The High Priest and the Black Wizard

“Oh, you’re ba–Huh!? The hell happened to you!?” Robin said, seeing the dirty and even more bruised up Frederick.

He had just returned from the capital city. With the meeting starting soon, he hadn’t had time to change into anything more presentable. The most he could do was gather some healing herbs and spread them out on his back to get rid of the pain even just a little for the time being.

Robin’s silver hair was still damp as he was rubbing it down with a towel. Finally getting the chance to bathe and wear clean clothes, his androgynous appearance only further came into view. As far as Frederick was concerned, most of the male bodies he’d seen were of other large men in the knights’ order, meanwhile Robin’s body was slender and toned.

Seeing Robin's untarnished skin made Frederick sigh ironically. He had seen it himself, after all. Robin had gone through his own fair share of hurdles. It was almost impressive there wasn’t a single scar on him.

“Why the hell are you grinning like that? Indecent…” Robin said, putting on a coat and walking away.

“N–No, not like that!” Frederick replied.

When they reached the meeting room, two had already arrived before them. Tristan sat quietly, carving out a small wooden horse. Meanwhile Darakota tried flirting with the lady serving him cups of water in the meantime. She quickly left, however, leaving the large man disappointed.

“Hm? Is something the matter?” Frederick asked Robin.

Robin was glancing his way, seemingly with something he wanted to say but–

“No, it’s nothing.”

Soon after they took their seats, three more people walked in. The first was Sir Logan holding a giant rolled up sheet of paper, and following him were two unfamiliar faces. One was a boy(?). His frame was clearly that of a young boy, but the way he acted was strange. He had dead fish eyes darting everywhere while fidgeting and hiding the moment he made eye contact with someone. He kept both hands close to his chest, like a rat protecting itself. And the strangest part were his fingers. They were crooked like an old man’s.

He was terrified.

The other was much taller and was almost completely covered in a black cloak. The hood almost covered his entire face, but even underneath it, there was a mask. It was impossible to tell what he looked like underneath it, but no one missed the short pause he gave before stepping fully into the room. And Frederick in particular felt him gaze towards him somehow.

Now, all seven of them were in the room. The Fellowship of the Sun was complete. And they could finally commence this (secret) meeting.

“Oi, ya’ll takin’ yer sweet ass time, huh! Let’s get this over with already!” Darakota was the first to open his mouth, completely taking over the room with his boisterous voice.

“D–D–Darakota, Sir… L–Let’s… wait for… a while,” the strange boy replied, weakly.

“Please, let the fine man express his dismay,” the masked man interjected. “You see~, we cannot coexist without expressing our dissatisfaction and accepting and tolerating one another. Please, continue voicing your complaints, I’ll be sure to listen to them.”

Despite his gloomy appearance, the man spoke with such a joyful tone, you couldn’t help but imagine him smiling underneath the mask.

“Are ya pickin’ a fight with me!?”

“Right, I haven’t introduced these two yet,” Sir Logan interjected. “This person here is Junge. He’s a healer. Hailed from the churches up north, and is one of the foremost clerics in the Kingdom today.”

“Foremost clerics?” Frederick asked. “My apologies, but… I’ve never heard of your name before.”

“It only makes sense, Junge is not his real name after all. Perhaps, you know him better by his real name… Jugend,” Sir Logan said.

Instantly, everyone in the room froze. And the moment the boy, no, the man heard that name, he too froze and quickly got drenched in cold sweat.

The High Priest Jugend was a famous priest who brought healing to the people of the kingdom many times before. It was believed that he could bring a person back from the brink of death in a split second and heal them completely, and has done so throughout the numerous battles the kingdom had waged. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he had become a living legend, living for over a hundred years.

But still, it only furthered the confusion among the people there as something didn’t quite add up.

“I thought the high priest died over thirty years ago?” Robin said. “Are you sure this kid ain’t his son or something?”

Frederick agreed with Robin’s assessment, but quickly took notice of his clenched fists.

He was… mad?

Before the three arrived, Robin had been leaning back on his seat with both legs on the table. But the moment the High Priest’s name was mentioned, his eyes sharpened with a glare toward the petite, almost malnourished looking, young boy. In turn, Junge diverted and looked elsewhere.

“No. While that may have very well been his plan to avoid being caught, Jugend had an ability only known to a few. Age alteration. Because of this, his supposed death was questionable even back then.”

Even Sir Logan glared sharply at him, full of disgust. The two knew of something that Frederick and the others were clueless about.

“Hey, old man,” Robin called out. “If what you’re saying is no joke, I don’t care what you say… I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him right here and now.”

“HIIIIIEH–” the boy hid under the table, shivering and fearing for his life.

“You will do no such thing. We need him for this mission, regardless of your personal gripes,” Sir Logan said, calmly.

Robin continued emanating a distinct and undoubtable aura of bloodlust that Frederick simply couldn’t ignore.

“Master,” Frederick asked. “What exactly did high prie–... what exactly did Junge do and how was he found?”

He had been careful to not mention his real name as somehow he had a violent reaction every time they brought it up.

If he had been missing for thirty years, his discovery now at this time would be nothing short of miraculous. But as Frederick asked that, instantly, the room went tense. It had only come from two people, but it was enough to fill in the whole room. The following moments had Sir Logan tell Frederick everything about what the “Kingdom’s Greatest Cleric” did behind the scenes–Frederick just stared in horror.

“We found him in the same orphanage he took care of thirty years later, deep in the dungeons we didn’t know existed till then,” he ended.

“It wasn’t me… I swear it wasn’t me… I’d–I’d never do such a thing! T–T–The devil… the devil did i–!”

“Silence,” Sir Logan cut him off.

“HIEEEH–!”

“The conditions of Junge joining the Fellowship would be his pardon. Providing him with a new identity and to disappear once more in the kingdom, granted he fulfills his role as our healer.”

Robin jumped in protest, arguing with Sir Logan and not backing down even after being told to stop. Frederick could only watch. This was for the good of the Kingdom. If this mission was going to be more dangerous than anything they’ve experienced before, then having a cleric like Junge on hand would be for the best. And yet… And yet…

“Uhm… can I introduce myself now?” the masked man said, cutting through Robin’s aggressive remarks. “I don’t want to be rude, but it seems like that fine gentleman over there is not happy and would like to proceed with the meeting already…”

Darakota cared little about the scuffle between Sir Logan and Robin, only growing more agitated. Like a wild dog being put in a room much too small for its liking.

“....Proceed,” Sir Logan said, pinching between his eyes.

“Right! My sincerest appreciation,” the masked man said, standing up and bowing his head. “Good morning to you, fine sirs and madams. I am Nout’n, a wizard who wants nothing more than to be of service as a proper hero to the kingdom. Nice-to-meet-you~!”

The eccentric man struck a pose with every line, and danced around his spot. Completely rejecting what his looks would imply his personality to be. Still, his personality and greeting was a complete mismatch to the tone of the room.

Frederick in particular couldn't shake the feeling that, despite being a criminal, Nout'n didn't seem like a malicious person at all. And he did not stop giving little factoids about himself.

“I fight for truth, justice, no matter the cost!” he finally ended.

“I see… then I must ask why you are here right now.”

“Me? Hmmmm~” Nout’n pondered for a second before snapping his fingers when he remembered. “I captured bandits far and wide, useless people who do nothing but cause harm, turned them into pigs and fed them to their victims.”

Frederick watched in silence.

Another monster was among them.