minutes later with a scroll of paper in hand.

"Is this what I think it is!?" the cat asked while sniffing the scroll and the priest nodded.

"Yes, it's a contract scroll. Since you don't trust humans, I figured signing a contract would alleviate your worries. The contract will ensure that I cannot betray you. You will have full control over me." he said with the same fanatic glint still in his eyes.

Just looking at that fanatic glint made Systie feel irritated.

"Why are you so desperate? What will you gain by joining me?"

"I gain the satisfaction of working with you Systie-sama and by joining you I can stop that kid from getting involved," the priest said fervently causing Systie to snap.

"What's your problem with Ervin?" she asked, her eyes glowing faintly. "Did he steal your money or something? If so, I'll pay you back so you can stop trying to get in our way!"

The priest looked momentarily confused but shook his head. "It's not about money. It's about his age, he is too young for this journey."

"Huh, young!? Why is that a problem?"

"It is a big problem, an innocent kid like him shouldn't worry about anything related to saving the world or doing dangerous missions."

"Ervin isn't an innocent kid, you don't need to worry about him"

They both argued back and forth until the priest finally couldn't hold it in anymore "Systie-sama, he is still a kid. I have seen what happens to kids who get caught up in dangerous missions. Please don't make the same mistake I did" he pleaded with tears in his eyes.

"Huh, What do you mean? What mistake?"

Looking at the confused cat the priest sighed deeply and took out a pendant from his pocket. The pendant was in a heart shape and had the image of a young 13-year-old black-haired boy in it.

"I used to live in a remote village towards the north of this country together with my son. He was my only family member. The village was pretty prosperous and the people were happy but one day, one of the farmers of the village found an artificial dungeon near the border of the village. Worried that the monsters inside the dungeon would come out and attack the village I and my son asked the villagers for help to clear the dungeon but the people were too scared of the mutated monsters and refused to help. In the end, we both entered the dungeon on our own, but only I managed to return from that dungeon" As he was speaking, tears streamed down from his eyes.

"Please Systie-sama, rely on us adults and let the kid enjoy his childhood" he pleaded while placing his head on the ground.

Systie fell silent and for the first time began to question herself. 'Am I bringing harm to Ervin? Would he face more danger if he is around me?'

She recalled how very recently Ervin went into a dangerous dungeon because of her and even today, Ervin had to fight the priest because she made the dumb choice to use the church to talk with the goddess.

The thought that Ervin would face more harm if he stayed near her was a tough pill for her to swallow. After much contemplation, Systie took in a deep breath and opened her mouth, "Fine Mr.creepy priest-"

"William," the priest corrected.

"Fine, Mr Creepy William, I…I will consider your plea but I won't make any decisions until Ervin wakes up. I want to talk to him first."

William wasn't happy about how the cat addressed him but still nodded in understanding.

Together, they carried Ervin to a small orphanage run by the priest, where they laid him down to rest. The cat sat on his chest refusing to stay away while wondering whether her presence was more of a curse than a blessing in his life.

*****************************

The Capital of Aldoria: Inside the Royal Palace.

A grand hall, lined with towering windows, allowed sunlight to spill over the piles of documents cluttering the large ornate desk. A silver-haired man sat behind the desk, his brows furrowed in frustration as he stamped each paper with visible annoyance. Arthur Serene Aldoria, king of Aldoria, sighed heavily. His royal robes clung to his broad, muscular frame, but even his handsome appearance couldn't hide the exhaustion etched into his features.

"These damn documents are going to kill me one of these days," he muttered, tossing another scroll into the growing stack beside him.

Across the room, Luke Serene Aldoria, the crown prince, sat at his own desk, a much smaller pile of paperwork in front of him. His youthful face, nearly identical to his father's, held an expression of mild amusement as he took some of the documents from his father's desk. "Happy now?" he asked, sighing.

Arthur grinned, the tiredness in his eyes momentarily fading. "You are the best, become the king already" he joked, but Luke just shook his head, horrified, he had no interest in doing such heavy paperwork anytime soon.

As they worked, a sharp knock on the door interrupted their routine. Arthur's posture shifted, his exhausted face turning into a diplomatic smile as he called out, "Enter."

A tall, black-haired butler with a lean build and an immaculate uniform stepped into the room, bowing slightly as he approached. "Your Majesty, a messenger from the kingdom of Oasira delivered this letter today."

The king ripped the letter open, his eyes scanning the contents before he passed it to Luke.

---

<Hello there, dear friend.< p>

I am stuck behind a cursed table doing paperwork all day, and I hope you're suffering the same fate.

The reason for this letter is to ask for confirmation of the political marriage between my eldest son and your daughter. You haven't given any answer yet. If there are problems, let me know so we can resolve them together.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,

Amir Saham Oasira, King of Oasira>

---

Luke frowned as he read the letter. "Are you really going to send Lily to a desert country?"

Arthur sighed heavily. "I don't want to… but I can't refuse the marriage without a solid reason."

Luke frowned. "Can't we find one? I don't like the idea of my sister going to Oasira."

"Neither do I. But Lily… she's too patriotic for her own good." Arthur said while leaning his back against the chair and recalling the conversation he'd had with Lily half a month ago.

"When I told her about the marriage, I deliberately kept things vague. I didn't even tell her who the prince was. I thought… maybe if I kept her in the dark, she'd get angry, hate the idea, and refuse the marriage. That would've given me the perfect excuse to call it off."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Arthur let out a helpless sigh "She didn't complain. Not even a little. Instead, she accepted it immediately, saying that if her marriage would help the kingdom prosper, she'd go through with it."

Luke shook his head, visibly frustrated. "My little sister's always been like that—putting duty over herself. But I want her to choose her own partner."

Arthur nodded, his expression grim. "I know. That's why I tried to get her to change her mind. I even forbade her from leaving the palace, hoping she'd rebel. But… well, you know your sister."

Luke snorted, unable to suppress a small smile. "She sneaked out anyway."

"Yeah, and she left me a charming little message, too," Arthur said with a faint smile and reached into a drawer, pulling out a folded piece of parchment from within and handed it to Luke, who opened it with curiosity.

---

<Dad,< p>

I'm going out to spend time with Arya. If you try to bring me back, then I will never give you any goodnight wishes or cuddles again.

Take care, and Love you,

Lily.

P.S: don't slack off with your paperwork.>

---

"That sounds exactly like her." Luke chuckled though his eyes remained clouded with worry.

"There's nothing I can do now. She's accepted the marriage. Unless she decides to change her mind, this will happen." Arthur declared and took out a scroll. He quickly wrote a response letter to the desert kingdom Oasira and handed it to the butler to pass it to the messenger.

Whatever happened, he just hoped that his daughter would somehow find happiness in her life.