Chapter 2: A Familiar Face and an Unexpected Encounter

“Emil!”

A welcome voice resonated from behind him. Although it had been years since he last heard it, Emil could never forget the voice of the friend he had played with daily since childhood.

Sure enough, a man with a deeply tanned face was sprinting towards him from a distance. The innocent smile gracing Emil’s face bore no resemblance to the devout priest he had been just moments before, participating in mass.

“Jack!”

Jack, who had abruptly halted before Emil, slowly caught his breath. He had run so hard that he could only gasp for air, unable to speak for a while.

It was Emil who broke the silence first.

“It’s been ages! Why is your face so dark?”

“Hah, hah… Isn’t it obvious? I’m training outdoors every single day.”

Despite Jack’s grumbling, Emil merely chuckled. Jack had been his childhood friend, roaming the alleys and playing together for as long as Emil could remember.

Though Jack was four years Emil’s senior, their bond was far too deep to be fractured by such a casual remark.

They had met almost every day until Emil received his divine calling and entered the seminary. Jack was so familiar with Emil’s life that he would confidently declare, ‘I know Emil’s family situation better than he does!’

Emil, now completely reverted to his mischievous childhood self, shrugged his shoulders.

“Still, you should be careful when you address me.”

“Whoa. You haven’t even been ordained yet, and you’re already putting on airs? Yes, yes. As you command, Your Holiness.”

“Hahahaha.”

Emil burst into laughter, watching Jack immediately bow and adopt an obsequious posture. Jack grinned at Emil, who was bent over with mirth, and extended his hand.

Emil, a gentle smile gracing his lips, clasped it in return. Jack’s hand, now that of the lord’s private soldier, was calloused and firm.

“When did you arrive?”

“This morning. After mass, I was just looking around the village.”

“What about your lodging? I haven’t heard anything from Lauren.”

“For now, I’m staying in the residence provided by the church. Normally, I could go to my parents’ home before ordination, but as you know, my mother is an Esper.”

At Emil’s words, Jack’s expression subtly shifted. It was publicly known that his mother, Lauren, was an Esper.

Though they were relatively rare in the countryside, a few Espers or Guides resided in every village, so it wasn’t a particularly secret matter.

Lauren lived far from the village. This was because there was no Guide in the village capable of managing her. However, she hadn’t completely severed ties with people.

While Lauren maintained a relationship with the villagers that was neither too close nor too distant, the Church’s stance was entirely different. The clergy still denigrated the existence of Espers, defining the relationship between Espers and Guides as illicit.

They believed no special bond could form between humans without divine intervention. Therefore, it was only natural that Emil, having received God’s calling, could not reside with his mother.

“The more I hear about it, the harder it seems to grasp. I don’t understand why religion has to prevent even a parent and child from interacting.”

“It can’t be helped. If the Savior hadn’t existed, neither humans, nor Espers, nor Guides could have come into being.”

Emil achieved excellent grades at the seminary. The seminary comprised students chosen by God, as well as those who had independently chosen the path of priesthood out of love and loyalty to the divine.

Among them, Emil unequivocally stood out. He had experienced the most potent divine history and possessed clearer evidence than anyone else.

While not every student called by God always excelled academically, Emil was undeniably a brilliant scholar.

“So, you haven’t seen Lauren yet?”

“No. My mother invited me for dinner, so I was planning to go then.”

“Ah…”

“How is Mother doing? She always says everything is fine, but I can’t really know from just letters.”

“Well… I’ve helped her out whenever she had a hard time.”

Jack shrugged, recalling Lauren for a moment, and then spoke.

“As you know, our village has run dry of Guides and Espers. Aside from Lauren, there are no other Espers here. I was the only one who could help her.”

Jack was the sole Guide in the village. His guiding was utterly insufficient to control Lauren, yet even that meager assistance was highly sought after.

“I’m so relieved, thanks to you. I’ve been worried ever since I entered the seminary. If it weren’t for you, Mother would have suffered greatly.”

“So, you’d better treat me well, you rascal.”

Emil let out an unbidden laugh at Jack’s swaggering, chest-out display. If not for Jack, he would never have adjusted to the altered appearance of the village.

The villagers, who ostracized his mother, continued to interact with Jack precisely because he was a Guide.

Unlike Emil and his mother, who were considered outsiders, Jack’s family had been settled in this village for generations, dating back to his great-grandfather. Moreover, a Guide’s abilities were not as outwardly apparent as an Esper’s, which resulted in less hostility from the townsfolk.

Emil, lost in a wave of unbidden sentimentality, surveyed his surroundings. He had thought it had only been six years, yet everything had changed so drastically.

The shops he remembered had long since moved or transformed into different establishments, and the friends he used to play with were barely recognizable. Had it not been for Mr. Haig, the grocer, who had spoken to him first, he would likely still be wandering the streets.

