CHAPTER 28: WANDERING

"How I survived is a long story," Marlon said in a calm tone, flashing a warm smile at the white-robed young man. "Actually, I died. But before my soul was judged, a bright figure appeared before me and told me I had to return and save Vale Kingdom from the Dark King. He even foretold that a righteous man would come to me when I awoke."

The young man’s eyes widened after hearing his story. The look on his face wasn’t one of disbelief, as Marlon had expected, but rather of admiration and reverence. His simple lie had worked.

"Y-you are the chosen one," the young man said in a trembling tone as he stepped closer.

Marlon’s smile faltered slightly as he heard the young man not only believe his words but also solidify them. Chosen one? How was that even possible? he thought, but he didn’t show his confusion and kept his warm smile.

The young man continued forward, stepping on corpses and blood-soaked ground, causing a squishing noise to echo around them. His eyes stayed fixed on Marlon, refusing to blink as though he feared he might suddenly disappear.

When he finally closed the distance, he stretched his hand forward and grabbed Marlon’s hands, holding them tightly as if afraid the wind would take him away.

"The prophecy foretold of a chosen one..one who would experience death and be resurrected by the Goddess of Light with a mission to save our world from the Dark King’s torment," he said, his tone shaky but firm.

Marlon’s thoughts grew more amused, but he played along. He acted surprised at first, and after some convincing from the young man that he was the chosen one, he accepted the prophecy as his fate.

"My name is Daniel. I’m a young priest from the Church of Light," the young man introduced himself after the initial drama.

"My name is Marlon," he replied, then continued, "You’re from the Church of Light? That’s perfect. Do you know about the Three Treasures of Fate?"

"Of course," Daniel replied instantly. "Aside from worshiping the Goddess of Light, the main mission of the priests and knights of the Church is to protect the map that contains the location of the Three Treasures of Fate." Then he asked, "Did the Goddess mention anything about the treasures? What did she say?"

Daniel’s voice was thick with curiosity and admiration, his eyes glowing with excitement. Marlon had no choice but to play along — this young priest would be his guide through the forest and toward the Vale Kingdom. With his help, convincing the ones guarding the map would be much easier.

He answered every question Daniel asked in detail and even added more spice to his words to get him even more fired up. While answering, he also asked his own questions, and Daniel eagerly replied to all of them.

According to Daniel, the exit of the forest was only three hours away, and the Church was another two hours on foot.

Marlon didn’t hesitate. He asked Daniel to lead the way, and they began sprinting through the woods.

The moonlight in this world was several times brighter than on Arden, which made sense since there were three large moons instead of one, unlike the two worlds he knew.

As they ran, Marlon struck up several conversations with the young priest and learned a lot about the Vale Kingdom, the history of the Dark King, and other important information.

Vale Kingdom was one of the largest kingdoms in the world of Aerth. It consisted of many towns and dozens of villages, with a collective population of over twenty thousand.

According to Daniel, the Dark King was a demonic magic practitioner who had lived for centuries. Every ten years, he would attack Vale Kingdom and other surrounding kingdoms to spread chaos and obtain sacrifices for his dark rituals.

"There are rumors that this time he plans to ascend and become a Demon Lord," Daniel said, breathing hard as he ran beside Marlon. "If that happens, he’ll be ten times stronger than he already is. Vale Kingdom and every nearby territory will be destroyed."

Marlon ran calmly, his breathing steady. The system also mentioned something about the Dark King ascending in three day so he had to act even faster.

Daniel kept talking as they ran. Marlon learned more about the world and about Daniel himself. Apparently, the reason the young priest was in the forest at that hour was because he was looking for a quiet place to take a dump.

He quickly defended himself after saying that and explained that he had a rare disease that made him relieve himself every two hours.

He somewhat reminded Marlon of a certain anime captain, which made him chuckle quietly.

The two continued running, the soft crunch of leaves and twigs echoing under their feet. The forest around them was dense, but the bright moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to see. For a while, neither spoke, only the sound of their breathing and the rustling wind filled the night.

After nearly an hour of running, Marlon noticed Daniel’s pace slowing down. His patience was wearing thin as he slow jogs began to annoy him. He could feel the energy in his legs building, urging him to move faster.

Marlon stopped and turned back. "Hey, Daniel."

The priest bent forward, breathing heavily. "Y-yeah?"

"This slow pace is killing me. How about you climb on my back and lead the way? I’ll handle the running."

Daniel blinked, confused. "W-wait, what? On your back?"

"Yes," Marlon replied simply. "You’re the guide, right? Just tell me the direction, and I’ll do the running."

Before Daniel could protest, Marlon crouched down and motioned for him to climb on. Hesitant at first, the young priest eventually gave in and climbed onto his back, gripping his shoulders tightly.

"Hold on," Marlon said, grinning.

In the next moment, he kicked off the ground and sprinted forward like a wild beast. The sudden burst of speed caught Daniel completely off guard.

The young priest trembled but didn’t complain. He had already accepted that Marlon was sent by the Goddess, so it wasn’t surprising that he possessed such incredible agility.

With Marlon carrying him, they covered the two-hour journey in less than thirty minutes.

They finally reached the exit of the forest and halted. The neighboring town beyond the trees revealed itself—clear but gloomy.

The streets were crowded, not with humans, but with humanoid monsters of various shapes and forms, staggering around in search of prey. Marlon counted over a hundred of them.

Daniel’s expression turned solemn as he saw the scene, recalling how he had lost his family ten years ago before he was adopted by the church of light.

"These monsters are humans with loved ones," he said softly, tears gathering in his eyes. "Because of the Dark King’s curse, they turn into mindless monsters at night and at the final phase of the curse which is only a short period, they would all die."

He turned to Marlon and said with trembling lips, "Please... defeat the Dark King."

Marlon nodded, offering a steady, reassuring smile. "Trust me, once those treasures are mine and I finally catch the Dark King and his darklings, I will avenge the suffering of your people."