Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 24 This lich girl, you didn't want this either...

The silly goddess and the cowardly NEET who were sitting next to me left sometime later.

Duster and his companions were also completely drunk. After all, it was a kind of revenge for Keith and Taylor, so they were in particularly high spirits tonight.

After finishing his drink, Duster expressed his dissatisfaction and wanted to take the others to the tavern to continue drinking, but Lynn stopped him.

The group then dispersed on the spot.

Charlotte hummed a little tune as she walked toward the stable, mentally calculating the bounty she had earned over the past few days.

The bounty for killing the novice assassin was split equally among the group. He originally intended to take less, but under the insistence of the squad leader Taylor, he had no choice but to accept it.

In this way.

He then had some savings.

What should we do? Should we take this opportunity to move out of the stable, or should we buy some other things...?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure on the next street. Judging from her graceful back, she was a woman with long flaxen hair, wearing a black robe and a somewhat dirty apron.

He was bending down to pick up some rotten vegetable leaves and bread crusts that others didn't want, looking particularly pitiful and wretched.

Charlotte pursed her lips and walked towards her.

Before the other person could react, he squatted down, picked up a piece of vegetable from the ground, and handed it to them, saying, "There are only six basic nutrients needed to sustain life: carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, salt, protein, and water. Therefore, consuming any food beyond our normal needs is a waste."

"...Huh?"

"While that's true, I think humans are beings with a sense of taste. The flavor of food can inspire the will to live; otherwise, why would we go to such lengths to research delicious cuisine?"

He handed the vegetable leaves in his hand to the somewhat dazed woman and spoke again in a gentle and sympathetic tone.

"Why didn't you go to the Church of Eris? They should be distributing relief meals there, right? Or did you just miss it? If so, I'll give you some money—"

"No! I'm not begging!"

She quickly waved her hand, her pale face, which looked somewhat unnatural, flushed slightly as her emotions fluctuated.

They're picking up rotten vegetable leaves and still claiming they're not begging.

However, Charlotte didn't scoff at the idea. There are people with high self-esteem who don't accept charity and would rather work before eating. On the contrary, Charlotte quickly gave up on herself and went to collect relief meals.

"It's okay, I know you're just having a bit of a hard time, so—"

"It really isn't!"

She denied it decisively, then proudly puffed out her chest and said, "I own a magic item shop in town, I'm not begging, so I didn't go to collect relief meals, since those are for people who can't support themselves."

Listen to this!

I really hope that some idiotic goddess who comes here every day to fight for relief meals has this kind of self-awareness.

……Um?

Magic item shop?

As a town where beginners gather, Axel naturally has many magic item shops, but there seems to be only one woman who runs a magic item shop and still makes a living by picking up rotten vegetable leaves and bread crusts.

By the dim light of the roadside lamps.

Charlotte could see the person in front of her clearly.

He had long brown hair with a single tuft of hair on top, and appeared to be around 20 years old, looking very young. His large almond-shaped eyes, cherry-like lips, and somewhat pale skin created a striking contrast.

The long, dark purple dress, with gold trim and cuffs, accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her exceptionally full breasts were prominently displayed by several leather-like braces, truly drawing attention.

But for some reason, he always had a weak aura about him, giving people the feeling that he was easy to bully.

"Aaaaaah——————"

Charlotte pointed at her and shouted.

The woman, startled, tensed up, her small hands unconsciously gripping her clothes, looking at Charlotte who had suddenly started shouting with fear. This only fueled the strange thoughts in others' minds.

"Um... what's wrong?"

"Are you Wiz?"

"Do you recognize me?"

"So, you really are that infamous lich, and one of the eight executives of the Demon King's army, Wiz, right?"

"...Huh!!!?"

The timid lich girl also started screaming.

Only a handful of people knew that she was a lich and a high-ranking officer in the Demon King's army, but now she had been exposed on the spot. What's more, the person in front of her was wearing priest's robes!

I'm going to die, I'm going to die!

"I'm so sorry! Please don't purify me! Although I'm a lich, I've never done anything wrong. Even the Demon King's army was only responsible for maintaining the Demon King's castle's barrier; there was no bounty on my head!!"

Wiz immediately begged for mercy.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean to purify you." Looking at the lich girl who was behaving humbly, Charlotte waved her hand and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Besides, I simply couldn't do it."

It's wishful thinking for a novice horse with insufficient skills to pull a big cart. It would be good enough if it didn't get run over. Its excitement is only because it saw someone familiar.

Although Wiz is a lich, she stands on the side of humanity. As she herself has said, she has never done anything bad and often helps adventurers in trouble.

If she hadn't stormed the Demon King's castle and forced him to sign a contract not to harm ordinary people, who knows what the world would be like now.

Moreover, Wiz is kind-hearted, simple, gentle, and approachable. She is also beautiful and has a great figure, making her a perfect woman.

If there's anything wrong with her...

She has a rare talent for buying unusable things, always buying bizarre magical items to sell, causing the magical item shop to be in the red every month, but she herself is completely unaware of this.

Wait a minute, a magical item!?

"Aaaaaah——————"

"ah!!!"

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."

Charlotte apologized to the timid lich girl who had been startled by his sudden outburst, but actually, he had come up with a good idea. Since he couldn't use magic himself, why not rely on external forces?

If your stats aren't high enough, make up for it with equipment.

What?

You're saying Wiz's magical items have more side effects than their intended use, making them completely useless? Idiot, how could he not know that?! But Wiz's magical items are cheap and he can even buy them on credit!

It doesn't look down on me for being poor, so how could I look down on it for being trash?

Charlotte then grabbed Wiz's fair hand, staring intently into her somewhat evasive and fearful eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Wiz, you don't want your identity as a lich and a member of the Demon King's army to be exposed, do you?"

"...Huh?"

The timid lich was completely speechless.

The classic Japanese-style threat method is highly effective. If Charlotte persists a little longer, she might be able to gain access to the special channel.

Unfortunately.

His mind is now completely occupied with magical artifacts.

"Wiz, I'm coming to the magic item shop to find you tomorrow. If you don't want things to get out, you'd better wait for me there, understand?"

"Yes, yes...?"

Wiz stared dumbfounded as Charlotte stormed off, then looked at the rotten vegetable leaves in his hand and instinctively shouted, "Your rotten vegetable leaves!"

"No, it's your rotten vegetable leaves!"

He waved and disappeared around the street corner.