"…Hah! W-where am I? What in the world…?"
The Priest sat up and looked around at his surroundings.
"On!"
"Whoa! …Are you that pup from before? There, there, good boy. Hey now, don’t lick me like that. Hahaha."
Shiro leaped onto the Priest’s lap and began licking his face all over. It seemed he had safely returned to normal.
"Are you alright, Father? You were being possessed by a monster until just a moment ago."
"Mm… Lloyd-kun, did you save me? …My apologies. It seems I’ve caused you quite a bit of trouble."
"No, it was actually quite convenient for me in a few ways."
As a result of the incident, I had managed to capture the Wraith and conduct several experiments. Plus, putting the Priest in my debt was a complete success.
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"No, nothing. More importantly, do you remember anything from when you were possessed? I’d be delighted if you could tell me in as much detail as possible!"
"W-what’s with that sudden sparkle in your eyes?! …I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t remember a thing. It simply felt as though I were asleep."
"Oh… I see."
He didn't remember a thing from the time he was possessed. How dull. My shoulders slumped in disappointment, and I let out a heavy sigh.
"A-anyway, thank you, Lloyd-kun. Please, let me express my gratitude."
"Allow me to thank you as well! Thank you so very much. Lloyd-kun, you are a lifesaver."
Isha and the Priest both bowed their heads to me.
"Please, don't worry about it. More importantly, regarding what to do with this guy…"
Waving my hand dismissively, I looked toward the Wraith trapped inside the Barrier.
"Now then, why don't you spill everything?"
"Guh… You want to know why I possessed the Priest…?"
"That too… but I also want to know what it felt like to receive those attacks earlier."
The sensation of receiving Yin and Yang Ki, as well as Holy Magic, through a human body—it was only natural to be curious about such things.
"No, I think you're the only one who wants to hear that, Master Lloyd…"
"Eh? That can't be true."
"No… yeah, never mind…"
For some reason, Grimo looked exasperated with me. How absurd.
"…You speak of nonsense… but it is futile. I will tell you nothing. I cannot bring myself to betray my Master!"
"Master… the Ghoul from earlier was also trying to say something before it died. So there really is a mastermind behind this?"
"Hehe… I shall leave that to your imagination… gufuh!"
With those final words, the Wraith vanished, crumbling away like sand.
"Oh, he’s gone."
"Spiritual Bodies weaken significantly the moment they accept defeat, yessir. He’d already taken a lot of damage, so he likely just dissipated."
"Is that so? I missed out on asking him so many things. What a shame."
I’d finally found a chance to hear a precious firsthand account, only for it to slip through my fingers.
"It seems he took his own life. We’ve lost our chance to interrogate him about the mastermind…"
"Yeah. Just who would send a monster into the Church?"
"Hmm, Father, do you remember anything at all?"
At Tao’s question, the Priest placed a hand on his chin and sank into thought.
"…No, I remember nothing from the past few days. It would be better to ask Isha rather than me. Did you notice anything, my dear?"
"Well… come to think of it, the Priest has been acting a bit strange since the day after the Holy Communion Assembly."
"Hmm… now that you mention it, my memory has indeed been hazy since around then."
"Which means the person who forced the evil spirit into the Priest was among the participants of the Holy Communion…!"
Everyone gasped at the Priest's words.
"Is anyone allowed to participate in the Holy Communion Assembly?"
"Yes, as long as they are a believer… though we do keep a registry of the participants. There were also several people involved with the Church present."
"In that case, the mastermind might be among them. There are many wealthy individuals in that group. It wouldn't be surprising if they were conducting suspicious experiments."
"I’ll investigate!" Ren of the Poison Moth declared. "I’m good at covert operations, after all. I can't let someone who releases monsters into the city get away with it!"
"Then I’ll go gather information at the Adventurers' Guild," Tao added. "I’ll report back if I find anything."
The conversation was moving along without me, but I wasn't particularly interested in the detective work. I just wanted them to call me once they’d figured it all out. I had plenty of things I wanted to ask the Boss, after all.
The next day, we returned to the Church after being summoned by Isha. It seemed she wanted to thank us for the rescue.
"Welcome, Lloyd-kun. And Tao-san, Ren-chan, Sylpha-san—thank you all so much for the other day."
"You really didn't need to trouble yourself," Sylpha replied politely.
"I couldn't possibly let it go! You all saved our lives. I must thank you properly!"
Isha was huffing with determination. She really didn't need to worry about it that much.
"Well, well, I’m happy about it," Tao said. "My policy is to accept anything offered, except for a disease. So, what are you giving us? Can I look forward to it, aru?"
"Of course! Actually, there’s a great pancake shop nearby. I would love to treat you all there."
"Pancakes!"
The word escaped my mouth before I could stop it. Pancakes are one of my favorite foods. Sylpha makes them for me occasionally, but she usually restricts my portions, claiming too much sugar isn't good for me. Sugar is fuel for the brain, though!
"Oh, do you like pancakes, Lloyd-kun? That’s wonderful."
"Yeah, I love sweets. It’s okay, right, Sylpha?"
"Of course, I don't mind at all. For my part, if I can taste something made by a professional, it will expand my repertoire. I gratefully accept," Sylpha said, sounding quite enthusiastic herself.
I was already looking forward to the possibility of her pancakes becoming even more delicious.
"Pancakes… what are those?" Ren-chan asked, her eyes wide with confusion.
Having lived a life of poverty as an assassin, it seemed Ren-chan had never encountered them before.
"You don't know what pancakes are, Ren-chan? They’re sweet, fluffy, and very delicious treats," Tao explained.
"Heh—sounds like fun!"
Ren-chan was immediately hooked. Just hearing about them was making my own mouth water. Isha chuckled at the sight of us.
"Fufu, well then, shall we head off? Oh, the Priest gave me plenty of money for this, so please eat as much as you like! Let’s go!"
Led by Isha, we made our way toward the pancake shop.