Jack abruptly stopped and scrutinized Emil. While a seminarian wore different attire than regular priests, it was still distinct from civilian clothing.

“Let’s see, aren’t priests forbidden from drinking alcohol?”

“Why?”

“Remember Gale? He runs a brewery now. He makes some pretty good liquor, even supplying it to the lord’s castle. I often go there to get a drink myself. Since you’re back, I thought we could go together. We could talk about all the stupid things we did as kids.”

“Hmm… I’ll talk to you after I see Mother today. Won’t you come along?”

“Me? Well, I don’t think it’d be a good idea for me to go.”

“Why not? Mother would surely be happy to see you. It would create a much better atmosphere if several people gathered for a meal, rather than just Mother and me.”

At Emil’s words, Jack blinked with a dumbfounded expression before finally speaking.

“Just the two of you? Emil, have you… perhaps not heard yet?”

“Heard what?”

Woof! Woof!

At that instant, a jet-black dog suddenly sprang out in front of Emil and Jack. It was a dog they hadn’t seen moments earlier when passing this very lane.

The dog, nearly the size of a small house, blocked their path, its yellow eyes glaring fiercely. As the beast barked ferociously, Jack quickly stepped in front of Emil, fumbling at his waist.

“Damn it.”

He had rushed out upon hearing of Emil’s return, forgetting to bring his sword. The dog before them was unfamiliar even to Jack’s memory.

Did anyone in the village keep such a massive dog? He ran through the faces of the villagers in his mind, but no owner for this beast came to him.

“W-what is this, all of a sudden…?”

“Don’t panic, Emil, and listen carefully. Move slowly and head into that alley. The space is too narrow for that brute to follow easily.”

Jack pointed towards the alley, reassuring Emil, who had questioned him in a strained voice. It was barely wide enough for a single person to pass through.

Therefore, it would be even more difficult for a beast nearly the size of a wolf to follow. Emil gave a small nod, glancing at the alley.

He knew he needed to move, but his feet felt glued to the ground, as if the dog were specifically targeting him.

Ownerless dogs and cats often roamed the seminary grounds. Most seminarians interacted with them without issue, but Emil had a strained relationship with animals.

More precisely, despite Emil’s repeated attempts to befriend them, animals inexplicably disliked him. They would often bark fiercely, or in severe cases, bare their teeth and attack him.

“Hurry, Emil!”

“…Hmph!”

Woof!

Overwhelmed by tension, Emil missed Jack’s signal. He belatedly sprinted towards the alley, but the dog’s reaction was swifter.

The beast barked ferociously and lunged at Emil without warning. As the animal’s vast shadow fell over him, Emil froze, covering his head with both hands.

“Emil!”

At that moment, a popping sound erupted, followed by the acrid smell of gunpowder. The dog, which had been lunging at him just seconds before, yelped and suddenly fled.

“Woah, woah—stop, stop. I told you not to attack people.”

A stranger’s voice resonated from above him. The man, with a practiced gesture, shooed the dog away, then approached Emil, who was slumped on the ground.

“Are you alright?”

…

Emil, who had been frozen with his eyes tightly shut, belatedly opened them and lowered the arms that had covered his head. A tall, imposing man was looking down at him with a worried expression.

“I apologize. He’s my dog… He’s lived in the mountains for a long time, so his wild instincts are strong. I hadn’t paid him much mind lately, as he hadn’t caused any particular trouble, but it seems he’s made a mess of things now. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I… I’m fine.”

He was merely startled; he hadn’t sustained any injuries. While the dog had indeed lunged, the man had intervened and saved him before it could make contact.

His heart still pounded, but Emil offered a gentle smile to reassure the stranger. Standing up, Emil realized the man was taller than he had initially thought.

When he was alone, Emil had simply perceived him as slender, but standing next to Jack, a soldier, the man was half a handspan taller and equally well-built.

“Emil.”

“Yes, why?”

Suddenly, Jack’s hand reached out to him. After tracing his nape, Jack’s hand came away stained with red blood.

“Oh…”

A long, horizontal scratch marred his skin. When had such an injury occurred? He had hastily covered his face with both hands, but he didn’t recall scratching his neck.

“It seems you’re hurt. Allow me to treat you.”

“It’s fine. This much is…”

“I am a doctor. Since my dog caused this trouble, please allow me to treat you.”

Emil looked at Jack, sensing an earnest plea in the man’s request. Jack, however, was feigning disinterest with a bored expression.

Catching Emil’s gaze, Jack merely shrugged. Emil felt a pang of awkwardness at his friend’s uncooperative demeanor. He looked at the man’s face once more and, having no other choice, nodded reluctantly.