I Saved a Demon, and Now He’s After Me - Chapter 14

Eden lived in Nitra, the capital of the Brighton Empire, and on its eastern edge stood a massive temple dedicated to the god Bara.

In this chaotic world where no one knew when demons might appear, living within the vicinity of a temple was prime real estate.

Eden had only just managed to move to the capital this year after seven years of backbreaking work. She couldn’t afford a proper mansion, but her hard work had earned her a two-bedroom apartment, and that was more than enough.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the temple.”

Eden headed toward the temple, cheerfully swinging the shopping bag in her hand.

Unlike churches, which people frequently visit for worship, temples functioned more like workspaces for priests, high priests, and Holy Knights—closer to an ‘administrative office’ where those who served the gods stayed.

Unless you were a Hunter like Eden, stopping by to have something blessed or paying a hefty fee to see a high priest, ordinary people rarely had reason to visit the temple at all.

Oh, and of course, people also visited to obtain materials for necessary information, like Eden was doing now.

Eden intended to find out more about Bezel’s missing past. He didn’t remember anything but his name, but he did have one clue: divine power.

She could start from there and work toward finding his identity. The first step was the temple, which anyone with divine power would inevitably be connected to.

She walked briskly and reached the temple quickly. But instead of going straight inside, she hesitated outside for a moment.

“But what if Bezel really was a high priest? What if they try to take him back immediately?”

Ah, thinking about it that way suddenly made her not want to go in.

When the Holy Knight first told her to do a good deed, she had flatly refused. Now here she was, acting like this. It felt selfish, but she couldn’t help it.

This was the man who had, even if just briefly, treated a curse that no amount of money had been able to improve!

“Ugh. What can I do? I’ll just have to let him go.”

But that didn’t mean she could wish that Bezel would never recover his memories and just stay at her house forever.

No matter how selfish Eden was, she had no intention of using a victim’s suffering for her own benefit. Whether the perpetrator was a heretic or a demon, Eden was also someone who had suffered at the hands of evil.

“Still, we have a connection since I saved him. Surely he wouldn’t just pretend nothing happened? He’ll treat me now and then, I’m sure of it. Of course he will.”

Eden comforted herself and climbed the stairs leading to the temple.

At the front of the temple, along the pathway leading to the gates, were statues of angels. They were guardians of Bara, the only god worshipped in the Brighton Empire, symbolizing good hearts like mercy, forgiveness, purity, and sincerity.

Of all these virtues, Bara emphasized mercy and forgiveness most. The doctrine of Bara’s faith was “There is no eternal evil, no eternal good.”

This doctrine spread the belief to people that even evil could become good through good deeds, and gave them the realization that even good could become evil if one didn’t steadily cultivate oneself and purify the heart.

Under this doctrine, citizens of the Empire lived by controlling their own hearts and avoided corruption, even when faced with demons.

“Ah, Miss Hunter. Hello. What brings you here today? Did you come to get your weapons blessed?”

When she went deep into the temple, priests who recognized her greeted her first with familiarity.

“I didn’t come for work today.”

“Then do you have an appointment with a high priest?”

“No, nothing like that. I just have something I’d like to check. Does the temple have a department that manages personnel records?”

The priests looked puzzled, as if wondering why she’d ask such a thing. Even so, they didn’t forget to dutifully point toward the offices.

“Of course we do. We have to manage so many priests. You can go over there…. By the way, it seems like you’re looking for someone?”

“I was wondering if any high priests have gone missing recently.”

“Pardon?”

The priest’s hand pointing toward the office twitched. He looked at Eden with an incredulous expression.

“If something like that had happened, the entire Empire would’ve been turned upside down. A missing high priest? Surely you’re joking?”

Even Eden thought it was ridiculous. High priests with divine power were rare and treated with reverence. Not only did they have no reason to go out personally since the temple provided everything they needed, but Holy Knights accompanied them as guards wherever they went.

If Bezel had really been a high priest, there’d have been no reason for her to come all the way to the temple. The Holy Knights who raided the mansion with her would’ve recognized him immediately.

‘So maybe he was just an ordinary priest? They said divine power could be awakened through devoted prayer, though the odds are about as good as finding a needle in a haystack.’

In any case, she needed to confirm whether Bezel had belonged to this temple.

“Anyway, thank you for letting me know. I have a lot to do, so I’ll be going now.”

Eden gave the priest a polite nod and quickly walked toward the office.

Behind her, she heard someone mutter, “Goodness, how could she think such a thing,” but she didn’t feel like explaining, so she ignored it.