For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 107
Soyi aside, what is Taolti doing here?
Unlike me, who was confused, Okhee, Nari, and Jin’s faces all hardened.
「 Oh dear, Priest! What’s going on? 」
Okhee quickly wiped her hands on her apron and rushed out to Taolti in her socks. Taolti gave her a pleasant smile and said,
「 I hope you’ve been well. I came because I received a report. 」
A report?
For a priest, he sure acts like a magistrate. I stood at a distance, listening in on the conversation between Taolti and Okhee.
「 A report, Priest? What do you mean…? 」
Okhee glared at Soyi, who was hiding behind Taolti. Soyi huffed and raised her voice to Taolti.
「 Look at that! They’re using the silver-haired priest’s name to sell gukbap! Isn’t this—what do you call it! Blasphemy, yes. Blasphemy! 」
「 B-Blasphemy? Priest, that’s ridiculous! 」
Okhee shook her head, her face gone pale.
「 They say they offer blessing prayers to people who come to eat gukbap. If that isn’t blasphemy, what is? Didn’t you say it yourself, Priest? That Seonui Lake is drying up because of all the unclean people! Nobody comes to Priest Taolti’s ritual, they’re all just hanging around here eating gukbap, so of course Seonui Lake won’t get better! 」
「 Hm. So that’s what’s going on. 」
Taolti lowered his voice and looked around inside the tavern. His voice sounded like it should come from a long-bearded old man.
In other words, he was being utterly ridiculous.
「 The charge would be disturbing the people’s hearts and hindering fair competition in the marketplace. 」
「 Ch-charge? Oh, Priest! We would never do anything so terrible! 」
Aha. Now I understood.
Taolti wasn’t just a money-hungry priest, he had strong backing, too.
They said the village chief sent him here personally. It seemed he’d been given authority by the chief as well. Seeing him shamelessly maintaining ‘order’ in the village and how the villagers treated him, I could tell right away.
He didn’t even worship his god, he came here to play king, didn’t he?
How amusing.
I glanced at Ariel. After seeing Taolti’s prayer ritual, Ariel had already been shocked. What kind of face would he make seeing Taolti play magistrate as well?
As expected. Ariel was standing with his hands pressed together at his chest, trembling.
Because he believed so deeply that a priest would never do such things, the shock was even greater for him.
Still sprawled on the wooden porch, Feyden turned onto his side and propped his head up, watching the situation unfold. It was obvious he was enjoying Ariel’s suffering.
「 Priest, I’m sure that… yes, yes, that young woman stirred everyone up. 」
「 …Estira-nim, is it? 」
Me?
Soyi’s timidly outstretched finger pointed straight at me.
Taolti briefly looked regretful, then his face turned grave as he gave orders to the men who had come with him.
「 I’ll inform the village chief. Tell him we’ve justly punished those who interfered with the prayer ritual. 」
The men tapped thick wooden clubs in their palms and advanced menacingly.
At that, Feyden and Jin jumped up and blocked their way. Seeing the two big young men standing firm, the men hesitated.
“Hey, Potato. What’s going on? I didn’t understand a word, but we’re supposed to fight now, right? Do we just knock them all down?”
“They said they’re going to punish us. Just scare them a little.”
Taolti’s face twisted as he realized we’d switched to imperial language. It was probably because Feyden and I showed no fear toward him.
I stepped forward to Taolti.
“Priest, you say we deserve to be punished. I don’t really understand. And why is it the priest who gets to punish us?”
I could have spoken in Dongguk language, but I used imperial for Feyden and Ariel’s sake.
「 I didn’t expect Estira-nim to be so fluent in Dongguk-o. 」
Taolti tried to speak amicably, but my expression remained icy.
“What of it?”
「 Hm. Since you understand Dongguk so well, you must have understood everything. For interfering with the ritual and disturbing public order… 」
“No. You should tell us exactly how we interfered with the ritual, and what we did to disturb order.”
Instead of answering, Taolti’s lips curled up in a smile. His eyes didn’t smile as he stared straight at me, obviously trying to intimidate me.
But behind me stood two very strong men, and Ariel—who couldn’t even be compared to a mere priest like Taolti—so I wasn’t afraid.
I met Taolti’s gaze head-on.
「 Haha. 」
Taolti suddenly let out a warm laugh and dropped the stern act. After glancing around, he leaned in and quietly whispered in my ear.
「 The world is full of unfairness. There are many things that youthful boldness just can’t fix. 」
“Ah.”
「 If you didn’t know, now you do. Here, my word is law. 」
Taolti straightened up and gave my shoulder a little pat.
「 Looking at such a young believer, I suppose I must be generous. 」
“What?”
Soyi cried out in disappointment.
「 For now, let’s just suspend your business for a while. It would be an unfair punishment for Okhee’s tavern to suffer because of people who know nothing. 」
Taolti said this nonsense again in that heavy voice, then turned his back.
From behind, I heard Feyden’s cynical mutter.
“What the hell is that crazy bastard saying.”
